Daily postings from the Keystone State
Education Coalition now reach more than 3250 Pennsylvania education
policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and
congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of
Education, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, education
professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies,
professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails,
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These daily emails are archived and
searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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Keystone State Education Coalition
Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup
for April 29, 2014:
Senator Erickson: A more
equitable formula needed to fund education
PSBA members - Come hear
former Assistant US Secretary of Education, author and education historian
Diane Ravitch.
PSBA Buxmont
Region 11 and Penns Grant Region 15 Combined Region/Legislative Meeting --
Thursday, May 15, at William Tennent High School
-
Buffet dinner/registration, 6 p.m. ($8 charge for dinner) - Program, 7:30 p.m.
-- Minority Senate Education Committee Chair Hon. Andy Dinniman will
introduce guest speaker Diane Ravitch, author and education historian, and
former Assistant Secretary of Education.
Retiring House Education Committee Chairman Paul Clymer will also be
honored for his long time (1981) public service.
"The latest version of the property tax elimination
plan will be the subject of a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Committee Chairman Mike Brubaker, R-Lancaster
County
School property tax
elimination plan has enough support to pass the Pa.
By Jan Murphy |
jmurphy@pennlive.com on April 28, 2014 at 7:00 PM
A revised plan to eliminate school property taxes now
has enough support to pass the state Senate if it were put to a vote in that
chamber, according to the bill's sponsor Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill County
Senate Bill Eliminating
Property Taxes Largely Unchanged by Amendment
Posted by PA Budget and Policy Center
An amendment to Senate Bill 76 was proposed in April 2014. How
would the proposed amendment impact SB 76?
SB 76 Remains Largely Unchanged by the Proposed Amendment
Generally, the amendment offers revisions to address technical
concerns about the bill, specifying the products and services that would be
subject to the expanded and increased state sales tax, clarifying which
business-to-business services would be exempt, and updating the activation and
implementation dates contained in the original legislation introduced on March
14, 2013. What Does SB 76 Do?
Senate change would give
charter schools twice as long to adjust to special education funding change
By Jeff Frantz | jfrantz@pennlive.com
on April 28, 2014 at 2:42 PM
An amendment passed Monday by the state Senate Appropriations
Committee woulddouble
the amount of time charter schools would have to adjust to a new special
education funding formula. But the underlying
bill would still change the special education formula for all public schools in
Pennsylvania, so that schools would be reimbursed for the actual costs of
providing special needs education. Under the current formula, all public
schools are funded on the assumption that 16 percent of students have special
needs. That blanket assumption, based on the state average, doesn't consider
the severity of a child's special needs.
So, a legislative commission found, some schools receive more than they
need, while others receive less.
Charter schools complained that the bill would only cover new
money the state spends on special needs students for traditional districts, not
their allocation under the basic education formula. A hold harmless provision
would also prevent school districts from losing special needs funding.
For charters and cyber charters, however, the new formula would
cover all special needs funding, and there would be no hold harmless provision.
"In final analysis, the Legislature needs to find a way
to provide a more equitable education formula and to generate additional
funding. Recently, interest has been expressed in a Marcellus Shale gas tax as
a way to generate additional dollars for education. I among others have
introduced a bill to do this, but even if we increase the level of funding, I
firmly believe that we must take action to reach a more equitable funding
formula for our schools."
Letter to the Editor: A
more equitable formula needed to fund education
Delco Times by State Sen. EDWIN B. ERICKSON R-26 of Newtown 04/28/14, 9:57 PM
EDT |
To the Times:
An editorial published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on April 20
suggested that the commonwealth
of Pennsylvania
The editorial pointed out that the formula allocated
basic-education funds based on each district’s enrollment (Average Daily
Membership or ADM), poverty level, number of students learning to speak English
(English as a Second Language) and local tax levy. This is an excellent
approach especially as it applies to the school districts in Southeastern
Pennsylvania , many of which are experiencing student population
growth. This is not true in some others parts of the commonwealth that have
seen decreases in the student population. In spite of these decreases, the
shrinking districts are “held harmless” and continue to receive level funding
plus an additional allocation in funding. This, in my opinion, is patently
unfair to our southeastern districts and should be adjusted to reflect the ADM.
The current situation is even more unfair when you consider that the southeast
is a net exporter of the tax dollars that are generated in our region of the
state. Using the ADM in a formula to distribute state education funds is a
partial solution to reach an equitable distribution of funds.
Dominic Pileggi: The Grown-Up
Dear Pennsylvania
At the Court Diner in
Media, the rest of the table orders chipped beef, pancakes and omelets. Then
the waitress asks Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi what he’d like to eat.
