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,
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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for June
20, 2014:
2015 spending plan may
require new taxes, Pa. Budget Secretary warns
A push to expand pre-K
in Pennsylvania
the notebook By Aurora Jensen on Jun 19, 2014 12:30 PM
Ann Ward worked as an early childhood educator at Friends
School Haverford for 20 years and knows how important it is for children to
develop their creativity and talents early.
But she also knows that not all children have this opportunity. "What if all people knew that they could
wake up in the morning and be assured that their child would be in a program
that was meeting all of his or her developmental needs?” she said. “Just
think of the sense of well-being and peace that people could have in a
community when children are taken care of." This vision is what led Ward to become an
active volunteer for Pre-K
for PA, a statewide coalition formed to expand access to early
education for all families, especially those most in need.
"The district's filing is the legal
equivalent of asking the Supreme Court for permission to rearrange deck chairs
on a fast-sinking ship. What the
district's complaint avoids is stating the obvious: the abject failure to
provide city students with the basic resources necessary to achieve Pennsylvania Philadelphia students to a "thorough and
efficient" education under the Pennsylvania
State admits violating the
education rights of Philadelphia
WHYY Newsworks by David Sciarra JUNE 20, 2014 ESSAYWORKS
David Sciarra is executive director of Education Law Center, Newark, N.J.
In March, Philadelphia 's
state-operated school district filed an extraordinary legal complaint with the
Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The lawsuit asks the Court to approve changes in
school staffing levels and the way teachers are transferred and laid off,
effectively nullifying portions of a collective bargaining agreement between
the Philadelphia School District
Much attention has focused on the district's request for
changes in teacher staffing and work rules. But unnoticed is the district's
stark admission of the deplorable conditions that Philadelphia 's school children must endure
after 17 years of direct state control over their education.
"If a special-education student leaves for a charter
school, the formula governing how much funding accompanies the student is
calculated by dividing a district's total special-education costs by the
"state average." In a district
such as Penn Hills, where 19 percent of students are identified as needing
special education, that means dividing total spending, $11.2 million, not by
the actual special-education population — 762 — but rather by the number the
state assumes — 631. Penn
Hills spends an average of $14,750 to educate a special education
student. If that student leaves, its payments to charters are about $24,000,
including a basic per-pupil subsidy.
"It's a complete nightmare," district business
director Richard Liberto said. "It's huge, and it's a moving target."
Special-ed charter funding
skews Pa.
Education Week by AP Published
Online: June 17, 2014
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Frazier School District business manager
Kevin Mildren compared the state's formula for special-education funding to
taking a size 10 shoe and trying to force it on every foot in Pennsylvania. Charter schools, privately operated but
publicly funded, were set up to provide alternatives for parents who sought a
different approach to their children's education. When parents choose a charter
school, districts must redirect taxpayer money — known as tuition — for those
children's education to the new school.
For special-education students, often the sum is greater than
the cost in the student's home district because of a flawed funding approach
that does not reflect the services a student needs, critics say.
2015 spending plan may
require new taxes, Pa. Budget Secretary warns
By on
June 20, 2014 at 5:45 AM
Pennsylvania Budget
Secretary Charles Zogby is a man in demand these days, as Gov. Tom Corbett and
legislative leaders try to hammer out a 2014-15 state budget. In what may be one of his last calms before
the storm – the new budget is due by July 1 – Zogby stopped by PA Media Group
headquarters to share the governor's priorities heading into the home stretch.
In short, despite a
large current-year revenue shortfall Corbett is still committed to fighting for
the targeted spending increases he outlined in February; he is conditionally
open to some higher taxes to pay for them; he will accept the latter only with
significant reform to Pennsylvania's public pension systems.
More
budget details from House Republican memo
Capitol Ideas Blog By Steve Esack June 19, 2014
On June 5, The Morning Call published a story detailing closed-door budget discussions among
Gov. Tom Corbett’s administration and Republican House and Senate leaders.
The story was based on a June 3 memo prepared by Republican
House Appropriations staff for the Republican House caucus. The memo, obtained
by The Morning Call, uses PowerPoint slides to outline how lawmakers and the
administration could come up with a bare-bones $28.5 million budget that does not
raise taxes and eliminates the extra money for education and human services
Corbett proposed as part of his $29.4 billion spending plan he unveiled on Feb.
4.
