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PA Ed Policy Roundup for July 14, 2015:
Should schools receiving public tax dollars via
EITC/OSTC tax credit programs be permitted to discriminate in hiring and firing
practices?
Blogger commentary: PA
legislators considering substantial increases in Pennsylvania 's "successful"
EITC/OSTC programs would do well to review today's news and opinions regarding
the firing of what appears to be an experienced and well-qualified employee solely
on the basis of her sexual orientation.
Perhaps Archbishop Chaput should consider the same level of responsibility,
zeal and principle in returning those public tax dollars and refusing to accept
any additional public funds, especially since they come at the expense, dollar
for dollar, of every public school student in the state.
------------------------
"The RAND
study is believed to be the first of its kind at the state level. It follows a
2009 study by McKinsey & Co. that examined the impact of economic gaps on U.S. schools as
a whole. Pennsylvania performs quite well on such
measures as students' test scores and graduation rates when stacked up against
other states. But it has among the biggest disparities in performance among
different demographic groups. And it has
the nation's widest gulf between spending in rich and poor school districts,
according to the National
Center for Education Statistics."
Rand Corp to Pa. : Closing achievement
gaps worth big money
KRISTEN A.
GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST
UPDATED: Tuesday, July 14, 2015, 1:07 AM
POSTED: Monday, July 13, 2015, 5:34 PM
If Pennsylvania closed gaps in student
achievement, the payoff would be enormous, according to a study released
Monday. Had the Commonwealth wiped out achievement shortfalls based on race and
ethnicity, family economic status, and parental education a decade ago, its
gross domestic product would be as much as $44 billion higher and its students
would sit near the top of U.S.
and world rankings, according to the analysis by the RAND Corp. The study, commissioned by Temple University 's
Center on Regional Politics, found that each group of Pennsylvania students stands to gain up to
$5.1 billion in lifetime income earnings and overall benefit to society if
graduation-rate gaps fall away. "This
puts precision on an intuitive feeling," said Joseph P. McLaughlin Jr.,
director of the center. "We have a potential to really give the economy a
boost if we eliminate gaps going forward."
The work comes at a crucial time, with lawmakers in Harrisburg still unsettled on a state budget
and an education-funding formula. A bipartisan Basic Education Funding
Commission has recommended that the state plow more money into supporting
economically challenged students.
PA School Funding Lawsuit: PA Supreme
Court Timeline
Thorough and
Efficient website JULY 13, 2015BGRIMALDI2015LEAVE
A COMMENT
The Pennsylvania
Supreme Court recently issued a briefing schedule for the school funding
lawsuit. We will file our brief by September 18, 2015. State officials will
have 45 days to respond.
"Whether the
religious-liberty principle applies to faith-based institutions that accept
public money is under debate. Waldron Mercy, a 92-year-old private coed school
with 532 students, has received more than $270,000 in state tax credits in the
last two years, and more than 70 students have received financial aid since 2005
under a program called the Educational Improvement Tax Credit, according to the
school's website."
Chaput: Waldron right to fire gay teacher
Chaput: Waldron right to fire gay teacher
KATHY
BOCCELLA, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST
UPDATED: Tuesday, July 14, 2015, 1:07 AM POSTED: Monday, July 13,
2015, 3:25 PM
Philadelphia
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said Monday that the Mercy Sisters who run Waldron
Mercy Academy showed "character and common sense" in firing a lesbian
teacher who has been married since 2007.
In his first direct comment since the firing became public last week -
after parents of two students found out about the marriage and complained -
Chaput said in a statement, "Schools describing themselves as Catholic
take on the responsibility of teaching and witnessing the Catholic faith in a
manner true to Catholic belief. "There's
nothing complicated or controversial in this. It's a simple matter of honesty. "I'm very grateful to the Religious
Sisters of Mercy and to the principal and board members of Waldron Mercy for
taking the steps to ensure that the Catholic faith is presented in a way fully
in accord with the teaching of the church. They've shown character and common
sense at a moment when both seem to be uncommon."
Archbishop: School That
Fired Gay Teacher Showed 'Character'
ABC News By
MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press
Roman Catholic
school officials who fired a married gay teacher are not seeking controversy
but showed "character and common sense" by following church
teachings, Philadelphia 's
archbishop said Monday. Archbishop
Charles J. Chaput, in a statement, thanked Waldron Mercy
Academy leaders "for
taking the steps to ensure that the Catholic faith is presented ... in accord
with the teaching of the church. They've shown character and common sense at a
moment when both seem to be uncommon."
