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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for June 20, 2015:
Some weekend reading: PA Basic Ed
Funding Commission has published its 105-page final report
Thanks to Senator Pat Browne,
Rep. Mike Vereb and all of the members (see page 8 of the report) who served on
the Basic Education Funding Commission for your good work. Thanks to Rep. Bernie O'Neill for sponsoring
HB1738 which created the Commission.
Some weekend reading: PA Basic Ed
Funding Commission has published its 105-page final report
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children tweet June 19, 2015 @PAP4Children
Read the report here: http://bit.ly/1Cifxfm
"Federal statistics show
that Pennsylvania
PennLive Editorial: Education
Funding Commission's report an important first step for Pa.
By PennLive Editorial Board Email
the author on June 19, 2015 at 3:07 PM
What's this? A show of bipartisan support wedged in
between battles over a State Police commissioner, the Office of Open Records
and the looming budget deadline?
Believe it.
The Basic Education Funding Commission took
at step that might actually have an impact on the mess that is public school
funding in Pennsylvania . On Thursday, the panel unanimously
approved a formula that would actually take poverty levels, a
district's charter school costs, geographic size, tax base and its current
enrollment into account when doling out dollars. Imagine that – those
are the things that actually matter when money is provided to districts. How
much are we talking? Pennsylvania
distributed $5.5 billion in basic education aid this year. While there are
already plenty of budget challenges this year, the formula must be discussed as
part of the upcoming budget. Waiting to implement it will weaken the political
will to get it done. The commission has
15 members. There are 12 lawmakers split between Democrats and Republicans and
three senior aides to Gov. Tom Wolf. Wolf was on hand for a
Thursday news conference where he praised the plan, so there is
no doubt he is on board. We hope House and Senate members feel the same.
New school funding formula
a big step forward for Pa.
PennLive Op-Ed By Rob Teplitz on June 19, 2015
at 1:00 PM
State Sen. Rob Teplitz, a Democrat,
represents the 15th Senate District, which includes parts of Dauphin and all of
Perry County
While much recent
news from the Capitol has been controversial, I am pleased to report that on
Thursday the Basic Education Funding
Commission unanimously recommended that the General Assembly
adopt a new formula for distributing state education funding among Pennsylvania 's 500
school districts. As a strong proponent
of public education and a member of both the Senate Education and
Appropriations committees, I was honored to be appointed to the commission,
which was created by Act 51 of 2014. It was a privilege to serve with the 14
other members from the General Assembly and the administration. Over the past year, we held 15 hearings
across the commonwealth in order to hear from experts about the current broken
funding system and how to fix it. For
the past few months, I was part of a work group tasked with studying the impact
of a district's local tax base in particular.
Finally, as we headed to the finish line over the past two weeks, I was
in the core group that hammered out the final agreement on the formula.
The governor first wants to
see the state make "significant restorations" in 2015-16 of the
nearly $1 billion cut from school districts four years ago, said his spokesman
Jeff Sheridan. Wolf is proposing the state boost basic education funding by
$400 million next year. Republican lawmakers say they favor more money for
schools but haven't specified an amount they would support. Waiting gives school districts a chance to
recover some of the ground lost and provide "a fair foundation upon which
this new formula can be built," starting in the 2016-17 budget, said
Wolf's Budget Secretary Randy Albright.
New school funding formula
on the move but when will it take effect?
By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter on
June 19, 2015 at 6:57 PM, updated June 19, 2015 at 8:43 PM
overhaul of the way
Pennsylvania funds its 500 school districts could begin to move
in the state House and Senate as soon as next week. And, while Republican and Democratic lawmakers
and Gov. Tom Wolf seem to embrace the recommended funding formula approved
on Thursday by the Basic Education Funding
Commission, the GOP and Wolf disagree on one thing: when to start
using it. The GOP chairmen of the House
and Senate education committees want to see at least a portion of any new money
put into education in next year's state budget be driven out through the
commission's recommended formula. Wolf
prefers to wait a year.
