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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Weekend Roundup March 20, 2016:
Pressure continues to
build statewide for resolution to budget impasse
PASBO will be holding a press conference on Wednesday at 9 am at
the Capitol to present the deteriorating financial situation of schools.
“Gerrymandering — which is
the drawing of electoral districts to favor one side or the other — tends to
encourage polarization by creating more “safe” districts for incumbents. They
rarely face a serious challenge from the opposing party and thus cater to their
activist bases.
The result is fewer
moderates in each party, and thus fewer opportunities to bridge the partisan
divide. “The middle tends to govern in
legislatures, and I think the middle has gotten smaller,” Pound said. …The challenges of divided government are
most serious when fundamental principles are at stake. That’s the case in
Illinois, where a key issue is labor unions’ power, and in Pennsylvania, where
the main dispute is over raising taxes to fund education.”
Partisan deadlock: Now showing in a state
capital near you
Washington
Post By Robert McCartney March 17
In
Illinois, a prolonged political stalemate over the state budget has shut
homeless shelters, drug treatment centers and mental health clinics that serve
the poor. A similar impasse in
Pennsylvania has forced school districts to slash budgets by cutting back on
textbook purchases, test preparation and building repairs. The partisan standoffs that regularly
paralyze federal Washington are also hobbling a growing number of state
capitals. They have frustrated governors and legislators alike, and aggravated
the public’s ire over ineffective government.
… “It has gotten more polarized,” William T. Pound, executive director
of the National Conference of State Legislatures, said. “In most places, it is
not as bad as at the national level, but it reflects the country.” As a GOP presidential candidate runs a
populist campaign for president, tapping into the anger over the impasse in
Washington, state governments are having the same trouble getting things done. The impact has been most severe this year in
Illinois and Pennsylvania. Political deadlocks have prevented both states from
approving budgets eight months into the fiscal year.
Governor Wolf also
proposed a $200 million increase in basic education funding, which is
a 3.3 percent increase above the $377 million increase included in
the 2015-2016 bipartisan budget compromise agreed to in December. That
agreement was supported by bipartisan majorities in both chambers before
Republican House leaders failed to hold a final vote. The new funding would be
distributed using the Fair Funding Formula created and unanimously adopted by
the bipartisan Basic Education Funding Commission in June 2015. The 2016-17 proposal would also add $50
million for Special Education, $60 million to expand Pre-K
Counts and Head Start Supplemental Programs, as well as bolster funding to the
state higher education institutions to lessen the reliance on tuition hikes and
fee increases.
On
"Schools that Teach" Tour, Secretary Rivera Discusses the Future of
Education in Pennsylvania
PRNewswire
Mar 18, 2016, 15:00 ET from Pennsylvania Department of Education
MT. JOY,
Pa., March 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today during a
"Schools That Teach" tour stop, Secretary of Education Pedro
A. Rivera met with officials from the Lancaster County Career and
Technical Center's (CTC) Mount Joy Campus to discuss the two paths Pennsylvania could
take regarding the future of schools. "Our
schools and students are doing their best despite dwindling resources,"
said Secretary Rivera. "Career and technical schools across the
commonwealth are doing great work with the resources they have, but now the
state must do its part to invest in these CTCs in order to ensure students
receive training to prepare them for the 21stcentury workforce. We
must choose the path that provides a robust and needed investment in these
critical, high-value programs." The
state budget introduced by Governor Tom Wolf in February included investments
to modernize Career and Technical Education including funding for career
counselors in middle and high schools, for developing innovative programs, and
for grants for schools to purchase high-tech equipment.
“Using his control of PA
Cyber and several other companies, Trombetta siphoned off at least $1 million
in tax dollars paid to the online school, prosecutors say.”
Trombetta
trial pushed back to September
Trib
Live BY BRIAN BOWLING | Friday, March 18, 2016,
6:06 p.m.
A
federal judge Friday agreed to reschedule the trial for Nick Trombetta, former
CEO of Midland-based Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. Trombetta of East Liverpool, Ohio, and Neal
Prence, his accountant, were scheduled to stand trial June 6. They filed a
motion Thursday asking that the trial be delayed. The government didn't oppose
the request. U.S. District Judge Joy
Flowers Conti rescheduled the trial to start on Sept. 19. A federal grand jury
indicted Trombetta in 2013 on 11 counts of mail fraud, bribery, tax conspiracy
and filing false tax returns and indicted Prence, of Koppel, Beaver County, of
helping Trombetta in the tax conspiracy.
