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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup April 4, 2016:
80% of Low
Income Fourth Graders Do Not Read Proficiently
PSBA
Advocacy Forum & Day on the Hill
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.
Info and Registration: https://www.psba.org/event/psba-advocacy-forum-day-hill/
Campaign for Fair Education Funding - Rally for Public Education
Save the date: May 2nd at the Capitol
Media advisory: School directors gather at
State Capitol on Monday to discuss pension reform, BEF formula and on-time
2016-17 state budget
MEDIA ADVISORY - News Conference: School directors gather at State
Capitol to discuss pension reform, Basic Education Funding formula and on-time
2016-17 state budget
When: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Monday,
April 4, 2016
Where: East Wing Rotunda, State Capitol
Dozens
of school directors from across Pennsylvania will gather at the State Capitol
on April 4 to meet with legislators and discuss several issues of concern,
including the following:
- The ongoing need for pension reform
- Adoption of the Basic Education Funding
formula
- PlanCon reimbursement funding
- Reimbursements to districts for interest
payments due as the result of borrowing money during the budget impasse
- Passing a 2016-17 state budget by the
deadline of June 30
As part
of the day, a news conference will be held in the East Wing Rotunda at 11:30
a.m. PSBA Executive Director Nathan Mains will have a few opening comments and
then turn things over to several school directors to discuss issues listed
above. Speakers will include the following:
He said arts grants and even the state meteorologist may
have to go. And he proposed ending higher-education grants for students
studying "poetry or some other Pre Walmart major." Roae also left no doubt as to his view of
their role: "Everything needs to be flat funded or cut. People elected us
to cut spending, not raise taxes."
Harrisburg GOP
begins budget strategizing
Inquirer
by Angela Couloumbis,
HARRISBURG BUREAU Updated: APRIL
3, 2016 — 1:08 AM EDT
HARRISBURG
- One warned of an "intense three-month run" looming in the Capitol. A few called for introducing tax-cut bills as
a preemptive strike against a governor who wants the opposite. Another pitched a flat funding formula for
public schools and ending other programs, such as grants to college students
whose "major is poetry or some other Pre Walmart major." The comments and proposals emerged in private
emails Republican legislators sent last week to their colleagues, as they
strategized how to win the budget battle with Gov. Wolf. The string of emails, obtained by The
Inquirer, began with a two-page memo of talking points distributed to all House
Republicans by the spokesman for House Majority Leader Dave Reed. It urged
legislators to devote "just 30 minutes a day" on public outreach to
deliver the GOP message and counter Wolf and the Democrats.
Lawmakers need
mandatory training, not school board members (letter)
If anyone needs to undergo training in Pennsylvania, it’s those
who took nine months to meet a deadline and pass a state budget.
York Daily Record by Eric Wolfgang, Guest Columnist 3:40
p.m. EDT April 1, 2016
Eric
Wolfgang is a Central York School Director
House Bill 1906, which mandates training for new school
directors during their first year in office, has it backwards. If anyone needs
to undergo training in Pennsylvania, it’s those who took nine months to meet a
deadline and pass a state budget. There’s
no denying that school directors have a complex job that requires a wide body
of knowledge. And they are doing that job effectively. Look at how creatively
they weathered the nine-month budget impasse and continued to provide quality
education despite the failure of the state to provide the funding owed them.
“He said vetoing the fiscal code freezes $150 million in
additional funds for schools that was provided in the budget, and the budget
bill specifically outlines that the new money cannot be distributed without
enacting the fiscal code. The fiscal code distributed the money according to
the recommendations of the bipartisan Basic Education Funding Commission, which
came up with the agreed-to formula, according to Scarnati.”
Scarnati:
Wolf’s fiscal code veto will have local impact
The Bradford
Era Posted: Saturday, April 2, 2016 10:00 am
HARRISBURG – On Friday, Sen. Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, warned of
the negative effects of Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto of the state’s fiscal code will
have within the region. Scarnati
explained that the state’s bipartisan fiscal code was passed by the Senate and
House of Representatives in conjunction with the general appropriation budget
act. The fiscal code works with the budget by serving as the map for spending
state funds. “The fiscal code is an
integral part of the state budget and necessary for accurate disbursement of
budgetary funds,” Scarnati said. “After nine months of failing to sign a
complete budget — we are once again seeing the Governor play games with
Pennsylvanians’ hard-earned tax dollars.”