At a glance: What the
proposed school funding formula looks like
Penn Live By Jan Murphy |
jmurphy@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on
June 19, 2015 at 2:07 PM, updated June 19, 2015 at 2:08 PM
A proposed school funding formula that attempts to make state funding
that goes out to the 500 school districts fairer and more equitable was
unveiled on Thursday. It comes out of a
year's worth of work by the bi-partisan Basic Education Funding Commission, and attempts to rid Pennsylvania of being the state with the widest gap in per-student funding between
rich and poor districts. Now it is
up to the General Assembly and Gov. Tom Wolf to decide whether and when to move
forward with the commission's recommendation.
The commission's recommended formula for doling out
state education dollars calls for:
Phila., poor districts
winners in new Pa.
LAURA
MCCRYSTAL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST
UPDATED: Saturday, June 20, 2015, 1:07 AM POSTED: Friday, June 19,
2015, 8:32 PM
School districts
that serve Philadelphia and some of the region's
poorer communities, such as Pottstown, Norristown, and Chester ,
would see major gains in state funding if Pennsylvania enacts a proposed
education-funding formula. The formula would add an estimated $75 million to
the Philadelphia School District Chester
Upland School
District
Trib Live By Brad
Bumsted and Tory Parrish Thursday, June 18, 2015, 9:57 a.m.
Faith leaders to protest
for more school funding at Pa.
By Madison Russ | PennLive.com on
June 19, 2015 at 12:38 PM
On Saturday, various
religions and individuals from across the state plan to gather on the state
Capitol steps to protest for fair funding for public schools in what is being
billed as the largest interfaith gathering in Pennsylvania history. The main interfaith ceremony will be held at
2 p.m. where faith leaders will bless the individuals planning to fast and who
will remain at an encampment on the Capitol steps for 10 days. Prior to the main event a Shabbat service
will be held at 10:30 a.m. and a Teach-In will take place at Grace United
Methodist Church Philadelphia , the Lehigh Valley ,
suburban Philadelphia , Pittsburg and rural areas of the state, said
Margaret Ernst of Philadelphians Organize to Witness, Empower, and Rebuild
(POWER).
"Starting on June 20th, people of
faith from across the state will be fasting and praying for ten days straight
or however long it takes for lawmakers to pass a moral budget. On June 20th,
hundreds of Pennsylvanians will gather to bless this fast and prepare ourselves
for the battle for justice ahead."
GET TO HARRISBURG
In the largest interfaith service in Pennsylvania
FaithInPA website
After Pennsylvania voters gave a clear mandate to lawmakers to
fund public schools in November's election, Harrisburg still isn't listening. PA has the most unequally funded public
schools in the United States ,
including a racial bias towards districts with more white students.
Across the state, in rural, suburban, urban, black, brown and white
communities alike, our school districts have been underfunded for decades and
our kids can't wait any longer for a 21st century education. Governor Wolf has proposed an increase to
public education funding that is still a fraction - 15% - of what would fully
fund schools. The House of Representatives has proposed a budget with no new
money for schools at all. Meanwhile, both want cuts in taxes for corporations.
Clearly, we don't have a financial crisis in Pennsylvania - we have a moral one. If our lawmakers won't do the right thing and
listen to Pennsylvanians' real pain and experiences, we have not other choice
but to go right to their doorstep and bring our values to them.
http://www.faithinpa.org/moraltakeover.html
http://www.faithinpa.org/moraltakeover.html
Letter to the editor: Gov.
Wolf’s proposed budget is an investment in education
Delco Times Opinion By Stephen Herzenberg, Times Guest Columnist 06/15/15, 11:29 PM EDT
As a research
economist, whenever someone wants me to support an issue, I generally say the
same thing: “Show me the numbers.” The
numbers on why Gov. Wolf’s proposed budget makes sense for Delaware County Delaware County Pennsylvania
as the only state without a commonsense extraction tax. Their message is
basically “we want to protect our sweetheart deal.” Instead, Gov. Wolf is proposing to invest
that money into education. Delaware County would see $17.4 million more for its public
K-12 schools, 532 more kids in preschool, and more funding for Delaware County
Community College , Cheyney University
By Mary Grzebieniak New Castle News Posted: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 7:15 am
Local school
districts are facing staggering increases in employee pension costs over the
next five years. And the
Wilmington Area School Board is asking the state do do something about
it. Members passed a
resolution Monday asking the state legislature to find another source to fund
the shortage in the state pension fund. They say forcing school districts to
increase their contribution to solve the problem is taking money away that
could be using to educate students. It is also forcing
taxpayers to shoulder higher burdens, the resolution states.