“Wheat toast. Dry.” Dominic Pileggi, 56 years old, is the
straight man of Pennsylvania
politics, a figure who at first blush is as dull as his breakfast in a
statehouse overpopulated by the corrupt, the comical, and a large and growing
cohort of ultra-conservatives.
By design, Pileggi
rarely makes headlines. By nature, his thinking is nuanced and his politics are
precise. He smiles and talks far less than most politicians. Actually, he
smiles and talks less than most morticians.
No matter. When Pileggi, whose district includes parts of Delaware and Chester
counties, does speak, the entire capital listens — very closely. “He is the most powerful person in
Harrisburg ,”
says Ed Rendell, within seconds of being asked about Pileggi. “He may have been
the most influential person in Harrisburg
when I was governor.”
That will save Bethlehem
By Adam Clark,
Of The Morning Call 11:00 p.m. EDT, April 28, 2014
Bethlehem Area School Board approved eliminating 22 teaching
positions Monday, though Superintendent Joseph Roy remains confident the
district can restore at least some of the jobs.
The positions eliminated by the board's 8-1 vote are the
full-time equivalent of 10 high school teachers, six elementary teachers, four
middle school and two technology integration specialists. The cuts save the
district about $1.5 million, helping trim what was once a $16.9 million
deficit.
Though a cost-saving move, the job cuts are officially
attributed to change in educational programs, because Pennsylvania school districts cannot legally
reduce the teaching staff for financial reasons. The school board had to pass a
resolution approving the cuts now because all potential teacher staff
reductions must be authorized by the state.
But school district's
business director says there's nothing more to cut.
By Margie Peterson, Special to The Morning Call 11:45 p.m.
EDT, April 28, 2014
"We've cut pretty much as far as we can cut," Jeremy
Melber, director of business services, told the school board at Monday night's
meeting. Under the preliminary budget,
the real estate tax millage would remain at 15.37 mills. At that rate, a
homeowner with a property assessed at $200,000 would pay $3,074. The district plans to use about $2 million of
its fund balance to balance the budget. That would leave the district with an
estimated $13.6 million fund balance by June 2015. Driving the cost increases are pensions and
health insurance. Melber estimated that over the next five years, the Public
School Employees' Retirement System will cost the district about $35.5 million
and employee health insurance will cost another $35.5 million.
By on
April 28, 2014 at 9:41 PM
At least one Nazareth
Area School Board member
thought tonight that more could be done to save taxpayers from a 2.3 percent hike
in the final 2014-15 school budget.
Board member Linda
Stubits was the lone member to vote against the $73.9 million spending plan in
a 7-1 vote this evening. Stubits said after the meeting that more
"creative ways" could be considered to offset the tax burden, such as
grants, partnerships with businesses and consistent bidding of purchases across
all areas. "Rather than just
increasing taxes for the taxpayers," Stubits said. "Just to make sure
we stay financially sound in the future."
The final budget is a 3.5 percent increase over last year's $71.4
million budget. The 1.13-mill increase equals about 2.3 percent. One mill
equals $1 for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value.
"Every minute we spend planning how to cope with
insufficient funding is time we aren't spending with teachers, planning
instruction, or working directly with kids - the things that move us
forward."
Principals seek full funding By Jessica Brown, Otis Hackney, and Marjorie Neff POSTED: Tuesday, April 29, 2014, 1:08 AM
Principals seek full funding By Jessica Brown, Otis Hackney, and Marjorie Neff POSTED: Tuesday, April 29, 2014, 1:08 AM
Jessica Brown is the principal of the Arts
Academy at Benjamin Rush, Otis Hackney is the principal of South Philadelphia
High School, and Marjorie Neff is the principal of Julia R. Masterman. A total
of 100 principals in the School
District of Philadelphia
Recently, about 70 principals from theSchool
District of Philadelphia
Recently, about 70 principals from the
Read more at
Quietly, West Chester Area
revokes Sankofa Academy
TRICIA L. NADOLNY, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Tuesday, April 29, 2014, 1:08 AM
POSTED: Monday, April 28, 2014,
10:01 PM
In 2005, the founders of
Sankofa Academy
convinced a skeptical school board of the need for an African-centered charter
in West Chester . Nearly a decade later, that
charter was revoked Monday night without a word of protest from Sankofa's
director, board members, teachers, or students.
As the West Chester Area school board voted unanimously to close the
school at the end of the academic year, only two members of Sankofa's community
sat in the audience.