As the article stated, Corbett and House GOP leaders are not
advocating for a bare-bones budget. It was an attempt to find money under every
Capitol rock. Those money rocks were
compiled using one-time revenue sources Corbett identified in February and new
ideas broached by the administration in recent private meetings. For budget watchers, here is the
line-by-line breakdown of the possible funding sources in the memo:
Still no movement on
pension, liquor reform
PLS Reporter Author: Jason
Gottesman/Wednesday, June 18, 2014/Categories: News
and Views
Despite a second week of talks on pension reform, neither the
House nor the Senate took action this week. In the House, the hybrid plan being
offered by Rep. Mike Tobash (R-Schuylkill) still lacked the necessary votes
after Wednesday’s caucus session. Rep.
Glen Grell (R-Cumberland), a main detractor of the plan, offered some insight
as to why. “I think doing a pension
reform bill makes sense, but it has become clear that the bill the governor is
supporting does not have the votes in the House, so I think he needs to present
us with a better plan. To do that, I think he needs to reach out to some of the
other people—including myself—who have some other ideas about how to do it. I
think he should call in the affected parties,” he argued.
Pension bill could get a
vote next week, but it sidesteps funding issues
By Eric Boehm PA Independent June 19, 2014
House Republicans, urged on by Gov. Tom Corbett, hope to move
forward next week with a plan to overhaul the state pension systems. But what isn’t contained in their proposal
could prove to be more important to the state’s long-term fiscal health. Republican leaders hope to pull together
enough votes for a bill, sponsored by state Rep. Mike Tobash, R-Schuylkill, to
reduce pension benefits for future hires to
achieve an estimated $11 billion in long-term savings for the state’s two
pension funds, which are facing a combined debt of about $50 billion over
the next three decades. Corbett added
some fuel to the fire this week by suggesting he would refuse to sign a state
budget until the Legislature also passed the pension bill — even if it means
forcing lawmakers to miss the June 30 budget deadline.
New York Times By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS JUNE 17, 2014
The Philadelphia superintendent of schools, William R. Hite
Jr., made a last-minute plea for funding on Tuesday to city and state
lawmakers, saying he needs at least an additional $96 million to offer students
even a “wholly inadequate” education next year. The City Council is scheduled
to break for the summer on Thursday, and the school district must adopt a
budget by June 30. But Mr. Hite said officials cannot cut their way out of the
crisis when costs continuously increase. The legislature also is working to
adopt a spending plan before the fiscal year starts July 1. The state faces at
least a $1.2 billion shortfall. Mr. Hite said that without extra money, the
system could see class sizes above 40 and hundreds of teachers laid off. He has
said schools might not open this fall.
School officials applaud city
funding help, turn eye to state
SOLOMON LEACH, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER LEACHS@PHILLYNEWS.COM,
215-854-5903 POSTED: Friday, June 20, 2014, 12:16 AM
THE PHILADELPHIA School
District
Council authorized the
city to borrow $27 million on behalf of the district for this fiscal year. It
also introduced a last-minute bill that would authorize the city to borrow
another $30 million for the district next fiscal year to help close a $96
million deficit.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140620_School_officials_applaud_city_funding_help__turn_eye_to_state.html#u802OszeIUU6CkEd.99
District, Council reach
deal on more borrowing for Philly schools
the notebook By Dale
Mezzacappa on Jun 19, 2014 01:48 PM
City Council will apparently borrow $57 million to ease the School District 's fiscal crisis -- $27 million
immediately and $30 million more in the fall. The agreement, which will help prevent up to
800 layoffs and other program cuts for next year, was secured after marathon
lobbying to break the logjam between District leaders and Council
President Darrell Clarke over funding for the schools. Clarke had consistently opposed borrowing for
the District, even though that was an option given to the city by state
legislation last summer. He wanted the District to fill part of its shortfall
for this year through proceeds from building sales.
Council on Thursday passed
the bill to borrow $27 million.
"The SRC’s decision came
despite pleas from the school’s new administration for leniency, as they
attempt to recover from years of scandal. In 2012, New Media’s founder and its
CEO were both sentenced to prison for stealing over $500,000 from the school’s
budget in order to prop up their other businesses. That led to a board and staff
shakeup. Board president Rhonda Bailey Green said that the school is on the
right track."
