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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup November 13, 2015:
Budget Reactions; Referendum Concerns; Prelim ESEA
Reauth Deal
Register for PSBA Budget Action Day on Monday, Nov. 16
— Join us!
Capitol Building, Harrisburg NOV 16, 2015 • 9:00
AM - 1:00 PM
Wolf defends
compromise deal as one Pennsylvanians will like
Delco Times By Marc Levy, The Associated Press POSTED: 11/12/15, 12:55 PM
EST
LANCASTER,
Pa. >> Pennsylvanians will like the results of the deal under negotiation
to end a state government budget stalemate now in its fifth month, Gov. Tom
Wolf said Thursday. Wolf, a
first-term Democrat, has said little about elements of the sprawling deal since
they were announced Monday by top Republican lawmakers. Under the proposed
deal, Pennsylvania’s sales tax would increase to become the second highest in
the nation, while the state’s Marcellus Shale natural gas industry scored a
legislative victory, beating back Wolf’s efforts to increase taxes on it. Wolf acknowledged that the deal secures about
half the amount of school property tax reductions that he had originally sought
in his March budget plan. Meanwhile, the proposed property tax reduction of
about 15 percent would be financed by a 21 percent increase in the sales tax,
which Democrats complain is the tax that hits the poor the hardest. However,
Wolf is billing the deal as delivering a record increase in aid to public
schools, his biggest priority, and the first substantial school property tax
reductions as part of his broader goal to narrow huge funding disparities
between Pennsylvania’s wealthier and poorer school districts.
Gov. Tom Wolf: budget compromise 'moves Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom
Wolf said Thursday in Lancaster
he's not getting everything he wants in a proposed budget deal, but
Pennsylvanians will benefit from lower property taxes and an historic increase
in school funding. Wolf, a first-term
Democrat, said increasing the sales tax from 6 to 7.25 percent won't hurt the
poor if property tax relief funds are "distributed in a progressive
way" and high-poverty school districts are fairly funded. "There are some amazing big things that
are changing as a result of this framework, if we can bring it across the
finish line, that I think all Pennsylvanians on the whole should like,"
Wolf told reporters after attending a Lancaster
event. "Did we get everything? No, but this moves Pennsylvania forward." Budget negotiators announced earlier this
week that the broad outlines of a deal to resolve the four-and-one-half month
impasse are in place. Wolf on Thursday said he thinks a final budget is
possible by Thanksgiving, and pledged a quick release of state funds to
beleaguered school districts and human-service providers hurt during the
impasse.
Possible Referendum Requirement for All School
Cheltenham Citizens' Call Posted On Nov 11 2015
With
state budget negotiations between Democratic Gov. Wolf and the Republican
legislative leadership finally appearing to be on a fast track, a measure that
may or may not be in the final deal has school boards and many education
advocates on red alert. Even with early
reports that education could be the beneficiary of $400 million in new funding
for the first budget year, a statewide coalition of education advocacy
organizations is anything but happy about a proposal circulating – some say out
of the governor’s office – that would require school districts to hold binding
referenda in their communities prior to final approval of local budgets
supported with any level of property tax increase. The Act 1 index and
exceptions would be dissolved. In
a letter to
the governor and state legislative leaders the Campaign for Fair Education
Funding called the proposal a “drastic change in state policy” that “would have
a devastating impact” on districts’ local budgetary control and their ability to
provide quality education.
"The largest and fastest
growing costs are the pensions mandated by the Public School Employees
Retirement System (PSERS) and charter schools, the report said. According to the report, state-wide school
district expenditures for salaries have decreased by nearly $1 billion since
2011-12. Salaries and health care combined have decreased in two out of the
past three years. While districts are
often chided for "irresponsible spending," expenditures for
everything except PSERS and charter schools only went up 1.26 percent since
2011-12, less than the rate of inflation, the report said. PSERS and charter school costs have outpaced
the revenue which districts are allowed to raise under the Act 1 index, the
report said."
