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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for June 22, 2015:
School's out for summer; budget & school funding
formula
Deadline looming, no
budget in sight
The
GOP is considering submitting its own plan to Gov. Wolf by June 30.
ANGELA COULOUMBIS
AND CHRIS PALMER, INQUIRER STAFF
WRITERS POSTED: Sunday, June 21, 2015, 1:08 AM
“I think right now we have an
impasse between the Republicans and Gov. Wolf and unfortunately I think we
almost have to get past this June 30, end of the fiscal year, before both sides
realize they are going to have to give a little bit to get what they want,”
Vitali said.
Crunch time: Politicians
point fingers as state budget deadline nears
By Kristina Scala,
Delaware County Daily
Delaware County
lawmakers are expecting budget negotiations to extend past the deadline at the
end of June — and some continue to point fingers at their political
counterparts by claiming the vote that rejected Gov. Tom Wolf’s tax plan a few
weeks ago was an orchestrated political tactic. On June 1 the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously rejected Wolf’s tax plan that
would potentially pay for a $4.7 billion increase in spending, mostly to close
a gap in the underfunded school system and provide property tax relief. State Rep. Margo Davidson, D-164 of Upper Darby , called the maneuver a “political stunt” that
was “orchestrated to embarrass” Wolf and Democrats.
As Pa.
Penn Live By The Associated Press on June
21, 2015 at 12:16 PM
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)
— The new fiscal year for Pennsylvania state government begins July 1 and
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and leaders of
the Republican-controlled Legislature are meeting regularly in an effort to
reach agreement on granting the state another year of spending authority. The
sides have had little, if any, progress to show. Other subjects are in the mix
as well. Here is a rundown.
What will blow up the
budget? One word - 'Pensions': Tony May
PennLive Op-Ed By Tony May on June 21, 2015 at 11:00
AM
Just 90 words in a
letter from a mid-level program analyst in the Department of Labor and Industry
to a handful of state human service providers warning of the mere possibility
of a failure to pass a 2015-16 budget by July 1 is all that it took last week
to raise the specter of the disruptions of Commonwealth funding crises of the
past. "Although we do not
anticipate a delay in the budget being passed, if it is not passed by July 1,
2015, there will be no funds available to continue state-funded projects and
programs until the time that the budget is passed. As such, organizations
with limited funding sources should make contingency plans in the event there
is a delay," the program analyst wrote in an advisory to some two dozen
agencies that provide services to individuals under contracts with the
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
It's budget time - get
ready for a long, hot summer: Charlie Gerow
PennLive Op-Ed By Charlie Gerow on June 21, 2015 at
11:15 AM
As PennLive/The Patriot-News graphically
pointed out on the front page of its Sunday print edition on June 14, things have
been a bit rough for Gov. Tom Wolf lately.
It was a negative
trifecta: He was forced to back down on his failed nominee for State Police
commissioner, then had to agree to seat Erik Arneson in the Office of Open
Records and, finally, he acknowledged that the so-called "structural
deficit" is only about half of what he repeatedly told us it is. Ninety days after Tom Wolf announced his
budget proposal there's finally agreement on the amount of the foundational
predicate of his massive tax-and-spend plan. The negotiators have concluded
that the structural deficit is $1.2 billion.
Vetoes on liquor, pensions
on table for Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf
Trib Live By Brad
Bumsted Sunday, June 21, 2015, 11:20 p.m.
HARRISBURG — Anthony May said he has no doubt that Gov. Tom Wolf has the political fortitude in a little more than a week to veto pension or liquor reform bills and a state budget, if necessary, to emphasize his priorities. “What does he have to lose by throwing down two or three vetoes?” said May, a former top aide to the late Democratic Gov. Robert P. Casey. It may be necessary to protect the issues on which Wolf campaigned last year as the Republican-controlled Legislature and the Democratic governor stare down the eight remaining days until they must sign a budget into law.
HARRISBURG — Anthony May said he has no doubt that Gov. Tom Wolf has the political fortitude in a little more than a week to veto pension or liquor reform bills and a state budget, if necessary, to emphasize his priorities. “What does he have to lose by throwing down two or three vetoes?” said May, a former top aide to the late Democratic Gov. Robert P. Casey. It may be necessary to protect the issues on which Wolf campaigned last year as the Republican-controlled Legislature and the Democratic governor stare down the eight remaining days until they must sign a budget into law.
