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 October 30, 2015:
Constituent service: Senator Wagner makes $400K loan
to Thackston Charter School
Job
Announcement – Publisher, The Philadelphia
Public School
Application deadline is now November
7th
Founded in 1994, The Philadelphia
Public School Notebook is an
independent, nonprofit news organization serving thousands of readers who
strive for quality and equality in Philadelphia Philadelphia
Gov. Wolf on budget
impasse: “It’s not time for partisanship”
The PLS Reporter Author: Jason Gottesman/Thursday, October
29, 2015
Gov. Tom Wolf spoke
on a scheduled appearance during Pittsburgh’s KQV 1410 AM morning show Thursday
saying, while he is awaiting a GOP proposal to break the budget stalemate, it’s
time to put partisanship aside. Likening
the current budget struggle to that of a past bipartisan
solution—transportation funding legislation passed in 2013—he called on both
sides of the impasse to come together to solve issues both sides agree need to
be addressed. Among those, he
pointed to the need to increase education funding, fix the structural deficit,
and make Pennsylvania ’s
tax system fairer by reforming property taxes.
“It’s not time for partisanship,” he told morning show how PJ Maloney.
“We really need to recognize the things we have in common—which is a good
Pennsylvania—and come to some agreement on what we need to do to move
Pennsylvania forward.” He added in order
to accomplish common goals, there will have to be “some adjustments in
revenue,” though he was not specific about what he would be willing to accept
in a new proposal following the defeat of his revenue plan in a recent House
vote.
"The stark reality is
that most parents can’t choose a better zip code, so some kids will interact
with digital smart boards, while others inhale chalk dust; and some kids will
go to the school psychologist because their parents took away their Xbox, while
others will seek security, clean clothes, and meals from a counselor whose
caseload is larger than the graduating class in a neighboring district. Passing the budget to restore educational
funding is only the first step. Repairing the tragically flawed model used to
distribute the money needs to be the end goal, whether or not it’s politically
expedient to do so."
Erie at Large: The drama
of funding education in Pennsylvania
ErirReader.com BY JIM
WERTZ Published
in: Vol. 5, No. 22
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28TH, 2015 AT 10:30 AM
The budget fight in
the state legislature and its impact on local government and education has
become shrouded in drama. So School Play, the documentary theater
production staged Oct. 13 at Iroquois
High School
"Since July 1, neither
Connellsville nor any of the other districts across the state have received any
funding from the state government. Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled
Legislature can't agree on a budget, halting funding to schools, social
programs and other organizations.
"This game of chess
where the children of this school district are being used as pawns with adults
over pension costs, over liquor stores, has to stop," said Connellsville Area School District
State budget impasse
causing school districts to plan for shutdowns, loans
WTAE by Ashlie Hardway Published 2:36 PM EDT Oct 29, 2015
CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. —Connellsville
Area School District leaders are planning how the district will operate in the
weeks to come without any money coming in from the commonwealth. The House of
Representatives approved a two-year, bipartisan budget deal Wednesday that
removes the threat of default next week and lessens the chances of another
government shutdown in December. Democrats
aren't going along with a Republican bid to override Gov. Tom Wolf's veto of a
short-term spending plan designed to break Pennsylvania 's long budget stalemate. Pennsylvania 's
House of Representatives and Senate are now borrowing money amid a four-month
budget stalemate that has depleted lawmakers' reserves and shut off billions of
dollars in aid to schools and social services.
The Pennsylvania Senate's top Democrat says a final budget agreement
probably won't include an increase in the sales or personal income tax that
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has sought to boost education funding and wipe out a
deficit. The district's
budget is 70 percent funded by the commonwealth
of Pennsylvania
State Senate goes to
recess as schools and seniors suffer
WHYY Newsworks THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT A
BLOG BY SOLOMON JONES
OCTOBER 29, 2015
As the state budget
crisis stretches into its fourth month, state funded entities across the
Commonwealth are feeling the effects of the political stalemate. The Erie School District Erie 's schools
will soon be forced to borrow from elsewhere, just like the Philadelphia School
District Philadelphia and Erie
are not alone. School districts across Pennsylvania
have borrowed $431 million to keep the doors open during Pennsylvania 's budget crisis, and the total
could exceed $1 billion by December, state auditor general Eugene DePasquale
said Wednesday. Meanwhile, members
of the Republican-controlled state Senate voted along party lines to adjourn
for two weeks—with pay—even as school districts and state-funded non-profits
teeter on the brink of fiscal ruin. Every Republican voted in favor of the
break, while every Democrat voted against it. The irony of state legislators
being paid to vacation is bitter for many, but especially for those who will
lose their jobs because the legislators and the governor failed to pass a
budget.