Palmyra school
board members hope districts don't have to go to referendums to raise taxes
Penn
Live By Monica
Von Dobeneck | Special to PennLive on November 12, 2015 at 8:31 PM,
updated November 12, 2015 at 8:37 PM
Forcing
school districts to go to referendums for any property tax increases would
devastate districts, several Palmyra Area School District officials said during
Thursday's meeting. Board member Ralph
Duquette said that rumors that it will happen as part of state budget
negotiations were the main topic of discussion at an IU 13 meeting he attended. He said the state budget impasse is creating
problems, forcing the IU to take out a $20 million loan. He said he and other members of the IU board
and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association are asking school directors to
attend Budget Action Day on Nov. 16 at the state capitol to hear from
legislators about the budget stalemate. Duquette
handed out a report from the PSBA explaining what is driving the increases in
school district spending – expenditures the districts have no control over.
As budget
framework emerges, preschool advocates fear they'll be squeezed out: Analysis
Penn
Live By John
L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on
November 12, 2015 at 3:48 PM, updated November 12, 2015 at 3:49 PM
Gov. Tom Wolf and legislative Republicans may be working out the
fine print details of a nascent state budget framework, but advocates for early
childhood education programs already fear the state's youngest residents could
get squeezed out of a final deal. "If
there is one clear way to spend state money and know you are making a real
difference, it's on Pre-k," said David L. Cohen, the Comcast executive
who's part of a coalition pushing for the increased funding. And even
though a final agreement on a spending plan that's now five months late is
still a week or two away, at minimum, Cohen and his
allies have been working the phones and prowling the Capitol,
urging budget negotiators to give the programs a serious cash bump.
Editorial:
Public pension crisis had to be fixed
Delco
Times Editorial POSTED: 11/12/15, 10:34 PM EST
While
much of the buzz surrounding this week’s budget deal in Harrisburg has focused on a hefty increase in
the state sales tax – and the absence of any new levy on the state’s natural
gas operations – there is a lesser debated, but not less important issue
addressed. The framework for the budget
agreement heralded by Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican leaders in the Legislature
will finally take dramatic action to confront what has been referred to for
years as the “ticking time” bomb in the state budget. That would be the massive unfunded liability
in the state’s two large public employee pension plans. The budget deal would shift $500 million from
the state’s slot-machine revenue and put it into a special account dedicated to
paying off pension obligations. In
addition, new hires – both school employees and state workers – would get a
diminished traditional pension benefit, plus a 401(k)-style plan with a 2
percent contribution. Welcome to the world most employees in the private sector
have toiled in now for years. The defined-benefit pension has become as rare as
Sixers victories. Most workers now are instead enrolled in defined contribution
plans, for the most part 401(k) plans invested in the stock market.
Delco Times Editorial POSTED: 11/11/15, 9:27 PM
EST
Welcome to Pennsylvania, home of split-personality
voters – and divided government.
Now we’re about to find out how much this
dysfunctional voting pattern is going to cost.
Tired of four years of austere budgets and cuts in
education funding under former Republican Gov. Tom Corbett – and despite his
protests that it was the absence of federal stimulus funds, and not his
policies, that were to blame – voters showed the Republican the door. Democrat Tom Wolf attacked Corbett early and
often on education funding. He made clear his intention to seek new revenue to
restore the nasty education cuts, as well as putting the state back on an even
financial footing. Foremost among those
proposals was Wolf’s clarion call, backed by some Republicans, to enact a new
tax on the state’s Marcellus Shale natural gas operations. It’s another area he
clobbered his predecessor – who passed up such calls in favor of an “impact
fee” that raised less revenue – over the head with again and again during the
campaign. Voters sent Corbett packing and stood with the York
County businessman, knowing full well his tax proposals. So putting together a state budget, including
those tax proposals, would be no problem, right? Uh, not exactly.
Property tax
elimination vote coming despite budget framework?
