Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now
reach more than 3750 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors,
administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's
staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition
team members, Superintendents, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher
leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations,
education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory
agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via
emails, website, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for August 18, 2015:
State budget
impasse means Bethlehem
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 district owes seven
charter and cyber charter schools $1.19 million this month. Sending the schools
70 percent will save $479,445, according to district finances."
State budget
impasse means Bethlehem
By Sara K. Satullo | For
lehighvalleylive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on August 17, 2015 at 8:18 PM,
updated August 17, 2015 at 10:16 PM
The Bethlehem Area School District is
starting to feel the financial pinch from the state budget impasse and it
thinks charter schools should share the pain.
Until Pennsylvania
passes a 2015-16 budget, the school district plans to only send 70 percent of
the tuition payments it owes to charter schools. The school board voted 7-0 Monday night in
favor of withholding some of the money. District officials say they believe
they are the first district in the state to vote to do so. Charters
are privately operated public schools. When a Bethlehem student attends a charter school,
the district must send tuition payments to the charter. Board President Michael Faccinetto explained
the district only receives 70 percent of its funding locally, so issuing
partial payments will help the district stay solvent. "It's a cash flow issue,"
Faccinetto said. Once the
district starts receiving its state subsidy payments, the remaining money will
be sent to the charters, he said.
Beaver County Times By Tom Davidson tdavidson@timesonline.com |1 comment Posted: Monday, August 17,
2015 10:30 pm | Updated:
10:50 pm, Mon Aug 17, 2015.
"PSBA continues to work
with legislators to put meaningful charter reform into place. With more than
$1.3 billion leaving traditional schools for charters and cyber charters last
year, it is critical that taxpayer money is spent wisely. The common-sense
reforms suggested in this report will save taxpayers millions of dollars and
provide a better education for our students."
June 2015 PSBA Special Report: The Critical
Need for Charter School
PSBA has
released a new special report the critical need for charter school
reform. Click
here to read the full report. Charter
schools were created in Pennsylvania
in 1997 as an educational experiment based on the premise that if you give
educators more flexibility to innovate, achievement will increase. After more
than 15 years of “experimenting” with charter schools in the commonwealth, it
is time to update the Charter School Law. PSBA, educators and taxpayers know it
is time for increased charter school accountability, changes that account for
the fundamental differences between brick and mortar and cyber charter schools,
and the addition of provisions that would hold charter schools to a higher
academic standard. In its report, PSBA
outlines a number of specific and necessary changes to Charter School Law that
reflect school director experience and feedback how to create equitable
educational circumstances for all public schools and their students. PSBA
believes the areas that need to be addressed include student and financial
accountability, revision of the special education charter funding formula,
governance and transparency, enhancements to charter school authorizers’
oversight practices, and enrollment caps.
"The gesture comes with
strings attached. The offer stands only if Republicans support Wolf's proposed
$400 million boost in education funding. But Republicans look ready to turn it
down. Crompton said leaders would not make such a promise in return for what
they consider to be paltry pension changes. Moreover, he said, they fear the
governor's schools funding vision would require tax hikes they don't support."
Governor Wolf's new pension offer lands
with a thud
WITF Written
by Mary Wilson | Aug 18, 2015 3:29 AM
(Harrisburg ) -- A tentative
proposal from Governor Tom Wolf to change state pensions isn't sparking much
agreement. The governor has floated a
"scenario" under which he would scale back retirement benefits for
state and school workers, but top Republicans say the changes don't go far
enough. "It's just not even in the
ballpark of what we would think we could acceptably sell to Republican members
in the Senate," said Drew Crompton, chief counsel to GOP Senate President
Pro Tem Joe Scarnati. Under the Wolf
offer, traditional pensions would be preserved for most employees, with the
highest earners receiving a 401(k)-style retirement benefit. The state would
borrow money with a pension obligation bond.
The administration says the maneuver could be structured to minimize
risk. The proposal would also limit the
extent to which workers can boost their pension payout in the last few years of
their employment. The offer could cut as much as $17 billion from the state's
roughly $50 billion pension debt, according to the Wolf administration - that's
much more than any savings booked by Republican-backed proposals. "If that's not a substantial,
significant overture to jumpstart the conversations," said Albright,
"I guess we would be scratching our heads about what else it would
take."
Republicans unimpressed with governor's
pension proposal
By Karen
Langley / Post-Gazette Harrisburg
Bureau August 18, 2015 12:00 AM
"Republicans should be
willing to give on education spending. Together with increased pension
obligations, the shrinking share of education spending borne by the state is
driving up property taxes. Pennsylvania
A ray of hope for a budget deal in
Harrisburg
THE
ISSUE
Gov.
