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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for August 19, 2015:
Wolf challenges charter
school funding in Delco district; Palm
Beach
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
"Wolf's solution hinges
on what many education advocates have long considered a flaw in the way the
state funds charter schools for special education students.
Under the current system,
charters have a financial incentive to enroll students with relatively mild
educational disabilities. It works like
this: Districts must give charters whatever the districts spend, on average, on
special education.
If a charter enrolls many
children with less costly needs, the charter makes out financially. And then a vicious cycle is created. With
fewer mildly disabled students in the district, the district's average cost
climbs, which it then must pay to the charter.
Right now, Chester Upland
The Wolf administration's
official court filing points out that the money sent by Chester-Upland School
District
Wolf warns
Chester-Upland schools may not open without drastic interventions
He is proposing a plan that would
drastically reduce the amount the district pays for charter special education
students.
The
notebook By Kevin McCorry of NewsWorks and Dale Mezzacappa on Aug 18, 2015 08:10
PM
Without
immediate action, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday the Chester Upland
School District
"Charter school
payments, which account for 46 percent of district expenditures, are also
addressed in the governor’s plan. Wolf suggests altering the charter school
reimbursement figures using a formula created by a bi-partisan funding
commission. Chester Upland
“They bear no resemblance to
the actual costs it takes to educate these children,” Albright said of the
$40,000 reimbursement. “That’s extraordinary. It’s far above the amount of
reimbursement provided by surrounding school districts to the same charter
schools.”
This change would result in a
savings of $20.7 million to the district. Paired with a reimbursement cap for
regular education students attending cyber charter schools, the total savings
realized by the district would be $24.7 million, effectively wiping out the
deficit. “That would be enough to not
only eliminate entirely the structural budget deficit for the current school
year, but also begin to provide some additional resources to pay down some of
that accumulated deficit, which right now exceeds $23 million,” Albright said."
Gov. Wolf wants forensic
audit, changes to charter school funding for Chester Upland School District
By Vince Sullivan,
Delaware County Daily
Harrisburg >>
Gov. Tom Wolf and members of his cabinet have proposed a bold plan of action in
an attempt to save the distressed Chester Upland School District, which Wolf
said will not be able to open next month unless drastic measures are taken.
In an amended
financial recovery plan filed in the Delaware Court of Common Pleas on Tuesday,
Wolf proposed to conduct a forensic audit of the district’s finances, appoint a
turnaround specialist and amend the reimbursement formula to charter schools
that have crippled the school system. “This
is an attempt to do something we haven’t done in a long time, and that is
succeed and actually turn this school district around, starting with its
finances,” Wolf said during an interview at the Capitol on Monday. “The problem
right now is that if we don’t do anything, the school isn’t going to open. If
it opens, it isn’t going to stay open, which means that kids won’t even begin
to get the education they need, and the education we actually need them to
get.”
The Chester Upland School District
PDE Website AUGUST
2015
For over two
decades, the District has been subject to a succession of control boards under
various commonwealth statutes. These boards were all appointed by the
Commonwealth and each was charged with developing and implementing a corrective
action plan. Statutes governing
distressed school districts have changed over time. In the 1990s, the statutes
focused solely on fiscal distress. Subsequently, revisions to the statutes
turned their focus to schools in academic distress. The District has repeatedly
met the criteria for troubled finances and poor academic performance. In 1994, for the first time, the District was
certified as financially distressed when it amassed deficits in the two
previous years of $1.6 million and $3.8 million. The District's problems
stemmed from poor fiscal practices and management by the school board. A
special board of control took over management in place of the elected school
board and a financial turnaround was anticipated in two years.
Education Week
District Dossier Blog By Denisa R. Superville on August 18, 2015
5:37 PM
The administration
of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf proposed a series of sweeping changes to Chester
Upland school district's financial recovery plan on Tuesday, all steps the
administration said were necessary to address the district's growing annual
deficits that threatened the opening of schools this year. The proposals included a
financial audit for the 2015-16 school year to ensure that district money was
being spent appropriately; the appointment of a financial turnaround
specialist; altering the current special education spending rate; and capping
tuition for regular education students who attend cyber charter schools
at $5,950 and using the Special Education Funding Commission rate proposal
for special education students in cyber charter schools.
"The Pennsylvania
"Administration
officials say fiscal sanity will not return to Chester Upland until something
is done about the current $64 million cost of educating about 3,800 children
who live in the district and attend publicly financed but privately managed
charter schools. That is more money than Chester
Upland
Wolf challenges charter
school funding in Delco district
KATHY BOCCELLA, INQUIRER
STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Tuesday, August 18, 2015, 12:48 PM
POSTED: Tuesday, August 18, 2015, 12:23 PM
The Wolf
administration on Tuesday urged a Delaware
County judge to drastically cut how
much the financially troubled Chester
Upland School
District
"at the expense of
children"….
"Among his business
interests, which include a billboard company, Vahan Gureghian is the founder
and CEO of CSMI, a management and consulting firm for the charter-school
industry. The company also runs a charter school in Chester , Pa.
