Friday, July 1, 2016

PA Ed Policy Roundup July 1: HB 530 would strip control from local communities & make PA charter schools even LESS accountable; Budget sent to Governor

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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup July 1, 2016:
HB 530 would strip control from local communities & make PA charter schools even LESS accountable; Budget sent to Governor


Call your State Representative’s office this morning and ask them to oppose HB530

Call your State Senator’s office this morning and ask them to oppose HB530

·         HB 530 permits charter schools to add new grades beyond their current charter agreement without review or negotiation with a school district, thus increasing school district tuition costs without any prior notification or agreement with districts.

·         HB 530 permits students to enroll in charters outside of their district, establishing an entirely new and unanticipated cost driver and forcing districts to pay unbudgeted bills. 

·         HB 530 permits districts to reach agreement on the level of charter enrollment but then removes any obligation to live by these agreements by explicitly offering options to grow enrollment beyond an agreement by carte blanche authorizing new grades and permitting out of district students to enroll. 

·         HB 530 proposes creating a matrix to establish performance measures for charter and cyber charter schools that could be a good step forward, but, astonishingly, and certainly not by accident, the bill precludes the use of those performance measures when making charter application, renewal or revocation decisions. 

·         HB 530 puts the Commonwealth on the hook for charters that fail to meet debt payments.  This means the state is taking on debt obligations for non-profit organizations that are yet to be formed or were recently formed and have no track record to demonstrate fiscal stability or fiscal acumen. 



URGENT–Lawmakers and Governor Wolf MUST oppose HB 530–legislation that would make PA’s charter school law even WORSE
Education Voters PA Posted on June 29, 2016 by EDVOPA
The PA House is moving charter school legislation today that would make PA’s charter school law even WORSE than it already is.
HB 530 is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It is NOT a genuine effort to improve the quality of education children in the Commonwealth receive, but instead, a massive giveaway to charter schools that would damage school districts throughout the Commonwealth and undermine the quality of education children in all schools receive.



Governor Wolf Statement on Final Passage of Budget
Governor Wolf’s Blog June 30, 2016
Harrisburg, PA – Governor Wolf today released the following statement:
“I want to commend leaders and members in both chambers for passing a bi-partisan, compromise budget that invests more money in early childhood, K through 12 and higher education, and also provides vital resources to combat the heroin crisis. I am pleased that working together we took this important step to move the commonwealth forward. I will sign the General Appropriations bill as soon as there is a sustainable revenue package to pay for it, and I look forward to continuing to work with the legislature to achieve this.”

Updates on 2016-17 State Budget
PA House Republican Caucus Website June 30, 2016

“The plan includes $200 million increase in basic education, pushing this lifeblood for many of Pennsylvania's 500 school districts to a record $5.9 billion.
Along with that, it contains a $20 million boost in funding for special education, $30 million more of early education, and $40 million hike for higher education.”
House sends Gov. Tom Wolf a $31.5 billion spending plan while still figuring out how to pay for it
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on June 30, 2016 at 7:19 PM, updated June 30, 2016 at 10:02 PM
OK, Pennsylvanians, we now have a 2016-17 spending plan to send to Gov. Tom Wolf for enactment and unlike this year, it will arrive before the new fiscal year started.  The House on Thursday evening voted 144-54 to approve the spending plan that the Senate passed 47-3 on Wednesday. Half of the House votes in support of the general fund budget bill came from GOP and the other half from Democrats.  What we don't have, though, is a revenue package that raises the additional $1.2 billion needed to fund the $31.5 billion it proposes to spend.  That, House and Senate leaders said on Thursday, remains a work in progress. But they assured it will not include an increase in the state's personal income or sales tax rates.  About the House's passage of the spending portion of the budget package, Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County, said in a statement, "we have made excellent progress on establishing a complete state budget in a timely fashion. We have a spending plan in place that continues to provides a plan for funding for state priorities while continuing to increase education funding at all levels."

Pa. lawmakers OK spending plan, but not how to pay for it
Inquirer by Angela Couloumbis and Karen Langley, HARRISBURG BUREAU Updated: JULY 1, 2016 — 1:08 AM EDT
HARRISBURG - With hours to spare before the start of the new fiscal year, the Republican-controlled legislature gave its final sign-off to a $31.5 billion spending plan that Gov. Wolf said he could support.  That was the good news for those aiming for an on-time budget.  The bad news for all sides is that there is no agreement on how to pay for the plan, which calls for increasing funding for public schools, early childhood and special education, and state colleges and universities.  Negotiations on that critical piece of the budget could stretch into next week, and Wolf reiterated in a statement Thursday night that while he supports the spending bill, he wouldn't sign it until "there is a sustainable revenue package to pay for it."

