Tuesday, November 22, 2016

PA Ed Policy Roundup Nov 22: Two schools: 15 miles and worlds apart

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 3950 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup Nov 22, 2016
Two schools: 15 miles and worlds apart



Regional Basic Education Funding Formula Workshops
PASA, PSBA, PAIU, PARSS, the PA Principals Association and PASBO are traveling around the state to conduct regional workshops for school leaders to provide them with more information on the new basic education funding formula. Register below to attend a regional workshop to learn more about the new formula and what it means for your school district and for the state. Please note that capacity is limited at each location and registration is required. These regional workshops are being supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016 @ 9:00 am: Luzerne IU 18
(368 Tioga Ave, Kingston, PA 18704)
Tuesday, December 6, 2016 @ 6:00 pm: Chester County IU 24
(455 Boot Road, Downingtown, PA 19335)



Meet the two Pa. congressmen in Trump's transition team
WHYY Newsworks BY KATIE MEYER, WITF NOVEMBER 22, 2016
President-elect Donald Trump is in the midst of putting his Cabinet together and his transition team — led by Vice President-elect Mike Pence — is full of high-profile Trump supporters, some of whom are likely to score Cabinet jobs.  For Pennsylvanians, two of the names on the list may look familiar.  GOP Congressmen Lou Barletta and Tom Marino, who represent districts in central and northeast Pennsylvania, were two of Trump's earliest supporters in Congress.  They were rewarded with high-profile positions on the campaign trail.  Team Trump nicknamed the pair "Thunder and Lightning," and they served, more or less, as the opening act at many rallies.  "Lou and I — we're sort of interchangeable — and we're newer members, and we're tired of the establishment in D.C. Are you?" Marino said to a cheering crowd at one Pennsylvania event.  Barletta is considered a hard-liner on immigration. As mayor of Hazleton in the early 2000s, he led a controversial movement to revoke business licenses from immigrants in the country illegally.  Marino, who served as Lycoming County's district attorney, professes similar values.  Details are scarce on what exactly is next for the two congressmen; Marino and Barletta declined to be interviewed.

Two schools: 15 miles and worlds apart
A tale of two high schools
WHYY Newsworks BY AVI WOLFMAN-ARENT NOVEMBER 22, 2016
Upper Dublin High School in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, and Overbrook High School in Philadelphia are a mere 15 miles from each other. But they’re worlds apart.  Take the matter of water — that most basic element of human life.  Upper Dublin's new high school, finished in 2012, features an 18-lane swimming pool with two spring-diving boards and a movable bulkhead that allows the pool to be configured for swim meets and water polo matches. The natatorium even has its own air-filtration system so the smell of chlorine doesn’t seep into the surrounding hallways or waft in the way of enjoying the tasteful mosaic that adorns the entryway to the facility.  At Overbrook — built in the 1920s — there is no pool. The comprehensive high school in West Philadelphia does have water, but it isn’t always in the right place or in the right state. Testing recently revealed six outlets with lead levels above the school district’s minimum threshold for lead content.  Principal Yvette Jackson hopes to convert an abandoned room into a badly needed science lab, but can’t yet because the room has a drainage problem. The space fell into disrepair because budget cuts restricted the number of science teachers at Overbrook — and thus the number of science labs it could faithfully use.  Democratic state Sen. Vincent Hughes, who represents the communities surrounding Upper Dublin and Overbrook, toured both schools Monday to hammer home what he sees as the state’s funding inequities. 
“It breaks my heart,” he said.

State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Phila.), who organized the Overbrook tour and one earlier in the day of Upper Dublin High School, a $119 million new school also in his district, said he hoped the striking differences were not lost on the committee.  Upper Dublin has two theaters, a pool, and a water polo team. It has a spacious library where sun streams in and students have free access to the latest technology.  Entire parts of the Overbrook building are unusable. It has no librarian, and its technology is badly dated.
"I don't want to sugarcoat the stark differences that exist between what's being offered to the children here," Hughes said. "I just want us to be clear as we proceed down this path."
Officials told Philadelphia schools need $5b in repairs
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer Updated: NOVEMBER 22, 2016 1:07 AM EST
One by one, the dignitaries trooped into the computer lab at Overbrook High School - a room full of dusty desktops at least a decade old that await replacement.  Earlier, they had peered inside two nonfunctioning science labs, where trash sat inside lab sinks and water issues were common.  The Monday tour of Overbrook, a once-grand structure known as "the Castle on the Hill," was meant to give lawmakers who will distribute school-facilities money in Pennsylvania a grounding in just how vast the Philadelphia School District's capital needs are.  It would cost $5 billion to fully meet city schools' repair needs, officials told the state senators, representatives, and other members of the state PlanCon Advisory Committee who gathered at Overbrook on Monday to hear testimony and ask questions.

