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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for August 31, 2015:
Any connection between $86 million Palm
Beach mansion and one of Pa.
Interested in letting our elected leadership know your thoughts on
education funding, a severance tax, property taxes and the budget?
Governor Tom Wolf, (717) 787-2500
Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Turzai, (717) 772-9943
House Majority Leader Rep. Dave Reed, (717) 705-7173
Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Joe Scarnati, (717) 787-7084
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jake Corman, (717) 787-1377
House Majority Leader Rep. Dave Reed, (717) 705-7173
Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Joe Scarnati, (717) 787-7084
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jake Corman, (717) 787-1377
"The problem is that
some school districts are wealthy and others are not. That is why we have
schools rich in resources in suburban districts with malls or major industries,
while neighboring districts can't pay for a sufficient number of teachers
despite high tax rates. According to state figures, school taxes on a house
worth $100,000 can vary from $900 to $3,600 depending on location."
There is a consensus in Pa.
Philly.com Opinion By
Michael Churchill POSTED: Monday,
August 31, 2015, 1:08 AM
Michael Churchill is an attorney at the Public Interest
Law Center
The difficult thing about government policy is how often one value runs head on into an equally important value. That is especially true in the area of tax policy. Fairness, stimulation of private-sector growth, sufficiency of revenues, encouragement of private effort, and simplicity are all goals supported by much of the public. Unfortunately, maximizing any one of these threatens the realization of the others.Pennsylvania is a textbook example. Historically,
the legislature has been loath to raise necessary revenues to conduct state
business, including fulfilling the constitutional mandate to maintain a
thorough and efficient system of public education, based on the theory that
lower taxes spur economic growth. As a consequence, Pennsylvania contributes less funding for
public schools than almost every other state in the country. The commonwealth's
share is about 35 percent, compared with an average of 50 percent around the
country. The cost of funding schools is therefore pushed upon local
property-tax payers.
The difficult thing about government policy is how often one value runs head on into an equally important value. That is especially true in the area of tax policy. Fairness, stimulation of private-sector growth, sufficiency of revenues, encouragement of private effort, and simplicity are all goals supported by much of the public. Unfortunately, maximizing any one of these threatens the realization of the others.
“I’ve been fighting for fair
funding because your kids are everybody’s kids, your kids are the state’s kids,
your kids are the country’s kids, and if we don’t give them all we have, it’s
too late,” Feinberg said. “They’re going to be our future co-workers,
employees, neighbors, and it’s unconscionable.
“Pennsylvania has the dubious distinction of being the state that has
the greatest disparity in the country throughout its districts,” he added.
“It’s 12 miles from Radnor to Chester Upland
Chairman of Delco School
Board Legislative Council addresses William
Penn School
Delco Times By Nick Tricome, Times Correspondent POSTED: 08/30/15, 8:14 PM EDT
LANSDOWNE >>
Larry Feinberg, chairman of the Delaware County School Board Legislative
Council, was in attendance during the William Penn School District’s business
meeting last Monday night, offering a status update on the push for a fair
funding formula for basic education from the state. “As I’m sure you know from news reports,
there is not a whole lot going on,” Feinberg said to those in the board room. The state is coming up on two months without
passing a budget for 2015-16. Talks between Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican-led
Legislature have been moving slowly, with the key sticking points being a new
funding formula and a $400 million increase for education, after former
governor Tom Corbett cut $900 million from it in his last term.
West Chester Daily Local By Eric Devlin, edevlin@21st-centurymedia.com, @Eric_Devlin on Twitter POSTED: 08/28/15, 4:16 PM EDT
Royersford >>
With support coming from across the state, the Spring-Ford Area School Board
will lead a march on Harrisburg next month.
At the Aug. 17 meeting, board member Joe Ciresi called for the
march on the state capitol after venting his frustration with the lawmakers
inability to pass a budget. Now with the backing of the Pennsylvania
School Boards Association, Ciresi announced Monday the date has changed to
Sept. 21 inside the capitol rotunda. “The
objective is to show a united front of 500 school districts from around the
state,” he said. “To say what’s happening that we don’t have a budget?
