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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup March 16, 2016:
New budget push comes amid
threats of school closings
400 attend town hall meeting on budget impasse…
Budget impasse puts Union
City schools at 'tipping point'
By Erica Erwin 814-870-1846 Erie Times-News March 16, 2016 12:31 AM
UNION CITY -- Dana Ward didn't think much about Union City's dwindling
tax base when she was graduating from high school here. Now, as a mom of five children in the Union
City Area School District, the issue is top of mind. The district relies on the
state for 77 percent of its revenue and has been hit hard by the state budget
impasse. Ward places the blame on state
officials' inability to compromise. "It's
a mess," said Ward, 34, one of roughly 400 people who filled the high
school cafeteria here on Tuesday for a town hall meeting on the issue. The stalemate already has prompted the district to lay off 18
noninstructional employees and could mean more layoffs and elimination of
activities and sports in the future, Union City Area schools Superintendent
Sandra Myers told those gathered for the meeting. The district so far has received less than
half its state funding, Myers said, and is currently operating on its fund
balance. "We have reached a tipping
point, folks," she said.
“A large crowd turned out for an informational meeting on the state budget
impasse and how it will effect the Wyoming Valley West School District on
Tuesday evening at the middle school.”
Wyoming Valley West officials urge residents to speak in ‘unified voice’ to legislators about budget
Wyoming Valley West officials urge residents to speak in ‘unified voice’ to legislators about budget
Valley West administration, state officials
address lack of a budget
Times Leader By Steve Mocarsky - smocarsky@timesleader.com First
Posted: 11:00 pm - March 15th, 2016
KINGSTON — A meeting held Tuesday with the intent of informing residents
of the financial state of the Wyoming Valley West School District given the
state budget impasse and rallying them into action did just that, but it also
left attendees frustrated with unanswered questions. Irv DeRemer, district director of elementary
education, welcomed the large crowd that filled most of the Middle School
auditorium, explaining that the meeting was called “to give an overview of the
financial consequences facing most school districts in Pennsylvania due to the
2015 state budget not being passed.” A
bipartisan budget deal collapsed just before Christmas after House GOP leaders
pulled support. That $30.8 billion spending plan would have required a $1
billion-plus tax increase. Republicans subsequently sent a $30.3 billion plan
to Gov. Tom Wolf, and he vetoed billions of dollars in subsidies for schools,
prisons and hospitals. School officials across the state have said many districts are in danger
of running out of money and closing their doors at some point this year because
they have received only a portion of state funding.
Wyoming Area to hold
informational meeting on state budget Wednesday
By Marcella Kester - For Times Leader First Posted: 8:47 pm - March 15th,
2016
With recent fears that school districts across the state will be forced to close in mid-May due to the state’s budget stalemate, school board members at Wyoming Area announced during a board work session meeting Tuesday that an informational meeting for district residents will be held Wednesday. The public meeting will be held 7 p.m. in the cafeteria of the Secondary Center. State Sen. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, will be at the meeting, and state Rep Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, may also be in attendance, pending his schedule. The session will include what could — and likely would — happen to districts if a budget fails to pass by May, along with new progress that’s been made and contact information for all state lawmakers. “The consequences are quite severe, if we do not get our funding in order,” said board President Elizabeth Gober-Mangan.
With recent fears that school districts across the state will be forced to close in mid-May due to the state’s budget stalemate, school board members at Wyoming Area announced during a board work session meeting Tuesday that an informational meeting for district residents will be held Wednesday. The public meeting will be held 7 p.m. in the cafeteria of the Secondary Center. State Sen. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, will be at the meeting, and state Rep Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, may also be in attendance, pending his schedule. The session will include what could — and likely would — happen to districts if a budget fails to pass by May, along with new progress that’s been made and contact information for all state lawmakers. “The consequences are quite severe, if we do not get our funding in order,” said board President Elizabeth Gober-Mangan.
