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Friday, July 11, 2014

PA Ed Policy Roundup July 11: Pension reform: "bring unions to the table"

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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for July 11, 2014:
Pension reform: "bring unions to the table"

Corbett signs Pa. budget, vetoes legislative funding
Delco Times By MARC LEVY and MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press POSTED: 07/10/14, 11:04 AM EDT 
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Corbett signed the state budget 10 days late on Thursday and used his line-item veto power to spotlight what he called the Legislature’s failure to sacrifice with the rest of government or to curb rising public-sector pension costs that are fueling school tax increases.  Corbett, a Republican who is running for re-election but down in polls to Democrat Tom Wolf, delivered the news in a lively, campaign-style speech that recounted his accomplishments and took on lawmakers and public-sector labor unions.
He said he wanted to avoid any more school property tax increases to cover pension obligations, and criticized the GOP-controlled Legislature for refusing to contribute any of its approximately $150 million six-month operating reserve to help state government close a massive deficit.
Overall, he struck $65 million from the Legislature’s own appropriations and another $7.2 million in earmarks and other spending items picked by lawmakers, noting that the proposal sent to him last week increased the General Assembly’s own $320 million budget by 2 percent.
“They filled the budget with discretionary spending and then refused to deal with the biggest fiscal challenge facing Pennsylvania, our unsustainable public pension system,” Corbett told reporters.

"Throughout his news conference Thursday, Corbett took aim at public-employee unions, criticizing them for pushing legislators to vote against the pension overhaul.  But political analyst and pollster G. Terry Madonna said that, Corbett's criticisms of unions aside, "the reality is, legislative leaders of the GOP can't get their own people to get pensions through."
Corbett signs Pa. budget but vetoes more than $72 million in spending
ANGELA COULOUMBIS AND AMY WORDEN, INQUIRER HARRISBURG BUREAU
LAST UPDATED: Friday, July 11, 2014, 1:07 AM
HARRISBURG - Setting the stage for a showdown with the state legislature, Gov. Corbett on Thursday signed the $29.1 billion spending plan it passed last week - but only after striking more than $72 million from the legislature's own budget.  In announcing his decision outside his office in the Capitol, 10 days after the budget-passage deadline, Corbett said he made the difficult decision because the General Assembly had failed to act on what he believed was one of the biggest issues facing the state: the skyrocketing cost of public-employee pensions.
The governor stopped short of calling the legislature back to Harrisburg this summer to hold a special session on overhauling the pension system. But he signaled that there was a possibility he would do so.

"Asked whether he would call lawmakers back from summer recess for a special session to enact pension reform, Corbett said he is considering all options. His office said he would address the topic of pensions on Friday during a visit to Pittsburgh."
Gov. Corbett signs Pennsylvania state budget, vetoes legislative funding
Trib Live By Brad Bumsted Thursday, July 10, 2014, 10:57 a.m.
HARRISBURG — Intraparty warring among Republicans broke out on Thursday when Gov. Tom Corbett signed a$29.1 billion budget but vetoed 20 percent of the GOP-dominated legislature's operating budget, intending to pressure lawmakers to rein in state and school pension costs.
Party leaders accused Corbett of politicizing the budget and failing to lead.  “I think you can't lead from behind; you've got to lead out front,” said House Majority Leader Mike Turzai of Marshall. He complained the governor's actions seemed more about “politics than the hard work of governing.”
Furious Senate leaders said the budget process “is not a game to be played, and vital government programs should never be placed in jeopardy.”  “We are disappointed that the governor has not, to date, been able to work effectively with the Republican majorities in the House and Senate to address important fiscal issues impacting our state,” Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati of Jefferson County and Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi of Delaware County said in a joint statement.

