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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for
November 15, 2014:
Thorough and Efficient? A
video short on Pennsylvania's Education Funding Lawsuit
PA Basic Education
Funding Commission Hearing Tuesday 1:00 pm and Wednesday 10 am Phila. City Hall
Courtroom 676
Philadelphia City Council Hearings on
High-stakes Testing and the Opt-Out Movement, Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 3—5
PM
Education Committee of Philadelphia
Wednesday, November 19,
2014, 3—5 PM, Room 400 City Hall
Thorough and Efficient? A
video short on Pennsylvania
Public Interest
Law Center of Philadelphia Published on Nov 13, 2014
The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia and the
Education Law Center of Pennsylvania filed suit in Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court on
November 10, 2014 on behalf of six school districts, seven parents, and two
statewide associations against legislative leaders, state education officials,
and the Governor for failing to uphold the General Assembly’s constitutional
obligation to provide a "thorough and efficient"
Charter contract with York City
ERIN JAMES / The York Dispatch 505-5439 / @ydcity 11/14/2014 01:37:10 PM EST
The York City School District
has released a copy of a proposed contract with Charter Schools USA
You can read the document here.
David Meckley, the district's state-appointed chief recovery
officer, has directed the school board to vote Wednesday on accepting the
contract. Check back later for more
details.
Schools funding lawsuit is on
round two
Written by Mary
Wilson, Capitol Bureau Chief | Nov 14, 2014 12:41 PM
When several school districts sued state officials on Monday
over education funding, they re-lit a torch that advocates have been carrying
for decades. The lawsuit is a follow-up to a similar legal challenge filed in
1991 and tossed out in 1999, without a resolution.
Judges in the Commonwealth
Court and the state Supreme Court said they
couldn't measure whether districts were delivering a sub-par education because
of inadequate state funding.
"The conversation has never gone away," said Joe
Bard, head of the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools
The difference this time, plaintiffs say, is that more
extensive statewide education standards and standardized testing are in place,
giving the courts a way to assess whether school districts are being required
to do more than they can afford.
"We can say what a kid should know and measure it, that
that makes a critical difference between last time and this," said Bard.
"Today, what you're getting when you graduate essentially is a state
diploma... you graduate by meeting state requirements."
When the first funding lawsuit was rejected in 1999, state
funding reportedly
covered 39 percent of the total cost of public education in Pennsylvania .
Advocates say the state now covers 33 percent of the total
share of education in Pennsylvania .
Webinar: Campaign for Fair
Education Funding: Navigating Education Funding Formulas (runtime: 1:02)
Posted by PA Budget and Policy Center
This webinar focuses on the mechanics of a potential new
funding formula for Pennsylvania ,
such as base costs, weights, funding factors, and comprehensive cost analysis.
Presenters include Jim Buckheit, from the Pennsylvania
Association of School Administrators, and Bill Bartle from Pennsylvania
Partnerships for Children, with additional remarks by Sharon Ward from the
Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, and Kathy Manderino from the Campaign
for Fair Education Funding.
House Speaker Turzai poised
to bargain on gas extraction tax, sale of state liquor stores
Trib Live By David
Conti Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, 10:51 p.m.
The next state House speaker won't consider more taxes onPennsylvania natural gas drilling until
fellow lawmakers take another look at his plan to privatize liquor stores. “If the discussion is about more revenue,
that has to be the first place anybody looks,” Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Bradford
Woods, said in Washington County on Friday, two days after fellow House
Republicans voted to name him speaker next year. A stronger GOP majority in both chambers,
including three new senators who voted in favor of Turzai's liquor plan last
year as House members, strengthens its chances of passage, he said.
The next state House speaker won't consider more taxes on
Philly Keystone results show
big need for improvement
The tests are part of the state's new graduation
requirement.
By David Limm and Dale Mezzacappa on Nov 14, 2014 12:50 PM
Beginning with the class of 2017 -- this year's sophomores --
high school students will have to pass three Keystone Exams before they can don
caps and gowns for graduation.
There is also opposition
to the Keystone graduation requirements in the legislature, among
school districts, and from education advocates.
Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said,
"Pennsylvania is not alone in denying adequate funding for its students,
especially those in high poverty school districts. But, Pennsylvania
Molly Hunter on New
School Funding Lawsuit in Pennsylvania
Education Law Prof Blog By Derek
Black Friday, November 14, 2014
On November 10, 2014, Pennsylvania students and parents, school
districts, and two statewide associations filed a lawsuit charging that the state's school
funding system deprives students of their right to a "thorough and
efficient" education, as guaranteed by the state constitution.
The lawsuit comes in the wake of devastating cuts to teachers,
support staff, programs, and essential resources in Philadelphia ,
Reading , York ,
and many other high-poverty rural and urban communities across the state. The Plaintiffs who filed William Penn School District
Lawsuit: PA School System’s
“Irrational” Funding Favors the Well Off
Nonprofit Quarterly WRITTEN BY MICHELE BITTNER THURSDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 2014 15:44
November 10, 2014; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Morning Call
Claiming that Pennsylvania has failed to provide necessary
support for equal education for all students, six PA school districts and a
group of parents have joined the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools and
the state NAACP in filing a lawsuit against the PA Department of Education,
Governor, PA Secretary of Education, PA Speaker of the House and PA Senate
President Pro Tempore.
At the heart of the lawsuit is the belief that the current
public education funding system is irrational and gives an unfair advantage to
students in higher income school districts. The suit claims “children in
property- and income-poor districts are denied the opportunity to receive even
an adequate education, while their peers in property- and income-rich districts
enjoy a high-quality education.” And with the state’s high academic standards
for student performance, the plaintiffs believe that funding disparities and
the resultant differences in per-pupil expenditures across the state—ranging
from $9,800 to over $28,400 per student, according to 2012-2013 data—give rise
to unequal opportunities for students to meet these state education
requirements.
While not recommending a funding formula or amount to be spent
on education, the suit asks for the current funding system to be declared in
violation of the state constitution and replaced with one that does not
discriminate against students in low-income districts.
Observer Reporter published nov 12, 2014 at 10:34 pm (updated
nov 12, 2014 at 10:34 pm)
Does anyone really believe students in places like, say,
Duquesne are getting the same quality of education as kids in leafy suburbs
like Peters Township Commonwealth
Court by six school districts, the parents of
students, the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools and the Pennsylvania state
conference of the NAACP. It claims the state failed to provide enough money to
public schools and permitted those in poor areas to operate with inadequate
funding, as compared with schools in wealthy districts.
“It turns the caliber of public education into an accident of
geography,” said the complaint. “Children in property - and income-poor
districts are denied the opportunity to receive even an adequate education,
while their peers in property- and income-rich districts enjoy a high-quality
education.” It’s difficult to argue with
something so obvious as that.
Among those targeted by the suit are Gov. Tom Corbett, the
leaders of the state House and Senate, and the chief of the state Education
Department.
A spokesman for the Department of Education, Tim Eller, told
the Post-Gazette in 1997, when the rural and small schools association had
another, similar suit pending in the courts, the state was spending $13.7
billion on public schools. By last year, he said, that number rose to $27.6
billion.
That’s hardly a defense. It simply means the cost of educating
the state’s children – rich and poor – has gotten considerably more expensive.
Ensuring high-quality education for every student in every district is
something else entirely.
Senator Scarnati Announces
School Safety Grants
Senator Scarnati's website On November 14, 2014
(HARRISBURG Pennsylvania 114 schools
and municipalities will receive grants totaling $3.9 million to increase school
safety through the School Resource Officer/School Police Officer Competitive
Grant program (SRO/SPO), according to Senator Joe Scarnati (R-25).
Created through legislation authored by Senator Scarnati and
signed into law with the 2013-14 state budget, the grant program provides
funding for schools to enhance security.
“Last year, through passage of Act
70, we took an important step to expand and enhance the safe schools grant
program through The Office of Safe Schools,” Scarnati stated. “I am very
pleased that many school districts across our Commonwealth will have some additional
help to ensure our teachers and children feel safe in their learning
environments.”
