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Tuesday, September 13, 2016

PA Ed Policy Roundup Sept 13: Today’s PA Supreme Court education funding case: Here's what you need to know

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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup September 13, 2016:
Today’s PA Supreme Court education funding case: Here's what you need to know



Southeastern PA Regional 2016 Legislative Roundtable: William Tennent High School (Bucks Co.) SEP 22, 2016 • 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Auditor General DePasquale slated to be Keynote Speaker
School Leaders from Northampton, Lehigh, Bucks, Montco, Chesco, Delco and Philadelphia Counties encouraged to attend.



Officials voice concerns about Keystone exams
Delco Times By LORETTA RODGERS, Times Correspondent POSTED: 09/13/16, 12:07 AM EDT
ASTON >> Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Democratic Policy Committee on Monday convened at Northley Middle School and listened to more than two hours of testimony related to graduation requirements and high-stakes testing.  Discussion was specifically centered around the Keystone graduation requirement, originally scheduled to go into effect with the class of 2017, but with the passage of House Bill 880 in February 2016, the implementation of the requirement was delayed until the 2018-2019 school year.  The graduation requirement, which would make it necessary for all high school seniors in Pennsylvania to take and pass tests in the areas of Algebra I, Biology, and Language Arts in order to earn a diploma, has come under fire by educators, school board members, parents and students alike.  “The issue of testing has come up time and time again,” said state Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky, D-161, of Swarthmore. “Students told me how much of their time was taken up by testing and they told me how much they were not able to do because of testing and it got me thinking seriously about this issue.”  Krueger-Braneky, who is running for re-election this year against Republican Patti Rodgers Morrisette, indicated that high-stakes testing puts unnecessary pressure on students, who are fearful of not graduating even though they do well in school.  Monday’s testimony was offered by Matt Stern, deputy secretary for the office of elementary and secondary education, Pennsylvania Department of Education; Dr. George Steinhoff, superintendent of the Penn-Delco School District; Jerry Oleksiak, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA); Jon Callahan, assistant executive director, Pennsylvania School Boards Association; Lawrence Feinberg, founder and co-chair, Keystone Education Collation and Donna Cooper, executive director, Public Citizens for Children and Youth.

Rural students deserve their fair share of school funding: Joe Bard and Karen Jez
PennLive Op-Ed  By Joe Bard and Karen Jez on September 12, 2016 at 12:00 PM, updated September 12, 2016 at 5:42 PM
In Pennsylvania, more students are educated in rural schools than in the school districts of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Allentown and Erie combined.  Despite their geographic differences, many of those hundreds of thousands of rural students share an unfortunate—and unconstitutional—reality with their urban neighbors: They attend resource-starved schools, with large class sizes, crumbling buildings, and missing programs.  And those deprived students share a common culprit: the state's chronic failure to fully and fairly fund its schools.  Take Shenandoah Valley School District in Schuylkill County, which serves 1,100 students, is one of the Commonwealth's most impoverished districts, and which is greatly underfunded.  If the Commonwealth applied the recently adopted school funding formula to the entire pot of state basic education funding currently available —rather than just the six percent of that pot it applies to now—Shenandoah would receive an additional $2.4 million, or $2,173 more per student.  But the current pot is inadequate, because it has been created without consideration of the most fundamental calculation: the total resources each district needs to educate its children.

“Oral arguments for William Penn v. PDE will be heard in Philadelphia City Hall Courtroom 456 at 9 a.m.”
Pa. Supreme Court hears education funding case today
Delco Times By Kevin Tustin, ktustin@21st-centurymedia.com, @KevinTustin on Twitter POSTED: 09/13/16, 12:04 AM EDT
Philadelphia>> Oral arguments will be held today in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to address the issue of adequate state funding for all 500 public school districts across the commonwealth.  Attorneys from the Public Interest Law Center and Education Law Center will make their pleas against the state in the case William Penn School District et. al. v. Pa. Department of Education et. al., a case brought about by school districts, state and national groups and private citizens against state leaders who say that the state is violating its constitution’s education and equal protection clauses for not providing the adequate funds for school districts.  “I’m glad we will finally get the chance to tell the court why it needs to enforce the state constitution which requires the legislature to adequately support its schools,” said PILC lawyer Michael Churchill. “Enforcing constitutional commands is a core duty of the courts.”  The state Supreme Court’s involvement with the case comes after the Pennylvania Commonwealth Court’s April 21, 2015 decision that dismissed the plaintiff’s petition for review, saying that it was a legislative policy determination for the General Assembly to determine what an adequate education is or what would level of funding would be sufficient.