SRC votes to revoke New Media
charter, renews three others
thenotebook by Bill Hangley,
Jr. on Jun 20, 2014
01:18 AM
In one of the quieter
School Reform Commission meetings in recent months, commissioners voted
Thursday to revoke the charter of Mt. Airy ’s New
Media Charter
School William
Penn High
School , which is in line to be sold to Temple University
“I want the staff to
understand that this is the beginning of the process, not the end,” said
Commissioner Wendell Pritchett, who joined chairman Bill Green and commissioner
Feather Houstoun voting to close the school. Commissioner Sylvia Simms voted to
keep it open, and Farah Jimenez recused herself due to a conflict. The school will open its doors as usual in
September, and will almost certainly complete the full school year. “I can’t
imagine a scenario that would have us closing a school in the middle of the
year,” said Green.
SRC sells William Penn High
to Temple
KRISTEN A. GRAHAM AND
MARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF
WRITERS
LAST UPDATED: Friday, June 20, 2014, 1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday, June 19, 2014, 9:38 PM
The former William Penn High School ,
a sprawling structure on North
Broad Street , was permanently closed by the School
Reform Commission on Thursday night and sold to Temple University Temple students. The
school building fronting Broad
Street will remain, and will house a job-training
academy run by the Laborers' District Council Education and
Training/Apprenticeship Fund. It will offer training in construction crafts and
general education topics. The sale
happened over the strong objections of some community members - who had been
promised a new life for the high school when it "temporarily" closed
in 2009. Then-Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman said at the time that the
school would reopen within five years as a career and technical academy for
district students.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20140620_SRC_sells_William_Penn_High_to_Temple.html#ljkFvfupZFKjyopD.99
Research for Action evaluates out of school programs that
provide academic support for youth attending high-poverty, underperforming
schools…
21st Century Community
Learning Center
Written by Tracy Hartman, Brittan Hallar, and Jian Gao
June 2014
21st Century Community Learning
Center (21st CCLC) grants represent
the second largest source of funding for out-of-school time (OST) programs in
the City of Philadelphia .
Thirty-three OST providers in Philadelphia ,
representing more than 100 OST programs, are funded by these federal grants,
which support OST programs that provide academic support for youth attending
high-poverty, underperforming schools.
For the past three years, Research for Action (RFA) has served as the
evaluator for multiple 21st CCLC grantees, and, in this role, has been able to
aggregate evaluation findings to produce two reports on the citywide impact of
21st CCLC programs. RFA produced these reports in collaboration with the city
of Philadelphia ’s
OST system-building efforts; the reports also fill a critical gap in
information regarding the impact of OST programs in the city.
Taking it to Harrisburg
From the ‘burgh to
H’burg and back in one day. On June 18th, 25 parents, students, and teachers
left Pittsburgh under gray skies at 7AM, but
arrived in Harrisburg
a few hours later under blue, pumped up and ready to meet with their
legislators. Our bus included folks from across the city, as well as the North Allegheny
School District , and two teachers who
live in Pittsburgh and teach in Woodland Hills
and Mt. Lebanon
Community group gives Allentown School
Report card criticizes district for lack of staff diversity,
financial management.
By Adam Clark,
Of The Morning Call 10:03 p.m. EDT, June 19, 2014
Chanting "fix our schools" and demanding the
termination of Superintendent Russ Mayo, more than 50 Allentown community members marched to the
district administration building Thursday to deliver a giant report card. In a reversal of the district grading its
students, the group graded the school board and handed down straight Fs across
five categories — attention to all students, diversity of staff, financial
management, academic achievement and human dignity. "Did they pass?" organizer Dejour
Scott asked the crowed. "No,"
the group resoundingly replied.
The march was organized by Campaign for Change, a community
group founded last year with a mission of addressing the racial and ethnic
disparities within Allentown 's
educational and economic systems.
U.S. judge sides with PIAA,
tosses lawsuit by mom of home-schooler blocked from East Shore
By Matt Miller |
mmiller@pennlive.com on June 19, 2014 at 12:47 PM
Noting "there is no constitutionally protected right to
play sports," a federal judge has dismissed a midstate mother's lawsuit
over a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association rule that blocks her
home-schooled son from playing on a Christian school's sports teams. Shonda Chapman claimed the PIAA was violating
her ninth-grader's rights, including his right to religious freedom, by
preventing him from playing on the soccer and basketball teams at Covenant Christian
Academy in Susquehanna Township Susquehanna
Township School
District
Pottsgrove adopts $63M
budget with 1.9% tax hike
By Evan Brandt, The Mercury POSTED: 06/18/14,
6:12 PM EDT
LOWER POTTSGROVE — The average annual property tax bill in the Pottsgrove School District
That vote marked the final adoption of the $62,879,764 budget
for the 2014-15 school year, which raises property taxes by 1.9 percent over
the current millage. The new tax rate is
now 37.5095 mills, or $37.50 on on every $1,000 of assessed value, the
Sanatoga Post reported Wednesday.