Read more:http://triblive.com/politics/politicalheadlines/8597738-74/liquor-bill-budget#ixzz3dmrlXWcu
"The fact that the
15-member Basic Education Funding Commission unanimously endorsed the proposal,
which now goes before the Legislature and Gov. Tom Wolf, speaks volumes about
its ability to balance the interests of rural and urban schools, rich and poor
districts, growing and shrinking communities."
PPG Editorial: Fair formula: A bipartisan panel finds
a better way on education
Post Gazette By the
Editorial Board June 21, 2015 12:00 AM
When it comes to
funding education in Pennsylvania ,
how the money is allotted is as important as how much. With that in mind, a
bipartisan commission created a year ago by Gov. Tom Corbett and the
Legislature finished its work last week and proposed a sensible overhaul of the
formula that allocates state money to 500 school districts. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have
been frustrated by the way education dollars are distributed because the
current framework ignores some key cost drivers and bases much of a school
district’s allocation on what it received the previous year. As a result, similar districts that sit near
each other can receive widely different amounts per student and districts that
face spiking costs that are beyond their control can get nothing extra from the
state to help cover them.
State lawmakers on the Basic Education Funding Commission released their report Thursday, its key element a
proposed formula for distributing money to public schools. Pennsylvania is one of only a few states
without a consistent funding formula; it last had such a formula in the 1990-91
school year. In its quest to arrive at a new formula, the Basic Education
Funding Commission heard testimonies from more than 110 school leaders,
academics, business leaders, nonprofit groups and parents in 15 hearings across
the state. That sound you heard Thursday across Pennsylvania was a
collective “phew” from school administrators who have been setting their
budgets in the dark for far too long. For
years, they have been unable to predict just how much money they could count on
getting from the state. The
school-funding process lacks “consistency, predictability, sustainability,
adequacy and fairness,” wrote former Solanco School District
Superintendent Martin Hudacs in an LNP op-ed in March. Now, however, there’s hope in sight, and for
that, we laud the bipartisan, 15-member Basic Education Funding Commission.
DN Editorial:
Dysfunctional pols realize school funding formula needs fixing/jbe
Philly Daily News Editorial POSTED: Monday, June 22, 2015, 12:16 AM
HOW BROKEN is Pennsylvania 's school
funding formula? So broken that the
Legislature actually decided to do something about it. It created a bipartisan commission to study
the current formula and come up with a new, more workable and fairer one. The Basic Education Funding Commission
released its report and recommendations last week and it contains a lot of good
news for the Philadelphia
School District
Capitolwire: Banner day at
the capitol for public education.
PA Coalition of
Public Charter Schools website By Christen Smith Staff Reporter
– Capitolwire June 19, 2015
HARRISBURG (June 18)
— A rare mood struck the General Assembly Thursday when the Basic Education
Funding Commission announced its recommendation for a new funding formula. For just one day, the usual partisan bickering over public education took a
backseat as lawmakers crossed the aisle to pat each other on the back and
commend one another for “a job well done.”
Even Gov. Tom Wolf was all smiles as he sat sandwiched between the two
Republican commission co-chairs, Rep. Mike Vereb, R-Montgomery, and Sen. Pat
Browne, R-Lehigh, during a press conference in the governor’s reception room. “This is a big step forward for the people of
Pennsylvania
and for our education system,” Wolf said. “I think it’s a really strong
statement and it’s a sign we can actually reach across party lines and across
the aisle to do really important things for the people of Pennsylvania .”
Basic Education Funding Commission releases report
Education Voters of Pennsylvania
The fundamental key
to school funding is student learning: enough resources and fairness, which
means providing every child a chance to learn and meet state standards. The key
to fixing school funding is having a rational way to drive out funding and
fixing what is inequitable now. We are very glad both aspects of this were
acknowledged by the Commission members in the release of the report. The Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC)
has started us on the road to fixing school funding by providing a framework
for rational ways to deal with student and district characteristics. However,
there is much to be done to ensure that funding is allocated at levels
sufficient to meet the learning needs of every student. The General Assembly is
going to have to step up and make a commitment this year, and in future years,
to support the good efforts of their colleagues on the Commission and invest in
education in a way that provides every child in every community with a fair
shot. We need to deal with what is
unfair now, as well as how to move forward fairly. A formula is only as
good as the funding it drives out.
