Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now
reach more than 3900 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors,
administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's
staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition
team members, Superintendents, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher
leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations,
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These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup April 29, 2016:
Reading
schools among nation's most underfunded, report finds
Rally in Harrisburg with the Campaign for Fair Education Funding
on May 2nd 12:30 Main Rotunda!
We're rallying for a permanent fair funding formula + increases to basic
education in 2016-17 budget
Public schools in Pennsylvania are a far cry from the
“thorough and efficient” system of education promised guaranteed under our
state constitution. That’s why we want YOU to join Education Law Center and
members of the Campaign for Fair Education Funding in Harrisburg on May 2nd!
Buses of supporters are leaving from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia - please
register below so we can help you arrive on time for the 12:30 press conference
in the Main Rotunda! Questions? Email smalloy@elc-pa.org
for more details.
“At the state level, Pennsylvania is one of 11 states that
allows for limitless contributions to political candidates. The only
prohibition is on direct corporate contributions to candidates. Apart from that, it's a free-for-all.”…
Proposals that would reform Pennsylvania's campaign finance
laws come and go with each legislative session.
Most never escape from committee for a vote on the floor of the state
House and Senate. The current
legislative session is shaping up to be little different. According to
Kauffman, about a half-dozen such reform plans are now before the two chambers. All are marooned in committee.
Among them is
a comprehensive plan sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny,
that would establish actual contribution limits and move to constrain the
activities of so-called "independent expenditure" groups who are now
operating in the state.”
A prescription
to crash the millionaires' party in Pa. politics: Editorial
By PennLive Editorial Board Email the author on March
30, 2016 at 4:15 PM, updated March 30, 2016 at 9:36 PM
In 2007,
Philadelphia-area philanthropist Ronald Krancer donated $600,000 to
support his son, Michael Krancer's, Republican bid for a seat on the state
Supreme Court. In 2014, Louis Appell
Jr., of York, a former head of Pfaltzgraff Co., contributed $725,000 to now-Gov.
Tom Wolf and now-Lt. Gov. Mike Stack's successful effort to capture the state's
top spot. In 2010, charter school
magnate Vaughan Guereghian dumped $325,714 into Republican Tom Corbett's
ultimately successful campaign for the Governor's Office. And in 2006, Christine Toretti, an Indiana
County resident, head of S.W. Jack Drilling Co., and a longtime Republican
activist, contributed $114,089 to former Pittsburgh Steelers great Lynn Swann's
Republican campaign for governor.
What do
they all have in common? They are among
the 13 men and women who have donated $1 million or more to political campaigns
across Pennsylvania over the last 16 years.
“Pennsylvania overall did not fare well in the Rutgers
report card. The state was deemed to have a "regressive" school
funding system, meaning schools with more need actually get funded at lower
levels. According to the report,
districts with at least 30 percent of their students living in poverty get
funded at only 93 percent of what schools with no students living in poverty
are funded. Pennsylvania is one of 14 states identified as having regressive
funding.”
Reading
schools among nation's most underfunded, report finds
Reading Eagle By David Mekeel Friday April 29, 2016 12:01 AM
The
Reading School District has been named one of the most fiscally disadvantaged
districts in the nation in a new report.
The Education Law Center at Rutgers University recently released its
latest version of its "Is School Funding Fair? A National Report
Card." It is the fifth edition of the report. In a companion report, "America's Most
Fiscally Disadvantaged School Districts," authors Bruce Baker, David
Sciarra, Danielle Farrie and Theresa Luhm say Reading and Allentown "face
the nation's most extreme disadvantage," thanks to high poverty and
relatively low state and local per-pupil revenue. "Many districts - especially urban,
inner suburban and rural, serving very high-need student populations - continue
to struggle from a lack of sufficient funding, which makes it impossible to
provide all students with the opportunity for a high quality education,"
the companion report says. Dr. Khalid
Mumin, Reading superintendent, said the reports are further evidence that
Pennsylvania needs to work to bring equity to its funding for education.
- See
more at: http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/reading-schools-among-nations-most-underfunded-report-finds#sthash.poLG5u4n.dpuf
Pa. Education Secretary Rivera addresses
educators, talks standardized testing
State education
secretary addresses educators at annual conference in State College
Speech focuses on
standardized tests, vocational education and working with legislators
Centre
Daily Times BY BRITNEY MILAZZObmilazzo@centredaily.com APRIL 28, 2016 6:33 PM
When it
comes to rural school districts, some administrators think they get the short
end of the stick with education funding and support. But on Thursday, state Department of
Education Secretary Pedro Rivera said the state has their backs. He spoke to a group of educators and school
board members at the annual Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools conference
at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center.