Catching Bigfoot: Wolf pursues election-year
tax increase
AP State
Wire By MARC LEVY March 19,2016
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's pursuit of a major election-year tax increase has decades of precedent against it: No such tax increase has passed the Pennsylvania Legislature in an election year since at least 1970. Still, with the general election eight months away, and schools warning that they may close amid historic partisan budget gridlock, Wolf is trying to do just that. He is asking perhaps Pennsylvania's most conservative Legislature in modern history to pass a $2.7 billion tax hike that amounts to almost 10 percent of last year's total operating budget spending. Many inside the Capitol suggest an election-year tax increase is about as likely as catching Bigfoot or a Philadelphia Phillies World Series victory this October, and even less so before the April 26 primary election. "I would characterize it as a glimmer of hope after the primary that reasonable minds may prevail," said Rep. Nick Kotik, D-Allegheny.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's pursuit of a major election-year tax increase has decades of precedent against it: No such tax increase has passed the Pennsylvania Legislature in an election year since at least 1970. Still, with the general election eight months away, and schools warning that they may close amid historic partisan budget gridlock, Wolf is trying to do just that. He is asking perhaps Pennsylvania's most conservative Legislature in modern history to pass a $2.7 billion tax hike that amounts to almost 10 percent of last year's total operating budget spending. Many inside the Capitol suggest an election-year tax increase is about as likely as catching Bigfoot or a Philadelphia Phillies World Series victory this October, and even less so before the April 26 primary election. "I would characterize it as a glimmer of hope after the primary that reasonable minds may prevail," said Rep. Nick Kotik, D-Allegheny.
Budget veto
threat lingers while Gov. Tom Wolf seeks counsel with Democratic allies
Penn
Live By Charles Thompson | cthompson@pennlive.com Email the
author | Follow on Twitter on March 20, 2016 at 7:59 AM, updated March
20, 2016 at 8:04 AM
A funny
thing has happened on the way to Pennsylvania's next budget veto.
Thirteen House Democrats cast their votes Wednesday
with Republicans for a $30 billion spending plan designed to
serve as a three-month truce in the state's unending budget wars. With 200
members currently seated and, that's just three more Democratic votes away from
a potential veto override in the House of Representatives, assuming the Republicans
can bring all of their 118 votes to the table.
Wolf may still veto the plan, as he flatly declared he would before the
House vote. But first, he will now meet Monday with Democratic legislative
leaders in what a source familiar with the plan described as a political stress
test.
Speaker Turzai
implores Gov. Wolf to sign budget supplemental
The PLS
Reporter Author: Jason Gottesman/Friday, March 18,
2016/Categories: News and Views
With the
$6 billion budget supplemental and funding for state-related universities now
awaiting the governor’s final action, Speaker of the House Mike Turzai
(R-Allegheny) made a pitch Friday to implore Gov. Tom Wolf to sign the bills
and close out a full-year spending plan for FY 2015-2016. He said without closing out the current year,
negotiations for the FY 2016-2017 budget cannot get started. “You cannot begin to negotiate 16-17 until
you close 15-16,” he said. “There was a
deficit when we took over from Gov. Rendell, about a $4 billion deficit. What
you should do, is you should look at each budget as it comes to you,” the
Speaker added. “You cannot look at 16-17 until you finish 15-16. The lower the
spend in 15-16, [the more it] will improve your position in 16-17.” Speaker Turzai argued revenues in recent
years have come in over expectations and the picture of current year revenues
cannot be established until a complete spending plan is in place.
“Once again last week, the
Legislature sent him a spending package, this time worth $30 billion and
restoring many of the line items the governor vetoed late last year. It would
provide $150 million more for basic education than the 2014-15 budget. Mr. Wolf
has made education his signature issue, and he is threatening a veto because
that’s still $175 million less than he wants. The Legislature also would
restore full funding for prisons and agriculture extension programs and would
give state-owned and state-related universities, including the University of
Pittsburgh and Penn State, increases of 5 percent. That is a lot of what the governor wanted,
yet he is threatening another veto. That would be a mistake. The nature of
compromise means nobody gets everything they want, and it is too late to solve
the state’s long-term deficit in a budget that is nine months overdue.
