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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup February 15, 2016:
"simply a case of lawmakers
ensuring that someone else’s name is on the tax increase"
RSVP Today for One of EPLC’s Education Policy Forum
Series on Governor Wolf’s 2016-17 State Budget Proposal
Wednesday, February 17, 2016 - Philadelphia
Thursday, February 25, 2016 - Pittsburgh
Daily Signe Cartoon
02/14/16: Pennsylvania
Philly Daily News Updated: FEBRUARY
14, 2016 — 3:01 AM EST
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/signe/20160214_Daily_Signe_Cartoon_02_14_16.html#xDIXxcv1vYD4MYqU.99
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/signe/20160214_Daily_Signe_Cartoon_02_14_16.html#xDIXxcv1vYD4MYqU.99
Watchdog.org By Eric
Boehm / February 11, 2016 / 1
Comment
Things are bad and
getting worse in Pennsylvania . Gov. Tom Wolf delivered his second budget
address on Tuesday, and it was met with immediate opposition from many members
of the Republican-controlled General Assembly. At first glance, it
appears another long budget battle — the 2015-16 budget wasn’t finalized until
Dec. 30 — is coming. While everyone
is fixated on the short-term political and budgetary fights in the state, Pennsylvania ’s long-term
fiscal problems are only getting worse. As I wrote in a piece that appeared
in Wednesday’s edition of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “last year’s lengthy budget battle did nothing to address a much
bigger problem than partisanship: a long-term structural imbalance in the state
budget that is getting worse with each passing year.” Here’s a closer look at the numbers outlined
in that article, which were provided by theIndependent Fiscal
Office, a nonpartisan number-crunching agency that is Pennsylvania ’s version
of the Congressional Budget Office. Based
on current policy, Pennsylvania
will be facing a $2.4 billion budget shortfall by the 2016-17 budget year.
"Republican majorities
in both houses recoil at the governor’s proposal to increase revenue by $2.7
billion by raising the personal income tax by 10.7 percent from 3.07 percent to
3.4 percent, applying the state sales tax to cable service, movie tickets,
digital downloads and some other items, increasing the cigarette tax by $1,
taxing other tobacco products and establishing a tax on natural gas
extraction. But their anti-tax posture
is just a pose. Failing to increase the state’s contributions to basic
education guarantees ever more local property tax increases among most of the state’s
500 school districts over the next two years. It’s simply a case of the
lawmakers ensuring that someone else’s name is on the tax increase."
Later always better for
politicians
Times Tribune BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD Published: February 14, 2016
Given that this is a
legislative election year, there is little reason to believe that political
posturing will yield to math regarding Gov. Tom Wolf’s fiscal year 2017 budget
proposal. Mr. Wolf’s budget address
Tuesday was unique in Pennsylvania
history. He offered a new budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
even though the state government is operating without a fully approved budget
for the current fiscal year. That
address usually is a time for a governor to lay out a vision for the future,
but the current impasse denied the governor that opportunity. Instead, he
bluntly laid out his pragmatic proposal as a means to rational governance and
the government’s credibility. The math remains on his side, even if politics
don’t. That math is plain. If the
Legislature insists on maintaining the status quo rather than adopting a
realistic budget, the state government will face a deficit of between $300
million and $500 million by the end of this fiscal year, and another $2 billion
in the next fiscal year.
Wolf's pointing fingers doesn't help
Inquirer Editorial
Updated: FEBRUARY 14, 2016
— 3:01 AM EST
The failure of Gov. Wolf and the legislature
to agree on a budget that should have been passed seven months ago is costing
the state a fortune, including mushrooming interest payments on money it keeps
borrowing to help make ends meet. That's hardly responsible leadership. The state's inability to pass a budget comes
after multiple credit rating downgrades, which have pushed interest rates
higher. Lacking their expected state allocations, destitute school districts
may lay off 23,000 teachers, counselors, and other workers. Look for local
property taxes to soar to compensate for the tardy state funds. That's not all. Without a budget, seniors are
in jeopardy of losing prescription-drug assistance provided by the state, and
21,000 children who rely on state aid to attend day care may have to stay home.
That would put parents without day-care options in jeopardy of losing their
jobs. With so much at stake, it's hard
to fathom why Wolf chose to wag his finger at Republicans in his budget address
Tuesday. (Yes, it's time for a new budget.) It's not that his assigning blame
for the stalemate was off base, but his tone was counterproductive at a time
when he needs help from GOP legislators willing to distance themselves from
ideologues who don't know the meaning of compromise.
Trib Live BY BRAD
BUMSTED | Sunday,
Feb. 14, 2016, 10:40 p.m.
He suggested sending
House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Marshall, to Illinois .
