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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for
January 16, 2015:
"Despite it being sold as one of the
state's biggest public policy challenges, lawmakers were unable to reach an
accord last year on a plan to rein in pension costs. The state's share of
contributions are expected to grow by about $466 million in the fiscal year
that starts July 1."… Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman,
R-Centre, said he won't consider any of Wolf's revenue-raising proposals until
lawmakers and the administration approve a pension reform bill."
Pa. House pension reform
architect Mike Tobash offers benefits prescription, but no cost cure
Penn Live By John L. Micek |
jmicek@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on January 15, 2015 at 3:11 PM, updated January 15, 2015 at 3:46 PM
The chief state House architect of a plan to tame
Pennsylvania's exploding public employee pension costs is sticking with a
proposal to move new state employees into a 401(k)-style retirement plan, but
offered no firm prescription on how to pay down an estimated $45 billion to $50
billion unfunded liability. In an
interview taped for broadcast on Sunday, state Rep. Mike Tobash,
R-Schuylkill, said privatizing the state liquor stores or even a severance tax
on Marcellus shale natural could provide the state with the money it needs to
attack the massive debt. "The
pension crisis might not be one solution, but it's multiple
solutions," Tobash told anchor Robb
Hanrahan on CBS-21's "Face the State" program.
"And we have to attack it that way."
Superintendents share
struggles caused by state education funding problem
Public Opinion Online By
Amber South asouth@publicopinionnews.com @AESouthPO on Twitter UPDATED:
01/16/2015 12:34:34 AM EST
CHAMBERSBURG >> Superintendents from every school
district in Franklin
County Cumberland
Valley
"Of those 36 questions posed to Charter Schools USA Will Charter Schools
USA Charter Schools
USA Charter
Schools USA
expect to make on the York
City
Charter
company dodges questions about York
City
By ERIN JAMES
505-5439/@ydcity POSTED: 01/15/2015 07:58:00 PM EST
The York
City Charter Schools USA
about its plans for the York
City School
District Charter Schools USA
Wolf: No decision on York City
By ERIN JAMES
505-5439/@ydcity POSTED: 01/15/2015 07:58:34 PM
A spokesman for Gov.-elect Tom Wolf said Thursday the incoming
governor has paid "very close attention" to the state Department of
Education's recovery plan for the York
City School
District
However, a few days before his inauguration, Wolf is not yet
prepared to announce how or if he will change that plan, spokesman Jeff
Sheridan said. "Once he's sworn
into office and he has the appropriate people in place, he will begin to review
the situation," Sheridan
said. "But it would be premature at this point to talk about it." Sheridan
said Wolf has set a goal of naming all members of his cabinet, including the
education secretary, by his inauguration Tuesday.
By Evan Grossman | Watchdog.org January 14,
2015
It’s time for Gov.-elect Tom Wolf to back up his tough talk and
big plans for Pennsylvania schools.
Based on the feedback from an education transition team he
assembled, the Department of Education is preparing for a reboot with funding
among the biggest obstacles its new leadership faces. “The
charter was to review the current state of affairs and to provide some
innovative and entrepreneurial recommendations for consideration by the
Secretary of Education and the administration going forward,” said team
co-chair John “Ski” Sygielski, Ed.D., the president of HACC, Central
Pennsylvania ’s Community College.
"The report notes that Philadelphia Philadelphia
Pew Report: Philly lags
behinds several large school districts in per-pupil spending
SOLOMON LEACH, DAILY
NEWS STAFF WRITER LEACHS@PHILLYNEWS.COM,
215-854-5903 POSTED: Friday,
January 16, 2015, 12:16 AM
A NEW REPORT on K-12 education funding finds that Philadelphia lags behind
many big-city school districts in per-pupil funding. The report, commissioned by Pew Charitable
Trusts, analyzes funding of 10 large school districts across the country in
states with a comprehensive funding formula that takes into account need,
demographics and poverty. (Pennsylvania
is one of three states that does not have such a formula.) It concludes that in
2012-13, the Philadelphia School District spent roughly $12,570 per pupil -
less than the average of Boston , Milwaukee , Cleveland , New York , Baltimore , Chicago and Detroithttp://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150116_Report__Philly_lags_behinds_several_large_school_districts_in_per-pupil_spending.html#beg7rQOuiZgEzE44.99
"Pennsylvania is one of just three
states that lack an education funding formula, and city schools have paid the
price in recent years, with many unable to fund full-time guidance counselors
or after-school activities. With the state now headed toward such a formula,
Pew examined the funding landscape in a national context."
