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PA Ed Policy
Roundup for April 3, 2015:
Mayoral hopeful Williams'
hallmark education tax credit law was most widely used by his supporters
"Despite a growing
deficit in state educational funding, legislation introduced earlier this month
in the state House would increase the annual pool of educational tax credits
from $150 million to $250 million. … Herzenberg
found state oversight lacking, with little to no available data documenting how
the charities and schools spent the money or how the children who received
their support fared. His research was hamstrung by a law passed in 2005 that
expressly limits what information educational charities are required to report.
"When it comes to how
the money from public schools is used, there's enormous amounts of
accountability and scrutiny, and people want to make sure taxpayers are getting
a good return for their investment in education," Herzenberg said.
"Well, we have exactly as much reason for being concerned that we're
getting a good return on these tax credits that go toward education."
Mayoral hopeful Williams'
hallmark education tax credit law was most widely used by his supporters
Philly.com by RYAN BRIGGS & ALEX
WIGGLESWORTH, THE NEXT MAYOR POSTED: Friday,
April 3, 2015, 12:16 AM
STATE SEN. Anthony Hardy Williams' legislative capstone -
the state's educational tax credits program - has generated scholarships for
tens of thousands of children across the state in the past 14 years, including
53,000 in 2013-14. Yet it remains a
controversial program. School-choice proponents - like Williams and his
political backers - say it gives generous corporations an incentive to donate
to charities that help children escape struggling public schools through
scholarships and other financial aid. Critics
say the credits divert tax money away from public schools. Gov. Wolf has
described the credits as "a backdoor voucher system" that
"diverts public tax dollars from our public schools" - even though
his own company has donated through it and received tax credits. The program has also created some interesting
relationships among Williams, his staff and the billionaire partners at the
Susquehanna International Group, strong school-choice advocates who
collectively are the biggest users of the program and have bankrolled Williams'
political ambitions.
Educational tax credit
claims on the rise
Philly.com April 3, 2015
Tax credit claims have been rising statewide in Pennsylvania since
legislation co-sponsored by state Sen. Anthony Williams in 2012 loosened
restrictions on the programs. The biggest users of the program since have been
Williams' political backers three partners from the trading firm Susquehanna
International Group, whose claims have gone from $135,000 in 2011 to over $12
million in 2014.
Susquehanna International Group
partners major donors to scholarship credit program
Philly.com April 3, 2015
The state's tax credits are split into two pools of money,
one that can fund schools through charities and another, estimated to total $50
million this year, that funds scholarship organizations. The SIG partners were
responsible for almost a quarter of all claims statewide through the second
pool.
Charity and politics
Philly.com April 3, 2015
A chart showing relationships between Anthony Hardy
Williams, his political backers, and charities that are involved with Pennsylvania 's education
tax credit program.
All in the family
Philly.com by RYAN BRIGGS & ALEX
WIGGLESWORTH, THE NEXT MAYOR POSTED: Friday,
April 3, 2015, 12:16 AM
IT SEEMS ODD at first glance - a fluff piece touting
educational tax credits in a trade magazine produced by fracking companies
called Marcellus Quarterly. The
essay was penned by Shari Williams, the wife of state Sen. Anthony Hardy
Williams and an outreach coordinator for oil and gas advocacy group Marcellus
Shale Coalition. And it came with a
kicker. "Sky Community Partners Inc. is a Philadelphia-based
501c3 organization and one of the program's first state-approved scholarship
organizations," she wrote below the column in the publication's spring
2013 edition. But Sky Community Partners
isn't just any scholarship organization. It's run by Dawn Chavous, one of
Williams' most trusted political advisers and his mayoral campaign manager, and
nearly all its funding has come from Williams' political backers. Chavous is
also married to Williams' protege, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/mayor/20150403_All_in_the_family.html#09i835ykd34hlZ2A.99
The Brief: $1 Million Reasons Why Tony Williams’ Star
Is About to Rise
Philly Mag Citified BY PATRICK KERKSTRA | APRIL
2, 2015 AT 6:00 AM
Pro-Williams
super PAC ups ad buy to a cool $1 million.
The gist:
Dave Davies reports for Newsworks that
the American Cities Super PAC—that’s the one supporting Anthony Williams and funded
mostly by those three super rich
suburban traders—is upping its television ad buy to $1 million.
Why it matters:
Well, that’s an awful lot of money, and it’ll buy a lot of TV time. It’s a
particularly big figure in a campaign where the candidates themselves seem to
have struggled raising cash. Some people wonder why Tony Williams is seen by
many political pros as the favorite in this race, even if he’s not the
current frontrunner. This is a big chunk of the reason why.