Tom Wolf offered a
compromise on pension reform late last week, proposing to cap the
dollar amount of state and public school employees’ salaries that counts toward
their guaranteed benefits and add a 401(k) component to achieve an
administration-estimated $17.3 billion in future savings. A Republican pension bill Wolf
vetoed last month included an estimated $11.1 billion in pension savings by
switching future hires to a defined-benefit, 401(k)-style plan. Wolf tied his pension-reform
offer to his proposed $400 million increase in public school funding; a
Republican budget Wolf vetoed included a boost of $100 million.
There
appears to be hope for a budget compromise in Harrisburg .
Republican
leaders insist that pension reform be part of any budget deal. It’s a position
with which we have agreed, given the mounting pressure being placed on state
and school district budgets by the state’s $53 billion in unfunded liabilities
on Pennsylvania ’s
two large pension funds. And those pressures are not going away. We also have agreed with Wolf on education
funding. His call for increased and fairer funding for public schools was a
large part of why he won the November election.
These are two big items, and a one-for-one trade on them would be a big
step toward ending a budget stalemate that looks set to hit the 50-day mark
when Wolf and legislative leaders meet Wednesday. The governor might have to move on his
$100,000 cap on earnings that count toward pension benefits. A Republican bill
that failed in the last session would have set a $50,000 cap. Still, the
governor’s offer was a good opening bid.
Their View: Education, tax
relief are Wolf’s priorities
Centre Daily Times Opinion BY SHARON
WARD August 17, 2015
Sharon Ward is
the director of the governor’s Budget Office.
Our commonwealth is
at a critical crossroads. On June 30, Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed the Republican
budget, a budget that fell short of what is needed to fix our schools, improve
early childhood education, and help our seniors by providing much-needed
property tax relief. Equally important — the budget was not balanced. Accepting
it would have increased the deficit to more than $3 billion. By failing to
adequately pay our bills or plan for the future, the budget would have had
significant ramifications for Pennsylvania ’s
financial status for many years to come. Pennsylvania — like every state and many countries around
the world — borrows funds to pay for capital projects, such as roads and
bridges, new buildings, and improvements to water and sewer infrastructure. The
idea is that a new highway or new municipal sewer line will serve customers for
30 or 40 years, so the expense is paid in annual increments. This way everyone
who will benefit from the expense, whether it is next year or in 30 years, will
contribute toward it.
My Turn: Taking politics
before people
Sunbury Daily Item Opinion by Sen. Gene Yaw Posted: Monday, August 17, 2015 4:52 pm
Like many of my
colleagues in the Pennsylvania Senate, I was deeply disappointed that Governor
Wolf chose to veto a $30.18 billon, no-tax, balanced state budget plan that
would have made new investments in education, improved the funding mechanism
for our schools and provided funding for critical state services. The
Governor’s impractical veto of the entire spending plan leaves us no closer to
an agreement now than when he first introduced his budget proposal in March,
which is a true disservice to the people who elected him on the promise of a
“fresh start.” The real question here: What is the governor’s motive? The only thing to be gained by threatening an
interruption of government services is political leverage. To put the
well-being of millions of state residents at risk for the sole purpose of
getting his own way is unbelievably arrogant and thoughtless. In pursuing this
scorched-earth policy, the governor has jeopardized funding for numerous
programs and services relied upon by millions of state residents. He has done
so not for the sake of good public policy, but rather for the worst of reasons —
politics and a perceived political advantage.
Hempfield school board hears Open Campus update
Students at
Hempfield, Penn Manor and Manheim
Township
Nearly 100 men show up at Harrisburg
Penn Live By Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com Email
the author | Follow on Twitter on
August 17, 2015 at 3:22 PM
HARRISBURG- A local
activist encouraged nearly 100 men to show up at Harrisburg schools Monday morning to greet
students arriving for the first day of school.
Floyd Stokes, a children's book author and president of Harrisburg-based
American Literacy Corp., got the idea from news coverage of a similar event in Chicago . "We need you...to just stand at the
entry of a school, give the students, teachers, parents and staff a high 5 and
tell them to have a great year," Stokes wrote in an email last week to
potential volunteers. "A little bit of your time will go a long way!" Harrisburg Police
Chief Tom Carter visited three schools as part of the program, including Harrisburg High School Harrisburg Area
Community College
Hempfield area teachers
get 5-year contract
Trib Live By Renatta
Signorini Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, 11:51 p.m.
Members of the Hempfield Area Education Association will be working under a new contract beginning Sept. 1. The association's members and Hempfield Area school directors on Monday night ratified the five-year union contract. “I think we brought back a contract that we can all live with,” said Director Sonya Brajdic after the vote. The school directors approved the agreement unanimously. The contract will run through July 31, 2020. “It's a contract that's fair to both sides,” said union President Joe Scheuermann. The agreement includes an average annual salary increase of 1.87 percent through the duration of the pact, according to a news release. Teachers will contribute 10 percent toward their health care premiums.