150 people attend Pittston Area school board meeting…
If state budget doesn’t
pass, Pittston Area will run out of funds at the end of April, officials say
By Nick Wagner - nwagner@timesleader.com First Posted: 10:13 pm -
March 15th, 2016
YATESVILLE — Because of the state’s budget impasse, the Pittston Area School District will not be able to continue day-to-day operations, financially, to finish the school year. District Business Manager Albert Melone said the school will be out of money at the end of April in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the monthly school board meeting Tuesday. “We’ve been hollering wolf for a long time to get bailed out,” he said in front of approximately 150 people at the meeting held in the high school library. “None of us thought it would go this far.” Pittston Area Superintendent Kevin Booth ordered the district to have an Act 80 half day on March 11 to discuss the situation with all teachers within the district. Both Melone and Booth reiterated the situation is not because a misappropriation of funds, but because they are simply running out of money that should have been provided by the state.
YATESVILLE — Because of the state’s budget impasse, the Pittston Area School District will not be able to continue day-to-day operations, financially, to finish the school year. District Business Manager Albert Melone said the school will be out of money at the end of April in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the monthly school board meeting Tuesday. “We’ve been hollering wolf for a long time to get bailed out,” he said in front of approximately 150 people at the meeting held in the high school library. “None of us thought it would go this far.” Pittston Area Superintendent Kevin Booth ordered the district to have an Act 80 half day on March 11 to discuss the situation with all teachers within the district. Both Melone and Booth reiterated the situation is not because a misappropriation of funds, but because they are simply running out of money that should have been provided by the state.
Smethport school district
could face financial struggles ahead
Bradford Era By FRAN De LANCEY Era Correspondent delancey401@yahoo.com
Posted: Tuesday, March 15, 2016 10:00 am
SMETHPORT — Without a state budget in place, the Smethport Area School
District will be unable to meet payroll for the first pay period in July
without a tax and revenue anticipation note from a lending institution. During the school board's meeting on
Monday, Superintendent Dr. Charles Leasure noted this is 257 days without a
full state budget, although the district did receive a partial payment in
December. Leasure said that after checking the Legislature's calendar,
"lawmakers are in session three days this week and the topic of ‘schools’
is not on the agenda." At Leasure's
request, Business Manager Sue Jordan presented a status report of the
district's budget. "It's not pretty," Jordan said as she prefaced her
remarks. The district's cash flow could
be as low as $150,000 by June 30, not enough by itself to meet payroll for
the first pay period in July. The
district, Jordan said, did receive $3 million on Jan. 5 to meet some
of the district's financial obligations.
Penn-Trafford School District OK'd for line of credit
Trib Live BY TOM MCGEE | Tuesday, March 15,
2016, 11:00 p.m.
Although they hope it won't be needed, Penn-Trafford School District
officials are able to open a line of credit because of the state budget
impasse. The school board voted
unanimously Monday night to allow district administrators to seek a
line of credit while the state budget remains in limbo. A limit was not
specified, but business manager Brett Lago said last week that up to $10
million is possible. Lago said the
district received about $7 million less than it would normally because of the
lack of a final state budget. He said he does not expect any change soon. “With elections coming up for all the House
members and half the Senate members, it's unlikely there will be any action
anytime soon,” Lago said. The district
received $16 million in state funds last year. Officials have been forced to
start planning its 2016-17 budget without a clear picture of what funding it
will receive, Lago said. Shaun Rinier,
head of the Penn-Trafford Education Association, said school districts
throughout the state should consider taking drastic action — such as closing —
to try to force the hands of state officials. “If you would do that, you'd probably have a budget tomorrow,” he
said.
Bristol Township schools
might need loan if state budget impasse continues
Bucks County Courier Times by Joan Hellyer, staff writer Tuesday, March
15, 2016 12:15 pm
The Bristol Township school board may have to borrow money to cover its
operating expenses if the state budget impasse is not over by late April or
early May, a school director said Monday night.
The school district has received about only half of what the state is
supposed to send it to help pay for operating costs during the 2015-16 school
year, board member Helen Cini said. Her comments kicked off a lengthy conversation among board members about
the impasse and how the district should respond to it.
