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PA Ed Policy Roundup for October
2, 2014:
Reaction to 2nd
Corbett/Wolf debate: education, education, education
KEYSTONE EXAMS: Not Just Another Standardized Test
What You Need to Know
About Pennsylvania’s NEW High School Graduation Requirement
Join the Radnor, Haverford, Chester
County , Lower
Merion & Narberth Leagues of Women Voters October 7 @ 7:00 pm
in Radnor
In Tom Corbett/Tom Wolf race,
being the 'education governor' is hallowed ground: debate coverage
Penn Live By Charles Thompson | cthompson@pennlive.com on October
01, 2014 at 3:15 PM, updated October 01, 2014 at 3:38 PM
Corbett, seated next to his foe in a Center City Pennsylvania
voters over the next five weeks will likely go far in determining whether
Republican incumbent Corbett gets a second term as governor.
Here's the fact pattern he is up against:
In Philadelphia
Wolf: "You have not
been a friend to education." Corbett: "I've not been a friend to the
unions."
the notebook By Dale Mezzacappa on Oct 1, 2014 09:28 AM
The very first question to Gov. Tom Corbett in his debate with
challenger Tom Wolf went straight to the point: Are schools better off in Pennsylvania since he
took office?
The issue of education took up the first 17 minutes of the
candidates' hour-long debate on Wednesday morning. Starting at 8 a.m. in the
studios of KYW Radio, it was broadcast during morning drive time. In a round of lightning-fast questioning
marked by verbal zingers and frequent interruptions, the two men largely
repeated their campaign positions on the issue, which, polls have shown,
dominates voter concerns. Corbett blamed
unions and his predecessors for the predicament that many Pennsylvania school districts find
themselves in: rising property taxes often accompanied by draconian cuts in
personnel and services. Some 27,000 jobs have been cut from state school
districts over the last several years. Wolf
blamed Corbett and said that if he became governor, he would send more money to
school districts from the state by imposing a 5 percent severance tax on
natural gas and creating a graduated income tax with higher rates on those in
upper-income brackets. He said class sizes would go down.
"For the first 17 minutes of the
hour-long session, aired live from KYW Newsradio's Philadelphia
Corbett, Wolf tussle over
education, state spending
THOMAS FITZGERALD AND JOSEPH DOLINSKY, INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS LAST UPDATED: Wednesday,
October 1, 2014, 10:09 AM POSTED: Wednesday, October 1, 2014, 8:37 AM
A drive-time debate between Republican Gov. Corbett and
Democratic challenger Tom Wolf turned into a verbal slugfest Wednesday as the
candidates accused each other of cooking the books, kicking the can down the
road or otherwise displaying an unfitness to govern Pennsylvania for the next four years. Wolf cited recent downgrades of Pennsylvania 's credit
worthiness by rating agencies that judged the latest budget as patched together
with a series of one-time transfers of funds and overly optimistic revenue
projections. He said the administration had "cooked the books." "Are you accusing me of a criminal
act?" replied Corbett, a former prosecutor and state attorney general. He
said budget-making is an inexact art, and contended that former Gov. Ed Rendell
- in whose cabinet Wolf served - had used some of the same tactics in writing
some of his budgets.
Corbett, Wolf debate budget,
school funding
By Kate Giammarise / Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette October 1, 2014 11:18 PM
“It’s a matter of priorities, governor,”
Wolf said to Corbett. “You have not been a friend of education.” Corbett responded immediately, even talking
over Wolf to make his point. “I would
disagree with you,” Corbett said. “We have been a very good friend of
education. I have not been a friend of unions.”
Sparks fly at 2nd Corbett,
Wolf campaign debate
A caffeinated Wolf tangles
with Corbett in morning drivetime debate in Philly: John L. Micek
Penn Live By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com on October 01, 2014
at 11:39 AM, updated October 01, 2014 at 12:01 PM
Maybe Democrat Tom Wolf should have insisted that all three of
this year's gubernatorial debates be held in the morning. Because it was a caffeinated and feisty Wolf
who showed up for Wednesday's confrontation with Republican Gov. Tom
Corbett. Wolf, a wealthy York County
businessman, parried Corbett on issues ranging from education funding to
economic development in the unusual, hour-long session that aired during
morning drive-time on KYW-Newsradio in Philadelphia
on Wednesday morning. If we're
scoring this one on points, Corbett may have emerged with a narrow victory for
once again nailing Wolf on his failure to offer specifics on some of his
tentpole plans. But Wolf, a one-time Rendell administration official, got his
shots in early.