Legislators have dropped a ball. To see that we are a governing entity here in
the state and we’re not being heard and how it’s affecting our children and our
education.”
In a bankrupt Pa.
Employees of the Chester Upland
School District in Pennsylvania will show up for work on the
first day of school next Wednesday, but they don’t expect to get paid. The district, which has been struggling with
financial and academic problems for decades, is on the edge of insolvency and
cannot make payroll, state and local officials have said. So on Thursday, about 200 members of the
local teachers union voted unanimously to work without pay as the new school
year opens. They were joined by secretaries, school bus drivers, janitors and
administrators. “The thought of it
is very scary,” said John Shelton, 60, dean of students at the district’s only
middle school and a 23-year employee. “It’s mind-boggling because there’s truly
uncertainty. But we are all in agreement that we will come to work, so that the
children can get an education.”
By Vince Sullivan,
Delaware County Daily
CHESTER >>
Entering the last weekend before 3,500 students return to class in the Chester
Upland School District, the members of the Chester Upland Education Association
face uncertainty about their own financial futures as they plan to work with
pay. Members of the teachers’ union, as
well as members of the support professionals’ union, voted Thursday to continue
working even though the district won’t be able to make payroll after Sept. 9.
Students begin the school year on Sept. 2.
The district has been mired in one financial crisis after another for
the past two decades, all of which came to a head this week when the receiver
proposed a dramatic plan to alter the way charter schools are funded in a last
ditch effort to erase a budget deficit of more than $20 million.
"Chester Upland, which
is under state oversight, served about 3,400 students last year, and another
3,800 attended charter schools, according to state data. Its approved budget
for the year is about $133 million, about half of which ends up going to
charter schools. Most of the district's revenue comes from the state
government, largely because of the district's poverty. The district's average household income was
just under $27,000 in 2012, according to state data, putting it in Pennsylvania
One of Pa.
Penn Live By Marc Levy | The Associated Press on
August 28, 2015 at 9:19 PM, updated August 28, 2015 at 9:25 PM
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)
— One of Pennsylvania's poorest school districts says it cannot afford to pay
its staff amid an entrenched state budget stalemate, and district and state
officials had no immediate answers Friday about where they will find the money
to keep the schools operating. Chester
Upland School
District , just south of Philadelphia ,
said it cannot meet a scheduled payroll on Sept. 9. Teachers and support staff,
including bus drivers and secretaries, voted Thursday to continue working if
they are not paid. The fall semester is scheduled to start next week. "We've always
put our students first, and we always will," said Michele Paulick,
president of the Chester Upland Education Association, the district teacher's
union. Gov. Tom Wolf's office said
drastic action will be necessary to ensure the deficit-ridden school district
can operate through the entire school year, even if the district is able to
open its doors on schedule. State officials said they are considering their
options on how to deal with it.
WHYY Newsworks BY LAURA BENSHOFF AUGUST 28, 2015
Teachers union
president Michele Paulick said she received some unwelcome news at the Chester Upland School District Chester Upland School District
Faculty, staff at Chester
Upland schools agree to work without pay
PhillyVoice Staff
BY CHRISTINA LOBRUTTO AUGUST
28, 2015
Faculty members and
staff of the Chester
Upland School
District
Following the announcement from the superintendent, the approximately 200 teachers represented by the Chester Upland Education Association and more than 120 secretaries, teaching assistants, licensed practical nurses and other staff represented by the Chester Upland Education Support Personnel Association passed a joint resolution stating their members “will work as long as they are individually able, even with delayed compensation, and even with the failure of the school district to meet its payroll obligations, in order to continue to serve the students who learn in the Chester Upland School District.”
Following the announcement from the superintendent, the approximately 200 teachers represented by the Chester Upland Education Association and more than 120 secretaries, teaching assistants, licensed practical nurses and other staff represented by the Chester Upland Education Support Personnel Association passed a joint resolution stating their members “will work as long as they are individually able, even with delayed compensation, and even with the failure of the school district to meet its payroll obligations, in order to continue to serve the students who learn in the Chester Upland School District.”
