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PA Ed Policy Roundup for December
12, 2014:
Is Philly charter wait list
make believe?
Citypaper By Daniel
Denvir Published: 12/11/2014
Philadelphia's most influential charter-school advocates are
making a big push to open more schools and keep insisting that the demand is
enormous: 40,000 city students, they say, are on waiting lists for seats. But it's not clear that this number has any
basis at all. "We are not aware
what comprises this 40,000," says School District
spokesperson Fernando Gallard. "It would be important to get more detail
about this number. It would be important for us, and I think it would be
important for the general public, to drill down." That has, so far, proven impossible. The
Philadelphia School Partnership, PennCAN and Educational Opportunities for Families have all touted the
same 40,000 number. The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools says there is a
statewide wait list of 44,000. None of the groups responded to requests
by City Paper to explain where those numbers came from.
"And with future retirement system
contribution rates, even after the new savings, projected to hover around 30
percent of payroll through 2035, "these next 20 years will be very
stressful on school districts if we don't do something."
Pennsylvania pension system
sees relief through high investment returns, slower payroll growth
PennLive By Charles Thompson |
cthompson@pennlive.com on December 11, 2014 at 10:00 AM,
updated December 11, 2014 at 10:05 AM
Did Pennsylvania
just get some pension relief without the reform? In a sense, the answer is yes.
A 14.9 percent gain on investments last year and a rare drop in
school district payroll expenditures stands to provide some modest long-term
relief to the statewide pension plan for public school employees, officials
said Wednesday. But the operative word
is relief; not cure.
The glimmer of hope on a bleak public pension landscape came as the Public
School Employees Retirement System board announced its taxpayer-funded payroll
contribution rates for 2015-16. The new
rate of 25.84 percent will cost the state and public school districts a
collective $3.46 billion in the budget year starting July 1, which is up $571
million from the $2.89 billion being paid this year. The stepladder of fiscal pain - brought on in
part by a set of lucrative retirement benefit increases passed by the
Legislature and signed by former Gov. Tom Ridge in 2001 - will still continue
for years to come.
PSERS sets employer
contribution rate for 2015-16
PSBA website December 11, 2014
This week the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS)
Board of Trustees certified an annual employer contribution rate of 25.84% for
fiscal year 2015-16, which begins on July 1, 2015. This marks the fifth
year of planned increases in the employer contribution rate under Act 120 of
2010 which are needed to raise the rate to the actuarially required level.
The 25.84% employer contribution rate is composed of 0.84% for
health insurance premium assistance and a pension rate of 25.00%. The pension
component of the rate was capped at a 4.50% increase from the previous year.
The rate caps established under Act 120 of 2010 remain in effect for the next
fiscal year and continue to suppress the pension rate and underfund the System.
Based on current projections, fiscal year 2015-16 would be the last fiscal year
the rate collars will be in place. Total employer contributions of $3.45
billion are estimated in 2015-16. The commonwealth reimburses school employers
for not less than 50% of the total employer contribution rate.
Many school reformers today like to say
that “money doesn’t matter” in making schools work and that holding students
and teachers more “accountable” — largely through standardized test
scores — is what is needed. Certainly a great deal of money can be used poorly
but that is not the same thing as money doesn’t matter. It is, however, a good
mantra for people who want to ignore the severe
and consequential funding inequitiesthat persist in the U.S. public education system across the United States . According to this 2013
report on school funding by the Education Law
Center
In fiscal year 2010, the most recent year for which data is
available, state governments, on average, funded 43.5 percent, or $259.8
billion, of the total amount spent on public education. School districts and
other local sources were responsible, on average, for almost 44 percent of all
public school spending or $261.6 billion. The federal government, on average,
provided almost 13 percent of the total revenue received by public schools, or
$75.9 billion.
With most of the money coming from state and local sources,
disparities are inevitable, especially because in most places local sources are
dependent on property taxes, meaning that poor areas have less money to spend
on schools. Federal money given to low-income areas doesn’t close the gap. So how inequitable can school funding be
within a single state? Let’s look at one of the most troubled in this respect, Pennsylvania .
Here's
how Gov.-elect Wolf can tackle the budget he's inherited: Josh Shapiro
PennLive Op-Ed By Josh Shapiro on December 11, 2014 at
2:00 PM
Josh Shapiro, a
Democrat, is the chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and
the Vice Chairman of the Budget Deficit and Fiscal Stabilization Task Force for
the Wolf Transition. He served in the state House of Representatives from
2005-2012.