Standardized testing forum
looks for ideas
Centre Daily Times BY MATT MORGAN mmorgan@centredaily.com April 25, 2014
STATE COLLEGE — Scott Fozard would classify a bad
teacher as one who takes a “one-size-fits-all” approach to education. So when the states use a “one-size-fits-all”
standardized test, it’s not doing the best service for students, he said. “If I’m a teacher that takes the standardized
testing approach in my class, I’m probably a bad teacher,” he said. But he added that the testing system is a
double-edged sword, because feedback for students and locating need areas to
further their education are important. He
and about 100 others packed the community room Thursday evening at Schlow
Library for a public forum on the state of standardized testing and ways to
further or change the experience for students.
Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2014/04/25/4150130/standardized-testing-forum-looks.html#storylink=cpy
"Every dollar Pennsylvania invests in quality
pre-kindergarten programs generates $1.79 in new spending in the commonwealth,
helping local businesses and creating jobs, according to a new economic impact
study from a national business leaders’ organization."
Report: Economic Impact
of Pre-K in PA
Pre-K for PA Apr 24,
2014
On April 24, Pre-K for PA released a report,
Strengthening Pennsylvania Businesses through Investments in Pre-Kindergarten,
issued by ReadyNation/
America’s Edge on its behalf. The report examines the economic
benefits of pre-k investments in eight regions across the commonwealth and
concludes “few investments make as much sense for Pennsylvania businesses’
balance sheets as do investments in high-quality early education.”
Cutting PE
OK, I’ll admit it. If
there was one class in high school that I was tempted to cut, it was PE (no,
mom, I never skipped class – I was way too much of a rule follower to do that).
I was no athlete, though I did play on the volleyball team, and Phys Ed was
generally torture for me. I think I still have dodge ball nightmares. But my
own kids have had two terrific PE teachers who have demonstrated to me just how
important a quality gym program can be for students. And now instead of cutting
PE, I’m worried about proposed cuts to PE.
Tonight at the Pittsburgh
school board’s public hearing, a number of people are speaking out about
proposed changes to the district’s PE requirements. The changes are part of a
package of new high school graduation requirements, which would halve the
number of required PE credits, reducing them from 2 to 1 (each course is a .5
credit). Effectively that means that Freshmen and Sophomores would take gym,
but it would be optional for Juniors and Seniors.
District delays one school's
Renaissance charter vote
the
notebook by Bill Hangley Jr. on Apr 28 2014 Posted in Latest news
In a surprise move,
District officials announced today that they will delay the vote scheduled
for Thursday to determine
the future of
Muñoz-Marín Elementary in Kensington and are considering whether to
postpone the vote at Edward T. Steel Elementary in Nicetown. Spokesperson Raven Hill said the
consideration was "due to the number of requests from parents." No
new date has been set for the Muñoz-Marín vote. Hill did not offer any details on those
requests or on parents' specific concerns. She said the District can't say
today exactly when it will make a final decision on the voting process or how
long the delay might be. When
parents do vote, they’ll be
asked to either approve their school’s match with a charter provider or opt to
stay under direct District management.
"While a locally elected or appointed board won't solve
our schools' money woes, it would give Philadelphia
Letters: Local school rule is a must
Letters: Local school rule is a must
Philly Daily News LTE by
Jerry Jordan, President, Philadelphia
Federation of Teachers
POSTED: Tuesday, April 29, 2014, 3:01 AM
YOUR April 23 editorial
("Is local better?") echoes the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers'
ongoing message about the main crisis facing our public schools: a dire lack of
education funding from Harrisburg. The need to establish a statewide funding
formula for public education should be the No. 1 priority for every voter,
parent and elected official in Pennsylvania . Because of our school district's funding
crisis, Philadelphia
parents have spent several years witnessing the elimination of our children's
nurses, counselors, librarians, programs and services.
Clearly the lack of
resources in our schools is the biggest threat to our children's future.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20140429_Letters__Local_school_rule_is_a_must.html#yBLLRaJzGaGGI9yu.99
"The teachers met as part of a Teacher Voter Forum
hosted by Teachers Lead Philly, a group of practicing teachers in Philadelphia
Teachers
Prepare to Vote
Teachers Lead Philly Press Release 04/27/2014
Philadelphia, PA, April 27 — Philadelphia teachers from both
traditional public and charter schools gathered on Thursday evening to prepare
for the upcoming primary election for Pennsylvania governor. Fair funding,
local control of the school board, and teacher control over curriculum ranked
high on teachers’ list of priorities as they considered the candidates’
education platforms. After one billion
dollars in cuts to the state education budget under Governor Corbett,
Philadelphia teachers hope that Pennsylvania’s next governor will restore
much-needed funding. “We’re stretched way too thin,” said one elementary school
teacher. “We have to wear too many hats. We’re the teachers, the counselors,
the nurses, the librarians, and now we have to be advocates for our students as
well. We have to be the ones to speak up to get the resources they need.”