"The candidates also discussed schools
for much of the hour-long debate, with Wolf accusing Corbett of eliminating a
fair funding formula in Pennsylvania
Corbett and Wolf mix it up,
but no bombshells in Pa.
WHYY Newsworks BY HOLLY
OTTERBEIN OCTOBER 1, 2014
Corbett defended his budget as balanced and said revenues
hadn't come in as expected, just as in past administrations.
Schoolyard Fight: Corbett,
Wolf spar over the governor's history of education funding
"Ask any
teacher, they would undoubtedly say they've been cut."
For several months, commercials for Gov. Tom Corbett's and Tom
Wolf's campaigns have made starkly different claims about the governor's record
on education spending. "He's
increased spending in the education department — $1.5 billion from where it was
when he took office," says Corbett's wife, Sue, in an April 2014 video. "The facts speak for themselves. Tom
Corbett cut a billion dollars from our schools," counters the voiceover on
a Wolf-for-governor ad from September 2014.
Each video provides its own sources for the claim. But if you ask
teachers in Pittsburgh Public Schools whether Corbett cut funding to public
education, they don't need to look at charts or watch commercials to give you
an answer.
"I've had this debate with people and if you would ask any
teacher, they would undoubtedly say they've been cut," says Nina
Esposito-Visgitis, president of Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers. "We
know what we've lost.
Vintage postings, Sept. 2011: Revenue Secretary:
Corbett does not want to be known as the education governor
Carlisle Sentinel By Lauren McLane, Sentinel Reporter, September 14, 2011 Pennsylvania is not only
open for business, the commonwealth is seeking to be a predator of new
business, according to Secretary of Revenue Dan Meuser… Part of Corbett's
long-term goals are to create funding in which the "funding follows the
student," said Meuser, who added that while Corbett does not want to be
known as "the education governor," Meuser believes the governor's
actions will speak for themselves.
http://www.cumberlink.com/news/local/article_0312fcbe-dec3-11e0-bee4-001cc4c002e0.html
http://www.cumberlink.com/news/local/article_0312fcbe-dec3-11e0-bee4-001cc4c002e0.html
Corbett vows pension special session
in next term
By Dave Sutor New Castle News Posted: Tuesday, September
30, 2014 3:30 am
Gov. Tom Corbett, if re-elected this year, plans to call for a
special session of the Legislature specifically to deal with Pennsylvania ’s pension issues. He would like to see the meeting address
state, municipal and school district concerns.
“I’ve been trying to fight the pension battle,” Corbett, a Republican,
said during a meeting with The Tribune-Democrat Friday. “I don’t know that we’re going to even get
the little bit that we’re trying to get now. I’ve already announced, I’m going
to call, in my second term, right away, a special session on pensions; not just
the state pension, we might as well bring in the municipal pension, too,
because I can tell you, all municipalities are coming to us, saying, ‘Take a
look at this.’ Is that a big one to bite off? Yes. But, if we don’t do it,
who’s going to do it? I know one thing, my opponent (Tom Wolf ) is not going to
touch it.”
Philly schools' bond rating
downgraded
Inquirer by Kristen Graham POSTED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER
1, 2014, 10:48 AM
The Philadelphia
School District
"The downgrade of the underlying rating largely reflects
the continued deterioration of the district's already tenuous financial
position," a Fitch report said. "The district's plans to achieve
structural balance rely heavily on its continued ability to achieve dramatic
expenditures savings, particularly gaining significant negotiated concessions
from the teacher's union. Fitch believes the level of cooperation needed to
fully realize these plans will likely not be forthcoming, resulting in
continued negative operations and increased accumulated deficits."
Fitch also cited rapid charter school growth, noted that
further growth is expected, "increasing the challenges of the district's
financial environment." Since 2010, the number of city children enrolled
in charters nearly doubled. The number of students enrolled in district-managed
schools has dropped annually.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/school_files/Philly-schools-.html#QOmukSvWvLL14qF7.99
"Language tucked into the measure by
State Rep. John Taylor (R., Phila.) requires the district to accept new charter
applications. The law also gives rejected applicants the right to appeal to the
state Charter Appeal Board in Harrisburg
City schools to accept new charter applications
City schools to accept new charter applications
MARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Thursday, October 2,
2014, 1:08 AM POSTED: Wednesday, October 1, 2014, 5:32 PM
In a move that cheered charter-school advocates, the Philadelphia School District
District spokesman Fernando Gallard said the charter office was
accepting applications to comply with the state's recently enacted cigarette
tax law, which authorizes Philadelphia
to impose a $2-a-pack tax to provide funds for schools.
