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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup February 18, 2016:
Public outrage over budget
debacle doesn't translate into runs for state House or Senate seats
RSVP Today for EPLC’s Education Policy Forum Series on
Governor Wolf’s 2016-17 State Budget Proposal in Pittsburgh
Thursday, February 25, 2016 - Pittsburgh
The Keystone State
Public outrage over budget
debacle doesn't translate into runs for state House or Senate seats
Ninety-three incumbents in the
state House and Senate appear to have drawn no primary or general election
challengers based on the Department of State's unofficial list of candidates
for the April 26 primary election.
By Jan Murphy |
jmurphy@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on February 17, 2016 at 4:38 PM, updated February 17, 2016 at 5:10 PM
BY JAN MURPHY
& CHARLES THOMPSON
Despite coming off a
year where a state budget never fully got finalized and thepublic grew increasingly dissatisfied with state officials over
it, 185 state House members and 21 senators are planning to ask their
constituents to re-elect them to another term of office. What's more, 93 of them appear to face no
primary or general election challenge at the moment based on the unofficial
list of candidates who filed paperwork to get on the April 26 ballot by the
Tuesday deadline. But even more striking
about the list of 373 candidates running for House seats and 47 seeking a
Senate seat is Gov. Tom Wolf may be headed for some more rough waters ahead.
Looking at the
number of legislative seats that would have to flip to Democratic hands, it
appears Pennsylvanians will likely have to live with the divided government
that brought us one of the longest budget impasses in state history for another
two years.
List Of
Candidates Filing Petitions To Be On Primary Ballot Available Online
PA Capitol Digest by
Crisci Associates February 18, 2016
The Department of
State has available a constantly updated list of candidates filing nominating
petitions to be on the ballot in the April Primary election. Click Here to see the list.
Only 26 House
incumbents out of 189 seeking reelection have a primary opponent, with 14 open
seats.
Only 4
incumbent state senators out of 25, all Democrats, have a primary
opponent, with 3 open seats.
Impact of court decision
on Philly charter schools extends beyond that city's borders, group say
A state Supreme Court ruling on
a Philadelphia charter school lawsuit highlights the need for a school funding
formula that provides adequate, stable funding to all public schools, according
to an official from the Education Law Center-PA.
Penn Live By Jan Murphy |
jmurphy@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on
February 17, 2016 at 6:55 PM, updated February 17, 2016 at 6:59 PM
A state Supreme
Court ruling that limits the power of the commission that oversees the Philadelphia School District
is viewed by others as having far-reaching ramifications on other aspects of
public schools in Pennsylvania . The high court ruled on Tuesday that the
School Reform Commission in Philadelphia
overstepped its authority by imposing enrollment caps and other conditions on Philadelphia charter
schools and then threatening to revoke their charters if they refuse to comply
with them. While the decision most
directly impacts that city's charter schools and the children on waiting lists
hoping to enroll in them, Robert
Fayfich, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public
Charter Schools, also says the tenor of the court's ruling gives hope to the charter
community as a whole. "It sends a
clear message that the rights of charter schools, every child in them, and
every child on a waiting list to get into a charter school cannot be trampled.
No district is above the law," Fayfich said. He said school districts that have refused to
pay their charter school bills should take heed that the Supreme Court, despite
having more Democratic justices sitting on it than Republicans, will review
cases based on facts and not have an anti-charter bias.
What high court just did
to the way Phila. schools are run
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham and Martha Woodall,
STAFF WRITERS. Updated: FEBRUARY
18, 2016 — 1:07 AM EST
Teacher
reassignments. Caps on charters. School closings.
