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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for
September 19, 2014:
FOX43 POSTED 9:55 PM, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014, BY MELANIE
ORLINS, UPDATED AT 11:05PM, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
There could be a major change in York City Pennsylvania . But
teachers are upset. They say hundreds of them could lose their jobs. Seeing all
of these people turn out to voice their concerns is something school board
president, Margie Orr, welcomes. “This
is what we needed to see and here because we haven’t been seeing this past
board meetings and it was time for the community come out and let them know how
they felt about this,” says Orr. Orr
says the district is revisiting the option to go all-charter because it can’t
come to a contract agreement with the teacher’s union. She says they’re meeting
multiple times a week to reach one.
The York
City School
District Charter Schools USA
All of the meetings are at 6:30 p.m. at Hannah Penn K-8 School,
415 E. Boundary Ave. ,
York
In new ad, Corbett says
Wolf's 'big lie' on schools funding has been 'exposed': Thursday Morning Coffee
PennLive By John L. Micek |
jmicek@pennlive.com on September 18, 2014 at 7:36 AM,
updated September 18, 2014 at 8:29 AM
Good Thursday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
So just how nasty are things getting in the race for governor?
So just how nasty are things getting in the race for governor?
Nasty enough that, in a new commercial, Gov. Tom
Corbett's re-election campaign has accused Democratic Tom Wolf of lying
about the Republican's record on education funding.
In the new spot, "Mr. Big," Corbett's campaign
cites newspaper reports showing that school funding has increased, rather than
decreased, on the Republican's watch.
Corbett ad says Pa.
DAVE DAVIES OFF MIC A
BLOG BY DAVE DAVIES
SEPTEMBER 18, 2014
A new hard-hitting TV ad (above) from the campaign of
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett repeats his charge that Democrat Tom Wolf is
lying about the governor's record, but ads a new twist, essentially saying that
the state's media agree Wolf is a fibber.
Do they? Not really.
At issue is Wolf's claim that Corbett cut education funding by
a billion dollars.
"Tom Wolf's big lie about education funding has now been
exposed," an announcer says in the ad. "In Pittsburgh , they called Wolf's education ad a
blatant lie. In Philadelphia ,
they confirmed Tom Corbett has increased state funding for education." The ad says that even Wolf's hometown
newspaper, the York Daily Record "said Tom Corbett gave more for schools
with no tax increase."
Wolf visits Chester's STEM
High School, promises better state funding for education
By John Kopp, Delaware
County Daily
House education committee
postpones hearings on Pa. version of Common Core
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette September 18, 2014 12:09 PM
The House Education Committee has postponed indefinitely
planned hearings on the state's academic standards, known as the Pennsylvania
Core Academic Standards, a variation of the Common Core State Standards. State Rep. Paul Clymer, chair of the House
Education Committee, today issued a news release announcing the postponement. The hearings were sought by state Reps. Seth
Grove, R-York, and Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, after Gov. Tom Corbett issued a
statement last week calling for "continued public review" of the
standards in English language arts and math in elementary and secondary public
schools.
Clymer Delays Hearings on PA
Academic Standards Process at Request of Acting Secretary Dumaresq
PA House Republican Caucus website 9/18/2014
“In light of assurances from the administration that there are no plans to try and reopen or change the Pennsylvania Academic Standards, I have decided to postpone the hearings,” said Clymer. “The State Board of Education is planning a review of the eligible content, not the standards themselves, and will be accepting further public comment. I have been assured the House Education Committee will be consulted with once the review is completed. I am certain the review will once again demonstrate that we have taken the appropriate action in implementing a locally controlled academic system focusing on rigorous academic standards, as opposed to following any federal directives.”
Auditor general, state
education department at war over words
By Mary Niederberger / Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette September 18, 2014 11:46 AM
State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today said he was
stunned by a statement from a Department of Education spokesman indicating the
department would not immediately cooperate with an audit of its use of special
advisers, contractors and consultants. Mr.
DePasquale announced Wednesday that his office would expand its current audit
of the Department of Education to include a review of the oversight of special
advisers such as Ron Tomalis, the former special adviser to the governor on
higher education.
In response, Tim Eller, a spokesman for the department, issued
this statement to the Post-Gazette: "Given
the sudden increase in the number of reviews, audits and inquiries the auditor
general is currently undertaking, it is clear that he is succumbing to
political tactics.