Groups charge $30 million in
charter school fraud, call for tougher oversight
WHYY Newsworks BY TOM MACDONALD OCTOBER 1, 2014
A new report is calling for holding charter schools in Pennsylvania more
accountable.
Produced by the groups Center for Public Democracy, Integrity
in Education and Action United, the report says the $30 million in charter
school fraud already discovered in Pennsylvania
could be the tip of the iceberg because there isn't enough oversight. Kia Hinton of Action United says they
are calling for reforms such as targeted audits because $30 million could have
been put to much better use. "Do
you know what that could get us? That could get us more teachers so our
classrooms don't have 40 students, that could get us textbooks, so our students
have textbooks and that could get us support staff to support our teachers and
our students," Hinton said.
The groups are also calling for a moratorium on any new charter
schools until more controls are implemented.
State Supreme Court rules for
West Chester school district
West Chester Daily
Local By Kelly Lyons, klyons@dailylocal.com, @DLNKelly_Lyons on
Twitter POSTED: 10/01/14, 7:17 PM EDT |
West Goshen >> After a six-year-long battle between the
West Chester Area School District and the Friends of Pennsylvania Leadership
Charter School, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court determined it was
unconstitutional to require the school district to refund Friends its property
taxes paid from 2008 through 2010 in a decision made Wednesday, Sept. 24.
Friends is a nonprofit organization associated with
cyber-charter school Pennsylvania
Leadership Charter
School Enterprise Drive ,
and must submit its property taxes to the district.
The Supreme Court ruled that the General Assembly’s amendments
to the school code in 2011 that allowed for tax exemptions for charter schools
and their affiliates was unconstitutional “because it violated the separation
of powers doctrine and the uniformity clause of the Pennsylvania Constitution,”
according to court documents.
“Our argument, and the Supreme Court’s decision, focused on the
Separation of Powers issue which prohibits the legislature from interfering
with final judgments of the courts,” said the district’s lawyer Anthony Verwey
in a press release.
Propel plans for charter
school in Sto-Rox advances
By Mary Niederberger / Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette October 2, 2014 12:00 AM
Propel has won another round in its attempt to start a K-12
charter school for up to 800 students in the Sto-Rox School District and will
try to open a school by next fall.
The state Charter Appeal Board on Tuesday denied the district’s
application for a stay that would have prevented Propel from opening its school
while the appeal board’s decision to grant a charter is being appealed to Commonwealth Court .
Top 10 Reasons to See
Bob Herbert
We are hosting Bob Herbert, the award winning, longtime New
York Times columnist, for the national launch of his new book,Losing Our
Way: An Intimate Portrait of a Troubled America. I know that sounds like a
very serious title, but this is going to be an exciting event and the book
features our local education justice work! So why should you come next Thursday
(October 9th) at 5:30PM to Carnegie Mellon? Here are the top ten
reasons you don’t want to miss this event:
Penn alumna fights for Philadelphia
Daily Pennsylvanian By JENNIFER WRIGHT ・
10/01/14 2:04am
If you manage to catch Helen Gym for five minutes, two of them
might be spent on the phone with a school district parent or dropping off
materials from Parents United for Public Education for Back to School nights
across the city. Whether it is
in-between dropped phone calls on a train home from Washington , D.C.
A former teacher, Penn alumna and school district parent, Gym
is a loud voice among the many engaged in the dialogue about affecting changes
to the school district — and rallying parents to push back is what Gym and
her colleagues at Parents United see as part of the solution.
Is School
Funding Fair? A National Report Card
School Funding Fairness Suffers
Amid National Recession
Education Law Center Coauthored
by Bruce Baker of the Rutgers Graduate School of Education; David Sciarra,
Executive Director of Education Law Center (ELC); and Danielle Farrie, ELC
Research Director.