State must investigate
hundreds of complaints filed by Philly school parents
the notebook By David
Limm on Jun 19, 2015 05:11 PM
Pottsgrove adopts $63.9M
budget that raises taxes by .55%
By Evan Brandt,
The Mercury POSTED: 06/17/15,
8:13 PM EDT | UPDATED: 1 DAY AGO
LOWER POTTSGROVE
>> The Pottsgrove School Board stopped short of adopting a budget that
does not raise property taxes in the coming fiscal year, opting instead, after
some sharp words, for a $63.9 million that raises taxes by .55 percent. For a home assessed at $120,000, the district
median, the budget would raise the annual tax bill by $24, said business
manager David Nester. Board member Rick
Rabinowitz continued to advocate for a budget that does not raise taxes, saying
a number of factors now in flux make it likely that it was the district’s only
chance in recent years to provide that relief to the district’s taxpayers. Those factors include state level changes,
such as the pending release of a fair funding formula; property tax relief
bills and Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget priorities, which include nearly $1 million in
addition state funding for Pottsgrove.
http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20150617/pottsgrove-adopts-639m-budget-that-raises-taxes-by-55
Taxes to rise 1.5 percent
in Interboro
Delco Times By Courtney Elko, Times Correspondent POSTED: 06/19/15, 10:09 PM
EDT | UPDATED: 12 SECS AGO
The Interboro School
Board approved the final 2015-16 school budget at Wednesday’s meeting and
residents will see a property tax increase.
The board passed the budget 8-1, with board member Phyllis Floyd voting
against it. Residents will see an
increase of .5015 mills with the approved $62.6 million budget, resulting in a
1.5 percent tax increase for a new millage rate of 33.9362 mills. Residents with an average assessed home of
$90,000 will see an increase of about $45, Interboro Superintendent Bernadette
Reiley said during the budget presentation.
Delco Times By Tina DiSerafino, Times Correspondent POSTED: 06/19/15, 10:07 PM EDT
Hermitage school board
adopts budget with no tax hike
Sharon Herald Posted 2
days ago
HERMITAGE –
Hermitage School Board approved a $30.5 million budget Wednesday that keeps
property taxes at 60.239 mils. A mill is
$1 for every $1,000 in assessed property value, with those values based on 1970 market value. The budget cuts one staff position, an
instructional coach slot that will be eliminated through attrition. The pact was approved without a firm
commitment from the state as to the district’s subsidy – the state budget has
not been approved – or a teacher’s contract in place. While the board has no control over what the
governor and General Assembly do, contract talks “are still progressing very
well,” said Superintendent Dr. Daniel Bell.
TribLive By Alex
Felser Staff Reporter Wednesday, June 17, 2015, 10:18 p.m.
The Baldwin-Whitehall School Board voted to approve a 2015-16 budget with a real estate tax increase of 0.81 mills on Wednesday. School board members voted 5-4 to approve the $61.3 million budget that included a $1.9 million deficit. Officials expect $59.4 million in revenues. The increase takes the tax rate to 18.42 mills. Last year, the board approved a 2-mill decrease in the tax rate, bringing it down to 17.61 mills. One mill in Baldwin-Whitehall brings in about $1.8 million in tax revenue.
The Baldwin-Whitehall School Board voted to approve a 2015-16 budget with a real estate tax increase of 0.81 mills on Wednesday. School board members voted 5-4 to approve the $61.3 million budget that included a $1.9 million deficit. Officials expect $59.4 million in revenues. The increase takes the tax rate to 18.42 mills. Last year, the board approved a 2-mill decrease in the tax rate, bringing it down to 17.61 mills. One mill in Baldwin-Whitehall brings in about $1.8 million in tax revenue.
"The (PSERS)
contribution is calculated as a percentage of a participating employees wages.
This year the cost was 21.40 percent. In the 2015-16 school year, the
contribution will rise to 25.84 percent and then increase each year until
2019-20 when the percentage will be 32.23."