Pennsylvania School
Districts Make Stark Choices During Budget Impasse
Education Week District Dossier By Denisa R. Superville on March
15, 2016 10:32 AM
The Pennsylvania budget crisis continues to force school districts to
make desperate decisions to stay open. Districts
are spending down their reserves, taking out loans, cutting programs, and skimping
on paying bills, according to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, which is
compiling a list of school district's stories of financial hardship on its
website. One district is not even sure it will be able to
make a multimillion-dollar bond payment and payroll on April 1, the association
said. With the 2015-16 fiscal year
ending in June, Pennsylvania still does not have a state budget. And schools
districts are saying they are running out of options. The budget dispute between the Republican-led legislature and Democratic
Gov. Tom Wolf has affected a wide swath of the state, from farming to higher
education.
New budget push comes amid
threats of school closings
Citizens Voice BY ROBERT SWIFT, HARRISBURG
BUREAU Published: March 16, 2016
HARRISBURG — Amid the threat of school closings, a new effort by
Republican lawmakers to complete the unfinished state budget drew criticism
Tuesday from Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Democratic lawmakers. The bill’s math doesn’t add up, Wolf said. “We are looking at a train wreck in 2016-17,
a huge deficit if we don’t do something about that,” he said. However, the governor declined to say whether
he again will wield his veto pen until he sees the final legislation. The $30 billion GOP budget bill for fiscal
2015-16 cleared a first hurdle with passage by the Senate Appropriations
Committee on a party-line vote. Votes in both chambers are planned for today. The measure would provide a $200 million
boost in state aid to public schools in fiscal 2015-16 — half the amount the
governor seeks — and keep state taxes at existing rates. It would restore
funding for Pennsylvania State University agricultural extension offices in
each county and 14 critical access hospitals in rural areas, including in
Barnes-Kasson County Hospital in Susquehanna County. However, it would cut spending by $300
million from an earlier GOP-passed budget bill, thus averting the need for a
tax or revenue hike, said House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana.
Here we go again. General
Assembly set to vote on another 2015-16 budget plan
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com mail the author | Follow on Twitter on
March 15, 2016 at 7:20 PM, updated March 15, 2016 at 10:21 PM
Nine months into the fiscal year and still no assurances Pennsylvania will emerge with a 2015-16 budget but
that doesn't stop state lawmakers from trying again. The General Assembly is poised to vote on
Wednesday on a $30 billion state budget plan that House and Senate GOP
lawmakers crafted without input from their Democratic colleagues or Gov. Tom
Wolf. That spending level is about 3
percent, or $875 million more, than the state spent in 2014-15 but $238 million
less than the last budget plan that the General Assembly passed in December
that Wolf partially vetoed. The Senate Appropriations approved the plan on a 16-10 party-line vote on
Tuesday, which if signed by Wolf, could allow the General Assembly to put to
bed a budget plan that was supposed to have been done by June 30 of last year.
Budget plan puts Pa. GOP,
Wolf on collision course
WHYY Newsworks BY MARY
WILSON MARCH 16, 2016
State lawmakers and Governor Tom Wolf could be headed for another clash
over the Pennsylvania budget, now more than eight months late. Top Republican lawmakers say they'll pass a
plan this week to restore funds vetoed by the governor late last year. The more
than $6 billion proposal would bring the total state budget to about $30
billion, and the supplemental funding aims to make a variety of line items
whole again — including the schools, rural hospitals, and agricultural programs
on the brink of closing because they haven't received all their state money. Wolf said he hasn't seen all the details of
the plan, and he's not promising a signature or a veto. But he stressed that
the proposal must fit his oft-stated criteria.
"I want a budget that is balanced, where the math actually works,
and that invests in the things that Pennsylvania needs to invest in," Wolf
told reporters Tuesday. "We are looking at a train wreck in 2016-17, a
huge deficit, if we don't do something about this."
At a glance: Highlights of
the latest Pa. state budget proposal
Penn Live By Charles Thompson | cthompson@pennlive.com Email the
author | Follow on Twitter on March 15, 2016 at 6:29 PM
Republicans who control the Pennsylvania General Assembly say they plan
to take votes Wednesday on a new, $30 billion spending plan that they hope will
end their nine-month budget stalemate with Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. Some of the key components of the latest
proposal for fiscal 2015-16 include: Public
schools: Boosts the state's main aid line to public schools by another $50
million, representing a total increase of $150 million from last year. The new total of $5.93 billion for regular
classroom aid (including k-12 block grants), however, is still about $175
million less than Wolf is seeking.
