Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now
reach more than 3525 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors,
administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's
staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition
team members, Superintendents, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher
leaders, business leaders, education professors, members of the press and a
broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and
education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter and
LinkedIn
These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at
@lfeinberg
The Keystone State Education Coalition is pleased to be listed
among the friends and allies of The Network for Public Education. Are you a member?
The Keystone State Education Coalition is an endorsing member of The Campaign for Fair Education Funding
Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy
Roundup for March 19, 2015:
OP-ED: Wolf plan taps
bipartisan ideas
Education Voters of PA will hold a forum
about public school funding in York: Wed., March 25th, 6:30pm to 8pm at York
Learning Center
More info/registration: http://www.educationvoterspa.org/index.php/site/news/2015-events/
OP-ED: Wolf plan taps
bipartisan ideas
As York
countians who have known and worked with Tom Wolf for years, I doubt any of us
were surprised to hear a budget proposal that was undoubtedly bold. But we also
know the governor to be thoughtful and pragmatic. He is certainly well-aware
that his address is just the beginning of a long state budget process that will
— at its best — require tough compromises and — at its worst — engender harsh
opposition attacks.
Clearly, Gov. Wolf heard on the campaign trail last year what
every elected official in this commonwealth has been hearing for years — that
rising property taxes must be addressed. The property tax issue is inextricably
linked to public education funding. Over the last four years, schools across Pennsylvania have
suffered from considerable funding reductions that led to massive layoffs, the
elimination of valuable programs, and property tax increases in more than 90
percent of districts. The governor's budget would increase the state's share of
funding for public education to 50 percent for the first time in at least four
decades and cut school district property taxes by more than 50 percent for the
average homeowner.
His plan will reduce the tax burden on the middle class, senior
citizens and others who carry too much of the burden for funding our schools,
and Gov. Wolf will work with the General Assembly to create a fair funding
formula so that all students are assured the opportunity to receive a quality
education no matter where they live.
"The governor has started the
conversation to close the inequities in school funding and shore up the
struggling school finances in our local districts. Now it’s up to legislators
to continue the effort to adequately fund education for all Pennsylvania
Pa. school funding gap hits
home in Pottstown
The first budget proposed by Gov. Tom Wolf gives Pottstown an additional $1 million in state funding in
the coming year and a property tax cut of more than 55 percent in the year that
follows.
A Mercury analysis, as reported on Sunday, of information posted on
the Pennsylvania Department of Education web site shows that among
area districts Pottstown would receive the
greatest benefit from Wolf’s proposals were they to be adopted by the
Pennsylvania House and Senate. But by
all other analyses, that is highly unlikely.
While area school districts, particularly Pottstown
and Pottsgrove, view the budget presented by Wolf with optimism, the
uncertainties of the tax plan that accompanies additional education funding
threaten to derail positive gains. For
Pottstown and other low-income districts in Pennsylvania , those positive gains are long
overdue. According to a report last
week, Pennsylvania
currently has the largest spending gap between rich and poor school districts,
a gap of 33 percent compared to the next highest at 17 percent. The Associated Press reported that U.S.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan cited data from the National Center
Vanaski: As Pa. schools'
spending gap widens, kids learn to do without
Trib Live By Nafari
Vanaski Wednesday, March 18, 2015, 11:27 p.m.
It seems a little off that where you live can determine the type of education you receive. But that's the way things are inPennsylvania right now. Some might say that sounds alarmist, or
overstating things. If you think so, perhaps you should take a closer look at a
report this week showing that the per-student spending gap between poor and
rich school districts is wider than in any other state. In 2012, the money
spent on an individual student in a poor district was 33 percent less than a
rich counterpart. Now what does that
mean exactly? “What it says very clearly
is that we have, in many places, school systems that are separate and unequal.” That's not me — that's what federal Education
Secretary Arne Duncan told The Washington Post.
It seems a little off that where you live can determine the type of education you receive. But that's the way things are in
Read more:http://triblive.com/opinion/nafarivanaski/7749139-74/money-education-schools#ixzz3UpB2f0dc
"The General McLane
School District Erie School
District
Gov. Wolf tours General
McLane, talks budget
By Erica Erwin
814-870-1846 Erie Times-News March 19, 2015 06:22 AM
EDINBORO -- The man elected to office on the promise of
improving education for Pennsylvania
students walked through a high school in one of the highest-performing
districts in the region.
But even here there's more that could be done, Gov. Tom Wolf
said.
"This is an example of a really good school district but
that, if you look closely, could use better investment," Wolf said
Wednesday after a 45-minute tour of the school.
The visit was part of Wolf's statewide "Schools That Teach
Tour," an effort by Wolf to promote his 2015-16 education budget. The
proposal includes a $400 million increase in basic education funding and a $100
million increase in special education funding as well as more funding for early
childhood and college education.