Does the taxpaying public have the right
to know how much profit is being taken out of the Chester Upland
School District
"Let’s
look at Chester Upland
So what exactly is in
that Chester Upland
Charter Special Sauce?
Keystone
State
Here's the bottom line on Chester Upland charter school special education funding. Would this have been allowed to go on for years if charter schools were "public" in more than name only and were subject to taxpayer scrutiny on a regular basis? Right-to-know requests for financial information regarding the operations of Charter School Management Company have been blatantly ignored for years.
Here's the bottom line on Chester Upland charter school special education funding. Would this have been allowed to go on for years if charter schools were "public" in more than name only and were subject to taxpayer scrutiny on a regular basis? Right-to-know requests for financial information regarding the operations of Charter School Management Company have been blatantly ignored for years.
Wanna get serious about
budget negotiations? Close the door and stay until you're done: Tony May
PennLive Op-Ed By Tony May on August 30, 2015 at
11:00 AM
Last week was a big
one for Pennsylvania 's
budget stalemate, mostly for what didn't happen.
Tony May
- House Republicansfailed to deliver on their promise to
override significant portions of the governor's budget veto on a
line-by-line basis.
- The state reported it will be missing a
$1 billion installment to school districts.
- House Democrats asked the state treasurer for a
loan to meet September payrolls for its 650 employees.
- The city of Harrisburg said
it will run out of money by November if it doesn't soon get the $5 million
appropriation promised in the budget for emergency services rendered by
the city to the seat of state government.
- A statewide poll showed that a majority
of
- The governor (What? Was he piqued by the
attempted veto overrides?) canceled a scheduled meeting of budget
negotiators.
- And the state Senate stayed home.
Any fair-minded
person would be forced to conclude that things are not going well. What to do?
"Instead, Sheridan Sheridan Sheridan
GOP lawmakers consider
stop-gap state budget proposal, but Gov. Tom Wolf is not
Penn Live By Christian Alexandersen |
calexandersen@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on August 28, 2015 at 4:17 PM,
updated August 28, 2015 at 6:23 PM
While Republican
lawmakers are considering a stop-gap budget proposal that would temporarily
fund state operations in the midst of a 58-day budget impasse, Gov. Tom Wolf is not. Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, R-Bucks, plans to
introduce a stop-gap budget next week that would temporarily fund all
state functions from July 1 until Oct. 31. The funding level, DiGirolamo said,
would be the same as the state budget for fiscal year 2014/15, for those four
months. The budget impasse stems from
core disagreements between the Democratic governor and GOP legislators.
Penn Live By Christian Alexandersen |
calexandersen@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on August 28, 2015 at 1:36 PM,
updated August 28, 2015 at 1:37 PM
Following a two-month long budget impasse,
Rep. Gene DiGirolamo has decided that enough is enough and will introduce a
stop-gap budget to temporarily fund state operations. In a co-sponsorship memo sent
to members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Friday,
DiGirolamo, R-Bucks, said he plans to introduce the stop-gap budget early
next week. The temporary measure will fund all state functions from July 1
until Oct. 31. The funding level,
DiGirolamo said, will be the same as the state budget for fiscal year 2014/15,
for those four months. DiGirolamo said
he believes it is imperative that lawmakers immediately provide the necessary
funding for the education, human services and all the other services that state
government supports. "My goal is to
neither advantage nor disadvantage anyone's negotiating position,"
DiGirolamo said. "My goal is to assure the funding of state government is
sustained during these negotiations."
Early education providers
urge Pa.
By Evan Brandt,
The Mercury POSTED: 08/28/15,
7:22 PM EDT | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
UPPER PROVIDENCE
>> Harrisburg’s inability to adopt a budget on time is having an extreme
impact on day care and pre-kindergarten providers and creating uncertainty for
their employees and the families they serve as they get ready for the start of
school, advocates said Friday. “We have this
beautiful new classroom to educate our children, but without additional state
funding, it will sit empty,” said Melanie Godhania, program director for Play and Learn, which
hosted a press conference calling on Gov. Tom Wolf and the Legislature to agree
on a budget — one which includes Wolf’s proposal for enough funding to add
14,000 more toddlers to Pennsylvania’s pre-K roles. Play and Learn operates facilities in
Collegeville, Lansdale, Green Lane
and Norristown, in addition to its Upper Providence
location. “As affluent as Spring-Ford
is, we have families who are not being served in this community who are
eligible for Pre-K Counts,” Spring-Ford Area School District Superintendent
David Goodin said in reference to the state funding stream that helps pay early
childhood education costs.