All those weighty
matters could be up in the air in Philadelphia
schools, after this week's Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that stripped
the School Reform Commission of extraordinary powers it had believed it had -
and had used - under state law. Lawyers
and close watchers of the School District were
still combing through the 18-page decision Wednesday, determining exactly what
it means for the school system. But the
scope of the ruling was clear. The SRC on Wednesday called it a "sobering
moment." "Clearly, it's going
to require a total reenvisioning of the way in which the SRC is going to manage
costs and resources," said Donna Cooper, executive director of Public
Citizens for Children and Youth. "Their quiver has been depleted a
bit." Financially, the decision
could be devastating, because of the possibility for rampant, unplanned
charter-school growth, already a sensitive issue in a district whose leaders
were uncertain, even before the ruling, that they would have enough cash to get
through the school year.
Reactions to court
decision stripping SRC of special powers
the notebook by David Limm February 17,
2016 Updated | 6:45 p.m.
Is Pa.
WHYY Newsworks BY NEWSWORKS STAFF FEBRUARY 18, 2016
The Pennsylvania
Supreme Court has delivered a major blow to the Philadelphia School Reform
Commission in a decision that’s poised to have far-reaching effects on public
schools in the city. The SRC has been
assuming that it has special powers to suspend parts of the school code and
charter law based on the legislation that created the state-takeover body in
2001. In a 4-2 bipartisan decision, the
state’s highest court said Tuesday that section of the legislation is unconstitutional,
and that the SRC has been overreaching its authority. In essence, the court lay fault at the feet
of state lawmakers for not defining powers more specifically.
Agora cyber charter still
mum on layoff numbers
The Agora Cyber
Charter School
Inquirer by Martha Woodall, Staff Writer. Updated: FEBRUARY 18, 2016 —
1:08 AM EST
Five days after
Agora, the second-largest cyber charter school in Pennsylvania , laid off scores of teachers
and staffers, it still was refusing to disclose the number of people let go. The school, which has headquarters in King of Prussia and enrolls 8,500 students across the
state, repeatedly has declined to specify a layoff total. Current and laid-off employees, however, said
their tallies showed that more than 100 people lost their jobs, possibly as
many as 150. A spokeswoman for the state
Department of Education, which oversees cyber schools, said the schools are not
required by law to inform the department of layoffs and furloughs. Nicole
Reigelman said that as a courtesy, it is helpful if the department is notified. "That did not occur in this case,"
she said, adding that the department was looking into the matter.
Layoffs at cyber charter
with York Co. students
York Daily Record Angie Mason, amason@ydr.com3:54 p.m. EST February 17, 2016
A cyber charter
school attended by a few hundred York
County York County
Opponents rally against
turning Wister into charter school
Parents rally against turning Wister Elementary School
in Germantown
by Dana DiFilippo, Staff Writer. on
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016.
Is converting a
long-troubled neighborhood school into a charter school the best chance for
students' future success? Or is it an unconstitutional revival of school
segregation?
Those were the
weighty questions that had about 100 parents and activists shouting and
applauding at a rally outside Wister Elementary School in Germantown Wednesday morning. They gathered to
back Superintendent William Hite's recommendation that Wister has improved
enough in the past year to remain a district school and get extra support to
ensure continued progress. The school's
fate has ping-ponged since Hite last year recommended Wister, Cooke Elementary
in Logan and Huey Elementary in West Philadelphia for charter conversion. He later changed his
mind on Wister after reviewing data showing it didn't warrant drastic
intervention - but the five-member School Reform Commission last month defied
Hite and voted to begin the process of turning Wister over to Mastery Charter.
A final SRC vote is set for April.
Delco Times Heron's
Nest Blog by Editor Phil Heron Wednesday, February 17, 2016
There's nothing
quite like picking up the phone on a dreary Tuesday afternoon and being greeted
with this message: "Hi, Phil. This
is Tom Wolf." No, it was not a
recording.
And it wasn't a
fake. The governor was calling, even if he didn't identify himself as such.