The state’s budget went into effect at midnight Sunday after the
Governor chose not to veto or sign the bill. However, the Governor vetoed the
state’s fiscal code, which serves as the instruction manual for how the money
in the budget is to be distributed, according to Scarnati.
Impacts of
state budget impasse still emerging
The Bradford Era By AMANDA JONES Era Correspondent amandajonesera@yahoo.com Posted: Friday, April 1,
2016 10:00 am
COUDERSPORT
— Though a budget has been passed by the state, a related Fiscal Code has not
been passed, which is causing headaches for school districts and other
entities. Potter County Commissioner
Doug Morley addressed the issue during a commissioners meeting held on
Thursday, stating, “There is still a piece out there that’s significant. It’s
not the big money, but it is important money.”
The Fiscal Code deals more with one-time expenditures, such as the
Plancon (Planning and Construction) money pledged to school districts for
capital improvements. Many districts across the state depend on the payments,
and may have to raise property taxes in order to keep up with loan payments on
projects completed more than a decade ago.
“The spending plan for 2015-16 increased some funding for
schools, but money for construction reimbursements as part of the state
Planning and Construction Notebook, along with pension reform and a basic
education funding formula, were not included. Additionally, the piper must be
paid and huge interest payments on the nearly $1 billion borrowed to keep
schools open will come due. The
Pennsylvania School Boards Association has sued the state to get reimbursements
to schools for those costs. All of these costs need to be considered in the
coming weeks and included in a 2016-17 final state budget”
Schools
withstand state budget mess
Times
Tribune BY NATHAN MAINS Published: April 2, 2016
A
collective sigh of relief was accompanied by celebrations when Gov. Tom Wolf
announced recently that he would not sign the 2015-16 budget, but let it become
law by not vetoing it.
The
impending crisis for schools and social service agencies has passed for the
moment. But there is no time for prolonged jubilation because there are fewer
than 100 days until the June 30deadline for the 2016-17 state budget and
there is much to do. Schools will enter
the 2016 academic year in a wounded state. Months of funding delays required
them in the current school year to borrow money, delay payments and purchases
and cut programs. If the governor and General Assembly think schools can
weather another eight-month budget impasse, they are sorely mistaken. Many
districts drew down fund balances they had saved for years for pension costs
and building maintenance and construction or just “rainy day” issues facing
their district.
Well,
guess what … it’s been raining for the last 8½ months and now there is little
left in the event of another budget impasse.
No guarantees
with school funding
Public Opinion by Vicky Taylor, vtaylor@publicopinionnews.com7:18
p.m. EDT March 31, 2016
FRANKLIN
COUNTY - The good news was in for local school districts Monday
morning. Gov. Tom Wolf had let the latest addition to the state budget
pass by default when he didn't sign the legislation. Then came the blow
when Wolf vetoed the financial code attached to the bill. Districts
ended the week on edge, hoping for the best yet dreading more bad news on the
state front. The veto of the fiscal code
leaves up in the air the question of who will decide how the basic education
funding left to be distributed will be divided up between the state's school
districts, and who will make the decision on how much each district will get.
Kids Are
Behind on This Key Indicator of Success
80% of Low
Income Fourth Graders Do Not Read Proficiently
FirstBook
Blog Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2016 by Samantha McGinnis
What
if your dreams were out of reach before you could even dream them?
For 80%
of fourth graders who do not read proficiently, this could be the case.
A
child’s ability to read in fourth grade is a key indicator to their future
success. From their academic achievement to the job opportunities available to
them in the future, a lot is on the line. Many start the critical year behind
in their reading skills and many don’t have access to books or even items
snacks and school supplies. This makes it even more difficult to catch up. Do you serve
children in need? You can access books, school supplies and other essentials to
help kids learn from the First Book Marketplace. Together, we can empower kids to
catch up, stay ahead and follow the dreams they’re just starting to imagine.
