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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for May 6, 2015:
Which Pa.
SAVE The DATE: Northwestern
PA School Funding Forum
May 28, 2015 7:00 PM Jefferson Educational Society 3207 State St. Erie , PA 16508
"What drives these
numbers?
- Lawmakers dole out education spending largely
based on what a district received the year prior. This "hold
harmless" provision means that even if a district loses enrollment,
the state will not reduce its share of aid.
- In some cases, districts with stronger
connections to state political power get funding boosts not enjoyed by
other districts.
It's important to stress here
that this analysis looks at the percentage of funding sources, not overall
dollar amounts."
Which Pa.
WHYY
Newsworks BY KEVIN MCCORRY
MAY 6, 2015 MULTIPLE CHOICES: PART 5
This
post is part of an occasional series of podcasts and web
"explainers."
Which
school districts in Pennsylvania
receive the most state funding as a share of their total revenue? If you guessed Philadelphia , you'd be dead wrong.
As the
interactive map above shows, the Philadelphia School District (85 percent
economically disadvantaged) receives about 45 percent of its funding from
Harrisburg — nowhere near the top of the list.
Rural
districts in Western Pennsylvania dominate
this category.
Districts
in the far Northeast section of the commonwealth also receive a large portion
of their school budgets from the state.
What
drives these numbers?
"In addition to playing
a key role in budget deliberations, Browne had taken the lead on what was reportedly a massive,
400-page pension reform bill. Senate Republican leaders had made the passage of
such a bill a precondition for any budget agreement Browne had
also emerged, in recent years, as a vocal supporter of increased state funding
for early childhood education programs. He was also a key figure in the push
for more equitable basic and special education funding issues."
With Sen. Browne's
motorcycle accident, a key Republican player is benched: John L. Micek
By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com Email
the author | Follow on Twitter on
May 05, 2015 at 2:02 PM, updated May 05, 2015 at 5:07 PM
(*this post has been updated) It
was the worst thing that could have happened for Senate Republicans - and at
the worst possible time. And it could
have been a lot worse. A lot worse. With
news Saturday that Senate
Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, had been hospitalized because
of injuries he suffered in a motorcycle crash, Senate Republicans
lost their budget brain. And Browne's hometown
voters lost the services of the region's single, most influential
lawmaker.
"Article III, Section 14
of the Constitution states the Legislature "shall provide for the
maintenance of a thorough and efficient system of public education."
Yet when it doesn't, as in
the case of Philly schools and recently many others, the court says, well, we
can't possibly get involved: separation of powers. (Another school lawsuit is headed to the high
court after Commonwealth Court
Could a new Pa.
JOHN BAER, DAILY NEWS POLITICAL COLUMNIST Wednesday,
May 6, 2015, 12:16 AM
TODAY, LET'S think
about possibility. Specifically, the
possibility our state Supreme Court upholds the Constitution more often than
when the mood strikes it to do so. I
mention this because of a record three vacancies on the seven-member court to
be filled by election this year, and because, you know, one can always hope. Let's concede that law can be a malleable
thing, subject to circumstance and politics. In this state it's massaged into
various shapes, sometimes avoiding constitutional dictates. The Legislature does something (or nothing)
that ends up before the court and the court says, oh, we can't possibly get
involved: separation of powers.
We've all heard
that, right?
"Bloom's bill allows for
districts to layoff teachers for economic reasons and allows those furlough
decisions to be based on teacher evaluations rather than seniority. However, if
a layoff decision comes down to two teachers with the same performance rating,
the less senior one would be the one to go."
Should teacher layoffs be
carried out by seniority or evaluations?: The Question of the Day
By Jason Maddux | jmaddux@pennlive.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter on
May 05, 2015 at 10:22 AM, updated May 05, 2015 at 10:23 AM
If a district needs
to lay off teachers, should it do it based on seniority or performance?
As PennLive's Jan
Murphy reported, school districts would be free to lay off
teachers based on their performance evaluation rather than
seniority under legislation sponsored by Rep. Steve Bloom, R-North Middleton Twp. The House Education
Committee approved it on Monday.