I kind of like the
idea that Wolf didn't use his title when he greeted me. He campaigned on the
idea of being a "different" kind of governor. Well, this unannounced
phone call certainly qualifies as that. I'd
like to think Wolf specifically decided to call me to chat. My guess is that he
was doing likewise with newsmakers and opinion shapers across the state. Not surprisingly, he wanted to talk about the
state budget. Or rather the lack of one. Wolf has been locked in a standoff
with Republican leaders since last summer, unable to agree on spending and the
revenue (read tax hikes) to pay for what the governor wants.
Charting a bright future for Pa.
Centre Daily Times
Opinion BY FRANCES WOLF February 16, 2016
Frances Wolf is the first lady of the
commonwealth of Pennsylvania
As my husband
outlined in his address to the General Assembly this past week, we have a
choice to make — a choice that has serious implications for the future of
Pennsylvania’s schools. And for the future of our state. We can choose to ignore the $2 billion structural deficit that
Pennsylvania faces, which will force an additional $1 billion in cuts to our
schools. If we choose this path, we will bar tens of thousands of preschoolers
from early childhood programs. We will force school districts to lay off
thousands of dedicated public school educators. We will create significantly
larger class sizes depriving our children of the attention and resources they
need to succeed. We will reduce their possibilities for success not only in the
classroom but in life. And we will force school districts to exact even higher
property taxes — taxes that were already increased in 2011. To a greater degree
than ever before we will force many homeowners to choose between paying their
property taxes or keeping their homes.
Or, we can choose to support the program my husband set out in his new
budget proposal. His plan will restore investments to our schools and ensure
that the state lives up to its constitutionally mandated responsibility to fund
our schools.
Impact fee poised to bring in $38 million less than
last year
By Laura Legere / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
February 17, 2016 2:37 PM
EPLC’s
New Report: “High School Career and Technical Education: Serving Pennsylvania
On February
10, EPLC released its new report: “High
School Career and Technical Education: Serving Pennsylvania’s Student and
Workforce Needs“ (PDF).
This report focuses
on and organizes recommendations around several broad issues that are
fundamental to improve the effectiveness of Pennsylvania ’s Career and Technical
Education (CTE) system for secondary students. These are:
- Leadership and Governance
- Regional and Local Coordination
- Building Student and Parent Awareness
About Career and Technical Education
- Relevancy and Rigor of CTE Programs
- Assuring CTE Opportunities for All
Students
- Accountability and Effectiveness
- State Funding
The recommendations
in this report are intended to provoke discussion and action. The
recommendations are all proposed with some specificity about “who” should do
“what”. They are intended to assign responsibility and prompt the named
entities or groups to take action soon.
Trib Live BY TONY
LARUSSA | Wednesday,
Feb. 17, 2016, 10:39 p.m.
“Our goal throughout
the (budget) process has been to identify opportunities for additional revenues
and to minimize expenditures in a way that does not diminish the world-class
education that we provide our students,” he said.
If you haven't had
an opportunity to leaf through the Erie
School District Harrisburg next week. The best-case scenario projects a 2016-17
budget deficit of $3.04 million. The worst case, probably closer to the mark
given the current political dynamics in Harrisburg ,
predicts $8.9 million in red ink. And those numbers
are only the beginning of an annual trend that before long will lead to the
equivalent of bankruptcy and a state takeover. That would be the same state
that's driving Erie 's
school system into a ditch to begin with.
The situation is complicated by the continuing food fight between Gov.
Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled Legislature. But at heart that's an
argument over how fast, not whether, Erie 's
and similarly situated systems go under. Putting a lot more
cash into the pipeline, as Wolf proposes, ultimately won't help Erie if state funding is
allocated largely as it has been. That just perpetuates a system in which, in
Badams' words, "literally the rich get richer and the poor get
poorer."
