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 September 11, 2015:
Budget Impasse Impacts and Views
Make your voice heard at
Education Action Day, Sept. 21
School directors
and administrators from across the state will be converging on 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
from 1-3 p.m. you may visit with legislators. There is no charge for
participation, but for planning purposes, members are asked to register their
attendance online below. We look forward to a big crowd to impress upon
legislators and the governor the need for a state budget and pension reform
now!
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
More than 800 PA ed policy
fans are following the Keystone
State
Hanger: Wolf
offering 'major concessions' in PA budget talks
Seventy
days into the state budget stalemate, Gov. Tom Wolf is offering major
concessions to Republicans in Harrisburg ,
including a 401(k)-style pension plan for new state workers, John Hanger,
secretary of planning and policy, said Wednesday. “We’re doing everything we can to compromise,
but we will not collapse,” Hanger told a meeting of the Bucks County Courier
Times editorial board. “I’m hopeful that we will soon have a budget. I cannot
guarantee it.” The Bucks County Courier Times is the sister newspaper to The
Intelligencer. Two years ago, Wolf
launched a campaign for governor, promising $1 billion more for public schools.
Yet his education budget remains a sticking point in closed-door talks with
Republicans in the Legislature. “The
governor is adamant. If he’s going to concede points, then (the Republicans)
need to move substantially,” Hanger said. “I know what we’re fighting for, and
the governor is in no mood to compromise on this core thing." Other issues, from expanding liquor sales to
pension reforms, remain on the table though.
http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/local/hanger-wolf-offering-major-concessions-in-pa-budget-talks/article_9d8f961c-572d-11e5-9019-63b1a188e55a.html
Pass a stopgap: Wolf and the Legislature
must overcome failure
Post
Gazette Editorial By the Editorial Board September 11, 2015 12:00 AM
A
stopgap state budget that would address the 10-week standoff between the
Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf would be both a
victory and a defeat.
If a
temporary funding measure could be enacted, the pressure would be off Pennsylvania school
districts, human service agencies and other organizations that depend on state
dollars to pay their bills. Such an action would be a victory for them because
the assurance of a funding stream would save the cost of borrowing to keep
things running while lawmakers debate larger, long-term policies. For elected officials, though, a temporary
budget would be a declaration of defeat. Leaders
of the two major political parties are no closer to reaching agreement on a
spendng plan than they were when Mr. Wolf announced his budget proposal in
March. The Democratic chief executive
and the Republican-controlled Legislature have opposing views on important
issues: providing sufficient dollars for schools, imposing appropriate levies
on Marcellus Shale drillers, selling the state’s liquor monopoly and changing
public pension plans. House Speaker Mike Turzai told Post-Gazette editors this
week that his fellow Republicans are counting first on at least $220 million
from the sale of the state liquor system for new revenue, not new or higher
taxes as Mr. Wolf has proposed.
"Pointing to what he
said was close to $1 billion in education funding cuts in the last four years,
Hughes said most school districts are dependent on the state for funding. Pennsylvania has the largest deposits of
natural gas in the nation, he said, yet “the Marcellus Shale industry is not
paying their fair share.” Gov. Wolf has “proposed a modest and fair” severance
tax, “which he wants to put into education, so more can have what Upper Dublin has.”
Dems address
budget impasse in Upper Dublin, call for Marcellus Shale tax
Montgomery News By Linda Finarelli lfinarelli@montgomerynews.com @lkfinarelli on Twitter Published: Thursday, September 10, 2015
UPPER
DUBLIN >> The “fundamental issue” holding up an agreement on a state
budget is a Marcellus Shale tax to help fund public education, state Sen.