Relieve testing frenzy and
abuse with new policy
the notebook Commentary By Debra Weiner on
May 5, 2015 11:49 AM
When an increasing
number of parents in school districts as different as Philadelphia and Lower
Merion opt their children out of standardized testing, it's clearly time for
state and federal education agencies to rethink whether testing, as it has been
practiced, drives better instruction or undermines fundamental educational
values. Unlike many who are
philosophically opposed to standardized testing, I believe that we need
objective measures beyond grades from teachers to assess student growth. I also
believe that the punitive use of standardized testing results has led to the
crippling of creativity in the classroom, the elimination of art and music and
sports and recess, the departure of good teachers from the profession, the
discouragement of talented young people from entering the profession, and the
temptation to cheat. Whatever its
intention to further accountability, the abuse of standardized testing has
undermined the very goal it was intended to further: improving student and
school performance.
Set for Life: Browse the
database to see who is getting a six-figure annual pension
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Email
the author | Follow on Twitter on May 06,
2015 at 6:30 AM, updated May 06, 2015 at 6:32 AM
Which of Pennsylvania 's thousands
of retired state government or school district employee receive a six-figure
pension? You can browse our database and find out. You can sort by each of the columns of data
by clicking on the column heading. You can toggle between ascending and
descending order by clicking again.
Leigh Dingerson, senior consultant with the Annenberg
Institute for School Reform at Brown University, explains the Annenberg
standards of Public Accountability for Charter Schools to the Nashville School
Board on Thursday, April 30, 2015.
Published on May 2, 2015 YouTube runtime 12:59
Annenberg Report: Public Accountability for Charter
Schools Standards and Policy Recommendations for Effective Oversight
Annenberg Institute
for School Reform
As promised, SRC
resolutions posted far ahead of meeting
By the
Notebook on May 5, 2015 09:09 PM
With the District
often chided for making information public at the 11th hour, SRC Chair Marjorie
Neff recently promised more transparency for School Reform Commission meetings
– or at least better service. And after
Neff's announcement that voting items for monthly SRC meetings would
be available three weeks ahead of time, the District posted the draft of upcoming meeting resolutions on May 1, 20
days in advance of the May 21 meeting. This change gives more opportunity for
the public to comment to the SRC in advance.
The resolution list now includes a note inviting questions or comments
to be emailed toSRC@philasd.org "no
later than 4:30 p.m. on May 7, 2015. Please reference the Resolution Number and
include your name and email address."
On education, Kenney has
championed making pre-K available for all Philadelphia
Jim Kenney talks charter
schools, Philly's 'neighborhood mentality,' labor unions
WHYY Newsworks BY JENNIFER LYNN MAY 5, 2015 LISTEN
For months, the six
Democrats running for mayor of Philadelphia have been on a treadmill of public
forums, debates, and meet-and-greets -- chewing on a familiar slate of
issues. So, in an effort to break out of
the well-worn political discourse, I've been having casual conversations with
the candidates about their lives as well as a few pet issues. Next up is former City Councilman Jim Kenney,
who I spoke with in mid-March at Albert M. Greenfield Elementary School in
Center City.
"The super
PAC, which is funded principally by three multimillionaire education
reform advocates, is on track to spend more than $4 million on advertising
in the mayor's race, according to NewsWorks' Dave Davies. But so far not a dime of that money has been
spent on negative advertising about Kenney or any of
the other candidates. All of its spots have been positive."
New Anthony Williams Ad Goes Negative on Jim Kenney
New Anthony Williams Ad Goes Negative on Jim Kenney
But what’s the real purpose of the
hard-hitting new spot?
Philly Mag Citified BY HOLLY OTTERBEIN | MAY
5, 2015 AT 11:02 AM
It finally happened. With two weeks left till Election Day,
state Sen. Anthony Williams’
mayoral campaign began airing the first negative TV ad of the
season this week. It's
a hard-hitting, effective ad, honing in on comments made by
mayoral candidate and former City Councilman Jim Kenney in
1997 after his friend's home had been burglarized. According to internal polling, Kenney is the
frontrunner in the mayoral race, with Williams trailing behind him.
Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/citified/2015/05/05/anthony-williams-negative-ad-jim-kenney/#yO0k79MDBDKuAjqu.99
"Lisa Haver, a retired
teacher and a founder of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, said the
results in Community
Academy Philadelphia
A victory for Philly's Community Academy
MARTHA
WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST
UPDATED: May 6, 2015, 1:08 AM
For more than four
years, Community Academy of Philadelphia Charter School fought to stay open in
the face of complaints about shaky finances and low test scores. But the K-12 school in Kensington won a major
victory last week when the state Charter Appeal Board overturned the School
Reform Commission's verdict and told the commission to renew the school's
operating agreement. From Community Academy
Three Philly Renaissance
charter renewals in question
Meeting
scheduled Monday to consider a dozen renewals, including seven Renaissance
charters launched in 2010.
the notebook By Dale
Mezzacappa on May 5, 2015 04:57 PM
The School Reform
Commission will consider more than a dozen charter renewals on Monday, and is
expected to hear at least two recommendations for nonrenewal -- including one
at a District school that was turned over to a private operator for turnaround. The District's Charter Schools Office is
opposing renewal of Bluford Elementary, which is a Renaissance turnaround
charter operated by Universal Companies. It is also opposing renewal for Delaware
Valley Charter High School, citing academic inconsistencies and fiscal
issues. In addition, there is no
recommendation listed for two other Renaissance charters that are up for
renewal: Young Scholars Frederick Douglass and Stetson Middle School, which is run
by ASPIRA. Several teachers at Young
Scholars Frederick Douglass said that they were told that the charter office's
recommendation was not to renew. Parents and teachers have been asked to
mobilize their support.
Delaware establishes
charter school moratorium
WHYY Newsworks BY AVI WOLFMAN-ARENT MAY 5, 2015
Delaware won't
approve any new charter schools until the state drafts a strategic plan for
school growth. The legislation, signed
Tuesday by Governor Jack Markell, also gives local school boards the power to
reject or approve new charter schools attempting to open specifically in the
city of Wilmington. Previously, charter schools only needed approval from one
of two charter authorizers: the Delaware Department of Education or the
Red Clay Consolidated School District. The
new law comes amid growing concern that the density of charter schools in
Wilmington has disrupted local feeding patterns and hamstrung traditional
public schools. "We are
over-saturated with charter schools in the city of Wilmington," said
Representative Charles Potter Jr., D-Wilmington, who authored the bill.
Charter school backers are
NY state's top spenders on lobbying
Newsday By YANCEY
ROY yancey.roy@newsday.com Updated
April 29, 2015 10:19 PM
ALBANY -- Charter school proponents were the
biggest special-interest group in state politics in 2014, outspending teachers'
unions by better than a 2-to-1 ratio, according to a report released Wednesday. The report by the Joint Commission on Public
Ethics, which regulates lobbying, also found that an all-time high was spent on
lobbying -- $226 million -- in 2014. The previous record was $220 million in
2011. And it showed that a lobbying firm
headed by former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato has climbed to No. 2 in the state,
based on billing, up from No. 4. The
education spending reflects the national debate over education policy, as well
as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's escalating war with teacher unions over teacher
evaluations, experts said.
Settlement approved to
divide up New Hope's remaining money
By Dylan Segelbaum York
Record/Sunday News UPDATED: 05/05/2015 03:37:19 PM EDT
A settlement agreement
to divide up New Hope Academy Charter School's remaining money between the York
City School District and two of founder Isiah Anderson's companies has been
approved. New Hope Academy Charter
School used to be on West King Street near South Hartley in York, but closed on
June 10 after losing a court battle about its charter not being renewed.
Inside Take: 3
Bogus Problems With the Teacher’s Contract
Saltz: Red herring alert.
PhillyMag Citified BY ANDREW SALTZ | MAY
4, 2015 AT 11:15 AM
(Editor’s
note: This is an opinion column from a Citified insider.)
