Keystone State Education Coalition

Established in 2006, the Keystone State Education Coalition is a growing grass roots, non-partisan public education advocacy group of several hundred locally elected, volunteer school board members and administrators from school districts throughout Pennsylvania. Our mission is to evaluate, discuss and inform our boards, district constituents and legislators on legislative issues of common interest and to facilitate active engagement in public education advocacy.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

PA Ed Policy Roundup Dec 31: Treasury: 16,400 delayed payments to school districts; how much money will individual districts get?

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 3800 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

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Ed Policy Roundup December 31, 2015:

Treasury: 16,400 delayed payments to school districts; how much money will individual districts get?

Community schools promising, but take effort

Philly.com Opinion By Kate Shaw & Della Jenkins Updated: DECEMBER 30, 2015 3:01 AM EST

Kate Shaw ( kshaw@researchforaction.org) is the executive director and Della Jenkins ( djenkins@researchforaction.org) is a policy analyst at Research for Action, a Philadelphia-based education research organization (www.researchforaction.org).
Community schools are receiving increased attention in Philadelphia, at the state level, and across the country as policymakers and practitioners strive to address the effects of poverty on academic performance and provide more comprehensive supports for traditionally underserved populations. Earlier this month, the long-awaited reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, now the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), maintained the three largest federal funding streams available to support extended day services or implementation of a community school model. And for the first time, ESSA explicitly encouraged low-income districts to use Title I funds for integrated student supports and enhanced community partnerships. In Philadelphia, Mayor-elect Jim Kenney has called for the creation of 25 community schools over the next four years and has tapped South Philadelphia High School Principal Otis Hackney to oversee the effort as his chief education officer. Hackney cultivated many aspects of the community school model at South Philadelphia, including partnering with nonprofits and community groups to expand services for students and their families.

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20151230_Community_schools_promising__but_take_effort.html#YMfVbZFscZO3fGEW.99

Blogger note: Pennsylvania's pending school code bill contains "Opportunity Schools" state takeover provisions modeled after the Tennessee Achievement District

Tennessee's State-Run Achievement District Runs Into Political Trouble

Education Week State Ed Watch By Daarel Burnette II on December 29, 2015 5:30 PM

Tennessee's state-run Achievement School District, which takes over low-performing schools and either runs them directly or hands them over to charter organizations, has run into partisan political trouble. Several Democratic state lawmakers said Monday they will propose bills this upcoming legislative session to either shut down the turnaround district, which mostly is based in Memphis, or severely limit its authority to take over schools. Citing a recent Vanderbilt University study, the politicians said district-led turnaround efforts in Chattanooga, Memphis, and Nashville have academically outpaced the state's and that until the state-run district can begin to show academic progress, it shouldn't be allowed to take over more schools. "The ASD should go back to its original goal and refocus on intense intervention at a small number of schools," state Rep. Brenda Gilmore, chairwoman of the Black Caucus of State Legislators said during a press conference Monday.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/state_edwatch/2015/12/state-run_districts_run_into_political_trouble.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Statement of Education Voters: Comment on proposed School Code language

Posted on December 14, 2015 by EDVOPA

http://educationvoterspa.org/blog/statement-of-education-voters-comment-on-proposed-school-code-language/

"The first thing they need to do is get off social media and get into a room and talk," said Barbara Foxman, vice president of the Pennsylvania Council of Mediators. Pennsylvania's leaders are great at yelling into their own echo chambers and having staring contests, but none of that will resolve the outstanding issues in the ongoing budget crisis, mediators agreed."

Wolf vs. Republicans: Who are the real adults in the room?

Penn Live By Candy Woodall | cwoodall@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on December 31, 2015 at 7:00 AM, updated December 31, 2015 at 7:06 AM

If the Democrats and Republicans have anything in common right now, it's that they all think they are the adults in the room. And they have the Twitter posts to prove it. Here are two recent tweets from the governor's spokesman, Jeff Sheridan, and the House GOP spokesman, Steve Miskin.:

http://www.pennlive.com/news/2015/12/wolf_vs_republicans_who_are_th.html

"To get money to schools as quickly as possible once funding was released, Mr. Sheridan said, the administration several months ago “pre-loaded” payments for districts based on last year’s allocations but that a “reconciliation payment” will follow. Normally, the main budget bill is accompanied by legislation with instructions on how to spend money that lawmakers have authorized. But a bill that would spell out the distribution of school funding for the current year has not reached the governor’s desk."

Amount of school funding uncertain

State to deliver $3.3B next week

By Karen Langley / Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau December 31, 2015 12:00 AM

HARRISBURG — The day after Gov. Tom Wolf signed a portion of the year’s education funding into law, a critical question remained: How much money will individual school districts get? On Wednesday, the governor’s office said that question hasn’t been answered. “With regard to school funding, we are working to get that money out the door as fast as possible,” said Jeffrey Sheridan, spokesman for Mr. Wolf. “How the money is being distributed has not been finalized.” The Pennsylvania Treasury announced it had received requests from the governor’s budget office for about 16,400 delayed payments to school districts, counties and human service organizations, and that it expects the nearly $3.3 billion to be delivered by the middle of next week.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2015/12/31/Amount-of-school-funding-uncertain/stories/201512310177

Pa. Treasury to school districts, others: The check will soon be in the mail

Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on December 30, 2015 at 9:35 AM

Following Gov. Tom Wolf's signing of a $23.4 billion emergency funding plan on Tuesday, Treasury began the work of processing approximately 16,400 payment requests from the governor's budget office. With Treasury employees working through the upcoming holiday weekend, department officials expect to clear the entire impasse-related payment backlog within two weeks.

http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/12/pa_treasury_to_school_district.html#incart_river_index

'It's a relief': Pennsylvania's budget impasse victims soundoff on line-item veto decision

Penn Live By Christian Alexandersen | calexandersen@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on December 30, 2015 at 2:12 PM, updated December 30, 2015 at 2:17 PM

A mix of relief, frustration and cautiousness is being felt by Pennsylvania's school districts, human service providers and nonprofit organizations now that there's a partial state budget in place. On Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf line-item vetoed a Republican-crafted budget in order to provide emergency funding to school districts and organizations. The line-item veto allows the Democratic governor free up billions for struggling organizations while still continue negotiations with Republicans. The six-month budget impasse has taken a toll on entities that serve adults, children, families, seniors and those in need throughout Pennsylvania.

http://www.pennlive.com/news/2015/12/its_a_relief_pennsylvanias_bud.html#incart_river_index

Court OKs Corbett line-item veto

By Paula Reed Ward / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette December 30, 2015 11:14 PM

