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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Weekend Roundup June 19, 2016:
Budget
Status: "We're negotiating with them"
“Turzai's
former chief of staff, Krystjan Callahan, is pushing for the video game
terminals in his new role as a lobbyist at Maverick Strategies here. “I'm open to supporting gaming revenue as an
alternative to raising taxes provided it's done in a responsible manner,”
Turzai said. His vote depends on what's in the final bill, he said.”
In reversal, state House Speaker Turzai open to expansion of
gambling
BY BRAD BUMSTED AND MIKE
WERESCHAGIN | Saturday, June 18, 2016, 9:27 p.m.
HARRISBURG — A Republican-aligned
lobbying and campaign firm with deep ties to House GOP leadership is lobbying
for the largest expansion of gambling in Pennsylvania since the General
Assembly legalized slots in 2004. House
Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Marshall, an opponent of the 2004 law and who also voted
against legalizing table games in 2009, said he might support an online
wagering bill that could include legalizing video game terminals in bars,
restaurants and fire halls. The
legislation would allow an estimated 21,000 gambling machines in public venues,
said Rep. Mark Mustio, R-Moon. House
Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana, said late Friday that there was support
among Republican members to include video terminals with an iGaming bill. It
could be voted on this week, Mustio said.
Democrats take leap of faith
into budget talks with GOP
AP State Wire by MARC
LEVY and MARK SCOLFORO June 18, 2016HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - It's the big head-scratcher in the Pennsylvania Capitol.
House Democrats this month helped
pass bills that advanced a couple long-sought Republican priorities - scaling
back traditional public pension benefits and breaking state-control over wine
sales - apparently without any assurance that the Legislature's huge GOP
majorities will return the favor to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. With less than two weeks until the fiscal
year ends, the question now is what Wolf will get from tax-averse Republicans
to advance his efforts to wipe out a damaging deficit and close huge funding
inequities between wealthy and poor school districts. "We're negotiating with
them," said House Minority Whip Mike Hanna, D-Clinton. "That's
probably the biggest thing in the world. I mean, at this point last year,
(House Republicans) had told us we weren't in the room, that they were going to
pass their budget with no Democratic input."
Times Tribune BY ROBERT SWIFT / PUBLISHED: JUNE 19, 2016
HARRISBURG — House lawmakers have
taken the lead in recent weeks in putting up bipartisan votes to address the
big issues that proved so difficult to resolve when a grand state budget deal
crashed last December. The House voted
136-59 last week to approve a bill to reduce pension benefits for future state
government and school district employees through a hybrid plan fashioned by
Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125, Pottsville. Two
weeks ago, the House approved a bill to expand wine sales greatly in the
private sector that was quickly signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf. This week, the House will try
again to pass legislation to expand legalized gambling in order to generate new
state revenue, said House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-62, Indiana. “The (gambling) revenue is essential to
balancing a budget and getting out of here by June 30,” Mr. Reed said. Pennsylvania has a built-in revenue deficit
in the range of $1.5 billion to deal with and Mr. Wolf wants to boost education
spending by more than $200 million.
Another Pa. state budget debate? Why that
may not be cause for weeping yet
Penn Live By Charles Thompson |
cthompson@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on
June 17, 2016 at 10:27 PM, updated June 18, 2016 at 2:16 AM
It's state budget time in Harrisburg. Remember that? Don't despair. The
talks are actually going lots better this year, so we're told from a group
of nervous sources who – party because they aren't authorized to speak publicly
about the ongoing negotiations, and partly because they're surprised that
they're going as well as they are after last year's impasse – offered observations
on the QT. Here's some early
observations, 11 days before the dawn of the 2016-17 fiscal year.
SEN. MIKE FOLMER: Pa. residents already
pay enough in taxes
The Mercury Opinion by
Senator Mike Folmer POSTED: 06/19/16, 2:00 AM EDT |State Sen. Mike Folmer is a Republican who represents the 48th Senatorial District in parts of Lebanon, Dauphin and York counties.