Wolf expects $3B a year by
cutting sales tax exemptions
Morning Call By Marc Levy Of The Associated Press March
18, 2015
Turzai, Reed Question
Governor’s Authority on School District Demands
Speaker Turzai's website 3/18/2015
School leaders stuck at
center of battle between Gov. Wolf and Legislature
The partisan battle between the Democratic governor and
Republican-controlled Legislature over education funding has Michael Leichliter
and Robert Hollister feeling pretty beat up.
“It’s a sad state of affairs that education has been used as a political
pawn for many years, but now more people are finally aware of what’s going on,”
said Hollister, superintendent of the Eastern Lancaster County School District. It all started two days after Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled a spending plan that set aside an
additional $400 million for basic education by imposing a new tax on
natural gas drillers and increasing state sales and personal income taxes.
Rescind school spending
mandate, GOP leaders ask Gov. Wolf
By Mary Niederberger / Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette March 18, 2015 10:51 PM
Republican leaders in the Legislature have asked Gov. Tom Wolf
to rescind a mandate given Tuesday to school districts requiring them
to submit spending plans to the state in order to receive increased state
funding. In a letter to the governor,
House majority leader Dave Reed and speaker Mike Turzai questioned the Wolf
administration’s legal authority to issue the mandate when there is currently
no funding stream in place to finance it.
But the governor’s office said the mandate will remain.
What’s next for York
City Schools?
FOX43 News POSTED 10:44 PM, MARCH 18, 2015, BY MELANIE
ORLINS, UPDATED AT 11:04PM,
MARCH 18, 2015
A feeling of relief was in the room at the York City School
Board meeting. They met tonight for the first time since Chief Recovery
Officer, David Meckley, resigned. Meckley
resigned because of the Wolf administration’s lack of support for the
district’s recovery plan, which included turning all of the city’s schools into
charter schools. People who are against
the district going full charter tell FOX43 for the past couple years there has
been some tension in the room during school board meetings.
PSBA encouraged by proposed
legislation to give school entities more flexibility in managing staff
PSBA website March 18, 2015
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association is encouraged by
legislation being proposed by Sen. Ryan Aument and Rep. Stephen Bloom that
would provide school districts flexibility in managing its professional staff.
Currently, school districts may not reduce staff due to economic reasons.
Instead, districts may not take budgets into consideration, but can only reduce
professional staff by eliminating entire programs or if student population
significantly decreases.
The proposed legislation would allow districts to take economic
factors into consideration and also allow for the furlough of teachers
according to the needs of the district. Currently, staff reductions must be
handled on seniority basis or “last in, first out.”
Stanford's CREDO: Philly
charter schools especially beneficial for low-income minorities
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN
MCCORRY MARCH 18, 2015
New analysis by Stanford
University
Revolt against high-stakes
standardized testing growing — and so does its impact
The movement to boycott standardized
tests and reform test-based accountability systems current being
implemented across the country is growing. Though exact numbers are impossible
to know, students, teachers, principals, parents, superintendents and others
are speaking out for the first time calling on policy-makers to roll back
test-based school reform — and in many places students are simply refusing to
take new Common Core and similar standardized tests. The impact of the
agitation on policy is real, as Monty Neill, executive director of FairTest, explains in this
post. FairTest, or the National
Center
Sharpen Your Pencils: Come to
a Test-In on High Stakes Testing, March 21 at CMU
Get out your bubble sheet and sharpen your pencil. It’s your
turn to take the test! Join us this Saturday to see what the PSSA and Keystone
exams look like, take sample questions, talk to teachers, and discuss the
impact of high-stakes-testing on students and our schools. It’s like an
old-fashioned teach-in, only it’s a “Test-In.” Get it?
We’ll be learning from some great teachers and educators,
including Dr. Greg Taranto. He was Pennsylvania ’s
2012 Middle School Principal of the Year and is currently serving on Governor
Wolf’s education transition team. Other speakers include Steel Valley
The Test-In runs from 11:30AM – 1:30PM in the University Center Pittsburgh coalition and Carnegie Mellon’s
Center for the Arts in Society.
Register
Now for EPLC Forum on the State Education Budget – Pittsburgh on
March 19, and Philadelphia
Education Policy and Leadership
Center Pennsylvania
You are invited to attend one of EPLC’s Regional Education
Policy Forums on Governor Wolf’s Proposed Education Budget for
2015-2016 Space is limited. There is no cost, but an
RSVP is required. The program will
include a state budget overview presented by Ron Cowell of EPLC and a
representative of the PA Budget and Policy
Center
Thursday, March 19, 2015– EPLC Education Policy
Forum on the Governor’s State Budget Proposal for Education – 8:30-11 a.m.
– Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center – Pittsburgh , PA
Wednesday, April 1, 2015– EPLC Education Policy
Forum on the Governor’s State Budget Proposal for Education – 10 a.m.-12
Noon – Penn Center for Educational Leadership, University of Pennsylvania
– Philadelphia , PA
For this event, sponsored by Public Citizens for Children and
Youth (PCCY), local dentists will provide free screenings and cleanings for
children. Give Kids a Smile Day is especially for children who do not
have health insurance or who have not had a dental exam in the last six months.