Legislature sends $31.6 billion budget to Gov. Tom Wolf for his approval
Morning Call by Steve Esack Contact Reporter Call Harrisburg Bureau June 30, 2016
HARRISBURG — The House approved a $31.6 billion budget and sent it to Gov.Tom Wolf for his signature Thursday evening.  The 144-54 vote allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic governor to accomplish the bipartisan political victory of passing a 2016-17 budget before the close of the current fiscal year at midnight Thursday.  And all declared victory — even if they have not figured out how to pay for the 5 percent spending increase in the fiscal year that begins Friday.  The Legislature and governor have not settled their differences on a tax and revenue plan that pays for government services. But that could wait for another day as lawmakers rejoiced over passing the budget and Wolf vowed to sign it once there's a revenue and tax package to go with it.

'I have been able to witness total madness,' Sen. Scott Wagner says of #PaBudget vote: Friday Morning Coffee
Penn Live By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com  Email the author | Follow on Twitter  on July 01, 2016 at 6:44 AM, updated July 01, 2016 at 7:19 AM
THE MORNING COFFEE
Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
As we head into that final furlong before the long holiday weekend, we realized that it had been a while since we'd checked in with state Sen. Scott Wagner.  As it turns out, our timing couldn't have been better.  In the wake of Thursday's state House vote that kinda-sorta-not-really-at-all gave Pennsylvania the first on-time state budget of the Wolf administration, Wagner, R-York, was at his most Wagner-y.  "I have been able to witness total madness,"Wagner, who's pretty much running for governor in 2018, told The Tribune-Review's Brad Bumsted. "The House and Senate have passed spending without determining where additional revenue sources are going to come from."

Tax decisions await Pa. lawmakers as they resume work on budget
Delco Times By The Associated Press POSTED: 07/01/16, 5:11 AM EDT
HARRISBURG, Pa. >> Pennsylvania lawmakers are returning to work on the state’s spending plan for the coming year, facing decisions about tax increases a day after they sent Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf the main budget bill.  The list of unfinished business as legislators resume session Friday includes companion bills to the general appropriations bill and a quest to locate more than $1 billion in new revenue to make it all balance.  Wolf says he won’t sign the $31 billion-plus budget without sustainable revenues to fund it. He has 10 days to decide what to do with the legislation.  The main budget bill passed the state House on Thursday evening by a vote of 144 to 54. Forty-five Republicans and nine Democrats voted no.
http://www.delcotimes.com/general-news/20160701/tax-decisions-await-pa-lawmakers-as-they-resume-work-on-budget

House leaders tout compromise, but still no final budget post-deadline
WITF Written by Katie Meyer | Jul 1, 2016 1:55 AM
The state budget's June 30th deadline has come and gone, and though the legislature has made strides, there is still no final verdict.  The House and Senate have agreed to a 31-point-six billion dollar spending plan, which some House leadership said heralded an end to the budget process.  "I think it's very important that we understand that we are doing something here tonight that we couldn't do the last few years. We are passing an on-time budget on time," said Appropriations Committee minority chair Democrat Joseph Markosek in his remarks on the House floor.
A key part of the budget is still missing, however--a concrete revenue plan that would pay for it.
http://www.witf.org/state-house-sound-bites/2016/07/house-leaders-tout-compromise-but-still-no-final-budget-post-deadline.php

Legislature OKs state budget; critics say it's not balanced
Trib Live BY BRAD BUMSTED  | Thursday, June 30, 2016, 7:39 p.m.
HARRISBURG — Meeting a midnight deadline, the GOP-dominated General Assembly on Thursday approved a $31.6 billion state budget, even with critics saying it's out of balance and one senator describing the process as “total madness.”  The Senate-approved budget, OK'd by a 144-54 vote in the House, now goes to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature. While it technically meets the constitutional deadline of completion by June 30, the revenue bill to pay for the spending still hasn't been made public.  “I have been able to witness total madness ... the House and Senate have passed spending without determining where additional revenue sources are going to come from,” said Sen. Scott Wagner, R-York County, a likely candidate for governor.  Senate officials said the budget package requires no general tax hike. There are several budget-related trailer bills that still need approval.  Approving a budget without the money to pay for it is “not responsible,” said Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry. “Spendaholic disease” has infected the membership, he said.
http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/10718869-74/budget-state-million