Recent reports have begun to unveil the extent of the
structural financial hole that will be left behind by the Corbett administration. According a report by the Independent Fiscal
Office, Pennsylvania
is facing a budget deficit of at least of $2 billion. This has been confirmed by administration
Budget Secretary Charles Zogby, who said, he "never have guessed that our
Year Four budget would be more difficult than what we faced in Year One. But
that's where we are today." Though
we do not yet know the full scope and depth of the fiscal situation
Governor-elect Tom Wolf will inherit once he takes office next month, one thing
is clear: the extent of the budget deficit will be massive and will pose a
significant challenge for the Wolf Administration.
How did we get here?
Madonna and Young: Tom Wolf
faces witches' brew of crises on day one
Morning Call Opinion by Terry Madonna and Michael Young
December 11, 2014
G. Terry Madonna is professor of public affairs at Franklin & Marshall
College
It's not often that someone's greatest wish and worst nightmare
occur at the same time, but for Gov.-elect Tom Wolf both are fated to occur the
same day, hour and minute. Jan. 20 will witness the swearing in of the state's
new governor. For Wolf, the day not only will mark the culmination of a
decadeslong quest for the office but also the beginning of a series of
seemingly insuperable challenges greater than faced by any new governor in
modern times.
Here is a short, but hardly sweet, compilation of Wolf's early
to-do list.
PennLive By Candy Woodall |
cwoodall@pennlive.com on December 10, 2014 at 9:13 AM,
updated December 10, 2014 at 10:55 AM
The fight to save York
City School
District
York County President Judge Stephen Linebaugh at 10:30 a.m.
will hear statements from parties asking to intervene and be part of the case,
including the district's union employees and the Pennsylvania School Board
Association. The hearing will be held at the York
County Judicial
Center , 45 N. George St. in York City. At 10:30 a.m. Monday the court will hear York City
School District
Judge will decide York
Keystone Crossroads/Newsworks BY EMILY PREVITI, WITF DECEMBER 11, 2014
A judge is scheduled to rule on the state's petition for a
receivership Monday.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has filed a petition
for a receivership of York
City School
District
Charter conversion: York,
NOLA comparisons might not be apt (letter)
Mark Duffy and John
Sludden are education policy researchers at Research for Action, an independent
nonprofit based in Philadelphia
In 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Louisiana Board
of Elementary and Secondary Education placed the majority of New
Orleans ' public schools under the oversight of the Recovery School District
However, the potential parallels between the charter reforms in
the two cities may not be as clear as they seem.
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette December 10, 2014
Early childhood education advocates in Pittsburgh
remain committed to finding a way to ensure high-quality preschool for all
despite losing a federal competition that could have brought as much as $20
million a year statewide to Pennsylvania . The U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday
announced that 18 states will share more than $226 million in Preschool
Development Grants. Pennsylvania
was one of 18 applicants that didn’t make the list.
The announcement came the same day the White House hosted a
summit on early childhood education. Speakers included Pittsburgh Mayor Bill
Peduto.
"Pedro Rivera, superintendent of the
School District of Lancaster, and John
J. "Ski" Sygielski, Harrisburg Area Community College president,
were selected as co-chairs to review education."
Lancaster mayor, HACC
president among transition review heads selected by Gov-elect Tom Wolf
PennLive By Christian
Alexandersen | calexandersen@pennlive.com on December 11, 2014 at
12:15 PM, updated December 11, 2014 at 12:19 PM
The mayor of Lancaster, president of Harrisburg Community
College York , Lancaster and Dauphin Counties
Wolf names chairs of state
agency review committees
Gov.-elect Tom Wolf today announced his team of
leaders in various fields - among them former cabinet secretaries in the
Rendell administration and former lawmakers - to review state agencies,
commissions, and various issue areas. He said they work with the outgoing
administration to better understand the issues and challenges that face the
executive branch.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/Wolf-names-heads-of-state-agency-review-committee.html#AaUcTiOO5vBRwUo1.99
Wolf appoints 7 from Western Pennsylvania to his transition team
Trib Live By Melissa
Daniels Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, 3:51 p.m.
Gov.-elect Tom Wolf on Thursday announced 34 people he appointed to catch him up on the state of state agencies. At least seven hail fromWestern Pennsylvania .
Gov.-elect Tom Wolf on Thursday announced 34 people he appointed to catch him up on the state of state agencies. At least seven hail from
The members of Wolf's transition team will act as review heads
for state agencies and issue areas, identifying challenges in each area and
reporting them to Wolf before his Jan. 20 inauguration. Spokesman Jeff Sheridan
said they are experts in their subject matter and show “competence and high
level of integrity.” Sheridan said Wolf's goal was “to choose the
best group of people to work with his transition team and these agencies and
figure out how those agencies operate and what can be improved, what's working,
and have that knowledge so he can hit the ground running.”
