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
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
PA Ed Policy Roundup January 17, 2016:
Day 201: “We had him
down on the floor with our foot on his throat and we let him up. Next time, we
won’t let him up.” - Sen. Wagner on Gov. Wolf
Fully and fairly fund our schools
Post
Gazette Opinion By Nancy A. Hubley and Patrick Dowd January 17, 2016 12:00 AM
Nancy A. Hubley is Pittsburgh director of the Education Law
Center
This
month Pennsylvania
began 2016 without a full budget, leaving the short- and long-term needs of
every school — and every student — up in the air. In the short term, the partial spending plan
recently signed by Gov. Tom Wolf will provide desperately needed emergency cash
for schools and human services, but only enough to push off closures and
further cuts for a few more months. In
the long term, the budget gridlock means that one of the fundamental issues
facing Pennsylvania
— the need to repair our broken public school funding system — remains
unresolved. Not having sufficient
resources is unfortunately nothing new for Pennsylvania students. Years of inadequate
and inequitable funding have forced many school districts to eliminate
programs, lay off teachers and reduce academic support for students. These cuts
particularly harm at-risk learners who lag behind their peers and will continue
to do so unless they are provided with resources and supports that address
their needs.
"I don't remember
screaming or pounding my fist," he said in an interview Thursday.
"That's just not an outlet for me."
Little to show
for his lofty pledges
Gov. Wolf's biggest achievements
during his first year in office required no give-and-take with the state's
Republicans.
Inquirer
by Chris Palmer and Angela
Couloumbis, HARRISBURG
BUREAU. Updated: JANUARY 17,
2016 — 1:08 AM EST
State Rep.
Reed looks back on bruising 1st year as House majority leader
TribLive
By Kari
Andren Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, 10:30 p.m.
There's little hesitation when House Majority Leader Dave Reed says leading the Republican caucus has been challenging and frustrating. A year ago, his colleagues chose Reed, 37, of White inIndiana County Pennsylvania
has had one of the longest-running budget impasses in state history, for which
many place responsibility on House Republicans.
For Reed, the bruising budget battle has been more than negotiating with
a more moderate state Senate and a Democratic governor. He has also navigated a
sometimes tenuous relationship with the more conservative House Speaker Mike
Turzai, R-Marshall. “Reed is what we
could call a pragmatic conservative — emphasis on pragmatic,” said G. Terry
Madonna, a political scientist at Franklin &
Marshall College
in Lancaster .
There's little hesitation when House Majority Leader Dave Reed says leading the Republican caucus has been challenging and frustrating. A year ago, his colleagues chose Reed, 37, of White in
“Other
folks in the caucus are ideological conservatives.”
Comments on budget impasse from State
Republican Party meeting in Hershey Saturday--
Crisci Associates Sunday PA
Capitol Digest NewsClips JANUARY 17,
2016
House
Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny): “This Governor wants to create havoc and run a
permanent campaign.”
Sen.
Scott Wagner (R-York): “We had him down on the floor with our foot on his throat and we
let him up. Next time, we won’t let him up.” [Referring to Gov. Wolf.]
Wagner’s comment brings back a 2014 quote from him when he was sworn into office. He was asked whether the GOP needed to mend relationships after his special election, to which he responded: "The bottom line is we beat them. ... Once you stab your opponent in the neck and they bleed to death, you don't keep stabbing them."
Wagner’s comment brings back a 2014 quote from him when he was sworn into office. He was asked whether the GOP needed to mend relationships after his special election, to which he responded: "The bottom line is we beat them. ... Once you stab your opponent in the neck and they bleed to death, you don't keep stabbing them."
"Harrisburg
With decision time upon them, 16 state
lawmakers so far have announced plans to vacate their House or Senate seat when
the current legislative session ends on November 30th.
Penn
Live by Jan Murphy January 15, 2016
"After over six months
of budget wrangling within the Republican Party, several
veteran moderate lawmakers have decided to hang up their hats. State Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, Bill
Adolph, R-Delaware, and state representative Vereb are three local examples of
moderate Republicans bowing out in 2016."
Retiring Pa.
WHYY
Newsworks BY LAURA BENSHOFF
JANUARY 14, 2016
Veteran
Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Vereb, R-Montgomery, said this week he will not seek
re-election for family reasons, but it appears some conservative Republicans
were ready to usher him out the door. Conservative
groups said they were mounting a primary challenge against Vereb because he
was willing
to consider a state budget that could lead to a tax increase. In the past few election cycles, conservative
interest groups in Pennsylvania
have backed primary challengers against Republicans they regard as soft on key
issues, including tax hikes and school choice. In two cases, those primary
challengers have unseated Republican incumbents and won in the general
election.