As a result, a home assessed at $120,000, the district average,
will see its total school tax rise by $84 to $4,500.
By COURTNEY ELKO, Delco Times Correspondent POSTED: 06/19/14,
11:19 PM EDT |
The Interboro School Board unanimously approved the final
2014-15 school budget at Wednesday’s school board meeting. Board member Deborah
DiBattista was absent from the meeting.
Residents will see an increase of 0.4941 mills with the approved $58.4
million budget — a 1.5 percent tax increase.
Residents with an average assessed home of $90,000 will see a school tax
bill increase of about $45, according to district Superintendent Bernadette C.
Reiley.
Residents saw a 2.3 percent tax increase in last year’s $57.5
million budget, according to Reiley.
Horton: Not a Conspiracy
Theory: The Gates Foundation Bought Control of U.S.
Diane Ravitch's Blog By dianeravitch June
19, 2014
A year ago, Paul Horton wrote a letter to Iowa Senator Tom
Harkin, asking him to conduct hearings on the Common Core and Race to the Top,
and specifically to inquire about the role of the Gates Foundation and the
Broad Foundation in shaping federal education policy. Nothing happened. Now
that the world knows
that the Gates Foundation, working in alliance with the U.S. Department of
Education, underwrote the creation and promotion of the Common Core standards;
now that we know that Bill Gates bought and paid for “a swift revolution” that
bypassed any democratic participation by the public; now that we know that this
covert alliance created “national standards” that were never tried out
anywhere; now that we know that the Gates Foundation’s willingness to invest $2
billion in Common Core enabled that foundation to assume control of the future
of American education: it is time to reconsider Horton’s proposal. How could
Congress sit by idly while Arne Duncan undermines state and local control to
the chosen designees of the Gates Foundation? How could Congress avert its eyes
as public education is redesigned to create a marketplace for vendors?
Paul Horton wrote:
FBI RAIDS 19 CHARTER SCHOOLS
Cashing In On Kids
website
On June 4th, the FBI
raided 19 charter schools across the country. The Chicago Sun-Times quoted Vicki
Anderson, a special agent leading the operation, who explained the raids were
investigating an “ongoing white-collar crime matter.” The 19 schools, part of the Concept Schools
chain, are in Illinois , Indiana
and Ohio .
Concept’s schools are STEM schools, emphasizing science, technology, math and
engineering, and they also have ties to Turkey . The schools teach children
about Turkish culture, have many Turkish teachers, and sponsor student trips to
Turkey .
The chain came under criticism last year when the Sun-Times reported that a foundation affiliated
with Concept had arranged 32 Illinois lawmakers’ trips to Turkey.
Special-needs student may be
barred from graduating because of two points on standardized test
Unless the Rhode Island House of Representatives goes along
with a Senate-approved moratorium on the use of a standardized test as a
requirement for high school graduation, Molly Coffey won’t be able to get a
diploma. On that critical test, the 18-year-old, who has a form of Down
syndrome, missed the graduation cutoff by two points, and it simply isn’t
enough that she passed all of her classes, completed her senior project
and plays in three sports and participates in the Special Olympics. The Providence
Journal reported about Molly in
this story, which explains that the Senate in May passed a three-year
moratorium on the use of the New England Comprehensive Assessment Program
(or NECAP, pronounced kneecap) as a graduation requirement. The vote was 29-5,
and was passed after the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Adam J. Satchell persuaded his
colleagues that the “implementation of high-stakes testing was too hasty” and
that a slow-down was necessary.
Join the Notebook!
Become a Member!
The Notebook invites all of our readers
to join
us now, as members by signing up on our "Donate"
page. Our reporting depends on the continued generous support and
contributions from our growing Notebook membership. In
2013, we reached more than 500 memberships! Thanks to all of our
supporters. Don't forget to renew or join for this calendar year. Help us
reach 600+ members in 2014! We're excited
about this program as a way to recognize your support, give you some extra
perks, and support our work and sustainability. Learn more about our work here.
Membership starts at $40 for the 2014 calendar year. Learn
more about the membership
levels here. You can also give the gift of Notebook membership.
Come to Harrisburg
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 July 31
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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