It’s time for Mr. Wolf to
sign this budget, prevent public schools from closing and move on to next
year’s spending plan.”
PPG Editorial: Sign the budget: Reform is
fine, but Wolf must OK spending first
Post Gazette
By the Editorial Board March 20, 2016 12:00 AM
Democratic
Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed a series of ethics reforms for state officials, and
he probably has backed any Republican opposition into a corner because they are
sensible.
In an
atmosphere of public exasperation with Harrisburg, who would dare come out
against new rules to rein in public officials? If the measures pass, elected
officials and state employees would be banned from receiving gifts and would
have to report outside income within specific ranges and political
contributions from anyone with state contracts. In addition, Mr. Wolf wants to
limit campaign contributions, prohibit the use of campaign funds for personal
expenses and bolster staffing so more disclosure filings could be reviewed by
state auditors. These are good ideas and
the Legislature should approve them. However — and it’s a big however — even if
the measures are adopted, Mr. Wolf won’t be able to crow too loudly. The
changes are important for the long term, but they pale in contrast to the
state’s immediate financial crisis. And on the fundamental issue of the state’s
2015-16 operating budget, Mr. Wolf keeps digging the same hole.
Democrats line
up behind GOP budget bill
Herald Standard By Christopher Buckley cbuckley@heraldstandard.com| 0 comments Posted: Thursday, March 17, 2016 3:30 pm | Updated: 12:02 am, Fri Mar 18, 2016.
Weary of
months of a budget stalemate, Democratic lawmakers may be ready to cross the
aisle and override a threatened veto by Gov. Wolf. “It’s time to move this thing forward,” said
state Rep. Pete Daley. “I’m almost positive that if he vetoes it, we have enough
Democrats to override his veto.” Thirteen
House Democrats crossed the aisle Wednesday, Daley noted, adding it would take
just seven more Democrats to vote to override the veto and end the eight-month
budget stalemate. “The public is so fed
up with this quagmire,” the California Democrat said. “It’s killing so much in
the state health care, social services. Some schools are teetering on the brink
of bankruptcy.” In the past week, the
Charleroi Area School District released a statement on its website saying in
part that it could face the prospect of shutting its doors by May 1 without an
infusion of state funding. The partisan
standoff has left billions of dollars in limbo and the state operating on a
$23.4 billion budget, nearly $6 billion less than last year. Public schools are
borrowing to stay open while Penn State has threatened to shut down
agricultural extension offices across the state.
Schools weary of budget impasse
By ERICA
ERWIN erica.erwin@timesnews.com20 Mar 2016 — Erie
Times-News
The Erie
School District will run out of money in April unless money starts flowing from
the state. The
Union City Area School District has laid off 18 employees, and administrators
have said more layoffs could be coming amid a budget impasse that has stretched
264 days. Many other school districts
throughout the Erie region aren't in the same position yet, operating off cash
reserves and other state funding streams that should get them to or through the
end of the school year in June. But the question remains: What then? Crawford Central School District Business
Manager Guy O'Neil plans to address the question with his school board at its Monday meeting. The district isn't feeling the pinch just yet
-- "I think we're good until the middle of June," O'Neil said -- but
it is thinking ahead. Administrators
have already started talking to banks about the possibility of borrowing.
Memo to Gov.
Wolf: Release federal education funds
Intelligencer Letter By Mike Fitzpatrick Posted: Sunday, March 20,
2016 12:15 am
Republican Congressman Mike
Fitzpatrick represents the 8th District, comprising all of Bucks County
and part of Montgomery County.
Pennsylvania’s
well-known budget impasse is more than that; it’s a stalemate of serious
proportions affecting school districts from Philadelphia to Erie and Pittsburgh
to Scranton.
From the
outset, Gov. Tom Wolf has withheld distribution of federal education funds
already paid to the state for everything from special education priorities to
career and technical centers. The impact of the governor’s continued refusal to
address the damage being done to school districts is well-documented — from
districts pulling operating funds from “rainy day” accounts to potential bond
and credit rating downgrades as many take on debt to keep classroom doors open. Close to
home, the Centennial and Souderton school districts enacted budget freezes in
January. Bristol Borough School District is borrowing money to bridge the
funding gap it faces. And in Quakertown, officials are attempting to cut
millions from next year’s budget by June 30. In all,
a recent survey shows 39 percent of districts have been operating in this
school year by drawing on reserves, making cuts and holding off on purchases
and payments.