Auditor general: Pa.
Centre Daily Times BY BRITNEY MILAZZO bmilazzo@centredaily.comOctober
28, 2015
The state released a document Wednesday that said Pennsylvania school
districts and other educational entities are borrowing at least $431 million
because of the state budget impasse.
This includes Bald Eagle Area School District, with a $5 million
loan, according to the report.
BEA is among 10
school districts in the commonwealth that reportedly started borrowing money
this month. Auditor general spokeswoman
Susan Woods said Superintendent Jeff Miles confirmed to the state on Oct. 21
that the district took out the loan through First National Bank with a 1.5 percent
interest rate. Despite state records,
BEA business manager Craig Livergood, in an emailed statement, denied that the
district got a loan. “I am unsure where
they got that information,” he said. “As stated before, the district has not
obtained a loan.”
State corrects information
on Bald Eagle Area SD
BY BRITNEY MILAZZO bmilazzo@centredaily.comOctober 29,
2015 Updated 7 hours ago
After contradicting
information between the state and the Bald Eagle Area School District on Wednesday,
state Auditor General
Eugene DePasquale emailed a statement to the CDT Thursday afternoon
correcting information the state previously released. He said that after “further discussion”
Thursday morning with BEA, “we have learned that the district is considering,
but has not yet officially taken out, a $5 million line of credit with First
National Bank.”
"The district receives
about a quarter of its $59.4 million budget from state funds. About five years ago
the district’s state funding was cut by nearly $21 million and about half of it
had been restored."
McKeesport Area School District may have to borrow
further funds, cut programming
Post Gazette By
Deana Carpenter October 28, 2015 11:03 PM
At a meeting of the
McKeesport Area School Board of Directors on Wednesday, Superintendent Rula
Skezas said the district is running out of funds due to the state budget
impasse. “We are running out
of funds much earlier than other districts,” Ms. Skezas said. She added that
she testified at a public hearing in Harrisburg
earlier in the day expressing her concerns for the lack of a state budget. McKeesport Area has already taken out a $5
million line of credit to help pay for day-to-day expenses. Ms. Skezas said
that line of credit will last the district until the beginning of December. If
a budget is not passed by then, further funds may have to be borrowed, she
said. Ms. Skezas also added that the
district may be forced to discontinue its after-school programming, preschool
and athletics if the budget remains in limbo.
WFMZ by Jamie Stover
, Reporter, JStover@wfmz.com Posted: 5:13 PM EDT Oct 28, 2015
Updated: 6:22 PM EDT Oct 28, 2015
Almost four months
past the state budget deadline, Pennsylvania
lawmakers on opposing party sides just can't seem to strike a deal, and with
each passing day, school districts and charter schools around the state say
their worries are becoming a scary reality. As Republicans and Democrats
continue their stalemate over tax increases and severance fees, among other
budget conditions, school districts are not being paid. The issue has forced
some districts to take out a loan, and others to tap into reserve funds. On
Wednesday, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced that districts across
the state have already borrowed $431 million because of the impasse. Those
loans could cost nearly $14 million in interest fees, DePasquale said. QUICK
CLICKS Bethlehem superintendent speaks at
impasse hearing East Penn bracing for February financial crisis Bangor Area
School District
Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/pennsylvania-budget-stalemate-creates-uncertainty-for-charter-schools/36102506
Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/pennsylvania-budget-stalemate-creates-uncertainty-for-charter-schools/36102506
Thackston Charter afloat
due to Wagner loan
York Daily Record by Angie Mason and Flint L. McColgan, fmccolgan@ydr.com11:28 p.m. EDT October
29, 2015
The national assessment is
given to thousands of randomly selected fourth- and eighth-grade students,
takes only about an hour to complete, and, unlike other standardized tests,
involves no preparation. Scores are reported anonymously.
NAEP: U.S. test scores down, but Pa.