Phila. district spends less
per pupil than most other cities
KRISTEN A. GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Friday, January 16,
2015, 1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday, January 15, 2015, 8:02 PM
Compared with big-city peers, the Philadelphia
School District spends less per pupil
than almost any other education system in the country - even Detroit 's.
Philadelphia 's per-pupil price tag last
school year was $12,570 - the lowest of any comparable district except Memphis , Tenn. ; Tampa , Fla. ; and Dallas , the Pew Charitable
Trusts concluded in a report released Thursday.
Group: Any new charter would
hurt Phila. public schools
MARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER
STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Friday, January 16, 2015, 1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday,
January 15, 2015, 6:15 PM
All 40 applications for new charter schools should be rejected
because additional charters would only deepen the district's financial
problems, Public Citizens for Children and Youth urged the Philadelphia School
Reform Commission on Thursday. And
absent new revenues, the report by the Philadelphia-based nonprofit (PCCY)
said, any new charter would cause the district to cut more resources from its
underfunded schools. "Parents
across the city want schools to improve, and they have every right to be
impatient about the progress of reform," said Donna Cooper, executive
director of PCCY. "But opening the floodgates to new charters will harm
students attending district-run schools."
District spokesman Fernando Gallard said the SRC would not comment
because it was in the midst of the charter application process.
Philly mayoral candidates
mull charter school expansion
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN
MCCORRY JANUARY 15, 2015
Should there be more charter schools in Philadelphia ?
That's the question currently being weighed by the School
Reform Commission as it reviews 40 applications from operators hoping to open
new schools. With the race to become Philadelphia 's next mayor
heating up, the candidates were asked to contemplate the issue. Although the SRC will make its decision far
before the next mayor would have any influence, taking a position on charter
expansion is one way candidates can differentiate themselves in a race where
all will call for the state government to increase funding and implement a
student-weighted funding formula.
Study looks at question of
local governance for Philly schools
the notebook By David
Limm on Jan 15, 2015 02:39 PM
Is it time to abolish the School Reform Commission?
Lately, the topic has made its way from the parlor chatter of
policy wonks to the eyes and ears of an education-minded public. And state and city officials, too, have taken
recent actions toward stripping control from the appointed five-member board
that has presided over the School
District of Philadelphia Philadelphia school governance. The study recounts the history of school
governance in Philadelphia
and b
SOLOMON LEACH, DAILY
NEWS STAFF WRITER LEACHS@PHILLYNEWS.COM,
215-854-5903 POSTED: Friday, January 16, 2015, 3:01 AM
THE END OF the Walter
Palmer Leadership
Learning Partners
Charter School
The School Reform Commission voted unanimously last night to
revoke the school's charter for a host of reasons, including poor academic
performance and fiscal mismanagement. The school closed abruptly Dec. 31 due to
financial difficulties.
MAP: A glance at Pennsylvania
Morning Call January 15, 2015
Select a district from the drop-down below and then click on
the district outline on the map for an overview of teacher and administrator
salary information.
"On the district’s 2015-16 required
payments to the state Public School Employees’ Retirement System, Palmer said
it will increase from $6.9 million this fiscal year to $8.4 million next year.
