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administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers,
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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for October
8, 2014:
Follow the Money: Who gave/received school
privatization contributions in Pennsylvania
Information from the September 30th BEFC
public hearing in Clarion has been posted to the website including the agenda, attachments
and link to 3 hour video of the hearing.
Basic Education Funding
Commission Public Hearing September 30, 2014
Funding Issues Related to Rural School
Districts
http://basiceducationfundingcommission.pasenategop.com/2014/10/06/funding-issues-related-to-rural-school-districts/
Follow the Money: Who gave/received school
privatization contributions in Pennsylvania
Six millionaires/billionaires contributed
$1,482,604 to privatize democratically-governed Pennsylvania
Now it's government of the
money, by the money and for the money: Gary Zimmerman
PennLive Op-Ed By Gary Zimmerman on October 06,
2014 at 1:58 PM, updated October 06, 2014 at 3:50 PM
Many of us have felt that the wealthy and special business
interests get their way more often than average citizens. Now, we have
hard statistical evidence. That
comes from a new paper by Martin Givens of Princeton
University and Benjamin Page of Northwestern University
Money (campaign financing) buys access. Access buys
influence. Even if there is no direct quid pro quo, candidates absorb the
views of those with access.
No wonder income inequality has been worsening for the past 35
years.
"Corporate leaders, hedge fund
managers and foundations with fabulous sums of money at their disposal lined up
in support of charter schools, and politicians were quick to follow. They
argued that charters would not only boost test scores and close achievement
gaps but also make headway on the vexing problem of racial isolation in
schools. None of it was true. Charters
never came close to living up to the hype. After several years of
experimentation and the expenditure of billions of dollars, charter schools and
their teachers proved, on the whole, to be no more effective than traditional
schools."
The Plot Against Public
Education
How millionaires and
billionaires are ruining our schools.
Politico Magazine By BOB HERBERT October 06, 2014
Bill Gates had an idea. He was passionate about it, absolutely
sure he had a winner. His idea? America ’s
high schools were too big. When a
multibillionaire gets an idea, just about everybody leans in to listen. And
when that idea has to do with matters of important public policy and the
billionaire is willing to back it up with hard cash, public officials tend to
reach for the money with one hand and their marching orders with the other.
Gates backed his small-schools initiative with enormous amounts of cash. So,
without a great deal of thought, one school district after another signed on to
the notion that large public high schools should be broken up and new, smaller
schools should be created.
Arthur Rock, California billionaire and TFA
board member noted in this blog posting, contributed $300,000 to Pennsylvania's
"Parents and Teachers for Putting Students First " in 2012. Don't know whether he or his co-contributor
Jim Walton (yes, those Waltons, $281,629) are "Parents", but I doubt
that either of them are "Teachers".
Why Are Teach for America and a California
Billionaire Investing in a Minnesota
In These Times Blog BY SARAH LAHM
TUESDAY, OCT 7, 2014, 6:45 AM
In the aftermath of a failed 2013 bid for mayor, former Minneapolis city council
member Don Samuels is running for a spot on the school board. If he wins, he
will undoubtedly be able to thank the extensive financing and canvassing
support he’s received from several well-heeled national organizations, such as
the Washington, D.C.-based 50CAN, an
offshoot ofEducation Reform Now called Students for Education
Reform (SFER), and various people associated with Teach for
America, which has been called a “political powerhouse” for its growing influence in policy and
politics beyond the classroom. These
groups often project an image of grassroots advocacy but are in fact very well-funded, often through
the support of extremely wealthy hedge fund managers and large philanthropic
foundations. Together, they and like-minded “education reform” proponents have
dramatically, but not necessarily democratically, altered how public education
works throughout the United
States .
StudentsFirst Names Walton
Family Foundation K-12 Adviser as New President
StudentsFirst, the K-12 advocacy group founded by Michelle Rhee
that pushes for increased school choice and the end to seniority-based
employment decisions for teachers, named Walton Family Foundation K-12 adviser
Jim Blew as its new president in an Oct. 7 vote. Blew has served as an adviser to the Walton
foundation on education for over a decade, according to StudentsFirst's
statement announcing Blew's selection, although he's also been described as the"Director of K-12 Reform" for the foundation.
From 2000 to 2005, Blew directed campaigns for the Alliance for School Choice, as well as its predecessor, the
American Education Reform Council.