By Erica Erwin 814-870-1846 Erie
Times-News February 14, 2016 01:01 AM
Gadfly on the Wall
Blog February 13, 2016
Republican lawmakers
continue to block
the passage of a state budget that was required by law at the end of
June 2015. In fact, Gov. Tom Wolf – a
Democrat – released his spending
plan this week for the fiscal year 2016-17 – yet the previous
year’s budget still has not been approved! Even after numerous
difficult concessions made by Democrats, Republicans still decline approval
of any
spending plan but their own. I call
this a “hostage crisis” because their actions are not supported by the majority
of Pennsylvanians. The
overwhelming majority
of residents want a budget. The overwhelming majority
of voters cast ballots for Democrats in the last election, but
the GOP
remains in control of the legislature purely because of gerrymandering.
That’s why the majority of residents
booted out the former Republican Governor and overwhelmingly approved
Democrat Wolf to replace him.
House Education Committee
Majority Chairman: "So I’m a real believer, it’s where you spend those
dollars. Whether it’s in a charter school, a Christian school, a Catholic
school, whatever it is that we’re dealing with. Those schools are the ones we
need to emulate.”
More Money Budgeted For PA
Schools? Leading Lawmaker Weighs In
CBS Philly By Mike DeNardo
February 13, 2016 4:00 AM By
Mike DeNardo
PA Constitution Article IV
Public Officers Section 3. Oath of office.
Senators,
Representatives and all judicial, State and county officers shall, before
entering on the duties of their respective offices, take and subscribe the
following oath or affirmation before a person authorized to administer oaths.
"I do solemnly
swear (or affirm) that I will support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States
and the Constitution of this Commonwealth and that I will discharge the duties
of my office with fidelity."
PA Constitution Article
III B Education Section 15. Public school money not available to sectarian
schools.
No money raised for
the support of the public schools of the Commonwealth shall be appropriated to
or used for the support of any sectarian school.
By Mary Niederberger
/ Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette February 15, 2016 12:00 AM
Charter school
advocacy groups have come out swinging in the wake of funding overhauls in Gov.
Tom Wolf’s 2016-17 proposed education budget that they say will drain $488
million from charter school coffers across the state. “The governor is continuing his unrelenting
attack on charter schools and the children in those schools,” said Robert
Fayfich, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter
Schools. Among the proposed overhauls
announced last week is the requirement that charter schools return to school districts
all money in their reserve funds at the end of each school year. Another would
reduce cyber charter tuition amounts to levels that reflect the school’s
“structural realities” of not maintaining the same physical facilities as
brick-and-mortar charter schools. In
addition, the Democratic governor proposes imposing the same three-tiered
special education funding formula on charter schools as has been implemented in
school districts. He also would eliminate the so-called pension double-dip,
which has school districts and the state providing reimbursement for charter
school costs. The funding cut proposals
come a month after Mr. Wolf used charter school’s portion of the state Ready to
Learn Block Grant money — intended for programs aimed to improve achievement —
to reimburse school districts for a part of their charter school tuition costs. That move, along with other decisions
regarding charter school funding, prompted Mr. Fayfich’s group and 20 charter
schools to file legal action Feb. 5 in Commonwealth Court against the state
Department of Education.
Ivory-tower 'academics'
get Mastery schools exactly wrong
WHYY Newsworks COMMENTARY BY SHARIF EL-MEKKI FEBRUARY 15, 2016 ESSAYWORKS
On Feb. 10,
NewsWorks published a letter from “area academics” ("SRC
plan to privatize 3 Philly schools a gross overreach, inconsistent").
It is disappointing that these “area academics” selectively used data to make
misleading claims about Mastery schools while falsely positioning themselves as
advocates for communities that they don’t live in — supposed champions of
children they don’t see, interact with, or fight for. As a Mastery principal,
community activist, and a practicing child advocate for over 23 years, I would
like to set the record straight. All six
Mastery Renaissance elementary schools (previously the very lowest-performing
schools in the city) scored
higher on the 2015 PSSAs in reading and math by an average of 15 and 6
points, respectively. It appears that
the "area academics" used only the District’s 2015 SPR ratings to
draw their conclusions. However, a closer look at this year's SPR undermines
their conclusions. In 2015, the PSSA was completely redesigned to align with
the new, more rigorous "PA Core." As a result, scores across the
state plummeted. Because the test is so different from the previous PSSA, the
PA Department of Education decided that the 2015 test “established a new
baseline,” and that it was not appropriate to make comparisons to the previous
test. Consequently, the state is not rating elementary schools this year.
Eight local Beaver
County
Eight of the 19
school districts in The Times’ coverage area have requested permission to raise
taxes above state’s allowed limit. But
filing for exceptions doesn’t mean a district will raise taxes beyond the index
-- or at all, local district officials say.