"There's too many unanswered questions for us to do it in a rush just to say we did something on pension reform," he said.  DiGirolamo also wants to see unions involved in designing any new pension plans.  "Bring them to the table and see if we can't involve everybody that has an interest in this issue," he said.
Corbett signs $29 billion budget, slams lawmakers over pension inaction
By Gideon Bradshaw, Call Harrisburg Bureau 3:42 p.m. EDT, July 10, 2014
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Corbett this morning said he has signed the state's 2014-15 budget, but also accused lawmakers of doing too little to repair the state's finances.  Corbett said he was using his line-item veto authority to eliminate $65 million in General Assembly spending, and $7.2 million in legislative-designated spending.  "I am forcing mutual sacrifice with the General Assembly through the governor's ability to line-item veto spending and hold spending in budgetary reserve," Corbett said.
Corbett signs state budget, vetoes legislative funding
Corbett may call for special session to discuss pension reform
Lancaster Online By KAREN SHUEY | Staff Writer Posted: Thursday, July 10, 2014 2:58 pm | Updated: 3:52 pm, Thu Jul 10, 2014.
After 10 days of careful review surrounded by intense political drama, Gov. Tom Corbett announced Thursday he had finally signed the budget.  But the Republican still found a way to deliver a blow to the Legislature for failing to act on his call to overhaul the state’s pension systems.

General Assembly Budget Impact on School Funding
PA Budget and Policy Center Posted by Michael Wood on July 9, 2014
In February, Governor Corbett proposed a $241 million Ready to Learn block grant to focus dollars to local schools. As the General Assembly re-worked the 2014-15 budget, the Ready to Learn block grant was reduced to $100 million. As no new dollars were appropriated for the Basic Education Funding subsidy, this is the major infusion of new dollars into local schools for operating purposes in 2014-15.  Attached are estimates of how much school districts and charter schools would have received under the Governor's proposal and how it compares with the General Assembly's budget. Additionally, the districts with the largest differences, in total and per student, between the two proposals are presented. 

Updated PA 2014-15 budget line items (including those vetoed)| July 10
PA Budget and Policy Center Posted by Michael Wood on July 10, 2014
On July 10, 2014, Governor Corbett reduced or eliminated funding in 38 specific line-items in the General Assembly approved 2014-15 Budget. These reductions totaled $72.4 million, or 0.25% of state General Fund dollars appropriated in the bill (HB 2328). 
The funding reductions were focused on the Legislature and its support agencies.
It is not clear if the General Assembly will act to attempt to override Governor Corbett's reductions or if the line-items will be funded with accumulated surpluses in various legislative accounts.
Below is a listing of just the line-items reduced by the governor and their impact on department budgets.

Legislators aren't rushing back to Harrisburg despite Corbett's request
By Christina Kauffman | ckauffman@pennlive.com on July 10, 2014 at 3:39 PM, updated July 10, 2014 at 4:27 PM
There are at least a couple concepts on which Republican leaders of the state House and Senate can agree: They're not fans of Gov. Tom Corbett's response to this year's budget, and they're not rushing back to Harrisburg to please him.  Corbett is a Republican and so are the majorities in both chambers. But the governor didn't seem to win anyone's compliance after scolding legislators Thursday, when he announced line-item vetoes in the budget and said the legislature should return to Harrisburg to work on pension reform.

Wielding his veto pen, an angry Corbett finds his mojo - will it be enough?: John L. Micek
By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com on July 10, 2014 at 2:39 PM, updated July 10, 2014 at 3:55 PM
Tom Corbett was angry.  Even reading from what was pretty clearly a prepared script, he was no-foolin', stern Dad, prosecutor-unwilling-to-make-a-deal angry.
"We made tough decisions so that funding could continue for the critical services and programs for the people of Pennsylvania,"Corbett harrumphed during a long-awaited speech in which he announced that he'd signed the 2014-15 state budget, but had busted out his veto pen to spike $72 million in funding for a state Legislature that has so far refused to deliver on his goal of pension reform.  "The same cannot be said for the General Assembly," he harrumphed a bit more, before calling on the Legislature to return from its summer break to unravel the $65 billion pension knot he says is set to consume about 60 cents of every dollar of state spending.
"Effective leadership is about making difficult choices," he robble-robbled further. "Pennsylvania has a full-time Legislature and the General Assembly left with unfinished business. They need to come back and enact pension reform."