State Supreme Court to hear school funding lawsuit
Morning Call by Steve Esack Contact Reporter Call Harrisburg Bureau September 12, 2016
HARRISBURG — In the 2012 election he won to become governor, Tom Wolfcampaigned on a promise to increase education funding far beyond that of his predecessor.  Now, just 21 months into his first term Wolf is heading to court to defend his education spending record.  On Tuesday, Wolf's Democratic administration and the Republican-controlled Legislature will try to persuade the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reject a lawsuit that would compel the state to provide more money to public schools.  The lawsuit, which Wolf inherited from GOP Gov. Tom Corbett, claims the governor and lawmakers fail in their constitutional requirement to properly fund public schools while forcing them to abide by various academic and graduation standards.  Filed by seven parents and six school districts, the lawsuit was previously dismissed by Commonwealth Court. Tuesday's oral arguments before the Supreme Court is an appeal of the dismissal and seeks a trial on the case.

Pennsylvania's education funding case: Here's what you need to know
WHYY Newsworks BY AVI WOLFMAN-ARENT SEPTEMBER 12, 2016
A word  of warning: This story will be venturing into the weeds.
But bear with us. Because the outcome of the lawsuit described below could determine a lot of things that you probably care about — including your local tax rate, whether your kids get new textbooks, or whether they get textbooks at all.  All of this comes down to how the state of Pennsylvania funds education. And that system is facing a big challenge right now in court.  On Tuesday, the State Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of William Penn School District versus the Pennsylvania Department of Education.  This case will not determine whether Pennsylvania’s educational funding scheme violates the state Constitution. Instead, it will determine whether the state courts are a suitable place to hash out this disagreement over education funding.  Twice before the state courts have denied this type of claim. They’ve essentially said education funding is the Legislature’s job — leave us out of it.  But the plaintiffs this time around think they’ve got an edge that their predecessors didn’t.

Before court weighs in, a rally for education funding
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer Updated: SEPTEMBER 13, 2016 — 1:08 AM EDT
With trumpets and speeches, a drum line and song, students, teachers, politicians and others rallied Monday for education funding in advance of an important Pennsylvania Supreme Court hearing on the matter.  The high court will hear arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit charging that the state has abdicated its responsibility to adequately fund school districts across the commonwealth.  Parents, including two from Philadelphia, and districts including the William Penn system in Delaware County sued the state in 2014. Also joining the lawsuit were the Pennsylvania NAACP and other organizations.  They said that Pennsylvania had "adopted an irrational school funding system that does not deliver the essential resources students need and discriminates against children based on where they live and the wealth of their communities."

Concert to support fair funding lawsuit takes over Dilworth Park
Dozens of performers from across the state came together in music and song.
The notebook by Greg Windle September 12, 2016 — 4:49pm
Students from Penn Wood High School’s marching band performed Monday outside City Hall during a “sing-in” organized by POWER and other education advocacy groups. The concert was a prelude to Tuesday’s Pennsylvania Supreme Court hearing on the fair funding lawsuit against the state.  Performers from across Pennsylvania, including step teams and church choirs, converged on Dilworth Park on the west side of City Hall to show support for fair funding of public schools. Penn Wood is part of the William Penn School District, one of the plaintiffs in the case. Teachers and students from that Delaware County district spoke about the need for a more equitable funding formula, citing a shortage of textbooks, too few seats in advanced classes, and dysfunctional heating and cooling systems in their school buildings.  “This is judgment day,” said City Council President Darrell Clarke. “For far too long, not only the children of Philadelphia, but also the children of Pennsylvania have been short-changed.”  City Councilmember Helen Gym pointed out that the state’s new fair funding formula — being contested as a part of the lawsuit — does help, but only applies to new funding, which is just 3 percent of all state funding this year.

FIGHT FOR FUNDING PA. PUBLIC SCHOOLS HEADED TO COURT
6ABC Action News Monday, September 12, 2016 07:25PM
CENTER CITY (WPVI) -- The fight for funding in Pennsylvania public schools will come to a head Tuesday when a lawsuit makes its way to the state Supreme Court.  On Monday, supporters rallied for their cause at Philadelphia City Hall.  Students, the band, and faculty from the William Penn School District were joined by Philadelphia community leaders.  The William Penn School District versus the Pennsylvania Department of Education argument is being heard at the State Supreme Court.  "I just started school today and I went into my physics classroom and there's not enough seats for me," senior Jameira Miller said.  Miller is passionate about what she says is the Department of Education's unfair distribution of funds.  "I see this as ridiculous because we're fighting for equality and we're fighting for equal funding. We're fighting for equality and that's something we should have already had," Miller said.