“While the department continues to review the auditor general’s
request, the department is concerned about its timing given that the current
audit has been underway for more than six months. The department will work with
the auditor general so that this new objective is included in a future audit,
as to not delay the current audit by expanding it into new areas."
"That is stunning," Mr. DePasquale said. "I have
never seen anything like this. No agency in state government and no entity
outside of state government that we have audited has ever said anything like
that." Mr. DePasquale said the
audit of special advisers, consultants and contractors "is not up for
debate" with the department of education.
Time running out for Pa.
Council approves voter
referendum on abolishing SRC
Philly Daily News by Chris Brennan THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18,
2014, 12:49 PM
City Council today approved in a 15-1 vote a measure to place
on the ballot a non-binding referendum asking voters if they want to abolish
the School Reform Commission. The
question now: Will Mayor Nutter sign the legislation into law, allowing the
measure to appear on the Nov. 4 general election ballot? Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, the measure's
sponsor, apologized to a raucous crowd of union members and activists who were
disappointed when she did not bring the subject up for a vote last week.
SRC to sell 11 closed school
buildings, netting $2M
KRISTEN A. GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Friday, September 19,
2014, 1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday, September 18, 2014, 8:56 PM
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission voted Thursday night
to sell 11 shuttered school buildings - including Germantown High - in a group
of transactions that would net just $2 million.
The sales were met with alarm in some corners. Germantown residents in particular said they
had no idea the property, which closed to students in 2013, was about to change
hands. "You took us all incredibly by surprise," retired teacher
Karel Kilimnik told the SRC. Germantown neighbors have
been meeting for a year to discuss possible uses for the high school site.
Letter: Common Core fails and
deserves to be left behind
Delco Times LTE by Lisa Esler POSTED: 09/18/14, 10:00 PM
EDT |
To the Times:
Isn’t it strange that since the Federal Department of Education
was established in the late 70’s, education has been on a disastrous downward
decline even though America
spends more money on education than any other nation? I think most of us older
folks would agree we learned the 3 R’s very well before the FED started
“improving” education. Over the past
several years, schools across the country have been implementing Common Core
State Standards (CCSS). This is the latest centralized federal attempt to
nationalize a new, one-size-fits-all, untested, convoluted teaching experiment
with students as the guinea pigs.
"Louisiana earned an A in only one
category, parental options, for having "one of the nation's largest
statewide school choice programs," including charter schools and
taxpayer-funded vouchers for private school. "
By Danielle
Dreilinger, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune on September 11, 2014 at
11:37 AM, updated September 11, 2014 at 5:22 PM
A new U.S.
Chamber of Commerce reportgives Louisiana 's
public education system very low marks on academic achievement, international
competitiveness, workforce preparation and bang for the buck. It flunked Louisiana in five of 11
categories, with a D+ in the sixth. The
state's low academic standing has been widely documented. However, the chamber
says its report has a particular focus on the 21stcentury workforce. Louisiana
did see some gains. Scores went up on the National Assessment of Educational Progress
in 2013, especially for low-income and minority students. But compared to other
states, Louisiana
was still at the bottom. The state's 2013
Advanced Placement pass rate was worse than any state except Mississippi . Pass rates were even lower in subjects that
the chamber considers important for the 21stcentury economy: only 30
in 10,000 students passed a foreign language AP test, and 4 in 10,000 passed
the AP computer science test.
Save the date: Bob Herbert
book event! Pittsburgh
Save the date – you don’t want to miss this! We are hosting the
national launch of Bob Herbert’s new book, Losing Our Way: An Intimate
Portrait of a Troubled America Pittsburgh
several times to interview parents and teachers in our local grassroots
movement and wound up writing three chapters on our fight for public education!
Date: Thursday, October 9, 2014 Time: 5:30 – 6:30PM,
moderated discussion and Q&A.
Doors will open at 5 with student performances. Followed by book signing.
Doors will open at 5 with student performances. Followed by book signing.
Location: McConomy Auditorium, Carnegie Mellon University 5000 Forbes Ave. , Pittsburgh 15213
Hosted by: Yinzercation (we are
profiled in the book!)
Moderator: Tony Norman, columnist and
associate editor,Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
PUBLIC Education Nation October
11
The Network for Public Education will hold a historic event in one month's time.
The Network for Public Education will hold a historic event in one month's time.
PUBLIC Education Nation will deliver the
conversation the country has been waiting for. Rather than featuring
billionaires and pop singers, this event will be built around intense
conversations featuring leading educators, parents, students and community
activists. We have waited too long for that seat at someone else's table.