Pa. Senate passes Wolf’s budget proposal, local lawmakers in support
Bradford Era By ALEX DAVIS Era Reporter a.davis@bradfordera.com | 0 comments Posted: Thursday, June 30, 2016 10:00 am
Local state lawmakers are backing a proposed state budget they say adds millions of dollars for education and the fight against opioid abuse.  The state Senate, by a vote of 47-3, passed a proposed budget on Wednesday, and the spending plan was due to head back to the House.  For their part, Senate lawmakers approved the investment of $245 million more in basic education, special education, and Pre-K Counts, as well as a nearly $40 million increase for higher education.  “Throughout the past year, I have heard from my constituents who have told me they do not want the state to see another painful budget impasse that hurts schools and community organizations,” state Sen. Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, said. “We were able to work together to craft a budget that holds the line on broad-based taxes, boosts funding for schools, and addresses the heroin and opioid addiction crisis. This will continue to provide a high level of funding for our schools, while helping to provide vital services in our communities.”

Examining How PA's New Education Funding Formula Impacts Students
WESA By ESSENTIAL PITTSBURGH • June 29, 2016 Audio Runtime 19:56
As the legislature grapples with budget details including education funding, Governor Tom Wolf has already signed into law a new formula for distributing state education money. The formula is used to decide how much each district gets but how does it work? We’ll ask Keystone Crossroads reporter Kevin McCorry and Jay Himes, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials.

Blogger comment:  By far and away, increased mandatory pension costs have consumed school district budgets for the past few years.  Last year’s $200 million BEF increase didn’t come close to covering those increased costs and neither will this year’s $200 million BEF increase.  This is the single biggest reason why property taxes have gone up throughout the state.  Almost every article covering school districts budgets cites at least a 6-figure increase in PSERs contributions and a great many are over $1 million.  BTW, none of the “pension reform” legislation pending would do anything at all to address these immediate short term costs (or the $50-60 billion unfunded pension liability for that matter).

“By Friday, every Pennsylvania school district is expected to have passed a final budget for the next fiscal year - and it must be balanced. (Philadelphia has its own unique structure, one where the budget and taxing authority fall to city council.)  Over the last decade, districts in the counties that ring the city have raised taxes substantially, an average of 30 percent, or more than $1,000 for a typical household, according to an Inquirer analysis of tax data.”
Your school property taxes are probably rising again. Here's how much — and why
Inquirer by Grace Toohey & Daniel Block, STAFF WRITERS JUNE 30, 2016 4:24 PM EDT
Liana Roadcloud lives in a town where homeowners pay some of the region's highest property tax rates, where the schools struggle academically, and where the fiscal year that begins Friday will bring exactly what she doesn't want: another tax hike.  The William Penn School District insists it has squeezed every nickel to keep the increase on her tax bill at just under 2 percent. For Roadcloud, that means a $58 bump next year, to $3,091 for a Lansdowne home valued around $70,000.  "People don't mind paying for something if they're getting something in return," said Roadcloud, whose son is a sophomore at Penn Wood High School. "That's not what I feel is happening right now."  William Penn is among the region's most economically challenged districts, but the vote last week by the Delaware County school board to raise taxes gave it at least one thing in common with wealthy school systems on the Main Line and elsewhere in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties.

“The maps below show the average percentage change in school taxes for local school districts since the 2015-16 school year and the 2006-07 school year based on median-assessed property values. Click on the districts on the maps for more details.”
School Taxes on the Rise Again in the Pennsylvania Suburbs
Inquirer Infographic June 230, 2016
School taxes in the William Penn School District in Delaware County will increase on July 1, as will tax bills in 85 percent of the school districts in the suburbs of southeastern Pennsylvania. The average bills in the four counties surrounding Philadelphia will rise by about $120 per household this coming year, and taxes have increased well over $1,000 per household throughout the last decade, far exceeding inflation. 