To put that into perspective, she said the
district’s PSERS costs in 2009-10 represented 2.4 percent of its budget, but
they are now up to 11.4 percent. “When
we say it’s not sustainable, it’s absolutely not sustainable. This is an
obligation we can’t not pay. It suppresses spending in other areas,” Palmer
said. Paul Schregel, the board’s
president, didn’t mince words when he commented on the pension situation,
noting 70 percent of the district’s Act 1 tax increase this year will go to
cover the growing bill due to PSERS."
Budget crunch in
Wallingford-Swarthmore: $500,000 in savings found, another $1.2M in cuts loom
Delco Times By NEIL A.
SHEEHAN, Times Correspondent POSTED: 01/15/15, 10:58 PM EST
NETHER PROVIDENCE >> Renewed scrutiny of spending in all
departments has already yielded about $500,000 in savings for the
Wallingford-Swarthmore School District as it develops its 2015-16 budget. But more trimming will be needed — to the
tune of $1.2 million total — to bring the nearly $74 million fiscal plan into
balance, Business Administrator Lisa Palmer said during a presentation Monday
night. Staffing reductions still being
determined are expected to be part of the approach.
By Jacqueline
Palochko Of The Morning Call contact the reporter AT 5:40 AM
JANUARY 16, 2015
At the end of this school year, the usually cash-strapped Allentown School District
A New Study Reveals Much
About How Parents Really Choose Schools
NPR by ANYA KAMENETZ JANUARY 15, 201512:08 AM ET
The charter school movement is built on the premise that
increased competition among schools will sort the wheat from the chaff. It seems self-evident that parents, empowered
by choice, will vote with their feet for academically stronger schools. As the
argument goes, the overall effect should be to improve equity as well:
Lower-income parents won't have to send their kids to an under-resourced and
underperforming school just because it is the closest one to them
geographically. But an intriguing new
study from the Education
Research Alliance for New Orleanssuggests that parent choice doesn't always
work that way. Parents, especially low-income parents, actually show strong
preferences for other qualities like location and extracurriculars —
preferences that can outweigh academics.
Rewriting No Child Left
Behind: Competing views
Sen. Lamar Alexander, the Republican
from Tennessee
who just became the chairman of the Senate education committee, says he is
determined to get a bill rewriting No Child Left Behind to the Senate floor by
the end of February. To that end, he just released his working draft
legislation that calls for reducing federal involvement in local K-12
education, which you can read below.
Alexander is offering two options in the draft about
standardized testing. One calls for the continuation of annual testing
from grades 3 – 8 and once in high schools, and the other calls for giving
local educational agencies power to determine whether it wants students to take
annual standardized tests. Education Secretary Arne Duncan just outlined his
priorities for a No Child Left Behind rewrite that requires annual standardized
testing from grades 3 – 8 and once in high school. Sen. Patty Murray, the key
Democrat on the Senate education committee, supports the Duncan/Obama position.
NSBA: School boards weigh in
on pending reauthorization of ESEA
As Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chairman of the Senate Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), and other
lawmakers discuss their priorities for reauthorizing the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (ESEA) , the National School Boards
Association announces its top priorities to advance student achievement and
ensure all students have equitable access to a high quality education. Also in
a speech Monday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan outlined
Administration priorities for reauthorizing No Child Left Behind (NCLB),
the latest iteration of ESEA. "We
all agree, the current version of ESEA must be revamped, taking care not to
repeat the inadequacies of the existing law," said Thomas J. Gentzel,
Executive Director, National School Boards Association. "A modern ESEA
must ensure that local school boards in local communities across the nation
gain the flexibility essential to deliver a high-quality public education. NSBA
calls for flexibility and strong local governance, among other priorities aimed
at supporting student outcomes, to appear in any version of ESEA sent to the
president for his signature." With
Alexander’s nearly 400-page draft bill, “Every Child Ready for
College or Career Act of 2015,” under scrutiny, and in advance of
congressional hearings next week, NSBA calls for a comprehensive, strategic
reauthorization of ESEA that provides school districts with the flexibility and
funding essential to support local community public schools and our nation’s
public schoolchildren.
