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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup October 6, 2016
Time
for return to local control in Philly?
Last
day to register to vote is 10/11/16. Did you know you can do it online? Don't
wait! http://votesPA.com
Basic Education Funding workshops coming
to your area
PA now has a permanent Basic Education Funding formula. Learn more about how it works, what it measures and why it's important. Workshops sponsored by PASA, PSBA, PAIU, PARSS, PA Principals Association and PASBO are coming to an area near you.
PA now has a permanent Basic Education Funding formula. Learn more about how it works, what it measures and why it's important. Workshops sponsored by PASA, PSBA, PAIU, PARSS, PA Principals Association and PASBO are coming to an area near you.
To register and see more details, locations and dates here.
Neff and Houstoun resign from SRC
Both said they wanted a smooth
transition. Critics, including Council President Clarke, redoubled calls to
abolish the five-member board and return to local control.
Thew notebook/WHYY Newsworks by
Dale Mezzacappa and Avi Wolfman-Arent October 5, 2016 — 2:55pm UPDATED 7 p.m.
Full statements and reactions from officials and activists at the
bottom of the story.
Marjorie Neff and Feather
Houstoun both announced their intention to resign from the five-member School
Reform Commission today, speeding up the timetable for Gov. Wolf and Mayor
Kenney to name their replacements. Both
of their terms were due to expire in January, along with that of Commissioner
Sylvia Simms. They both said they chose to resign sooner – Houstoun on
Oct. 14 and Neff on Nov. 3 – so that there was a gradual change in the
composition of the decision-making body instead of an abrupt upheaval. “Critical votes start to happen in January,
and there needs to be time for people to transition,” Neff said in an
interview. “That’s why I thought it was important to tender my resignation a
little early. It gives someone time to get oriented before January.” Houstoun echoed that: “I had come to the
conclusion ... that having a total change of SRC members in January was not as
good an approach as having overlap in a transition period.” Houstoun also cited a desire to spend more
time with family. The resignations come
as questions escalate over whether the SRC, a joint state-city panel that was
put in charge of the School District 15 years ago, is fulfilling its mandate or
should be abolished in favor of a return to local control.
Two out at SRC: Neff, Houstoun resign
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, STAFF WRITER Updated: OCTOBER 5, 2016 2:53
PM EDT
The School Reform Commission will
soon get a major overhaul, with its chair and its longest-tenured commissioner
tendering their resignations Wednesday. Chairwoman
Marjorie Neff, a former Philadelphia principal, and Commissioner Feather
Houstoun, who ran the William Penn Foundation and served as a top official in
both Pennsylvania and New Jersey state governments, are both out. The terms of both women were due to expire in
January, and neither was expected to be reappointed. The term of a third
commissioner, Sylvia Simms, is also up in early 2017.
“For those who fear the change, be aware
that it would not happen overnight. According to the law authorizing the SRC,
"The dissolution declaration shall be issued at least one hundred eighty
(180) days prior to the end of the current school year and shall be effective
at the end of that school year."
One Request of New SRC
Candidates: Dissolve!
Caucus of Working Educators POSTED
BY THE CAUCUS BLOG ON OCTOBER 05, 2016
For 15 years, Philadelphia
schools have been run by an unaccountable, undemocratic, unpopular, and
unsuccessful administration – the School Reform Commission. Last year, more than 75% of Philadelphia
voters approved a referendum to abolish the SRC. Why? Perhaps because the SRC’s
history is plagued by corruption, unconstitutional
acts, disrespect for
its own employees and students,
and utter inefficacy. The ongoing, state-generated budget crisis should put to
rest any argument that continuing to give away control of our school district
will somehow increase our access to state funding. The only legally realistic path for the
abolition of the SRC is for it to vote to disband itself. The current
members have been unwilling to do so. However, the pending resignations of
Commissioners Neff and Houstoun, and the upcoming end of term for Commissioner
Simms, creates an opportunity for Mayor Kenney and Governor Wolf to appoint a
majority who will vote to disband the SRC.
The appointment of new SRC members provides our best, and perhaps
only, opportunity to make that a reality in the foreseeable future.
These three appointments would immediately hold a majority and thus be able to
pass any resolution.
State
officials hear testimony on equity education in Allentown School District
Jacqueline
Palochko Contact Reporter Of The Morning
Call October 5, 2016
What do parents of Allentown
students have to tell Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission?
ALLENTOWN — State officials heard
two hours of testimony from Allentown parents and community members who say
Allentown teachers and administrators do not understand the culture of minority
students, and are therefore giving students a failing education. Wednesday night, members of the Pennsylvania
Human Relations Commission held a meeting in Allentown to listen to the
community on equal educational opportunity issues in the district. Commissioners, who enforce state laws
prohibiting discrimination, said they have not received any formal complaints
about the Allentown School District. But they made clear they are available to
help the district, if Allentown officials want to better their diversity
efforts.