“Public education is a cornerstone of our democracy. It should give children foundational life skills and a penetrating understanding of the world to enrich their lives and give them the tools for success. That should not depend on what ZIP code they live in.”
Our view: Erie schools get reprieve in state budget
GoErie Editorial July 1, 2016 12:42 AM
As summer fades to fall, Erie School District students might return to find iconic educational opportunities -- art, music, football and other extracurricular activities -- intact after all.  For the moment, at least, it appears the district will emerge from the state budget process largely unscathed, with the ability to cover all of the spending in its new budget.  The state Senate on Wednesday easily passed a $31.5 billion spending plan that included relief for Erie's beleaguered school system -- $3.6 million in additional educational funding and $4 million in a one-time emergency package -- that will allow the district to close a projected gap of $5.5 million that remained even after $6 million in cuts.  The plan had to go back to the House of Representatives before landing on Gov. Tom Wolf's desk, but the school district on Wednesday passed its $185.6 million final budget in hopes that the relief will come through.  Schools Superintendent Jay Badams deserves credit for his unequivocal advocacy for students that, with the help of local legislators, no doubt contributed to Harrisburg's consideration for Erie.

“Quaker Valley will pay about $5.8 million — up $912,000 from the 2015-16 budget — into the Public School Employees' Retirement System, known as PSERS, school leaders said.”
Quaker Valley taxes going up with new budget
Trib Live BY VINCE RUSSO | Thursday, June 30, 2016, 1:51 p.m.
Quaker Valley property owners will see an increase in taxes as part of the district's $47.5 million budget for 2016-17.  The increase — approved last week in an 8-1 vote with board member Marianne Wagner dissenting — means a homeowner whose property is valued at $200,000 would see a tax bill of about $3,548 — up about $84 over the 2015-16 budget. Board members set the tax rate at 17.7389 mills. It included a 0.4157-mill increase — the maximum allowed based on the school's inflationary index — 2.4 percent for Quaker Valley — which is set by the state Department of Education.  District leaders estimate they will collect more than $30 million from real estate taxes, according to the budget.  Based on data, district leaders estimate Quaker Valley will receive more than $7.1 million from the state — up about $764,000 from last year. They expect to receive about $960,000 from the federal government — down about $61,000 from last year.

“Major expenses include $422,000 in tuition payments for district students who attend charter or cyber charter schools and an additional $282,000 in payments to the Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS).”
Leechburg approves budget, another tax hike
Trib Live BY JODI WEIGAND | Thursday, June 30, 2016, 11:00 p.m.
The Leechburg Area School District's 2016-17 budget increases real estate taxes for the fourth consecutive year.  As anticipated, the board on Wednesday approved a 4 percent tax increase for Armstrong County residents and a 6 percent increase for Westmoreland County property owners.  The hike means an additional $74 in real estate taxes for a typical property in Leechburg and Gilpin and another $132 for West Leechburg residents.  The $13.8 million spending plan is about $600,000 more than this past school year.

“The mandated contribution amount for the education pension fund is increasing from 25.84 percent of wages to 30.03 percent. That will increase Hanover Area’s contribution total from $2.5 million in 2015-16 to $2.9 million in 2016-17.  Cipriano noted the state in 2015-16 only provided $1.3 million to cover $5.3 million in special education costs. The 2016-17 budget expects $12.9 million in revenue from the state — about $363,000 more than the allocation in 2015-16.”
Hanover Area School District adopts $27.3M budget
Citizens Voice BY MICHAEL P. BUFFER / PUBLISHED: JUNE 30, 2016
HANOVER TWP. — The Hanover Area School Board voted Wednesday to adopt a $27.3 million budget for the next school year and increase the property tax rate by about 2.4 percent.  The board reduced the size of the tax increase proposed in a preliminary budget last month. The tax increase in the preliminary budget was 3.4 percent — the maximum index amount for tax increases that don’t need voter or state approval of referendum exception amounts.  The state establishes an index amount for school districts based on cost factors. The index amount varies for each school district and typically is between 2 percent and 4 percent.

District to auction Scranton school properties
Times Tribune By Sarah Hofius Hall / Published: June 30, 2016
For the first time in more than 100 years, two Scranton School District properties soon may have new owners.  The district plans to hold an auction Thursday, July 7 to sell the former Lincoln-Jackson Elementary, at Academy Street and South Hyde Park Avenue, and the vacant lot that once held the Samuel Morse school, at Farr Street and North Sumner Avenue.  School board members have not discussed the auction at a public meeting, but two public notices appeared in The Times-Tribune this week. Proceeds from the sale of the properties likely will be added to the district’s general fund. In recent years, the district used one-time revenue sources, such as the sale of school properties, to try to balance its budget.