The three-day event aims to spread awareness about the organization and
its mission to promote equal opportunity for quality education. “One
of the things we’re talking about is advocacy for education and hitting the
needs of rural community education,” Rivera said. “We fully understand the
plight of our rural school districts and what they need.” Rivera emphasized the plan to limit
standardized tests, use positive incentives toward schools and increase
vocational education for secondary school students.
As the budget
deadline beckons, remember investing in education is a good thing: Stephen
Herzernberg
PennLive Op-Ed By
Stephen Herzenberg on April 28, 2016 at 1:00 PM, updated April 28,
2016 at 4:15 PM
Stephen Herzenberg is the
Executive Director of Keystone Research Center, a left-leaning and policy think
tank in Harrisburg.
The best
way for Pennsylvania to grow its economy and expand opportunity for individuals
is to invest in a well-educated workforce. Most Pennsylvanians get
this and support investing in education.
They understand that spending more money on education is a good thing, as long as
the money is well used. Some Harrisburg
voices, however, including the Commonwealth Foundation, say that Pennsylvania
already invests more than enough in our schools and students. They suggest a high state ranking for
investing in education, even in our global, knowledge-based economy, is a bad
thing. Perhaps they would also have
argued against investment in rail and waterways that shipped Pittsburgh's steel
and Philadelphia's auto parts to Detroit a century ago.
Is your school
district underfunded? Citizens for Fair School Funding wants to fix that
At a Capitol news
conference on Thursday, Rep. David Parker, R-Monroe, calls for new basic
education dollars in 2016-17 to go toward addressing funding inequities created
by the state's former school funding formula that resulted in 180 school
districts being underfunded by a cumulative $937 million over the past 25
years.
Penn
Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on April 28, 2016 at 5:35 PM, updated April 28, 2016 at 5:38 PM
A group
representing the interests of 180 school districts are calling dibs on any new
money earmarked in the 2016-17 state budget for basic education. The Citizens for Fair
School Funding say it's a matter of fairness. Rep. David Parkers urges giving priority to
addressing the underfunding of 180 school districtsAs the talks get underway on
the 2016-17 state budget, Parker is calling for any new basic education funding
included in it to go to those districts that were the most disadvantaged by the
former school funding formula first while holding funding ... Citing
the findings of the Basic Education Funding
Commission, those 180 districts (see which ones they are below) have
been shortchanged a combined $937 million by the way the state has been
distributing education funds since 1991-92. At the same time, the commission
indicated the other 320 districts in the state have been overfunded by that
amount. The group is not saying that the
320 districts should lose money. Rather they argue those districts' state
funding should be kept at this year's level while any new money should be
directed the 180 until the inequity issue is resolved. "If we do not address this now, most of
the 180 districts are doomed to be underfunded for another 25 years and these
students, communities, cities and taxpayers will continue to suffer," said
Rep. David Parker, R-Monroe, at a Capitol news conference on Thursday.
Making the Most of New Funding Formula
Commonwealth
Foundation APRIL 27, 2016 | by JAMES PAUL
A recent report from ABC 27 asks: “Will lawmakers stick
with new education funding formula next year?” At issue is whether
Pennsylvania’s student-based formula will be retained in future state
budgets. The ABC story raises an important concern—but it slightly misses the
mark. Here’s the question we should be
asking: Will lawmakers stick with the new formula and ensure the
formula is applied to all funding above 2014-15 levels? The 2015-16 budget includes $150 million
in new Basic Education spending. This funding will be
dispersed to school districts based on a formula that accounts for
enrollment—which is undeniably a positive step forward. But the
formula only applies to 3 percent of Basic Education funding, the largest line
item in the education budget. The other 97 percent is restricted by Pennsylvania’s “hold harmless” provision, which guarantees each district
receive no fewer education dollars than it received the previous year—regardless of changes in enrollment. It is crucial that lawmakers do not apply
hold harmless to the $150 million appropriated in 2015-16. Should the
legislature increase Basic Education funding in 2016-17, the new formula
should apply to all funding above 2014-15 levels, not merely
the increase appropriated in 2016-17.
Thanks to hold harmless, districts with declining enrollment received more
than three times the state funding per student than growing
districts since 1996. Until the student-based formula is applied to a larger
portion of the Basic Education line item, hundreds of school districts will
continue to be treated unfairly.
Blogger note: Last evening the SRC voted to give Wister,
Cooke and Huey Elementary schools to charter school companies. No press coverage was available yet this
morning…
SRC to vote on
charter conversions, renewals, and non-renewals
Councilwoman Helen
Gym is calling for a moratorium on charter conversions. The SRC will consider
four Renaissance non-renewal recommendations.