Educators,
parents mobilize for Keystone Exam delay: Friday Morning Coffee
Penn Live By John L. Micek |
jmicek@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on January 15, 2016 at 8:24 AM
Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
One of the benefits of being the benevolent overlord of one's very own Opinion Page is that one occasionally finds oneself on the receiving end of a good, old-fashioned letter-writing campaign on behalf of some worthy issue. Such was the case this Friday morning, when, upon our arrival at PennLive World Headquarters, we found our inbox fairly flooded with missives from parents and educators calling for the approval of legislation that would delay the end-of-year Keystone Exams for Pennsylvania high school students. If you're not in the know, or don't have a kid in high school, students have to pass the exams in order to graduate. They are, to put it bluntly, wildly unpopular, since kids are already tested to within an inch of their lives already. Legislation sponsored by Sen. Lloyd Smucker, R-Lancaster, that would impose a two-year delay on their implementation won Senate and House approval last fall. But the bill has to clear yet one more hurdle in the Senate because of a House-approved amendment to the legislation. It's been sucked into the budgetary vacuum and parents and educators want it kicked loose.
One of the benefits of being the benevolent overlord of one's very own Opinion Page is that one occasionally finds oneself on the receiving end of a good, old-fashioned letter-writing campaign on behalf of some worthy issue. Such was the case this Friday morning, when, upon our arrival at PennLive World Headquarters, we found our inbox fairly flooded with missives from parents and educators calling for the approval of legislation that would delay the end-of-year Keystone Exams for Pennsylvania high school students. If you're not in the know, or don't have a kid in high school, students have to pass the exams in order to graduate. They are, to put it bluntly, wildly unpopular, since kids are already tested to within an inch of their lives already. Legislation sponsored by Sen. Lloyd Smucker, R-Lancaster, that would impose a two-year delay on their implementation won Senate and House approval last fall. But the bill has to clear yet one more hurdle in the Senate because of a House-approved amendment to the legislation. It's been sucked into the budgetary vacuum and parents and educators want it kicked loose.
Budget
Bottom Line: House Fails To Solve Any Part Of Budget Mess, Again
PA
Capitol Digest by Crisci Associates January 15, 2016
If you
were waiting for some glimmer of agreement on at least one budget issue this
week in the House, you were very disappointed. On the other hand, if you
were waiting for the House to designate the week of December 26 through January
1 as “Kwanzaa
Week” in Pennsylvania ,
the two week delay was worth it. The
House Monday failed to get the required two-thirds vote to pass bills funding
the state related universities-- Penn State, Pitt, Temple, Lincoln and Penn
Veterinary College-- in Senate Bills 912 through 916 by votes of 116 to 75
along party lines. This is
deja vu all over again. On June 28 the House also failed in its first attempt
to get a two-thirds vote for its own versions of funding for state related
universities-- House Bills 1385 through 1389-- by similar margins. House Republicans Tuesday passed a Fiscal
Code bill-- House
Bill 1327 (Peifer-R- Pike)-- back to the Senate for a concurrence
vote with a controversial provision changing the current basic education
funding distribution formula which has not yet been agreed to by Senate
Republicans.
Despite ‘band-aid’ funding, no end in
sight for Pa.
Nate
Larkin | The Daily Collegian Jan 14, 2016
With
many school districts on the brink of closure and financial aid for college students
hanging in the balance, lawmakers in Harrisburg nearly reached a comprehensive
budget deal at the end of 2015, only to ultimately be sent “back to the drawing
board” to start off the new year. Pennsylvania ’s current and longest budget impasse ever — which has been
defined by disputes between Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the legislative
Republican leadership over boosting education funding and increasing revenues —
nearly came to end in December, when the Republican-controlled State
State House
calls for tweaking school funding formula
Indiana
Gazette on January 13, 2016 10:39 AM
HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted Tuesday to stop Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s use of a formula that targets extra subsidy money for school districts hardest-hit by past spending cuts, charging that he lacks that authority. Representatives voted 111-81 along mostly party lines Tuesday to amend the fiscal code bill, an important component of the various bills that make up a state budget. The bill now goes back to the Senate for further action. After budget talks collapsed in December, Republicans approved a scaled-down $30.3 billion budget. Wolf released much of the money, including overdue payments for school districts and social services, but has stressed the need for new taxes to increase school subsidies and rein in a structural deficit. Democrats accused the majority party of wasting time on minor issues while state government scrapes by on a partial budget for the fiscal year that began July 1 while there has been no movement toward reviving negotiations. “Here we are again, going through a legislative activity that will have no end in sight,” said Rep. Joe Markosek, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. “Shouldn’t we be negotiating a real budget?”
HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted Tuesday to stop Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s use of a formula that targets extra subsidy money for school districts hardest-hit by past spending cuts, charging that he lacks that authority. Representatives voted 111-81 along mostly party lines Tuesday to amend the fiscal code bill, an important component of the various bills that make up a state budget. The bill now goes back to the Senate for further action. After budget talks collapsed in December, Republicans approved a scaled-down $30.3 billion budget. Wolf released much of the money, including overdue payments for school districts and social services, but has stressed the need for new taxes to increase school subsidies and rein in a structural deficit. Democrats accused the majority party of wasting time on minor issues while state government scrapes by on a partial budget for the fiscal year that began July 1 while there has been no movement toward reviving negotiations. “Here we are again, going through a legislative activity that will have no end in sight,” said Rep. Joe Markosek, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. “Shouldn’t we be negotiating a real budget?”
LOWMAN S.
HENRY: A new shade of blue in Pa.
Lowman S. Henry is chairman &
CEO of the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research in Harrisburg, and host
of the weekly Lincoln
Residents
of Penn’s Woods are about to experience history in the making — the start of a
new state budget year with the previous year’s budget still unresolved. Gov. Tom Wolf guaranteed the anomaly by line-item
vetoing almost a third of the budget passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature
just before Christmas. The official
start of the budget process comes in early February when the governor delivers
his budget address to a joint session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. For
a variety of reasons the remaining unresolved budget issues from the current
fiscal year are likely to remain that way well past the governor’s budget
speech currently scheduled for Feb. 9.
"Wentzel said the
district’s budgetary projections indicate a potential increase of more than 18
percent for retirement alone. She noted the risk is compounded by the unknown
status of state funding. “Without an
equitable Basic Education and Special Education Funding Formula, we continue to
have less direction for budgeting the contribution of state funds. It has only
been made more difficult that funding for the current budget has yet to be
clearly defined,” Wentzel said."
Ridley to keep
lid on school taxes this year
Delco Times By Barbara Ormsby, Times Correspondent POSTED: 01/15/16, 10:56 PM
EST
RIDLEY
TOWNSHIP >> The Ridley School Board at its January meeting approved the
Act 1 budget resolution for 2016-2017, providing that the school district will
not increase local property taxes in excess of the Act 1 Index set by the state
Department of Education. The index has been set at 3.1 percent. “By passing this resolution, our school
district will not be eligible to apply for Act 1 exceptions that would allow us
to exceed the Index,” district Superintendent Lee Ann Wentzel said in her
report to the board, noting there is a risk in opting not to request exceptions
for special education and retirement.
This Report May Make You Look at the SRC
Differently
Pew:
There is no consensus among researchers about what type of school governance is
best.
PhillyMag Citified BY SANDY SMITH | JANUARY
14, 2016 AT 5:10 PM
Gov. Tom Wolf wants to shut down the School Reform Commission and
return Philadelphia ’s
public schools to local control. Former Mayor Michael Nutter is also on board with the idea. And last year, city voters approved a non-binding referendum calling
on the state to ditch the SRC. Does the
evidence show that is the best arrangement, though? The Pew Philadelphia
Research Initiative compared Philadelphia ’s
setup with that of 15 other big-city school districts. The report laid out a
few important findings that both advocates and critics of
a proposed local board should keep in mind:
Read
more at http://www.phillymag.com/citified/2016/01/14/school-reform-commission-pew-report/#pvZDYZTcI68phlRt.99
Pew: No magic
from local or state school control
Inquirer
by Kristen A. Graham, Staff
Writer. Updated: JANUARY
15, 2016 — 1:08 AM EST
Local
control of large urban school systems is no magic bullet to improve academic
performance, research released Thursday indicates. Then again, neither is state control of such
districts. The
conclusions from the Pew Charitable Trusts come amid a growing local push for
an end to the School Reform Commission, which has controlled the beleaguered Philadelphia School District Philadelphia had a school board with members
appointed by the mayor. But "there
really is no consensus about whether any particular form of governance leads to
better student performance or fiscal management in an urban setting," said
Larry Eichel, director of Pew's Philadelphia
research efforts. Though some academic
progress has been made in the 15 years under the SRC, the Philadelphia district remains on shaky ground
financially and has miles to go academically.
Pew
examined the governance structures of big-city districts nationwide.
First up on
Kenney's listening tour of Phila. schools: Penrose Elementary
Philly.com
by JULIA TERRUSO, Staff
Writer. Updated: JANUARY
16, 2016 — 12:16 AM EST
AS MAYOR
KENNEY'S official black SUV rolled up, high-pitched cheers erupted from the
steps to Southwest Philadelphia's Penrose
School Philadelphia ,
and putting in place "community schools" - campuses that offer
residents access to health, counseling and social services, and community
development programs.