The church opposes gay marriage. Of homosexuals, Pope Francis has said:
"Who am I to judge?" Teacher
Margie Winters recently told a newspaper that she lost her job last month as
religious instruction director even though she had told the school about her
same-sex marriage when she was hired in 2007. She was told she could be open
about her marriage with faculty but not with parents at the school, Winters
told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
"So that's what
I've done," Winters said. "I've never been open. And that's been
hard." Nonetheless, she said, a few
parents found out and complained to the school or the archdiocese. She was
fired after she refused a request to resign, Winters said. "In the Mercy spirit, many of us accept
life choices that contradict current church teachings," Principal Nell
Stetser said in a letter to parents obtained by the Inquirer, "but to
continue as a Catholic school, Waldron Mercy must comply with those
teachings."
"Critics, including Gov.
Tom Wolf, call this a "back door voucher" system; critics also
maintain that the program directs public money to private schools with no
oversight or regulations. Scholarships aren't limited to low-income students;
currently, a family could be making over $100,000 a year and qualify. The law says that the tax credits don't
constitute public dollars, since the money never gets to the state's general
fund, but is instead diverted to these programs. But taxpayers might think
otherwise - since every dollar that goes to the tax credits is effectively siphoned
from the revenue the state could be collecting. Last year, $150 million went to
scholarships that allowed students to attend. That amount could increase to
$250 million next year."
DN Editorial: TO THEIR TAX
CREDIT ...
Scholarship
program lacks oversight, social accountability
Philly Daily News Editorial POSTED: Monday, July 13, 2015, 12:16 AM
THE FIRING OF
teacher Margie Winters by Waldron
Mercy Academy
in Merion on the basis of Winters' marriage to another woman comes at a time
that guaranteed this to be a hot-button issue.
It's just weeks after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the legality
of gay marriage, and months away from a visit from the pope, who is known for
his messages of love, forgiveness and his suggestion of tolerance for gays. Layer
this on top of many Catholics struggling to reconcile their faith against
decades of church scandals involving child abuse by priests. Many Waldron Mercy parents have rallied in
support of Winters. Ultimately, resolving this issue will be up to the church
and the school. But there's another
issue related to this incident that should concern us all: Waldron Mercy is the
recipient of hundreds of thousands of dollars of state tax credits as part of a
state program that allows companies to divert their corporate tax bill to
support schools and scholarship funds that benefit students of private and
parochial schools (as well as public schools). State Sen. Daylin Leach
publicized the fact that this year alone, Waldron Mercy received nearly
$200,000 in donations via the program.
Philadelphia Archbishop
Chaput praises Waldron over firing of gay teacher
West Chester Daily Local By Andy Stettler, astettler@mainlinemedianews.com, @andystettler on Twitter POSTED: 07/13/15, 1:24 PM EDT
Eleven days after a Waldron Mercy Academy
director was allegedly fired for being in a same-sex marriage, the Philadelphia
Archdiocese has said it had no involvment in the decision to fire the woman. In
a statement released Monday, however, Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput
said he is “grateful” to those who made the desicion. “Schools describing themselves as Catholic
take on the responsibility of teaching and witnessing the Catholic faith in a
manner true to Catholic belief. There’s nothing complicated or controversial in
this. It’s a simple matter of honesty,” Chaput writes. I’m very grateful to the Religious Sisters of
Mercy and to the principal and board members of Waldron Mercy for taking the
steps to ensure that the Catholic faith is presented in a way fully in accord
with the teaching of the Church. They’ve shown character and common sense at a
moment when both seem to be uncommon,” Chaput writes. Margie Winters, director of religious education,
was fired this summer, according to a letter from the elementary school’s
principal Nell Stetser. Although the
reasons for the firing have been kept confidential, Stetser refers to “life
choices” as a potential reason for Winters’ termination.
Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC)
Waldron Mercy
Academy website July 2015
The program provides
tax credits to eligible businesses contributing to an Opportunity
Scholarship Organization. Business contributions are then used by
Opportunity Scholarship Organizations to provide tuition assistance in the
form of scholarships to eligible students residing within the boundaries
of a low-achieving school to attend another public school outside of their
district or nonpublic school. A low-achieving school is defined as a
public elementary or secondary school ranking in the bottom 15 percent of
their designation as an elementary or secondary school based upon combined
math and reading Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) scores. Over the past two years, Waldron Mercy has
received more than $270,000 in OSTC funds. This has enabled us to award
scholarships to more than 30 students for whom a WMA education would not
otherwise have been possible.
Late afternoon budget
meeting yields little progress toward compromise
The PLS Reporter Author: Jason Gottesman/Monday, July 13,
2015
A late afternoon
budget negotiation session between legislative Republican leaders and Gov. Tom
Wolf yielded little in terms of getting to a final budget product, but
negotiators find some positive in that meetings will continue. “[There is a] significant gulf,” said House
Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) upon leaving the meeting. “The governor has
not moved off of any of his massive tax increase proposals and it presents
difficulty because the public does not support his tax increases and he doesn’t
have the votes in the chambers for it.” “That’s
really it,” he said as he walked away from a gaggle of reporters. However, it was Gov. Wolf who blamed Speaker
Turzai for holding up negotiations—particularly as it relates to a natural gas
severance tax, a key piece of the governor’s education funding plan. “The thing that stunned me the most was the
Speaker’s continued intransigence on the severance tax,” Gov. Wolf said of his
takeaway from the meeting. “He’d rather do good things for his friends in the
oil and gas industry than help find a way to fund schools.” Gov. Wolf said the Speaker was “clearest” of
all Republican negotiators in opposition to a natural gas severance tax. That being said, as Republicans left the
Monday afternoon negotiating session, those speaking to reporters expressed
some level of skepticism toward a severance tax, though none explicitly said
it’s off the table.
No budget breakthrough as Wolf, legislative
Republicans meet
Morning Call By Mark Scolforo Of the Associated Press July 13, 2015
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)
— Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf met in private Monday with leaders of the Republican
majorities in the Legislature, but both sides reported no breakthrough in what
has become a two-week budget standoff. Wolf
said afterward he wants to "move beyond the posturing" and toward
more substantial discussions. "Whatever
we've been doing over the last however many months has not led to a very
productive set of conversations," Wolf said. Senate President Pro
Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, described the current level of acrimony as
probably the highest he's seen, and he said it was coming from both sides. He
was hard-pressed to describe any progress during the talks, which included a
short private meeting at the end between him and the governor. "Nobody got up and walked out of the
room," Scarnati said. "I've been in budget meetings before where
people just got up and (said) this meeting's over. That didn't happen, so look,
I'm trying to see the glass is half full."
Wolf: GOP leader won't
budge on shale tax
ANGELA
COULOUMBIS, INQUIRER HARRISBURG BUREAU LAST
UPDATED: Tuesday, July 14, 2015, 1:08 AM POSTED: Monday, July 13,
2015, 6:38 PM
"Bravo, then to Wolf
representing us against Royal Dutch Shell, PIOGA and BP. It is what he is
supposed to do."
Wolf is right to push for
a severance tax on Big Gas: Steve Todd
PennLive Op-Ed By Steve Todd on July 13, 2015 at
2:00 PM, updated July 13, 2015 at 6:39 PM
Steve Todd is executive director of Todd
Engineering LLC.
In a recent op-Ed on
PennLive, Louis D. D'Amico of the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas
Association claimed that "some in Harrisburg have commented that the severance
tax is the "pelt" that the Wolf administration demands." Who in
Harrisburg
calls it this? I know a lot of folks in Harrisburg and have never heard one person
call it anything except "our cut of the action", or "a severance
tax". Perhaps D'Amico and I know different people in Harrisburg . The reason our Gov. Tom Wolf - whom
Pennsylvanians elected by a landslide, some say as a protest vote against
D'Amico's ally, former GOP Gov. Tom Corbett - mentions this tax so often
is because getting it is so important to us. Bravo, then to Wolf representing us against
Royal Dutch Shell, PIOGA and British Petroleum. It is what he is supposed to
do. Oil and gas should thrive or fail as
the free market commands. It shouldn't do either, and should not have any more
right to try than any other competitor, without paying its share of the take.
Gov. Tom Wolf visits Pittsburgh to push for
education funding
WPXI Posted: 3:40
p.m. Monday, July 13, 2015
“We have underfunded
education. We have played with the budget. We have done things the wrong way.