Wilmington backs off large
tax increase, approves smaller one
By Mary Grzebieniak New Castle
News Posted: Wednesday,
June 17, 2015 4:00 am
Taxpayers in the Wilmington Area School District Wilmington ,
the 2015-16 payment will be $2,035,465, rising annually until 2019-20 when it
will be $2,841,543. The contribution is
calculated as a percentage of a participating employees wages. This year the
cost was 21.40 percent. In the 2015-16 school year, the contribution will rise
to 25.84 percent and then increase each year until 2019-20 when the percentage
will be 32.23.
"The district will use
$322,310 from its fund balance to cover the budget deficit. This will leave $3,469,988
in the fund balance, Schreck said."
Shenango adopts budget
with no tax increase
By John K. Manna New Castle News Posted: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 4:30 am
The Shenango school
board has adopted a $17 million budget for the 2015-16 school year.
The $17,045,751
spending plan, adopted by a unanimous vote of the board’s nine members on
Monday, represents an increase of $597,983 over the current year’s budget. It requires no increase in taxes. The
property tax is currently 12.36 mills. Payment
to the state’s Public Employees Retirement System and health insurance costs
account for the bulk of the spending increase, according to Superintendent Dr.
Michael Schreck. The district’s pension
cost will be $2,175,220, an increase of $427,375 over the current year. If the
district receives the same state reimbursement as last year, the cost would be
$1,918,795. Insurance costs, covering
medical, dental and vision for employees, will be $1,879,210, an increase of
$229,793.
"To cover the budget
deficit, the district will use approximately $2.9 million from its fund
balance. The fund balance currently has $7.7 million, she said."
By John K. Manna New Castle News Posted: Thursday, June 18, 2015 4:45 am
The Laurel school board has adopted a $19.1
million budget for the 2015-16 school year.
The $19,138,710 spending plan, representing an increase of $1,289,124
over the current year's budget, does not call for a tax increase. The property
tax is currently 12.49 mills. The budget
was approved by a 6-3 vote on Tuesday. Voting in favor were Timothy Redfoot,
Christopher Donegan, Justin Kirkwood, Kevin Patterson, Stephen Sickafuse and
Earl Williams. Opposing were Blaine Forbes, Jeff Hammerschmidt and Lance Nimmo. Salaries and benefits are the primary reasons
for the spending increase, according to business manager Mary Kosek
Philly.com by RYAN BRIGGS, THE NEXT MAYOR POSTED: Friday,
June 19, 2015, 12:50 PM
A dark money group
that pumped nearly $100,000 into the Philadelphia mayoral primary in the waning
days of the race last month appears to be tied to an obscure educational
consulting company based in Peoria, Ill, according to a
Federal Communications Commission document.
The head of that
consulting group helped found a Peoria charter
school that was raided by the FBI last year due to alleged ties to Turkey ’s
mysterious “Gülenist” political movement.
A non-profit called Leadership Matters, Inc. spent $93,000 on last minute political attack
ads targeting Jim Kenney, who eventually won the Democratic primary
May 19. Leadership Matters used a Washington , D.C.
English
Class in Common Core Era: ‘Tom Sawyer’ and Court Opinions
New York Times By KATE TAYLOR JUNE 19, 2015
In Harrison , N.Y. Springdale ,
Ark. Naples , Fla.
When Charters Go Union
Most charter school funders hate unions and
unions generally hate charters. But more and more charter teachers want to
unionize, and labor is helping them do it.
American Prospect by Rachel
M. Cohen
This is a sneak
peek at an article set to run in the upcoming Summer 2015 issue.
The April sun had
not yet risen in Los Angeles
when teachers from the city’s largest charter network—the Alliance
College-Ready Public Schools—gathered outside for a press conference to discuss
their new union drive. Joined by local labor leaders, politicians, student
alumni, and parents, the importance of the educators’ effort was not lost on
the crowd. If teachers were to prevail in winning collective bargaining rights
at Alliance ’s 26 schools, the audience
recognized, then L.A. ’s
education reform landscape would fundamentally change. For years, after all,
many of the most powerful charter backers had proclaimed that the key to
helping students succeed was union-free schools. One month earlier, nearly 70 Alliance
teachers and counselors had sent a letter to the administration announcing
their intent to join United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), the local teachers
union that represents the 35,000 educators who work in L.A. ’s public schools. The letter asked Alliance for a “fair and
neutral process”—one that would allow teachers to organize without fear of
retaliation. The administration offered no such reassurance. Indeed, April’s
press conference was called to highlight a newly discovered internal memo
circulating among Alliance
administrators that offered tips on how to best discourage staff from forming a
union. It also made clear that Alliance
would oppose any union, not just UTLA. “To continue providing what is best for
our schools and our students, the goal is no unionization, not which union,”
the memo said.