GOP Plan to Restore Wolf's
Cuts to Run This Week
PA HouseGOP Video Published on Mar 15, 2016 Runtime: 11:11
PA Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman and PA House Majority Leader Dave
Reed discuss a plan to restore cuts that Gov. Tom Wolf made to the #PABudget.
“The education dollars above last year’s appropriation amount will be
pushed out through the formula developed by the Basic Education Funding
Commission.”
Legislative push to end
current year’s budget process still faces Wolf question mark
The PLS Reporter Author: Jason Gottesman/Tuesday, March 15, 2016
The Republican-led Pennsylvania General Assembly began to push a
supplemental appropriation for the FY 2015-2016 budget Tuesday that they hope
will land on the governor’s desk on Wednesday, and if enacted, would provide
the fiscal year with a $30.025 billion, no-tax-increase budget. However, that budget will need to be approved
or vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf, who said Tuesday he has not made up his mind about
how to deal with the plan he still feels does not address Pennsylvania’s
structural budget deficit. Republican
leaders Tuesday afternoon said the budget plan they are now advancing would
provide $200 million more for basic education and restores much of the funding
line-item vetoed by the governor in December, but leaves issues like pension
reform and liquor privatization aside.
Gov. Wolf blasts new GOP
bill in Pennsylvania’s budget fight
Delco Times By Marc Levy, The Associated Press
POSTED: 03/15/16,
1:57 PM EDT
HARRISBURG >> Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday blasted the
latest budget plan to be advanced by Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania’s
eight-month partisan battle that has left billions of dollars in limbo and
schools and universities warning of closures.
Wolf said in an interview on KQV-AM radio that the plan being unveiled
by Republicans on Tuesday afternoon is out of balance and leaves a deficit of
about $1.6 billion next year. Without a tax increase to fix it, schools could
see a $1 billion cut to state aid, Wolf said.
His office also said the Republican plan does not adequately fund
schools, although neither Wolf nor his office said whether he would veto the
bill. House and Senate Republicans
insisted that the plan does not require a tax increase to balance, and delivers
half the public school aid increase, $200 million, that Wolf had sought. Sen.
Rich Alloway, R-Franklin, called the plan fair and responsible, but he also
acknowledged that lawmakers will have to deal with next year’s deficit in the
coming months. Republicans said they will send the main appropriations bill in the $30
billion package to floor votes in the House and Senate on Wednesday, and then
onto Wolf’s desk. It would increase spending by about 3 percent overall, and
increase spending on public school instruction and operations by about 3.5
percent.
“He said starting July 1, that means a $1 billion cut to education across
the state and what will amount to increases in local property taxes, which he
said is more burdensome than the “modest” increase in state taxes his budget
plan calls for.
“Either way you get a tax increase, their plan does have a tax increase,”
he stated. “We cannot afford another property tax hike at the local level and
the only way you can keep from doing that is a modest increase in taxes at the
state level.”
Gov. Wolf plans “to make a
stand” against new GOP budget proposal
The PLS Reporter Author: Jason Gottesman/Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Amid the news that the Republican-led legislature plans to send a $30
billion-plus budget to his desk this week, Gov. Tom Wolf used a scheduled
appearance on Pittsburgh’s KQV radio Tuesday morning to say he plans “to make a
stand.” “We’ve got to make a stand at
some point and, rather than wait until it’s too late, I think we’ve got to do
it now,” he said of his views on the latest GOP budget plan. He added from what he knows of the plan, the
math does not work. “The consequences of it not working and the smoke and mirrors and the
games people have played in the past are coming up real fast and we’re looking
at a real deficit,” he said. “It leaves a deficit for this year—and by their
own calculations—a $1.6 billion deficit next year.”