Vincent Hughes said at a Sept. 10 press conference at Upper Dublin High School. Hughes, D-7, whose district includes parts of
Montgomery County and Philadelphia, along with other Democratic legislators
advocated an increase in education funding and passage of an extraction tax on
gas drillers as the “fair and equitable” thing to do. Standing in the lobby of the Performing Arts
Center of the high school, made
possible by a voter referendum, Hughes said Upper Dublin was chosen as the
backdrop for the event to highlight the disparity between wealthy suburban
districts and Philadelphia ,
referring to class sizes, infrastructure and services.
http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2015/09/10/ambler_gazette/news/doc55f1f8993c83c092785529.txt?viewmode=fullstory
http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2015/09/10/ambler_gazette/news/doc55f1f8993c83c092785529.txt?viewmode=fullstory
House Democratic caucus gets $1.9 million
advance from State Treasury
Treasury cites impasse, advances
staff funding
By Kate
Giammarise/ Post-Gazette Harrisburg
Bureau September 10, 2015 11:51 PM
"In regard to the
payment to the charter schools, the board will pay what it owes for the
tuition, a figure Marnell explained is about $400 of every $1,000 that is owed.
The rest of the money would come from state subsidies, which have not been
received. “School districts are being
billed for tuition by charter schools,” Petonic said. “There is no state
budget, so you don't know for sure what the state is going to allocate in the
way of subsidies.” He said if the
district was to make full payments without knowing how much was to be received
from the state this could cause the potential problem of “having to reopen the
budget.”
Trib
Live By Paul
Paterra Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, 1:16 a.m.
The impasse with the state budget led to two actions bySouthmoreland School
District
The impasse with the state budget led to two actions by
"Districts downgraded
one notch by Moody’s include Crestwood, Dallas, Delaware Valley, Forest City
Regional, Hazleton Area, Mid Valley, Mountain View, North Pocono, Pittston
Area, Riverside, Tunkhannock Area and Wallenpaupack Area. Standard & Poor’s issued warnings last
week to Mid Valley, Old Forge, Riverside, Scranton, Career Technology Center of
Lackawanna County, Tunkhannock, Hazleton Area and the Wilkes-Barre Area Career
& Technical Center."
School
districts face rating downgrades as impasse continues
Along
with struggling to make payroll and pay utility bills as the state budget
impasse continues, school districts now face higher borrowing costs. On Thursday, Moody’s Investors Service
downgraded ratings for a dozen area school districts, and if the state does not
pass a budget soon, Standard & Poor’s Rating Services warned last week that
additional districts could be downgraded.
The impasse, at day 73 today, creates uncertainty with whether districts
will be able to make debt service payments, according to the agencies.
Districts statewide have already missed more than $1 billion in subsidy
payments and many have already secured loans to pay bills. Districts downgraded one notch by Moody’s
include Crestwood, Dallas, Delaware Valley, Forest City Regional, Hazleton
Area, Mid Valley, Mountain View, North Pocono, Pittston Area, Riverside,
Tunkhannock Area and Wallenpaupack Area.
Standard & Poor’s issued warnings last week to Mid Valley, Old
Forge, Riverside, Scranton, Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County,
Tunkhannock, Hazleton Area and the Wilkes-Barre Area Career & Technical
Center.
The
state has been without a budget since July 1. Districts that have received
warnings or have been downgraded are enrolled in the state’s intercept program,
which allows the state to withhold subsidy payments from a district that fails
to make a debt payment. The state then pays the bank directly. The lengthy
budget impasse has heightened risks to bondholders, Moody’s wrote in a release.
What will PSSA
scores show about kids? West
Shore School
Penn
Live By Rachel Bunn | rbunn@pennlive.com Email
the author | Follow on Twitter on
September 10, 2015 at 9:49 PM, updated September 10, 2015 at 10:37 PM
Are kids
being pushed until they break or pushed to do better?