With Pa. budget settled, Corbett still at odds with lawmakers over pension
WHYY Newsworks BY MARIE CUSICK JULY 10, 2014
After waiting 10 days to sign the state budget, Gov, Tom Corbett has seemingly ended a standoff with Pennsylvania lawmakers by signing the document Thursday morning.  But tensions still are running high, as Corbett continues to fight with his own Republican Party over what to do about the state pension system.  Shortly after signing the $1.86 billion budget, Corbett sharply criticized legislators for failing to curb skyrocketing pension costs.
"The General Assembly left Harrisburg earlier this month with unfinished business," he said. "They need to come back and enact pension reform."
Senate Republicans fired back saying they are committed to a pension overhaul and calling the governor's leadership on the issue disappointing.  But it's unlikely lawmakers will tackle such a thorny issue during an election year, according to Chris Borick, the head of the Muhlenberg College's Institute of Public Opinion.

Senate Leaders Respond to Governor Corbett’s Veto of Legislative Budget Lines
PA Senate Republican Website July 10, 2014
HARRISBURG – Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25), Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-9), Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jake Corman (R-34) and Senate Majority Whip Pat Browne (R-16) have issued the following statement in response to Governor Corbett’s veto of State Budget lines and program cuts:
“Today the Governor unilaterally eliminated funding in the state budget, which was timely passed by the Senate and House of Representatives on June 30, 2014.   “The Governor’s line item veto included operating funds appropriated to the legislature.  These cuts were disproportionately directed at the Senate.  We have serious concerns with the ability of the Senate to function as a central figure in the legislative process with $30 million being stripped from our reserves.  “Over the past three years the Senate has taken a proactive role limiting operating costs and reducing legislative reserves, while preserving the ability to serve our constitutional role as a separate and independent branch of government.  Throughout this period the Senate has shared in the responsibility to decrease spending by returning over $27.2 million to the state.  

Republicans applaud governor's call for pension reform work this summer
By Barbara Miller | bmiller@pennlive.com on July 10, 2014 at 12:59 PM, updated July 10, 2014 at 2:53 PM
In contrast to Democrats, Republicans applaud Gov. Tom Corbett's call for the General Assembly to return to Harrisburg and work on pension reform.  Here's what some Republican legislators say about the governor's proposal, announced as he signed the $29.1 billion state budget but slashed $72.2 million:

Will legislators come back in session to tackle pension reform?
By Barbara Miller | bmiller@pennlive.com on July 10, 2014 at 12:52 PM, updated July 10, 2014 at 1:35 PM
Will legislators return to tackle pension reform, as Gov. Tom Corbett called this morning as he announced he was signing the state budget but cutting $72.2 million?  The senate Democratic leadership is unhappy with the prospect, based on the  statements they released slamming the governor's line item veto and blaming Republicans for creating the pension mess.

Did Corbett flub his budget strategy? Midstate analysts debate
By Christina Kauffman | ckauffman@pennlive.com on July 10, 2014 at 6:19 PM, updated July 10, 2014 at 7:18 PM
Gov. Tom Corbett's strategy for this year's state budget might be a topic of wonk debate long after the checks have been mailed and cashed.  What some pundits can agree on for now, though, is that Corbett might've backed himself into a position one analyst identified as "the proverbial no-win situation."  But the governor had some same-party help backing into that itchy corner, and there's a fractured legislature to share some blame for Corbett's lack of advancement on policy priorities such as liquor privatization and pension reform, one midstate analyst said.

"It's interesting that two of the most powerful Republicans in the state hail from right here in Delco.  Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, is Senate Majority Chairman. Rep. Bill Adolph, R-165, of Springfield, is the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.  Pileggi and other GOP senators are not amused, saying the governor did not do a very good job of explaining his priorities. It's not the first time Corbett has come under fire from his own party."
Corbett vs. the GOP
Delco Times Heron's Nest Blog by Editor Philo Heron Friday, July 11, 2014
Gov. Tom Corbett has decided to go to war.
But not against Tom Wolf, the York businessman who is sitting on a double-digit lead in the polls over the incumbent in the November general election.  Yesterday a peeved Corbett signed off on a $29 billion dollar spending plan, but not before taking out his veto pen and slashing items near and dear to the hearts of state legislators.
Here's where things get interesting.

