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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for June
18, 2014:
"School
Choice" - In PA Senate, Florida
"Leaders from both the House and Senate said Tuesday
they do want to fully fund the governor's request for nearly $300 million in
increased k-12 education funding, as well as an increase in state funding for
home- and community-based services for adults with Down Syndrome and other
intellectual disabilities. But doing
that, Browne noted, almost forces a discussion of new revenues - whether or not
that takes place before a pension reform vote. And that's where the different
opinions need to be sorted out."
By Charles Thompson |
cthompson@pennlive.com on June 17, 2014 at 6:37 PM
Meeting shortly after Gov.
Tom Corbett's call for action on pension reform as an essential first part of a
2014-15 budget plan, Pennsylvania House and Senate Republican
leaders voiced broad support for the governor's goals. But the GOP legislative leaders cautioned
Tuesday that they may be forced to operate on a different order of
priorities. "Our concern in the
Senate is first to make sure that we pass a responsible, sustainable budget,"
Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware County
What budget deadline?
Gov. Corbett on Tuesday said he is willing to miss the June 30
deadline to pass a state budget if more time means he can get his initiatives
done. “We need to get this done right
rather than quickly,” Corbett said during an afternoon press conference in the
Capitol. “So if we are not able to do
this budget by June 30, we are not able to do this budget by June 30,” Corbett
said of meeting the deadline. “I am willing to be here. … No bluster. No
threats. Just facts.”
Having said that, the Republican governor said he was
optimistic that he and the GOP-led legislature can meet the deadline for the
fiscal year, which begins July 1. But he
reiterated his position that he will not consider any proposals to raise new
revenue — including a natural gas extraction tax — unless the legislature
delivers on two of his priorities: reining in the skyrocketing cost of public
employee pensions and privatizing the sale of wine and spirits.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/harrisburg_politics/What-budget-deadline.html#DXgXchOijxvHgsbK.99
Budget chief: Corbett 'not
ruling out severance tax' on gas drillers
Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review By Brad
Bumsted Published: Tuesday, June 17, 2014, 4:00 p.m.
HARRISBURG — After years of opposition, the Corbett administration said for the
first time on Tuesday that the governor will not preclude a Marcellus shale tax
as part of a budget solution to close a $1.4 billion deficit. Republican Gov. Tom Corbett stressed during
a news conference that he would consider new revenue only once the Legislature
sends him legislation to curb spiraling pension costs from a $50 billion
unfunded liability. “I'm not ruling out
a severance tax. You didn't hear me rule out a severance tax,” state Budget
Secretary Charles Zogby told reporters after the news conference.
Pa. needs pension cuts before tax increase, Gov.
Corbett says
By MARC LEVY, Of The Associated Press POSTED: 06/17/14, 4:41
PM EDT
One blogger's opinion: "School Choice"
- Florida
Last evening, thirty-six PA
Senators voted for an amendment to SB1316 Special Ed Funding Bill that would
permit special ed money to continue being used for charter operators' Florida real
estate, corporate executive bonuses and ubiquitous advertising for up to 17
more years instead of being spent serving special needs kids.
SB1316: Senate vote expected
on overhauled special education funding formula
By on
June 17, 2014 at 7:37 PM
The state Senate is
poised to vote on Wednesday on a bill that overhauls the way the state
distributes special education
funding to public schools. The new
formula distributes resources
based on a three-tiered system of funding based on the cost of providing
services to special education students and incidence of disability. It moves away from a funding system that
assumed all districts had 15 percent of their students with mild disabilities
and 1 percent with severe disabilities to educate. The proposed formula is the product of a
bipartisan Special Education Funding Commission's work and some last-minute
negotiations to make adjustments to address charter
schools' concerns about how it
treats their special education funding.
The Senate today voted
35-15 to accept an amendment offered by Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi,
R-Delaware County
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette June 17, 2014 11:55 PM
In a private session, the mayor's education task force met
for the first time Tuesday, an unusual session combining City Hall and school
district officials and others. Reporters
were permitted in when Preston Green, a University of Connecticut
Afterward, Mr. Green characterized the discussion as “very
passionate,” saying, “It’s very clear everyone does care about what happens to
public schools here.”
Read more:
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/06/17/Mayor-Peduto-s-task-force-on-education-holds-initial-meeting/stories/201406170206#ixzz34yzo0ZUD
Green and Hite on the ongoing
school budget crisis
WHYY Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane TUESDAY, JUNE 17
Guests: Bill Green and William Hite audio runtime
52:01
Once again, theSchool District
of Philadelphia Harrisburg ,
both of whom are debating a series of funding options. And as always, politics
are involved. Joining us to talk about the District’s financial challenges and
the obstacles it faces in providing education and much needed social services
to the City’s children, are School Superintendent WILLIAM HITE and SRC
chairman BILL
GREEN.