That's
the debate school administrators and officials are having as they reflect on
data from this year's Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exam. Members of the West Shore School Board
grappled with what declines test scores mean for kids: is it an increased rigor
to keep up with the rest of the world or is it pushing kids to do too much? It's not news that the 2015 PSSA scores triggered worry among
educators, with the new tests and new scoring system causing scores
to sharply decline from
the previous year. The Pennsylvania
Department of Education said the new test aligns better with
the state's core standards, among other things, and this year will be the new
baseline for comparison. The U.S. Department of Education said Tuesday it wouldwaive use of the new
test scores as part of the School Performance Profile as the state transitions to
the more stringent requirements. The profiles are used to judge both teacher
and school performance.
Charter advocates back closing badly
performing peers
MARTHA
WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Friday, September 11, 2015, 1:07
AM
It may
sound counterintuitive, but two Philadelphia
organizations that favor expanding successful charter schools are calling for
changes to make it easier to close charters with poor academic track records. In a position paper scheduled to be released
Friday, the Philadelphia Charters for Excellence and the advocacy arm of the
Philadelphia School Partnership call on the School Reform Commission and the
legislature to streamline the closing of charters that are chronically low
performers. Now, they say, the process
can drag on for years "while students attending these low-performing
schools continue to receive a substandard education." But the document says it is equally important
that the high-performing charter schools in the city get the green light to
expand to help accommodate displaced students.
Company hired
to find subs for Philly schools isn't finding many
KRISTEN A. GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Friday, September 11,
2015, 1:06 AM POSTED: Thursday, September 10, 2015, 4:09 PM
The
private firm that scored a $34 million contract with the Philadelphia School
District Philadelphia
classrooms in any given day.
Proposed
arts-centered charter school in York
District
administrators said an application lacked detail
York Daily Record By Angie Mason amason@ydr.com @angiemason1 on Twitter UPDATED: 09/10/2015
09:10:56 PM EDT
A
proposal for an arts-infused charter school in the York City School District
Richard
Caplan, the founder of Arts to the Core, argued that the school's educational
strategy is based on "dynamic" curriculum development and that it
wouldn't work with a pre-packaged curriculum. Other charter representatives
said there might be documents that weren't submitted. Allison
Petersen, an attorney for the board, questioned the applicants, seeking more
details, such as whether they would contract out for special education services
or provide them in house.
Bracey &
Schreiber: York City
The
beginning of the school year is undoubtedly an exciting time for the entire
community. Parents are snapping "first day of school" photos and
sharing them all over social media, teachers are easing the students'
transition from summer to school, and students are meeting new classmates, learning
new hallways, picking up an instrument or trying out for sports while generally
figuring out where they fit in. Parents are meeting teachers, checking on
homework, shopping for supplies and amazingly firing on all cylinders while
simultaneously running on fumes. These
traditions and rituals occur in homes and school across our entire
commonwealth. It does not matter what school district you are in, private,
public or charter, the back-to-school season is a time of anxiety, excitement,
optimism, new horizons and certainly a great deal of angst.
Unionville-Chadds
Ford teachers, board agree to new 4-year contract
By Fran Maye,
Daily Local News POSTED: 09/10/15,
12:38 PM EDT | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
EAST
MARLBOROUGH >> The Unionville -Chadds Ford School Board and teachers in
the district have accepted the recommendations of a fact-finder, paving the way
for a new four-year contract. The
Unionville-Chadds Ford Education Association approved the terms of the
fact-finder’s report on Sept. 6, and this week, the school board voted 8-1 to
approve it. School director Keith Knauss voted against approving the
fact-finder’s report. “The UCFEA is
excited to get back to educating our students, which is our greatest priority,”
said Scott Broomall, UCFEA president. “The report is fair and reasonable and
mindful of all stakeholders involved in the process. It’s important that we
have a voice in our workplace, that we can negotiate terms and conditions of
our employment. We are delighted to have the board vote to support the fact
finder’s report.” Under
terms of the new contract, teachers will average an annual salary increase of
2.4 percent over the next four years. In the final year of the agreement a
teacher starting in the district with a bachelor’s degree will earn $50,000 per
year while a top of scale teacher with 16-plus years experience, a master’s
degree plus 60 graduate school credits will earn $105,441.