"The 2001 law that increased pension
benefits by 25 percent for state and public school employees included a 50
percent boost to lawmakers’ pensions.
Being leaders, they should, of course, take
whatever medicine they’re prescribing for others. But that extra-generous
increase provides another reason for lawmakers to go first. And, since most of their constituents have
401(k) retirement plans if they have any at all, lawmakers should accept a
401(k) plan even if that’s not the reform they propose for others. That would be leadership."
Editorial: Pa.
The LNP Editorial Board
The Issue: Pennsylvania
Players in the pension reform debate broached two particularly
interesting points in an online chat Tuesday on an issue of importance to all Pennsylvania taxpayers. On pension reform at the state level,
Republican state Reps. Seth Grove, of York County
That’s a great idea.
City Council Website
Calling upon the School District of Philadelphia
and the School Reform Commission to analyze the financial and human impact of
standardized testing, to identify strategies to minimize its use, and to
request a waiver of the Keystone Exams from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The
zero-tolerance approach emphasized punishment. Now understanding the student’s
behavior is seen as key to changing it.
the notebook By Dan Hardy on Dec 9, 2014 12:21 PM
In the wake of the catastrophic Columbine school shooting in
1999, many school district leaders, politicians, and police summed up their
response to school violence with two words: zero tolerance. Infractions that once might have prompted a
discussion of motive and intention instead often led to immediate, automatic
suspensions, expulsions, and calls to police.
From 2002 to 2011 in Philadelphia ,
that view held the upper hand; both Paul Vallas and Arlene Ackerman favored a
zero-tolerance approach to school discipline.
In 2012, however, dissatisfaction with the results led to a
tectonic shift in policy.
The School District adopted a
new discipline code that has more of a case-by-case, individualized approach,
with some discretion about consequences for students. Since then, out-of-school
suspensions have declined, as have expulsions.
One of the authors of the policy change says that the District is
increasingly attuned to the fact that thousands of Philadelphia students have been deeply
affected by traumatic childhood events, and these events can play a big role in
their behavior.
U.S. labor secretary praises
Philly apprentice program, announces $100M grant competition
But the local program, Urban Technology Project, has
suffered due to budget cuts
the notebook By Dale
Mezzacappa on Dec 11, 2014 04:01 PM
Tyler Buck skillfully dismantled the screen of an iMac computer
and showed U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez how to put it back together. "You're on the education
superhighway," Perez said, telling Buck he has the skills for the future.
"The sky's the limit."
Said Buck, "I still have a lot to learn." Buck, 19, a graduate of School of the Future,
is a computer support specialist, the second level of apprentice in a
longstanding Philadelphia
program called the Urban Technology Project.
Perez came to Philadelphia on Thursday to
announce a $100 million grant competition to create apprenticeship programs
like Philadelphia 's
across the country.
Philly.com by Kathy Bocella LAST UPDATED: Friday, December
12, 2014, 1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday, December 11, 2014, 6:23 PM
Delco Times By Susan
L. Serbin, Times Correspondent POSTED: 12/11/14, 11:47 PM EST |
The GVEA has an additional 10-day reconsideration period and
must, by law, take another vote not later than Dec. 21. If the second vote
rejects the report, the fact-finding process ends and both sides will return to
the bargaining table. The board’s brief
meeting resulted in an 8-1 vote with Director Bob Anderson opposed. “I came onto the board to vote my
conscience,” said Anderson ,
noting he had concerns about some of the number and other issues not directly
connected to money issues. “The report’s
recommendations will assure cost savings for benefits and long-term
affordability for the community with salary increases for bargaining unit
members,” said board President Rosemary Fiumara. “We feel confident the report
meets the board’s goal of balancing needs of the taxpayers while, at the same
time, offering a fair and equitable contract to teachers.”
Delco school district
converts some school buses to compressed natural gas
Phiily.com LAST UPDATED: Friday, December 12, 2014,
1:08 AM
MEDIA The Rose Tree Media School District has scheduled a
ribbon-cutting for 10 a.m. Friday at the district buidling, 172 Barren Rd. , to unveil its new fill-up
station and the buses it has converted to compressed natural gas. The district built a compressed natural gas
station at the site and converted eight of its 74 buses from diesel to
compressed natural gas at a projected cost savings of approximately $1 million
over 12 years.