“All this does is allow us to keep that in play as an option should we
need to take it,” Beaver Area Superintendent John Hansen said. In addition to
Beaver, Ambridge Area, Blackhawk, Central Valley ,
Freedom Area, South Side Area, Ellwood City Area, Moon Area and Western Beaver
school districts have filed for exceptions to balance their budgets for the
2016-17 school year.
By Linda Reilly, Delco Times Correspondent POSTED: 02/14/16, 8:12 PM EST
UPPER DARBY >>
Full-day kindergarten may be reality in Upper Darby School District
“Such a move would
allow for a significant number of additional classrooms in both buildings, and
in the case of Aronimink, may allow for some changes in boundary lines to
alleviate overcrowding in neighboring elementary schools,” Dunlap said.
Will more money for
schools really help kids? New study may have long-term answer
While research is mixed on whether increases
in school spending lead to better results for students, a study suggests that
influxes of dollars from court decisions lead to higher graduation rates and
earnings, especially for low-income students.
By John Higgins Seattle
Times education reporter Originally published February 13, 2016 at 10:00
am Updated February 13, 2016 at 12:43 pm
In its 2012 McCleary
decision, the state Supreme Court was clear Washington ’s lawmakers must devote more tax
dollars to our public schools to meet their constitutional responsibility. How much more? The justices didn’t say. But the case presumes that more money will
lead to a better education — and thus better college and life prospects — for
every student in the state. Does the
research on school spending warrant that optimism? Education Lab is a Seattle Times project that
spotlights promising approaches to some of the most persistent challenges in
public education. It is produced in partnership with the Solutions Journalism
Network, a New York-based nonprofit that works to spread the practice of
solutions-oriented journalism. Education Lab is funded by a grant from the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation. It’s a
surprisingly difficult question to answer.While many wealthy parents don’t
question whether money matters when they shell out big bucks for private
schools, researchers have debated the role of money in public education for a
half-century.
How New York
New York Times by David
L. Kirp FEB. 13, 2016
BORSCHT isn’t found
on most prekindergarten menus, but it’s what the cooks were dishing up for the
35 children at Ira’s Daycare in Briarwood, Queens ,
on a recent school day. Many families in this neighborhood are Russian émigrés
for whom borscht is a staple, but children from half a dozen countries,
including a contingent from Bangladesh ,
are also enrolled here. These youngsters
are among the 68,547 4-year-olds enrolled in one of the nation’s most ambitious
experiments in education: New York
City ’s accelerated attempt to introduce preschool for
all. In 2013, Bill de Blasio campaigned
for mayor on a promise of universal pre-K. Two years later, New
York City enrolls more children in full-day pre-K than any state
except Georgia , and its
preschool enrollment exceeds the total number of students in San
Francisco or Boston . “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever been part
of,” Richard Buery, the deputy mayor who oversaw the prekindergarten expansion,
told me. “Every aspect has been a challenge.” Two thousand teachers had to be
recruited, 3,000 classrooms opened and 300 community providers vetted as
prekindergarten partners. Simply
getting more children in the door doesn’t guarantee successful outcomes. Still,
New York ’s
experience in trying to institute the program so quickly provides some valuable
lessons for other pre-K efforts across the country.
Where Do Presidential
Candidates Send Their Own Children to School?
Education Week By Alyson Klein on February
11, 2016 7:26 AM
The presidential
candidates may not be talking much about K-12
education these days—but they've all had experience with it. After
all, every single one of the candidates, at one time or another attended some
kind of school. And so have their own children.
So what was that experience like? Did the candidates go to public
schools, religious schools, or private schools? Where did they decide to send
their own kids? And how much does it any of it matter, when it comes to both
politics and actual policymaking? One
big takeaway: In general, the leading candidates attended public
school themselves, with a couple of notable exceptions. And in general, the
candidates tended to send their own kids toprivate or religious schools.
Supreme Court's Scalia
Brought Conservative Outlook to Education Cases
U.S. Supreme Court
Justice Antonin Scalia, who was found dead Saturday at age 79, brought his
conservative and originalist outlook to scores of education cases during his
nearly three decades on the high court. On
the major education cases of his era, Scalia consistently voted against the
consideration of race in higher education and K-12 schools, backed a low wall
of separation between church and state, and generally favored school
administrators over students and their rights.
Scalia was found dead on Saturday morning at a ranch resort in west Texas . A cause of death
was not immediately reported. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued a
statement that said Scalia "was an extraordinary individual and jurist,
admired and treasured by his colleagues. His passing is a great loss to the
court and the country he so loyally served."
