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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for December
5, 2014:
Cyber Monday,
Giving Tuesday,....Receivership Thursday
Upcoming PA Basic Education Funding Commission Public
Hearing
Wednesday, December 10, 2014, 10 AM - 12:00 PM Lancaster
* meeting times and locations subject to change
* meeting times and locations subject to change
"The school district’s president, Rob
Chabot , stated, “We’ve eliminated textbook purchases, pre-school
transportation, staff through attrition, we reduced the summer school programs,
teacher tuition reimbursement, after-school activities, athletics, fine-arts
programs.” This brings about the following question: How much do we have to
take away from our children until they receive the message that their lives
don’t matter? The quality of K-12 students’ education often depends on their
ZIP code. Money matters in education. Children attending well-resourced schools
perform better."
Daily Pennsylvanian By MELANIE YOUNG December 3, 2014
P rior to the shooting, Michael Brown was an 18-year-old
incoming college freshman. At his funeral, his stepmother Cal Brown spoke
about how excited he was to be a freshman at Vatterott College
Over the past few months, the conversation surrounding Brown
and Ferguson
has shifted from immediate reactions to the shooting itself, to highlighting
the underlying social dynamics that exist in low-income black majority
communities. Take, for example, the fact that the demographics of the Ferguson police do not
represent the community. In 2010, blacks made up 67 percent of the town’s
residents — however, only three of the 53-officer department were black.
Although the majority of Ferguson ’s residents
are black, Ferguson ’s
police chief and mayor are white. Of the six City Council members, only one is
black.
Court dates:
On Thursday, York
County Judge Stephen Linebaugh
scheduled the following court dates related to the state Department of
Education's request to have a receiver appointed in the York City School District
10:30 a.m. Monday: The court will hear
arguments on three petitions to intervene, from the unions representing
district employees, various parents, and the Pennsylvania School
10:30 a.m. Thursday: The court will hear
arguments on the York
City School
District
10 a.m. Dec. 15: The hearing on the state's
petition is scheduled to continue.
Officials asked
court to temporarily halt the state's petition, while others want to intervene
York Daily Record By
Angie Mason amason@ydr.com @angiemason1 on Twitter 12/04/2014 11:30:54 PM EST
The York
City School
District York County
Delco judge rejects state
request to oust Joe Watkins as Chester Upland receiver
Delco Times By Vince
Sullivan, vsullivan@delcotimes.com, @vincesullivan on
Twitter
POSTED: 12/04/14, 5:17 PM EST | UPDATED: 8 SECS
AGO
MEDIA COURTHOUSE >> Judge Chad Kenney on Thursday denied
a petition filed by the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education seeking the removal
of Joseph Watkins as receiver of the Chester Upland School District. In the petition, Secretary Carolyn Dumaresq
cited a lack of substantial communication from Watkins in recent months
regarding substantial changes to the district’s two-year-old financial recovery
plan. While Kenney agreed that communications need to improve, he believes that
Watkins and his administrative team haven’t been given enough time to implement
the plan since Watkins was appointed receiver in December 2012.
Six hours of testimony featured comments from Dumaresq,
Watkins, Chester Upland’ Chief Financial Officer George Crawford,
Superintendent Gregory Shannon and a financial consultant from Public Financial
Management who helped create the recovery plan.
Judge:
Embattled Chester Upland
chief can keep job
KATHY BOCCELLA, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Friday, December 5,
2014, 1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday, December 4, 2014, 1:02 PM
After a contentious hearing, a judge ruled Thursday that Joe
Watkins could remain the state-appointed receiver of the troubled Chester Upland School District
Auditor says Education
Department uncooperative with Tomalis probe
Trib Live By Brad Bumsted Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014, 1:39 p.m.
HARRISBURG — The state Department of Education has not cooperated with state auditors in an examination that includes a look at special advisers such as former Education Secretary Ron Tomalis, who remained on the payroll after stepping down from the Cabinet post last year, the auditor general said Thursday. Eugene DePasquale, the state's fiscal watchdog, told reporters at an informal news conference that although Gov. Tom Corbett's administration generally has been cooperative in responding to audit requests, the education agency has not.
HARRISBURG — The state Department of Education has not cooperated with state auditors in an examination that includes a look at special advisers such as former Education Secretary Ron Tomalis, who remained on the payroll after stepping down from the Cabinet post last year, the auditor general said Thursday. Eugene DePasquale, the state's fiscal watchdog, told reporters at an informal news conference that although Gov. Tom Corbett's administration generally has been cooperative in responding to audit requests, the education agency has not.
“They don't respond,” DePasquale said. He hasn't decided
whether to use subpoenas for information. “We have that as an option.” Agency spokesman Tim Eller said the
department has been responsive, other than a request for information that is
due Dec. 9.