Mt. Pleasant area school board approves budget, tax increase
BY THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW | Thursday, June 30, 2016, 5:48 p.m.
Mt. Pleasant Area school directors approved a 2016-17 budget this week that includes a 2.75-mill property tax increase.  The increase will cost the average taxpayer $45 annually. The new millage rate is 88.62 mills. One mill of property taxes generates about $150,000 in revenue.  Directors approved the $33 million budget at a meeting Monday.

“One goal of the READ! by 4th campaign is that by 2020, all the new K-3 teachers hired by the School District will have received training from IDA-accredited schools of education.”
Drexel's School of Education earns important accreditation in reading instruction
The designation means that graduates have learned the best strategies for teaching young children to read, including those with learning issues.
The notebook by Ellen Schoder June 30, 2016 — 1:43pm
The Special Education program and Multisensory Reading Instruction program at Drexel University’s School of Education recently earned accreditation from the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), making Drexel just one of 26 schools nationwide that meet its standards.  Those standards require that teachers know the science of reading instruction and know how to teach all students to read, regardless of their learning style or perceptual issues, such as dyslexia.  Jenny Bogoni, executive director of READ! by 4th, the citywide campaign to help students reach grade level in reading by 4th grade, said in a statement that "empowering teachers is central to the work" of the campaign.  She added that schools and districts hiring graduates from programs like Drexel's that have been accredited by IDA and its subsidiary, the Center for Effective Reading Instruction, “can be assured these teachers have the knowledge and skills to teach all students to read.” 

Amid teacher hiring binge, Philly union cries foul
The notebook/WHYY Newshorks BY AVI WOLFMAN-ARENT JULY 1, 2016
“We Are Hiring.”  The banner — and its accompanying videos — are intended to entice newcomers to a district plagued by years of rolling teacher vacancies. For current district art teacher Marianne Evans, it’s a bold reminder that she’s still jobless.  “When you’re in a situation such as mine, and you see that, it’s just mind-boggling,” said Evans.  Evans, 55, was recently let go from her position at Spring Garden Elementary School after a provisional, one-year appointment. By her count, Evans has since applied for at least 18 open district positions and received seven interviews. Not one of those seven schools have hired her.  “It was soul crushing,” said Evans of not getting a job. “I worked incredibly hard, and I just can’t believe I’m in this position where I don’t know whether or where I have a job next year.”  A hiring frenzy has put the School District of Philadelphia on track to fill all its teacher vacancies by September. But not everyone is smiling. The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers said the district disregarded work rules and spurned veteran teachers in its drive to fill every position by June 30.


“With the backing of the Turkish government, Amsterdam also has focused on a network of about 150 publicly funded U.S. charter schools started by Gulen's followers.”
Turkish government lawyer: Poconos-based cleric had 'unlawful conduct'
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — A lawyer representing the Turkish government says he'll continue exposing what he calls the "unlawful conduct" of a reclusive Muslim cleric in Pennsylvania whom Turkey's president accuses of orchestrating a coup attempt.  Robert Amsterdam released a statement Thursday, one day after a federal judge in Scranton dismissed his lawsuit against Fethullah Gulen.  "Despite the outcome of this ruling, a very clear message has been sent to Gulen and his co-conspirators in the Poconos: the days of impunity are numbered, and your unlawful conduct will be brought to light," Amsterdam said.

Why Investors Love Charter Schools
Curmuducation Blog by Peter Greene Thursday, June 30, 2016
When you see the announcement that the Waltons want to pump another $250 million into charter schools, you just have to wonder why.  I know the Waltons (of Wal-Mart fame) are big fans of charter schools, but they didn't become gazillionaires by spending hundreds of millions of dollars on things they just find shiny. And if they really wanted to push charters, they have an army of employees that could be incentivized to push charters. Heck, the Waltons are in a position to offer employees some sort of bonus or support to send their own children to charter schools. So maybe the quarter billion bucks is just heartfelt charity. But I have my doubts.  Part of the clue is in exactly what the Waltons want to spend that $250 million on. They're not really pumping money into the charter school industry-- they're pumping money into the charter schoolbuilding industry. They make the periodically made point that the charter industry suffers from not having Uncle Sugar to buy buildings for them. I'm not sure that's a real problem.

