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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup April 22, 2016:
PA Budget Season to Start (Did it ever
end?)
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.
“Wolf wants an income or sales tax to help close the
estimated $1.5 billion-$2 billion deficit and put more money to schools and
other programs. No broad-based tax hikes have ever been passed in an election
year, however.”
Budget season to start
The 2016-17 budget
vote to be held May 2 in the House.
Steve Esack Contact Reporter Call
Harrisburg Bureau April 21, 2016
The
Legislature will begin voting on the 2016-17 fiscal year budget in two
weeks, according to a letter sent Wednesday by Bill Adolph,
R-Delaware, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Adolph’s letter to the 203-member House says
lawmakers have until 2 p.m. Monday to file amendments to the 2016-17 budget the
chamber. The budget vote, the letter states, is scheduled for May 2. The letter comes as the 2015-16 state budget
remains unfinished as of Thursday. It remains a work-in-progress because
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has
not yet decided whether to veto a super-majority approved fiscal code, the
budget document that sets formulas and rules for how tax money is spent. Still, the letter shows, the
Republican-controlled Legislature is moving ahead with plans to pass a 2016-17
budget that may or may not face the same veto fate as this year’s.
Commission
releases universal pre-K report
Inquirer
by Julia Terruso, Staff
Writer Updated: APRIL 22,
2016 — 1:08 AM EDT
The
city's Commission on Universal Pre-K issued its final report to the mayor and
City Council this week, with recommendations for how to expand pre-K to 3- and
4-year-olds in Philadelphia. Many of
the recommendations will likely be adopted in Mayor Kenney's final pre-K plan,
given that he appointed several of the commission's members, including his own
director of pre-K. The
report notes that the majority of the group recommends a sugary-drink tax to
bring in the $60 million a year that Kenney says he needs for the program. The city has overwhelmingly united around the
need for expanded pre-K, but a battle is being waged over the proposed
3-cents-per-ounce tax to fund it.
A big day for
education in state Capitol (column)
The House sent legislation to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk that will
require use of a more equitable school funding formula.
York Daily Record Opinion by Rep. Kristin
Phillips-Hill, Guest Columnist 11:06 a.m. April 21, 2016
State Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill
is a Republican from York Township.
Article
III, Subsection B, Section 14 of the Pennsylvania Constitution states, “The
General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough
and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the
Commonwealth.” When it comes to educating our students, Wednesday, April 13,
was a very big day. The highlight of the
day came late in the afternoon when the House sent legislation to Gov. Tom
Wolf’s desk that will require use of a more equitable school funding formula
rather than the governor’s own plan that funneled an inordinate amount of money
to the School District of Philadelphia. Because House Bill 1589 was endorsed by
every House member from York County and passed each chamber of the General
Assembly by a two-thirds majority, it cannot be vetoed by the governor. When Gov. Wolf tried to distribute school
funding using his own wishes, he turned his back on the majority of students in
both rural and suburban areas, including all of York County. The result would
have been a loss of money for more than 430 of Pennsylvania’s 500 school
districts.
http://www.ydr.com/story/opinion/readers/2016/04/21/big-day-education-state-capitol-column/83332894/
The
Basic Education Funding Commission’s Recommended Funding Formula
Campaign
for Fair Education Funding
Pennsylvania
has the widest funding gap between wealthy and poor school districts of any
state in the country. That means that the amount of money available to educate
a child varies widely; all depending on where each child happens to live. The
lack of a formula also means that state funding is so unpredictable from year
to year that school districts cannot effectively budget or plan for the future. That is why the bipartisan state Basic
Education Funding Commission (BEFC), made up of representatives from the
Governor’s Office, Department of Education, and both parties in the state House
and Senate, was convened a year and a half ago: to examine school funding in
Pennsylvania, determine any inequities, and offer recommendations on how to
correct any disparities across school districts.