Scarnati explained that schools and municipalities could
receive up to $60,000 for a school resource officer and up to $40,000 for a
school police officer for the first year. For the second year they are
eligible to receive a second grant for 50 percent of their first year’s grant
award.
Department of Education’s
Standards Review Website Now Includes Eligible Content for Grades Three to
Eight, Algebra I and Literature
PDE Press Release November 13, 2014
Harrisburg – The Department of Education today announced that the website for the public to provide feedback on the Pennsylvania Standards is fully populated with the eligible content in English language arts and mathematics for grades three to eight and Algebra I and Literature at the secondary level. The website can be accessed by visiting www.paacademicreview.org.
PDE Press Release November 13, 2014
Harrisburg – The Department of Education today announced that the website for the public to provide feedback on the Pennsylvania Standards is fully populated with the eligible content in English language arts and mathematics for grades three to eight and Algebra I and Literature at the secondary level. The website can be accessed by visiting www.paacademicreview.org.
Launched in October, the website includes interactive features
that allow visitors to provide feedback and suggestions as well as view sample
questions on the state tests to see what is being presented to and asked of
students. Since going live last month, the website has registered more
than 7,000 sessions.
In September, Governor Corbett called on the department and the
State Board of Education to complete the final phase of a three-year effort to
permanently rollback the national Common Core State Standards adopted during
the Rendell administration in 2010.
In 1999, Pennsylvania
initially adopted academic standards, which have been periodically reviewed and
updated by the State Board of Education. Standards do not mandate
curriculum, teaching methods and instructional strategies, or materials to be
used in the classroom, nor does the Department of Education and the State Board
of Education require schools to use specific textbooks, reading books or other
related materials. These decisions are made at the local level by school
officials in each of the 500 school districts across the commonwealth.
The academic review website will remain available for public
review and comment until mid-January 2015.
The website can also be accessed by visiting www.education.state.pa.us and
clicking on the “Pennsylvania Standards: Eligible Content Review” graphic.
Corbett campaign lied about
Rendell's record
Inquirer Opinion By Donna Cooper POSTED: Friday, November
14, 2014, 1:08 AM
Donna Cooper, the
executive director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, was secretary of
the Governor's Office of Policy and Planning during the Rendell
administration. donnac@pccy.org
Few Pennsylvanians were surprised that Tom Corbett lost last week. Most pundits point to the Corbett education cuts as the leading reason for his defeat. The Corbett campaign contended that he did not cut education and that his predecessor, Ed Rendell, was responsible for the cuts. I thought this issue was decided by the voters, but I continue to see reports, including in The Inquirer, that there is some debate over who was more responsible for schools being poorly funded. There can be absolutely no debate over Rendell's commitment to education. During his eight years as governor, K-12 schools received an increase of $2.4 billion annually, the biggest increase in the commonwealth's history. The money was targeted to programs that research indicated would have the best results, like full-day kindergarten. Rendell battled with the legislature to increase education funding each and every year, andPennsylvania
was the only state in America
to increase education funding in the two worst years of the recession.
Few Pennsylvanians were surprised that Tom Corbett lost last week. Most pundits point to the Corbett education cuts as the leading reason for his defeat. The Corbett campaign contended that he did not cut education and that his predecessor, Ed Rendell, was responsible for the cuts. I thought this issue was decided by the voters, but I continue to see reports, including in The Inquirer, that there is some debate over who was more responsible for schools being poorly funded. There can be absolutely no debate over Rendell's commitment to education. During his eight years as governor, K-12 schools received an increase of $2.4 billion annually, the biggest increase in the commonwealth's history. The money was targeted to programs that research indicated would have the best results, like full-day kindergarten. Rendell battled with the legislature to increase education funding each and every year, and
The investment paid off! In Rendell's last year as governor,
U.S. News and World Report ranked Pennsylvania fourth among states in the
quality of public education, and the Center for Education Policy in Washington
found that Pennsylvania was the only state that had increases in every subject
tested and at every grade tested on the national test.
"Students First gave State Sen. Anthony Williams—a
leading Democratic proponent of school vouchers—a staggering $3.65 million for
his failed gubernatorial run. And ever since, the PAC has showered smaller sums
on state representatives and senators receptive to the organization’s goal of
sweeping education reform."