IU9 waits word on state
grant money
Bradford Era By ALEX DAVIS Era Reporter a.davis@bradfordera.com August 28, 2015 10:00 am
Whether the state
would fund more preschool opportunities across McKean and Potter counties
remains in question as the state budget impasse enters its third month next
week. Officials at the Seneca Highlands
Intermediate Unit 9 are hoping for grant money to pay for the expansion of
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts programs at four school districts and to bring
programs to two other districts, said Janice Vicini, director of early
intervention program at the IU9. The money is being requested from the state
Department of Education. “In the near
term, without a state budget in place, state Pre-K Counts and Head Start
Supplemental grants did not go out to pre-K providers across the Commonwealth,
forcing them to make the hard decision to either solicit private bridge
financing, operate off reserves or other funding sources or close state-funded
classrooms altogether,” said Mission: Readiness Pennsylvania State director
Steve Doster, who is a partner in the Pre-K for PA Campaign effort in
advocating for high-quality preschool access for all children.
"School districts have
more flexibility in spending, but officials said they were still feeling the
stress from the state budget gridlock. PASBO said that it surveyed 171
districts across the state about the impasse, and most - 83 percent - have
already or are likely to dip into reserve funds, while 40 percent either have
or are weighing borrowing money to open up classes. A few districts cited harsher measures,
according to PASBO, with 29 percent saying that not filling vacant positions is
either taking place or a possibility, and 60 percent face a similar dilemma
with vendor payments."
Schools cut back as budget
standoff continues
KATHY BOCCELLA, INQUIRER
STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: August 30, 2015, 1:08 AM
Amanda Darr, a
31-year-old working single mom in Langhorne, opened a letter recently that led
her to believe her chronic child-care problems for her 4-year-daughter had
finally been solved. She thought that for
a few seconds anyway. "I got the
letter of acceptance, and I was screaming on top of the world, 'I got a break!'
" Darr said of the communication from the Radcliffe
Learning Center
in nearby Bristol .
"The front page said your child has been accepted. Then reading on, I'm
like, 'No, no, no, no, no, no, no!' "
The bad news on Page 2 was that the Bucks
County early learning center won't
start taking children in the state-subsidized Pa. Pre-K Counts program until
Oct. 16 - about a month and a half later than normal - because the state budget
standoff in Harrisburg
has forced the center to scramble to find money for the program.
"Beginning this school
year, all employees — from cafeteria workers to the principal — in 22 city
schools will put into action techniques taught by the International Institute
for Restorative Practices under a $3 million grant from the U.S. Justice
Department. Part of the money will pay for a Rand Corp. study of how well the
program works. Training takes place this school year and the next."
Restorative Practices: 22 Pittsburgh
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
August 31, 2015 12:00 AM
With classes
starting today in Pittsburgh Public Schools, teachers at Spring Hill K-5 say
they’ve been looking forward to meeting new students, getting the children’s
reaction to new lessons, feeling the joy — and introducing a restorative
practices approach. The comments came as
teachers in small groups on Friday practiced participating in discussions in restorative
circles, one of the strategies used by the International Institute for
Restorative Practices to address student behavior by building relationships,
seeking the root cause of problems and helping students find ways to make
things right when incidents take place. The
whole-school approach is designed to improve student behavior, enhance school
climate and reduce punishments, including out-of-school suspensions.
Bringing it home: How two Lancaster County
Brecht teachers
arrive on a bus to pass out school supplies to school families in the area of
Golden Triangle Apartments. Miykha Murray was one of the first students to
greet them.