Secretary
Rivera Visits Mercer County on "Schools that Teach" Tour, Discusses
the Future of Education in Pennsylvania
Apr 21,
2016, 16:26 ET from Pennsylvania Department of Education
SHARON,
Pa., April 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of
Education Pedro A. Rivera today traveled to Mercer County to
meet with teachers, administrators, and officials at Sharon High School and
discuss ways increased education funding and equity can help schools across the
commonwealth achieve their goals. "For
the past several years, many schools have found themselves in the unique
situation of having to do more with less, and many of those schools have
overcome the challenges they faced despite those funding difficulties,"
Rivera said. "It is my aim to put those challenges in the past and ensure
that schools in Pennsylvania do not have to make those tough
decisions again. Moving forward, we must continue to make a fair and
appropriate investment in our schools, so that they can focus on educating
students rather than worry about dwindling resources." During the visit, Rivera heard from
participants about Sharon High School's priorities, achievements and
challenges. Also present was state Representative Mark Longietti (D-Mercer),
who represents the school district and agrees with the need for robust and
comprehensive education funding. "Governor
Wolf and Secretary Rivera are committed to restoring critical funding for our
school children, which was cut under the Corbett Administration,"
Longietti said. "Sharon schools lost more than $1,000 per
student, one of the largest cuts in the state. Restoring that funding not
only means smaller class sizes, which improves learning, but it also reduces
the burden on local property tax payers."
Letter: Restore Pa. funds to poorest
schools
Inquirer
Letter by Ted Kirsch, president, AFT Pennsylvania, Philadelphia April 22, 2016
Last
week, the Pennsylvania Senate and House passed House Bill 1589, which would use
a new formula to distribute a small increase in basic education funding for
this school year. The action came without a restoration of funds to the school
districts that bore the brunt of cuts under Gov. Tom Corbett. This ensures that
the state will continue to have the largest funding gap between affluent and
poor districts in the country. The
districts hit hardest by the 2011-12 cuts are also reeling from the nine-month
state budget delay, which forced them to borrow $1 billion. They face repaying
up to $50 million in interest and fees. And even with H.B. 1589's funding
increase, Pennsylvania schools are $380 million short of their 2010 funding
levels.
Commentary:
Charter schools can be a solution in public education
Philly
Daily News Opinion by Tim Eller Updated: APRIL
21, 2016 — 3:01 AM EDT
Tim Eller is
executive director of Keystone Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
THE AUDITOR general's recent report about Philadelphia's charter schools fails to include any empirical data, and is nothing more than political grandstanding based on opinion rather than facts. The Keystone Alliance believes that Pennsylvania's nearly 20-year-old charter-school law is in need of revisions; however, the auditor general's claim that it is "simply the worst charter-school law in the United States" is ridiculous. A majority of Pennsylvania's public, brick-and-mortar charter schools serve their intended purpose by providing a safe, high-quality education to students at a cost that's lower than traditional public schools. Unfortunately, charter-school opponents are either misinformed or intentionally misrepresenting the facts.
THE AUDITOR general's recent report about Philadelphia's charter schools fails to include any empirical data, and is nothing more than political grandstanding based on opinion rather than facts. The Keystone Alliance believes that Pennsylvania's nearly 20-year-old charter-school law is in need of revisions; however, the auditor general's claim that it is "simply the worst charter-school law in the United States" is ridiculous. A majority of Pennsylvania's public, brick-and-mortar charter schools serve their intended purpose by providing a safe, high-quality education to students at a cost that's lower than traditional public schools. Unfortunately, charter-school opponents are either misinformed or intentionally misrepresenting the facts.
Philly School
District could end budget year with a surplus
Inquirer
by Mensah M. Dean, Staff
Writer Updated: APRIL 22,
2016 — 1:08 AM EDT
The
cash-strapped School District of Philadelphia is not as strapped as in recent
years - due in part to unfilled teaching positions - and expects to end the
current fiscal year with a fund balance of $134.5 million, officials said
during a budget hearing Thursday night. The
district had anticipated spending $2.71 billion. The fund balance will be
rolled over into the proposed $2.8 billion budget for 2016-17. Although seemingly large, that $134.5 million
represents less than one month's operating costs, the district's chief
financial officer, Uri Monson, said during the hearing at district
headquarters. In addition to 139 teacher
vacancies, the surplus is the result of a modest balance from last year, fuel
cost savings, and other efficiencies, Monson said. "There are good savings and bad savings.
The savings from the vacancies are bad savings," he said in an interview.
"Nobody in this building wants the vacancies."
'Community
schools' model coming to Camden
Inquirer
by Allison Steele, Staff
Writer Updated: APRIL 22,
2016 — 3:01 AM EDT
Camden
officials are hoping to turn several city schools into "community
schools" that would provide students with health and social services
beyond those provided during class hours.