Consider the many federal, state,
county and municipal taxes and fees we pay, which include taxes on amusements,
capital gains, cigarettes, corporations, earned income, services, estates, gas,
liquor, sales, per capita, personal income, personal property, property realty
transfers, Social Security, telephone calls, utilities and unemployment. License fees include building permits, dog
licenses, fishing licenses, government late fees and penalties, hunting
licenses, marriage licenses, parking meter fees, professional license fees,
speeding tickets, traffic fines, vehicle and boat registration fees. Additional costs arise from a myriad of
government regulations, such as: zoning, state and local building codes,
restrictions on the amount of water in commodes and environmental requirements
on gas and cars. Consider the impacts of
spending $1 each second — it would take 12 days to spend $1 million at $1 per
second, 32 years to spend $1 billion, and 32,000 years to spend $1 trillion. Under the current state budget, the
Commonwealth spends $30,031,000,000, or $82,051,912 a day, $3,418,829 an hour,
$56,980 a minute, and $949 each second. So, Pennsylvania taxpayers have been
very generous in supporting the Commonwealth.
“The dearth of subs
parallels a dramatic decrease in newly minted certified teachers in
Pennsylvania, from 16,361 in 2012-13 to just 6,215 in 2014-15. State and school
officials blame fear of layoffs, threats to retirement benefits, the increased
stress of the standardized-testing regime, and poor discipline. In the past,
more certified teachers has meant a larger pool of substitutes.”
Substitute teachers are the new endangered species
Inquirer by Kathy
Boccella, Staff Writer Updated: JUNE
19, 2016 — 1:08 AM EDT
Those perfect spring Fridays - cerulean skies, temperatures
in the 70s - are exactly the kind of days that Dan Nerelli has come to dread. That's because Nerelli, assistant
superintendent for personnel in the Upper Darby School District, knows he'll be
scrambling to put substitutes in dozens of teacher-less classrooms. The
Delaware County district's ability to cover faculty absences has plunged from
95 percent just a few years ago to roughly 60 percent. Philadelphia-area school administrators such
as Nerelli now struggle to find ways to cope with a shortage of substitutes
unlike anything they have ever faced. They congregate multiple classes in the
gym and put one teacher in charge. They pay regular faculty to give up prep
time. They take over classrooms themselves.
Earlier this month, the Delaware County Intermediate Unit announced a
new two-day program to train "guest teachers" for the sub-starved
districts it serves. It is open to anyone with a bachelor's degree, in any
subject.
Rivera provides insight into local school funding
Bradford Era By ALEX DAVIS Era Reporter a.davis@bradfordera.com |0 comments Posted: Friday, June 17, 2016 10:00 am
This upcoming academic year, area school districts should have little to worry about with education funding. Those were the thoughts of state Department of Education Secretary Pedro Rivera, who shared insight with The Era on Thursday afternoon regarding a proposed 2016-17 state budget that includes a $200 million increase in basic education funding. The state Department of Education reached out to The Era since the department doesn’t often get to this part of the state. Over the past year, Rivera has visited several school districts throughout the state as part of the Schools That Teach tour.
Fair
Funding Formula bill to bring $5 million to York County schools
Abc27 By Samantha Galvez Published: June 16, 2016,
6:33 pm
YORK, Pa. (WHTM) – Up until this
month, Pennsylvania was one of three states without a funding formula to fairly
distribute money to school districts. Some say it cost schools across York
County millions in lost revenue, but under the new Fair Funding Formula bill Governor Wolf signed,
schools will get an additional $5 million in their pockets. The problem with education funding began back
in the late 1990’s. “The legislature put
into the school funding formula a hold harmless provision,” Representative
Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) said. The
provision states that a school district will never receive less money in a
year than they had in the previous year. So, for districts that have grown;
they’ve received less money per student from the state in basic education
funding, while school districts that have declined in population have received
more.