Early Reading
Proficiency in the United States
A KIDS COUNT
Data Snapshot
By the
Annie E. Casey Foundation January 29, 2014
Proficient
4th-grade readers are more likely to be high school graduates and be
economically successful adults. Although reading proficiency rates have
improved over the past decade, large disparities still exist. This KIDS COUNT
Data Snapshot outlines those disparities and recommendations to overcome them.
Inquirer
editorial: Wolf veto may give him more leverage
Inquirer Editorial Updated: APRIL 4, 2016 — 3:01 AM EDT
Whether
it was his intent or not, one consequence of Gov. Wolf's veto of legislation
that details how state allocations must be spent could give him more leverage
to get his next budget passed. Wolf
last week let a $30 billion budget become law without his signature to end a
nine-month stalemate with the Republican-led legislature. But he vetoed the
accompanying fiscal code because its distribution of $200 million in new
education funds shortchanges strapped school districts like Philadelphia's.
Wolf believes the veto gives him the authority to allocate those funds as he
sees fit, but Republicans may challenge that in court.
PhillyTrib
Editorial: Pennsylvanians lose in state budget
Philadelphia Tribune Editorial Posted: Friday, April 1,
2016 12:00 am
Governor
Tom Wolf has vetoed a bill that passed along with the state budget, citing
several concerns including how it divides money for schools. Wolf said the legislation has a school
funding distribution formula he considers one of the most unfair in the country
and that bond borrowing would be expanded without addressing the state’s structural
deficit. House Republican spokesman
Steve Miskin said no decision has been made about whether to seek to override
Wolf’s veto. The governor’s veto follows
his decision last week to allow a House-passed version of this year’s state
budget to become law without his signature.
Wolf was forced to allow a disappointing and shortsighted budget to pass
after a state-record nine-month budget impasse that threatened to close public
schools. In the end, Wolf had to succumb
to Republican obstruction in Harrisburg similar to what President Barack Obama
faces in Washington. The governor was also abandoned by fellow Democrats in the
legislature who were willing to pass an inadequate budget rather than go toward
the end of the fiscal year with no budget at all.
FAQs about the $75 million CUT in state
funding to schools in the 2015-2016 Republican budget
Education
Voters PA Posted on March 31, 2016 by EDVOPA
**Need a
PDF Version of this post? Click Here to get it!**
In the 2015-2016 Republican
budget, many members of the General Assembly failed to deliver state funding
owed to school districts and demonstrated that they are unwilling to pass a
responsible budget that pays for the state’s obligations to public schools and
meets the needs of Pennsylvania’s children.
In the
2015-2016 budget, lawmakers eliminated $305 million in construction
reimbursement payments that the state was and remains obligated to make to PA’s
school districts through the Planning and Construction Workbook (PlanCon)
program. PlanCon is a longstanding program that provides school districts with
partial reimbursement for qualified new construction and renovation projects. School
districts are obligated to make construction payments with or without state
reimbursement from the PlanCon program. The loss of $305 million in state
funding represents a substantial decrease in money available to support
academic programs and services for students.
“The number of Southwest Pennsylvania parents who elect to
exclude their children from the annual PSSA tests has been increasing during
the past few years, and opt-out supporters say that trend is expected to
continue since last year's disappointing scores, when the tests were aligned
with the more “rigorous” PA Core standards.
In Pennsylvania, all a parent has to do is visit the school and view the
tests — which districts have to make available in the weeks leading up to the
exams — sign a confidentiality notice and provide a written statement that they
don't want their child to take the test for religious reasons. They aren't
required to elaborate.”
Standardized-testing opponents predict
increase in opt-outs
TribLive
BY ELIZABETH BEHRMAN | Sunday, April 3, 2016,
10:40 p.m.
Debra
Srogi's son has taken the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment test only
once, and she vows he won't take it again.
As a third-grader at Whittier Elementary School, he was losing sleep and
interest in school as he stressed over the PSSA tests, Srogi said. He scored
well, but Srogi decided last year to join a growing number of parents who “opt
out” of having their children take the state standardized tests. She went to the school to look at the test
and told the principal her son would not be sitting for the examination based
on her religious objections. “I couldn't
make heads or tails of it, and I have a biology degree,” said Srogi, who lives
in Elliott.