The PLS Reporter Author: Jason
Gottesman/Thursday, November 12, 2015
The sponsor of a Senate bill to completely eliminate
Pennsylvania’s school property tax says he will be offering an amendment next
week that encompasses his proposal despite the governor and legislative leaders
working on another proposal. Sen. Dave
Argall (R-Schuylkill) told The PLS Reporter Thursday that he
plans to bring up the complete elimination plan next Tuesday as an amendment to
a bill being considered on the Senate floor.
“I believe we have the votes,” he said. “We have 24 cosponsors, [and] I
have other members who have told me they will vote for this even though they are
not cosponsors, but there’s only one way to find out, so we’re going to read
the roll call on Tuesday.” He said
despite the governor and legislative leaders from all four caucuses unveiling a
budget framework earlier this week that focuses on reducing or eliminating
property taxes for homeowners and farmers by raising the sales tax 1.25 percent
across the commonwealth, the vote Tuesday could not be more real. “I believe that when this clears the Senate
for the first time in history, that changes everything,” he said. “That
certainly changes the dynamic in the House.”
"It is believed that a wine and
spirits privatization bill will be part of the overall final budget framework
agreement."
New liquor
privatization bill introduced
The PLS Reporter Author: Jason
Gottesman/Thursday, November 12, 2015
A new bill to privatize wine and spirits sales in Pennsylvania was
introduced Thursday by House Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny). The bill—House Bill 1690—is scheduled to be
voted on in the House Liquor Control Committee Monday at 11:00 a.m. According to a cosponsorship memo attached to
the legislation, the plan will divest the Commonwealth of all of its wine and
spirits stores. “In order to divest the
retail system, the legislation provides for the closing of all the state
stores,” the memo reads. “It provides a safeguard to ensure that the citizens
of Pennsylvania
will receive the same or better service they are currently experiencing before
a state store is closed.
Pennsylvanians
getting drilled all over again
Philly Daily News Attytood by Will Bunch Updated on NOVEMBER 12, 2015 —
6:27 PM EST
So in what's been a pretty hectic week so far, as
the world counts down to the
arrival of red Starbucks coffee cups and the end of Western civilization as
we've come to know it, Gov. Wolf and Pennsylvania
lawmakers kind of sneaked in a budget deal. And there's definitely some
good things in there, including a significant increase in the amount of
money for schools. And here's the best part of this tentative framework for a
budget -- everybody's paying his or her fair share! Haha, for a second there I had you going, didn't I?
Are you new to the Keystone
State
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Pennsylvanians-getting-fracked-all-over-again.html#7IpO3ulVWSF5ZFIK.99
Higher sales
tax pitch for Pa.
York Daily Record by Brett Sholtis, bsholtis@ydr.com7:36 p.m. EST November 12, 2015
Shoppers accustomed to adding 6 percent to price
tags might soon be adding 7.25 percent instead, a change that has drawn mixed
feelings from the business community. In
the latest twist in the Pennsylvania
state budget stalemate, Gov. Tom Wolf and top Republican lawmakers
agreed to raise the state sales tax to 7.25 percent, which would rank
Pennsylvania second only to California , which has a 7.5 percent tax. The
sales tax, if approved as part of a budget deal, would pay for a record
increase in education funding, and would replace a previous proposal to pay
for education funding by taxing the natural gas industry. Wolf has said many details remain to be
worked out, but he hopes to have a budget approved by Thanksgiving.
'I'm trying to
keep an open mind': Lawmakers reserve judgment on sales tax increase proposal
Penn Live By Christian
Alexandersen | calexandersen@pennlive.com Email the
author | Follow
on Twitter on November 12, 2015 at 12:48 PM, updated November 12,
2015 at 1:32 PM
Cumberland, York and Dauphin County lawmakers are
holding off supporting or criticizing a proposal that would raise
the sales tax as part of the state budget. After months of negotiations, Gov. Tom Wolf
has joined leaders in the Pennsylvania General Assembly to develop a framework
for the budget. While the details have yet to be hammered out, leaders in the
four caucuses have proposed parts of the framework. One
of the most significant proposals is to raise the sales tax from
6 percent to 7.25 percent. That additional money would be used to to cut
residential property taxes by $1.4 billion, or about 15 percent.