Pa. Senate leaders say House-backed
pension bill comes up short
Keystone Crossroads/WHYY
Newsworks BY KEVIN MCCORRY
JUNE 16, 2016
A bill that would offer new
teachers and most state employees less generous retirement benefits passed the
state House of Representatives with bipartisan support this week. Governor Tom Wolf says he would sign the
measure. Leaders in the Senate, though,
do not plan to move forward. Currently,
teachers and state workers receive guaranteed pension benefits no matter how
well funds perform in the stock market. The
bill as passed by the House would give new workers a guaranteed state pension
based on the first $50,000 of salary, with a yearly 3 percent index for
inflation. On salary beyond that – and
all salary after 25 years – workers would get a 401k-style retirement benefit
where the ultimate payout is based on market performance. The changes would occur in 2018. The House estimates its plan will save $5
billion over 32 years - about 2 percent of the total tab. Teachers unions have been vocal in their
dislike of the bill. They say undercutting retirees' long term fiscal security
will make the profession less attractive.
Senate majority leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, also opposes it, but for
different reasons. He says it doesn't go far enough to protect taxpayers.
Written by Scott LaMar, Smart Talk Host/Executive Producer | Jun 17, 2016 9:00 AM
What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, June 17, 2016: audio runtime: 14:00
Summer vacation is not a time off for school administrators. A recent survey conducted by Pennsylvania superintendents and school business officials on the rising costs and budget cuts found that the coming 2016-17 school year offers "the worst outlook" so far. The Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) and The Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) report found that during the 2015-16 year, 14% of districts were forced to borrow over $746 million and 74% dipped into fund balances to make it. The report also found that 46% of districts are planning on cutting staff before the coming school year. 34% plan to increase class sizes, and 50% plan to remove academic programs and extracurriculars. At the same time, 85% of districts plan on raising property taxes, the seventh consecutive year in which over 60% of districts are raising taxes. The report surveyed 71% of Pennsylvania's 500 school districts, at least one from every county, and ranging from the largest district in Philadelphia to districts with fewer than 750 students. The coming year will clearly affect districts across the state. Jeff Ammerman, Director of Member Assistance at The Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO), and Jim Buckheit, Executive Director of The Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA), join us Friday to discuss the findings of their organizations' survey, the causes behind these problems, the impacts we'll see, possible solutions, and changes we can expect to our taxes and schools.
“North
Carolina's legislation closely resembles a Tennessee Achievement School
District, which was established in 2012.
The experiment has so far fallen short of its transformative promise,
said Joshua Glazer, the lead investigator in a four-year study of Tennessee's
program. Student testing scores at the charter-operated schools have shown
little to no comparative growth, said Glazer, an associated professor of
education policy at George Washington University.”
Achievement School District: Experts warn of
murky results from charter-driven schools
Inquirer by ANNA GRONEWOLD, The Associated Press Updated: JUNE 17, 2016 10:25 AM
EDT
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North
Carolina could hand over some of its lowest performing elementary schools to
charter school operators in an effort to reverse dismal test scores in more
than half the state's counties. Similar
aggressive reforms have taken hold in New Orleans and Tennessee, and states
such as Mississippi, Arkansas and Georgia are considering prescribing charter
management for their failing schools. But results have been mixed so far, with
opponents saying researchers and educators have found little proof that the
charter companies are the remedy. North Carolina's proposal, which
passed in the House earlier this month, would create a separate district for
elementary schools that have fallen to the bottom 5 percent of the state's
grading system for at least three consecutive years.
“Nationwide
in 2015, the median annual wage for preschool teachers was $28,570 - about 55
percent of what elementary teachers were paid, according to a report released
this month by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.
For a child-care teacher, it was even lower, around $20,320. Such low compensation leaves many
early-childhood educators around the poverty line, which is $20,160 for a
family of three.”
Study: Preschool teachers make
near-poverty wages in Pa.
Inquirer by Grace Toohey, Staff Writer Updated: JUNE 18, 2016 — 1:08 AM
EDT
Ryan Morehart thought he had
found a field that was both valuable and enjoyable: child care. But as he
advanced, he realized there wasn't much advancing to do. He considered going back to school, but that
didn't promise enough financial benefit.