“Legislators like charters because they're popular with
parents. Many members of the teachers union believe they're popular with
legislators because they help dismantle the powerful teachers union (charters
are operated independently and don't require union teachers). They were formed originally to provide a
place for educational innovation that could be scaled up into more traditional
public schools. But that hasn't happened. Instead, the original charter law has
managed to inflict financial damage on one system in order to build another. On
the eve of charters' 20th anniversary in the state, we should all push for a
clear-eyed look at how to make both kinds better.”
KEEPING UP
WITH CHARTERS
Profile database a good first
step but reforms are long overdue
Philly Daily News Editorial Updated: APRIL 4, 2016 — 3:01 AM EDT
THE
ADVENT of charter schools was supposed to assure that a zip code doesn't have
to be destiny, by giving Philadelphia parents a choice of education
alternatives. But there's "choice," and then there's "informed
choice." The lack of comprehensive information about individual charters
and their performance has been scarce. That's
why the School District of Philadelphia's release of profiles of all charter
schools operating in the city last week was so welcome - and long overdue. Since the state law authorized charters in
1997, these alternatives to traditional public schools have grown virtually
unchecked, with little oversight and a need for more accountability. The city's
83 charters enrolling nearly 70,000 students represent the second largest
district in the state. The state (and city) has poured billions of dollars into
them. The Pennsylvania Department of Education oversees charters, but wields a
light touch in that oversight; witness the spotty range of compliance in the
annual reports charters are supposed to send the department each year.
Pennsylvania special education funding
formula a relic
Watchdog.org
By Evan Grossman / March
31, 2016 / News / No Comments
Pennsylvania’s
school funding formula has flaws, but no part of it is as flimsy as the logic
behind its special education funding. Rather
than being based on hard numbers of students who require more intensive — and
costly — instruction, the state’s special-ed funding formula is largely based
on assumptions that may or may not bear any resemblance to reality. Since the late 1980s, the majority of
Pennsylvania’s special education funding assumes that 16 percent of each
district’s students have a learning disability. And so, for more than 30 years,
Pennsylvania schools have been funded according to that ratio, regardless of
the percentage of a district’s students in special education classes.
Study: They're
teaching pre-K, for janitor's pay
Inquirer
by Julia Terruso, Staff
Writer Updated: APRIL 2,
2016 — 1:07 AM EDT
Ladrina
Powell ran into an attendance problem with teachers at her West Philadelphia
prekindergarten center this winter. "They
kept coming in and asking me, 'Can I be late tomorrow?' 'I have to go down to
the city . . . or my electricity is getting shut off,' " Powell said.
"Then I'm short a teacher, but can I blame them? They can't pay their
bills."
Powell,
director of Community Preschool & Nursery, which serves 71 children, has
nine staffers, none with teaching degrees. Most earn about $10 an hour; the
least experienced get $7.25. "My
plight is, we all want high quality, and the standards are constantly rising
for quality. But the money isn't, and it's hard to find quality teachers with
degrees with a salary that's starting so low," Powell said. An 18-month study of Philadelphia's
early-childhood education workforce, funded by the William Penn Foundation and
released Friday, makes those same points.
Pa. GOP wants
state churning out poorly educated worker drones
Philly
Daily News Attytood Blog by Will
Bunch Updated: APRIL 3, 2016 — 9:55 PM EDT
Now that
Pennsylvania's 2015 (or was it 2013?...I've lost track after all this time)
budget fiasco is finally behind us, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the
GOP-dominated houses of the State Legislature have a fresh new start -- to
think up new ways to keep Pennsylvania beating on, like boats against the
current, borne back ceaselessly toward the 19th Century. Not surprisingly, Republican lawmakers in
Harrisburg who got elected on a platform of "jobs, jobs, jobs," when
left to their druthers -- like their counterparts in Washington and in other
statehouse around the country -- turned their attention not to opening up the
labor market but to shutting down the reproductive rights of Pennsylvania women.