A five-judge panel of the state Commonwealth Court ruled Wednesday that former Gov. Tom Corbett had the authority to line-item veto elements of the 2014 fiscal code providing funding to the state Senate. Members of Senate leadership filed a petition against the governor in November 2014, challenging his ability to cut funding for items such as Senate salaries, wages and personnel expenses, including lodging, meals and incidentals while away on business, as well as $2.5 million from the department of general services for rental, relocation and municipal charges to the House. In the petition, the senators claimed that the vetoes were improper and that because the House session had been adjourned the day before the veto and because Mr. Corbett did not give public notice of his actions, that they were invalid. Further, they argued that the governor was not constitutionally permitted to disapprove select portions of the fiscal code because it is not a general appropriation bill, and that he must either have approved or disapproved it in its entirety. But Judge Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter, in ruling on the governor’s preliminary objections and Senate motion for summary judgment, disagreed.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2015/12/30/Commonwealth-Court-upholds-governor-s-authority-for-line-item-veto/stories/201512300208

York Dispatch OPED We owe it to our kids

York Dispatch OPED by Frances Wolf, first lady of Pennsylvania EST December 30, 2015

Last week my husband received a budget from the state Legislature that falls woefully short of the commitment we have to properly fund our public schools. It fails the people of Pennsylvania, but most importantly, it fails the children of Pennsylvania. I visited schools across the commonwealth earlier this year. I met with teachers and administrators, and talked with students in the classroom - and saw the same thing in every single school I visited: motivated students and dedicated teachers who simply don't have the resources they need to succeed. As I have said, Tom and I take education very seriously. As parents of children who were raised in Pennsylvania public schools, this is an issue that hits home for us. We have seen firsthand what it takes to deliver a quality public education to our children. That is why my husband used his executive authority to veto parts of the budget that was sent to his desk. He took this action to ensure a more responsible budget, while also taking the steps needed to send our schools the emergency funding owed to them through December 31.

http://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/opinion/2015/12/30/pennsylvania-budget-impasse-wolf-oped/78086610/

"There has been one constant throughout the six-month stalemate: Republican legislators' insistence on retaining Pennsylvania's status as the only major shale-gas production state that doesn't impose a severance tax. Legislators claim they are holding the line on taxes, but their real concern is protecting the gas industry, which has been pumping cash into their campaign funds."
Inky Editorial: Toying with state budget

by Inquirer Editorial Board. Updated: DECEMBER 30, 2015 — 3:01 AM EST

At least Gov. Wolf is acting like an adult. The same cannot be said of Republican legislators who passed the "garbage" budget that includes expenditures that Wolf says he will selectively veto. The governor plans to leave intact funding for schools and charities, which have suffered the most during the six-month budget impasse. Wolf's words dripped with anger Tuesday as he discussed the budget stalemate, but he remained dignified in rejecting the "pretend" budget dumped on his desk by the Republican-led legislature last week. Wolf plans to cut administrative spending by the legislature, but that tactic, employed by previous governors to force compromise, doesn't always work. Former Gov. Tom Corbett sliced the $5 million budgeted for lawmakers to park their taxpayer-financed cars in Harrisburg. That stung but didn't move indolent legislators.

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20151230_Toying_with_state_budget.html#X2VhKSGklXQOh8Jv.99

DN Editorial: BUDGET MAKES NO $EN$E

Philly Daily News Editorial Updated: DECEMBER 30, 2015 — 3:01 AM EST

TO BEGIN WITH, the budget the Republican Legislature passed last week and left on the governor's desk was as phony as a three-dollar bill. The $30.3 billion budget pretended to be balanced, but it was not. It exceeded available revenue by $300 million. It pretended to fund all vital state services, but it did not. The Legislature sort of forgot to include $550 million in state support for Temple, Pitt and Penn State. The budget pretended to increase state funding for education, but it did not. It added more money to the basic education subsidy, while taking away a $304 million item to help school district's pay construction and repair bills. The net result is that the state's districts would get a cut in state aid. It's no wonder Gov. Wolf, in vetoing a big chunk of the budget bill, called it "garbage."

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20151230_DN_Editorial__BUDGET_MAKES_NO__EN_E.html#ku1zW8XymHsI2mTf.99

Wolf's budget math adds up to one thing - higher taxes: Dennis Roddy

PennLive Op-Ed By Dennis Roddy on December 30, 2015 at 11:44 AM

Dennis Roddy, a frequent PennLive Opinion contributor, is a Republican consultant from Pittsburgh. His firm's clients include state House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny.

Employing such calming terms as "garbage" and "exercise in stupidity," Angry Babylonian Revenge God Tom Wolf laid a line item veto onto the second state budget sent to his desk in the space of six months. In a press conference that verged on phantasmagoria, the governor demanded that the Legislature return and send him a "real" budget. Allow me to decode this: By a real budget, he means one that requires tax increases. Let's do a little rustic math:

http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2015/12/wolfs_budget_math_adds_up_to_o.html#incart_river_index

Five tweets that explain Gov. Tom Wolf's #PABudget line-item veto: Wednesday Morning Coffee

Penn Live By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on December 30, 2015 at 8:30 AM, updated December 30, 2015 at 8:32 AM

Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
If you're just tuning in, or, alternately, were trapped under something heavy and unable to reach your Internet-Delivery Machine, Gov. Tom Wolf has run his line-item veto pen across a Republican-authored budget. To sum up, it is a move that simultaneously releases emergency funding for school districts and nonprofits, but also prolongs Pennsylvania's already hyperextended budget drama. Thus, much like rooting for any team from Philadelphia, the news is a mixture of muted joy and profound agony.

http://blog.pennlive.com/capitol-notebook/2015/12/five_tweets_that_explain_gov_t.html#incart_river_index

"Federal prosecutors allege that Trombetta created a series of connected entities to siphon taxpayer funds out of PA Cyber and to avoid federal income tax liabilities on at least $8 million."

Wheels of justice move slowly in Trombetta trial

Beaver County Times By J.D. Prose jprose@timesonline.com December 31, 2015

They say the wheels of justice turn slowly, and the ongoing federal criminal case against Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School founder Nick Trombetta is a good example. Trombetta, also PA Cyber’s former chief executive officer, was indicted in 2013. A trial date has yet to be set. However, a pretrial hearing is scheduled for January, and two significant rulings in his case were made in 2015, although they were based on hearings held in 2014. Trombetta, an Aliquippa native and East Liverpool, Ohio, resident, faces 11 charges, including mail fraud, theft concerning a program receiving federal funds, tax conspiracy and filing a false tax return. Federal prosecutors allege that Trombetta created a series of connected entities to siphon taxpayer funds out of PA Cyber and to avoid federal income tax liabilities on at least $8 million. Two of those entities were the Rochester-based National Network of Digital Schools (NNDS), now known as Lincoln Learning Solutions, and Avanti Management Group in Koppel.

http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_news/wheels-of-justice-move-slowly-in-trombetta-trial/article_64fa1f3a-ae52-11e5-b0f3-8f37d89f8516.html

Ghosts in the House: Lawmakers who are absent shouldn’t get to vote

Post Gazette By the Editorial Board December 31, 2015 12:00 AM

arrisburg lawmakers, who drew the ire of citizens with their obstructionism over a state budget, topped their fractious actions by allowing one of the oldest forms of political trickery — ghost voting. When the state Republican-led House convened on Dec. 22, a stopgap budget was ready for action. There wasn’t enough support for it, though, so a vote was called instead to scrap that plan and go with a Senate-adopted, $30.78 billion version. That was the deal worked out by Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican and Democratic leaders from both chambers. In order for that measure to advance toward a final vote, it needed to pass by a simple majority of members in attendance. And it looked as if it had, by the slimmest of margins, 100-99. Except that three of those Yes votes came from members who were not on the House floor at the time — Republican John Maher of Upper St. Clair and Democrats Peter J. Daley of California, Pa., and Leslie Acosta of Philadelphia.