NSBA urges Congress to pass legislation that will:
- See more at: https://www.nsba.org/newsroom/school-boards-weigh-pending-reauthorization-esea#sthash.knF0FHPV.dpuf
Education Voters Statewide
Call to Action for Public Education Day, Wed. Jan 21st
Education Voters of PA Facebook page
We want to kick off this legislative session right and make
sure the phones in the Capitol are ringing off the hook all day with calls from
voters throughout the Commonwealth! Join
thousands of Pennsylvanians as we take 5-10 minutes on January 21st to call our
new governor and our legislators to send a message that Harrisburg’s top
priority this year must be implementing a fair and adequate education funding
formula for our public schools that provides all children with an opportunity
to learn.
NPE 2015 Annual Conference –
Chicago April 24 - 26 – Early Bird Special Registration Open!
January 4, 2015 NPE 2015 Annual Conference, NPE National Conference
Early-bird discounted Registration for the Network for
Public Education’s Second Annual Conference is now available at this address:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/network-for-public-education-2015-annual-conference-tickets-15118560020
These low rates will last for the month of January.
The event is being held at the Drake Hotel in downtown
Chicago, and there is a link on the registration page for special hotel
registration rates. Here are some of the event details.
There will be a welcoming social event 7 pm Friday night,
at or near the Drake Hotel — details coming soon. Featured speakers will be:
§
Jitu Brown, National Director – Journey
for Justice, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, Network for Public
Education Board of Directors
§
Tanaisa Brown, High School Senior, with
the Newark Student Union
§
Yong Zhao, Author, “Who’s Afraid of
the Big Bad Dragon?“
§
Diane Ravitch in conversation with
§
Lily Eskelsen Garcia, NEA President and
§
Randi Weingarten, AFT President
§
Karen Lewis, President, Chicago Teachers
Union
Mark Your Calendars. The next Twitter Chat on PA School Funding is
Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.
Join us #paedfunding
Tweet from Circuit Rider Kathleen Kelley
PILCOP Special Education
Seminar: Dyslexia and Other Learning Disabilities
United Way Building 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway,
Philadelphia, 19103
Tickets: Attorneys $200
General Public $100 Webinar
$50
"Pay What You Can" tickets are also
available
Speakers: Sonja Kerr; Kathleen Carlsen (Children’s
Dyslexia Center of Philadelphia)
This session is designed to provide the audience with information
about how to address 1) eligibility issues for children with learning
disabilities, including dyslexia and ADHD, 2) encourage self-advocacy and 3)
write and implement meaningful IEPS (what does Orton-Gillingham really look
like?) This session is co-sponsored
by the University of Pennsylvania School of Policy and Practice. The University
of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice is a Pre-approved
Provider of Continuing Education for Pennsylvania
licensed social workers.
Questions? Email jfortenberry@pilcop.org or call 267-546-1316.
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.
PSBA Master School Board
Director Recognition: Applications begin in January
PSBA website December 23, 2014
The Master School Board Director (MSBD) Recognition is for
individuals who have demonstrated significant contributions as members of their
governance teams. It is one way PSBA salutes your hard work and exceptional
dedication to ethics and standards, student success and achievement,
professional development, community engagement, communications, stewardship of
resources, and advocacy for public education.
School directors who are consistently dedicated to the
aforementioned characteristics should apply or be encouraged to apply by fellow
school directors. The MSBD Recognition demonstrates your commitment to
excellence and serves to encourage best practices by all school directors.
The application will be posted Jan. 15, 2015,
with a deadline to apply of June 30. Recipients will be notified by the MSBD
Recognition Committee by Aug. 31 and will be honored at the PASA-PSBA School
Leadership Conference in October.
If you are interested in learning more about the MSBD
Recognition, contact Janel
Biery, conference/events coordinator, at (800) 932-0588, ext. 3332.
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