PA Partnerships for Children July 10, 2014
Earlier today, Gov. Tom Corbett signed a $29 billion state budget for fiscal 2014-15 after line-item vetoing $72.2 million in appropriations related to legislative spending in an effort to force the General Assembly to address pension reform. The new spending plan is about a 1.7 percent increase over fiscal 2013-14, but less than Gov. Corbett's original budget proposal in February.
While the new budget has some modest funding increases in several programs that benefit children, it puts about $141 million less into basic education than the governor's original budget proposal. Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children is concerned about the sustainability of the budget even through the end of this fiscal year. The budget does not include any new sources of substantial and recurring revenue. Rather, it relies on a mix of one-time transfers, revised revenue projections, a delay in payment to Medicaid managed care organizations and a few other assumptions to come up with the total spend number. If the revenue assumptions don't keep up with expectations, Pennsylvania could be faced with a need to make mid-year budget cuts in order to balance the scales.
The fiscal code bill, House Bill 278, which directs how the money can be spent didn't reach the governor's desk until July 9. The delay was caused by disagreements between the House and Senate on economic development, the bank share tax, and language to provide a basic education funding enhancement of $1.45 million to the Allentown School District. All three of the issues were eliminated from the bill by the House on July 2 and the Senate concurred on their changes on July 8.
Here are details on how the new spending plan impacts key children's programs:

Statement on cigarette tax and school funding
City of Philadelphia Facebook page July 10, 2014 at 4:17pm
Philadelphia, July 10, 2014 –  In response to comments Governor Tom Corbett made today in support of the enactment of a cigarette tax, Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Council President Darrell Clarke, Philadelphia School District Superintendent Dr. William Hite, School Reform Commission Chair Bill Green and President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Rob Wonderling released the following statement:
 “We very much appreciate the Governor's strong support for a cigarette tax that will benefit Philadelphia school children.  We also are thankful for the General Assembly's continuing support for this measure.  We hope this vital tax enabling legislation is enacted as soon as possible.  The local revenue at issue is critically important to the ongoing operations of the School District of Philadelphia.  These funds will help ensure that our schools open on time and will help avoid severe reductions in staffing that could compromise the District's ability to meet its educational mission or operate safely.”
Mayor Michael A. Nutter
Council President Darrell Clarke
Dr. William R. Hite, Superintendent, Philadelphia School District
Bill Green, Chair, School Reform Commission
Rob Wonderling, President and Chief Executive Officer, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce

"Members of Parents United for Public Education, a grassroots group, said they were consulting legal counsel over the layoffs. They are particularly concerned about the loss of the bilingual counseling assistant and the aides who work with special-education children.  "You hear this phrase, 'Cut to the bone,' but we're breaking limbs," said Sabra Townsend, a Parents United member. "This is brinkmanship, and it has to stop."
342 Phila. School District workers laid off
KRISTEN A. GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
LAST UPDATED: Friday, July 11, 2014, 1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday, July 10, 2014, 5:36 PM
Without the all-important cigarette tax, 1,300 employees of the perpetually strapped Philadelphia School District could get pink slips in August. But the ax has already fallen on 342 school employees, mostly noontime aides and special-education assistants, who began receiving layoff notices Thursday.  No teachers will be affected by the current wave of layoffs, which are unrelated to the state funding mess.

Philly District announces 342 layoffs, mostly aides; move unrelated to cigarette tax
the notebook by Dale Mezzacappa on Jul 10, 2014 01:25 PM Updated | 3:25 p.m.
The School District announced 342 layoffs Thursday, most of them noontime aides and special-education classroom assistants.  But the total also includes eight assistant principals, three conflict-resolution specialists, and 15 assistants in Head Start classrooms.  District spokeswoman Raven Hill said that these layoffs were mostly the result of budget decisions made by principals and are not related to the 1,300 layoffs that may be necessary if the legislature fails to give final approval to a cigarette tax to raise funds for the District.

Philly teachers union head rejects Corbett call for further concessions
WHYY Newsworks BY TOM MACDONALD JULY 10, 2014
As Gov. Tom Corbett asked for contract concessions from the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers Thursday morning, 300 layoff notices are on their way to school district employees.
The head of the city teachers union says, "No way."
"We need to have the public sector teacher union in Philadelphia step up and make concessions," Corbett said as he signed the state's $29.1 billion budget. "I find it unfathomable that in 498 school districts in Pennsylvania, teachers contribute to their health care. Two other school districts, and primarily Philadelphia do not contribute."
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers head Jerry Jordan said Corbett's demand ignores sacrifices his members have already made.  "We have gone a full year without a raise, making this the third consecutive year that members of the federation have gone without a raise," Jordan said. "We also said we would be willing to find savings of several millions of dollars in order to help the district get through this fiscal problem."