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2015/12/31/Ghosts-in-the-House-Lawmakers-who-are-absent-shouldn-t-get-to-vote/stories/201512310124

"Following is a letter Tillerson wrote in 2013 to then-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R), showing exactly how the business leader went about pushing for the Core. He reminds Corbett of the “significant operations” ExxonMobil has in Pennsylvania. The letter was also sent to the leaders of the state legislature, as well as to all members of the legislature’s committees."

A letter that shows how big business pushed Common Core in PA

Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss December 30 at 2:39 PM

In recent days, education activists have become incensed with Rex Tillerson, the ExxonMobil chief executive, for remarks he made about public schools that were part of a story about the Common Core State Standards in Fortune magazine. The article, titled “Business Gets Schooled” and written by Peter Elkind, describes how involved some leaders of big business entities were in promoting the Core standards in recent standards. It has long been known that Microsoft founder Bill Gates funded the creation and promotion of the Core through his foundation, but the extent of involvement by some other business leaders was not as well known.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/12/30/a-letter-that-shows-how-big-business-pushed-common-core/

Top Philly donor moves on from Anthony Williams...to Rand Paul

Philly Daily News Attytood Blog by Will Bunch Updated: DECEMBER 30, 2015 — 8:54 AM EST

You'd think that Bala Cynwyd-based equity options trader Jeff Yass might want to sit out the rest of 2015 when it comes to campaign contributions. After all, it was just this spring that the Montgomery County billionaire -- along with two of his partners in the Susquehanna International Group, Arthur Dantchik and Joel Greenberg -- invested $7 million or so in a political action committee to make state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams the next mayor of Philadelphia. Instead, Williams and his libertarian-approved brand of charter-school boosterism were soundly rejected by voters in a landslide Democratic primary win for the now-mayor-elect, Jim Kenney. But Yass, a limited-government zealot who sits on the board of the libertarian Cato Institute think tank, jumped right back on the horse of big-money politics -- only to ride an even bigger longshot, the Kentucky GOP senator Rand Paul, who trails badly in the latest primary polls. Today, a bombshell New York Timesexpose on billionaires and their tax breaks suggests that Yass may be particularly enthusiastic these days about a certain kind of limited government -- getting the IRS off the back of a Susquehanna subsidiary. Here's the relevant excerpt:

NYT Editorial: The Counterfeit High School Diploma

New York Times By THE EDITORIAL BOARD DEC. 31, 2015

Teachers unions and other critics of federally required standardized tests have behaved in recent years as though killing the testing mandate would magically remedy everything that ails education in the United States. In reality, getting rid of the testing requirement in the early grades would make it impossible for the country to know what if anything children were learning from year to year. Congress understood this fundamental point, and kept the testing requirement, when it reauthorized the No Child Left Behind Act — now called the Every Student Succeeds Act — last month. But lawmakers ducked the most important problem: the fact that most states still have weak curriculums and graduation requirements that make high school diplomas useless and that leave graduates unprepared for college, the job market or even meeting entry requirements for the Army.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/31/opinion/the-counterfeit-high-school-diploma.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0

Can Schools Be Fixed?

Experts on K-12 education offer their reasons for optimism and pessimism going forward.

The Atlantic Decmber 2015 by ALIA WONG, ADRIENNE GREEN, AND LI ZHOU

It’s been a tumultuous year for America’s schools—one marked by an expanding minority-student population, an increasingly discontent teaching force, a backlash against standardized testing, and shifting understanding of education reform. It’s seen greater attention on areas traditionally dismissed as nonessential: things like early-childhood education, after-school programs, and project-based learning. It’s also seen evolving attitudes toward discipline, with tactics such as restorative justice starting to replace zero-tolerance approaches, including in high-poverty urban districts. Debates over how to address disparities in achievement have been highly politicized. The ed-tech market has continued to grow. Education is often touted as a means for boosting social mobility and making communities more equal, but inequality in school funding and resources has made that difficult to achieve, especially amid increasing poverty rates. Segregation in districts, both tacit and explicit, is holding scores of children back, and performance on math and reading assessments has remained relatively stagnant. President Obama has just signed into law an act that will replace the widely despised No Child Left Behind, but whether it’ll succeed in its goals—boosting the attainment of disadvantaged students, reducing the amount of testing taking place in schools, promoting classroom innovation, and so on—is far from guaranteed. We reached out to some of the leading scholars of, experts on, and advocates for K-12 education, and asked them what, as the year comes to an end, is giving them cause for hope and despair. Below are their answers, lightly edited for length and clarity.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/12/hope-and-despair-k-12-education/421800/

Education Bloggers Daily Highlights 12-30-15

http://edubloggers.org/2015/12/30/education-bloggers-daily-highlights-12-30-15/

BLOG: THE EDUCATED REPORTER

Best of the Beat: Reporters’ Favorite Stories of 2015

Education Writers Association DECEMBER 30, 2015 EMILY RICHMOND

As the Washington Post rightly pointed out, working during the holiday weeks can feel like being stranded in a dead zone. I did manage to conduct a (highly unscientific!) survey of EWA’s journalist members and ask them to name a few of their favorite stories by their peers in the past year. I’m as reluctant as anyone to post obligatory Top 10 lists (I like things that go to 11). So this time I’m going to limit myself to a relatively small handful:

http://www.ewa.org/blog-educated-reporter/best-beat-reporters-favorite-stories-2015

2016 PA Educational Leadership Summit July 24-26 State College

Summit Sponsors: PA Principals Association - PA Association of School Administrators - PA Association of Middle Level Educators - PA Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development

The 2016 Educational Leadership Summit, co-sponsored by four leading Pennsylvania education associations, provides an excellent opportunity for school district administrative teams and instructional leaders to learn, share and plan together at a quality venue in "Happy Valley."