The notebook
by Dale Mezzacappa April 28, 2016 — 12:40pm
At what
promises to be a long and contentious meeting Thursday night, the School Reform
Commission plans to vote on whether to hand over three more low-performing
schools to charter operators – Wister in Germantown, Jay Cooke in Logan,
and Samuel B. Huey in West Philadelphia.
It will also vote on whether to renew nine other charters,
including six that are Renaissance turnaround conversions of District
schools. Of those six, the charter office recommended not renewing
four. (The office recommended renewal for a seventh former District
school, Mastery Shoemaker, which was converted in 2006 before the
Renaissance initiative.) Nearly
70 people have registered to speak at the meeting, which starts at 4 p.m. Councilwoman
Helen Gym is urging the SRC to put a moratorium on conversions, citing an
analysis by her staff indicating that some Renaissance charters serve a
smaller proportion, and in some cases a smaller number, of neighborhood
students than the schools did when run by the District. Gym has also raised questions about the fitness of Great Oaks to
operate Cooke.
Pittsburgh teachers to get small pay
raises in contract extension
Pact expected to be
ratified in May
By Molly
Born / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 29, 2016 12:16 AM
Teachers, paraprofessionals
and clerical-technical workers in the Pittsburgh Public Schools would get
raises next year under a tentative contract extension to be ratified in
May. The district and the Pittsburgh
Federation of Teachers jointly released some details Thursday of the proposal, which would
extend the expired collective bargaining agreement through June 30, 2017. In the statement, the district and union said
neither party would comment on the plan until it is finalized by a vote. But
Hill District-based education group and city schools watchdog A+ Schools
offered its tentative support the same day.
“Superintendent Jim Scanlon said in a release.
“Unfortunately, the increase in mandates makes it nearly impossible to avoid a
tax increase without making cuts to our program.” The mandates will cost the district an $8.5
million increase with the biggest chunk — $4.5 million — going to PSERS, or the
pension expenses.
Another $3.2 million is for special education and the final
$800,000 will go to charter school tuitions.”
West Chester
Area School Board reduces tax increase in proposed budget
By Candice Monhollan, cmonhollan@ 21st-centurymedia.com, @CMonhollanDLN on Twitter
POSTED: 04/28/16,
4:45 PM EDT | UPDATED: 9 HRS AGO
WEST
GOSHEN >> Now that the dust has settled in Harrisburg and the state has a
budget, the West Chester Area School Board was able to unanimously pass a
proposed final budget without having to play a guessing game with the numbers. The proposed final budget for the 2016-17
school year will be $237.3 million — a 5-percent increase from 2015-16 — and
has an $11.6 million increase in expenses, 73 percent of which are state and
federally mandated. The preliminary
budget, passed in January, featured a 4.1 tax increase. With a state budget now in place, the school
board was able to bring that increase down to 3 percent, or a $108 average
increase per household, as of the proposed final budget. “We have done our very best to control the
expenses that are within our control,”
Delco’s top
teachers and students win plaudits
Delco Times By Bette Alburger, Special to the Times
POSTED: 04/28/16,
10:54 PM
UPPER
DARBY >> It was like the academy awards for academia last night when the
2016 Partners in Education Celebration took place at the Drexelbrook in Drexel
Hill.
Excelling
in academics and excellence in teaching were acknowledged in A-plus style
during Delaware County’s premier education recognition event, presented by
Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union and the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. Patterned after accolades heaped on high
school athletes, the 12th annual event honored faculty advisors and all 200
high school students who participated in Delco Hi-Q this year. Included was the
elite 21-member All-Delco Hi-Q Team comprised of one student from each team
chosen by the team’s advisor. Cash
awards went to the three top-scoring teams of the academic quiz competition’s
68th season. First place Garnet Valley, second place Penncrest and third place
Sun Valley each received an engraved plaque and $3,000, $2,500 and $2,000,
respectively, for their school. The Garnet Valley champs, who also won this
year’s national Hi-Q championship, also earned the right to display the Donna
Zerby Trophy for a year. For the highest
percentage increase in its score, Ridley’s team received the Most Improved
award, along with $1,000 for its school.
Eighteen
of Delaware County’s many exceptional educators were honored with the esteemed
Excellence in Teaching Award for 2016. Chosen from more than 200 nominations,
they included one from each of the county’s 15 public school districts, one
from the I.U., and an elementary and a high school non-public educator. The award was established by the credit union
in partnership with the I.U. to recognize exemplary teachers for their
dedication and positive impact on students. Each received $500, a commemorative
keepsake and $1,000 to benefit his or her school.