STATEMENT: PA Budget and Policy Center on HB1802, The
GOP Supplemental Appropriation Bill
PBPC March 15, 2016
HARRISBURG -- Marc Stier, Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy
Center, made the following statement on HB1802, the Republican supplemental
appropriation bill:
“When one party in a divided government puts forward a budget proposal
without consulting, let alone negotiating with, the other party, one can be
sure that the aim is political gamesmanship not serious public policy. And that
is what we see from the Republicans in the General Assembly today. Their
supplemental appropriation bill adds some funding for K-12 education, but still
falls far short of what the children of Pennsylvania need. And that new funding
comes at the cost of reduced aid to college students. Most importantly,
the Republican budget proposal adds to, rather than subtracting from, our
deeper budgetary problems. It is not balanced. And the deficit it creates for
this year will add to the daunting structural deficit we face next year. "At a time when Standard and Poor’s has warned us that the state
faces another credit downgrade, and when we are looking at massive cuts in
education and human service next year, we have no need for more political
games. We call on every Representative and Senator to vote against this plan.
And we urge legislative leaders to begin work on a compromise bi-partisan
budget plan modeled on the one that passed the Senate by a vote of 43-7 last
year.”
Our Legislature is
bankrupting Pennsylvania: Art Haywood
PennLive Op-Ed By
Art Haywood on March 15, 2016 at 2:00 PM
State Sen. Art Haywood, a Democrat, represents the 4th Senate District, which
includes parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County.
Are you willing to keep $20 dollars extra each month in exchange for
accepting a bankrupt Pennsylvania?
Are you ready to accept rising juvenile delinquency, broken schools,
abandoned properties, increasing crime and unsafe nursing homes for elderly
loved ones? A family earning $75,000
annually would pay about $20 dollars a month to pave the path to recovery outlined
in Gov. Tom Wolf's budget, according to the Senate Democratic Appropriations
Committee. By keeping the cash in our pockets, we become bankrupt in our commitment
to each other.
Years of one-time fixes and credit downgrades have resulted in underfunded
schools and high property taxes. Delayed
water and infrastructure projects have left us with 18 cities that have higher
levels of lead than Flint. After
years of credit downgrades and mismanagement, more than $1 billion dollars in
cuts are projected for this year. The house of cards in Pennsylvania is
ready to tumble. How did we get into
this mess?
Wolf, legislators, and
school advocates must stand together for Pa. education
WHYY Newsworks Commentary by Mark Stier MARCH 16, 2016 ESSAYWORKS
Marc Stier is the director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center.
We are heading into a critical time in the seemingly endless Pennsylvania budget crisis. This is the
moment when Pennsylvanians must stand strong for a budget that is not only done
but done right. And that means a budget that finally, after years of deep cuts
and shallow restorations, begins to fund education at levels that meet the
needs of our children. Many of us want
to attain that aim. But to know how to get there, we have to understand the
forces, inside and outside the Capitol Building, that oppose us. They would
rather see devastating cuts to education rather than increase taxes. Some of those who take this view believe,
falsely, that much education spending is useless and wasteful. They don’t
grasp, as most Pennsylvanians do, that the money we spend on education is vital
not only to the success of individual children, but also to the success of the
Commonwealth as a whole. They forget
that the children of today are the workers and citizens of tomorrow.
Reforming the budget
process could prevent future gridlock
Lancaster Online Opinion by Sen. Ryan P. Aument | Special to LNP March
16, 2016
Sen. Ryan P.
Aument, a Republican from East Hempfield Township, represents the 36th
Senatorial District in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
This spring, for the first time in modern Pennsylvania history, the
General Assembly will work on the 2016-17 state budget without the benefit of
completing a current fiscal-year budget.
While the 2015-16 state budget was signed into law, Gov. Tom Wolf’s
line-item vetoes of approximately $6 billion in spending — including 65 percent
of the Department of Agriculture’s funding, $3 billion in education funding and
$1 billion in state prison funding — leaves work to be done on the spending
plan. The people of Pennsylvania are
rightfully concerned about the prospect of another budget stalemate. As our
governor continues to advocate for his priorities, including additional taxes
and increased spending, General Assembly members will likely continue to
advocate for the positions their constituents support. What has become increasingly clear is that
our commonwealth needs to seriously consider ways to improve our budget
process. We need to prevent what occurred in 2015. That includes unnecessary
disruptions of state funding to our human services providers, which help the
most vulnerable in our communities; to our schools, which have the important
task of educating our children; and to other critical programs and services. Simply put: We need to find a way to allow
important debates over taxes and spending to occur without harming the people
we swore an oath to protect and defend.