Featuring Grant Lichtman, author of EdJourney: A Roadmap to the Future of Education, Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera (invited), and Dana Lightman, author of POWER Optimism: Enjoy the Life You Have... Create the Success You Want, keynote speakers, high quality breakout sessions, table talks on hot topics and district team planning and job alike sessions provides practical ideas that can be immediately reviewed and discussed at the summit before returning back to your district. Register and pay by April 30, 2016 for the discounted "early bird" registration rate:

https://s3.goeshow.com/seee/PAEdLeadershipSummit/ereg312499.cfm?clear

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

Remaining Locations:

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
Delaware Co. IU 25 — Feb. 1
Scranton area — Feb. 6 Abington Heights SD, Clarks Summit
North Central area —Feb. 13 Mansfield University, Mansfield

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.

Save the Dates for These 2016 Annual EPLC Regional State Budget Education Policy Forums

Sponsored by The Education Policy and Leadership Center

Thursday, February 11 - 8:30-11:00 a.m. - Harrisburg
Wednesday, February 17 - 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - Philadelphia (University of Pennsylvania)
Thursday, February 25 - 8:30-11:00 a.m. - Pittsburgh

Invitation and more details in January

PASBO 61st Annual Conference and Exhibits March 8 - 11, 2016
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania

http://files.pasbo.org/conf_annual.asp

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.

http://www.networkforpubliceducation.org/2016-national-conference/

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

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

PA Ed Policy Roundup Dec 30: Coverage/Reaction to Wolf #PABudget statement

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Ed Policy Roundup December 30, 2015:

Coverage/Reaction to Wolf #PABudget statement

Video of Governor's Budget Statement: Governor Wolf Rejects Republican Plan to Cut Education; Releases Emergency Funding

Governor Tom Wolf Published on Dec 29, 2015 youtube video runtime: 4:52

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96e5kdxIRzU

Read the full-text of Gov. Wolf’s budget statements

abc27 news By Myles Snyder Published: December 29, 2015, 3:53 pm

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Gov. Tom Wolf says he’s vetoing parts of a $30.3 billion budget that legislators approved before their holiday vacation, but he’s releasing more than $23.3 billion in emergency funding so schools and human services agencies can stay open.

The following are remarks as prepared given by Wolf at a news conference in Harrisburg:

http://abc27.com/2015/12/29/read-the-full-text-of-gov-wolfs-budget-statements/

"Blue-lined" Budget Per Governor Wolf December 29, 2015

The fourth column shows how the budget lines were funded today by the governor. The yellow highlighting indicates amounts that are different, or blue-lined, from the pared-down state House version of the budget, which is the third column.

General Fund Tracking Run Published by Governor Tom Wolf

http://www.scribd.com/doc/294219652/General-Fund-Tracking-Run

Lashing out at lawmakers, Wolf sending billions to Pa. schools, social services

WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN MCCORRY DECEMBER 30, 2015

Gov. Tom Wolf announced Tuesday that he'll issue a line-item veto to reject major parts of the spending plan passed last week by Pennsylvania's Republican-controlled House and Senate. When the Legislature passed a similar budget over the summer, Wolf vetoed the entire package in an attempt to leverage support for the historic funding boost he sought for public education. Nearly six months past the budget deadline, as schools have been pushed to the brink without any state aid, the governor agreed to sign off on most of the deal, but chastised lawmakers in harsh, insulting rhetoric. "I'm expressing the outrage that all of us should feel about the garbage the Republican legislative leaders have tried to dump on us," said Wolf, who called the Republican effort an exercise in "stupidity" and "futility." Wolf said he will veto the main budget line for public education because it falls well short of his goal to boost funding by $350 million.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/89571-lashing-out-at-lawmakers-wolf-to-send-23-billion-to-pa-schools-social-services-?linktype=hp_impact

Wolf vetoes part of budget, OKs school cash

By Karen Langley & Mary Niederberger / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette December 29, 2015 11:38 AM

HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf this morning said he would veto portions of a "garbage" Republican state budget while allowing money to flow to schools and human service agencies. Schools will receive funding for the first six months of the fiscal year, said Mr. Wolf's budget secretary, Randy Albright. He said the governor would sign $23.399 billion of funding into law, out of the $30.26 billion budget sent to him last week. The remainder of those funds will be "bluelined" until the General Assembly comes up with an appropriate budget, the governor said. The governor, a Democrat, said he was calling on legislators to return to Harrisburg. He said the budget before him does not balance. "This budget is wrong for Pennsylvania, and our legislators, the folks we elected to serve us, need to own up to this," he said.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2015/12/29/Pennsylvania-Gov-Wolf-vetoes-part-of-budget-OKs-school-cash/stories/201512290140

Gov. Wolf line-item vetoes budget he calls “an exercise in stupidity”

The PLS Reporter Author: Jason Gottesman/Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Gov. Tom Wolf today announced his decision to line-item veto House Bill 1460—the latest General Appropriations Act to land on his desk—saying the spending plan passed largely along Republican lines is “an exercise in stupidity.” In blue-lining what amounted to a $29.7 billion budget once the yet-to-be passed nonpreferred appropriations were taken out, the governor’s final budget number lands at around $23 billion and provides only six months' worth of funding at House Bill 1460 levels for basic education, corrections, and Medical Assistance capitation, while also moving the legislature’s appropriations back to the Corbett-slashed FY 2014-2015 amounts. The line-item veto also zeros out a number of agricultural appropriations, but provides full House Bill 1460 funding for what was described as "about 90 percent" of all other lines. In announcing his action Tuesday, Gov. Wolf was incensed that the legislature, having failed to pass what has been described as a five-party budget framework with a budget total of $30.788 billion, including $600 million in tax increases for the current fiscal year, instead passed a lower-totaled budget and left for the holidays.

http://theplsreporter.com/Home/TabId/56/ArtMID/472/ArticleID/1094/Gov-Wolf-line-item-vetoes-budget-he-calls-%E2%80%9Can-exercise-in-stupidity%E2%80%9D.aspx

Gov. Wolf vetoes Republican budget, will release funds for schools

Trib Live By Natasha Lindstrom and Donald Gilliland Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015, 10:33 a.m.
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday signed a $23.4 billion, line-item-vetoed spending plan that allows the state to begin pumping money to cash-strapped school districts and human service agencies for the first time in six months. “I don't want to hold the children of Pennsylvania hostage because of the inability of people in Harrisburg to get the job done,” said Wolf, as he announced a series of line item vetoes to the budget bill sent to his desk just before Christmas. But with no tax code, no agreement on pension reform and negotiations looming over about $8 billion in spending, the announcement signaled no imminent end to Pennsylvania's longest budget impasse in at least four decades. Wolf, a Democrat, blasted the $30.3 billion budget bill preferred by House Republican leaders as “garbage” and an “exercise in stupidity.” “They can throw around all the political nonsense they want, but the fact remains they ran off — pretty quickly, at that — before they finished their job, and they left us with a real holiday mess,” Wolf said. House Majority Leader Dave Reed said Wolf's line-item vetoes were “expected.” He supported releasing money to schools and human service providers, to which the state owes more than $700 million, but accused Wolf of taking new “hostages.”

http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/9705024-74/wolf-budget-billion

Wolf slams 'garbage' budget by GOP, announces partial veto

Gov. Wolf’s action will release about $23 billion in state money, but the fix is temporary.