Plans
are in the early stages, but Brendan Lowe, a spokesman for the state-run
district, said officials hope to select three to six traditional public schools
before the next school year.
Lowe
said that the New Jersey Education Association, the state teachers' union,
supports the idea, and that members have met with district officials to discuss
the plans. The community school model,
which can mean making anything from medical clinics and food banks to day care
and after-school tutoring available to students, has been lauded in cities like
New York and Cincinnati, where officials have said they have improved student
performance and graduation rates. Last
winter, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced funding for a community schools
program, and in Philadelphia, Mayor Kenney's first major postelection policy
announcement was his pledge to establish 25 such schools in the city.
IDEAS WE
SHOULD STEAL: JUDGING SCHOOLS BASED ON
INSPECTIONS — NOT TEST SCORES
A British inspections system
finds what works, and doesn't, without the stress of tests
Philadelphia
Citizen BY ROXANNE PATEL SHEPELAVY APR. 20, 2016
[Ed. Note: This story was originally published
on March 4, 2015. The Citizen is reposting it now, while public school students
are again in the midst of taking state standardized tests. Since last year, the
federal law governing schools has changed. Under the new Every Student Succeeds
Act, oversight of schools goes mainly to state and local
authorities, who will decide how much emphasis to place on test scores when
judging schools. Some may opt for a broader approach—closer, though probably
not to the same extent, as in England.]
In late January, when report cards came out at a local South Philly
charter school, it was obvious to the parents of one third-grader that their
daughter was a success: She got straight As; first honors; high reading and
writing marks; comments from her teacher about her obvious affection for school
and learning. So it was with some dismay that her parents listened a few days
later, as their 9-year-old described the newest part of every school day: PSSA
test prep. “My teachers said it’s the
most important test of the year,” she announced. “I’m nervous. What if I don’t
do well?” At Meredith
Elementary—considered the city’s best public K-8—another academically-gifted
third grader started spending her after school hours cramming test-taking
strategies, nervously working out the best way to answer the PSSA’s often
unclear questions. She knew from previous years that the school is counting on
her: Students in grades not taking the tests are instructed to tip-toe by
classrooms so they don’t bother their schoolmates. As third-graders, this will be the first time
in their academic careers that these girls take the Pennsylvania State School
Assessment exams. It won’t be the last: If nothing changes, before they
graduate, they will take 17 standardized tests, including the new Keystone Exam
requirement for a high school diploma, starting with the class of 2017. That
doesn’t count the dozens of practice tests and in-school “benchmark”
assessments they’ll take to prepare them for the big test.
Baldwin-Whitehall budget proposal calls
for staffing cuts
Post Gazette
By Margaret Smykla April 22, 2016 12:00 AM
A $62.3
million budget proposal before the Baldwin-Whitehall School Board includes
$2.1 million in proposed staff reductions, although no academic programs would
be eliminated. The spending plan for the
2016-17 school year — as outlined in more detail to board members at their
meeting Tuesday night — also calls for a tax increase of nearly 1 mill. Superintendent Randal Lutz called the plan a
“bare bones budget” that would require cuts from professional and operations
staff — about a dozen positions from the professional side through furloughs
and attrition, and nine positions mainly from the custodial staff. The professional staffing cuts would mean the
furlough of at least six teachers based on reduced enrollment and include seven
retirements. Other savings would be
realized through reductions in elementary school nurses and in district social
workers by realigning schedules, and leaving vacant an assistant principal
position at the high school.
Mt. Lebanon School District may raise
taxes
Post Gazette
By Deana Carpenter April 22, 2016 12:00 AM
The
property tax rate in the Mt. Lebanon School District could increase by 0.56
mill next school year. The school board
Monday voted 6-3 to approve a $95.2 million initial budget with a tax rate of
24.11 mills, a 0.56-mill increase over the current rate. The increase would mean an additional $56 in
taxes per year for every $100,000 of assessed property value. “I stress this is a preliminary budget,”
board President Lawrence Lebowitz said prior to the vote. “This is by no means
a final budget.” The district would use
$750,000 of its fund balance to balance the 2016-17 budget. Mr. Lebowitz said the district could
potentially receive $344,000 in state funds by June, which could reduce the tax
rate by about 0.10 mills. Also, the
district could receive reimbursements of more than $1 million in school
construction costs if the state releases funding as part of the Planning
and Construction Workbook, or PlanCon, program.