The Great Recession triggered
dramatic reductions in state and local revenue from property, sales and income
taxes. To prevent layoffs and cuts to education programs, the federal
government provided substantial stimulus funds on a temporary basis. When the
stimulus ended, however, states faced a crucial test: either restore revenue or
allow cuts to education funding and programs. This report shows many of the
states failed this test, sacrificing fair school funding after the foreseeable
loss of federal stimulus.
The National Report Card (NRC)
examines each state's level of commitment to equal educational opportunity,
regardless of a student's background, family income, or where she or he attends
school. Providing fair school funding -- at a sufficient level with additional
funds to meet needs generated by poverty -- is crucial if all students are to
be afforded the opportunity to learn and be successful.
How to Register to Vote -
Deadline is October 6th
PA Department of State
Once you know you are eligible
to vote, the next step is to register. In Pennsylvania , you can register in person, by
mail and at various government agencies. Below you will find information about
how to register, as well as links to voting registration forms and
applications.
Upcoming PA Basic Education
Funding Commission Meetings*
PA Basic Education Funding
Commission website
Thursday, October 16, 2014 at 10
AM, Perkiomen Valley
Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at 11 AM, Pittsburgh
* meeting times and locations subject to change
Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at 11 AM, Pittsburgh
* meeting times and locations subject to change
Health Issues in Schools:
"Mom I can't find the Nurse"
October 21, 2014 1:00 -- 4:00 P.M.
United Way Building 1709
Benjamin Franklin Parkway , Philadelphia
Tickets: Attorneys $200
General Public $100 Webinar $50
"Pay What You Can" tickets are also
available
Click here to purchase tickets
Click here to purchase tickets
LWV Panel:KEYSTONE EXAMS
Not Just Another Standardized Test Oct 7th Radnor
What You Need to Know About Pennsylvania’s NEW High School Graduation
Requirement
Join the Radnor,
Haverford, Chester County, Lower Merion & Narberth Leagues of Women Voters
October 7 @ 7:00 pm in Radnor
In partnership with your area schools’ Parent
Organizations and supported by your area School Districts
Moderator: Susan Carty, President, League of Women Voters of PA
Panelists Will Include:
Pennsylvania State
Senator, Andy Dinniman
Lower Merion
School District Board of Directors
Member, Lori Actman
Conestoga High
School
Education Lawyer, Josh Kershenbaum, Esq.
Additional Panelists To Be Announced
Panelists Will Include:
Education Lawyer, Josh Kershenbaum, Esq.
Additional Panelists To Be Announced
Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014 at 7:00 PM Radnor Municipal Building, 301 Iven Ave. ,
Radnor
Questions? Please Call 610-446-8383 or e-mail katederiel@verizon.net
Questions? Please Call 610-446-8383 or e-mail katederiel@verizon.net
What About the Schools? A
Community Forum on the Next Governor's Education Agenda Oct. 15 7:00 pm WHYY
Philly
Pennsylvania's public schools, especially in Philadelphia, are
in dire straits. Many hope that the upcoming gubernatorial election will help
shine a light on the state's education issues. But how will Harrisburg politics
and financial realities limit the next governor’s agenda for education?
Join Research for Action, WHYY, and the United Way of Greater
Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey for an interactive community forum
designed to suggest an education agenda for the next administration—and to
assess the politics of achieving it. Hear
from local educators about what they see as priorities for the schools, and
from seasoned policy practitioners on the political realities of Harrisburg. Then, make your voice heard. Discuss your
thoughts and perspectives with other event guests and interact with the
panelists. You’ll come away from this spirited discussion with a more nuanced
view of the politics of education in both Philadelphia and at the state level.
Admission
This event is FREE and open to the public, but registration is
required.
When
Wednesday, October 15, 2014 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Doors open at
6:30 p.m.
Where
WHYY, Independence Mall West, 150 N. 6th Street, Philadelphia,
Pa 19106
Contact
Questions? Call 215-351-0511 during regular business hours,
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Save the date: Bob Herbert
book event! Pittsburgh October 9th
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
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. Free parking in the garage.
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!
Register Now – 2014 PAESSP State
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; closes October 6th
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.
- See more at: http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=8465#sthash.faopm8Xr.dpuf
January 23rd–25th, 2015 at The Science Leadership
Academy , Philadelphia
EduCon is both a conversation and a conference.
It is an innovation conference where we can come together, both
in person and virtually, to discuss the future of schools. Every session will
be an opportunity to discuss and debate ideas — from the very practical to the
big dreams.
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