Pass Or Fail? Pa. Supreme Court To Hear School Funding Lawsuit
CBS Philly September 12, 2016 8:30 PM By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Meeting in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Tuesday in an appeal brought by advocates who say the state’s education funding is inadequate.  The suit brought by six school districts two years ago claimed the state was violating the Pennsylvania constitution by failing to provide enough money for schools.  “What it says is that the General Assembly shall support and maintain a thorough and efficient system,” said Deborah Gordon Klehr, Executive Director of the Education Law Center, co-representing the plaintiffs. And what we know is that that’s not happening.”  The Public Interest Law Center is also representing the plaintiffs. The state is arguing against a full trial in Commonwealth Court. Governor Tom Wolf’s spokesman Jeff Sheridan says the judicial branch should not overreach its authority.

”This past June, Governor Wolf also signed a bill that established a fair funding formula that will ensure that all students, no matter where they live or what school they attend, are getting the education they deserve. The fair funding formula accounts for the wealth of the district, the district’s current tax effort, the ability of the district to raise revenue, the number of children in the district who live in poverty, are enrolled in charter schools, or are English language learners. Prior to the signing of this bill, Pennsylvania was one of only three states in the nation without a fair funding formula”
Guest Column: How Gov. Tom Wolf is delivering for Pa. students
Delco Times By Pedro Rivera, Times Guest Columnist POSTED: 09/13/16, 5:05 AM EDT
Pedro Rivera is Pennsylvania Secretary of Education.
As students are returning to their classrooms this fall, I want to reflect upon the significant accomplishments Governor Wolf has achieved for the children of Pennsylvania. When Governor Wolf took office, our schools were reeling due to the previous administration’s devastating $1 billion cut that led to larger class sizes, soaring property taxes, educator layoffs, and the elimination and reduction of vital programs. Data also shows that as education classroom funding fell, so did student scores in reading and math.  Throughout his campaign, Governor Wolf made a commitment to the commonwealth’s children and teachers to do everything that he could to ensure they had the resources necessary to create a successful learning environment. As soon as he took office, Governor Wolf began visiting schools to understand the challenges that classrooms were facing. Since that time, Governor Wolf and other members of his administration, including myself, have visited over 110 schools. But more importantly, Governor Wolf put his money where his mouth was and did exactly what he said he would. In his first two years of office, Governor Wolf has secured historic education funding increases totaling almost $640 million dollars, including $415 million in basic education funding, $60 million for early childhood education, and $50 million in special education funding.

Pa. Supreme Court to consider school funding challenges
WITF Written by The Associated Press | Sep 13, 2016 4:46 AM
 (Philadelphia) -- Pennsylvania's highest court is about to hear arguments in a case that could revamp how school funding in the commonwealth is divvied up.  The state Supreme Court's session today in Philadelphia includes a lawsuit by several school districts, parents and others that challenges the state's method of funding public education.  A lower court rejected the lawsuit last year, saying school funding was a political decision that should be ironed out by the governor and state lawmakers.  In a brief submitted to the justices last week, Democratic Governor Tom Wolf noted a negotiated funding formula for public schools was enacted on June 1.  He also says public school funding has risen in both of his first two state budgets.

Wolf addresses financial woes of state’s public schools
Standard Speaker by MARIA JACKETTI / PUBLISHED: SEPTEMBER 13, 2016
Gov. Tom Wolf did not mince words when asked about public education in the state.
“It is not a very good future,” Wolf said.  That is how Wolf characterized the outlook if substantial changes in the way schools are funded are not implemented soon.  Wolf spoke to the Standard-Speaker on Monday afternoon, outlining his plans to save an education system that depends upon “fair and adequate funding” to reach 499 commonwealth school districts.  Wolf agreed that the Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement Fund, which the state neglected to fund properly for nearly two decades, forms a large part of the current problem.