Report: York City pre-K
students score higher on later exams
York Dispatch by Jessica Schladebeck, 505-5438/@JessDispatch3:06 p.m. EDT March 15, 2016
York City students who went through the district's pre-K program, on
average, have scored higher on standardized exams than those who did
not receive the early childhood education.
Julie Fabie, the pre-K supervisor for York City schools, last
week presented the district's school board with a comparison of
students who went through the district pre-K program and scored proficient
or higher on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment versus those who
achieved the same scores but were not enrolled in pre-K. Since the 2007-08 school year, the
district has offered early child care through the state-funded Pre-K
Counts program. That year, the school district opened six classrooms, with the
goal of one day having as many pre-K classrooms as it did kindergarten
classrooms. The district last year hosted 190 students in its early
childhood education program, and Fabie told the board it's looking to add
a 13th pre-K classroom in the near future, which would bring the
district halfway to the goal.
This is what a
high-quality preschool looks like
The Success by 6 program has helped to
improve more than 350 pre-K centers.
The notebook by Fabiola Cineas March 15, 2016 — 4:27pm
As the preschoolers made their way from the carpet to the five stations
across the classroom, a buzz pulsed through the room at Chinatown Learning
Center. It was a fusion of laughter and murmurs in Mandarin, Cantonese, and
English. The children were ready for the day’s lesson -- the life cycle of
chickens. Under the tutelage of two
classroom teachers, Yian Chu and Tiffany Villafane, the classroom of 3-
to 5-year-olds got to work, all engaged in activities tailored to their
age and learning level. Some students drew pictures of chickens in their
various life stages. Others wrote sentences about chicks or practiced letter
and number recognition. This is what
high-quality preschool looks like, and the center has earned the highest rating
under the state’s Keystone STARS rating system – STAR 4. It wasn’t always this way. About 10 years
ago, the center was rated as a STAR 2 – it needed to improve in areas such
as teacher credentials and parent engagement.
But then it went through Success by 6, a quality-improvement program led
by United Way of Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey, which gave the center a
network of support and the impetus to identify and achieve strategic goals.
Philly District posts
Renaissance charter applications
Read the submissions from the three operators
matched with Wister, Huey and Cooke Elementaries.
March 15, 2016 the Notebook
The School District has posted the applications from three charter organizations
seeking to turn around Wister, Huey, and Cooke Elementaries, under its
Renaissance initiative. Great Oaks is
applying to run Cooke. Mastery was given the go-ahead to apply for
Wister. Global Leadership Academy seeks to turn around Huey. The School Reform Commission invited the
three to submit applications at its Jan. 21 meeting. But the Wister
vote caused an outcry. Superintendent
William Hite had withdrawn his recommendation to convert the school
to a charter, citing some academic improvement. At a subsequent SRC
meeting, CommissionerSylvia Simms offered a walk-on resolution that got
the votes of colleagues Feather Houstoun and Bill Green, saying that she
had heard from parents who wanted a change.
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2016/03/15/renaissance-charter-applications-posted-huey-cooke-wister
Philly Turnarounds fair
play
Philly Daily news Editorial Updated: MARCH 16, 2016 — 3:01 AM EDT
School Superintendent William Hite had one of those
damned-if-you-do-damned-if you don't moments last week. Criticized for turning
over low-performing public schools to charter providers, Hite took a new tack. He designated four elementary schools, which
are among the lowest performers in the district, as "Turnaround"
schools. Those schools will get additional resources, such as smaller class
sizes in the lower grades, and the direct attention of the district's
turnaround staff to oversee improvement.
The plan calls for up to 50 percent of the teaching staff to be
replaced. Under union contracts, the teachers and other staff who leave the
schools will be entitled to jobs elsewhere in the district. About $7.3 million additional money will go
to the four schools. Hite said he kept
the schools as district-run in part because of the criticism he has gotten for
turning to nonprofit charters to take over these low performers. Hite deserves praise for the plans. It
invests scarce resources in the schools that need it most. So who could
complain about a school getting more resources and personnel, as long as the
time, effort and money invested makes a difference?