"I love working with kids," said Morehart, 29, of
Philadelphia. But after nine years in early childhood education, he switched to
office management. "My benefits are
a lot better, the pay is a lot better, I have money left over to the point
where we could do stuff," he said. While
Philadelphia could sweeten this narrative with the recently passed soda tax,
aimed at funding pre-K, a new federal report shows that Pennsylvania's low pay
for early-childhood teachers undermines its ability to deliver high-quality
education at a critical developmental stage.
High quality childcare and preschool need
to be budget priorities: PennLive letters
Penn Live Letters to the
Editor by Joan Benso on June 17, 2016 at 12:00 PM, updated June
17, 2016 at 4:03 PM
The author is president and CEO, Pennsylvania Partnerships
for Children, a founding partner of Pre-K for PA and Early Learning PA.
In a recent discussion with
PennLive's Editorial Board about the need for stronger state investments in
high-quality pre-k programs, I was asked why Pennsylvania needs to fund both
child care subsidy and high-quality pre-k.
In my response, I stressed that both need to be better funded to meet
the needs of our children. Unfortunately,
a recent PennLive editorial (Legislature, Wolf should act responsibly on funding for pre-k
programs, June 15) might have left some readers feeling as though I was
downplaying the importance and quality of Pennsylvania's child care programs in
favor of pre-k. Nothing could be further from the case
Philly's soda tax: How it's playing
nationwide
Inquirer by Emily
Babay, Staff writer @emilybabay Updated: JUNE 17, 2016 — 10:52
AM EDT
Philadelphia on Thursday became
the first major city in the United States to enact a soda tax, with City Council approving a
1.5-cents-per-ounce levy on sugary and artificially sweetened beverages. The tax has generated much discussion and
debate here in Philadelphia, and its passing brought a flurry of attention from
national media outlets. Here's a round-up of coverage – much of it focusing on
Philadelphia's status as the first big city to pass such a levy – of the soda
tax from outsiders' perspectives:
Statement
by Donna Cooper, Executive Director of PCCY, On Philadelphia City Council
Passing the Soda Tax
PCCY Press Release June 16, 2016
This victory is a watershed
moment for health advocates across the country. It's a boost for other cities
hoping to follow Philadelphia's lead. But the biggest winners today are the
generations of children whose destinies will be changed because they'll be
attending quality pre-k, grow up playing in revamped public spaces or live in a
neighborhood with a community school. Philadelphians have a lot to be proud of
today, especially their new Mayor and City Council
Charter advocacy groups' report urges
overhaul of cyber funding and regulation
The groups say that
poor-performing cybers should be closed.
The notebook by melanie bavaria June
17, 2016 — 4:04pm
A group of national charter
school advocacy groups released a controversial report this week recommending
that poor-performing virtual, or cyber, charter schools be closed. It also
proposed that states overhaul the funding and oversight systems to regulate
them. “We believe that existing policies
for oversight of full-time virtual charter schools are particularly
inadequate,” reads the report, titled A Call to Action: To Improve the
Quality of Full-Time Virtual Charter Public Schools.” The organizations that created the report —
the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the National Association of
Charter School Authorizers, and 50CAN — make clear that they do support the
existence of virtual charter schools. At the same time, they stressed that the systems
in place across the 23 states (and D.C.) that allow for virtual charter schools
are deeply flawed and largely failing.
K12 Inc. Responds to Report on Virtual
Charter Schools
PR Newswire Jun 16, 2016, 17:09
ET from K12 Inc.