At White House Summit, Pa. Education Secretary Discusses Ways to Move High Schools Forward
PR Newswire Yahoo News September 12, 2016
HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera was among the invited guests for the White House Next Generation High Schools Summit Monday in Washington, D.C.  Rivera and other education leaders from around the country attended the summit to engage in a deep dialogue about how to redesign the high school experience so that it is rigorous and relevant for students graduating into today's global community.  "Today was a great opportunity to share our unique perspectives and collectively consider ideas for how we can improve our schools and create opportunities for students," Rivera said. "Like many of my colleagues, I've visited dozens of schools, and have spoken with hundreds of educators and stakeholders who provide me their ideas for best practices on how the state and communities can work together to impact education."  Rivera added that Pennsylvania is on the forefront of this educational evolution, through its stakeholder engagement process for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and through Governor Wolf's Schools That Teach initiative, which puts an emphasis on investing in high-quality Pre-K through postsecondary programs, expanding options for college and career readiness, and spurring an increase the number of STEM graduates. Since taking office, Governor Wolf has secured a historic $415 million in basic education funding for public schools, and worked with the state legislature to pass a new fair funding formula to ensure state education dollars are distributed in manner that provides access to a high-quality education for all Pennsylvania students, regardless of zip code.

Lower Merion School Board gets an earful, but resisting judge's order to roll back tax hike
WHYY Newsworks BY LAURA BENSHOFF SEPTEMBER 13, 2016
More than 100 residents came out to a school board meeting in Lower Merion last night, the first following a judge's order to roll back a recent property tax increase in the wealthy Montgomery County school district.  After becoming suspicious of annual tax hikes, three Lower Merion residents, Arthur Wolk, Philip Browndeis and Catherine Marchand, filed a suit, alleging the district deceived taxpayers and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (DOE) in order to get around limits imposed on annual property tax increases. In August, Judge Joseph Smyth agreed and granted an injunction, ordering the latest tax hike be rescinded.  From the outset, Board members and officials defended their practices as both legal and necessary.  "The district employs sound, good accounting practices. There is no doubt about that," said superintendent Robert Copeland, who also highlighted the school's commitment to going beyond minimum standards for education by providing an array of gifted classes and special accommodations for students.  In a joint presentation with school district business manager Victor Orlando, Copeland explained that ratcheting costs for special education, pensions and increased enrollment made the district's budget unpredictable.

Pine-Richland board ends practice of allowing students to use restroom of their expressed gender identity
Trib Live BY VINCE TOWNLEY | Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, 10:27 p.m.
The Pine-Richland School Board on Monday ended the district's practice of allowing transgender students to use the bathroom facility of their expressed gender identity.  On a vote of 5-4, the board approved a resolution that permits students to use either a restroom facility that corresponds to their biological sex or a unisex facility.  Superintendent Brian Miller said administrators would begin implementing the new practice as soon as possible, perhaps as early as Tuesday. That will include communicating with parents and students about what changes the new practice will bring.  Prior to the vote, district Solicitor Patrick Clair cautioned the board that adopting the resolution could open the district to private lawsuits filed on behalf of affected students.

What can cursive writing teach kids? Plenty, say some
Trib Live BY ELIZABETH BEHRMAN  | Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, 10:42 p.m.
Violet Peluso made sure she was at the front of the group, where she could see the teacher and her rabbit puppet.  When the music started, she joined her first-grade classmates in their rendition of “The Magic C Rap,” dancing around and tracing the letter “C” in the air with her finger.  “I do a lot of karaoke,” said Violet, 6, after she sat down at her desk and copied the letter several times in her handwriting workbook. “It's good practice.”  Her teacher at McIntyre Elementary School, Carol Nelson, told each student to circle their best letter and close their books. The lesson lasted for about 10 minutes.  North Hills School District is among a growing number of districts that are putting renewed emphasis on handwriting — specifically, cursive — after new research has shown that teaching the looping, continuous writing style benefits brain development, memory retention and fine motor skills.

Have districts saved too little, enough or too much?
York Daily Record by  Angie Mason, amason@ydr.com6:04 a.m. EDT September 12, 2016
How much money should a school district have set aside for a rainy day?
It's not an exact science, according to business managers and financial experts. Have too much, and it can seem like a school district is hoarding taxpayer money. Have too little, and there's a chance the district won't be prepared for some unexpected expense — or, say, an extended state budget impasse when state revenue stops flowing.  The state auditor general recently flagged Eastern York School District's rapidly decreasing unassigned fund balance — essentially, money left after expenses, not designated for any specific use — raising concern that without enough, the district could be unprepared or face higher borrowing costs in the future.  Eastern's unassigned fund balance had fallen to less than 5 percent of its expenses. Four other York County districts have hit that point, too, in recent years, according to fund balance records available from the state.