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20160316_Turnarounds_fair_play.html#xxlTQ2t38hDphcQM.99
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20160316_Turnarounds_fair_play.html#xxlTQ2t38hDphcQM.99
Allentown teachers get
higher pay, assault protections in new pact
By Sara K. Satullo | For lehighvalleylive.com Email the
author | Follow on Twitter on March 15, 2016 at 4:18 PM, updated March
15, 2016 at 5:00 PM
After six months of working under an expired agreement, Allentown School District teachers have a new contract
that boosts starting salary and protects teachers who have been assaulted by
students. The school board Thursday approved
the four-year contract with the Allentown Education Association that runs until
July 2019. Allentown's almost 1,000 teachers have been working under an expired deal since Aug. 31, 2015. n its final year the contract boosts teacher
starting salary from $45,114 to $46,558. That still puts it well behind many
schools in the Lehigh Valley, which hover around $50,000.
The top salary for a teacher with a master's degree and 45 credits will
rise from $89,183 to $90,627 in the last year.
Parents and students urge
Nazareth to settle with teachers' union
By John Best | For lehighvalleylive.com on March 15, 2016
at 12:10 PM, updated March 15, 2016 at 12:14 PM
School board members need to show teachers more respect, increase
transparency and quickly settle terms with the teachers' union. Those were generally the sentiments of seven
speakers at the Nazareth Area School Board meeting Monday night. The teachers have been working without a contract since Aug. 31. Last week, district officials chose not to accept the teachers'
latest contract proposal and opted instead to continue to negotiate through a
mediator. While there were slight variations among the speakers, the overall theme
was the same: Nazareth Area teachers do a wonderful job and district officials
need to step up their efforts to reach an agreement with the Nazareth Area
Education Association and avoid any possible strike.
Op-Ed Making it
easier to fire teachers won't fix American education
Los Angeles Times by Sarah Carr March 15, 2016
Sarah Carr
directs the Teacher Project at the Columbia University Graduate School of
Journalism.
In the next three months, an appeals court will rule in the landmark
Vergara vs. California case, which could upend many union job protections for
public schoolteachers in the state. If the appellate justices agree with L.A.
County Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu, teachers will no longer get tenure
after only two years in the classroom, and they will no longer be laid off on
the basis of “last in, first out,” the so-called LIFO rule that forces out new
teachers regardless of how well they are doing their jobs. In 2014 Treu ruled
that these and other employment practices endanger students' constitutional
right to an education. Vergara will set
California law, but it is also a national test case for what has become a
central strategy for improving teacher quality in America: Sending ineffective
educators packing.
What the Candidates Get
Wrong About Charter Schools
The Atlantic by Emily Richmond March 15, 2016
Fact-checking Bernie Sanders—and the other presidential
contenders—on their understanding of the public education institutions At the Democratic Town Hall on Sunday night
in Columbus, Ohio, Senator Bernie Sanders was asked whether he supported charter schools.
The Democratic presidential candidate’s answer—imprecise at best—set off a
flurry of responses in the Twittersphere, if not the audience at the CNN
broadcast. “I believe in public
education, and I believe in public charter schools,” Sanders said to applause. “I do not
believe in private—privately controlled charter schools.”
States Rush to Retool
Accountability Following ESSA Passage
ESSA Adds New Fuel to Push for Retooled
Systems
Education Week By Daarel Burnette II Published Online: March 15, 2016
After years of pent-up frustration among state officials over what
they've considered to be a heavy and prescriptive federal role in education
policy, some states are bolting to overhaul their accountability systems in
ways that could have lasting impact on schools' priorities. Sparked by new flexibility promised under the Every Student Succeeds Act, they're rushing ahead of the U.S.
Department of Education, which is still in the initial phases of interpreting the new law and figuring
out how it will regulate under it, a process that could take months. The law
doesn't go into full effect until the 2017-18 school year. Because of timing, political pressures, and
unhappiness with existing school report cards, some states don't want to
wait—setting up the prospect of conflicts down the road if retooled state
systems don't meet what will be required in the way of ESSA-compliant
accountability.