We cannot keep doing that. We've got to stop it,” Wolf said.
During one of two
stops in Pennsylvania Monday, Wolf spoke
outside Ross Elementary School in the North Hills,
attempting to sell his budget to voters.
Wolf promotes budget plan
during visit to Bellefonte Area High School
BELLEFONTE — Pennsylvania
residents have a serious choice to make, Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday — a bright
and promising future invested in education or one built on a plan that’s been
tried and doesn’t work. Wolf called out
state lawmakers and residents during a stop at Bellefonte
Area High
School as part of his “Schools that Teach” tour — stops at
school districts around the state with discussion focused on the four core
elements facing Pennsylvania . The first, he said, is the focus on investing
in schools and education. Every child in the state needs a good education, he
said, so we can have the economy we want.
“If we don’t invest in education, we’re not going to have good
students,” he said. “We’re not going to have a good future. That’s just a
fact.”
Investing in schools can be accomplished by the second element, he
said — a “modest, reasonable severance tax” on the state’s flourishing gas
industry.
Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2015/07/13/4834012_wolf-promotes-budget-plan-during.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2015/07/13/4834012_wolf-promotes-budget-plan-during.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
Wolf rallies for school
funding in GOP Senate boss' district - tempers fray as budget standoff hits
Week 3: Analysis
Penn Live By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on July 13, 2015 at 1:05 PM
on July 13, 2015 at 1:05 PM
So how can you tell
when things have taken a turn for
the worse in the ongoing standoff over the state budget? That'd be when Gov. Tom Wolf takes his"Schools That Teach" education
funding tour deep into the home district of PennsylvaniaSenate Majority Leader Jake Corman and forgets to tell him
that he'll be stopping by for tea, crumpets and heaping helping of rhetoric. "I wasn't
invited," a visibly peeved Corman,
R-Centre, said during a quick conversation in his Capitol office this
morning. "I found out about it late yesterday." In case you're wondering why this matters,
it's a longstanding tradition for governors and other elected officials to send
advance word, and an invite, when they plan on holding an event in a lawmakers'
district.
Hints of a stop-gap budget
in Pa. , but
no big breakthrough
WHYY Newsworks by
Mary Wilson, jJuly 14, 2015
A top Republican
lawmaker suggested Monday that Pennsylvania
may need a short-term budget as a compromise on a full spending plan proves elusive. "The
Senate Republicans (and) the House Republicans don't want to see services for
the most vulnerable in the commonwealth ... held up," said Senate
President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, as he emerged from a private
meeting with Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. The
one-on-one meeting followed a larger confab between the governor and all four
Republican legislative leaders. "I'm
open to all kinds of conversations," said Wolf after the meeting, when
asked about his willingness to sign a stop-gap budget agreement. Pennsylvania
is entering its third week without a spending plan for the current fiscal year,
and there is no apparent compromise on the horizon.
Republicans, Gov. Tom Wolf
battle over proposed tax increases
Penn Live By Christian Alexandersen |
calexandersen@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on July 13, 2015 at 6:40 PM, updated July 13, 2015 at 8:35 PM
on July 13, 2015 at 6:40 PM, updated July 13, 2015 at 8:35 PM
Republican lawmakers
say the biggest proposal holding up budget negotiations is Gov. Tom Wolf's tax increases while
the Democratic governor says it's unwilling negotiators. Wolf met with Republican leaders Monday for
ongoing budget negotiations after thegovernor vetoed the GOP-crafted budget in
June. Republicans lawmakers criticized the governor for not
compromising on his "massive" and "broad-based" tax
increases. Wolf has proposed increasing
several taxes -- including those on sales and use, personal income, cigarettes
and gas drilling -- to raise public education funding and provide for property
taxes. House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, said
Wolf's "massive tax increase" proposal presents difficulty in negotiating
the budget. The public doesn't want their taxes increased and there's not
enough support in the House or Senate to pass them anyway, Turzai said. House Majority Leader Dave Reed,
R-Indiana, said the governor's "broad-based" tax increases have
continued to be hold-out in moving forward with negotiations.
Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati said
the Republican majorities in the House and Senate have been clear that they
don't want to rely on broad-based tax increases for ongoing revenue.