Come to Harrisburg
Education Voters PA website June 1, 2015
On June 23 at the Capitol in Harrisburg, Education Voters will be
joining together with more than 50 organizations to send a clear message to
state lawmakers that we expect them to fund our schools in this year’s
budget. Click
HERE for more information and to register for the June 23 All for Education Day
in Harrisburg. Join us as we speak up for the importance of
funding our schools fairly and at sufficient levels, so that every student in
PA has an opportunity to learn. Community,
parent, education advocacy, faith, and labor organizations will join together
with school, municipal, and community officials to hold a press conference and
rally at 12:00 in the main rotunda and to make arrangements to meet with
legislators before and after the rally. We
must send a strong message to state lawmakers that we are watching them and
expect them to pass a state budget that will fund our schools this year. Please
come to Harrisburg on June 23 to show broad support for a fair budget for
education this year.
Register Now – PAESSP
State Conference – Oct. 18-20 – State College, PA
Registration is now
open for PAESSP's State Conference to be held October 18-20 at The
Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College, PA! This year's
theme is @EVERYLEADER and features three nationally-known keynote
speakers (Dr. James Stronge, Justin Baeder and Dr. Mike Schmoker), professional
breakout sessions, a legal update, exhibits, Tech Learning Labs and many
opportunities to network with your colleagues (Monday evening event with Jay
Paterno). Once again, in conjunction
with its conference, PAESSP will offer two 30-hour Act 45 PIL-approved
programs, Linking Student Learning to Teacher Supervision and Evaluation
(pre-conference offering on 10/17/15); and Improving Student Learning
Through Research-Based Practices: The Power of an Effective Principal (held
during the conference, 10/18/15 -10/20/15). Register for either or both PIL
programs when you register for the Full Conference!
REGISTER TODAY for
the Conference and Act 45 PIL program/s at:
Apply
now for EPLC’s 2015-2016 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program
Applications are
available now for the 2015-2016
Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).
The Education Policy Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania by The
Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC).
With more than 400 graduates in its first sixteen years, this
Program is a premier professional development opportunity for educators, state
and local policymakers, advocates, and community leaders. State Board of
Accountancy (SBA) credits are available to certified public accountants. Past participants include state policymakers,
district superintendents and principals, charter school leaders, school
business officers, school board members, education deans/chairs, statewide
association leaders, parent leaders, education advocates, and other education
and community leaders. Fellows are typically sponsored by their employer
or another organization. The Fellowship
Program begins with a two-day retreat on September 17-18, 2015 and
continues to graduation in June 2016.
Click here to read about the Education Policy
Fellowship Program.
Sign up here to receive a weekly
email update on the status of efforts to have Pennsylvania adopt an adequate,
equitable, predictable and sustainable Basic Education Funding Formula by 2016
Sign up to support fair funding »
Campaign for Fair
Education Funding website
Our goal is to
ensure that every student has access to a quality education no matter where
they live. To make that happen, we need to fundamentally change how public
schools are funded. The current system is not fair to students or taxpayers and
our campaign partners – more than 50 organizations from across Pennsylvania -
agree that it has to be changed now. Student performance is stagnating. School
districts are in crisis. Lawmakers have the ability to change this formula but
they need to hear from you. You
can make a difference »
COMMUNITY MEETING: PUBLIC
SCHOOL FUNDING IN BERKS COUNTY
Berks County IU June 23,
7:00 - 8:30 pm
Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 Time:7:00 – 8:30 p.m. | Registration begins
at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Berks County Intermediate Unit, 1111 Commons Boulevard,
Reading, PA 19605
Local school district leaders will discuss how state funding issues are
impacting our children’s education opportunities, our local taxes, and our
communities. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn how you
can support fair and adequate state funding for public schools in Berks County. State lawmakers who represent Berks County
have been invited to attend to learn about challenges facing area schools.
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