Here’s a not-so-bold prediction: Within the next 6
months, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers will have a new contract. This prognostication stems from two people:
Governor Tom Wolf, who put forth an audacious plan to fund Philadelphia’s
schools, and Marge Neff, Chair of the School Reform Commission. The dismal
economic situation of the district may not have changed. But with Wolf and Neff
in place, the plan now seems to be “find a contract that brings stability to
schools” instead of the Tom Corbett — Bill Green playbook of “drown the PFT in
its own blood and dance on the corpse."
It’s likely the two sides will find middle ground. In the meantime,
Philadelphia will be inundated with hot-takes on things like “winners and
losers”. In the end, the vast majority of people with opinions about the
contract, and yes, this includes teachers, won’t have read the document. What they’ll miss, what most people miss, is
that the so-called “big issues” of the contract are neither big nor issues.
Here is a Cliff Notes look at three of the most common/lazy complaints about
the contract, not one of which is near as important as critics imagine.
Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/citified/2015/05/04/pft-contract-3-problems/#z7oS2V5q22fHs46k.99
'Opt-Out' Push Gains
Traction Amid Common-Core Testing
Education Week By Andrew
Ujifusa Published Online:
May 5, 2015
The push by
activists of various stripes to have parents opt students out of state exams
this spring has transformed skepticism and long-running anger over the
direction of education policy into a movement with numbers and a growing public
profile. Whether those activists can craft a durable and effective political
movement remains an open question.
Advocates,
standardized-testing opponents, and observers continue to debate the movement's
true goals, the disparity between the proportion of opt-outs and their broader
importance, and how much the demographics of participating parents hurt or
strengthen the cause. Recent events in New York state, where disputes
over the fiscal 2016 budget ratcheted up tensions over the role of testing in
state policy, show how the opt-out campaign can gain traction. After years of
negotiations and disagreements with the state over evaluations, the
600,000-member New York State United Teachers called on parents to opt their
children out of exams aligned with the Common Core State Standards, and tens of
thousands reportedly have done so.
PRESS RELEASE: Network for
Public Education Response to The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human
Rights Statement on Opting Out
Network for Public Education Press Release May 5, 2015
Today, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights led 11
civil rights groups into a national disagreement with students who
have exercised their constitutional political free speech rights and chosen to
opt-out of high-stakes testing. The
Network for Public Education supports those who choose to opt out, because we
believe these tests are now causing harm to students, and to the cause of
educational equity. Seattle
teacher Jesse Hagopian has written a response to The Leadership Conference of
Civil and Human Rights’ statement, which the Network for Public Education shares here. He
states, “High-stakes standardized tests, rather than reducing the opportunity
gap, have been used to rank, sort, label, and punish students of color.”
Testing Resistance & Reform News: April 29 - May
5, 2015
FairTest Submitted
by fairtest on May 5, 2015 - 12:49pm
During the final
weeks of the spring 2015 standardized exam season, the testing resistance and
reform movement is surging across the nation. Record opt-out drives,
state legislation to reduce testing overuse and roll back misuses, and
Congressional action overhauling "No Child Left Behind," are all in
this week's spotlight.
Walton Foundation's
Market-Based Ed. Initiatives Miss Mark, Report Says
Education Week
Charters and Choice Blog By Arianna Prothero on May 5, 2015 5:06
PM
The Walton Family
Foundation's investments in market-based ideas to improve education—such as
charter schools and private school voucher programs—are falling short,according to a new
report. Although the
foundation's education initiatives have benefited individual families, those
improvements aren't spilling over into systemwide change, according to
the National Committee for Responsive
Philanthropy—a Washington-based philanthropy research and advocacy
group. That limited impact is due largely
to the foundation's narrow focus on school choice through charters and vouchers
without a broader focus on quality, equity, and community, the report says.
(The Walton Family Foundation provides support for coverage of
parent-empowerment issues in Education Week. The newspaper retains sole
editorial control over its content.)
New McCullough book
celebrates Wright Brothers
Trib Live By The
Associated Press Tuesday, May 5, 2015, 9:00 p.m.