KATHY
BOCCELLA, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST
UPDATED: Friday, October 30, 2015, 1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday, October
29, 2015, 5:25 PM
For the first time
since testing began 25 years ago, the latest results for the National
Assessment of Educational Progress tests show a drop in math scores. And the
tests also contained more bad news for the nation's schoolchildren. Although some results in Pennsylvania
and New Jersey
fell in 2015 compared with 2013, they were above national averages in what is
known as "the nation's report card."
F&M Poll: Wolf Losing
His Shine, Voters Blame Legislature for Budget
PoliticsPA Written by Jason Addy, Contributing Writer October 29, 2015
Nine months into his
first year as PA Governor, Tom Wolf is taking some hits to his approval rating. 36% of PA voters think Wolf is doing an
“excellent” or “good” job as governor, down three points from
August, according to the
latest Franklin & Marshall poll. Democrats still support the man
they elected last year to replace Tom Corbett, with 57% commending Wolf’s work. The poll notes Wolf
is enjoying similar levels of support as Corbett and Ed Rendell in the first
year of their administrations.
Franklin & Marshall College Poll October 29th,
2015
http://www.fandm.edu/uploads/files/60515498771112845-october-2015-franklin-marshall-college-poll.pdf
READ! by 4th director
explains goals of campaign
the notebookBy Fabiola Cineas on Oct 29, 2015
01:19 PM
The Notebook sat
down with Jenny Bogoni of the Free Library, READ! by 4th’s executive director.
In the interview, she outlines the mission of the campaign, its strategies, and
challenges.
What is the READ!
by 4th campaign’s main goal?
Ensuring all children
can read on grade level by the time they enter 4th grade.
Why does Philadelphia
For decades, we have
had a high percentage of kids not reading on grade level. There is research
nationally and locally that shows that kids who aren’t reading on grade level
by the time they reach 4th grade are set on a path where they’re unlikely to be
successful.
They are four times
more likely to not graduate high school on time. Research also shows that if
you don’t graduate on time you are more likely to not attend college and earn
less than a family-sustaining wage in your lifetime. As the pedagogy shifts from learning to read
to reading to learn, students are essentially no longer being taught how to
read. They have to use their reading skills to learn other things. And if
they’re not reading on grade level, they’re then not learning those other
things effectively. All of these things just pile on each other.
The Progressive by Peter Greene Posted:
October 27, 2015
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Rome wasn’t burnt in a day. There are several
stations on the way to schoolmageddon.
Start With
Built-in Disparities: Everyone
knows that Pennsylvania is home to urban
behemoths Pittsburgh and Philadelphia , but we also have huge rural
areas. Take Forest School
District, a district that covers roughly 500 square miles, serves
about 530 students, and a resident population of just under 5,000 (with a
median income of $33K). Pennsylvania
deals with all manner of poverty and population. Any solution our urban-heavy
representatives come up with will be an ill fit for somewhere else in the
state. That much variation also means
any funding system based on real estate taxes will have baked-in inequities. Pennsylvania also run
has the fourth-highest senior citizen population in the country—people who
frequently oppose having their fixed income eaten away by increased taxes on
their homes.
- See more at: http://progressive.org/news/2015/10/188378/pennsylvania-how-create-school-financial-crisis#sthash.EMyMRS2t.dpuf
Underperforming Phila. sub
firm boosts teacher pay
KRISTEN A.
GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST
UPDATED: Friday, October 30, 2015, 1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday, October
29, 2015, 4:34 PM
The firm that has
struggled to fill Philadelphia 's
substitute-teaching vacancies said Thursday that it will pay more in an effort
to attract more workers. Source4Teachers
will now pay certified teachers who previously worked for the school system
$160 per day, up from $110. Long-term certified subs will make $200 per day, up
from $140. For those new to the system,
the rates jump to $140, $160, or $180 per day, depending on subject area
taught, from $110, $125, and $140. The Cherry
Hill-based firm was awarded a two-year, $34 million contract to manage
substitute services beginning in September.
It promised to have filled 75 percent of vacancies by the first day of
school and 90 percent by January; it filled 24 percent of sub jobs Thursday,
leaving 505 classes without teachers.