North Penn
band is a first for New Orleans Jazz Fest
Inquirer
by Kathy Boccella, Staff
Writer Updated: APRIL 27,
2016 — 9:44 PM EDT
When the
Big Easy calls, a true jazzman cannot refuse - even if he's in the throes of
diaper changes and midnight feedings of his 2-week-old, first-born daughter. With North Penn High School's award-winning
Navy Jazz Band slated to perform at the venerated New Orleans Jazz and Heritage
Festival this week, on a main stage - a first-ever honor for a school ensemble from
outside the Crescent City - band director David DiValentino knew he had to put
paternity leave on hold. His wife, he
said, commanded him to "Go! . . . This is a once-in-a-lifetime
thing." There was no need to point
that out to the 23 band members, who will share the festival program with the
likes of Paul Simon, Pearl Jam, and the jazz-fusion jam band Snarky Puppy, a
favorite of the budding musicians from central Montgomery County.
“ESSA set up a negotiated rulemaking (or “neg reg”)
committee to address several issues: assessments for students with the most
severe cognitive disabilities, the option for districts to use the SAT or ACT
or other tests instead of state high school exams, testing throughout the
school year instead of using end-of-year exams, and testing in languages other
than English.”
New U.S. rules for standardized testing
have been drafted. Here’s what they mean for kids.
Washington
Post By Valerie Strauss April 28 at 1:50 PM
Last December, Congress passed a new federal education law called
the Every Student Succeeds Act, replacing No Child Left Behind. With it will
come new rules for states to follow regarding standardized testing for
“accountability” purposes. Negotiators have agreed on draft rules, which will
soon be released so the public can comment before the rules are actually
approved and enforced. How will students
and teachers be affected if the draft rules are not changed and are finalized?
Here’s a post explaining all of that by Monty Neill, executive director of theNational Center for Fair and Open Testing, known
as FairTest, a nonprofit organization that works to end
the misuses of standardized testing and to ensure that evaluation of students,
educators and schools is fair, open, valid and educationally sound.
Rally in Harrisburg with the Campaign for
Fair Education Funding on May 2nd 12:30 Main Rotunda!
Public
schools in Pennsylvania are a far cry from the “thorough and efficient” system
of education promised guaranteed under our state constitution. That’s why we
want YOU to join Education Law Center and members of the Campaign for Fair
Education Funding in Harrisburg on May 2nd! Buses of supporters are leaving
from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia - please register below so we can help you
arrive on time for the 12:30 press conference in the Main Rotunda! Questions?
Email smalloy@elc-pa.org for more
details.
Electing PSBA Officers – Applications Due
by April 30th
All
persons seeking nomination for elected positions of the Association shall send
applications to the attention of the chair of the Leadership Development
Committee during the month of April, an Application
for Nomination to be provided by the Association expressing interest
in the office sought. “The Application for nomination shall be marked received
at PSBA Headquarters or mailed first class and postmarked by April 30 to be
considered and timely filed. If said date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or
holiday, then the Application for Nomination shall be considered timely filed
if marked received at PSBA headquarters or mailed and postmarked on the next
business day.” (PSBA
Bylaws, Article IV, Section 5.E.).
Open
positions are:
- 2017 President
Elect (one-year term)
- 2017 Vice
President (one-year term)
- 2017-19 Central Section at
Large Representative – includes Regions 4, 5, 6, 9 and
12 (three-year term)
In
addition to the application form, PSBA Governing
Board Policy 302 asks that all candidates furnish with their
application a recent, print quality photograph and letters of application. The
application form specifies no less than two and no more than four letters of
recommendation, some or all of which preferably should be from school districts
in different PSBA regions as well as from community groups and other sources
that can provide a description of the candidate’s involvement with and effectiveness
in leadership positions. PSBA Governing
Board Policy 108 also outlines the campaign procedures of candidates.
All
terms of office commence January 1 following election.
Join the Pennsylvania Principals Association at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21, 2016, at The
Capitol in Harrisburg, PA, for its second annual Principals' Lobby Day.
Pennsylvania
Principals Association Monday, March 21, 2016 9:31 AM
To register, contact Dr. Joseph Clapper at clapper@paprincipals.org by
Tuesday, June 14, 2016. If you need assistance, we will provide
information about how to contact your legislators to schedule meetings.
Click here for the informational flyer, which includes
important issues to discuss with your legislators.
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:
Pennsylvania
Partnerships for Children (PPC), a statewide children's advocacy organization
located in Harrisburg, PA has an immediate full-time opening for an Early
Learning and K-12 Education Policy Manager.
PPC's vision is to be one of the top ten states in which to be a child
and raise a child. Today, Pennsylvania ranks 17th in the nation for child
well-being. Our early learning and K-12 education policy work is focused on
ensuring all children enter school ready to learn and that all children have
access to high-quality public education. Current initiatives include increasing
the number of children served in publicly funded pre-k and implementing a fair
basic education formula along with sustained, significant investments in
education funding.
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