“And he’s one of very few minorities to
hold statewide office in Pennsylvania. Billy Penn analyzed archived news reports, research, Census
records, birth records, death records, marriage license applications and county
histories, among other sources, 1 to see how many women and people
of color have served in statewide offices. Between the 18th Century and today,
just five women have been elected to seven 2 statewide executive positions.
Another 25 have been elected to statewide judicial seats, out of more than 200
judges. Five African-Americans have been elected to these same courts,
according to the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and
Ethnic Fairness. No woman has been elected governor or sent to the U.S. Senate.
In history of the Commonwealth, there have been no Asian-Americans, nor anyone
Latinx and no one openly LGBT.
Pennsylvania’s electeds aren’t
representative of the state at the district level, either. In 2015, 77 percent
of the population was white, compared to the 91 percent of the General Assembly
who identified as White, according to the National Conference on State
Legislatures. Fifty-one percent of Pennsylvanians were women, yet 18 percent of
our lawmakers have been.”
Why Pennsylvania’s statewide offices are
almost always white and male
Billy Penn By Cassie Owens October 5, 2016
Pennsylvania Treasurer Tim Reese
knows his circumstances aren’t the norm. In 2015, the Montco-based entrepreneur
became the first person of color to serve in elected statewide executive row
office, but he did not land there through the will of voters. Reese is an
appointee. Predecessor Rob McCord, who was
elected in 2008, resigned from his post in 2015 shortly before pleading guilty
to extortion. Gov. Tom Wolf picked Reese, who previously managed investment
firms, to serve out the remainder of McCord’s term. Reese stated early on that
he had no intention to run to keep his seat, which is up for grabs this
November. Why did it take so long for a person of color to serve on the
executive row? “I don’t know; I can’t
really answer that. I’m not a part of the political machine. I’m a
businessman,” Reese told Billy Penn. But he’s well aware that he’s a
rarity in mostly white, mostly male Harrisburg.
Adam Berry/Getty Images October 6, 2016 12:02 AM Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A+ Schools named its interim
executive director James Fogarty as the new head of the educational advocacy
organization, it announced Wednesday.
Thirty-two applicants put in for the position in a national search that
began after longtime executive director Carey Harris left in May to run the
Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission. A screening committee that included
Pittsburgh Public Schools parents, a PPS principal, community organization
leaders and foundations recommended Mr. Fogarty, 39. Board members voted him in Tuesday. “We are excited to have someone
with the depth and breadth of James’ experience to take the reins of the
organization at this critical time in our city’s history,” said Tracey Reed
Armant, chairwoman of the A+ Schools board, in a news release. “We are
confident that he will continue to rally this community around the urgent need
for access to quality schools for all children. And that he will continue to
focus attention on the persistent gaps in opportunities and achievement for
black and brown children in Pittsburgh.”
Mr. Fogarty, who has worked on political and advocacy campaigns and
trained to be an attorney, has been A+ Schools' communications director since
2012.
Milken foundation honors Andrew Jackson
Elementary teacher with surprise assembly and $25,000
The notebook by Darryl Murphy October
5, 2016 — 4:12pm
This morning, students and
faculty at Andrew Jackson Elementary School in South Philadelphia gathered for
a surprise, courtesy of the Milken Family Foundation. Sometimes called the “Oscar of
teaching,” the Milken Educator Award is presented to teachers from across the
country who are doing exceptional work. The ideal candidates are in the
early to middle stages of their careers, showing great potential for the
future. The first Milken Educator Award
presented in 2016-17 went to … 5th-grade science and math teacher Jayda
Pugliese. Candidates aren’t nominated,
nor do they apply for the award. They’re chosen through a secret process, then
reviewed by blue ribbon panels appointed by the state Departments of Education.
Once the finalists are selected, the Milken Family Foundation makes the final
choices.
“The newly released report comes just as
the department announced $245 million in new grants to
state educational agencies and CMOs under its Charter Schools Program, which
funds the creation and expansion of charters around the country. The Charter
Schools Program has invested more than $3 billion into these schools since
1995, helping more than 2,500 charter schools
open.”
Education Department slammed for charter
school oversight — by its own watchdog office
Washington Post Answer Sheet
Blog By Valerie
Strauss October 5 at 1:03 PM The Education Department has for more than 10 years poured in excess of $3 billion into the creation and operation of charter schools, but according to a new audit by the agency’s own inspector general’s office, it has failed in some cases to provide adequate oversight and as a result has put its own grants at risk. The audit, titled, “Nationwide Assessment of Charter and Education Management Organizations” and conducted by the department’s inspector general (see below), looked at the relationship that several dozen charter schools have had with their own charter management organizations (CMOs). It found, among other things that there were “internal control weaknesses” related to the schools’ relationships to their CMOs that were so severe that the department’s own program objectives were at “significant risk.” And it says: The Department’s internal controls were insufficient to mitigate the significant financial, lack of accountability and performance risks that charter school relationships with CMOs pose to Department program objectives.