Sporting a red
Brecht Bobcats T-shirt on Wednesday, Yenyia Terry, 9, greeted her principal
with a hug. A school bus was parked a few yards away, but the fourth-grader
wasn't the one who'd been on it. Brecht Elementary
School Lancaster
County
School districts face
challenges with negotiating contracts
As Scranton teachers plan to strike this week,
other districts may not be far behind. With
districts feeling the strain of increased financial obligations and no clear
picture of state funding, area teachers’ contracts are taking longer to
negotiate. In Lackawanna County Scranton teachers are scheduled to strike on
the first day of school, Thursday, if an agreement is not reached before
then. Teachers in two other districts — Old Forge and Riverside — have already gone on strike since
their last agreements expired. Teachers
in Mid Valley and Valley View in Lackawanna
County , Western Wayne in Wayne County
and Blue Ridge, Forest City Regional, Montrose and Susquehanna Community in Susquehanna County Northeast
Pennsylvania . Across the
state, there is a widening gap between what school boards and unions want, said
Jay Himes, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School
Business Officials. “When your
expectations start in opposite directions, it’s hard to find a compromise,” he
said. Statewide, the northeast region of
the state has a large number of unsettled contracts, compared to other regions,
said Wythe Keever, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association,
which represents 180,000 teachers and support personnel. While experts are not sure why this region
leads the state, all teachers, administrators and school board members said
they hope to have agreements soon.
Opinion: Put kids first,
not gas companies
Pocono Record
Opinion by PA Budget and Policy Center Posted Aug. 27, 2015 at 5:51 PM
Thaddeus Stevens is spinning in his grave.
Thaddeus Stevens is spinning in his grave.
The venerable
Pennsylvania Republican, portrayed so vividly in the movie “Lincoln ” by Tommy Lee Jones, was a man ahead
of his time. He helped establish tax-financed public education in our
commonwealth — a massive expansion of government at a time when many believed
government had no obligation to educate its citizenry. Mr. Stevens’ stern visage still looks down on
our legislators in Harrisburg ,
where the Republican Party holds a solid majority. He can’t be happy with what
he sees. Back on June 1, state Sens.
John Eichelberger, R-Blair, and Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming, conducted a hearing on
Gov. Tom Wolf’s severance-tax proposal, which would impose a modest tax on the
revenues of shale drillers in Pennsylvania .
At a time when the state’s finances are in perilous shape and public education
is still reeling from savage cuts instituted by our former governor in 2011,
this is a matter of vital importance. You
might expect that our leaders would seek the input of authentic experts who
could offer dispassionate, objective analysis of the issues, including from Pennsylvania ’s great
universities. Sadly, none were invited to Harrisburg ,
despite the efforts of members of the Democratic minority to include them.
Instead, Sens. Eichelberger and Yaw primarily sought the advice and counsel of
shale-gas and business-association lobbyists who are paid to protect their
members’ bottom lines, not to worry about what is best for Pennsylvania . And that was only hearing the
Senate has conducted this summer.
To its credit, the
Eichelberger-Yaw committee did call upon the state’s Independent Fiscal Office
to offer its analysis of the governor’s tax proposal.
Thanks Alexander Russo for
the twitter heads-up on Mr. Rad's Neighborhood
"If you care about kids,
if you care about teaching, there is nothing that will make you less of a
teacher to me. If you teach, if you care
about teachers, if you care about students and schools, however you care about
them, you are not my enemy. Let’s go to work."
No Enemies
Mr. Rad's
Neighborhood, Blog by Tom Rademacher August 26, 2015
Tom Rademacher (Mr. Rad to his students) is
an English teacher in Minneapolis , MN , and in May of 2014 was named Minnesota
Last year, a guy
moved in across the hall from me to teach physics (everyone’s favorite).
He didn’t have a license. He had been rejected from Teach for America years
before. He came in on a community expert license, but really, he came in
at the last minute because we needed someone, anyone, to fill space. The
year before, we had resorted to having a sub with an english license sit in the
room while the kids did online physics (because the only thing that could make
physics more awesome was making sure you could only do computer-simulation
labs). Shortly after
meeting that guy, I met another teacher, a guy who was in his fiftieth year of
teaching. Seriously. Fifty. He teaches Latin (everyone’s
other favorite), and has been doing so since 1965. He is fully licensed
(in a few different subjects, actually), and widely recognized as one of the
best teachers in his state. He is a master of master teachers. Aside from both
staying up way later than I do, these two guys have very very little in common. But you know what?
