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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for
January 2, 2015:
To York , PA : What 92 Charter Schools
USA Employees Think of Charter Schools USA
Happy New Year!
State fights appeal in York
Philly.com THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS POSTED: Wed., December 31, 2014, 4:03 PM
State moves to strike York City School District
ERIN JAMES / The York Dispatch 505-5439 / @ydcity 12/31/2014
12:48:20 PM EST
Arguing that David Meckley "immediately" assumed
nearly all responsibilities of the York City School District's school board
last week, the state Department of Education has filed a motion in York County
Court to strike an appeal of Meckley's appointment as receiver filed by school
district attorneys last week. Meckley
did not authorize and does not support the filing of the appeal, the latest
document claims. "Consequently, at
the time that he filed the notice of appeal, the (school district) solicitor
had no lawful authority to appeal the order on behalf of the district,"
the state argues. Attorneys for the
school district and two employees' unions filed appeals Friday, just hours
after York County President Judge Stephen P. Linebaugh issued an order granting
the state's petition for receivership of the district. Linebaugh's decision gives all but taxing
power to Meckley, a state-appointed Spring Garden Township man who steered the
district's financial recovery process for two years as its chief recovery
officer. In its filing Wednesday, the
state also argues that the school board violated the Sunshine Act by
"never properly" taking action to authorize the district's appeal. According to the state's motion, the
district's attorney told the state's attorneys that he had been authorized to
appeal Linebaugh's order for receivership at an executive session in early
December.
http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_27232713/state-moves-strike-york-city-school-district-appeal
State, receiver argue York City
The state education department and York City School
District's newly-appointed receiver have filed documents asking that the court
strike an appeal of the receivership decision filed on behalf of the district,
arguing that the school board didn't have the power to authorize it.
The documents argue that with Judge Stephen Linebaugh's Dec.
26 order, Meckley was granted all of the school board's powers except taxing.
But on the same date, after the court's order, the district's notice of appeal
was filed. Meckley didn't authorize that
appeal, the documents argue, so the solicitor didn't have the authority to do
so on behalf of the district. Meckley doesn't support the appeal, the documents
say. Even though the district solicitor
said he was authorized to file the appeal prior to the order, the documents
argue, the board's power to authorize the appeal ceased with the court's order. The state also requests that the court
declare there is no automatic stay in effect of the receivership order.
To York , PA : What 92 Charter Schools
USA Employees Think of Charter Schools USA
Deutsch29 Blog by Mercedes Schneider December 30, 2014
York, Pennsylvania, schools are facing being handed over to
a for-profit charter school company, Charter Schools USA, via court order. The York schools are broke, and one man,
David Meckley, has been chosen by the state to fix York’s money problems. For some reason, Meckley believes that
handing over York’s schools to a profit-driven company will solve York’s
educational finance crisis. The judgment
is being appealed by the local school board.
Meanwhile, Meckley says that he will “fine tune” the plan to
convert all York schools to charters operated by Charter Schools USA. It seems that both Meckley and the judge
hearing the appeal would do well to consider some Charter Schools USA teacher
and admin reviews before deciding to “solve” York’s school “problems” by
exchanging them for a fresh batch of crazy.
Fortunately in our internet-saturated world, reviews on
Charter Schools USA are readily and abundantly available. The employment search and review site,
Glassdoor, has 92 employee reviews for Charter Schools USA dated from February
2012 to December 2014.
One must sign up for the site in order to access these
comments.
For the convenience of my readers, in this post I offer a
glimpse of the Glassdoor-Charter-Schools-USA contents. Still, it is worth
signing up for to read in its entirety what these 92 individuals have written
about Charter Schools USA. Respondents
were asked to consider “pros,” cons,” and “advice to management” when
responding. Some summary stats:
On a five-point scale (five being highest), the overall
review that employees gave Charter Schools USA was 2.3. Forty-seven of the 92 reviews (51 percent)
were the lowest rating: a one. The remaining 49 percent ratings were roughly
evenly divided among the remaining categories (two to five). And now, for some specifics. Read them and take heed.
"The AP study found that in the
current school year, schools in the top half of the ranking of average resident
income are spending nearly $1,800 more per student than those in the bottom
half. That’s an astounding figure. Even
more disconcerting is that the size of that gap has grown by 140 percent, or
more than $1,000 per student, since the 2010-11 school year."
Study further illustrates Pa.
Observer-Reporter published dec 31, 2014 at 7:13 pm
In November, we reported on a lawsuit filed in Commonwealth Court
by six school districts and other interested parties who are challenging the
way in which the state finances education, a system that creates a clear and
depressing delineation between Pennsylvania ’s
haves and have-nots. A new study shows
just how dire the situation is, and that it was allowed to worsen during the
four years Republican Gov. Tom Corbett has been in office.