Lawmakers
from Cumberland, York and Dauphin Counties weighed in on the proposal:
'I will be a
no vote' and other lawmakers respond to proposed sales tax increase
Penn LIve By Christian
Alexandersen | calexandersen@pennlive.com Email the
author | Follow
on Twitter on November 12, 2015 at 4:00 PM, updated November 12,
2015 at 4:14 PM
Few midstate lawmakers are saying whether or not
they support a proposal
to increase Pennsylvania's sales tax as part of the state budget
framework. Leaders with the Pennsylvania
General Assembly and Gov.
Tom Wolf recently announced a framework for the state budget -- which
is nearly five months overdue. The framework, which has received initial
support from all four caucuses, provides broad ideas with few specific
proposals. One of the proposals that's
been presented is raising the sales tax from 6 percent to 7.25 percent. That
additional money would be used to to cut residential property taxes by $1.4
billion, or about 15 percent.
Lawmakers
from the midstate weighed in on the proposal:
Proposed state
budget framework still has many details to resolve
By Karen Langley / Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau November 12, 2015 1:20 AM
PBPC: Getting
to Good -- An Analysis of Pa.
Posted by PA Budget and Policy Center
To download a pdf of the brief click here
Over the past 48 hours, news report have trickled
out about a tentative budget agreement between Republican legislative leaders
and the Wolf Administration. Lacking the information for a full analysis, we will
instead lay out criteria for evaluating any budget deal; assess what the early
information indicates about the likelihood of this tentative budget agreement
meeting these criteria; and suggest how the negotiators might improve the
budget framework as they further develop its details. The criteria: Pennsylvania needs a budget that invests in
people and is supported by sustainable revenues that are raised in a fair and
progressive way. More specifically, a good budget for this year should:
- restore funding
to education (at all levels) and to human services;
- provide
property tax relief targeted to moderate- and low-income homeowners and to
older rural and urban communities;
- solve
the state’s structural budget deficit without resorting to one-time
gimmicks;
- collect
revenues in a progressive way that counters, or at least does not
exacerbate,
Given these criteria: A
severance tax on natural gas drillers is a critical means by which to
provide new, sustainable revenues that are raised fairly. The omission of a
severance tax from the framework budget agreement being considered by the
governor and general assembly is a fatal flaw that undercuts the ability to
achieve a good budget. The governor’s original proposal was to allocate most of
the severance tax revenue to education funding. A severance tax would create a
sustainable and growing source of revenue to ensure adequate education funding
not only this year but in the years to come, a major step towards reducing the
structural deficit. Absent this sustainable source of revenue, identifying
adequate education funding will be more difficult in every annual budget negotiation.
EITC/OSTC: Letters:
Gov't failing kids on scholarship
by INA LIPMAN Updated on NOVEMBER 13, 2015 — 3:01 AM EST
Ina Lipman is executive
director of Children's Scholarship Fund Philadelphia
FIVE MONTHS overdue, the impasse over the state budget has caused tremendous hardship for many communities: from school districts borrowing money to operate, to social service organizations cutting programs for families in need until state grant money is allocated. Although challenging, when the budget eventually passes, those funds will refill their coffers and programs will be able to move forward. However, for thousands of low-income children in our city who are benefiting from the state's Education Improvement and Opportunity Tax Credit programs (EITC and OSTC) they will suffer a permanent loss: They will not be able to return to their schools next fall.