Both of these teachers are awesome.
Looking for a few thousand
substitute teachers
KRISTEN A. GRAHAM, INQUIRER
STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: August 31, 2015, 1:08 AM
The firm hired to
staff Philadelphia
School District
‘The Teacher Shortage’ Is No Accident—It’s the Result
of Corporate Education Reform Policies
In These Times BY KEVIN PROSEN
TUESDAY, AUG 25, 2015, 10:28 AM
Like much else in
the national education debate, panics about teacher shortages seem to be a
perennial event. In a widely discussed article for
the New York Times earlier this month, Motoko Rich called
attention to sharp drops in enrollment in teacher training programs in California and
documented that many districts are relaxing licensure requirements as a result,
pushing more and more people into the classroom without full certification or
proper training. “It’s a sad, alarming
state of affairs, and it proves that for all our lip service about improving
the education of America’s children, we’ve failed to make teaching the draw
that it should be, the honor that it must be,” mused Times columnist
Frank Bruni. That Bruni would bemoan
such a state of affairs is ironic, as he has used his column over the years
to repeatedly argue that
teaching is too easy a profession to enter and too easy to keep, and amplified
the voice of reformers who want to want to make the profession more precarious.
But the reality is that speaking of a “shortage” at all is a kind of
ideological dodge; the word calls to mind some accident of nature or the
market, when what is actually happening is the logical (if not necessarily
intended) result of education reform policies.
“This is an old
narrative, the idea that we aren’t producing enough teachers,” says Richard
Ingersoll, an educational sociologist at University of Pennsylvania
"When districts began to fire highly regarded teachers whose
students did not perform well on standardized tests, teachers were
furious. From their point of view, the public was blaming teachers for
problems caused by rapidly rising poverty among children, growing inequality of
incomes, appalling rates of violence and incarceration in urban
communities—problems over which they had no control. They began to give up, move on or retire in
ever-larger numbers."
Teacher Shortages:
Catastrophe or Opportunity ?
By Marc Tucker on August 27, 2015 11:40 AM
The news now is full
of stories about teacher shortages.
States and districts are putting up giant billboards, and
granting emergency certificates so that people who have not even finished their
teacher education program can teach school and teachers certified to teach one
subject can teach another subject they are wholly unqualified to teach.
How did we get to
this point?
The trail is not
hard to follow. When college-educated women had few choices other than
being a nurse, a secretary or a teacher, we were able to get great teachers for
next to nothing. Young women were urged by their parents to become teachers as
a form of insurance policy, in case they became widowed or divorced.
Teaching jobs were seen as recession-proof. Teachers were highly
respected because they were seen as having a "vocation," not just a
job, and because they were typically among the most educated people in their
community. Then each link in
this chain broke. No longer confined to nursing, secretarial work and teaching,
college-educated women started going into higher-status, higher-paying
professions in great numbers. As time went on, teachers were less likely to
have more education than the parents in their community. Teachers
colleges became a fallback destination. Teachers' salaries declined relative to
the salaries of other professionals. In response, teachers unionized, changing
public perception of teaching as no longer a vocation but an occupation like
any other in which the occupants were in it for themselves, not the children.
A new rule issued by the U.S. Education
Department requires all states to stop offering alternative standards and
aligned standardized tests to nearly all students with disabilities after the
2015-16 school year. As published in the Federal Rule, the rule is called
“Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged; Assistance to States
for the Education of Children With Disabilities,” and it requires states to
give the same assessments to students without disabilities as to the vast
majority of those with disabilities under the premise that nearly all students
can “make academic progress when provided with challenging instruction and
appropriate supports.”