House Democrats won't
split with Gov. Wolf on budget, lawmaker says
Trib Live By Brad
Bumsted Monday, July 13, 2015, 5:21 p.m.
HARRISBURG — House Democrats from the Pittsburgh area won't cave in and vote to override Gov. Tom Wolf's veto of a Republican-crafted, no-tax-hike state budget, the Allegheny County delegation chairman said Monday. Rep. Dom Costa ofStanton Heights
responded to a Tribune-Review story in which House Speaker Mike Turzai,
R-Marshall, predicted Western Pennsylvania Democrats eventually would join
Republicans in an override vote of the Democratic governor's veto. “I don't want (Republicans) thinking they can
wait this out,” Costa said. “I know for a fact the votes are not there — and
they will not be there. The D's are not going to budge.” Most analysts view that as an issue ripe for
fall, if the budget impasse continues and funding for schools and nonprofit
organizations runs low.
HARRISBURG — House Democrats from the Pittsburgh area won't cave in and vote to override Gov. Tom Wolf's veto of a Republican-crafted, no-tax-hike state budget, the Allegheny County delegation chairman said Monday. Rep. Dom Costa of
Senate GOP leader: Shale
tax may be considered with offsetting legislation
Trib Live By Brad
Bumsted Monday, July 13, 2015, 3:51 p.m.
HARRISBURG —
Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman isn't ruling out a severance tax on natural
gas as a potential solution to the 14-day state budget stalemate. Corman, a key budget negotiator, emphasized
Monday he is not advocating the tax that Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf wants. “If we can put together a package that
benefits the industry, we might be willing to consider it,” Corman, R-Centre County , told the Tribune-Review on
Friday. Asked to elaborate Monday,
Corman noted the natural gas industry pays Pennsylvania $225 million a year through the
state's impact fee, approved by lawmakers in 2012. With gas prices low, “we
cannot take action that would damage this valuable vehicle for economic
development and job creation,” he said. “At
the same time, if we could tailor a tax that may also have provisions that
would allow the industry to continue to develop and maintain job growth, then
it might be something we consider.”
The
commonwealth is one of five states that failed to compromise on a spending plan
by July 1, as required.
SAM JANESCH, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER POSTED: Monday,
July 13, 2015, 1:08 AM
As of Friday, the
commonwealth was one of five states required to pass a budget by July 1 that
still had not. Of them, three have
agreed on temporary spending plans to keep services and payments flowing -
unlike Pennsylvania ,
which has lost some of its spending authority.
Gov. Wolf has said that his administration will do everything it can to
minimize the impact of a stalemate, but that it is important to him to get a
strong final product. "We have to
have a budget, and we will agree on a budget," the first-term Democrat
told reporters last week. "I just can't predict how long it's going to
take."
"Governor Wolf has
proposed to cap cyber school tuition payments to corporate operating companies
at $5,950 per regular education students and use the special education funding
formula to determine the rate for special education students. This makes sense What doesn't make sense is that our area
lawmakers continue to support their broken system that mandates our local
school districts pay tuition of $9,000-$28,000 per student per year to
corporate cyber school operating companies, especially since these cyber
schools are among the very lowest performing schools in the state."
Letter: Cyber funding
reform
Chambersburg Public Opinion
by Petra
Rueter, Shippensburg 07/13/2015 03:11:49 PM EDT
In their recently
vetoed state budget, Republican lawmakers sided with corporations over children
once again. The GOP budget rejected Governor Wolf's proposal to save PA school
districts $160 million per year (more than $5 million for Cumberland
and Franklin County school districts) simply by
eliminating overpayments to corporate cyber charter school operating companies. School districts can
provide high-quality cyber school education for $6,000 per student per year or
less. Governor Wolf has proposed to cap cyber school tuition payments to
corporate operating companies at $5,950 per regular education students and use
the special education funding formula to determine the rate for special
education students. This makes sense. What doesn't make
sense is that our area lawmakers continue to support their broken system that
mandates our local school districts pay tuition of $9,000-$28,000 per student
per year to corporate cyber school operating companies, especially since these
cyber schools are among the very lowest performing schools in the state.
When Republican
lawmakers decide to go back to Harrisburg
and get serious about negotiating a real budget, they must put cyber charter
school funding reform on the table. If they don't, voters should certainly
question their priorities. Any lawmaker who fights to protect the profits of
corporate cyber charter school operating companies at the expense of our local
school districts is most certainly not representing the best interests of the
taxpayers and children in our communities.