Officials say
there's no money to pay teachers in East Allegheny School District
WTAE by Sheldon Ingram UPDATED 5:20 PM EDT Mar 18, 2016
NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. —Pennsylvania's budget crisis now
has a vise grip on the East Allegheny School District. School superintendent Donald MacFann says the
district has no money to pay teachers. Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Wolf visited Pittsburgh Brashear High School to spotlight its career
and technical education programs Thursday, but also to warn of continuing
danger to state education funding in the ongoing budget battle between the
Democratic governor and Republican-controlled state Legislature.. "We have a choice. And it's a really
stark choice," Wolf told students, teachers, and staff after his tour of
the school. "As of now, they will
not be paid after March 25," MacFinn said. Although teachers will not be paid after
March 25, no layoffs are scheduled and school doors will remain open. The East Allegheny School District sent a
letter to parents on Monday, urging them to contact local state representatives
and ask them to settle the budget impasse immediately. The letter said that the district
"cannot guarantee the delivery of high-quality educational service to our
students" without a budget in place.
Clarion Area School District: Temporary
Closure, Layoffs Possible if Budget Stalemate Continues
ExploreClarion.com Posted by Jake Bauer Friday, March 18, 2016 @ 09:03
AM
You may
or may not be aware that our state government has not yet passed a complete
state budget for 2015-16. This budget
was to be completed by June 30, 2015. As a result, Clarion Area School
District, as well as many others in the area and across the state are in
financial crisis. Governor Tom Wolf enacted a partial budget at the end of
December that provided 45% of the funding owed for this current school year,
and we are still waiting for the remaining subsidies that have not yet been
approved. Our school board and
administration are now in the process of developing a 2016-17 budget; at the
same time, we are unsure of what additional funding we will receive, if any, to
cover the expenses for the remainder of the current 2015-16 school year. With
no resolution to the budget impasse in sight, state funding is uncertain, and
we are taking every step possible to provide quality education programs and
services for our students. As you are aware from our previous public
presentations, the Clarion Area School District has made numerous cuts in
expenses over the past eight years and has reached a point where further cuts
will have a drastic impact on our students and community. It is important for our community to
understand that, without immediate action from our state government to provide
funding to schools, we will be completely out of money at the end of June 2016.
Pottsville
Area discusses frustration with state budget
Republican Herald BY STEPHEN J. PYTAK Published:
March 19, 2016
The
Pottsville Area school board recently discussed some of the harsh realities of
the state’s budget crisis. “We are close
to 300 days now without a full budget,” board member Patrick F. Moran, chairman
of the board’s legislation committee, said Wednesday at the school
board’s March meeting at the Howard S. Fernsler Academic Center. “I’m coming up with 262 days, including
today, since June 30, 2015,” Jon Hopcraft, executive director of the Senate
Majority Policy Committee in the office of state Sen. David G. Argall, R-29,
said Friday. “Is that the longest
in our history?” school board member Gary A. Cortese asked at Wednesday’s meeting.
“We do not suggest that this
legislation adequately addresses the long-term needs of our schools. However,
school closings in some Pennsylvania school districts — which seem sure to
occur if passage of the budget is further delayed — will do unacceptable harm
to Pennsylvania’s neediest children and their families. “Please take the action necessary to bring
this unfortunate situation to an end. Additionally, we urge you to work with
the General Assembly to fully fund out public schools in the fiscal year
2016-2017 and beyond.”
Carlisle Area
School Board challenges Wolf
Joseph Cress The Sentinel March 18, 2016
Carlisle
Area School Board took a stand Thursday by agreeing to send a letter to Gov.
Tom Wolf urging him to sign into law new legislation that could end the state
budget stalemate. Board member Fred
Baldwin prepared the initial draft of the letter stating passage of House Bills
1801 and 1327 could end a stalemate “that is inflicting grave damage to public
education across the Commonwealth.” Revisions
were made before the board finalized the content and voted unanimously to have
staff forward the letter to Wolf as early as Friday. In a show of unity, the
letter will list the names of all nine board members on a district letterhead.