HERNDON, Va., June 16,
2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As a leading provider to online
schools, K12 Inc. has collaborated with educators, policymakers, and
organizations on best practices and policies for online and blended public
schools. We strongly advocate for all charter school models. We have
supported student-centered policy
proposals for all schools, competency-based learning, and better metrics to
improve accountability. The report by NACSA, NAPCS, and 50CAN is not
collaborative. Very few, if any, charter school boards, educators,
operators, parents or teachers in online charter schools were part of this
report. The report relies almost
exclusively on a three-part study on online charter schools published last
year. K12 responded to
the study and provided a detailed analysis. We disagreed with the study's
reliance on old academic data and the methodology which did not control or
account for several key factors unique to typical full-time online schools,
including: persistence and performance over time, date of enrollment, the
effect of mobility, and the reasons why children leave their local
school.
http://insiders.morningstar.com/trading/executive-compensation.action?t=LRN
Daniel Boone School Board OKs $55.6M
budget with tax hike
Pottstown
Mercury By Denise Larive, For Digital First Media POSTED: 06/15/16, 10:59 PM
EDT | UPDATED: 9 HRS AGO
AMITY >> The Daniel Boone
Area School Board voted 5-3 Monday to approve the district’s 2016-17 budget
that includes a 2.5 percent tax increase.
Business Manager Loren Small said Wednesday that the board intended to
approve a budget of $55,591,450, but instead approved the revenue amount of
$53,092,107, which was stated on the special voting meeting agenda. Small said the budget approval
included the transfer of $1.6 million from the general fund, as well as the
application of $785,000 of new tax revenue.
Effective July 1, the tax rate will increase from 28.96 to 29.70 mills.
It would be $2,970 per every $100,000 of assessed property value -- a $74
increase, for a home assessed at $100,000.
Property owners currently pay $2,869 for every $100,000 of value. Taxes have not increased since June 2010,
when the board approved a .54 mill increase.
Apply Now!
EPLC’s 2016-2017 Pennsylvania Education Policy Fellowship Program
EPLC's 2016 Report: High
School Career and Technical Education: Serving Pennsylvania's Workforce and
Student Needs
PENNSYLVANIA EDUCATION POLICY FORUM Thursday, June 23, 2016
PENNSYLVANIA EDUCATION POLICY FORUM Thursday, June 23, 2016
Allegheny Intermediate
Unit - 475 East Waterfront Dr., Homestead, PA 15120
Coffee and
Networking - 9:30 a.m. Program - 10:00 a.m. to
Noon
RSVP by
clicking here. There
is no fee, but a RSVP is required. Please feel free to share this invitation
with your staff and network. Similar forums will be held later in the
Philadelphia area and Harrisburg.
SPEAKERS:
An Overview of
the EPLC Report on High School CTE will be presented by:
Ron Cowell,
President, The Education Policy and Leadership Center
Statewide and
Regional Perspectives Will Be Provided By:
Dr. Lee Burket, Director, Bureau of Career & Technical Education, PA Department of Education
Jackie Cullen, Executive Director, PA Association of Career & Technical Administrators
Dr. William Kerr, Superintendent, Norwin School District
Laura Fisher, Senior Vice President - Workforce & Special Projects, Allegheny Conference on Community Development
James Denova, Vice President, Benedum Foundation
Dr. Lee Burket, Director, Bureau of Career & Technical Education, PA Department of Education
Jackie Cullen, Executive Director, PA Association of Career & Technical Administrators
Dr. William Kerr, Superintendent, Norwin School District
Laura Fisher, Senior Vice President - Workforce & Special Projects, Allegheny Conference on Community Development
James Denova, Vice President, Benedum Foundation
Nominations now open for PSBA Allwein Awards (deadline
July 16)
PSBA Website POSTED
ON MAY 16, 2016 IN PSBA NEWS
The Timothy M.
Allwein Advocacy Award was established in 2011 by the Pennsylvania School Boards
Association and may be presented annually to the individual school director or
entire school board to recognize outstanding leadership in legislative advocacy
efforts on behalf of public education and students that are consistent with the
positions in PSBA’s Legislative Platform. The 2016 Allwein Award nominations
will be accepted starting today and all applications are due by July
16, 2016. The nomination form can be downloaded from the website.
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:
PA Supreme Court sets Sept. 13 argument
date for fair education funding lawsuit in Philly
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