44 Oklahoma Parents, Educators Win In Tuesday's Primary
BY DANA HERTNEKY, NEWS 9 Posted: Jun 29, 2016 6:34 PM EDT Updated: Jun 29, 2016 6:34 PM EDT OKLAHOMA CITY -
Dozens of teachers and educators are closer to becoming state lawmakers after Tuesday night's primary election.  A group called Oklahoma Parents and Educators for public education has been circulating a list of what they call “pro-education” candidates.  Tuesday night, 44 candidates on the list either won their race or will move onto a runoff in August.  “I didn’t want to be a politician, what I want is for teachers to feel respected again,” said Judy Mullen Hopper a retired special Education teacher. She won the democratic primary for Senate District 47.  Don Wentroth the former principal at Putnam City High and Bethany was also on the winning side of Tuesday’s primary. He won the democratic primary for House district 100.
“I think there’s been a message sent,” he said.

“Oklahoma Parents and Educators for Public Education, a Facebook page launched by an elementary school teacher and a mom frustrated with the Legislature’s lack of action, quickly grew to nearly 25,000 followers. The group gave candidates a forum and an opportunity to tap into a network of local volunteers. They endorsed Republicans and Democrats who opposed school vouchers for private schools and supported increased funding for schools, and targeted incumbents on the other side.  The group backed candidates in 59 races, in some cases more than one in a single race, identifying them as supportive of public schools. In those contests, 33 won nominations and at least eight others will be in runoffs.”
Oklahoma teachers fight education cuts by winning elections
Washington Post By Sean Murphy | AP June 29 at 7:26 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY — Inner-city high school English teacher Mickey Dollens was fed up with low pay and cuts to public education, so he decided to run for the state Legislature to fix the problem.
Then the 28-year-old from Oklahoma City became a casualty of those cuts and was laid off. He has since become a poster boy for a movement of teachers, parents and other supporters of public education trying to elect candidates who will resist cuts imposed by majority Republicans.  The group passed its first major hurdle with flying colors on Tuesday when candidates it backed knocked off two incumbent House Republicans and came close to beating a third, a rarity in Oklahoma politics. Only three GOP incumbents have lost to a primary challenger in the last 16 years.  “They’ve already cut some sports and extra-curriculars like a welding program,” said Dollens, who won his Democratic primary with more than 90 percent of the vote and now faces a Republican in November. “Then my principal brought me in and said we have to let you and 19 other teaches go.

The real problem isn’t teachers
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss June 30 at 12:36 PM 
In April, an appeals court in California upheld the state’s laws regarding teacher tenure, dismissal and layoffs by overturning a lower court’s earlier decision to scrap job-protection statutes in the highly publicized Vergara v. California case. The plaintiffs in Vergara were public school students backed by a school reform advocacy group called Students Matter, and they claimed that job protection laws for teachers are the reason that poor and minority children wind up with more ineffective teachers who are hard to fire. The court found that “the evidence did not show that the challenged statutes inevitably cause” the impact the plaintiffs claimed. Reform and anti-union activists have promised to continue the legal fight against teacher job protection laws that they say work against students.  Such legal challenges are just part of what many teachers consider to be a war on their profession by school reformers and policymakers who have attempted to “disrupt” public education with systems and programs that educators think rob them of their professionalism and hurt the learning process.


Appointment of Voting Delegates for the October 15th PSBA Delegate Assembly Meeting
PSBA Website June 27, 2016
The governing body boards of all member school entities are entitled to appoint voting delegates to participate in the PSBA Delegate Assembly to be held on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016. It is important that school boards act soon to appoint its delegate or delegates, and to notify PSBA of the appointment.
Voting members of the Delegate Assembly will:
1.     Consider and act upon proposed changes to the PSBA Bylaws.
2.     Receive reports from the PSBA president, executive director and treasurer.
3.     Receive the results of the election for officers and at-large representatives. (Voting upon candidates by school boards and electronic submission of each board’s votes will occur during the month of September 2016.)
4.     Consider proposals recommended by the PSBA Platform Committee and adopt the legislative platform for the coming year.
5.     Conduct other Association business as required or permitted in the Bylaws, policies or a duly adopted order of business.
The 2016 Delegate Assembly will meet on Saturday, Oct. 15, at the conclusion of the regularly scheduled events of the main PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference.

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.
https://www.psba.org/2016/05/nominations-now-open-allwein-awards/

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:
https://s3.goeshow.com/seee/PAEdLeadershipSummit/ereg312499.cfm?clear

PA Supreme Court sets Sept. 13 argument date for fair education funding lawsuit in Philly
Thorough and Efficient Blog JUNE 16, 2016 BARBGRIMALDI LEAVE A COMMENT
https://edfundinglawsuit.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/pa-supreme-court-sets-argument-date-for-fair-education-funding-lawsuit/

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