The letter reads as follows:
Charleroi
takes budget plea public
Herald Standard By Christopher Buckley cbuckley@heraldstandard.com| 0 comments Posted: Tuesday, March 15, 2016 2:15 am | Updated: 7:49 am, Tue Mar 15, 2016.
Like
many districts statewide, the Charleroi Area School District is living on
borrowed money.
“We feel
like we’re being held hostage,” said Superintendent Ed Zelich. The district has already borrowed $4.5
million, and with a dwindling fund balance, it may have to borrow again if the
ongoing state budget impasse continues. “They
need to find a solution instead of playing Republican/Democrat,” Zelich said.
“They have to figure this out for the children. They’re our future leaders.” The district took its concerns public,
posting “A Message to the Community from the Charleroi Area School Board” on
its website. In that message, the district indicates, “without significant
funding relief from the state, the Charleroi Area School District may be forced
to consider closure due to budgetary concerns by May 1, 2016.”
Green urges
Wolf to sign GOP-passed budget
Inquirer
by Martha Woodall, Staff
Writer Updated: MARCH 19,
2016 — 1:08 AM EDT
Philadelphia
School Reform Commission member Bill Green Friday added his voice to those
urging Gov. Wolf to adopt the Republican-crafted budget he has threatened to
veto.
In a
letter to the governor, the former SRC chairman noted that 261 days have
elapsed without a new state budget, forcing cash-strapped districts to borrow
millions of dollars to keep schools open.
"Your actions in December led schools to receive half of the year's
funding to remedy the impact of the budget impasse," wrote Green, a
Democrat like Wolf. "This action was unconstitutional as the state does
not meet its legal obligation to provide for a thorough and efficient education
to the commonwealth's children." The
governor has said he intends to veto a $6 billion supplemental spending plan
developed by Republicans on the grounds it does not provide enough funding for
schools or deal with a $2 billion deficit.
Wiley requests line-item veto of GOP
budget plan
GoErie.com
Staff report March 19, 2016 01:05 AM
HARRISBURG
-- State Sen. Sean Wiley on Friday requested that Gov. Tom Wolf exercise a
line-item veto of the GOP's latest proposed state budget plan to release
funding for schools and agriculture programs.
Wolf has indicated he would veto the proposal. "As I said earlier this week, House Bill
1801 isn't built on a solid foundation and fails to address the issues faced by
this Commonwealth,'' Wiley, of Millcreek Township, D-49th Dist, said in a
release. "I cannot and do not
support this as a solution to our current impasse,'' he said. "That being
said, schools and agriculture programs are out of time and it is irresponsible
of the General Assembly to continue to deny them the funding while we continue
to fight this out.''
Years of
underfunding have crippled Pa. schools
York Daily Record Opinion by Mark Nicastre, Guest
Columnist 3:48 p.m. EDT March 15, 2016
Mark Nicastre is communications
director for Gov. Tom Wolf.
Pennsylvania's schools are struggling. It didn't happen overnight, and it’s not the result of the budget impasse. Right now, Gov. Tom Wolf is fighting to make sure that all schools have the sustainable resources they need to provide a high-quality education for our students, but the Legislature continues to stand in the way. Gov. Wolf has proposed historic investments that would put Pennsylvania’s schools on the right track after years of devastating cuts. But instead of working with the governor to help fix our schools, Republicans simply sent him another out-of-balance budget that would cut $95 million from education and grow the deficit. For years, Pennsylvania's schools have been underfunded. The previous administration cut $1 billion from public education, which resulted in teacher layoffs, program cuts and higher property taxes. But in addition to the previous administration’s cuts, schools' finances have been structurally damaged by the lack of funding over the course of the past five years.
Pennsylvania's schools are struggling. It didn't happen overnight, and it’s not the result of the budget impasse. Right now, Gov. Tom Wolf is fighting to make sure that all schools have the sustainable resources they need to provide a high-quality education for our students, but the Legislature continues to stand in the way. Gov. Wolf has proposed historic investments that would put Pennsylvania’s schools on the right track after years of devastating cuts. But instead of working with the governor to help fix our schools, Republicans simply sent him another out-of-balance budget that would cut $95 million from education and grow the deficit. For years, Pennsylvania's schools have been underfunded. The previous administration cut $1 billion from public education, which resulted in teacher layoffs, program cuts and higher property taxes. But in addition to the previous administration’s cuts, schools' finances have been structurally damaged by the lack of funding over the course of the past five years.