New Quinnipiac poll shows
Guv's race tightening: Tuesday Morning Coffee
Penn Live By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com on October 07, 2014
at 8:22 AM
Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Gov. Tom Corbett has picked up some support among likely voters as the race for the state's top spot heads into its final days, but he's still trailing Democrat Tom Wolf by 17 percentage points, according to a newQuinnipiac
University
Gov. Tom Corbett has picked up some support among likely voters as the race for the state's top spot heads into its final days, but he's still trailing Democrat Tom Wolf by 17 percentage points, according to a new
Wolf, of York County, had a 55 percent to 38 percent lead over
Republican Corbett,compared to Wolf's 24-point lead among likely
voters in a September canvass by the Hamden, Conn.-based university, The
Associated Press reports.
Coalition pushes education
funding reform
Post-Gazette Early Returns Blog Published by Karen Langley on Tuesday,
07 October 2014 4:14 pm.
The group, The Campaign for Fair Education Funding, launches
its public effort as a state commission holds hearings around the state on how
Pennsylvania pays for its elementary and secondary schools. Representatives of the funding campaign
described principles that will guide their approach -- accurate data, stable
funding, shared responsibility and accountability by schools -- but said they
had not yet settled upon a formula they could recommend. The state funding
commission, made up of Corbett administration officials and legislators, is
charged with reporting to the General Assembly by June 2015.
PSERS investments exceed
expectations
Taxpayers and public school employees should expect some good
news later this year when one of state’s major public pension systems releases
its investment returns for the most recent fiscal year. The state Public School Employees Retirement
System, or PSERS, earned nearly 15 percent during the fiscal year that ended on
June 30. A press release on the organization’s website
Monday revealed the latest findings. Exceeding
the annual investment earnings assumption of 7.5 percent helps to ease the
burden of the unfunded liability that must be made up in the future by some
combination of future investment returns, contributions from workers and tax
dollars.
By Sara K. Satullo | The Express-Times Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on October 07, 2014 at 7:42 AM
The Bethlehem Area School District plans to keep closer tabs
on the charter schools within its boundaries.
As the chartering district, Bethlehem has oversight of Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, Lehigh Valley Dual Language and Lehigh Valley Academy Regional charter schools. When a district students enrolls in a charter
or cyber school, Bethlehem
pays that school tuition. Bethlehem
expects to send $20 million to charter and cyber schools this year.
Rather than waiting to receive annual reports from the schools
or wait for a charter renewal hearing, Bethlehem
plans to take a more proactive role, Assistant Superintendent Jack Silva said.
The district plans to attend the monthly board meetings for
each charter, conduct monthly visits to the schools to gather information about
operations and provide reports as requested.
By Evan Brandt, The Mercury POSTED: 10/07/14,
4:51 PM EDT |
POTTSTOWN >> Early childhood education efforts in
Pottstown will get a $673,000 boost over the next three years as a result of
two state grants announced Tuesday. One
grant program will funnel $75,000 over the next three years into innovative
pre-K programs. The other will provide
$290,820 to the Pottstown School District and another $157,200 to a private
pre-school provider that partners with Pottstown
this year. All total, it adds up to
$673,020 for early education efforts in and around Pottstown . In the case of the first program, Pottstown
was one of only 12 recipients across Pennsylvania
to receive a piece of the $2.7 million in Early Childhood Education Community
Innovation Zone Grants and one of only four in the eastern part of the state.
The grants are designed to expand programs that bridge the
achievement gap for at-risk children and are funded through the federal Race to
the Top funding stream which awarded Pennsylvania
$51.7 million in December, 2013.
Gov. Tom Corbett announces
$817K in grants for Lehigh
Valley
By Precious Petty | The Express-Times on October 07, 2014
at 6:30 PM, updated October 07, 2014 at 8:15 PM
Gov. Tom Corbett on Tuesday announced more than $9.8
million in grants for early childhood education providers statewide, including
two that serve Lehigh and Northampton
counties.
Community Services for Children Inc. and Lehigh Valley
Children's Centers Inc. will receive $314,400 and $503,040, respectively,
according to state officials. They are among 32 early childhood education
providers in 27 counties awarded grants through the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts
program, officials said.