238 days, 247 mass
shootings in America
Penn Live By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com Email
the author | Follow on Twitter
on August 27, 2015 at 10:00 AM, updated August 27, 2015 at 10:41 AM
on August 27, 2015 at 10:00 AM, updated August 27, 2015 at 10:41 AM
Wednesday was the
238th day of 2015, and there have so far been 247 mass shootings nationwide,
according to an analysis prepared by GunsAreCool, a snarkily named subreddit that tracks gun
violence nationwide. As The Washington Post's
Christopher Ingraham reports, the group's definition has been
criticized because it defines "mass shooting" as any incident in
which four people are shot. That's broader than the FBI's definition, "which
requires three or more people to be killed by gunfire,"
The Post reported.
Save the Date: Make your
voice heard at Education Action Day, Sept. 21
School directors and administrators from across the state will be converging at the State Capitol on Monday, Sept. 21 for Education Action Day — your opportunity to push for a state budget and pension reform. Join PSBA in the Main Capitol-East Wing under the escalators at 10 a.m. A news conference will be held from 11 a.m.-noon, and then plan to meet with your elected officials from 1-3 p.m., scheduled by PSBA . There is no charge for participation, but for planning purposes, members are asked to register their attendance online, which will be available in the next few days. We look forward to a big crowd to impress upon legislators and the governor the need for a state budget and pension reform now!
School directors and administrators from across the state will be converging at the State Capitol on Monday, Sept. 21 for Education Action Day — your opportunity to push for a state budget and pension reform. Join PSBA in the Main Capitol-East Wing under the escalators at 10 a.m. A news conference will be held from 11 a.m.-noon, and then plan to meet with your elected officials from 1-3 p.m., scheduled by PSBA . There is no charge for participation, but for planning purposes, members are asked to register their attendance online, which will be available in the next few days. We look forward to a big crowd to impress upon legislators and the governor the need for a state budget and pension reform now!
The John Stoops Lecture
Series: Dr. Pasi Sahlberg "Education Around the World: Past, Present &
Future" Lehigh University October 8, 2015 6:00 p.m.
Baker Hall |Zoellner Arts
Center | 420 E. Packer Avenue | Bethlehem , PA 18015
Baker Hall |
Free and open to the
public! Ticketing is general admission -
no preseating will be assigned. Arrive early for the best seats. Please plan to stay post-lecture for an open
reception where you will have an opportunity to meet with students from all of
our programs to learn about the latest innovations in education and human
services.
Register now for the
2015 PASCD 65th Annual Conference, Leading and Achieving in an Interconnected World, to be held November
15-17, 2015 at Pittsburgh Monroeville Convention Center.
The Conference
will Feature Keynote Speakers: Meenoo Rami – Teacher and Author
“Thrive: 5 Ways to (Re)Invigorate Your Teaching,” Mr. Pedro Rivera,
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, Heidi Hayes-Jacobs – Founder and President
of Curriculum Design, Inc. and David Griffith – ASCD Senior Director of Public
Policy. This annual conference features small group sessions focused on:
Curriculum and Supervision, Personalized and Individualized Learning,
Innovation, and Blended and Online Learning. The PASCD Conference is
a great opportunity to stay connected to the latest approaches for innovative
change in your school or district. Join us forPASCD 2015!
Online registration is available by visiting www.pascd.org <http://www.pascd.org/>
Slate of
candidates for PSBA offices now available online
PSBA website July 31, 2015
PSBA website July 31, 2015
The
slate of candidates for 2016 PSBA officer and at-large representatives is now
available online, including bios, photos and videos. According to
recent PSBA Bylaws changes, each member school entity casts one vote per
office. Voting will again take place online through a secure, third-party
website -- Simply Voting. Voting will
open Aug. 17 and closes Sept.
28. One person
from the school entity (usually the board secretary) is authorized to register
the vote on behalf of the member school entity and each board will need to put
on its agenda discussion and voting at one of its meetings in August or
September. Each person authorized to register the school entity's votes has
received an email on July 16 to verify the email address and confirm they are
the person to register the vote on behalf of their school entity.
Register Now for PASA-PSBA
School Leadership Conference Oct. 14-16, 2015 Hershey Lodge & Convention
Center
Save the date for the
professional development event of the year. Be inspired at more than four
exciting venues and invest in professional development for top administrators
and school board members. Online registration is live at:
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.