Helen Gym: What the schools need now
Citypaper By Helen Gym Published: 07/10/2014
Helen Gym is a co-founder of Parents United for Public Education.
The chaotic scramble in Harrisburg over whether to allow Philadelphia to tax itself for its own schools reveals a humbling lesson about school funding: Philadelphia is the only school district in the state lacking the power to raise its own revenue.  Instead, our schools rely most heavily on the mercurial whims of non-Philadelphia legislators. It took an outpouring of civic action, Mayor Nutter’s presence, a unified Philadelphia delegation and a questionable trade-off on charter authorization just to pass a cigarette tax in the House — only to see legislative action delayed by the Senate this week.  As of today, Philadelphia schools are $93 million short of last year’s miserable status quo. And once again, during this budget round, we didn’t gain meaningful added funding from the state. We also didn’t achieve adequate, sustainable funding since the legislature evaded both a fracking tax and the enactment of a formula for school funding.
So, now what?

Butkovitz sees progress in review of charter schools
MARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER POSTED: Friday, July 11, 2014, 1:08 AM
Four years after issuing a scathing report on charter schools that found conflicts of interest and questionable business practices, City Controller Alan Butkovitz said Thursday that several of the schools had made strides.  He singled out the Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School in West Philadelphia, which he lambasted earlier because a nonprofit that owned the school's building was operating a nightclub inside on weekends and its chief financial officer was collecting salaries from several charters.  A review that Butkovitz's office began in January found that the nightclub no longer existed and that the school had cut ties to its former chief financial officer.

Report: Charter schools improve business practices
REGINA MEDINA, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER MEDINAR@PHILLYNEWS.COM, 215-854-5985 POSTED: Friday, July 11, 2014, 3:01 AM
SOME OF Philadelphia's charter schools have taken heed of recommendations put forth in a stinging 2010 controller's report and, according to a follow-up report, have been able to improve their governance practices.  Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School in West Philadelphia, for example, had a few irregular practices that have been resolved since the 2010 report.

Charter school takes Lancaster fight to state
Lancaster Online By KARA NEWHOUSE | Staff Writer Posted: Thursday, July 10, 2014 2:32 pm | Updated: 3:03 pm, Thu Jul 10, 2014.
The battle for an entrepreneurship-focused charter school in the School District of Lancaster isn't over.  In February, the SDL board rejected — for the second time — a proposal from the Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship Charter School to set up shop here.  Now the ABECS board is appealing that decision to the state.  SDL's February decision said the charter school application failed to show community support or how ABECS would provide comprehensive learning experiences.

Here's some prior coverage of the proposed ABECS charter
Two parent leaders in Lancaster, Pennsylvania–John MGrann and Dennis Deslippe–are organizing opposition to a Gulen charter in their community. The Gulen charters are the largest charter chain in the nation. They are associated with a reclusive Turkish imam who lives in the Poconos but has a powerful political movement in Turkey.  This is their petition:
The application for a new charter school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has generated a strong public response in opposition to its approval. On Tuesday, February 19, the school board for the School District of Lancaster in Pennsylvania will conduct a hearing for the Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship Charter School (ABECS), a school which promises to “integrate business and leadership opportunities” and “launch entrepreneurial skills” for students in kindergarten through fourth grade. The lead applicant for ABECS is Sait Onal.