Osborne,
Murphy urge support for Gov. Wolf's budget
Times-Tribune BY DAVID SINGLETON Published: March
19, 2016
Two top
members of Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration returned home to Lackawanna County on
Friday to drum up support for their boss’s proposed 2016-17 state budget. Department of Aging Secretary Teresa Osborne,
Scranton, and Department of Health Secretary Karen Murphy, Ph.D., Clarks
Summit, spoke about the importance of the budget to the work of their agencies
to about 30 health care providers and others at Allied Services. Their remarks came as lawmakers in Harrisburg
continue work on a new budget even as they try to resolve the still lingering
2015-16 budget impasse. “We need the
2016-17 budget to continue our work, and we need Gov. Wolf’s budget,” Dr.
Murphy said. “If we don’t ... the answer is cuts. Currently, the Department of
Health is 47th in the country in funding for public health. “I daresay we cannot afford to cut any more
from the Department of Health. Instead, we have to invest. The governor’s
budget does that.”
PSAP/PSP Statement on Pennsylvania Budget
Philadelphia
School Advocacy Partners website March 17, 2016
The
following joint statement comes from Philadelphia School Advocacy Partners
Executive Director Mike Wang and Philadelphia School Partnership Executive
Director Mark Gleason in response to the budget that was sent to Governor Wolf
yesterday:
“We join schools and others across the
Commonwealth in urging Governor Wolf to sign the budget the legislature sent
him yesterday. Schools in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania need a budget
that funds education now, not later. Right now schools are focused on paying
basic expenses so they can stay open this year; there is not enough time to
spend a large funding increase before summer vacation. Additionally, budget
uncertainty is hindering schools’ ability to budget for next year, as well as
interview and hire new teachers and staff.
The Governor is correct that there is more work to do, on both sides of
the aisle. We urge the Governor to sign this budget and then immediately get to
work with the legislature on a 2016-17 budget, on adopting a bipartisan fair
funding formula and on real accountability that will ensure the dollars improve
outcomes for children in the most struggling schools. Students and
schools can’t afford to lose any more days to uncertainty.”
“Miss Erfman, who plans to
major in education at the University of Scranton, said she thinks the current
system pressures teachers to prepare students for tests rather than truly
educating them — and that’s not the kind of teacher she wants to be. Mr. Carroll said state lawmakers already
removed the Keystone exams from the state’s graduation requirements, and
minimizing Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams would be good policy.”
Students
question NEPA lawmakers on budget impasse
Times Tribune by KYLE WIND, STAFF WRITER Published:
March 19, 2016
LA PLUME
TWP. — Nearly all of the 34 high school students raised their hands Friday when
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright asked who among them are poor standardized
test-takers. The 17th District Democrat
posed the question to students from 11 area schools assembled in a Keystone
College classroom during the Youth and Government Forum after Riverside student
Cyrena Erfman asked state and federal lawmakers if they are planning reforms. “Is there anything you are doing to try to
change it?” the senior asked. “Some kids may be brilliant but are awful
test-takers. They can’t sit still. They can’t focus.” Along with Mr. Cartwright, the panel
discussion — one of several happening simultaneously — included state Sen. John
Blake, D-22, Archbald, and state Reps. Sid Michaels Kavulich, D-114, Taylor,
Mike Carroll, D-118, Avoca, and Karen Boback, R-117, Harveys Lake.
5 takeaways from the final Philly education
town hall
Al Dia By Max Marin
March 16, 2016
Tuesday
night, City Council members held their third and final community meeting on the
state of public education at Thomas Edison High School in North Philadelphia.
As the city heads into budget season, the idea behind these town halls is not
to talk about the spreadsheets that make up our desperately underfunded school
system, but to discuss the budget’s real-life effects on students. Or, as
Councilwoman Helen Gym said, “how we live our schools.” Here’s
what was on the minds and hearts of the community last night:
Paying for
preschool justifies Kenney's soda tax
Inquirer Editorial Updated: MARCH 20, 2016 — 3:01 AM
EDT
Soda and
other sugary beverages would be taxed by the ounce under Kenney's plan.
A
quarter of Philadelphia's residents live in poverty, and too many of its
children grow up in dangerous neighborhoods and attend struggling schools. Even
after decades of antipoverty efforts and education reforms, these problems
persist with maddening certainty.