It’s not just Coatesville: funding crisis coming to your school, too
As poorer districts struggle, they are everyone’s future without state action
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Unionville Times Sep 9th, 2016
If you’ve been in and around Coatesville recently, you may have seen picketing teachers — as was the case at the district’s three middle schools Thursday night. The contract between the district and the Coatesville Area Teachers Association expired in late August and there has been little movement on a new contract.  And the teachers are frustrated that Superintendent of Schools Cathy Taschner was given a new five-year contract, but they can’t seem to get any traction on a new deal with pay hikes anywhere near the cost of living increases. They feel, understandably, unappreciated.  But here’s the problem: where is the money for pay raises going to come from? Between diminishing property values and the hard wall that is Act I of 2006 (the law that limits how much property tax can increase) there isn’t enough money to properly pay the teachers. If you support the teachers — and in general most folks do — what programs do you cut to pay to boost salaries, benefits and the pension hit?  Not to mention the increasing expense and impact of special education costs, millions of dollars of state and federally mandated spending without much in the way of funding. Add in the fact that charter schools cherry pick the least impaired special education students, then send the district the bill for the full boat cost (nice to have the taxpayers as profit center, right?), making the finances even worse.


The Charter School Movement Is a Vehicle for Fraud and Corruption
As it is presently constituted.
Esquire BY CHARLES P. PIERCE SEP 12, 2016 
As I may have mentioned, we have a red-hot ballot initiative up here in the Commonwealth (God Save It!) in which we are asked whether or not we want to lift the cap on the number of charter schools in the state. The usual suspects and the usual out-of-state money are weighing in heavily on the YES side of things; their ads continually portray charters as merely an extension of the existing public school system even though experience everywhere tells us that the people who are making big bank of education "reform" generally, and on charters in specific, insist that they be allowed to run their businesse…er…schools independently of the school boards that manage the rest of the public system. In other words, all they want from the public school system is money and suckers.  The latest example of this comes to us from California where, as The Washington Post informs us, the charter system is a complete and utter dog's breakfast.

Clinton’s and Trump’s plans to help education differ sharply
Delco Times By The Associated Press POSTED: 09/12/16, 8:29 AM EDT 
WASHINGTON >> Hillary Clinton has spent decades talking about the needs of children and touting the benefits of early education. It’s a new subject for Donald Trump.  The Republican presidential nominee added plans for education to his still relatively thin roster of policy proposals this past week, unveiling an effort to spend $20 billion during his first year in office to help states expand school choice programs. Trump wasn’t shy about his intentions, debuting his ideas at an inner-city charter school in Cleveland as part of his new outreach to minority voters.  “There’s no failed policy more in need of urgent change than our government-run education monopoly,” Trump said at the school, blaming the Democratic Party for having “trapped millions of African-American and Hispanic youth in failing government schools that deny them the opportunity to join the ladder of American success.”  “It’s time to break up that monopoly,” he said.  But like many of his policy plans, this was one was vague, with few specifics.

A new way to honor high schools, without looking at test scores
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss September 12 at 6:00 AM 
Tests taken. Test scores. Graduation rates. These are the central data points for most high school rankings. But now there is something new — and very different.  Everybody knows about U.S. News & World Report’s famous college rankings, but they also rank high schools, based largely on standardized test scores as well as graduation rates. Washington Post education writer Jay Mathews does his long-standing “Challenge Index” rankings based not on test scores themselves but on a percentage of students in a school who took Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Advanced International Certificate of Education tests.  But now there is a high school honors list that has a different set of priorities. It’s the Schools of Opportunity, a project launched by educators who wanted to highlight public high schools that actively seek to close opportunity gaps through 11 research-proven practices and not test scores, which are more a measure of socio-economic status than anything else.  What kind of practices? They include health and psychological support for students, judicious and fair discipline policies, high-quality teacher mentoring programs, outreach to the community, effective student and faculty support systems, and broad and enriched curriculum. Schools submit applications explaining why they believe their school should be recognized.