Davies breaks down the troubling transparency issues that
Super PACs present. Citified has an additional worry (or 40): candidates can suffer politically when they go too far
with attack ads or underhanded tactics. But Super PACs have no reputation to
protect. They can hit below the belt freely. They’re also free to get weird.
Imagine it’s two weeks from election day, and Williams is neck-and-neck with a
surging Jim Kenney. What’s
to prevent a pro-Williams Super PAC from airing ads in support of … Lynne Abraham (on the theory that
a vote for Abraham is a vote stolen from Kenney)? Nothing. Nothing at all.
Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/citified/2015/04/02/brief-anthony-williams-super-pac/#q5l63uz33d5JjHH9.99
Wolf's property tax plan
has potential
Reducing property taxes.
After four weeks of hearings, hundreds of hours of testimony
and more than a few heated exchanges, local Republican lawmakers say that is
the most attainable piece of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal. But nothing is a done deal. Sen. Lloyd Smucker and Rep. Keith Greiner
said Wolf’s property tax plan is going to need some changes before they agree
to sign off on anything. “Property tax relief is an idea that folks
like, especially around here, so that’s something I give the governor credit
for addressing in this budget,” said Smucker, a member of the Senate
Appropriations Committee. “I do think
this is one big area of the budget where there could be some real compromises,”
added Greiner, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Pa. first lady Frances
Wolf launches One Book, Every Young Child reading program
Pennsylvania First Lady Frances Wolf visits Enders-Fisherville Elementary
School in Halifax ,
Pa.
By Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com Email
the author | Follow on Twitter on April
02, 2015 at 5:52 PM, updated April 02, 2015 at 11:22 PM
Education Trust Report: Pennsylvania
WESA 90.5 Pittsburgh
NPR By JESSICA NATH •
April 2, 2015
According to the Education Trust’s report, the state
contributes about 38 percent of the total dollars spent per student for public
education. Pennsylvania ’s
2014-15 budget included more than $5 billion for basic education.
The ABC's of Basic Education
Funding in Pennsylvania
The Campaign for Fair Education Funding December 18, 2014 Video
Runtime 3:31
The Pennsylvania
PASBO answers the
question: What is Basic Education Funding?
Overview of
50 States' Funding Formulas
By Mike Griffith, Education
Commission of the States
Presented to PA Basic Education
Funding Commission October 2014
Callahan Letter: ‘Last in, first out’ bad for school
districts
The Sentinel April
2, 2015 Letter by John Callahan
John Callahan is senior
director of government affairs, Pennsylvania School Boards Association
Dear Editor: Imagine
a business owner in times of economic hardship being forced by law to let his best
employee go in favor of another employee with more seniority on staff, with no
discretion or consideration of the job performance of either. This is the case in school districts across
the state as Pennsylvania
law mandates that teachers be furloughed by tenure and not merit or
effectiveness. This “last in, first out” process would put any business under —
furloughing the best workers while keeping the underperformers. Under a
seniority-based layoff system, the more effective teacher can be dismissed simply,
and solely, because of the date of hire. An example of this occurred in 2012 in
the Pittsburgh Public Schools, when 16 teachers with the highest performance
rating of “distinguished” were furloughed because of this outdated state law.
Many schools have been faced with this backward business practice.
Lynne Abraham would sue Harrisburg
KRISTEN A. GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST
UPDATED: Friday, April 3, 2015, 1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday, April 2,
2015, 4:19 PM
If elected mayor, Lynne M. Abraham says, she would take Harrisburg to federal court if necessary to force
lawmakers to adequately fund Philadelphia
schools. She wants to end the School
Reform Commission and replace it with a board of elected and appointed members.
And she wants to add city caseworkers to deal with chronic
school absenteeism, institute mandatory prekindergarten, and prioritize fixing
or replacing the School District's stock of old, crumbling buildings. Abraham articulated her ideas in an education
plan released Thursday. The former district attorney is one of six candidates
vying to win the May 19 Democratic mayoral primary. As her opponents have, Abraham promised that
she would raise more money for the Philadelphia
School District Harrisburg
politicians for a fair education-funding formula and charter school
reimbursements.
Grassroots group sees vast potential for Kensington
school
The Media Mobilizing
Project featured Willard
Elementary School
BY JOHN KOPP PhillyVoice Staff APRIL 02, 2015
Ron Reilly has spent seven years as the principal of Francis E. Willard Elementary School
Willard, a K-4 school located in one of the roughest
sections of Kensington, opened a new facility in 2011. That same year, massive
education cuts rocked the School
District of Philadelphia
Budget constraints continue to hamper Philly schools.
Willard is no exception.
But Reilly and the Media Mobilizing Project — a grassroots organization
that gives voice to the poor through media platforms — see a vast
potential for Willard. The organization
released a 10-minute film Tuesday featuring Willard’s triumphs, struggles and
potential.