By Sara K. Satullo | For
lehighvalleylive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on July 13, 2015 at 6:30 AM,
updated July 13, 2015 at 12:07 PM
The Allentown School District is
trying a new approach to get students that drop out to return to school. "We're not sending them back into the
old environment because that didn't work," Superintendent Russell Mayo said. This fall the district is opening a
re-engagement center in its William
Penn Building ,
located at 401 Allen St.
in the city. The first of its kind in
the Lehigh Valley , the center aims to track down
students that have dropped out and find ways to help them overcome the
obstacles that caused them to leave school. Students, ages 16-24. will be able
to earn their high school diploma or GED through non-traditional avenues.
Penn Live By M. Diane McCormick | Special to
PennLive on July 13, 2015 at 9:13 PM, updated July 13,
2015 at 10:31 PM
At the end of her
first day on the job on Monday, new Harrisburg School District Chief Recovery
Officer Audrey Utley congratulated the school board for establishing fiscal
stability, and she promised to leverage available resources toward academic
progress. Utley was appointed on July 6 by
Pennsylvania Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera to replace former CRO Gene
Veno. While Veno helped the district reach solid financial ground under a
state-approved recovery plan, test scores continued falling, and
teachers lacked curriculum. In remarks at the end of the evening's board
meeting, Utley said her first day included a financial update from Interim
Chief Financial Officer Bill Gretton.
WITF Written by
Angie Mason, York
Daily Record | Jul 13, 2015 1:00 PM
Students, staff and
community protested the possible conversion of York City School District to charter schools during
the recovery process under former chief recovery officer David Meckley. (York ) -- The York City School District already has state
intervention as a result of past financial problems, but if a legislative
proposal passes, some of its schools could end up in a second state-controlled
process that could conceivably revive talk of charter schools. Senate Bill 6 would create the Achievement School District , a state-run district
that would have the ability to take over individual schools that fall among the
state's lowest-performing. It would also give school districts some additional
powers to take action in those schools. The bill has passed the Senate and now
sits in the House education committee. The
state already has a recovery program, which York City School District is in, but that's for
districts deemed in financial distress. The Senate bill would focus on academic
performance.
NSBA Commends Senate for Promising Steps Toward
Passage of Every Child Achieves Act
NSBA Press Release July 13, 2015
Alexandria, Va.
(July 13, 2015) -- As Senate floor proceedings to reauthorize the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act continue into a second week, the National
School Boards Association (NSBA) is paying close attention to several issues of
keen interest to America’s school boards. NSBA urges lawmakers to include
provisions that reverse unnecessary federal intrusion and strengthen local
governance, and oppose vouchers or any amendments that would divert federal
dollars away from public schools. In
today’s opening remarks on the Senate floor, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.),
Chairman, Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, urged his
colleagues to support Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
reauthorization, calling for a clear and compelling result in the form of “…a
bill that crosses the President’s desk.” The Senate approved an amendment,
sponsored by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), which would
establish a committee to study student data privacy. Senator Tim Kaine’s
(D-Va.) amendment, approved by voice vote, would help ensure that students are
ready for postsecondary education and the workforce by encouraging states to
incorporate career readiness indicators into their state accountability
systems.
“We applaud Congress
for its clear resolve to rewrite No Child Left Behind and
achieve a modernized version of the education law,” said Thomas J. Gentzel,
Executive Director, National School Boards Association. “Strong local
governance is key to advancing student achievement and ensuring that school
boards are able to act in the best interests of students, parents, and local
communities.” As this historic
reauthorization process moves closer to final passage, NSBA will advocate to
achieve a modern ESEA that provides our nation’s 50 million public school
students access to a high-quality education.
Senate ESEA Debate: What
to Expect This Week
Education Week By Lauren Camera on July 12,
2015 12:35 AM
When the U.S. Senate convenes late Monday to continue
considering its overhaul of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it will
begin with a pair of largely pre-agreed upon amendments but quickly move to
more contentious debates at the heart of the reauthorization—proposals to
increase accountability, give students and parents more school choice options,
and prevent bullying, among others. Meanwhile,
pressure mounts on the bill's co-authors, Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and
Patty Murray, D-Wash., to get the measure across the finish line as competing
congressional priorities continue to pile up, including spending bills, a
highway funding bill, a forthcoming response to the Iran nuclear framework, and
more. And the U.S. House of
Representatives approved its Republican-backed version of an ESEA rewrite last
week (read more about that here),
clearing a major hurdle to getting a bill to the president's desk.