The biggest regret from a 41-year career in education
reporting (and a lot more)
John
Merrow is an award-winning broadcast journalist who spent 41 years covering
public education in the United
States for PBS. He retired last year and
retired from his Learning Matters production company (which was taken over
by Education Week.) In the following piece, Merrow talks about his
biggest regret of his career and some things he learned along the way. The
interview was conducted by James Harvey, executive director of the National
Superintendents Roundtable. He helped write the seminal 1983 report “A Nation
at Risk” and is the author or co-author of four books and dozens of articles on
education.
'Beyond Measure' to be
shown Feb. 24 at Bucks
County Community
College
Bucks County Courier Times Joan Hellyer, staff writer Sunday, February 14, 2016 11:45 pm
The general public
is invited to a free screening of "Beyond Measure," a documentary
about education reform, on Feb. 24 at Bucks County
Community College 275 Swamp Road in Newtown Township
"Southeastern Region Forum Series"Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Networking and Coffee - 9:30 a.m. Program - 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Networking and Coffee - 9:30 a.m. Program - 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
SUBJECT: Governor
Wolf's Proposed Education Budget for 2016-2017
SPEAKERS:
An Overview of
the Proposed 2016-2017 State Budget and Education Issues Will Be
Provided By:
Representative of
The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
Ron Cowell, President, The Education Policy andLeadership Center
Ron Cowell, President, The Education Policy and
Statewide and
Regional Perspectives Will Be Provided By:
Donna Cooper,
Executive Director, Public Citizens for Children and Youth
Deborah Gordon Klehr, Executive Director, Education Law Center
Deborah Gordon Klehr, Executive Director, Education Law Center
Mark B. Miller,
President-Elect, Pennsylvania School Boards Association
Dr. George Steinhoff, Superintendent, Penn Delco School District
Dr. George Steinhoff, Superintendent, Penn Delco School District
One or more
representatives of other statewide and regional organizations are still to
be confirmed.
RSVP
for Southeastern Forum on-line at
Save
the Dates for These 2016 Annual EPLC Regional State Budget Education
Policy Forums
Sponsored
by The Education Policy and Leadership
Center
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
Thursday, February 25 - 8:30-11:00 a.m. -
Attend the
United Opt Out Conference in Philadelphia February 26-28
United
Opt Out: The Movement to End Corporate Reform will hold its annual conference
on Philadelphia from February 26-28.
The Pennsylvania Budget
and Policy Center will host its Annual Budget Summit on Thursday, March 3, 2016
9:00 - 3:30 at the Hilton Harrisburg.
PA Budget and Policy Center website
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, and local communities. The Summit will focus on the leading issues facing the commonwealth in 2016, with workshops, lunch, and a legislative panel discussion. Space is limited, so fill out the form below to reserve your spot at the Budget Summit.
PA Budget and Policy Center website
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, and local communities. The Summit will focus on the leading issues facing the commonwealth in 2016, with workshops, lunch, and a legislative panel discussion. Space is limited, so fill out the form below to reserve your spot at the Budget Summit.
Thursday, March 3,
2016 Hilton Hotel, Harrisburg Pennsylvania
The event is free,
but PBPC welcomes donations of
any size to help off-set costs.
PASBO 61st Annual
Conference and Exhibits March 8 - 11, 2016
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
PenSPRA's Annual Symposium, Friday
April 8th in Shippensburg, PA
PenSPRA,
or the Pennsylvania School Public Relations Association, has developed a
powerhouse line-up of speakers and topics for a captivating day of professional
development in Shippensburg on April 8th. Learn to master data to
defeat your critics, use stories to clarify your district's brand and take
your social media efforts to the next level with a better understanding of
metrics and the newest trends. Join us the evening before the Symposium for
a “Conversation with Colleagues” from 5 – 6 pm followed by a
Networking Social Cocktail Hour from 6 – 8 pm. Both the
Symposium Friday and the social events on Thursday evening
will be held at the Shippensburg University Conference Center. Snacks at the
social hour, and Friday’s breakfast and lunch is included in your
registration cost. $125 for PenSPRA members and $150 for non-members. Learn
more about our speakers and topics and register today at this link:
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.
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:
Interested in letting our
elected leadership know your thoughts on education funding, a severance tax,
property taxes and the budget?
Governor Tom Wolf,
(717) 787-2500
Speaker of the
House Rep. Mike Turzai, (717) 772-9943
House Majority Leader Rep. Dave Reed, (717) 705-7173
Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Joe Scarnati, (717) 787-7084
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jake Corman, (717) 787-1377
House Majority Leader Rep. Dave Reed, (717) 705-7173
Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Joe Scarnati, (717) 787-7084
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jake Corman, (717) 787-1377
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