Once again, the
- See more at: http://whyy.org/cms/radiotimes/#sthash.nIoiZuGX.dpuf
District ratchets up pleas
for more funds; Clarke calls request 'disturbing and unfair'
The notebook By Dale
Mezzacappa on Jun 17, 2014
06:35 PM
Superintendent William
Hite and School Reform Commission Chairman Bill Green areputting
on a full-court press through
the media to convince City Council to approve a higher borrowing level for
the School District , warning of hundreds
of teacher layoffs and other dire consequences if lawmakers don't
act. In response, Council President
Darrell Clarke accused the District of "dealing with a ... budget deficit
of its own making" and of "disrespect" for the city's taxpayers.
“Considering City
Council is the only funding authority that has consistently increased revenues
for the state-controlled School District of Philadelphia over the last four
years, this disrespect toward City taxpayers is disturbing and unfair,"
said Clarke in a response to
Green's and Hite's statements.
"Let's stop acting like these are
other people's children. They are our children,"
Hite to Council: Borrow, or
drastic school cuts inevitable
SUSAN SNYDER AND TROY GRAHAM, INQUIRER
STAFF WRITERS
LAST UPDATED: Wednesday, June 18, 2014, 1:08 AM
POSTED: June 17, 2014, 4:53 PM
Flanked by education
advocates, Philadelphia
School District School District
headquarters. "Today, we're asking City Council to save the children of Philadelphia from
significant budget cuts." He spoke
two days before Council is to meet for the last time before summer recess.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20140618_Hite_to_Council__Borrow_for_schools_or_drastic_cuts_inevitable.html#Y5qtSrBrtSqqqWf4.99
Council needs long-term
solution for school funding
Inquirer opinion By
Christine Carlson POSTED: Wednesday, June 18, 2014, 1:08 AM
Christine Carlson is a public school parent and founder of the Greater Center City Neighborhood Schools
Coalition
City Council President Darrell L. Clarke deserves
credit for acknowledging Philadelphia 's
pension deficit and working toward a long-term solution to alleviate a very
complex issue. But when he states that Council's primary responsibility is to Philadelphia taxpayers,
he misunderstands the nature of government.
Council's primary responsibility is not to Philadelphia 's taxpayers, but to its
citizens. Yes, Council must ensure that
all collected taxes are used efficiently and wisely, but it must do so in a way
that best serves the city and all of its citizens for the collective good.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20140618_Council_needs_long-term_solution_for_school_funding.html#CLJ4tgSEKjXtPgCb.99
After about seven
months of negotiations, the Pen Argyl Area teachers union has reached a
tentative agreement with the school
board on a new contract for
the next three years.
At tonight's school
board meeting, Superintendent William Haberl gave specifics on the new labor deal,
which includes raises over the three-year period and increases in health care
expenses.
Teachers will receive a
2.8 percent salary increase for the 2014-15 school year, a 2.3 percent raise
for the 2015-16 school year and a 2.6 percent increase for the 2016-17 school
year.
SDL budget relies on tax hike
and outsourcing
The School
District of Lancaster
The Eastern
Lancaster County
Why It's So Hard to Close the
Digital Divide in High-Poverty Schools
In the Obama
administration’s new ConnectED
initiative, an effort to redirect $2 billion in federal funding to put
high-speed broadband in all American schools, the goal is for schools to have
Internet speeds of at least 1 gigabit per second by 2017. Philadelphia schools already have 2 gigabits,
and will have 20 in 18 months, says Melanie Harris, the district’s chief information officer. “We
call it laying the highway,” she said. “We’ve put our schools in a great
position.”
It’s a major
accomplishment, but one that also highlights the difficulties of bringing
technology to the nation’s neediest kids. When President Obama announced the
ConnectED plan last year, he said “there’s no reason we can’t do all
this.” Yet in Philadelphia, where 87 percent of students are economically disadvantaged and
school resources are scarce, the city’s schools still have far to travel before
they reach the president’s goal “that virtually every child in America’s
classrooms has access to the fastest Internet and the most cutting-edge
learning tools.”
THE INNOVATION GAMBLE
Transformation Grant Fuels
Overhaul of Philly School's Instruction
Education Week By Benjamin
Herold Published Online: June 10, 2014
Gianeen C. Powell gets goosebumps talking about the opportunity
before her.
Last August, James G. Blaine Elementary, a small
district-managed school in a blighted section of North
Philadelphia , received
a $1.5 million grant to reimagine its instructional model. Ms. Powell,
a 16-year district veteran and the school's principal since 2008, also won
considerable freedom to reshape her staff, overhaul Blaine 's school day, and more. "It feels like everything I want to
happen, can happen," she said. Among
the first places Ms. Powell turned for guidance was Philadelphia 's Science Leadership Academy.
EdWeek: Philadelphia School
Education Week District
Dossier Blog By on June 17, 2014 1:51 PM
With the June 30
budget deadline fast approaching, Philadelphia Schools Superintendent
William Hite and William Green, the chairman of the city's School Reform
Commission, took their near-daily call for funding on the road Tuesday, kicking
off their day with an interview on the WHYY radio program, Radio Times. School Superintendent William Hite said that
all options were on the table, including opening schools later, and closing
earlier. His answer was in response to a caller's questions about the options
the district had considered, including not passing a budget by the
drop-dead deadline of June 30 and operating the schools until the money ran
out. Green, who joined the School Reform
Commission this year, said that he was not entirely sure what kind of budget will
pass on June 30, as the district—to this day —still is unsure of its
revenues for the upcoming year. He said he prays about the situation every
morning "because I don't see how this will be accomplished without a
higher power."