Education Voters PA website Friday, April 25, 2014
Spring is here and public education is the top
issue for Pennsylvanian voters. A survey released yesterday lays out the
public’s view. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “A statewide
survey released today shows most registered voters believe public schools have
an impact on economic development and should get more state money, using a fair
funding formula.”
Here are a few findings:
·
71 percent said the state needs to make
"much larger" or "somewhat larger" investment in public
schools.
·
67 percent said schools with higher numbers of
impoverished students should "definitely" or "probably"
receive more state funding.
·
72 percent said they "strongly favor"
or "somewhat favor" using a fair school funding formula.
Resistance to the Common Core
Mounts
Critics span the
political spectrum, from tea partyers to union leaders
Education Week By Andrew
UjifusaApril 21, 2014
After more than a year of high-profile and contentious debate
over the Common Core State Standards in Indiana, Gov. Mike Pence signed
legislation last month to formally
reverse the state's adoption of the standards. The legislation set the
state on course to replace those standards with ones "written by Hoosiers,
for Hoosiers," the Republican governor proclaimed.
The same month, the Democratic-controlled New York Assembly
approved a measure that would
require a two-year delay in using assessments aligned with the common
core for teacher and principal evaluations.
In some sense, the measures in Indiana
and New York
represent two dominant poles of the growing—and evolving—resistance to the
standards. The common core has drawn criticism from both the political left and
right, though much of it seems aimed not so much at what the standards say, but
rather who drove their adoption or the tests and accountability policies
connected with them.
Louis C.K.: Common Core makes
my kids cry
Here’s a series of tweets that Louis C.K. wrote on standardized
testing and the Common Core.
(If you don’t know who Louis C.K. is, I can’t help you. Google him.)
INVITATION: Live Twitter chat with PA's
major education leadership orgs Tuesday, April 29 at 8 p.m
PSBA
Steve Robinson, Director of Communication 4/25/2014
The
next live chat on Twitter with Pennsylvania's major education leadership
organizations is set for Tuesday, April 29 at 8 p.m. The April
chat will focus on public school funding and the Planning and Construction
(PlanCon) process. Use hashtag #PAEdFunding to follow along.
On the
last Tuesday of each month at 8 p.m., the following organizations go to Twitter
to discuss timely topics, ask questions and listen to the public's responses:
- The Pennsylvania Association of School
Administrators (PASA);
- The Pennsylvania School Boards
Association (PSBA);
- The Pennsylvania Association of School
Business Officials (PASBO); and
- The Pennsylvania Association of Rural and
Small Schools (PARSS)
Join
the conversation. Share your ideas, lurk, learn and let us know what you think
about the state of support for public schools. It's a simple, free and
fast-paced way to communicate and share information. If you've never tweeted
before, here are directions and a few tips:
- See
more at: http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=7604#sthash.P7z9UOa6.dpuf
Deadline
for PSBA officer nominations is April 30th
PSBA Leadership Development Committee seeks strong leaders for the association.
Members interested in becoming the next leaders of PSBA are encouraged to complete an Application for Nomination no later than April 30. As a member-driven association, the Leadership Development Committee (LDC) is seeking nominees with strong skills in leadership and communication, and who have vision for PSBA. Complete details on the nomination process, links to the Application for Nomination form, and scheduled dates for nominee interviews can be found online by clicking here.
PSBA Leadership Development Committee seeks strong leaders for the association.
Members interested in becoming the next leaders of PSBA are encouraged to complete an Application for Nomination no later than April 30. As a member-driven association, the Leadership Development Committee (LDC) is seeking nominees with strong skills in leadership and communication, and who have vision for PSBA. Complete details on the nomination process, links to the Application for Nomination form, and scheduled dates for nominee interviews can be found online by clicking here.
Public Citizens for Children and Youth
(PCCY) will Host an Education Funding Forum in Delaware County on May 7th
On May
7th, PCCY will host a forum that discusses the state of school
funding in Delaware
County 501 Bywood Avenue ,
Upper Darby PA 19082 from 6:30pm-8pm.