FIVE MONTHS overdue, the impasse over the state budget has caused tremendous hardship for many communities: from school districts borrowing money to operate, to social service organizations cutting programs for families in need until state grant money is allocated. Although challenging, when the budget eventually passes, those funds will refill their coffers and programs will be able to move forward. However, for thousands of low-income children in our city who are benefiting from the state's Education Improvement and Opportunity Tax Credit programs (EITC and OSTC) they will suffer a permanent loss: They will not be able to return to their schools next fall.
How Pa. School
Budget Cuts Affect Spring-Ford
High-poverty
school districts are losing more and more funding. See what Montgomery County
schools are suffering the most.
By JUSTIN
HEINZE (Patch Staff) November 12, 2015
New research demonstrates that Pennsylvania schools
with less funding suffer disproportionately when it comes to having funding
restored, Districts that have had
the least amount of their funding reinstated since huge
statewide budget cuts in 2011 are the same districts that suffer from low
income, high poverty, and have higher non-proficiency rates. The study, entitled “Undermining Educational
Opportunity: Pennsylvania’s Unequal Restoration of School Funding,” was
executed by the Pennsylvania
Budget and Policy Center, which describes itself as a nonpartisan think
thank that focuses on how new policies affect working families. The initial cuts in 2011 were three times higher in
high-poverty school districts than in low-poverty districts, according to the
study. Because schools with the poorest
achievement scores lost the most funding, a return of funding to high-poverty
districts would be the best way to maximize student achievement across the
state, the study says.
Departing East
Penn school director: Corporatization of education turns teachers into villains
Margie Peterson Special to The Morning Call November
12, 2015
Samuel "Sandy" Rhodes III has been to the
East Penn School Board what Clarence Thomas is to the United States
Supreme Court: a man of few words. But
on Monday at his final board meeting, the quietest school director gave a
soliloquy blasting the corporatization of public education with high stakes
testing that reduces what schools and teachers do to a couple of scores. "The institution of high stakes tests,
introduced by education corporations to create the perception of failure in
public schools has led to the public questioning the quality of America's
public education system which has led to a search for villains," Rhodes
said. "The villains chosen have been educators." "Corporate interests, who created the
tests, have the ear of public officials," he said. "These officials
receive generous campaign contributions from companies that make, distribute
and grade the standardized test. This is a multibillion-dollar industry."
Parents, teachers, and others at three
schools currently slated for conversion to charters as part of the District’s
now five-5-year-old Renaissance turnaround initiative, have called for
community schools as an alternative. Eighteen labor and community organizations
have signed
on to this demand.
Opportunities
and challenges of community schools
the
notebook By Ron Whitehorne on Nov 12, 2015 03:13 PM
With Mayor Michael Nutter departing City Hall in
January, his legacy in education is facing some scrutiny. He gets good marks
for his focus on raising graduation rates and support for more funding. But his
agenda also included closing neighborhood public schools and the expansion of
charter schools (and to a lesser extent magnet schools), policies that drew
strong opposition. Mayor-elect Jim Kenney is on record as favoring an
education agenda that includes community schools. Over the length of his term,
he would like to create 25 of these schools, neighborhood public schools that
build community partnerships and bring under one roof the social services and
supports that students and their families need.
In implementing this ambitious and transformative community school
strategy, Kenney will face major challenges. But the local political landscape,
and a shifting national picture, will definitely provide unprecedented
opportunities for a progressive education reform agenda. Included among Kenney’s education advisory
team are people who advocate for community schools. Chief among them is Otis
Hackney, who as principal of South
Philadelphia High
School
Philly School District
to create task force on testing
One goal is "to make sure testing is not eclipsing everything
else we do in the District," said SRC Chair Marjorie Neff.
the
notebook By Dale Mezzacappa and Greg Windle on Nov 12, 2015 06:11 PM
The Philadelphia School District plans to convene an
assessment task force to study the impact of all the tests administered to city
students and make recommendations for changes.