The Associated Press analyzed state figures on education
spending, income and attendance, and found plenty of evidence to corroborate
the findings of other studies that place our state among the worst in the
nation in support for its schools. The
AP wrote that Pennsylvania
“already plays one of the smallest roles in school funding of any state,
leaving poorer school districts too reliant on inadequate and often-shrinking
local tax bases. … Bringing the poorer districts into parity with their
wealthier counterparts could easily require an additional $1 billion or more.”
"There's no easy way to redistribute
funding. The AP estimates it would take $1 billion to achieve even a semblance
of parity. Yet Pennsylvania
Express-Times EDITORIAL: The
uphill road to equitable school funding in Pennsylvania
By Express-Times
opinion staff on December 31, 2014 at 6:30 AM
This isn't surprising news to anyone, but as the disparity
grows, the possibility of rebalancing Pennsylvania 's
politically driven education funding system has become even more remote.
"The quality of a child’s education
shouldn’t depend on his ZIP code. We
hope the Basic Education Funding Commission produces real alternatives to
property taxes for strapped city school districts — and we hope the Legislature
enacts real reform."
Lancaster Online Our wish
list for 2015 by The LNP Editorial Board
Posted: Thursday, January 1, 2015 6:00 am
The LNP Editorial Board recently asked local leaders what they
hoped to accomplish or see accomplished in 2015. We believe turnabout is fair
play, so here are our hopes for the new year — first among them is the wish
that our readers will be well. Happy New Year!
1. Our city needs it. Other cities need it. Our school districts
need it. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle need to resolve to make 2015 the
year that public pension reform — both state and municipal — finally gets done
in Pennsylvania . Pennsylvania
faces a $52 billion combined shortfall in the two funds that cover pension
benefits for state employees (including lawmakers) and for public school
employees. The state’s more than 3,200
municipal pension funds have unfunded liabilities totaling more than $119
million. No more kicking the can down
the road.
2. We also want to see education funding reform become a
reality in the commonwealth.
As The Associated Press reported earlier this week, the gap
between what wealthy school districts and poor districts spend to educate
students has doubled during the administration of Gov. Tom Corbett. It’s a cliche but it’s also a fundamental
truth: The quality of a child’s education shouldn’t depend on his ZIP code. We hope the Basic Education Funding
Commission produces real alternatives to property taxes for strapped city school
districts — and we hope the Legislature enacts real reform.
PA's Education Spending Gap
Curmudgication Blog by Peter Greene Tuesday, December 30,
2014
The AP has put research and specific numbers to something
that those of us in the Pennsylvania
ed biz had already figured out-- the gap between rich schools and poor schools
has opened up tremendously over the four years of Tom Corbett as governor.
Pennsylvania has had school funding issues for a while. We
are tops in the state when it comes to local contributions; the state
contributes a hair over 36% of the funding for secondary and elementary
spending, which puts us well below the national average of 45.5%. We rank 45th
out of 50 in state education financial support in K-12. Our state universities
are likewise outstanding-- Pitt and Penn State boast the two most expensive
in-state tuition costs in the country.
Local school districts carry a big part of the burden for
funding their schools, which means, of course, that how much money a district
can spend on its students is hugely affected by how much money the local
district can gather through real estate taxes because, yeah, that's still how
we do it here. A 2008 bill tried to make the funding formula compensate more equitably
for local tax base weakness, but Corbett scrapped that and went back to an
earlier formula, giving poor districts a double (at least) whammy.
‘Hold harmless’ harmful to
some schools
PA Independent December 31, 2014 | By Eric
Boehm By Evan Grossman │Watchdog.org
UNFAIR? All Pennsylvania
schools get a minimum dollar amount that varies little from year to year,
despite fluctuations in enrollment. The
flawed formula Pennsylvania
uses to fund its school districts forces some of its best and brightest to do
more with less. “We have one of the best
districts in Pennsylvania , and we
traditionally have one of the lowest costs,” John Bell, superintendent of the
prudent Delaware Valley School District Pennsylvania
school districts with dwindling enrollment numbers are, in some cases, taking
more taxpayer money than some of the state’s most robust districts, according
to testimony to the Basic Education Funding Reform Commission. Funds are allocated disproportionately in
part because of a policy that locks the districts into a system, which, some
say, isn’t fair.
All schools get a minimum dollar amount that varies little from
year to year, despite fluctuations in enrollment. Certain districts remain fat
while the money could be better used in districts with greater needs.
Could the Next State
WESA 90.5 By JESSICA
NATH December 24, 2014
For as long as property taxes have been used to locally funded
schools, there has been a debate over fairness and it might come to head this
year in Pennsylvania . State Senator Matt Smith (D – Allegheny) is
hopeful the 2015-16 budget will incorporate a funding formula for Pennsylvania ’s 500
school districts. He is a member of the
Basic Education Funding Commission, which is tasked with crafting the
formula. Created in June, the 15-member commission has about six months
to go until it must submit a proposal to the legislature.