President Obama calls for less standardized testing in
public schools
President Barack
Obama has something in common with a growing group of Lancaster County Lancaster
County
"While testing is an
important topic, narrowly focusing on assessments diverts our attention from
the challenges at the heart of education reform: How to close the achievement
gap between students from low-income and minority households and their more
privileged, mostly white, counterparts. And how to move the needle on student
achievement so that American children of all backgrounds and income levels are
on par with students in China, France, and pretty much everywhere else in the
developed world. We will not make these sorts of gains by relying on testing as
an education reform strategy. Instead, teachers need to be fully supported in
implementing the rigorous content that college- and career-readiness standards
demand."
Getting real about what teachers need to succeed
Teachers
have been the focus of school reform for years now, with evaluation systems
(linked to student test scores) being front and center of policymakers’ efforts
to improve schools. Had those policymakers asked, most teachers would have told
them what they really need to succeed in the classroom. Here’s a look at the
subject by Andy Porter, former dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania
By Andy Porter
With the Obama
Administration’s recent call to limit the amount of time students spend taking
standardized tests, there’s been a lot of talk about assessments in the
national media. And that chatter is likely to intensify with the release of the
2015 NAEP results—the so-called “Nation’s Report Card”—this week.
How one impoverished
public school district is making strides
Bertis Downs is a parent and an education activist
who lives in Athens , Georgia Clarke
County Clarke County
is the most impoverished district in the state, Lanoue has been credited with
making more gains to close the achievement between economically disadvantaged
and non-disadvantaged students than any other Georgia district. Last year, Downs wrote an open letter to President Obama, inviting
him to visit the Clarke school district to see how his education policies
are “actually hurting– not helping– schools like ours.”
School
Board Recall Vote in Colorado
New York Times By JACK HEALY OCT. 28, 2015
"Success
Academy , the high-performing
charter school network in New
York City
At
a Success Academy Charter
School
New York Times By KATE TAYLOR OCT. 29, 2015
From the time Folake
Ogundiran’s daughter started kindergarten at a Success Academy charter school in Fort Greene ,
Brooklyn , the girl struggled to adjust to its
strict rules. She racked up demerits for
not following directions or not keeping her hands folded in her lap. Sometimes,
after being chastised, she threw tantrums. She was repeatedly suspended for
screaming, throwing pencils, running away from school staff members or refusing
to go to another classroom for a timeout.
One day last December, the school’s principal, Candido Brown, called Ms.
Ogundiran and said her daughter, then 6, was having a bad day. Mr. Brown warned
that if she continued to do things that were defiant and unsafe — including, he
said, pushing or kicking, moving chairs or tables, or refusing to go to another
classroom — he would have to call 911, Ms. Ogundiran recalled. Already feeling
that her daughter was treated unfairly, she went to the school and withdrew her
on the spot.
120 American Charter
Schools
The FBI is investigating a
group of educators who are followers of a mysterious Islamic movement. But the
problems seem less related to faith than to the oversight of charter schools.
The Atlantic by SCOTT BEAUCHAMP AUG 12, 2014
It reads like
something out of a John Le Carre novel: The charismatic Sunni imam Fethullah
Gülen, leader of a politically powerful Turkish religious movementlikened
by The Guardian to an “Islamic Opus Dei,” occasionally
webcasts sermons from self-imposed exile in the Poconos while his organization
quickly grows to head the largest chain of charter schools in America . It might sound quite
foreboding—and it should, but not for the reasons you might think.
Vicki Phillips served as PA
Secretary of Education during the Rendell administration……
"Education Week calculated that at the end of 2013,
Gates' teacher-quality initiatives totaled nearly $700 million; by
now, the foundation estimates it's spent more than $900 million on
teacher-related grantmaking. Just
as importantly—and controversially—the foundation also poured millions into
helping to underwrite the creation of the leaner, more focused Common Core
State Standards, and to support teachers in states that adopted them"
Vicki Phillips, Outgoing
K-12 Director at Gates, Reflects on Her Tenure, Priorities
Education Week
Teacher Beat By Stephen Sawchuk on October
28, 2015 2:37 PM
The head of the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation's K-12 grantmaking team, Vicki Phillips,
announced this week that she will step down at the end of 2015. "The baton was passed to me eight years
ago. I have been honored to run my leg, and I am ready to hand the baton
forward to the next leader," she said in a letter to colleagues. The metaphor is apt: Gates just this month
announced that it plans to stay the course on
its massive investments into efforts to improve teacher quality. Phillips' appointment as the director of the
foundation's College-Ready Education unit, in 2007, marked Gates' pivot away
from a focus on small high schools and the beginning of its focus on
instruction. (Education Week has received several grants from
the Gates Foundation over the past decade, most recently for
coverage of implementation of college- and career-ready
standards.) In her letter, Phillips
recalled being charged with finding a "strategic lever" for improving
education. She and her team ultimately concluded that, despite lots of evidence
that teachers played a critical role in boosting student achievement, little
research was available about how to identify the best teachers and help them
spread their knowledge.