Attendees will get a budget update from Sharon Ward of the Pennsylvania
Budget and Policy Center , hear from School Board members representing
Upper Darby, William Penn, and Haverford
School Districts
Please
RSVP by clicking here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OjFpJwTHnZwRqh0Q5Tdp0KHYaI1Jg0XNvGpmeYMmIyA/viewform
Educating the Voter: A Forum on Public
Education featuring Democratic gubernatorial candidates - April 30th 6:00 pm
Phila Central Library
Presented by Committee of Seventy, Congresso and
Philadelphia Education Fund
Wednesday,
April 30, 2014 at 6:00PM
Join Democratic gubernatorial candidates Katie McGinty, Tom Wolf, Allyson Schwartz and Rob McCord for a discussion on public education.
Please
click here to
register.
PSBA members in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware
Counties
PSBA Buxmont Region 11 and Penns Grant
Region 15 Combined Region/Legislative Meeting -- Thursday, May 15, at William
Tennent High School
-
Buffet dinner/registration, 6 p.m. ($8 charge for dinner) - Program, 7:30 p.m.
-- Minority Senate Education Committee Chair Hon. Andy Dinniman will
introduce guest speaker Diane Ravitch, author and education historian, and
former Assistant Secretary of Education.
Retiring House Education Committee Chairman Paul Clymer will also be
honored for his long time (1981) public service.
Just added - Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq
will be the after-dinner speaker on May 5.
PSBA Advocacy Forum and Day on the Hill
May 5-6, Mechanicsburg & Harrisburg
Make an impact on the legislative process by attending PSBA’s Advocacy Forum and Day on the Hill, May 5-6. Day one will provide legislative insights on pensions, training on being an effective advocate, and media relations. Dr. G. Terry Madonna, leading Pennsylvania political analyst, will discuss the legislative landscape in his usual lively and informative style. How to Be an Effective Advocate -- Hear from former Allwein Advocacy Award winners Larry Feinberg, Roberta Marcus and Tina Viletto on how to successfully support your issues. At noon, Rep. Dave Reed, Majority Policy Chairman, will address participants. On day two, participants will start with a breakfast at the Harrisburg Hilton with Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley as guest speaker and then hit the ground running with visits to legislative offices in the State CapitolSpace is limited so register early. Click here for more details and to register online.
Make an impact on the legislative process by attending PSBA’s Advocacy Forum and Day on the Hill, May 5-6. Day one will provide legislative insights on pensions, training on being an effective advocate, and media relations. Dr. G. Terry Madonna, leading Pennsylvania political analyst, will discuss the legislative landscape in his usual lively and informative style. How to Be an Effective Advocate -- Hear from former Allwein Advocacy Award winners Larry Feinberg, Roberta Marcus and Tina Viletto on how to successfully support your issues. At noon, Rep. Dave Reed, Majority Policy Chairman, will address participants. On day two, participants will start with a breakfast at the Harrisburg Hilton with Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley as guest speaker and then hit the ground running with visits to legislative offices in the State CapitolSpace is limited so register early. Click here for more details and to register online.
Registration
fee of $50 includes lunch and dinner on May 5 and breakfast on May
6.
How the Business Community Can Lead on
Early Education
Economy
League of Greater Philadelphia
Join
business and community leaders to learn about how you can help make sure every
child arrives in kindergarten ready to succeed. On April 29th, the Economy
League of Greater Philadelphia and the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and
Southern New Jersey will host a forum featuring business leaders from around
the country talking about why they’re focused on early childhood education and
how they have moved the needle on improving quality and access in their states.
Featured
Speakers
- Jack Brennan, Chairman Emeritus of The
Vanguard Group
- Phil Peterson, Partner, Aon Hewitt and
Co-Chair of America’s Edge/Ready Nation
- And more to be announced!
- Date & Time Tuesday, April
29, 2014 | 5-7 PM
Registration begins at 5 PM;
program from 5:30 to 7:00 PM
- Location Federal Reserve Bank of
Philadelphia
10 North Independence Mall West Philadelphia,
PA 19106
Registration:
http://worldclassgreaterphila.org/worldclasscouncilforum
PILCOP Special Education Seminars 2014
Schedule
Public
Interest Law Center of Philadelphia
Tuesday, April 29th,
12-4 p.m.
Wednesday, May 14th,
1-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
2014 PA Gubernatorial Candidate Plans for Education
and Arts/Culture in PA
Education Policy and Leadership Center
Below is an alphabetical list of the 2014
Gubernatorial Candidates and links to information about their plans, if
elected, for education and arts/culture in Pennsylvania. This list will be updated, as more
information becomes available.
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