Inquirer by Chris Palmer, HARRISBURG BUREAU. Updated: DEC 30, 2015 — 1:07 AM EST

HARRISBURG - Gov. Wolf on Tuesday vetoed pieces of what he called the "ridiculous" and "unconscionable" budget passed by the Republican-controlled legislature, slamming lawmakers as shortchanging schools and pressing for new talks on a final spending plan. Acknowledging the impact of the nearly six-month stalemate, the governor agreed to release six months' worth of emergency funds for schools and more than $9 billion for human services. "I don't want to hold the children of Pennsylvania hostage for the inability of folks here in Harrisburg to get the job done," he said. His signature means that about $23 billion in aid will flow. But the fix is temporary. Wolf used his line-item veto authority to eliminate or reduce other pieces of the $30.26 billion budget proposal, including funding for neo-natal medical assistance, student grants, and operations in the legislature.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20151230_Wolf_slams__garbage__budget_by_GOP__announces_partial_veto.html#mZHyU9YW2lFKEQLV.99

Pa budget reset: Does the state's new stopgap budget provide relief? Yes. Closure? Not so much

Penn Live By Charles Thompson | cthompson@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on December 29, 2015 at 9:16 PM, updated December 29, 2015 at 10:19 PM

In a weird way, Tuesday wasn't such a bad day for Pennsylvania.

Legislative Republicans got a form of the stopgap budget they'd been seeking since September, albeit one that came with reduced appropriations for them and a seering scolding from Gov. Tom Wolf. It will give the state's schools, government contractors and large parts of Pennsylvania's social services network that have endured a six-month state budget impasse some badly needed fiscal breathing space. And it means that if the almost-perfect political stalemate created by the Democratic governor and the Republican legislative leaders continues, it can do so without imminent damage to the state's most vulnerable. Here's a few things we do know now about the state budget debacle, and a few more things that bear watching as 2015 turns to 2016.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/12/wolf_taxes_state_budget.html#incart_river_index

Wolf's line-item veto 101: What went down and what it means for the Pennsylvania budget

Penn Live By Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on December 29, 2015 at 8:11 PM, updated December 29, 2015 at 9:19 PM

Governor Tom Wolf declared he will line-item veto the spending bill that was before him on Dec. 29. It's a move that changes the Pennsylvania budget game, as some organizations will now receive much needed funding -- others won't be so lucky. If you haven't been following along on the Pennsylvania budget impasse adventures, check out the video above for a quick summary of what went down and what it means. For more in-depth coverage of the budget, click on one of the links below:

http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/12/wolfs_line-item_veto_101_what.html#incart_river_index

Winners and losers in Wolf's stopgap budget

Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on December 29, 2015 at 4:15 PM, updated December 29, 2015 at 4:41 PM

Gov. Tom Wolf's decision on Tuesday to veto parts of a $30.3 billion Republican-crafted budget resulted in lot of losers. But there were some winners in this $23.4 billion stopgap budget too, at least in some instances for the short term until a finalized budget agreement is reached. Here is a look at some of those winners and losers. First, the winners:

http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/12/winners_and_losers_in_wolfs_st.html#incart_2box_politics

Schools getting emergency funding as Wolf calls GOP-backed budget 'garbage'

Alison Burdo Digital Producer Philadelphia Business Journal Dec 29, 2015, 10:51am EST Updated Dec 29, 2015, 11:10am EST

Gov. Tom Wolf had scathing comments for the state's lawmakers Tuesday afternoon as he announced he would sign, but line-item veto, the state's budget and release $23.3 billion in emergency funds for education following a 6-month stalemate. "There is a reason why the outside rating agencies have downgraded our debt," he said. "They are telling the world what our legislators want to ignore. Our financial house is a mess." Accusing the state lawmakers of running out on the job, Wolf said he is vetoing the plan to cut $95 million from schools and as well as other items "they don't pay for," and releasing emergency funds for the state's education system. "In doing this, I'm expressing the outrage that all of us should feel about the garbage the Republican legislators have tried to dump on us," he said. "This budget is wrong for Pennsylvania. And our legislators – the folks we elected to serve us – need to own up to this."

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2015/12/29/wolf-state-budget-schools-partially-approve-veto.html

"The nearly $7 billion Wolf cut reduced the overall budget to about $23.4 billion. A lot of those cuts in the state Agriculture, Education and Health departments, among others, were tied to earmarks important to conservative GOP lawmakers, who blocked a bipartisan compromise he and the Senate had reached on a higher spending plan and a pension-reform bill."

Wolf's partial veto means budget impasse is far from over

Steve Esack Contact Reporter Morning Call Harrisburg Bureau December 29, 2015

HARRISBURG — Talking as bluntly as professorial manners allow, Gov. Tom Wolf denounced as "garbage" a $30.3 billion budget lawmakers sent him before they departed the Capitol for Christmas. But the first-term Democratic governor said Monday he would sign pieces of the budget into law to prevent his fight with the Republican-controlled Legislature from further hurting schoolchildren and the needy. In signing the budget, Wolf unlocked all federal tax money and some state tax money for schools, counties and social service agencies. That money had been frozen since Wolf vetoed the entire Republican-backed budget June 30. But Wolf also vetoed certain expenditures in the budget. School districts, universities and some state agencies will not get all the money the Legislature allocated to them in the 2015-16 fiscal year that began July 1. That means the state's record-setting, 182-day budget stalemate is not over.

http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-p-pa-wolf-budget-taxes-1229-2-20151229-story.html

Statement by PA Senate Leaders on Gov. Wolf’s Decision To Release State Funding Approved by Legislature

December 29, 2015

(HARRISBURG) – Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25), Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-34), Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Browne (R-16) and Senate Majority Whip John Gordner (R-27) released the following statement on Governor Wolf’s decision today to release emergency funding approved by the legislature to help schools and social service agencies.

“We support the governor’s long-overdue decision to release emergency funding approved by the legislature to help schools and social service agencies. This is something we have been advocating for over many months and is exactly why we sent him a budget last week – to release money that has been collected and is being held by the state to schools and communities. “We are glad that the Governor has acknowledged that his actions of full vetoes in the past have meant kids and community organizations have been held hostage by his refusal to release funding and that approach is no longer defensible. He could have used this line item veto months ago and avoided this crisis situation. “This action essentially resets the clock – giving us time to work toward a fiscally responsible spending plan without jeopardizing core government services.