Appointments are necessary, so please call PCCY at 215-563-5848 x32 to
schedule one starting Monday, March 16th. Volunteers will be
on hand to answer calls. Smile Day information can also be found on the school
district website and on PCCY’s website - http://www.pccy.org/resource/give-kids-a-smile-day/.
PCCY Spring Training:
Hit a School Funding Home Run for Kids Advocacy Training Workshop
March 21
This year we have an unprecedented opportunity to make public education
funding more fair and to get more of it for schools across Pennsylvania. Voters
spoke in November when an incumbent governor—widely perceived to be responsible
for drastic education cuts, was unseated while his opponent ran on the promise
to increase school funding. A funding commission has been established to
research and develop recommendations for a new funding formula. Now is our time
to let our elected officials know we take investment in education seriously.
Please join Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY) for
our annual advocacy training to learn how you can win fair and increased
funding for our students.
By participating, you’ll be joining a statewide movement. PCCY
is a part of a statewide coalition of 50 (and growing) organizations committed
to getting a fair funding formula passed by 2016.
Attend our training to:
·
Learn
o
Why education funding in PA is broken and how a
funding formula can fix it
o
Best practices for amplifying your voice for PA
kids
o
How to develop an advocacy plan tailored to fit
your schedule and strengths
·
Connect with
·
Others throughout our region who are as
passionate about public education as you are
·
Leave
·
Inspired and ready to take action for PA
Workshop Details:
When: The same workshop will be offered on two different
days for your convenience.
Wednesday, March 18th, 6:00-8:00pm or Saturday,
March 21st, 9 am - Noon
Where: United Way Building, 1709 Benjamin Franklin
Pkwy., Philadelphia, 19103
For additional information, email info@pccy.org.
This event is free and open to the public. Registration is
requested. Children are welcome.
Click here to sign up:
Public Interest Law Center of
Philadelphia offering two special education seminars in March
Leaving Gifted Kids Behind Tuesday, March 24, 2015 1:00
-- 4:00 P.M.
In this session, participants will learn how Pennsylvania law affects and supports gifted children, as well as practical tips for ensuring gifted services. We will also discuss race and gifted services.
In this session, participants will learn how Pennsylvania law affects and supports gifted children, as well as practical tips for ensuring gifted services. We will also discuss race and gifted services.
This session is co-sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania School
of Policy and Practice, a Pre-approved Provider of Continuing Education for Pennsylvania licensed
social workers.
Children with Emotional Problems: Avoiding the Juvenile Justice
System, and What Does Real Help Look Like? Friday, March 27, 2015 1:00
-- 4:00 P.M.
This session will focus on giving you the tools you need to
support children with emotional problems, including those in the foster care
system or those in the juvenile court system.
Note: This session was originally scheduled for February 17,
but had to be rescheduled due to inclement weather. Tickets purchased for the
original date still apply.
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
2015 Pennsylvania Budget
Summit
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Hilton Hotel, Harrisburg
Pennsylvania
PA Budget and Policy Center
The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center will host its Annual
Budget Summit on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at the Hilton Harrisburg. Join us
for an in-depth look at the Governor's 2015-16 budget proposal, including what
it means for education, health and human services, and local communities. The
Summit will focus on the leading issues facing the commonwealth in 2015, with
workshops, lunch, a legislative panel discussion, and a keynote speech.
Space is limited, so fill out the form below to reserve your
spot at the Budget Summit.
Education Voters of PA will
hold a forum about public school funding in Cumberland
County : Wednesday, April 1, 7:00 pm at
the Grace Milliman Pollock
Performing Arts
Center 340 North 21st Street
More info/registration: http://www.educationvoterspa.org/index.php/site/news/2015-events/
More info/registration: http://www.educationvoterspa.org/index.php/site/news/2015-events/
PSBA 2015 Advocacy Forum
APR 19, 2015 • 8:00
AM - APR 20, 2015 • 5:00 PM
Join PSBA for the second annual Advocacy Forum on April 19-20,
2015. Hear from legislative experts on hot topics and issues regarding public
education on Sunday, April 19, at PSBA headquarters in Mechanicsburg. The next
day you and fellow advocates will meet with legislators at the state capitol.
This is your chance to learn how to successfully advocate on behalf of public
education and make your voice heard on the Hill.
Agenda/Speakers: https://www.psba.org/event/advocacy-forum-day-hill-2015/
Sign-up for weekly email updates from the
Campaign
The Campaign for Fair
Education Funding website
PA Basic Education Funding
Commission website
Thorough and Efficient: Pennsylvania
Education Funding Lawsuit website
Arguing that our state has failed to ensure that essential
resources are available for all of our public school students to meet state
academic standards.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.