Chris Schaffer, deputy chief for curriculum,
instruction and assessment, said that the task force will include parents,
teachers, community members, and perhaps students. The goal is to have its members in place by
the December break and start meeting in January to reconsider the District's
approach to testing. "The task
force will have access to all assessment information and staff to help inform
our assessment plans for the future – inclusive of recommendations to adjust
the frequency, duration, and types of assessments we administer. This group
will consist of school and community members representative of the District's
landscape," Schaffer said.
Judge: Philly
schools should heed seniority, hire counselors
by Martha Woodall, Inquirer Staff Writer Updated on NOVEMBER 12, 2015 —
3:52 PM EST
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has won
another round in its battle with the School District over seniority and
counselor staffing levels. A Common
Pleas Court judge denied the district's request to overturn an arbitrator who
found that the district had violated the union contract in 2013 when it ignored
seniority in recalling laid off counselors.
In an order filed Tuesday, Judge Linda A. Carpenter also backed the
arbitrator's decision that the PFT contract required each school to have at
least one counselor on staff. Union
President Jerry Jordan said Thursday that he "was delighted with Judge
Carpenter's decision that clearly there should be one counselor in every school
for the children." He added:
"I think that this is a big victory for the children. I hoped that her
ruling would be the end of this, and that the counselors would be restored to
the schools." But that will not be
the case. A district spokeswoman
confirmed that the district had filed an appeal in Commonwealth Court Thursday
but declined further comment.
Marple
Newtown, teachers agree on new contract
Delco Times By Leslie
Krowchenko, Times Correspondent POSTED: 11/12/15, 10:27 PM
EST
NEWTOWN >> A joint statement posted Thursday
on the Marple Newtown School District website announced the district and Marple
Newtown Education Association have reached a tentative contract agreement. The
settlement was achieved during Monday night’s negotiating session. “The MNEA team is pleased and satisfied that
we have reached a tentative agreement,” said union President Larysa Dragonetti,
a music teacher at Worrall
Elementary School
Time's Up: Full-Time
Virtual Charters Must Become Transparent Together
Forbes by Michael Horn
CONTRIBUTOR NOV 12, 2015 @ 07:31 AM 14 VIEWS
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their
own.
A new three-party National Study of Online Charter
Schools by the Center
for Research on Educational Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University
and Mathematic
Policy Research found that students enrolled in full-time virtual
charter schools made, on average, far less progress than their counterparts in
traditional schools. In response, the full-time virtual charter schools were quick
to denounce the methodology behind the research and suggest that it paints a
flawed picture of their schools’ performance. Others joined in criticizing the methodology behind
some of the study’s claims. Put aside
the he-said, she-said debate. Put aside that it’s likely that both the authors
of the study and the schools themselves have points in their favor—the
full-time virtual charter schools themselves have in the past been transparent
about some of their academic struggles, and, at the same time, in their
criticism of the study, those same schools are surely right that the
characteristics and motivation of some of their students for attending
full-time virtual charters makes them quite unlike the “virtual twins” the
study purports to have found for the purposes of comparison. Put aside the
crystal clear anecdotes that go beyond the on average results—something
education researchers are not good at doing—that show that for certain students
in certain circumstances, full-time virtual charter schools are absolutely the
best place for them to learn and that these students have not only been
successful in these environments, they have also thrived in ways they would not
have in traditional brick-and-mortar schools. Put aside the fact that full-time
virtual charter schools are not for everyone and may now be serving students
who are not good fits for what they offer.
Put it all aside because the fact is that full-time
virtual charter schools, which are funded by public dollars, are on the
defensive in the battle of public perception, which will, at some point, have
public policy consequences.
"The AERA listed eight technical
requirements that should be met before the models can be considered valid and
said that generally speaking, it isn’t possible for teacher and principal
evaluation systems to meet those requirements.
The National Research Council, the American
Statistical Association and the Rand Corporation have previously cautioned
against using value-added scores to make personnel decisions."