By RON LEONARDI
ron.leonardi@timesnews.com18 Feb 2016 — Erie Times-News
That dire financial
forecast is possible, he said, if the way school districts are funded isn't
changed. In an effort to help the
district find state funding, the Erie School Board voted unanimously Wednesday
night to hire a Harrisburg-based government public relations firm, Long Nyquist
and Associates. The board approved a
10-month, $65,000 contract, which is scheduled to begin March 1, Badams said. "The contract will last at least through
the next legislative session, which goes through November,'' he said. "The
cost will be $6,500 a month to retain their services. We are hoping to gain
private funding to offset that cost, so that doesn't become a cost that the
taxpayers have to bear.'' Hiring the
government relations firm is something Badams said the district needs to
"help navigate the legislative landscape in Harrisburg .''
Central Bucks, Council
Rock tops in SAT scores
Intelligencer By Gary Weckselblatt, staff writer Posted: Thursday, February 18, 2016
5:30 am
The Wilmington Area
School District ’s 2014-2016 school
board has been named a D. Richard Wynn Distinguished School Board by the University of Pittsburgh Wilmington
and the Bethel Park
School District
Parents, teachers and children rally for public
education at schools across the nation
Parents, teachers,
children and community members rallied in support of public education at
schools across the country Wednesday morning, many of them calling for more
funding and less testing. Thousands of
people were expected to participate in the “walk-ins” at more than 800 schools
in 30 cities, according to the Alliance
to Reclaim Our Schools, which organized the event. The organization is a
coalition of groups including the nation’s two largest teachers unions.n The walk-ins became venues for many
different messages including de-emphasizing standardized tests, slowing
down charter school growth and ending state takeovers of local school
systems, as well as building more community schools, which offer a
host of social, emotional and physical health supports.
"The larger goal? To get
private access to $500
billion in taxpayer funds spent annually across America
Over the past decade
and longer, there has been a massively funded effort by the wealthiest people
in America
to replace public education and elected school boards with a privatized
charter-school system. Walmart's Walton Family Foundation justcommitted an
additional $1 billion to the cause. The result has been a highly successful
juggernaut leading to
more than 6,700 charter public schools in 42 states and Washington DC New Orleans , Detroit ,
Milwaukee and Philadelphia are just a small number of urban
areas with a heavy presence of publicly funded private charters. Charter
advocates and their deep-pocketed investors and supporters, using aggressive
lobbying and campaign contributions of many wealthy
supporters, have established strong footholds in Florida, Michigan, Ohio,
Wisconsin, California and many other states. In California , there are now an estimated
500,000 students in 1,200 charter schools.
“Western Region Forum Series” – Thursday,
February 25, 2016
Continental Breakfast – 8:00 a.m. Program – 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
An Overview of the Proposed 2016-2017 State Budget and Education Issues Will Be Provided By:
Representative of The
Ron Cowell, President, The Education Policy and
Statewide and
Regional Perspectives Will Be Provided By:
Karina Chavez, Executive Director,Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education
Dr. Jeffrey Fuller, Superintendent,Freedom
Area School
District
Cheryl Kleiman, Staff Attorney,Education
Law Center
Nathan Mains, Executive Director,Pennsylvania School
Karina Chavez, Executive Director,
Dr. Jeffrey Fuller, Superintendent,
Cheryl Kleiman, Staff Attorney,
Nathan Mains, Executive Director,
RSVP
for the Pittsburgh forum by clicking here.
While there is no registration fee, seating is limited and an RSVP is required.
While there is no registration fee, seating is limited and an RSVP is required.
'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
In "Beyond
Measure," Abeles examines public schools across the country that are
working to "create a more equitable, empowering, student-centered
education culture from the ground up," event organizers said. The college’s Department of Social and
Behavioral Science, Future Teachers Organization, and Amy McIntyre, founder of
the Council Rock Parents Facebook page, are sponsoring the free event. Register online at tinyurl.com/BCCCBeyondMeasure.
For more information call 215-504-8545 or send an email to Kate.DAuria@bucks.edu.
Blogger note: this conference
is SOLD OUT
Attend the
United Opt Out Conference in Philadelphia
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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