Sen. Mike Folmer, a Lebnaon County Republican who chaired the
Senate Education Committee in the 2013-14 session, is disappointed with the
lack of cooperation, said his chief of staff, Fred Sembach. “Unless you ask the direct, right question, you
don't get the answer,” Sembach said.
Needed reform: No state
budget, no legislative paycheck
The Issue: A bipartisan proposal set to be introduced in the
state Senate calls for a suspension of pay for lawmakers, the governor, the
lieutenant governor and the governor’s Cabinet if a state budget is not passed
and signed into law by the June 30 deadline.
In October 2009, a Democratic governor, a state House
controlled by the governor’s party and a Republican Senate tangled over Pennsylvania ’s spending
plan for more than 100 days. We were the
last state in the nation to pass a budget when the budget was signed on the
second Friday of October that year. Day
care centers had closed. Libraries and food pantries struggled.
The state shed more than 300 employees that summer. The Steelton-Highspire School
District Lancaster
County
Seeking to avoid a late budget next year, two senators — Randy
Vulakanovich, a Republican from Allegheny County, and Rob Teplitz, a Dauphin County
Democrat — have reintroduced a measure Teplitz offered last year, only to see
it die in committee.
Wolf 'hopeful' that his first
budget will reflect his priorities
Incoming Gov. Tom Wolf will face a large GOP majority and $2
billion budget deficit when it takes office next month, but he still thinks he
can deliver his campaign promises. “I
have every hope that I can make real progress on the issues,” he said Thursday
afternoon in a conference call with reporters.
But, he said, his administration will need to know how feasible it will
be before they can start talking about how they will address challenges. Despite saying several times during the call
that the state needs to live within its means, Wolf said residents should
expect to see a shift toward his priorities in his first budget.
"I want to have an administration that
reflects the diversity of the population of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
who actually see some virtue in Pennsylvania Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania
Gov.-Elect Wolf Expects To
Name Agency Transition Committees Within 10 Days
NorthCentralPA.com DECEMBER 4, 2014
In a conference call with media on Thursday, Gov.-elect Tom
Wolf and Transition Steering Committee Chair John Fry said they
are in the final stages of vetting agency transition committee members and
should be in a position to name them in seven to 10 days. Members of the
Transition Steering Committee will be assigned agencies and oversee
agency transition committees that will be asking what the most pressing
issues are for each agency and ways they can be addressed. The goal is to
have agency reports delivered before the inauguration.
As a point of comparison, Gov. Corbett named 400 member agency transition teams on November 30, 2010. When asked about the potential for a lame duck session in January before he takes office, Wolf said he will be inaugurated Governor on January 20 and he does not controls things between now and then.
As a point of comparison, Gov. Corbett named 400 member agency transition teams on November 30, 2010. When asked about the potential for a lame duck session in January before he takes office, Wolf said he will be inaugurated Governor on January 20 and he does not controls things between now and then.
PA-Gov: Wolf Briefs Reporters
on Transition Process
PoliticsPA Written by
Nick Field, Managing Editor December 4, 2014
Governor-Elect Tom Wolf held a conference call today to discuss
how the transition process has been going.
Wolf and Transition Chair John Fry gave short statements and took
questions for about fifteen minutes. In
his opening statement, Wolf laid out the three priorities for his transition
team: 1.Identify Pennsylvania ’s
challenges 2. Find good people to address those challenges 3. Inspire those
people to want to serve the commonwealth.
“The goal is to have a team in place so that I can hit the ground
running on January 20th when I’m inaugurated as Governor,” Wolf said.
Gov.-elect Tom Wolf talks
cabinet secretaries, lame-duck legislature and transition
By Christian Alexandersen | calexandersen@pennlive.com on
December 04, 2014 at 1:44 PM, updated December 04, 2014 at 1:45 PM
Gov-elect Tom Wolf takes office in less than two months,
but until then there's a lot of work that needs to be done. Wolf and his transition team chairman
John Fry spoke with media organizations on a conference call Thursday to
discuss the governor-elect's transition into the state's highest office. The conference call covered a number of
topics including cabinet appointments, transition information and how he plans
to work with a Republican-controlled General Assembly. Here is a Q&A with information on
what Wolf discussed during Thursday's conference call:
Gov.-elect Wolf names trusted
advisers, Democratic bigwigs to transition team
Trib Live By Melissa Daniels Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014, 11:15 p.m.
Gov.-elect Tom Wolf is preparing to take office with a little help fromWestern Pennsylvanians , former Democratic administration
bigwigs and his trusted advisers. Since
winning the governor's office on Nov. 4, Wolf, 66, of York County Harrisburg and am
inaugurated as governor, that I'm ready to get to work, and that there's as few
hindrances to my getting to work as possible,” Wolf said.