Reed: “That original framework has come and gone”

The PLS Reporter Author: Jason Gottesman/Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Providing more insight as to where House Republicans stand in terms of the budget after Gov. Tom Wolf announced his line-item vetoes Tuesday morning, House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R-Indiana) reiterated his caucus’s position that if all of the broader policy considerations part of the five-party budget framework cannot be agreed to, then a pared down budget is what is necessary to get Pennsylvania through the current fiscal year. “Two months ago now, we announced the framework of an agreement that included property tax reform, pension reform, liquor privatization, a balanced budget, and more money for education. The only thing left of that framework is higher taxes for more spending, everything else has fallen by the wayside for various reasons,” he said. “The Senate wasn’t that thrilled about doing full privatization, the governor and House Democrats weren’t on board for pension reform, there were difficulties in finding a funding formula for property tax reductions and in the end, we as House Republicans, are just not accepting of increasing the sales tax or increasing the income tax for more spending.”

http://theplsreporter.com/Home/TabId/56/ArtMID/472/ArticleID/1095/Reed-%E2%80%9CThat-original-framework-has-come-and-gone%E2%80%9D.aspx

House Republicans see a tentative path forward on budget, if not pensions

Penn Live By Wallace McKelvey | WMckelvey@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on December 29, 2015 at 5:32 PM, updated December 29, 2015 at 7:39 PM

State lawmakers likely won't be returning to Harrisburg this week, but Gov. Tom Wolf'sline-item veto appeared to provide a path toward putting the 2015 budget to rest. House Majority Leader Dave Reed said he's willing to negotiate a bare-bones budget without such contentious, big-ticket items like liquor privatization or pension reform. That is, of course, if Wolf leaves substantial tax increases off the table. "Let's get a final budget done and we can continue to debate those items in the next budget," he said.

http://www.pennlive.com/news/2015/12/budget_veto_house_republicans.html#incart_river_index

S&P Bulletin: Pennsylvania's Fiscal Challenges Remain Following Line-Item Veto Of Budget Bill

CHICAGO (Standard & Poor's) Dec. 29, 2015--Despite six months of deliberations, Pennsylvania's budget deliberations continue, leaving it uncertain whether legislators will act to close the state's budget gap or address its long-term pension liabilities. Our AA-/Stable general obligation (GO) rating on the Pennsylvania is still unchanged despite the political gridlock because of the state's demonstrated willingness to honor its debt obligations. We are also waiting to see how further deliberations play out as legislators have still to determine a revenue package for fiscal 2016. On Dec. 29, 2015, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that he would line-item veto the legislature's budget while providing emergency funding to public schools and social service providers. The $30.3 billion budget passed by both the house and senate is, in our view, structurally unbalanced and does not include pension reforms negotiated in the previously agreed-upon budget framework. As proposed, the budget had a $500 million budget gap for fiscal 2016 and left a $2 billion budget gap for fiscal 2017. While we have previously stated that we could consider a negative rating action or outlook if the state fails to address its budgetary imbalance or reverses course on addressing its pension liabilities, we are waiting for further developments on a corresponding revenue package and to better understand whether a pension reform will be part of a final budget.

http://now.eloqua.com/es.asp?s=302554905&e=303152&elq=e0bd74b8562f4f698c72bb29aaa7ad81

Six months too late, the real @AngryTomWolf finds his inner samurai: Analysis

Penn Live By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on December 29, 2015 at 4:47 PM, updated December 29, 2015 at 4:54 PM

About six months after some brave soul took to Twitter to create a fictitious "@AngryTomWolf" account, giving voice to the frustrations of Democrats everywhere, the real deal showed up Tuesday morning in the ornate Governor's Reception Room on the Capitol's second floor. There, @RealTomWolf teed off on Republicans, accusing them of "running out of town" just before the Christmas holidays, dropping off a $30.3 billion spending plan (some $500 million out of balance) that was both "garbage" and an "exercise in stupidity." "I am going to exercise my constitutional right to line item this ridiculous exercise in budget futility," Wolf said, adding, "... in doing this, I am expressing the outrage that all of us Pennsylvanians should feel about the garbage the Republican legislative leaders have tried to dump on us." And, then, just because it could, the administration hauled off and smacked the House GOP for deciding to continue its Christmas break vacation through the New Year, calling on them to get back to work.

http://blog.pennlive.com/capitol-notebook/2015/12/six_months_late_an_the_real_an.html#incart_2box_opinion

Thumbs up & down on Gov. Wolf's budget "veto"

Chambersburg Public Opinion by Jim Hook, jhook@publicopinionnews.com 3:55 p.m. EST December 29, 2015

HARRISBURG – Local approval and disapproval has greeted Gov. Tom Wolf’s action on Tuesday to veto portions of the state budget. “After all of the pain that this budget impasse has caused, Pennsylvanians deserve a budget that is worth the wait,” said Susan Spicka, Advocacy Coordinator for Education Voters of PA. The state budget bill passed by the Pennsylvania Senate and House just before the holidays would send $1.2 million less in state funding to Franklin County school districts than an earlier compromise “framework budget” that was making its way through the legislature, she said. The House and Senate passed H.B. 1460 after a “framework budget” (S.B. 1073) had made its way through the Senate and had bipartisan support in the House.

http://www.publicopiniononline.com/story/news/local/2015/12/29/advocate-gop-budget-shorts-local-schools/78013268/

After Wolf's line-item veto, schools group is happy, but nervous

WITF Written by Ben Allen, General Assignment Reporter | Dec 29, 2015 3:42 PM

(Harrisburg) -- Governor Tom Wolf is releasing more than $23 billion to fund schools, human services, and other state services, while vetoing other parts of the state's budget. But one schools group is concerned what's coming in the future. Schools will get half of their state appropriations for the year. But the second half is held up until Governor Wolf and Republican legislative leaders can reach an agreement on a full budget.