Delco Times By Linda Reilly, Times Correspondent POSTED: 09/10/15, 10:02 PM
EDT
Rep. John Kline is still optimistic on No Child Left
Behind rewrite this year
Congress has not yet
officially launched a conference committee to reconcile differences between the
House and Senate revisions of No Child Left Behind. But Rep. John Kline
(R-Minn.), the chairman of the House Education Committee, says that he is still
hopeful that lawmakers will be able to send a bill to the president’s desk by
the end of the year. “The sooner we can
move this through, the better,” Kline said to reporters Wednesday. He declined
to offer a specific timeline but said that the presidential campaign will only
suck up more of the oxygen in Washington
as time goes on. [What was missing — unfortunately — in the No Child
Left Behind debate] No Child
Left Behind expired in 2007, but Congress has been unable to reach a deal to
rewrite it. Kline, who announced last week that he does not plan to seek
reelection in 2016, said his retirement will free up time, otherwise spent
fundraising, to work on legislation. But
does it free him from political concerns, making it easier to find common
ground with Democrats and emerge from conference with a bill that the president
might sign?
Slicing the K-12 Data on
Governors Running for White House
Incumbents or
not, hopefuls tout records
Education Week By Alyson Klein Published Online: September 8, 2015
In his campaign for
the GOP presidential nomination, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker credits his push
to get rid of teacher protections with boosting his state's 3rd grade reading scores.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby
Jindal, another contender in the crowded Republican field, claims his
championing of expanded school choice helped hike his state's high school graduation rates.
And former Florida
Gov. Jeb Bush says his work on school accountability has translated into big
achievement gains, including for minority students, in the Sunshine State Santa Monica , Calif.
Tune
in this Sunday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m.: EPLC’s “Focus on Education” Show on PCN –
PA Auditor General Eugene DePasquale will discuss public education finance
reform and 2) representatives of the PA School Boards Association will discuss
the work of school boards and school board directors
Part 1:
Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale will discuss public education
finance issues.
Part 2: The
work of school boards and school board directors, featuring: Steve Robinson, Senior Director of Communications, Pennsylvania School
Boards Association Kathy Swope, President-Elect, PA School Boards Association
and President, Lewisburg Area School Board
All EPLC “Focus
on Education” TV shows are hosted by EPLC President Ron Cowell.
SCHOOL PLAY - It's a touchy subject
School Play explores
our attitudes toward public education using the real voices of Pennsylvanians
from across the Commonwealth
The performance will
be held next Wednesday, September 16th at 7:00 pm at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre 480 S. Broad St. , Philadelphia
Help fund the statewide
tour of a live documentary play about the struggle to save public education in Pennsylvania
After
standing-room-only shows at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center in
April, we’re taking this compelling play about the precarious state of public
education back to the people who lent us their voices and stories. This
October, we’re traveling across the state, putting on free performances to
spark conversations and engage citizens.
School Play is a work of grassroots theatre, woven from the
narratives of hundreds of Pennsylvanians affected by our state’s school funding
crisis. The play is entirely crowd-sourced; the script is derived from the
words of students, parents, educators and legislators, and is available online
for anyone to perform. Artists Arden
Kass, Seth Bauer and Edward Sobel created School Play out of
our personal concern for our kids and our communities. The result is a funny,
sad, straight-talking documentary theatre piece, told through the words of real
people. You can read more about School
Play here, here, here and here.
Register Now for the Fifth
Annual Arts and Education Symposium Oct. 29th Harrisburg
Thursday, October
29, 2015 Radisson Hotel Harrisburg Convention Center 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Act
48 Credit is available. The event will be a daylong convening of arts education
policy leaders and practitioners for lively discussions about important policy
issues and the latest news from the field. The symposium is hosted by EPLC and
the Pennsylvania Arts Education Network, and supported by a generous grant from
The Heinz Endowments.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.