Audit: Cronyism Between Charters,
Management Groups Imperils Federal Aid
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on October 5, 2016 1:32 PM Cross-posted from the Charters and Choice blog By
Arianna Prothero
A federal audit warns that cozy
relationships between charter schools and the organizations that run some of
them could put federal funding at risk. Charter
management organizations, or CMOs, are groups that run critical functions like
finances, fundraising, communications, and curriculum for multiple charter
schools. Not all charter schools are run
by a CMO—the majority of charter schools in the country are actually
single-campus operations. The level of
independence between the school and the CMO varies on a case-by-case basis, and
the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General, which conducted
the audit, is basically saying that in some instances there is so little
independence between the school and the management group that it could lead—and
has led—to trouble. The OIG audit
examined 33 schools in six states and found several examples of conflicts of
interest, related-party transactions, and insufficient segregation of
duties—all controls designed to prevent fraud.
OIG
Report: Charter Schools Pose Risk to Education Department Goals
In some cases, charter schools and the organizations that oversee
them are posing a risk to federal education programs.
US News By Lauren Camera | Education
Reporter Oct. 5, 2016, at 2:20 p.m.
Charter schools and their
management organizations pose a potential risk to federal funds even as they
threaten to fall short of meeting the goals of an array of programs the
Department of Education oversees, a new audit from the Office of Inspector
General found. Investigators assessed
the risk that charter schools receiving federal funds, specifically the
schools’ relationships with the organizations that oversee them, posed to the
objectives of department programs, including the federal K-12 law, special
education, school turnaround efforts and others. The audit period covered July
2011 through March 2013 and assessed 33 charter schools in six states. Specifically, the report found instances of
financial risk, including waste, fraud and abuse, lack of accountability over
federal funds and lack of assurances that the schools were implementing federal
programs in accordance with federal requirements at 22 of the 33 schools they
looked at, all of which were run by management organizations.
U.S. Department of Education Office
of Inspector General September 2016
Education Commission of the
States by Michael Griffith October 5, 2016
In meeting-after-meeting in
state-after-state I’ve been asked the same question, “Isn’t there some new way
that we can fund public education?” People wonder why we stick with
the current system that relies primarily on sales and income taxes for the
state share of education funding, and property taxes for local school
district’s contributions. Eventually someone will ask, “Why don’t we just pay
for our public education system through other revenue streams that are more
expectable to the general public such as alcohol and tobacco taxes or
lotteries?” While using this combination of “sin taxes” can sound appealing its
just not a viable option for funding schools in the United States
Education Bloggers Daily Highlights
10/6/2016
Webinar: The End of the Campaign Season
and Key Pennsylvania State Races Nov 3, 2016 • 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
As the election campaign season
comes to a close, join the experts for a webinar outlining the key state races
that will affect public school districts for the next several years. Presenters are Sean Crampsie, PSBA
Lobbyist/Social Media Information Specialist, and David Patti, chief revenue
officer at Sacunas – a global B2B marketing firm in Harrisburg. Patti is
considered one of the business community’s national leaders in education issues
and has more than 30 years of experience in government and public affairs at
the local, state and federal levels. He is a member of Gov. Wolf’s Advisory
Board on Education and Workforce and the creator of the PA Education Summit. Fee: This webinar is available at no cost.
Registration is available online:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8145673996997701121
Want to help strengthen public education
in the commonwealth? Join with EdPAC, a political action committee that
supports the election of pro-public education leaders to the General Assembly.
Partner with EdPAC - fundraising reception Friday, Oct. 14 from 5-6
p.m. at the 2016 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference
Want to help strengthen public education in the commonwealth? Join with EdPAC, a political action committee that supports the election of pro-public education leaders to the General Assembly. EdPAC will hold a fundraising reception Friday, Oct. 14 from 5-6 p.m. at the 2016 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference. Visit the website to register online and learn more.
Want to help strengthen public education in the commonwealth? Join with EdPAC, a political action committee that supports the election of pro-public education leaders to the General Assembly. EdPAC will hold a fundraising reception Friday, Oct. 14 from 5-6 p.m. at the 2016 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference. Visit the website to register online and learn more.
The Public Interest Law Center invites you
to its 2016 Annual Event: “Of the People, By the People, For the People.” Thursday,
Oct 6, 2016 at 6:00 PM
FringeArts 140 N. Columbus Blvd.,
Philadelphia, PA
Honoring: Soil
Generation, Nicholas Chimicles, and Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
http://www.pubintlaw.org/2016event/Coffee and Networking - 9:30 a.m. Program - 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Technical College High School
(Brandywine Campus) - 443 Boot Rd., Downingtown, PA 19335
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. 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
Dan Fogarty, Director of Workforce Development & COO, Berks County Workforce Development Board
Kirk Williard, Ed.D., Director of Career, Technical & Customized Education, Chester County Intermediate Unit
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 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.
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
SAVE THE DATE LWVPA Convention 2017 June
1-4, 2017
Join the
League of Women Voters of PA for our 2017 Biennial Convention at the beautiful
Inn at Pocono Manor!
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