"In a lot of cases, there's going to be that skeptical, 'Oh here we go again' response because we really haven't solved the problem, we've just put a temporary band aid on it," says Jay Himes with the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials. He says he wonders if a budget will ever get done. "There's certainly going to be some fear that that's going to be the case - it took six months to get this far - and so maybe we'll have the state doing two budgets at once. We're in never never land in terms of this process," says Himes.

http://www.witf.org/news/2015/12/after-wolfs-line-item-veto-schools-group-is-happy-but-nervous.php

PSBA encouraged with release of some funding to schools

PSBA website December 29, 2015

In a statement today, PSBA Executive Director Nathan Mains said the association is encouraged that Governor Wolf has released the federal funds as well as a portion of the state funds needed to keep Pennsylvania students in schools. “We call on the legislature and governor to continue to work toward a budget that significantly invests in the future of Pennsylvania and provides pension reform for school districts. This crisis is far from over, but we owe it to the students of Pennsylvania to change politics as usual and find compromise.”

https://www.psba.org/2015/12/9964/

Wolf Vetoes Part of Budget, but Releases Cash for Schools

New York Times By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DEC. 29, 2015, 4:57 P.M. E.S.T.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A stern-faced Gov. Tom Wolf scolded Republican legislators Tuesday as he rejected parts of a $30.3 billion GOP plan for Pennsylvania's budget but released money for schools, social services and county governments that had been stuck in a record six-month stalemate. Using his line-item veto authority for the first time since he took office in January, the Democrat released $23.4 billion, including more than $3.5 billion for basic and special education. Among the rejected items was a proposed increase in the Legislature's appropriation. At a Capitol news conference, Wolf said Republican lawmakers who "ran out of town" for the year-end holidays needed to "get back to the work of the people." "In doing this, I'm expressing the outrage that all of us should feel about the garbage the Republican legislative leaders have tried to dump on us," he said of his veto. "This budget is wrong for Pennsylvania. And our legislators — the folks we elected to serve us — need to own up to this. They need to do their jobs."

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/12/29/us/ap-us-xgr-pennsylvania-budget.html

Amid budget deadlock, Pa. governor releases emergency funding to keep cash-strapped schools open

Washington Post By Emma Brown December 29 at 1:10 PM

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) announced Tuesday that he will partially veto the budget that the Republican-led legislature passed this month, denouncing the spending plan as an “exercise in stupidity” and calling on lawmakers to return to the State Capitol to get back to work. But Wolf said he will release emergency funding to ensure that the state’s cash-strapped public schools can keep their doors open. The state’s 500 school districts have been operating without state funding since July because of the budget impasse in Harrisburg, and a growing number of districts — including Philadelphia — had said that their coffers were so close to empty that they would be forced to close schools in the weeks after winter break. Others have said that they would take out loans to continue operating.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2015/12/29/amid-budget-deadlock-pa-governor-releases-emergency-funding-to-keep-cash-strapped-schools-open/

"William Penn, which receives about 40 percent of its budget from the state, has been forced to make tough decisions in the last six months, including a vote last week to take out a $9.2 million loan to pay salaries through mid-February."
Good budget news for Pa. schools - sort of

Philly.com by Kristen A. Graham and Caitlin McCabe, STAFF WRITERS. Updated: DECEMBER 30, 2015 — 1:07 AM EST

Philadelphia schools will remain open past Jan. 29, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said Tuesday. Beyond that, not much else is certain. Hours after Gov. Wolf announced that he would veto parts of the state budget but allow some emergency aid to flow to schools and social-service agencies, Hite said Philadelphia School District officials were awaiting details from Harrisburg on the exact amount they will receive and how far it might take them. School systems across the region had similar reactions.

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20151230_Latest_Pa__budget_news_is_good_for_region_s_schools_-_sort_of.html#YSyroW0toFK5tPO0.99

State and local officials react to Wolf action on state budget impasse

West Chester Daily Local By Kaitlyn Foti and Eric Devlin, kfoti@21st-centurymedia.com;, edevlin@21st-centurymedia.com, @kaitlynfoti on Twitter; , @Eric_Devlin on Twitter POSTED: 12/29/15, 6:46 PM EST | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO

ennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement Tuesday that he was going to line-item veto the state budget and release emergency funds to schools and service agencies affected by the six-month long budget impasse came as good news to many. State and local officials weighed in on the decision saying they were pleased to see public schools and social service agencies finally receive desperately needed funding. Republican legislators, however, said agencies should never have been held hostage in the first place and the Democratic governor’s actions failed to address any real issues. “It’s the same money that was back in June when he vetoed the whole budget,” said state Rep. Tom Quigley, R-148th Dist. “If he had exercised the line item veto, they would have had money for the last six months. I wonder what the governor was thinking back then, to put these groups through all this, when the dispute was on education funding.”

http://www.dailylocal.com/general-news/20151229/state-and-local-officials-react-to-wolf-action-on-state-budget-impasse

Local York lawmakers: Wolf 'lying' about education funding

York Dispatch by David Weissman, 505-5431/@DispatchDavid5:31 p.m. EST December 29, 2015

York legislators are happy Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is releasing emergency funding, but no one is fully satisfied. Wolf, a Democrat, scolded Republican lawmakers on Tuesday as he rejected parts of a $30.3 billion state budget plan that’s already a record six months overdue, but he freed up more than $23 billion in emergency funding, mostly for schools and social services. "It's better than vetoing the whole bill, but I still think it was a good bill," Rep. Stan Saylor, R-Windsor Township, said. Rep. Kevin Schreiber, D-York City, was at the Capitol for the new conference and praised Wolf for "doing what is right." "It's a positive because it ensures school districts can remain open ... and keeps pressure on the Legislature to (fully) pass a budget," he said. Wolf said at the conference that the Republican-backed proposal falls short and lawmakers “simply left town before finishing their jobs.”

http://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/2015/12/29/wolf-vetoes-part-budget-oks-school-cash/78015638/

Local NE PA legislators react to Gov. Wolf’s decision on budget bill

Times Leader By Bill O’Boyle - boboyle@timesleader.com First Posted: 4:35 pm - December 29th, 2015
WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania’s budget battle is far from over.

Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday rejected the Republican budget that he said cuts $95 million from education and is “out-of-balance,” while directing some $23 billion in emergency funding for key services. Wolf said Republican leaders last week walked away from a historic bipartisan budget agreement and passed “an irresponsible budget so they could return home to their districts and take holiday vacations.” “I’m vetoing the Republican plan to cut $95 million from education, and I’m also vetoing other items that they don’t pay for,” Wolf said in a news release. “I’m calling on our legislators to get back to Harrisburg — back to the work they left unfinished last week. At the same time, I’m allowing emergency funding for our schools to get out. I’m also letting funding go out to our human service agencies and to our counties. But this is on an emergency basis only.”

http://timesleader.com/news/local/500844/local-legislators-react-to-gov-wolfs-decision-on-budget-bill

Delco legislators react to Gov. Wolf’s budget moves, emergency funding

By Kathleen E. Carey, Delaware County Daily Times POSTED: 12/29/15, 7:14 PM EST

Most of Delaware County legislators were pleased Gov. Tom Wolf released emergency funding to schools and human services Tuesday, but they also expressed frustration with a process that still had more work to be done. “I would have liked to have seen him sign the whole budget into law,” state Rep. Stephen Barrar, R-160, of Upper Chichester, said. “At least he addressed the most pressing needs of the commonwealth. That gives us a couple more weeks, hopefully, to get the rest of the budget cleaned up.”

http://www.delcotimes.com/general-news/20151229/delco-legislators-react-to-gov-wolfs-budget-moves-emergency-funding