The typical
politician looks at any new proposal and wonders how it will benefit their
district. That reflex will need to be repressed for a new way of funding public
schools to pass the state Legislature. The
bipartisan Basic Education Funding Commission on Thursday unveiled a proposed formula to distribute state dollars to
school districts. Commission members say the new method would help Pennsylvania move away from
the current unfair and unpredictable system. Some districts would benefit from the proposed changes more than others,
but no district would get less money than before. For that reason, two Lancaster County
Basic
Education Funding Commission report This is the Basic Education Funding Commission's final report on
“The commission has
recognized the significant and unique challenges facing schools that serve our
most vulnerable learners,” said Deborah Gordon Klehr, executive director of the
Education Law Center-Pennsylvania, which has sued the state over what it says
is inadequate and unfair school funding."
A Pennsylvania state commission has proposed
a funding formula that would send more tax dollars to school districts
that serve high numbers of needy children, including those who are poor or who
are learning English as a second language.
Advocates welcomed the commission’s unanimous recommendations as a first
step toward fixing Pennsylvania ’s
school funding system, which is the most inequitable in the nation, according
to federal data. The state’s poorest
school districts get one-third fewer state and local tax dollars, per pupil,
than the richest.
Did you catch our weekend
postings?
PA Ed Policy Roundup June 20: Some weekend reading: PA
Basic Ed Funding Commission has published its 105-page final report
Clergy fasting on Capitol
steps for education funding
Philly.com
by Laura McCrystal LAST UPDATED: Saturday, June 20, 2015, 1:20 PM
POSTED: Saturday, June 20, 2015, 12:54 PM
A group of religious
leaders began a 10-day fast Saturday on the steps of the state Capitol in Harrisburg to rally for
increased education funding. POWER, or
Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower and Rebuild, began the protest
Saturday morning with a Shabbat service, led by two rabbis from Philadelphia . On Sunday,
the 20 fasters will set up shop in a tent on the steps of the Capitol. POWER spokeswoman Margaret Ernst said the
group wants the state to dedicate an additional $3.6 billion to Pennsylvania schools –
far more than the $400 million in additional funding proposed by Gov. Wolf this
year. The group also has advocated for a
formula to determine how funding should be allocated among school districts. A
bipartisan commission of state lawmakers last week proposed such a formula,
giving weight to factors such as poverty, non-English speaking students, and
charter payments.
Religious alliance stages
'Moral Takeover' at Pa.
By Matt Miller | mmiller@pennlive.com Email
the author | Follow on Twitter on
June 20, 2015 at 5:23 PM, updated June 20, 2015 at 10:14 PM
For at least the
next 10 days, Pennsylvania 's
Capitol will be under siege.
The besiegers are
members of an interfaith alliance who are staging what they call a "Moral
Takeover" of the seat of state government to try to convince legislators
to approve a massive boost in funding for public education. No slings or arrows will be involved. The weapons of choice will be prayer, fasting
and perseverance. Base camp for the expedition will be Grace United
Methodist Church State Street ,
almost in the shadow of the Capitol dome.
Educating funding formula
impact unknown in region
The Bradford Era By ALEX DAVIS Era Reporter a.davis@bradfordera.com | 0 comments Posted: Saturday, June 20, 2015 10:00
am
School districts
across the region are one step closer to potentially receiving their fair share
of basic education funding, a move that an area superintendent says could bring
a financial windfall over the next few years.
But another official says it’s too early to know just how the proposed
basic education funding formula would impact local school districts. On Thursday, the Basic Education Funding
Commission recommended a formula that would need General Assembly approval.
Under the proposal, several factors would be taken into account in distributing
money to the 500 school districts in the commonwealth, such as poverty, student
population, English language learners and charter school enrollment. A
“sparsity size adjustment” would also be included, which is designed to adjust
funding due to the “unique challenges” that small, rural school districts face. “At this time it is premature to make any
assumptions regarding how the Basic Education Funding Commission’s recommended
formula would impact any districts, as no set amount of funding has yet been
allocated by the legislature and also because the formula has yet to be voted
on,” said Pamela Lenz, circuit rider for Pennsylvania Campaign for Fair
Education Funding. Over the course of many months, she has been focusing on a
goal for fair education funding and that has included working with school
district officials across the region.