“The research into the
benefits of early learning is overwhelming,” Casey said. “This amendment is an
opportunity to invest in our children and the long-term foundation of our
economy while ending an egregious tax loophole that both parties agree needs to
go.”
Casey has introduced bills to
fund Pre-K education every year since 2008.
Sen. Casey proposes
expansion of Pre-K
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote Tuesday on a proposal to
dramatically increase funding for early childhood public education. The “Strong Start for America’s Children
Act,” introduced by U.S. Sen Bob Casey, D-Pa., as an amendment to
legislation reauthorizing No Child Left Behind, would provide more than $30
billion over five years for full-day education for 3-year-old and 4-year-old
children. Pennsylvania would receive $817 million,
according to Casey’s office.
The cost would be offset by closing the so-called “corporate
inversions” tax loophole, which lets U.S. firms avoid federal taxes by
establishing nominal headquarters overseas.
The calamity of the
disappearing school libraries
Lower-income students benefit the most from libraries. Yet, budget cuts
are leading to a decline in their numbers.
The Conversation by Debra Kachel, Professor of School
Library and Information Technologies Program at Mansfield
University of Pennsylvania July 13, 2015 6.22am EDT
From coast to coast, elementary and high school libraries
are being neglected, defunded, repurposed, abandoned and closed. The kindest thing that can be said about this
is that it’s curious; the more accurate explanation is that it’s just wrong and
very foolish. A 2011 survey conducted
with my graduate students of 25 separate
statewide studies shows that students who attend schools with
libraries that are staffed by certified librarians score better on reading and
writing tests than students in schools without library services. And it is
lower-income students who benefit the most.
This clear empirical evidence has had little impact on budget cutters,
however. They act – mistakenly – as though there is no link between libraries
and educational achievement. Here are
the numbers and the arguments to which they need to pay attention.
"Prior’s dilemma has
become increasingly common. Forty-two states across the country have moved in
recent years to evaluate all teachers at least in part on student test score
growth, according to the National
Center for Teacher
Quality. But tens of thousands of teachers work with students in grades that
aren’t tested (like kindergarten) or subjects in which standardized tests
typically don’t exist (like art, music, and physical education). "
Why Are Some Teachers
Being Evaluated Using the Test Scores of Kids They Didn’t Teach?
Slate.com By Alexandria Neason
July 13, 2015
By almost all accounts, Albuquerque , New Mexico ,
music instructor Nick Prior is an all-star teacher. He runs six choirs, which
serve nearly 200 students at the city’s Eisenhower Middle School .
His choirs have won state competitions three
times, and in multiple categories. Last year, his students swept a national
choir competition, earning first place in showmanship and musicianship. He won
a statewide award for teaching from the New Mexico Music Educators Association
in 2014. But earlier this year, when
Prior received his teacher evaluation, he was deemed “minimally
effective”—earning just 33.25 points out of a possible 100 in the “student
achievement” category that made up half of the document. The reason? The “student achievement” had
nothing to do with music. It was based on the state standardized test scores in
reading and math of the lowest performing quarter of students in his school.
Many of those students had never taken one of his classes. The other half of
Prior’s rating was based on a combination of classroom observations, teacher
attendance, and student and parent surveys. He scored at or above average in
these areas, but not high enough to counterbalance the low student achievement
rating.
Nominations for PSBA's
Allwein Advocacy Award now open
PSBA July 7, 2015
PSBA July 7, 2015
The Timothy M.
Allwein Advocacy Award was established in 2011 by the Pennsylvania School
Boards Association and may be presented annually to the individual school
director or entire school board to recognize outstanding leadership in
legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of public education and students that
are consistent with the positions in PSBA’s Legislative Platform. The 2015 Allwein Award nomination process
will close on Aug. 28, 2015. The 2015 Allwein Award Nomination Form is available online. More details on the
award and nominations process can be found online.
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.
PSBA POSTED
ON JUN 29, 2015 IN PSBA NEWS
The Pennsylvania
School Boards Association gives an overview of the newly proposed Basic
Education Funding Formula.
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 »
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