"Thanks to secret election cash, our
representative democracy, based on the principle of "one person, one
vote," is looking more and more like an oligarchy in which the superrich
can surreptitiously tilt the election scales in their favor."
Inky Editorial: American oligarchy
Inky Editorial: American oligarchy
Inquirer
Editorial Board Updated: JANUARY
15, 2016 — 3:01 AM EST
Since
the Supreme Court's infamous Citizens United decision in 2010,
several hundred million dollars in fingerprints-free contributions have helped
elect candidates favored by the superrich and special interests. Safely hidden
from the public, these transactions have bought influence without risking
blowback from voters. The secret money
flows through a clandestine pipeline known as "social welfare"
groups. A bizarre provision in U.S.
law allows these grossly misnamed groups to accept secret donations and use the
money to sway elections. These groups
may spend up to half their money on electioneering under a strange definition
of "social welfare" that includes bombarding the airwaves with
negative political ads. Worse, they have found that they can flout limits on
election spending and never get caught.
"According to the
Department, "The dataset provides new and more detailed information on the
over $1.5 billion that CSP [the Charter
School
It includes information on
which grant program funded each of the charter schools listed and how much.
That is more information than the public has ever been given about the true
reach of the CSP program into their communities, fueled by federal tax dollars."
US Education
Department Releases List of Federally Funded Charter Schools,
though
Incomplete
Center
for Media and Democracy PRWATCH By Lisa
Graves on January 14, 2016 - 8:59am
The U.S.
Department of Education has released a list of the charter schools that have
received federal funding since 2006. The
move comes in the wake of requests by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD),
dating back to 2014, for public disclosure of who had received federal taxpayer
money. CMD had submitted requests for this and related information to the
Department and several states. In
October 2015, CMD released its report "Charter School Black Hole: CMD Special Investigation Reveals
Huge Info Gap on Charter School Spending," discussing the more than
$3.7 billion dollars the federal government had spent on charters and the gaps
in what the public could see about which charters received taxpayer money. Two months later, the Department of Education
issued a news release on the subject, titled "A Commitment to Transparency: Learning More about the Charter
School Program." The data was released to the public on the eve of
Christmas Eve.
'Enough is enough’ — thousands of Florida
Enough is enough.” That was the chant during a protest by up to
3,000 teachers in Florida who traveled to Tallahassee, the state capital, to
send their message to legislators that high-stakes testing, for-profit charter
schools and other market-based reforms are hurting public education. The
Thursday rally — called by the Florida Education Association, the state’s
largest teachers union — was held in a spot where lawmakers could hear the
proceedings, which included speeches by educators who said it was past time for
change. Education battles have been
escalating in Florida ,
with educators, parents and others opposing the state’s standardized test-based
school accountability system. Not only did the state’s association of district
school superintendents issue a statement in September saying members have
“‘lost confidence” in the system, but the Sun-Sentinel in south Florida warned
in an editorial that the accountability system could collapse under the weight
of its own problems.
The deadline to apply for the
2016 summer internship is March 15.
The
Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents’ Association offers a summer internship
program at the state Capitol in Harrisburg ,
Pa.
Remaining Locations:
- Central PA — Jan. 30 Nittany Lion Inn,
- Delaware Co. IU 25 — Feb. 1
- Scranton area — Feb. 6 Abington Heights SD, Clarks
- North Central area —Feb. 13
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
Register here: https://www.psba.org/2015/09/new-school-director-training/
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.
Save
the Dates for These 2016 Annual
EPLC Regional
State
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
Wednesday, February 17 - 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. -
Thursday, February 25 - 8:30-11:00 a.m. -
Invitation
and more details in January
Save the Date | PBPC Budget Summit
The
2015-2016 budget remains in a state of limbo. But it's time to start thinking
about the 2016-17 budget. The Governor will propose his budget for next year in
early February.
The
Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center will hold our annual Budget Summit on
March 3rd. Save the date and join us for an in-depth look at
the Governor's 2016-17 budget proposal, including what it means for education,
health and human services, the environment and local communities. And, of
course, if the 2015-2016 budget is not complete by then, we will also be
talking about the various alternatives still under consideration.
As in
year's past, this year's summit will be at the Hilton Harrisburg. Register today!
PASBO 61st Annual
Conference and Exhibits March 8 - 11, 2016
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center,Hershey , Pennsylvania
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center,
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 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.
2016 PA Educational
Leadership Summit
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:
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
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.