The 20 schools that won 2016 Schools of Opportunity awards — and why they were selected
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss September 12 at 6:01 AM 
Here’s a post by the creators of the Schools of Opportunity awards revealing the 2016 winners and explaining why they were selected. The post beneath this one is an accompanying piece about school ratings. This was written by Kevin Welner, Carol Burris and Michelle Renée Valladares.  Welner is director of the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado Boulder and a professor specializing in educational policy and law. Burris, a former award-winning principal who is now executive director of the non-profit Network for Public Education. Valladares is associate director of the National Education Policy Center


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/

Education Law Center: Join us September 19: UC-Berkeley economist Rucker Johnson in Philadelphia
September 19: Please join us at 4:30 PM in the Mayor’s Reception Room in Philadelphia City Hall where economist and UC-Berkeley professor Dr. Rucker Johnson will discuss his recent national research which finds that sustained investment in education produces long-term economic benefits for communities. Mayor Kenney and Dr. Hite will also make brief remarks. This event is sponsored by the Education Law Center, The Mayor’s Office of Education, and Council President Darrell Clarke. Please spread the word and join us on the 19th! RSVP to Caitlyn Boyle: Caitlyn.Boyle@Phila.gov
To download the full invitation to the event, please click here.

Southeastern PA Regional 2016 Legislative Roundtable: William Tennent High School (Bucks Co.) SEP 22, 2016 • 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
PSBA website August 25, 2016
Take a more active role in public education advocacy by joining our Legislative Roundtable
This is your opportunity for a seat at the table (literally) with fellow public education advocates to take an active role in educating each other and policymakers.  Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, along with regional legislators, will be in attendance to work with you to support public education in Pennsylvania.  Use the form below to send your registration information!

EDUCATION LAW CENTER invites you to our ANNUAL CELEBRATION
Thursday, September 29, 2016 at 5:30 PM
The Crystal Tea Room, The Wanamaker Building
100 Penn Square East, Philadelphia, PA
Honoring: Pepper Hamilton LLP, Signe Wilkinson, Dr. Monique W. Morris
And presenting the ELC PRO BONO AWARD  to Paul Saint-Antoine & Chanda Miller
of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Registration for the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference Oct. 13-15 is now open
The conference is your opportunity to learn, network and be inspired by peers and experts.
TO REGISTER: See https://www.psba.org/members-area/store-registration/   (you must be logged in to the Members Area to register). You can read more on How to Register for a PSBA Event here.   CONFERENCE WEBSITE: For all other program details, schedules, exhibits, etc., see the conference website:www.paschoolleaders.org.

The Sixth Annual Arts and Education Symposium – October 27, 2016
The 2016 Arts and Education Symposium will be held on October 27 at the Radisson Hotel Harrisburg Convention Center.  Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Arts Education network and EPLC, the Symposium is a Unique Networking and Learning Opportunity for:
·         Arts Educators
·         School Leaders
·         Artists
·         Arts and Culture Community Leaders
·         Arts-related Business Leaders
·         Arts Education Faculty and Administrators in Higher Education
·         Advocates
·         State and Local Policy Leaders
Act 48 Credit is available.
Program and registration information are available here.

REGISTER NOW for the 2016 PA Principals Association State Conference, October 30 - November 1, at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College.
PA Principals Association website Tuesday, August 2, 2016 10:43 AM
To receive the Early Bird Discount, you must be registered by August 31, 2016:
Members: $300  Non-Members: $400
Featuring Three National Keynote Speakers: Eric Sheninger, Jill Jackson & Salome Thomas-EL

PSBA Officer Elections Aug. 15-Oct. 3, 2016: Slate of Candidates
PSBA members seeking election to office for the association were required to submit a nomination form no later than April 30, 2016, to be considered. All candidates who properly completed applications by the deadline are included on the slate of candidates below. In addition, the Leadership Development Committee met on June 24 at PSBA headquarters in Mechanicsburg to interview candidates. According to bylaws, the Leadership Development Committee may determine candidates highly qualified for the office they seek. This is noted next to each person’s name with an asterisk (*).  Each school entity will have one vote for each officer. This will require boards of the various school entities to come to a consensus on each candidate and cast their vote electronically during the open voting period (Aug. 15-Oct. 3, 2016). Voting will be accomplished through a secure third-party, web-based voting site that will require a password login. One person from each member school entity will be authorized as the official person to cast the vote on behalf of his or her school entity. In the case of school districts, it will be the board secretary who will cast votes on behalf of the school board.
Special note: Boards should be sure to include discussion and voting on candidates to its agenda during one of its meetings in September.


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