North End mansion listed
at $84.5M
Under-construction house has bowling
alley, 242 feet of beachfront
By Darrell
Hofheinz Palm Beach
Daily News Real Estate Writer March 30, 2015
Priced at $84.5
million, a direct-oceanfront mansion under construction on the North End has
entered the market as the island’s most expensive property, according to the
local multiple listing service. Sporting
its own bowling alley, the French-style house is rising on the double lot –
expansive even by Palm Beach
standards – that measures about 2 acres with 242 feet of beachfront at 1071 N. Ocean Blvd.
- See more at: http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/news/local/north-end-mansion-listed-at-845m/nkhyf/#sthash.cYxQ3pzy.dpuf
"at the expense of
children"….
Agora Cyber Charter
Mgmt. Co. K12 Inc execs taking $2K per student in salary. 8 execs, 75K
students, $21M in salaries. 20% of revenue in 8 pockets.
Morningstar
Executive Compensation
"at the expense of
children"….
"Trombetta of East
Liverpool, Ohio, is accused of siphoning more than $8 million from the school
through a network of profit and non-profit companies he controlled."
PA Cyber Charter founder
Nick Trombetta indicted on fraud and tax charges
Penn Live By The Associated Press on
August 23, 2013 at 11:13 AM
The founder and
former CEO of a cyber-charter school that educates more than 11,000 Pennsylvania students
has been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Fifty-eight-year-old Nicholas Trombetta of East Liverpool , Ohio Florida condominium and
houses for his girlfriend and mother, along with nearly $1 million on personal
expenses, including groceries.
"The representatives of
the five school districts also voiced support Tuesday for a fair
funding formula and for the Democratic governor’s proposed $410 million
increase for basic education as opposed to the Republican-controlled
Legislature’s proposed $100 million increase vetoed by Wolf."
Delco educators fear
effects of state budget standoff
By Patti Mengers, Delaware County Daily
Representatives of
five of Delaware County ’s
15 school districts participated in a press conference
staged Tuesday morning by Public Citizens for Children and Youth
outside Ardmore Avenue Elementary School
"This is frustrating as
a school board member, but even more so because I'm a parent," said Cave,
the William Penn board member. "My first grader is not going to have
another shot at first grade. I can't tell her to come back once we can provide
stronger resources." "We've
taxed all we can tax, we've cut all we can cut," he said. "We kept
our end of the bargain."
Now, Cave said, legislators
must do the same."
School officials slam Pa.
CAITLIN MCCABE, INQUIRER
STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Wednesday, August 19, 2015, 1:08 AM
POSTED: Tuesday, August 18, 2015, 3:20 PM
Standing alongside
school officials from across Delaware County on Tuesday, William Penn school board member Rafi Cave Harrisburg remains. And without one, school
officials have no sense of how much money they will receive from the state.
School Officials Voice
Concern Over Lack Of State Budget As Summer Break Winds Down
KYW1060 By Jim Melwert August
18, 2015 1:27 PM
LANSDOWNE, Pa. (CBS)
— Summer vacation is almost over for students across the Delaware Valley Harrisburg . That has some
district officials in Delaware
County William
Penn School
District Delaware County representing 30,000 students, including Chichester School District
School districts react to
state budget impasse
Your4State.COM
BY Brittany Marshall 08/18/2015
02:19 PM
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- The
Chambersburg Area School District goes back in session this week, and district
officials are forced to start the school year without funding from the state,
due to the Pennsylvania State Budget that has not yet passed. "Some school districts will maybe only
be able to operate maybe into the first two weeks of school," said Steve
Dart, business manager, Chambersburg
Area School
District
Wolf's pension plan no
summer smash among Republicans, report: Tuesday Morning Coffee
Penn Live By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com Email
the author | Follow on Twitter on
August 18, 2015 at 8:29 AM
Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Gov. Tom Wolf's latest attempt to solve Pennsylvania's public pension knot isn't getting much love from legislative Republicans - in fact, it's landed with a resounding "thud," our friends at WITF-FM report. More astute readers may recall that Wolf floated a pension reform plan during two sessions with Republicans last week in which he offered a change to benefits for future state and school employees that would include a "stacked hybrid" plan of the type championed by House Republican members in the 2013-14 legislative session.
Gov. Tom Wolf's latest attempt to solve Pennsylvania's public pension knot isn't getting much love from legislative Republicans - in fact, it's landed with a resounding "thud," our friends at WITF-FM report. More astute readers may recall that Wolf floated a pension reform plan during two sessions with Republicans last week in which he offered a change to benefits for future state and school employees that would include a "stacked hybrid" plan of the type championed by House Republican members in the 2013-14 legislative session.
Republicans ‘disingenuous’
to knock pension offer, Wolf says
HARRSIBURG >>
Republican legislative majority leaders are “disingenuous” to criticize a
compromise offer on how to reduce Pennsylvania’s long-term public pension debt
when they have not made similar moves to end a seven-week-old budget stalemate,
Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday. Negotiations
are at a crawl in the budget stalemate, and major safety-net services advocacy
groups including the United Way
are asking Wolf and lawmakers to break the stalemate to approve stopgap funding
and end growing service cuts for the needy, neglected and disabled. For now, Republicans
and Democrats are not discussing a stopgap human services funding bill, and
talks are revolving around ways to cut Pennsylvania ’s
long-term pension debt. Wolf’s compromise offer to Republicans last week fell
flat, with top GOP lawmakers saying that it falls well short of what they are
seeking.