WESA Public Forum:
Equitable Education Funding Nov. 9, 7 pm
Pittsburgh
WESA By EBAISLEY • October
27, 2015
Governor Tom Wolfe
has proposed spending 6.1 billion dollars on basic education, yet Pennsylvania is one of
just three states that does not use a formula to distribute funding to local
school districts. What is the best and most equitable way to allocate state
education funding? How can educators and lawmakers ensure a fair education for
all students?
90.5 WESA will convene a "Life of
Learning" community forum November 9 at the Community Broadcast
Center
Panelists include State Senator Jay Costa, member of the Basic Education Funding
Commission; Ron Cowell, President of the Education Policy and Leadership
Center; Linda Croushore, Executive Director of the Consortium for Public
Education; and Eric Montarti, Senior Policy Analyst for the Allegheny
Institute for Public Policy; and Linda Lane, superintendent of Pittsburgh
Public Schools. 90.5 WESA’s Larkin Page-Jacobs will moderate.
WHAT: Community Forum on Equitable Education
Funding
WHEN: November 9, 2015, 7 PM
WHERE:Community Broadcast Center 67 Bedford Square , Pittsburgh PA 15203
COST: Free. Register to attend.
WHEN: November 9, 2015, 7 PM
WHERE:
COST: Free. Register to attend.
SCHOOL CHOICE: THE ROLE OF THE
CONSTITUTION AND THE COURTS IN IMPROVING EDUCATION
Free for
Members • $7 teachers & students • $10 public
Become a Member today for free admission to this program and more!
Click here to join and learn more or call 215-409-6767.
Become a Member today for free admission to this program and more!
Click here to join and learn more or call 215-409-6767.
Does the
Constitution guarantee an “equal education” to every child? What do the U.S.
and Pennsylvania Constitutions say about school choice, teacher tenure,
standardized testing, and more? The Constitution Center hosts two conversations
exploring these questions.
In the
first discussion, education policy experts—Donna Cooper of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, Mark Gleason of the Philadelphia School
Partnership, Deborah Gordon Klehr of the Education Law
Center, and Ina Lipman of the Children's
Scholarship Fund Philadelphia—examine the state of Philadelphia public
education, what an "equal education" in Philadelphia would look like,
and their specific proposals for getting there. They also explain what, if
anything, the Pennsylvania state constitution says about these questions, and
how state government interacts with local government in setting education
policy.
In the
second discussion, James Finberg of Altshuler Berzon
and Joshua Lipshutz of Gibson Dunn—two
attorneys involved in Vergara v. California, a landmark dispute
over the legality of teacher retention policies—present the best arguments on
both sides and discuss what's next in the case. They also explain what the U.S.
Constitution and major Supreme Court cases like Brown v. Board of
Education, San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez and Parents
Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 say
about education and our national debates.
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/>
NSBA Advocacy
Institute 2016; January 24 - 26 in Washington ,
D.C.
Housing and meeting registration is open for Advocacy Institute 2016. The theme, “Election Year Politics & Public Schools,” celebrates the exciting year ahead for school board advocacy. Strong legislative programming will be paramount at this year’s conference in January. Visit www.nsba.org/advocacyinstitute for more information.
Housing and meeting registration is open for Advocacy Institute 2016. The theme, “Election Year Politics & Public Schools,” celebrates the exciting year ahead for school board advocacy. Strong legislative programming will be paramount at this year’s conference in January. Visit www.nsba.org/advocacyinstitute for more information.
PASBO 61st Annual
Conference and Exhibits March 8 - 11, 2016
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
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
Thanks for your excellent guide man
ReplyDeleteCosmetic Haircare Salon Products