Pat Cuneo: Wolf asked to sign irresponsible budget

By Pat Cuneo 814-870-1699 Erie Times-News December 29, 2015 06:28 AM

It looks like Gov. Tom Wolf's Republican foes may have won a major political fight over the embarrassingly delinquent state budget, but at what price? For those who were left bewildered by the late maneuvers and shenanigans before the Legislature's exodus from Harrisburg last Wednesday, you shouldn't feel alone. In short, defeat was seized from the jaws of victory. Just when it appeared that Democrats and moderate Republicans had enough votes to pass the budget that Republican leaders of the House and Senate had worked up with the Wolf administration -- a real compromise -- the House leadership buckled to pressure from its rank-and-file members and wouldn't allow a vote on the House floor. Then, as the House members went home, the GOP-controlled Senate decided to vote not on their own bill they hatched with Wolf, but on the bill created by House conservatives. What's the big deal about that? It shortchanges the compromise bill by perhaps $300 million for education alone. Worse, it doesn't deal with the deficit, assuring another fiscal downgrade and terrible results for many, like the Erie School District and Erie taxpayers.

http://www.goerie.com/pat-cuneo-wolf-asked-to-sign-irresponsible-budget

Editorial: Paying what we're getting

by Inquirer Editorial Board. Updated: DECEMBER 29, 2015 — 3:01 AM EST

Gov. Wolf and the legislature have dithered and bickered about the state budget for so long that in just a few weeks, it will be time for the governor to deliver a budget address - for the next fiscal year. The record-breaking six-month deadlock has deprived schools, charities, and more of state funding. With increasingly pressing needs at this late date, Wolf has to shake up the stalled negotiations. The Democratic governor does not have to abandon his principled stand for responsible education funding, but he should increase the pressure on those who are delaying a budget that is already outrageously late. That includes a Republican-controlled legislature gripped by a radical minority. Wolf should sign the woefully inadequate budget legislators sent him last week to allow needed state payments to proceed. But he should block spending on the legislature and governor's office until a responsible compromise budget is reached. Some officials have failed more miserably than others in this crisis, but many share the blame. Now it's time for them to share the pain.

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20151229_Paying_what_we_re_getting.html#Ahrjub5sl7mbA6sY.99

Blogger note: Who needs vouchers? PA's "successful tax credit programs" are very successful at diverting $150 million from the general fund to private and religious schools.

EITC/OSTC: Wolf works to save state tax credit programs that help schools

By Mary Niederberger / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette December 29, 2015 6:21 AM

It appears Gov. Tom Wolf is trying to save two tax credit programs -- imperiled by the state budget impasse -- that provide $150 million in scholarship money to students in grades K-12 across the state. On Christmas Eve, the governor directed the state Department of Community and Economic Development to send conditional approval letters to companies that had applied for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs. While companies had been applying to participate in the programs, DCED has been holding off on approving the applications, despite pressure from some legislators, because the caps on the programs are set in the annual tax code approved by the Legislature. The tax code is not approved until a final budget is adopted. But with the Dec. 31 deadline approaching for approval on tax credit applications, the governor gave the directive to issue the conditional approvals, with the condition being that the programs are continued when the 2015 budget and tax code are approved.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2015/12/29/Wolf-working-to-save-tax-credit-programs-that-help-schools/stories/201512290057

This in-depth 2012 piece includes coverage of Pennsylvania's tax credit programs and is well worth the read. Nonprofit intermediary organizations that collect and distribute the scholarships get to keep 20% of the funds in PA compared with just 3% in Florida and 10% in Arizona and Georgia.

EITC/OSTC: Public Money Finds Back Door to Private Schools

New York Times By STEPHANIE SAUL MAY 21, 2012

When the Georgia legislature passed a private school scholarship program in 2008, lawmakers promoted it as a way to give poor children the same education choices as the wealthy. The program would be supported by donations to nonprofit scholarship groups, and Georgians who contributed would receive dollar-for-dollar tax credits, up to $2,500 a couple. The intent was that money otherwise due to the

Georgia

treasury — about $50 million a year — would be used instead to help needy students escape struggling public schools. That was the idea, at least. But parents meeting at Gwinnett Christian Academy got a completely different story last year. “A very small percentage of that money will be set aside for a needs-based scholarship fund,” Wyatt Bozeman, an administrator at the school near Atlanta, said during an informational session. “The rest of the money will be channeled to the family that raised it.” A handout circulated at the meeting instructed families to donate, qualify for a tax credit and then apply for a scholarship for their own children, many of whom were already attending the school.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/education/scholarship-funds-meant-for-needy-benefit-private-schools.html?_r=1

Blogger note: the principals at the Susquehanna International Group have contributed millions to support school choice candidates in Pennsylvania…

"Another prominent donor is Mr. Yass, who helps run a trading firm called the Susquehanna International Group. He donated $100,000 to the Club for Growth Action fund in September. Mr. Yass serves on the board of the libertarian Cato Institute and, like Mr. Mercer, appears to subscribe to limited-government views that partly motivate his political spending. But he may also have more than a passing interest in creating a political environment that undermines the I.R.S. Susquehanna is currently challenging a proposed I.R.S. determination that an affiliate of the firm effectively repatriated more than $375 million in income from subsidiaries located in Ireland and the Cayman Islands in 2007, creating a large tax liability. (The affiliate brought the money back to the United States in later years and paid dividend taxes on it; the I.R.S. asserts that it should have paid the ordinary income tax rate, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars more.)

In June, Mr. Yass donated more than $2 million to three super PACs aligned with Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has called for taxing all income at a flat rate of 14.5 percent. That change in itself would save wealthy supporters like Mr. Yass millions of dollars."

For the Wealthiest, a Private Tax System That Saves Them Billions

The very richest are able to quietly shape tax policy that will allow them to shield billions in income.

New York Times By NOAM SCHEIBER and PATRICIA COHEN DEC. 29, 2015

WASHINGTON — The hedge fund magnates Daniel S. Loeb, Louis Moore Bacon and Steven A. Cohen have much in common. They have managed billions of dollars in capital, earning vast fortunes. They have invested large sums in art — and millions more in political candidates. Moreover, each has exploited an esoteric tax loophole that saved them millions in taxes. The trick? Route the money to Bermuda and back. With inequality at its highest levels in nearly a century and public debate rising over whether the government should respond to it through higher taxes on the wealthy, the very richest Americans have financed a sophisticated and astonishingly effective apparatus for shielding their fortunes. Some call it the “income defense industry,” consisting of a high-priced phalanx of lawyers, estate planners, lobbyists and anti-tax activists who exploit and defend a dizzying array of tax maneuvers, virtually none of them available to taxpayers of more modest means.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/business/economy/for-the-wealthiest-private-tax-system-saves-them-billions.html