Mayor
Kenney's bold plan to provide prekindergarten education in the parts of the
city that need it most would give more of the youngest Philadelphians a better
chance to succeed. Studies since the 1960s have shown that early-childhood
education helps more students graduate from high school, go on to get and keep
good jobs, and contribute to their communities. Kenney's plan would further
enhance neighborhoods by improving recreation centers and libraries.
Commentary:
Leaders must take right steps for Philly community schools
Philly
Daily News Commentary by Chinara
Bilaal & Amber Felton Updated: MARCH 18, 2016 — 3:01 AM EDT
Chinara Bilaal is a
member of ACTION United. Amber Felton is with Media Mobilizing Project.
WHILE MAKING education a central platform of his mayoral campaign last year, Jim Kenney joined dozens of ACTION United parents, teachers and staff and community members at Comegys school last spring to announce ambitious and exciting plans to open 25 new community schools in his first term. Council President Darrell Clarke also is talking about community schools as part of the solution to our education crisis. We applaud Kenney's goal of trying to redress decades of underinvestment in minority communities with community schools, but he and Clarke, along with Schools Superintendent Hite and the School Reform Commission, should take the right steps to ensure the schools are truly transformational for students and the community. For at least a decade, the dominant idea about how to improve outcomes for children and youth has focused on control and compliance, but this approach has proved least effective for our most vulnerable students. Community schools, whose integrated approach to education includes in-house health services and community engagement, have been gaining traction across the country as a powerful alternative to public schools. One city that has shown spectacular results with turning public schools into publicly run community schools is Cincinnati. In 2003, before introducing community schools in Cincinnati, only 51 percent of all students graduated. However, in 2014, when 34 out of 55 schools had adopted the community-school strategy, 82 percent of all students graduated.
WHILE MAKING education a central platform of his mayoral campaign last year, Jim Kenney joined dozens of ACTION United parents, teachers and staff and community members at Comegys school last spring to announce ambitious and exciting plans to open 25 new community schools in his first term. Council President Darrell Clarke also is talking about community schools as part of the solution to our education crisis. We applaud Kenney's goal of trying to redress decades of underinvestment in minority communities with community schools, but he and Clarke, along with Schools Superintendent Hite and the School Reform Commission, should take the right steps to ensure the schools are truly transformational for students and the community. For at least a decade, the dominant idea about how to improve outcomes for children and youth has focused on control and compliance, but this approach has proved least effective for our most vulnerable students. Community schools, whose integrated approach to education includes in-house health services and community engagement, have been gaining traction across the country as a powerful alternative to public schools. One city that has shown spectacular results with turning public schools into publicly run community schools is Cincinnati. In 2003, before introducing community schools in Cincinnati, only 51 percent of all students graduated. However, in 2014, when 34 out of 55 schools had adopted the community-school strategy, 82 percent of all students graduated.
Philadelphia
Is Hiring Teachers, School Nurses, Counselors
Education
Week District Dossier By Denisa R. Superville on March 17, 2016
8:15 AM
After rounds of budget cuts that
slashed the number of school nurses and counselors in the Philadelphia School
District, the school system announced Wednesday that it plans to hire 800
teachers, and nearly 60 school nurses and 50 counselors. The announcement followed a commitment by Superintendent William Hite to
have a nurse and counselor in every school. Hite's
plan, disclosed to school principals in early March, relies on the passage of
Gov. Tom Wolf's budget. Ongoing disagreements between Gov. Wolf and the
Republican-led state legislature have led to a months-long budget standoff. Even with its reliance on outside forces,
Hite's earlier pronouncement drew praise from the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, which said at the
time that it welcomed the news.
"For years, the PFT has been at the forefront of a citywide fight
to restore the counselors and nurses we lost to budget cuts," union
president Jerry Jordan said in a statement then.
Pennsylvania:
Schools Near Financial Collapse Without State Budget
Diane
Ravitch’s Blog By dianeravitch March 18, 2016 //
Lawrence
Feinberg produces this comprehensive summary of news about education in
Pennsylvania every day. It is an excellent resource, especially valuable during
the state’s prolonged budget crisis. The failure of the legislature and
governor to agree on a budget has wreaked havoc on the state’s schools.
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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