This time, the tables are turned, and we are the ones setting the agenda. This event will be livestreamed on the web on
the afternoon of Saturday, October 11, from the auditorium of Brooklyn New
School, a public school. There will be four panels focusing on the most
critical issues we face in our schools. The event will conclude with a
conversation between Diane Ravitch and Jitu Brown.
Please join us for a symposium
on:
“Funding
Pennsylvania's Public Schools: A Look Ahead”
This event is co-sponsored by the
University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics and the Temple University
Center
When: Friday, October 3, 2014, 8:30 am to 12 pm
Where: Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh in Green Tree, PA
Session I:
"Forecasting the Fiscal Future of Pennsylvania's Public
Schools"
A panel of legislators and public officials
will respond to a presentation by Penn State Professor William Hartman and Tim
Shrom projecting the fiscal trajectory of Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts
over the next five years and by University of Pittsburgh Professor Maureen
McClure discussing the implications for school finance of an aging tax base.
Session II: "Why Smart
Investments in Public Schools Are Critical to Pennsylvania's Economic
Future"
Following an address by Eva Tansky
Blum, Chairwoman and President of the PNC Foundation, a panel of business
and labor leaders will discuss the importance of public school funding
reform to the competitiveness of regional and state economies.
We look forward to your
participation!
Back to School
Special Education Boot Camp Saturday, September 20, 2014 8:30 A.M.- 3:00 P.M.
Public Interest Law Center of
Philadelphia
United Way Building 1709 Benjamin
Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, 19103
Join presenters from: Temple University · McAndrews Law
Offices · ARC
PA Education for All
Coalition · Delaware Valley Friends School
PA Dyslexia and Literacy Coalition
Attend workshops on: Early
Intervention · Dyslexia · Discipline · Charter
Schools
Inclusion · Transition Services
Details and Registration: http://bit.ly/1nSstB7
The 2014 Arts and Education Symposium will be
held on Thursday, October 2 at the State Museum
of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, PA. Join us for a daylong convening of
arts education policy leaders and practitioners for lively discussions about
the latest news from the field.
The Symposium registration fee is $45 per person.
To register, click
here or follow the prompts at the bottom of the page. The Symposium will include the following:
Register Now – 2014 PAESSP
State Conference – October 19-21, 2014
Please join us for the 2014 PAESSP State Conference, “PRINCIPAL
EFFECTIVENESS: Leading Schools in a New Age of Accountability,” to be
held October 19-21 at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel, Pittsburgh,
Pa. Featuring Keynote Speakers: Alan
November, Michael Fullan & Dr. Ray Jorgensen. This year’s conference will provided PIL
Act 45 hours, numerous workshops, exhibits, multiple resources and an
opportunity to network with fellow principals from across the state.
PASA-PSBA School Leadership
Conference (Oct. 21-24) registration forms now available online
PSBA Website
PSBA Website
Make plans today to attend the most talked about education
conference of the year. This year's PASA-PSBA
School Leadership Conference promises to be one of the best with new
ideas, innovations, networking opportunities and dynamic speakers. More details
are being added every day. Online registration will be available in the
next few weeks. If you just can't wait, registration
forms are available online now. Other important links are available
with more details on:
·
Hotel
registration (reservation deadline extended to Sept. 26)
·
Educational
Publications Contest (deadline Aug. 6)
·
Student
Celebration Showcase (deadline Sept. 19)
·
Poster
and Essay Contest (deadline Sept. 19)
Voting for PSBA officers
and at-large representatives opens Sept. 9
PSBA Website 9/8/2014
The slate of candidates for 2015 PSBA officer and at-large
representatives is available online. Photos, bios and
videos also have been posted for candidates. According to recent PSBA
Bylaws changes, each member school entity casts one vote per office. Voting
will again take place online through a secure, third-party website -- Simply
Voting. Voting will open Sept. 9 and closes Oct. 6. One person from the school
entity (usually the board secretary) is authorized to register the vote on
behalf of the member school entity and each board will need to put on its
agenda discussion and voting at one of its meetings in September. Each person
authorized to cast the school entity's votes received an email on Aug. 13 and a
test ballot was sent to them on Aug. 28. In addition, a memo from PSBA
President Richard Frerichs will be mailed in the coming days to all board
secretaries and copied to school board presidents and chief school
administrators.
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