Six Reasons Why the Revolt
Against Standardized Testing Is Good for Students and Parents of Color
Hundreds of
thousands of families across the country are opting out in what has become a
national movement.
Alternet By Jesse Hagopian / I Am an Educator
March 14, 2016
Corporate education reformers who seek to reduce teaching and learning to
a single score are beginning to realize they are losing the public relations
battle. Hundreds of thousands of families across the country are opting out in
what has become largest revolt against high-stakes testing in U.S. history. Because most of their arguments are
increasingly discredited because of this uprising, they are desperately
attempting to cling to one last defense of the need to subject our students to
a multibillion-dollar testing industry.
Testing Resistance &
Reform News: March 9 - 15, 2016
FairTest Submitted by fairtest on March 15, 2016 - 1:50pm
In state after state, policymakers are responding to constituent concerns
by re-evaluating testing mandates. The changes they initially consider
are often cosmetic, such as substituting one mediocre exam for another.
But escalating grassroots pressure -- particularly opting out -- is beginning to
force legislators to focus on the real problems of standardized testing overuse
and misuse. Already, several have repealed or postponed requirements to
evaluate teachers based on student tests scores. By working together, parents,
students, teachers, administrators, academics and community activists can
increase the odds that more genuine assessment reforms are enacted this year.
Ravitch: Help Us Raise Money to Help Our Allies
Diane Ravitch’s Blog
March 6, 2016
The Network for Public Education Action Fund
exists to help friends of public schools compete for election to state and
local school boards, as well as other elected offices. We can't match the spending of our
adversaries, but our numbers are far greater than theirs. If we get our friends
and neighbors to vote, if we get every parent and teacher to vote, we would win
every seat.
We have the
power to reclaim and rebuild our schools, making them palaces of learning
rather than dreary places to take tests.
You can help us by opening this link.
PSBA
Advocacy Forum & Day on the Hill April 4th
APR 4, 2016 • 9:00
AM - 5:30 PM
Join
PSBA and your fellow school directors for the third annual Advocacy Forum on April
4, 2016, at the State Capitol in Harrisburg. This year’s event will have a
spotlight on public education highlighting school districts’ exemplary student
programs. Hear from legislators on how advocacy makes a difference in the
legislative process and the importance of public education advocacy. Government
Affairs will take a deeper dive into the legislative priorities and will
provide tips on how to be an effective public education advocate. There will be
dedicated time for you and your fellow advocates to hit the halls to meet with
your legislators on public education. This is your chance to share the
importance of policy supporting public education and make your voice heard on
the Hill. Online advanced registration will close on April 1, 4 p.m. On-site
registrants are welcome.
Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators
(PASA) 2016 Education Congress April
6-7, 2016
professional
development program for school administrators
Focus: "The
Myths of Creativity: The Truth about How Innovative Companies Generate Great
Ideas" Featured Presenter: Dr.
David Burkus
April 6-7, 2016 Radisson
Hotel Harrisburg in Camp Hill
The program will
focus on how school leaders can develop and utilize creativity in education
management, operations, curriculum and leadership goals. The second day will
allow participants to select from multiple discussion/work sessions focusing on
concepts presented by Dr. Burkus and facilitated by school leaders who have
demonstrated success in creative thinking and leadership in schools across the
commonwealth.
Deadline for
hotel accommodations: March 15
See the PASA website
for more information at: www.pasa-net.org/2016edcongress.
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:
Briefing:
Public Education Funding in Pennsylvania
TUE, APR 12 AT 8:30 AM, PHILADELPHIA,
PA
Join
attorneys Michael Churchill, Jennifer Clarke and Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg for a briefing
on:
- the current budget impasse
- the basics of education funding
- the school funding lawsuit
- the 2016-2017 proposed budget
1.5
CLE credits available to PA licensed attorneys.
Light breakfast provided.
WHEN:
Tuesday, April
12, 2016 from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM (EDT)
WHERE:
United Way of
Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey - 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
1st Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
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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