The commission has held several public hearings throughout the
state and has heard from superintendents, parents, and officials from other
states with formulas.
“This isn’t anything definite by any means, but I’m very
hopeful that we can incorporate our work into governor elect (Tom) Wolf’s
budget proposal in March, and we have to do the budget by the end of June,”
Smith said. “So I think we should try as hard as possible to come to a
consensus, so it’s part of the new governor’s budget.”
Post Gazette By Peter Jackson / Associated Press January 1,
2015 12:26 PM
HARRISBURG (AP) — Gov.-elect Tom Wolf pledged throughout his
campaign to provide “a fresh start” for Pennsylvania . He vowed to increase funding for public
schools, make the state’s tax system fairer, increase the minimum wage, impose
tough new ethical rules for public officials, limit political campaign
contributions, liberalize the state’s voting laws and preserve public
employees’ pensions. It’s a crowded
agenda — a full plate even for a seasoned government hand. And Wolf, despite
his decades of running his family’s business, is a rookie whose only previous
state government service is the less than two years he served as revenue
secretary in Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration.
These are some of the challenges the Democrat faces as he prepares to
take his oath on Jan. 20:
Canon-McMillan administrators
join governor-elect’s education team
By Emily
Petsko Staff Writer epetsko@observer-reporter.com
published jan 1, 2015 at 7:34 pm
Tom Wolf already toured the halls of Canonsburg Middle School Pennsylvania
extended an invitation to district Superintendent Michael Daniels and middle
school Principal Greg Taranto to join his “transition team” for education as he
prepares to take office Jan. 20.
“I said ‘absolutely,’” Taranto
said of his response to the invitation he and Daniels received this month. “I
was quite surprised, and we’re happy to help out in any way. Any time someone
at that level asks for local input, you can’t turn that opportunity down.”
By Steve Esack Morning Call Harrisburg Bureau December 31,
2014
contact the reporter Elections Tom Wolf Energy Resources Jake Corman G. Terry Madonna
How to deal with $2 billion deficit? Some Pennsylvania
lawmakers look at business tax hikes
$2 billion deficit awaits Pennsylvania lawmakers and
Gov.-elect Tom Wolf
No Christmas miracle for Pennsylvania as state still facing
$2B deficit.
HARRISBURG — Santa Claus apparently missed a stop in his
travels around Pennsylvania.
He failed to bring the Revenue Department stockings filled
with tax money to close an estimated $2 billion budget deficit. While tax collections have been above
estimates for the year, December's sales tax collections appear on target or
slightly weaker than projected, said Matthew Knittel, executive director of the
Legislature's Independent Fiscal Office.
"No Christmas miracle," Knittel said. The Revenue Department will release its
December tax collection data Friday, giving lawmakers and Democratic Gov.-elect
Tom Wolf a clearer picture of the state's finances when they are sworn into
office.
SRC's Green: Next Philly
teachers contract will include longer school day
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN
MCCORRY DECEMBER 31, 2014
Philadelphia School Reform Commission Chairman Bill Green says
the district's next contract with the teachers union will include a longer
school day. "Longer school days and
longer school years are some of the things that are going to make improvements
in high-poverty urban districts," said Green in a telephone interview
Wednesday. Green said state law mandates
that the Philadelphia
School District Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court . That contract called for a seven-hour,
four-minute school day for teachers, Green said. Pennsylvania
law requires Philadelphia
teachers to have a work day no less than the state average, which the
Department of Education said is currently seven hours and 30 minutes. "The district has just never enforced
that provision of state law," said Green. "We have no choice but to
follow state law ... so any new contract with teachers will have to be seven
hours and 30 minutes."
"However, PSERS will have an even
greater impact, a net $1.26 million increase, Henderson
Haverford officials begin
2015--16 school budget process
News of Delaware
County
HAVERFORD >> School district officials began the annual
budgeting process with a review of budget assumptions for 2015-16, presented by
business manager Rick Henderson. While
it’s still early in a game fraught with uncertainties, Henderson could say for sure that the Act 1
Index, which is the state’s measure for determining property tax increases,
will be 1.9 percent, yielding an additional $1.7 million in revenues. Henderson
also anticipated receiving exceptions for special education and the
Pennsylvania School Employees Retirement System (PSERS) that would yield an
additional $1.4 million, and allow a 3.57 percent property tax increase.