There is an alternative to opting out
Foundation for Excellence in Education March 30,
2015 • The
EdFly Blog Guest posted by Wendy
Rivera, Florida
parent
I’m a mom. And the happiness of my children, now and in the
future as they go on to start careers and families of their own, is on my mind
all the time. That is the American Dream. We all want a better life for our
children and do everything in our power to make that happen. This desire led me to become president &
CEO of the Multicultural Education Alliance. After working with policy experts,
teachers, principals and parents, I have come to the belief that measuring what
students know and holding our system accountable to meeting high standards is
one of the most critical levers to improving the quality of education our
children receive. And I am not the only
one.
There is a reason why the National Council of La Raza, America ’s
largest Latino advocacy organization, supports annual testing in schools. And why it is joined by the League of United
Latin American Citizens, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational
Fund and more than a dozen other civil rights groups.
- See more at: http://excelined.org/2015/03/30/there-is-an-alternative-to-opting-out/#sthash.xx2FIopU.dpuf
Testing Resistance & Reform News: March 25 - 31,
2015
FairTest Submitted by fairtest on March 31, 2015 -
1:04pm
The U.S.
assessment reform movement is growing so rapidly that it is hard to keep up.
This week's clips include stories from 30 states as well as updates from the
fight to rollback federal testing mandates
Workshop: Fair Funding and other Commons
Sense Reforms for Public Education - Saturday April 11, 9:30 am
The William Penn
School District presents another
public workshop in its series on school funding in Pennsylvania . Topics to be covered include:
- A discussion with the Public Interest
Law Center of Philadelphia about the ABC's of public education funding and
school funding lawsuit filed by the
- An in-depth look at Governor Tom Wolf's
proposed budget and its impact on property taxes and developing a more
equitable funding formula.
LOCATION:
Evans Elementary School
Questions:
Please email rafi@thecavegroup.com
SCHOOL PLAY – It’s a tough
subject
PCCY website March 2015
A live theatre collaboration between playwrights Arden Kass and
Seth Bauer and Public Citizens for Children and Youth. Directed by Edward
Sobel.
School Play explores our attitudes toward public education
using the real voices of Pennsylvanians from across the Commonwealth.
Invited Dress Preview: April 8th @ 7:30pm
Philadelphia Premier: April 9th @ 7:30pm (only
a few seats left!)
More info: http://www.pccy.org/initiatives/school-play/
RSVP to schoolplay@pccy.org to reserve your seat - April 9th is
almost sold out and only a few seats remain for April 8th!
Who will be at the PSBA Advocacy Forum April 19-20 in
Mechanicsburg and Harrisburg?
- Acting
Ed Sec'y Pedro Rivera
- Senate
Ed Committee Majority Chairman Lloyd Smucker
- House
Ed Committee Majority Chairman Stan Saylor
- Senate
Appropriations Committee Chair Pat Browne
- Diane
Ravitch
- House
Majority Leader Dave Reed
- House
Minority Leader Frank Dermody
- 2014
PSBA Tim Allwein Advocacy Award winners Shauna D'Alessandro and Mark
Miller
How about You?
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.
Details and Registration for PSBA members (only $25.00) https://www.psba.org/event/advocacy-forum-day-hill-2015/
Curmuducation Blog Saturday, March 21, 2015
I don't get out much. I'm a high school English teacher in a
small town, and kind of homebody by nature. When I leave town, it's for family
or work. But in just over a month, on the weekend of April 25-26, I am taking a
trip to Chicago for neither. The Network
for Public Education is the closest thing to an actual formal
organization of the many and varied people standing up for public education in
this modern era of privatizing test-driven corporate education reform. NPE held
a conference last year, and they're doing it again this year-- a gathering of
many of the strongest voices for public education in America today. Last year I followed along on line-- this year I will be there.
Beyond a New School Funding
Formula: Lifting Student Achievement to Grow PA's Economy
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 from 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM (EDT) Harrisburg , PA
7:30 am: Light breakfast fare and registration; 8:00 am:
Program
Opening Remarks by Neil D. Theobald, President, Temple University
SESSION I: THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF ACHIEVEMENT GAPS IN
PENNSYLVANIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS with introduction by Rob Wonderling,
President, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and Member, Center on
Regional Politics Executive Committee.
Presentation by Lynn A. Karoly, Senior Economist, RAND
Corporation
SESSION II: WHAT CAN PENNSYLVANIA Pennsylvania
State University College
of Education
Presentation by Marc S. Tucker, President and CEO, National Center
Sessions to be followed by a response panel moderated
by Francine Schertzer, Director of Programming, Pennsylvania Cable
Network
Program presented by the University Consortium to Improve
Public School Finance and Promote Economic Growth
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