Charter Schools are Costing
Local taxpayers Millions
Lower Macungie Patch Posted by Mark Spengler , June
16, 2014 at 06:34 PM
The Pension Double Dip:Charters are given pension
payments by both the state and local districts funding 150% of their pension
costs.
Special Education: Last year charter schools received
over $350 million of special education payments but used
only $156 million on special education costs resulting in
a $200 million profit.
Incredibly, charters are allowed to use their excess funds
however they want; including the use of mailers, television
commercial sand highway billboards.
"The first 40 schools will be paired
with nonprofit organizations and city agencies to deliver all kinds of services
during the school days, after hours, and on weekends. Free counseling, health,
dental and vision services will be among the offerings, as well as
early-childhood programming and after-school opportunities for middle school
students."
N.Y.C. Mayor Announces $52
Million Effort to Launch Community Schools
Education Week By on June 17, 2014 3:35 PM
New York City Mayor Bill
de Blasio today unveiled plans to bring a range of health and social services
to 40 high-need public schools in the coming academic year, making good in part
on a pledge to transform some of the city's most struggling schools into
full-service community hubs.
The $52
million initiative announced
by the mayor and Chancellor Carmen Fariña, will launch the first 40
"community schools" in a broader effort that de Blasio has pledged
will reach 100 schools across the city by the end of his first term.
Come to Harrisburg
Wednesday, June 18, Monday, June 23, and Monday, June 30
Education Voters PA
Governor Corbett’s “election-year” budget is falling apart.
Revenue projections are down and Corbett and state legislators are looking to
make more than $1.2 billion in cuts to his proposed 2014-2015
budget. Lobbyists will be swarming the
Capitol in the month of June and we need to be there, too. Join Pennsylvanians from throughout the
commonwealth as we send a loud and clear message that after three years of
balancing the state budget on the backs of Pennsylvania’s public school children,
it is time for our state government to do what is right and pass a fair budget
that will provide students with the opportunities they need to meet state
standards and be successful after they graduate.
Details: http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6041/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=7059
PA Basic Ed. Funding
Campaign: Building capacity to advocate for adequate, equitable school funding
PSBA website 6/10/2014
The Pennsylvania Basic Education Funding Campaign seeks up to
ten (10) regional "circuit riders" statewide to work with and support
school system leaders to build capacity and advocate for an adequate and
equitable school funding system.
Regional Circuit Riders Contract Employment Announcement
The Pennsylvania Basic Education Funding Campaign seeks up to
ten (10) regional "circuit riders" statewide to work with and support
school system leaders to build capacity and advocate for an adequate and
equitable school funding system. Circuit riders will support school system
leaders by providing education and training about past and current school
funding systems, principles and models of good school funding systems and
effective advocacy strategies using information and materials provided by the
Campaign. School system leaders include school directors, Intermediate Unit
executive directors, district superintendents, business managers and other key
school district leaders. Building
capacity among Pennsylvania school system
leaders to advocate for an adequate and equitable school funding system is one
component of a broader multi-year effort that involves more than 25
organizations across Pennsylvania .
This component is a collaborative effort of the PA Association of School
Business Officials (PASBO), PA Association of School Administrators (PASA), PA
School Boards Association (PSBA), PA Association of Rural and Small Schools
(PARSS) and PA Association of Intermediate Units (PAIU). PASBO serves as the
fiscal agent for the collaborative.
- See more at: http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=7943#sthash.rYZzUteD.dpuf
EPLC Education Issues
Workshop for Legislative Candidates, Campaign Staff, and Interested Voters - Harrisburg
Register Now! EPLC will again be hosting
an Education Issues Workshop for Legislative Candidates, Campaign Staff,
and Interested Voters. This nonpartisan, one-day program will take place
on Thursday, July 31 in Harrisburg .
Space is limited. Click here to learn more about workshop and
to register.
PSBA opens nominations for
the Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award
The nomination process is now open for the Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award. This award may be presented annually to the individual school director or entire school board to recognize outstanding leadership in legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of public education and students that are consistent with the positions in PSBA’s Legislative Platform. Applications will be accepted until July 16, 2014. The July 16 date was picked in honor of Timothy M. Allwein's birthday. The award will be presented during the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference in October. More details and application are available on PSBA's website.
The nomination process is now open for the Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award. This award may be presented annually to the individual school director or entire school board to recognize outstanding leadership in legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of public education and students that are consistent with the positions in PSBA’s Legislative Platform. Applications will be accepted until July 16, 2014. The July 16 date was picked in honor of Timothy M. Allwein's birthday. The award will be presented during the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference in October. More details and application are available on PSBA's website.
Education
Policy and Leadership Center
Click
here to read more about EPLC’s Education Policy Fellowship Program, including:
2014-15 Schedule 2014-15 Application Past Speakers Program Alumni And More
Information
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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