Reprise - July 2012: Will a
PAC Pick Philly’s Next Mayor?
Students First is very interested in City Council.
Philly Magazine BY PATRICK KERKSTRA | JULY
6, 2012 AT 7:30 AM
The pro-privatization Students First PAC has
been a huge player in state politics from the moment it emerged in 2010 flush
with cash, much of it from three local businessmen who together founded Susquehanna
International Group, a global investment company.
Students First gave State Sen. Anthony Williams—a
leading Democratic proponent of school vouchers—a staggering $3.65 million for
his failed gubernatorial run. And ever since, the PAC has showered smaller sums
on state representatives and senators receptive to the organization’s goal of
sweeping education reform.
But what’s gone largely unnoticed is the PAC’s apparent
interest in Philadelphia
politics. Last year, Students First wrote big checks—$10,600 apiece, the max
allowed by city law—to four members of City Council: Bobby Henon, Kenyatta
Johnson, David Oh and Maria Quiñones Sánchez. Philadelphia Sheriff Jewell
Williams received $10,250.
The contributions are intriguing for a few reasons.
Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/news/2012/07/06/pro-privatization-pac-pick-phillys-mayor/#2ooJqpS1ZT5LBB0M.99
K12, Inc.: Pioneering School
K12 Backed by Milken Suffers Low Scores as States Resist
Bloomberg.com By John Hechinger Nov 14, 2014 5:00 AM
ET
K12 Inc. was heralded as the next revolution in
schooling. Billionaire Michael Milken backed it, and former Florida governor Jeb
Bush praised it. Now the online education pioneer is failing to live up to its
promise. Plagued by subpar test scores,
the largest operator of online public schools in the U.S. has lost management contracts
or been threatened with school shutdowns in five states this year. The National
Collegiate Athletic Association ruled in April that students can no longer
count credits from 24 K12 high schools toward athletic scholarships.
While the company says its investments in academic quality are
starting to pay off, once-soaring enrollment at the more than 60 public schools
it manages has dropped almost 5 percent. Targeted by short sellers, who benefit
from a company’s decline, K12 shares have tumbled by two-thirds since reaching
a near-record high in September 2013. Companies controlled by Milken have moved
on, shifting their shares to investors.
K12 grew too fast and invested too little in instruction, said
Houston Tucker. In 2012, he pulled his two sons out of a K12 virtual
school in Tennessee and last year quit his job as a marketing director
at the company. “In the early years,
K12’s mission was something to rally around,” Tucker said. “It was brand new in
the world of education. The K12 I joined isn’t the one I left.”
Hundreds Of Colorado
CBS Denver
November 14, 2014 7:07 AM
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) – There are 877 seniors at
Cherry Creek High School, but only 24 showed up to take the state’s Colorado
Measures of Academic Success test on Thursday.
Among those was senior Josh Boxer, who spent the day
volunteering his time instead of taking the timed test. “We’ve
been taking standarized testing since we were in sixth grade — since we were
12. I think there’s way too much of it and quite frankly, I’m tired of it,”
said Boxer.
He was in good company. Only 3 percent of his class and 63
percent of the district actually took the new CMAS test. Cherry Creek
School District
How to spot a fake
‘grassroots’ education reform group
It can be bewildering to keep track of
all the “grassroots” education reform groups that have popped up in recent
years. Where, have you ever wondered, do they all come from? Daniel Katz, an
assistant professor of educational studies at Seton Hall University
Students to Teach for America
In These Times BY ARI PAUL FRIDAY,
NOV 14, 2014, 3:00 AM
Dani Lea, a sophomore at Vanderbilt University, believes that
Teach for America (TFA) teachers in her high school in Charlotte, North
Carolina, were detrimental to her learning experience and for those around
her. Lea claimed that her principal didn't even know which teachers were
members of TFA and which weren't. Upon
hearing this, TFA co-CEO Matthew Kramer said, “That’s not our lived
experience.” Lea responded, “That was my lived experience.”