Maybe the move to restrict women's right to choose -- limiting non-emergency abortions to the first 20 weeks of pregnancy,
down from the current 24 -- is not surprising, considering that
Pennsylvania ranks near the bottom of states in female legislators.
The end of “no excuses” education reform?
A Philadelphia charter school CEO
leads the way as more schools question the get-tough school model
Huffington
Post by SARAH GARLAND March 27, 2016
Several students sit around a conference table at Simon
Gratz High School in North Philadelphia on a surly winter’s day, the kind that
makes even the school’s drafty classrooms seem welcoming. They are there to
give their assessment of the school – and they’re not afraid to be blunt. “I like this school, but I kind of don’t,”
says Chynah Perry, age 15, a thin girl with straight posture and stylish
black-rimmed glasses. “It’s strict. Real strict.” Quaseem Foxwell, a linebacker on the football
team, says several of his friends left the school because of the tough rules.
Yet he defends the strictures. He says he improved his own behavior after a
heart-to-heart with his teachers and administrators. “When I came here and got
into a fight, they told me I could get kicked out, or I could talk to the
teachers and some of the deans,” he says. “The strict rules are all for a
reason.” All this might be a normal,
harmless conversation except for the person sitting a few chairs away listening
in, whom the students seem oblivious to: Scott Gordon, the chief executive
officer of Mastery Charter Schools, the private nonprofit that runs Simon
Gratz.
Network for Public Education Calls for a National
Opt Out of High-Stakes Testing
Network
for Public Education April 1, 2016 by Darcie Cimarusti
After careful thought and deliberation, the Network
for Public Education is calling for a national Opt Out because of the harmful
effects of annual high-stakes testing on children and schools. We
enthusiastically support those parents who refuse to have their children take
the 2016 state exams. The alleged
purpose of annual testing, federally mandated since NCLB was passed in 2004, is
to unveil the achievement gaps within schools, ostensibly to close them.
Twelve years later, there is no conclusive evidence that NCLB high-stakes
testing has improved the academic performance of any student—particularly those
who need the most help. All that has been closed by testing are children’s
neighborhood schools.
Diane Ravitch: Why all parents should opt
their kids out of high-stakes standardized tests
Washington
Post Answer Sheet By Valerie Strauss April 3 at 10:43 AM
The
Network for Public Education, a nonprofit education advocacy group
co-founded by historian Diane Ravitch, is calling for a national “opt out” of
high-stakes standardized testing, urging parents across the country to refuse
to allow their children to participate in this spring’s testing. In a video released on the network’s website,
Ravitch says families should opt out of state-mandated high-stakes testing in
part because the scores provide “no useful information” about the abilities of
individual students and are unfairly used to evaluate educators. She also notes
that testing and test prep take up valuable class time that could be better put
to use providing students with a full curriculum, including the arts. “Opt out is the only way you have to tell
policymakers that they’re heading in the wrong direction,” Ravitch says in the
video, aimed at parents.
Ed. Department
Releases Draft ESSA Regulations on Testing, Spending Issues
Education
Week Politics K-12 By Alyson Klein on April 1,
2016 7:28 PM
By
Alyson Klein and Andrew Ujifusa
Negotiators
trying to craft rules on testing and spending for the Every Student Succeeds Act now
have a starting point for discussion. The
U.S. Department of Education Friday released draft regulations on the two areas
of the law that a panel of educators, advocates, and experts have
been discussing: testing, and a spending portion of the law called
"supplement-not-supplant" (which governs how local and state dollars
interact with federal Title I spending for students in poverty). You can check out the draft regulations on supplement-not-supplant here and
the draft regulations on assessment here. (Want an
issue-by-issue breakdown on assessment? Click here for the proposal on computer-adaptive testing, here for advanced math tests for 8th graders,
here for the local high school test, here for assessments for students in special education,
here for how testing for students with severe cognitive disabilities, here
for tests for English-learners, and
here for tests for English-language proficiency.
Not
interested in spending your whole weekend reading regulations? Just want a few
quick takeaways on each topic? We've got some bulleted information below on what jumped out
to us when we took a quick look at the draft regs—and we'll update this
post when we have more analysis and reaction to share.
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.
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.
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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