What 4 teachers told Obama over lunch
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss July 10 at 12:00 PM  
President Obama sat down this week for lunch at the White House with Education Secretary Arne Duncan and four teachers to talk about education, teaching and school reform. What the teachers said to Obama is explained in the following post by Justin Minkel, the 2007 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, a board member of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, and a member of the Center for Teaching Quality’sCollaboratory. He writes two blogs, Teaching for Triumph and Career Teacher. Follow him on Twitter:  @JustinMinkel
By Justin Minkel
President Obama has often been described as an eloquent speaker. I learned this week that he is an eloquent listener, too.  The table in the West Wing was set for six: the president, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and four teachers. The hour-long conversation was serious but relaxed. The four of us have each been teaching in high-poverty schools for over a decade, and the president asked us to respond to a few questions that were on his mind.
The president wanted to know: Why had we stayed in our schools? What could he and the secretary do to support teachers in high-need schools? What policies could ensure that students who need the strongest teachers receive them?
This is what we told him:

Investigation finds poor results at Michigan’s charter schools
NSBA School Board News Today by Del Stover July 10th, 2014
Michigan taxpayers spend nearly $1 billion annually to support the state’s 370 charter schools, but there’s little transparency in how that money is spent—and many poor-performing charters aren’t held accountable.  Those are among the findings of a recent Detroit Free Pressinvestigation that has put the spotlight on failures in Michigan’s charter school policy.
For their money, the newspaper makes clear, state taxpayers aren’t finding that charter schools offer any improvement in student academic performance. Although many excellent charters exist, 38 percent fall below the 25th percentile in state rankings, compared to 23 percent of traditional schools.  What’s more, the Free Press uncovered a pattern of wasteful spending, financial conflicts of interest, and interference in the efforts of charter school boards to provide oversight.“Michigan laws regulating charters are among the nation’s weakest,” it reports.

NSBA discusses school lunch concerns with USDA
NSBA School Board News Today by Margaret Suslick July 10th, 2014
The National School Boards Association (NSBA) was one of 16 organizations that met today with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Under Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Concannon, and “Let’s Move!” Executive Director Sam Kass to discuss problems implementing new regulations for school meals stipulated by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFK) and methods for improving child nutrition. Lucy Gettman, NSBA’s Director of Federal Programs, represented NSBA to call for recognition of the impact of the legislation on school district budgets and operations.
Gettman thanked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for “including school district governance in this conversation and for taking a leadership role in convening this group of stakeholders, many of whom have never been convened as a group before. Hopefully, this will be the first of several conversations.


Teaching in Pennsylvania -
EPLC "Focus on Education" TV Program on PCN - July 13 at 3:00 p.m. 
The next EPLC "Focus on Education" episode will air this coming Sunday, July 13 at 3:00 p.m. on PCN television.  This July 13 panel will discuss the status of the teaching profession in Pennsylvania; what it takes to become a teacher in the state; teacher preparation programs; whether there are efforts to attract more minority students to the teaching profession; why we lose a high percentage of new teachers after only a few years; the status of the new teacher evaluation system in Pennsylvania; and much more.
The panel will include: 
·         Ron Cowell, President of The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC) and Host of the "Focus on Education" programs;  
·         Dr. Theresa Barnaby, Director, Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality;
·         Ryan Devlin, 2013 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year and Brockway Area High School English and Technology Teacher;
·         Dolores McCracken, PSEA Treasurer, Council Rock Education Foundation Treasurer, and parent education advocate; and
·         Dr. Sally A. Winterton, President, Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators.

Educational Collaborators Pennsylvania Summit Aug. 13-14
The Educational Collaborators, in partnership with the Wilson School District, is pleased to announce a unique event,  the Pennsylvania Summit featuring Google for Education on August 13th and 14th, 2014!  This summit is an open event primarily focused on Google Apps for Education, Chromebooks, Google Earth, YouTube, and many other effective and efficient technology integration solutions to help digitally convert a school district.  These events are organized by members of the Google Apps for Education community.

Pre-K for PA has supporters all over the greater Philadelphia region who want to help ensure all three and four year-old children can access quality pre-K.
We need your help -- join an upcoming phone bank. Join a fun gathering of like minds in Philadelphia and Conshohocken on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer. We are calling fellow Pre-K for PA supporters to build local volunteer teams.
Call a Pre-K Friend in Philly:
United Way Building, 6th Floor 1709 Ben Franklin Parkway 19107 
Wed July 30, 5-7 PM
Call a Pre-K Friend in Mont Co:
Anne's House 242 Barren Hill Road Conshohocken PA 19428
Wed July 16, 5-7pm
Wed July 30, 5-7pm

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. 

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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