"Many charter schools
underperform the public schools from which they draw students. (In fact, some
charter schools are among the lowest-performing schools in the state.) While
quality charter schools can provide a viable alternative, not all charter
schools provide quality education. It doesn’t make sense that traditional
school districts should subsidize school choice when that choice is inferior to
the public school option. Where does the
almost $200 million taken from public schools and given to charter schools go?
The answer is: high salaries for charter school administrators, political
lobbying, and paid television ads that say that charter schools are free.
Obviously they are not free! They are being paid for by the taxpayers and by
the children in traditional public schools, including those with special needs
who are receiving fewer services because of charters schools."
Time for oversight, reform of Pa.
Like Gary M.
Levinson (“Make property tax reform a priority,” Letters, July
13), I received my property tax bill with an increase over last year. I am a
retiree who, with my husband, lives on our Social Security and a small savings. I don’t like to see my tax money wasted.
Besides our failure to spend money on early childhood education — which studies
show saves $7 in future spending for every dollar spent today — here is how I
see it wasted. Charter schools in Pennsylvania receive 100
percent of their public funding from public school systems. When a student
enrolls in a charter school, the student’s home school district must pay
tuition to the charter school for that child. This forces districts to cut
programs and services for students who remain in their schools. We taxpayers now
spend more than $1.4 billion annually on charter and cyber charter schools’
tuition bills, in addition to paying to operate all of Pennsylvania ’s traditional public schools.
"A test version of the
application shows a display for each of the buses used in the household and the
vehicle's estimated arrival time. Buses running behind schedule would appear
red, while those on time would show up as green. For security reasons, district
officials decided not to provide the public with access to real-time GPS
tracking of the buses."
New Parkland app lets
parents track buses
The transportation program
would allow the district to track the locations of its fleet and could let
parents know whether their children’s buses are running on time.
By Sarah M. Wojcik
Of The Morning Call August 18, 2015
Peter Balestrini was
just another parent waiting for a late bus when inspiration for a new
transportation program for the Parkland
School District South
Whitehall Township Parkland
administrators. A year later, Parkland is poised to begin a slow rollout of the
program, tentatively dubbed Safe Transport, in its 150-bus fleet. District
officials will test the parent portion of the program before the company makes
it available to approved parents and guardians of the district's more than
10,000 bus riders, Balestrini said. What parents would
see on their smartphones would look a lot different than the information
accessible by administrators.
Want more teachers? Pay
more
Recruiting
workers to a field is easy if you’re willing to offer the market wage
Aljazerra Opinion by Dean Baker @DeanBaker13
August 17, 2015 2:00AM ET
Last week the New
York Times ran a long piece calling
attention to school districts across the country that are having a difficult
time attracting new teachers. The piece reported that many school districts are
relaxing standards in order to get teachers, in some cases hiring teachers who
have not yet completed their training. Others have increased the intensity of
recruiting, making more effort to court good applicants. It also reported on
some districts going to Puerto Rico or even Spain in search of teachers. The one tactic that is not mentioned is
higher pay. While the piece notes that many recent college grads are opting for
higher-paying alternatives to teaching, it does not discuss why school
districts are not raising wages as a way to pull some of these people back into
teaching. This is not the first time
that we have seen assertions about labor shortages even though wages don’t
appear to be growing. It is a regular theme in reporting on the economy. Times
columnist Thomas Friedman has repeatedlycomplained that employers can’t
get qualified workers due to inadequate training. Last year Slate told
its readersthere is a shortage of truck drivers. And The Wall Street
Journal ran a long
piece on the shortage of skilled workers in manufacturing. The traditional way to attract qualified
workers is to offer higher wages. This is the basic logic of supply and demand.
If the price rises, or in this case the wage, then it will also increase the
supply.
New Statewide Education Standards Require Teachers To
Forever Change Lives Of 30% Of Students
The Onion NEWS IN BRIEF August
7, 2015
SPRINGFIELD, IL—In
an effort to hold classroom instructors more accountable, the Illinois State
Board of Education unveiled new statewide education standards Friday that
require public school teachers to forever change the lives of at least 30
percent of their students. “Under our updated educator evaluation policy,
teachers must make an unforgettable, lifelong impact on at least three of every
10 students and instill a love of learning in them that lasts the rest of their
lives,” said chairman James Meeks, adding that based on the annual assessments,
if 30 percent of students don’t recall a particular teacher’s name when asked
to identify the most influential and inspiring person in their lives, that
instructor would be promptly dismissed. “We are imposing these standards to
make certain that a significant proportion of students in any given classroom
can someday look back and say, ‘That teacher changed the course of my life,
making me who I am today, and there’s no way I could ever repay them.’ Anything
less is failure.” Meeks also confirmed the implementation of another rule aimed
at ensuring that no more than 40 percent of a teacher’s students end up in
prison.
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.
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