When combined with anticipated state and federal funding, district revenues would total $107.6 million, an approximately $4 million increase over 2013-14. Turning to expenditures,Henderson anticipated medical premiums to
increase $70,000, while cost of prescription drugs is expected to rise $120,000
due to increased enrollment. Contractual
wage obligations will require an additional $1.1 million, for a total $50.5
million.
http://www.delconewsnetwork.com/articles/2014/12/31/news_of_delaware_county/news/doc54a41d61f0a1b748685416.txt
When combined with anticipated state and federal funding, district revenues would total $107.6 million, an approximately $4 million increase over 2013-14. Turning to expenditures,
http://www.delconewsnetwork.com/articles/2014/12/31/news_of_delaware_county/news/doc54a41d61f0a1b748685416.txt
Education Funding Inequality:
Who to Take the Money From and How To Take It
Keystone Politics Blog Posted on December 31, 2014 by Jon Geeting #
Marcy Levy at the AP reported Sunday that what KP readers
probably suspected was happening was indeed happening, and the
funding gap between rich schools and poor schools doubled during
Corbett’s four years in office. Infuriatingly,
Corbett ends the article asking “so who do I take it away from” – a smirking
dare to liberals to spell out an unpopular re-redistribution plan. To my knowledge, none of our elected
Democrats in Harrisburg
have really offered a satisfying answer to this question yet, so I’ll bite.
Here’s who I would take it away from, and how.
Overhauled Pa.
WHYY Newsworks BY TAUNYA
ENGLISH JANUARY 1, 2015
In the wake of failures highlighted by Jerry Sandusky's sexual
abuse of children, Pennsylvania
reviewed and overhauled its child-abuse reporting law. The new rules start today.
Teachers, doctors, nurses and even firefighters are among the
professionals in Pennsylvania
who are required to report suspected child abuse. Pediatrician Benjamin Levi says it used to be
enough for so-called "mandated reporters" to simply tell a supervisor
about their concerns.
"It is now required by law that they report directly to
the state to ChildLine with
a phone call, or through an online reporting tool," he said. The hotline number is 800-932-0313.
Levi leads the Center for the Protection of Children at the
PennState Hershey Children's Hospital. The medical center developed a Website
tool called iLook Out
for Child Abuse to help child-care workers meet their responsibility. Mandated reporters don't have to provide
evidence of abuse, Levi said. Instead Pennsylvania
wants professionals to speak up if there is "reasonable cause" to
suspect that a child is being harmed. Under
the law, the duty to report abuse extends beyond anything that comes to light
on-the-job. Doctors, teachers and others who suspect abuse when they are
working in volunteer roles are required to make a report, too.
Exposing the charter school
lie: Michelle Rhee, Louis C.K. and the year phony education reform revealed its
true colors
Charter schools
promised new education innovations. Instead, they produced scam after new scam
Salon.com by JEFF
BRYANT THURSDAY, JAN 1, 2015 07:00 AM EST
Since it’s the time of the year when newspapers, websites and
television talk shows scan their archives to pick the person, place or thing
that sums up the year in entertainment, business, sports or every other venue,
why not do that for education too?
In 2014 education news, lots of personalities came and went.
Michelle Rhee gave way to Campbell Brown as a
torchbearer for “reform.” The comedian Louis C. K. had a turn at becoming an education wonk
with his commentary on the Common Core standards. Numerous “Chiefs for
Change” toppled from the ranks of chiefdom. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom
Corbett went down in defeat due in part to his gutting of public schools, as Wisconsin
Gov. Scott Walker remained resilient while spreading the cancerous voucher
program from Milwaukee
to the rest of the state. New York Mayor
Bill de Blasio rose to turn back the failed education reforms of ex-Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, only to have his populist agenda blocked by New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo who insisted on imposing policies favored by Wall Street. Progressives
formed Democrats for Public Education to counter the neoliberal, big money clout of Democrats for Education
Reform. And Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush emerged
as rival voices in the ongoing debate about the Common
Core among potential Republican presidential candidates.
But hogging the camera throughout the year was another notable
character: charter school scandals. In
2014, charter schools, which had always been marketed for a legendary ability
to deliver promising new innovations for education, became known primarily for
their ability to concoct innovative new scams.
Inside a Chinese Test-Prep
Factory
New York Times By BROOK LARMER DEC. 31, 2014
The main street of Maotanchang, a secluded town in the furrowed
hills of eastern China ’s Anhui province, was
nearly deserted. A man dozed on a motorized rickshaw, while two old women with
hoes shuffled toward the rice paddies outside town. It was 11:44 on a Sunday
morning last spring, and the row of shops selling food, tea and books by the
pound stood empty. Even the town’s sacred tree lured no supplicants; beneath
its broad limbs, a single bundle of incense smoldered on a pile of ash.
One minute later, at precisely 11:45, the stillness was
shattered. Thousands of teenagers swarmed out of the towering front gate of Maotanchang High School
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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