Gov. Corbett announces $1
million for new Lehigh
Valley
By Sara K. Satullo | The Express-Times on October 07, 2014
at 6:14 PM, updated October 07, 2014 at 8:21 PM
The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts has been
awarded a $1 million state grant for construction of its $26 million new school
on South Side Bethlehem. Gov. Tom Corbett came to Bethlehem on Tuesday afternoon to announce the Economic
Growth Initiative grant in the current East Broad Street school's black box
theater. The governor and first lady Susan Corbett toured the construction site
and visited several classrooms during their visit.
What are parents saying about
termination of Philly teachers contract?
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN
MCCORRY OCTOBER 7, 2014
By unanimously voting to terminate the Philadelphia teachers union contract Monday,
the School Reform Commission sent shock waves throughout the city. The move has garnered bipartisan support of
the likes of Democratic Mayor Michael Nutter and Republican Governor Tom
Corbett.
But not so from some of the very people the move is supposed to
benefit.
The ugly facts of life in Philadelphia
For years now the state-run Philadelphia public
school system has been under a kind of siege. The Republican administration of
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has decimated spending for public education in
the state, and Philadelphia
has been hit especially hard, with thousands of layoffs, massive program cuts
and dozens of closed school buildings. Many teachers buy basic supplies for
their classrooms with their own funds. Education
activists have accused the five-member School Reform Commission that runs the
district of implementing damaging “reforms” and going along with Corbett’s
agenda. In 2013, it passed a “doomsday” budget that had no funding for
things such as paper, counselors and art/music programs. This year things were so difficult that officials put together a
$2.4 billion budget for the next school year with available resources and then
urged the reform commission not to pass it because it was so bare-bones. Some
extra money was found, but the district remains cash-starved.
On Monday, the reform commission announced that it was unilaterally canceling its
contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.
How School Lunch Became the
Latest Political Battleground
New York Times Magazine By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
OCT. 7, 2014
The lunch ladies loved Marshall Matz. For more than 30 years,
he worked the halls and back rooms of Washington
for the 55,000 dues-paying members of the School Nutrition Association, the men
and still mostly women who run America ’s
school-lunch programs. They weren’t his firm’s biggest clients — that would
have been companies like General Mills or Kraft — but Matz, wry and impish even
in his late 60s, lavished the lunch ladies with the kind of respect they didn’t
always get in school cafeterias. Many of the association’s members considered
him a dear colleague. “He would tell everybody: ‘You are a much better lobbyist
than I am. You are how we get things done,’ ” said Dorothy Caldwell, who served
a term as the association’s president in the early 1990s. “And people liked
that.”
Common Core: The Real Issues
Education Week Opinion By Marc Tucker on October
2, 2014 8:01 AM
There has been much Sturm und Drang about the Common Core in
recent months, but it looks to me as though the Common Core, in most states, is
safe for the time being. Its name may be changed in some states. It
may suffer from nips and tucks on occasion, but in most states it will emerge
into the highlands fairly unscathed. But
that, in my view, does not mean that it is home free. Far from it.
The real test for the Common Core, the fire it must go through to become a
permanent feature of the national education infrastructure, lies in the extent
to which it is well and truly implemented in the states. Unfortunately,
for that to happen, almost everything else has to change.
New website offers closer
look into candidate' views on public education
PSBA NEWS RELEASE 10/6/2014
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) has created a
new website for its members and the general public to get a closer look into
candidates' views on public education leading up to the 2014 election for the
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Following
the primary elections, PSBA sent out a six-question questionnaire to all
Pennsylvania House and Senate candidates competing for seats in the November
election. Candidates are listed by
House, Senate seat and county. Districts can be found by visiting the 'Find My
Legislator' link (http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/).
Features include:
·
Candidate images, if provided
·
Candidates are tagged by political party and
seat for which they are running
·
Candidates who did not respond are indicated by
"Responses not available."
Visit the site by going to
http://psbacandidateforum.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the link tweeted out
by @PSBAadvocate.
Candidates wishing to complete the questionnaire before
election day may do so by contacting Sean
Crampsie (717-506-2450, x-3321).
- See more at: http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=8650#sthash.1vGGRff4.dpuf
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, 19103
Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia
Philadelphia has one of the worst childhood asthma rates in the
country. We need more nurses in Philadelphia's schools to aid children
suffering from this and other health issues. Join us to discuss Pennsylvania
laws governing nursing services.
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
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.
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)
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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