State reaction to Basic Education Funding Commission
report
The Sentinel Cumberlink
by Sentinel
Staff June 21, 2015
On Thursday, state
politicians and education organizations reacted positively to the final report
issued by the Basic Education Funding Commission. The commission spent about a
year creating a plan for the fair distribution of state allocations to local
school districts.
“The time is now for
a bipartisan effort to move the funding formula across the final finish line
and pass legislation putting it into place. A formula will go a long way to
help school entities develop their annual budgets. Additionally, a formula will
help with the equitable distribution of school funding to alleviate the current
disparities in how state dollars are allocated.” — Nathan Mains, executive
director of the Pennsylvania School Board Association.
“By giving
additional weight to students living in poverty — especially to those living in
concentrated poverty — the commission has recognized the significant and unique
challenges facing schools that serve our most vulnerable learners. Such
districts are often hit with a double whammy; they must serve the most at-risk
students while struggling to raise local revenue even as they tax at relatively
high rates.” — Deborah Gordon Klehr, executive director of the Education Law
Center-PA “This is a promising
set of recommendations. Members of the commission are making a concerted effort
to fund students—not systems, districts, or buildings. This is a sharp
departure from the status quo and much-needed step in the right direction.” —
James Paul, senior policy analyst for the Commonwealth Foundation
Education funding top
issue
Standard Speaker BY
ROBERT SWIFT, HARRISBURG BUREAU CHIEF Published: June 18, 2015
What is Act 1 and how did
it impact property taxes and school funding?
WHYY
Newsworks/Keystone Crossroads/the notebook BY ALLISON WELTON JUNE 22, 2015 MULTIPLE CHOICES: PART 15
Fifteenth in an
occasional series of podcasts and web
"explainers."
What is Act 1?
Act 1 is a property
tax relief bill passed by the Pennsylvania
legislature in 2006 and amended in 2011. It greatly expanded rebates and
exemptions for senior citizens and provided rebates for other homeowners. It
also set a cap on the amount a school district can raise property taxes without
first getting voter approval. The cap is
calculated with an eye toward allowing school districts to cover normal
inflationary cost increases. If a school district wishes to raise taxes above
that cap, the increase must be voted on in a district-wide referendum.
Districts may avoid the referendum if they qualify for one of four exceptions
related to increased costs for special education, school construction, employee
retirement funds, and certain school debt scenarios.
"Like most school
districts, North Allegheny is struggling to pay increased payments into the Pennsylvania School
Tax increase likely in North Allegheny
School District
Post Gazette By
Sandy Trozzo June 20, 2015 9:34 AM
The North Allegheny school board will likely
vote Wednesday to increase taxes in order to avoid cuts to programs,
including elimination of a popular one-to-one technology initiative. The board will consider two versions of a
$144.2 million budget. Both versions were requested by board members. "The reason the board requested two
budget scenarios is because we need to consider what things would look like if
a millage increase is not approved this year,” said board President Tara
Fisher. “For comparison purposes, it’s important that the board understand the
nature and the extent of any proposed cuts necessary to balance the budget
without a tax increase."
"The
end game in Nevada is pretty simple, pretty
clear, and pretty close: the voucher program marks the
end of any semblance of commitment to public education and the beginning of a completely privatized system of
schools for Nevada Nevada , it will not be
good for students, it will not be good for Nevada
Mirage: 5 Reasons Nevada
Education Week
Opinion By Peter Greene on June 18, 2015 9:06 AM
Charter-choice fans
are ecstatic. Nevada 's
GOP legislature has decided to go all in on a state-wide voucher program. "I think a healthy public school system
has choice," says Sen. Scott Hammond, bill sponsor and future
charter school chief. The move was also lauded by Patricia
Levesque, who is currently the head of Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in
Education, the organization that helped Nevada
write the legislation. The Thomas B.
Fordham Institute is so delighted that they've devoted a few weeks of bloggy wonkathonning to
talking about how awesome this will be. It
will not be awesome. Here are five reasons that Nevada 's imagined future of choice-driven
most excellent unicorn farming is just a mirage.
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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