“Also Thursday night, state Rep. Todd Stephens, R-151,
spoke to the board about the need for Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, to allow House
Bill 1589 to become law. That legislation would allow a new formula developed
by the bipartisan Basic Education Funding Commission that would increase
funding for Stephens' districts, Hatboro-Horsham, Upper Dublin, Wissahickon and
North Penn. The new formula takes into
account a district's relative wealth, local tax effort, geographic price
differences, enrollment levels, local support and other factors.”
North Penn
extends teachers contract for 2016-17
Intelligencer By Gary Weckselblatt, staff writer Posted: Thursday, April 21,
2016 10:45 pm
The
North Penn school board and its teachers agreed on a one-year contract
extension Thursday night that will increase salaries 0.5 percent for all
teachers, and another 1.9 percent for those achieving a step increase. While the board spoke positively of a
"spirit of cooperation" between the district and the North Penn
Education Association, the vote was not unanimous. Directors Theresa Prykowski and John
Schilling were against the plan in the 6-2 vote. Board President Vincent
Sherpinsky did not attend the meeting. "I
know a lot of senior citizens are struggling," said Schilling, who added
that he's not anti-teacher. "It's just hard for me consciously to give
them a 2.4 percent increase."
NPE Report: Teachers Talk Back: Educators on the Impact of Teacher
Evaluation
Network
for Public Education April 2016
Last
Sunday the Network for Public Education released a groundbreaking report
entitled Teachers Talk Back: Educators on the Impact of Teacher
Evaluation. Our report, written by educators, brings forth the voices
of those on the front lines, teachers and administrators, to reveal the impact
that changes to teacher evaluations are having on our schools, teachers and
students. You can find the full report here.
9 Out Of 10 Parents Think Their Kids Are
On Grade Level. They're Probably Wrong
In
public radio's mythical Lake Wobegon, "all the women are strong, all the
men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." The first two conditions are merely unlikely.
The third one is a mathematical absurdity. However, a new survey suggests that
almost all parents believe it to be true.
In a recent survey of public school parents, 90 percent stated that
their children were performing on or above grade level in both math and
reading. Parents held fast to this sunny belief no matter their own income,
education level, race or ethnicity. The
nationally administered test known as the Nation's Report Card,
or NAEP, suggests a very different reality. About half of white students are on
grade level in math and reading by fourth grade; the percentages are lower for
African-Americans and Hispanics.
ESSA Cheat
Sheet: What's in the New Testing Regulations?
Education
Week By Alyson Klein on April
21, 2016 9:43 AM
School
districts, state chiefs, advocates, and the U.S. Department of Education now
have a better idea of how testing will work under the brand-new Every Student Succeeds Act. And it
took eight days of eye-glazing-and-occasionally-contentious debate, known
inside the Beltway as "negotiated rulemaking." A committee of
educators, advocates, and experts charged with hashing out rules for ESSA
wasn't able to reach agreement on something called supplement-not-supplant (a
wonky spending provision), but they did come to accord on a number of important
testing issues, including for English-language learners, and students in
special education.
Here
are the highlights of what they agreed to, in plain English:
Education INC, film screening and panel
discussion - Drexel University April 27th, 6:30 pm
Public
schools in America are under attack. Reformers seek to turn our public
education system over to private investors. Communities are catching on
and fighting back. Education INC tells the story of what happens when a
local public school district is turned over to corporate ED reformers and how a
community fights back to keep control. Following the documentary film,
Drexel University School of Education Professor, Dr. Erin McNamara Horvat will
moderate a talk on issues raised in the film. The talk will feature State
Rep James R. Roebuck, Education Committee, Democratic Chairmen, Philadelphia
Councilwoman, Helen Gym, councilwoman-at-large and Mark B. Miller, School Board
Director, Centennial School District. The event is free and open to the
public.
When:
Wednesday, April 27th | 6:30 pm Film, discussion
immediately after
Where: Antoinette Westphal
College of Media Arts & Design, Drexel University
Film Screening Annex: 3401 Filbert St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Film Screening Annex: 3401 Filbert St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
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:
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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