David McCullough's latest work of history followed a spontaneous path, from a book about many Americans in Paris in the 20th century to the biography of just two. “Among the people I turned up were the Wright brothers, and it just astonished me that they were even inFrance , let alone that it had an important part
to play in their story,” says the Pittsburgh
native and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. “Just reading about them, I realized
how much more interesting they were, how much more compelling than I had any
idea. And I thought, ‘No, this is the book.' ”
David McCullough's latest work of history followed a spontaneous path, from a book about many Americans in Paris in the 20th century to the biography of just two. “Among the people I turned up were the Wright brothers, and it just astonished me that they were even in
'House of Cards' announces first casting call for new
season in Bel Air
Baltimore Sum David
Zurawik May 5, 2015
Looks like Frank
Underwood will be returning to Maryland. But will Claire be with him?
Here's your chance
to get all dressed up for "House of Cards." There's a casting call in
Bel Air next week. The first casting
call for Season 4 of "House of Cards" was announced today.
It's Friday, May 15,
at the Bel Air Armory. The casting
agents are looking for "paid background performers" who are dressed
for a black-tie affair. They want performers 18 and older to arrive with
"hair product" and "makeup applied." I guess the annoucement suggests "House
of Cards" is coming back to Maryland.
Check out the casting call above for particulars.
SAVE The DATE: Northwestern PA School Funding Forum
May 28, 2015 7:00 PM Jefferson Educational
Society 3207 State St.
Erie , PA 16508
Panelists
Conneaut School
District
Mr. Jarrin
Sperry, Superintendent, Ms. Jody Sperry, Board President
Corry School
District
Mr. William Nichols,
Superintendent
Fort LeBoeuf
School District
Mr. Richard Emerick,
Assistant Superintendent
Girard School
District
Dr. James Tracy,
Superintendent
Harbor Creek
School District
Ms. Christine
Mitchell, Board President
Millcreek School
District
Mr. William Hall,
Superintendent Mr. Aaron O'Toole, Director of Finance and Accounting
Keynote Speaker
Mr. Jay Himes,
Executive Director, Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials
CONFERENCE ON THE STATE OF EDUCATION IN PENNSYLVANIA
A CALL FOR ADEQUATE AND EQUITABLE SCHOOL FUNDING
Sponsored by Coatesville and Media Area
NAACPs
9:00 AM – 1:30 PM SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015
MARCUS FOSTER STUDENT UNION 2ND
FLOOR
CHEYNEY UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA DELAWARE
COUNTY CAMPUS, CHEYNEY, PA
Our children have to
pass the state mandated tests in order to move on with life. SO - it is time
for the PA Assembly to provide adequate and equitable funding to the public
schools of Pennsylvania.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE
PUBLIC. SPACE IS LIMITED.
COME AND ASK YOUR
PERSONAL QUESTIONS AND SHARE YOUR OPINIONS WITH PRESENTERS WHO ARE EXPERTS AND
POLICY MAKERS.
Pre-Registration is
required for meals. Deadline for Pre-registration is May 12, 2015
PRE-REGISTER
ON-LINE: HTTPS://www.surveymonkey.com/S/JTZB9F8
Common Core Forum: A Closer Look at the PA Core
Standards
Thursday, May 7, 6:30 - 8:00 pm Radnor Middle
School
150 Louella Avenue,
Wayne, 3rd floor
Presented by the Leagues of
Women Voters of Chester County , Haverford,
Lower Merion , Narberth and Radnor. Supported by the Radnor School District
Panelists Include:
Fred Brown, K-12
Math Supervisor, School District of Haverford Township
Jon Cetel, Education
Reform Agent, PennCAN
Mary Beth Hegeman,
Middle School Teacher, Lower Merion School District
Cynthia Kruse,
Delaware County Intermediate Unit
Susan Newitt,
Retired Elementary Teacher, Lower Merion School District
Wendy Towle,
Supervisor of Language Arts & Staff Development, T/E School District
Larry Wittig,
Chairman of the State Board of Education
PHILLY DISTRICT TO HOLD
COMMUNITY BUDGET MEETINGS
Wednesday,
May 6
Tuesday,
May 12
Thursday,
May 14
Congreso, 216 West Somerset St .
Wednesday,
May 20
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