Members of the Hempfield Area Education Association will be working under a new contract beginning Sept. 1. The association's members and Hempfield Area school directors on Monday night ratified the five-year union contract. “I think we brought back a contract that we can all live with,” said Director Sonya Brajdic after the vote. The school directors approved the agreement unanimously. The contract will run through July 31, 2020. “It's a contract that's fair to both sides,” said union President Joe Scheuermann. The agreement includes an average annual salary increase of 1.87 percent through the duration of the pact, according to a news release. Teachers will contribute 10 percent toward their health care premiums.
Resignations leave
vacancies at Cameron Co. school district
The Bradford Era By AMANDA JONES Era Correspondent amandajonesera@yahoo.com Posted: Friday, August 14, 2015 10:00 am
EMPORIUM — Several
positions at the Cameron
County High
School
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
August 15, 2015 12:00 AM
The financially
troubled Penn Hills
School District
Op-ed: Teach for America
Salt Lake Tribune
Teach for America is
celebrating its 25th anniversary, but, for the second time in two years, its
recruitment numbers are down. The program, which handpicks college graduates to
teach in high-need schools, has been so popular that 18 percent of the
graduating class at Yale applied in 2010. So what happened? To explain the decline, Teach for America 's
co-CEOs point to the improving economy, a broader decline in applications to
teacher preparation programs and an "increasingly polarized public
conversation around education" and "polarization around TFA."
However, this assessment overlooks another important factor: criticism and
pushback from Teach for America
alumni like me who felt ill-prepared to be classroom teachers.
Mike Petrilli: How Arne
Duncan Turned the Federal Role into a Disaster
Diane Ravitch's Blog
By dianeravitch August
17, 2015 //
Mike Petrilli of the
Thomas B. Fordham Foundation/Institute has been a strong supporter of school
choice and the Common Core. On the whole, he and TBF have applauded Arne
Duncan’s move to promote charter schools, to ignore the voucher proliferation,
and to push Common Core on the states (as if they were “state-led,” which they
were not). However, Petrilli now has
had a change of mind. (For the
record, I support those who are willing to rethink their views and change their
minds.) He now recognizes that Arne overreached and caused a counter-reaction.
The most atrocious action by Duncan
was to force test-based teacher evaluation on the states, with no evidence that
it would improve education. It was a disaster. It hasn’t worked anywhere, and
it has increased teaching to the test and teacher demoralization. If you are
looking for the cause of the widespread teacher shortage, look to the policies
of the U.S. Department of Education since 2009.
Petrilli writes, with humility, that he was wrong.
FAILURE FACTORIES
One fateful decision. Years of
neglect. Five once-average schools remade into the worst in Florida
In just eight years,
Pinellas County School Board members turned five schools in the county’s black
neighborhoods into some of the worst in Florida . First they abandoned integration, leaving the
schools overwhelmingly poor and black. Then
they broke promises of more money and resources. Then — as black children started failing at
outrageous rates, as overstressed teachers walked off the job, as middle class
families fled en masse — the board stood by and did nothing. Today thousands of children are paying the
price, a Tampa Bay Times investigation has found. They are trapped at Campbell
Park , Fairmount
Park , Lakewood ,
Maximo and Melrose
— five neighborhood elementary schools that the board has transformed into
failure factories.
Every year, they
turn out a staggering number of children who don’t know the basics.
Eight in 10 fail
reading, according to state standardized test scores. Nine in 10 fail math.
Ranked by the state
Department of Education, Melrose is the worst
elementary school in Florida .
Fairmount Park Lakewood is No. 12. Campbell Park
All of the schools
operate within six square miles in one of Florida ’s most affluent counties.
All of them were
much better off a decade ago.
PCCY: Get on the Bus to Harrisburg
As parents, teachers
and advocates, you know first hand how difficult it is to get the resources
needed to support our students. Harrisburg continues to be mired in political
gridlock and has failed to pass a budget for Pennsylvania’s 500 school
districts.
Teachers,
parents and students have no idea what they will be walking into come September
for the start of school. We say enough is enough.
We are contacting
you because on August 25th the PA House is scheduled to return to the
Capitol—and we want to be there to meet them. Could you give us a few hours of
your day and help make it clear that we demand a budget?
- Join your neighbors and other concerned
citizens who believe that investing in our kids is non-negotiable
- We’ll provide: FREE Transportation to
and from the Capitol and lunch; a brief training on the bus, materials,
and day of schedule
- Scheduled visits with elected
officials
Kids are off from
school so bring them with you – after all, it concerns their future!
Details:
Details:
- Bus will depart from in front of the
United Way Building at 7:45am at 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
- We will return to Philly by
approximately 4:30pm. (Discounted parking ($8) available at the
Sheraton Hotel at 17th & Race)
- If you plan to drive yourself, we will
meet at the Capitol between 10am and 10:30am.
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/>
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.
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 openAug. 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.