Moody's boosts Haverford
public-school credit rating
Inquirer Philly Deals Blog by Joseph N. DiStefano THURSDAY,
DECEMBER 11, 2014, 2:19 PM
After three years of "improving" finances at
Haverford Township School District, Moody's Investors Service has boosted the
district's credit rating to Aa3 from A1, just in time for two pending bond
issues totalling $18.6 million, The
boost partly reverses a two notch Moody's downgrade in January 2012, when the
agency warned Haverford had collected too much: budget deficit; debt; and risky
interest-rate swaps. Haverford
has since showed "growth in fund balance and cash reserves" as
managers and the school board are no longer spending more than they collect
from property taxpayers and other income, Moody's reports. The debt is still
"above average," and the township's share of Pennsylvania 's underfunded school employee
pension obligations are still a fiscal threat. But Haverford is "stable
and affluent," so Moody's isn't so worried it will stiff its bondholders.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Moodys-boosts-schools-credit-rating.html#auCPEBVGkmqoWEQM.99
"The entire test-based accountability
movement has paid little attention to evidence. In fact, in 2011, the National Research Council reviewed research on
high-stakes accountability and found few benefits."
Accountability for the Top 95
Percent
Huffington Post by Robert E. Slavin
Director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins
University Posted: 12/11/2014 11:48 am EST Updated: 12/11/2014
12:59 pm EST
Perhaps the most controversial issue in education policy is
test-based accountability. Since the 1980s, most states have had tests in
reading and math (at least), and have used average school test scores for
purposes ranging from praising or embarrassing school staffs to providing
financial incentives or closing down low-scoring schools. Test-based accountability
became national with NCLB, which required annual testing from grades 3-8, and
prescribed sanctions for low-achieving schools. The Obama administration added
to this an emphasis on using student test scores as part of teacher
evaluations.
Heinz Endowments gives $9M to
US early-ed program
Education Week by AP Published
Online: December 10, 2014
PITTSBURGH (AP) — One of Pittsburgh's biggest charities is
donating $9 million toward Invest in US, a national campaign announced by
President Barack Obama to fund and promote early education programs. The Heinz Endowments gift was announced
Wednesday, as Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto was scheduled to address a White
House meeting on early education.
The Heinz Endowments is one of nearly 40 charitable
foundations, nonprofits and corporations to donate to the cause.
FCC Approves Major E-Rate
Funding Increase on Party-Line Vote
Education Week Digital Education Blog By Sean Cavanagh on December
11, 2014 12:43 PM
The Federal Communications Commission today approved a major
increase in funding for the E-rate program, a decision that supporters predict
will greatly expand schools' and libraries' access to high-speed Web
connectivity after years of neglect. The
commission approved the change in a 3-2 vote that broke down along partisan
lines and was at times sown with discord.
The plan, overseen by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, will lift
the overall spending cap for the E-rate program from $2.4 billion to $3.9
billion a year, after years of stagnant funding.
FairTest Testing Resistance
& Reform News: December 3 - 9, 2014
Submitted by fairtest on December 9, 2014 - 2:14pm
FairTest provides these weekly summaries of news clips and
other resources as a tool to build the national assessment reform movement. We
encourage parents, educators, students, administrators, community organizers,
researchers and other allies to draw on the positive initiatives described in
these links as models for their own local campaigns. If you have similar materials to share,
please send them to us for possible inclusion in future editions.
EPLC "Focus on
Education" TV Program on PCN - Sunday, December 14 at 3:00 p.m.
Guest 1: Michael Churchill, Of Counsel with the
Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, who will discuss the new school
funding lawsuit against Pennsylvania
state government
Guest 2: James M. Vaughan, Executive
Director, Pennsylvania Historical and Museums Commission, who will discuss
the work of the PHMC
All EPLC "Focus on Education" TV shows are hosted by EPLC President Ron Cowell.
Visit the EPLC and the Pennsylvania School Funding Project web sites for various resources related to school funding and arts education issues.
All EPLC "Focus on Education" TV shows are hosted by EPLC President Ron Cowell.
Visit the EPLC and the Pennsylvania School Funding Project web sites for various resources related to school funding and arts education issues.
Discipline, Disabilities,
School to Prison, Disproportionality
Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia
Saturday, December 13, 2014 from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM
United Way Building 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway,
Philadelphia, 19103
Presenters include Sonja Kerr; Howard Jordan, ACLU; Dr.
Karolyn Tyson; Michael Raffaele, Frankel & Kershenbaum, LLC
This session is designed to assist participants to
understand the specifics of the federal IDEA disciplinary protections, 20
U.S.C. §1415(k) as they apply to children with disabilities. Topics will
include functional behavioral assessment, development of positive behavioral
support programs for children with disabilities, manifestation reviews and
avoiding juvenile court involvement.
Questions? Email cbenton@pilcop.org or call
267.546.1317.
Info and Registration: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/discipline-disabilities-school-to-prison-disproportionality-tickets-12930883621
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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