Gov.-elect Tom Wolf is preparing to take office with a little help from
Read more: http://triblive.com/politics/politicalheadlines/7286652-74/wolf-team-committee#ixzz3L1TPmsgf
Political insiders:
'Compromise' is key to Gov.-elect Tom Wolf's gubernatorial success
Penn Live By Christian Alexandersen | calexandersen@pennlive.com on
December 04, 2014 at 10:15 AM, updated December 04, 2014 at 10:26 AM
Gov.-elect Tom Wolf will be starting his term on the
heels of two legislative sessions that's had some of the largest
number of bills passed in the last 20 years. Which leaves people
wondering how his agenda will fare with a Republican majority. The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed 682 general
legislation bills duringGov. Tom Corbett's four years in office. More bills were
passed in Corbett's single, four-year term than during any of the individual
terms for the last four governors. In
order to take advantage of the legislature's willingness to pass bills, the
incoming governor must be willing to compromise, according to G. Terry Madonna,
director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin
and Marshall College
"The Republicans in control and the governor have to reach
an accommodation," Madonna said. "And that means trade." The best indicator for determining how
effective Wolf will be as a governor, Madonna said, will be how much he will
compromise with Republicans. So far, Wolf has been praised for reaching out to
the GOP leadership.
EDITORIAL: Now reality is an
option?
Gov.-elect Tom Wolf didn't need to hold a press conference
Wednesday to highlight the financial mess he's inheriting from outgoing Gov.
Tom Corbett. A majority of people are
well aware of Corbett's mismanagement as Pennsylvania 's
top executive.
It's why the Republican is "outgoing" after a single
term.
However, we don't blame Wolf for not holding his tongue.
Hours earlier, Corbett's budget secretary, Charles Zogby, had
suggested the state is out of options, and "folks are in for a reality
check" next budget season.
No kidding? Don't forget
your hat, Mr. Zogby ...
The only folks avoiding reality for the past few years have
been Corbett and his enablers — and the sooner they're gone, the better. These people knew state revenue was falling
short.
They knew they were cutting to the bone in education, social
services and other spending.
And they knew the situation was so dire credit rating agencies
were threatening to downgrade Pennsylvania 's
bond rating.
What did they do? Nothing.
Here's hoping lawmakers make
the right choices on pension reform: Michael Sobol
PennLive Op-Ed By Michael Sobol on December 04, 2014 at 2:00
PM
On Nov. 23, incoming Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre,
told CBS-21's "Face the State" program that he
supports reducing payments into the state's public pension funds and would move
future hires into a 401(k)-style retirement program. Corman is pushing the same
"short-sighted" viewpoints of Governor Corbett whose education plans
the public sounded rejected in November's election. Maybe we and Corman need to reflect upon the
history of how the pension reached its present debt. Founded in 1917, the PSERS pension never
failed to meets it obligations. As recently as 2001 the funding level was 123
percent. That year, Corman voted for the 50% increase just for legislators
while 25 percent went to state workers and educators. Tony May, a panelist on the program, asked
Corman about his vote for the pension increases. Corman defensively said he
couldn't anticipate two recessions happening in the last decade.
Despite budget cuts, students
reap essential lessons at Philly's Saul farm school
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN
MCCORRY DECEMBER 4, 2014
Isaiah Orellana's school day starts early, hours-before-dawn
early.
"I get up at 5 o'clock. I shower. I clean up after my
dogs, whatever mess they made, and then commute to school," he said. It's a commute that would daunt many adults.
Leaving his Juniata Park home, Orellana catches the El to the Frankford
terminal, and then begins a 60-minute ride aboard a bus specifically designed
to shuttle North Philly kids to one of the Philadelphia
School District 's most unique options:
Saul High School
Orellana, a junior who aims to become a veterinarian
technician, said the school – with its lush farmland and grazing livestock
overlooking the Wissahickon woods – takes him a world away from the urban
landscapes he's known.
Questions over charter school
payments to contractor
EMPLOYEES AT Olney Charter School are questioning the payment
of thousands of dollars to a contractor hired to paint the school because they
say they do not recollect that a contractor ever did work at Olney. According to invoices from the school, ASPIRA
Inc. of Pennsylvania , the North
Philadelphia charter-school operator that manages Olney, paid
$163,365 to Lyon Contracting Inc. to paint the school in 2011. But employees
who recently learned of the payments say school janitors and building
maintenance workers performed the work.
The Daily News interviewed 10 current and
former employees who worked at Olney or ASPIRA around the time Lyon billed for the work. Each recounted what happened
inside the school on the condition that their names not be published, citing
fear of retaliation from ASPIRA.
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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