Education
researchers caution against using students’ test scores to evaluate teachers
The American Educational Research Association became
the latest organization to caution against using value-added models — complex
algorithms that attempt to measure a teacher’s impact on student test scores —
to evaluate teachers and principals. A
growing number of states have begun using value-added models, or VAMs, to judge
and in some cases fire teachers. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions
about how to ensure that such models provide valid, reliable and accurate
information about teachers, AERA said in a statementreleased Wednesday. AERA cautioned against using these formulas for
“high-stakes decisions” about educators.
“Many states and districts have incorporated VAM in a comprehensive
system to evaluate teachers, principals, and educator preparation programs,”
the statement says. “There are considerable risks of misclassification and
misinterpretation in the use of VAM to inform these evaluations.”
Preliminary
Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization deal
NSBA Newsroom on November 12, 2015
Charlotte Blane
Less than a week following the National School
Boards Association's (NSBA) joint
push with other leading education groups, urging lawmakers to “get
ESEA done,” the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA) appears to be progressing. Leaders from the House Education and
the Workforce Committee and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor
and Pensions (HELP) purportedly are preparing for the next steps with a
House-Senate conference committee reportedly convening soon and a reconciled
bill could be considered by both chambers in December. NSBA will continue to monitor the progress
and advocate for a final education bill that underscores the importance of
local governance and community ownership, so that our nation’s 90,000 school
board members will be better positioned to offer all students a world-class
public education.
- See more at: http://www.nsba.org/newsroom/preliminary-elementary-and-secondary-education-act-reauthorization-deal#sthash.gcgFUwn4.dpuf
Sources: House
and Senate Negotiators Have Reached Preliminary ESEA Deal
Education Week Politics K-12 Blog By Alyson Klein on November
12, 2015 6:53 PM
UPDATED - Christmas seems to have came early this
year for education advocates. After weeks of long and hard negotiations, House
and Senate lawmakers have reached preliminary agreement on a bill for the
long-stalled reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, multiple sources
say. The agreement will set the stage
for an official conference committee, which would likely kick off next week.
The legislation could be on the floor of the House and Senate by the end of
this month, or early next, sources say. (Nothing set in stone on timing just
yet.) So far, the word isn't official.
Neither the House nor the Senate education committee has confirmed. No hard-and-fast details available yet,
although those are likely to trickle out in coming days. But if I were a
betting woman, I'd put money down that there will be some language asking
states to intervene in the bottom five percent of their schools, and schools
with high drop-out rates. No provision for so-called Title I "portability,"
smart money says. (School choice fans might have something to cheer about
anyway). And many smaller programs may have been rolled into a big giant block
grant, according to folks familiar with earlier drafts of the proposal. Sources familiar with previous versions of the
agreement also say the odds are good that a new program for early childhood
education made it into the compromise.
Clinton, GOP
Presidential Candidates Weigh in on School Choice
Education Week Charteres & Choice Blog By Arianna
Prothero on November 12, 2015 3:29 PM
Even though education was largely ignored in the most recent GOP
presidential debate, it still managed to elbow into the campaign spotlight
this week starting with former Secretary of State and current Democratic
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's remarks on charter schools. During a town hall meeting in South Carolina over
the weekend, Clinton was asked by Roland S. Martin, a commentator for TV
One, about her views on school choice, and during her answer said
this: "Most charter schools, I
don't want to say every one, but most charter schools, they don't take the
hardest to teach kids," Clinton said. "Or if they do, they don't keep
them. And so the public schools are often in a no-win situation." The claim that charter schools cherry-pick
students is nothing new, but it's a real sore spot for school choice
supporters. Charter groups and advocates, including former Florida
governor and Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, were swift and
forceful in their response to Clinton's comments.
"While test participation by
elementary school students exceeded 95 percent, student opt-out rates reached
31 percent on 11th grade math tests and 25 percent on all 10th grade math
scores. Across all grade levels and in
both English and math, white students were far more likely than their black and
Latino classmates to miss the tests as a result of parental refusals. At a press briefing Thursday, interim
education commissioner Elliot Asp acknowledged a concern about how
representative the scores are in higher grades that saw large number of
parental refusals, most likely in affluent areas."