The volley took place during an unusual open meeting at TFA’s midtown
Manhattan headquarters November 13 between United Students Against Sweatshops
(USAS) activists and TFA’s top leadership,
which offered the meeting after a widespread USAS campaign against the organization that includes visiting
college campuses to question the education organization’s projected image as
crusading do-gooders in American public education.
USAS is the country’s largest student labor organization, which
has emerged in recent years as a serious force to be reckoned on labor issues
ranging from sweatshop apparel production to campus union drives. The
group’s main gripes with TFA and its Peace Corps-like model for American
education, bringing college students—most from elite universities—to teach for
a short period of time in some of the country’s poorest school districts, are
that it is inadequately training teachers and promoting a for-profit,
anti-union education reform agenda.
Public Issues Forums of Centre County
BY DAVID
HUTCHINSON State
What: “What is the 21st-century Mission
When: 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 20
Where: Fairmount
Building , 411 S. Fraser St. State
College
The articles linked on this page offer several perspectives on
one of the most important issues we have to wrestle with as residents: What is
the goal of a public education?
To prepare students for the workforce?
To prepare them as residents, as Ben Franklin initially
proposed? Or to help students discover and develop their individual talents?
What is the experience of our students? What do they think we
should do differently? This is your invitation to join that conversation.
Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2014/11/08/4447469_public-issues-forums-of-centre.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
Join the Listening Tour
hosted by PSBA as it follows the Basic Ed Funding Commission to each
location this fall
The next tour stop will be on Thursday, Nov 20, 2014 from 6-8 p.m., atHambright Elementary School in Lancaster
The next tour stop will be on Thursday, Nov 20, 2014 from 6-8 p.m., at
Philadelphia City Council Hearings
on High-stakes Testing and the Opt-Out Movement, Wednesday, November 19, 2014,
3—5 PM
Education Committee of Philadelphia City Council
Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 3—5 PM, Room 400 City Hall
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, Councilman Mark
Squilla and The Opt-Out Committee of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public
Schools urge all who care about the future of education to attend: Parents, students and educators will testify
on the effects of over-testing on students and teaching, including the crisis
of the Keystone Exams as a graduation requirement.
Information: Alison McDowell or Lisa Haver
at: philaapps@gmail.com
DelCo Rising: Winning for
Education Nov 18
7:00PM - 9:00PM
Delaware County students and taxpayers have sacrificed enough.
The state is not paying its fair share. Rising property taxes and school
budget cuts are not acceptable–help us change that.
Join your neighbors for a community workshop: Delco
Rising: Winning for Education
·
Learn about Pre-K for PA and the Statewide
Campaign for Fair Education Funding and how they can help your community
·
Practice winning strategies to advocate for your
community
·
Create an advocacy plan that works for
you—whether you have 5 minutes or 5 days per month
This non-partisan event is free and open to the public.
Click here to download a PDF flyer to
share.
Children with Autism - Who’s Eligible? How to get ABA services?
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 1:00 – 4:00 P.M.
Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia
United Way Building 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway,
Philadelphia, 19103
Join us on November 19th, 2014 to discuss eligibility services for children with Autism. This
session will teach parents, teachers, social workers and attorneys how to
obtain Applied Behavioral Analysis services for children on the autism
spectrum. Presenters include Sonja Kerr (Law Center), Rachel Mann
(Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania), Dr. Lisa Blaskey (The Children's
Hospital of Pennsylvania), and David Gates (PA Health Law Project).
Registration: bit.ly/1sOY6jX
Register Now – 2014 PASCD
Annual Conference – November 23 – 25, 2014
Please join us for the 2014 PASCD Annual Conference, “Leading
an Innovative Culture for Learning – Powered by Blendedschools Network” to
be held November 23-25 at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in
Hershey, PA. Featuring Keynote Speakers: David Burgess - - Author
of "Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your
Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator", Dr. Bart Rocco,
Bill Sterrett - ASCD author, "Short on Time: How do I Make
Time to Lead and Learn as a Principal?" and Ron Cowell.
This annual conference features small group sessions (focused
on curriculum, instructional, assessment, blended learning and middle level
education) is a great opportunity to stay connected to the latest approaches
for cultural change in your school or district. Join us for PASCD
2014! Online registration is available by visiting www.pascd.org
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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