Tens of
thousands of Colorado
Parent
refusals — or opt-outs — were minimal in lower grades, soared in high school
Colorado Chalkbeat By Eric Gorski @egorski egorski@chalkbeat.org November
12, 2015 - 10:02 a.m. MST
More than 65,000 Colorado students were held out of last
spring’s PARCC tests by their parents, according to newly released data that
for the first time documents the strength of the so-called opt-out movement in
the state. Roughly 1 in 10 Colorado students
skipped the math and English assessments as a result of parent refusals. Test-taking rates were high with young
students, began to sink in higher grades and plummeted among high schoolers,
many of whom saw little value in sitting for yet more standardized tests
as they prepared for the next chapters in their lives.
Testing
Resistance & Reform News: November 4 - 10, 2015
FairTest Submitted by fairtest on November 10, 2015
- 1:01pm
The U.S. assessment reform movement continues to
rack up victories, as summarized in a new report from FairTest and another week
of clips from around the nation.
PSBA New School Director
Training
School boards who will welcome new directors after the election should
plan to attend PSBA training to help everyone feel more confident right from
the start. This one-day event is targeted to help members learn the basics of
their new roles and responsibilities. Meet the friendly, knowledgeable PSBA
team and bring everyone on your “team of 10” to get on the same page fast.
- $150 per
registrant (No charge if your district has a LEARN Pass. Note: All-Access
members also have LEARN Pass.)
- One-hour lunch
on your own — bring your lunch, go to lunch, or we’ll bring a box lunch to
you; coffee/tea provided all day
- Course
materials available online or we’ll bring a printed copy to you for an
additional $25
- Registrants
receive one month of 100-level online courses for each registrant, after
the live class
Nine locations
for your convenience:
- Philadelphia
area — Nov. 21 William Tennent HS, Warminster (note: location changed from
IU23 Norristown)
- Pittsburgh
area — Dec. 5 Allegheny IU3, Homestead
- South Central
PA and Erie areas (joint program)— Dec. 12 Northwest Tri-County IU5,
Edinboro and PSBA, Mechanicsburg
- Butler area —
Jan. 9 Midwestern IU 4, Grove City (note: location changed from Penn State
New Kensington)
- Allentown area
— Jan. 16 Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, Schnecksville
- Central PA —
Jan. 30 Nittany Lion Inn, State College
- Scranton area
— Feb. 6 Abington Heights SD, Clarks Summit
- North Central
area —Feb. 13 Mansfield University, Mansfield
Register here: https://www.psba.org/2015/09/new-school-director-training/
Register for PSBA Budget Action Day on Monday, Nov. 16
— Join us!
Capitol Building, Harrisburg NOV 16, 2015 • 9:00
AM - 1:00 PM
For more than four months Pennsylvanians have gone without a state
budget, and school districts are feeling the pain. As the budget stalemate continues, many
school districts across the state are depleting savings or borrowing to meet
expenses. In addition to loan interest payments and fees, schools are taking
many other steps to curtail spending and keep school doors open.
PSBA is asking you to join us at the Harrisburg Capitol on Monday, Nov.
16 to take action. Let our legislators know that a state budget is critical to
the education of our public school children in Pennsylvania. Budget Action Day, Capitol
Building , Harrisburg , PA
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
The Network for Public Education 3rd
Annual National Conference April 16-17, 2016 Raleigh , North Carolina
The
Network for Public Education is thrilled to announce the location for our 3rd
Annual National Conference. On April 16 and 17, 2016 public education advocates
from across the country will gather in Raleigh, North Carolina. We chose Raleigh to highlight the tremendous
activist movement that is flourishing in North Carolina. No one exemplifies
that movement better than the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, who will be the
conference keynote speaker. Rev. Barber is the current president of
the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, the National NAACP chair of
the Legislative Political Action Committee, and the founder of Moral Mondays.
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
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