Bethlehem Area, charter school lock horns on charter renewal
Jacqueline Palochko Contact Reporter Of The Morning Call November 21, 2016
The Bethlehem Area School Board wants a local charter school that is seeking charter renewal to follow its rules to help save the district money, but the charter school has rejected those provisions, saying it already follows some of the rules and is questioning the legality of the others.  At Monday's school board meeting, Superintendent Joseph Roy informed the board of five proposals the district made to the Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School with regard to renewal of its charter. Lehigh Valley Academy rejected those five proposals, Roy said, but the district still included them in the charter. The board unanimously approved the charter with the district's proposals.  The proposals to the charter school were: Limit the enrollment of students from Bethlehem to 60 percent of the total charter enrollment; stop using public dollars to help cover the cost of lunch for students; align charter school calendar with Bethlehem Area's calendar for efficiency in transportation; enforce stricter residency verification to guarantee students Bethlehem Area is paying tuition for actually reside in the district; and hold at least one public meeting a month of the charter's board of trustees for the sake of transparency.  The proposals will "curb the skyrocketing cost of tuition payments," Roy said. He said limiting the enrollment of students from Bethlehem to 60 percent would save $1 million a year. The district is expected to pay $11 million to Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School this year; in 2010, the district paid the charter school $4.8 million

“Bob Fayfich, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools, said charter schools now enroll 135,000 students statewide.  “In the past even five years the charter schools have grown tremendously — almost doubled in size since 2011,” he said.  Still, Fayfich would like some reforms.  “I would like to see a closure of underperforming charter schools, and more support of outstanding charter schools,” he said.”
East suburban charter schools add offerings, enrollment
Trib Live BY EMILY BALSER | Monday, Nov. 21, 2016, 11:12 a.m.
Charter schools in the eastern suburbs have grown in number and expanded over the past decade.  Propel Schools facilities in Pitcairn and Turtle Creek, Spectrum Charter School in Monroeville and Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship, for example, offer students in the Penn Hills, Plum, Gateway and Woodland Hills districts and elsewhere alternatives to traditional public schools.  Charter schools are publicly funded but privately operated; when students leave their home districts to attend charter schools, state subsidy money goes with them.  “When it comes to education, families deserve a choice,” said Tina Chekan, CEO and superintendent of Propel Schools.  But the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, representing public districts, would like to see reform, spokesman Steve Robinson said.  “PSBA is not opposed to charter schools,” he said. “We do, however, have issues with the lack of transparency and accountability in the operation of many charter schools.”  The PSBA recently published a report on charter schools' revenue, expenditures and transparency. The report contends charters:
• Often aren't responsive to public right-to-know requests.
• Receive payments from districts that outpace charter enrollment.
• Are overpaid for special education costs.
Data for the report was obtained through Right-to-Know requests sent to each charter school, as well as through analyzing state Education Department and tax records of charter schools, according to the PSBA.

Erie School District deals with tough math
How much money to request from state?
By Ed Palattella Erie Times-News Posted November 22, 2016
Erie schools Superintendent Jay Badams continues to engage in a high-stakes numbers game.  He still must settle on a big number — how much the Erie School District will request in additional annual state funding so it can regain financial stability.  Badams and his staff got closer to determining that figure on Monday, as they drafted the latest version of the district's state-mandated financial recovery plan.  Badams said he expects to present the administration's final figure to the Erie School Board at a public work session at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the district administration building, at West 21st and Sassafras streets. He said the figure was in flux on Monday, as he and his staff grappled with what have become two of the most critical questions in the process.  What amount is too much?  What amount is too little?  Badams said he does not want to put the 11,500-student Erie School District at risk of getting nothing from the state by asking for an excessive amount of money. At the same time, Badams said, he does not want to ask the state for an amount that would be too small to keep the district solvent.

“The reports require districts to account for every student who plays every school-sponsored sport. Officials also track spending -- coach and trainer salaries, equipment, facility upgrades and travel expenses -- as well as any outside donations, including those from the boosters.”
Athletic opportunity reports require more time, information than local districts have
Beaver County Times By Daveen Rae Kurutz dkurutz@timesonline.com November 21, 2016
A state-required report that tracks middle-and-high-school spending and participation in athletics causes frustration for local officials tasked with compiling the information.  Pennsylvania legislators began requiring districts file a report each year on the athletic opportunities available for male and female students in grades seven through 12 as part of Act 82. The act, passed in 2012, made far-reaching changes to Pennsylvania’s school code. While the act is most well-known for changing how teachers are evaluated, it also required officials to track spending and participation in school athletics.  Each year, officials file Disclosure of Interscholastic Athletics Opportunities reports. The reports are typically filled out by business staff and athletic directors at districts -- but not everything that is requested is easily tracked.  “To do this right, I’d need to devote at least one person to it for at least a week,” said John Hynes, business manager at Beaver Area. “They’re asking for things in a different way than we track it, and it turns into a managerial nightmare.”

Despite ongoing budget issues, area schools don't want sports to be cut
Beaver County Times By Andrew Chiappazzi and Daveen Rae Kurutz Times Staff November 21, 2016
On a Wednesday night in late May, Erie Superintendent Jay Badams stood in front of his school board and a packed auditorium of parents to make a startling proposal: Rather than make more cuts and eliminate sports, arts and music programs, the district should pass an unbalanced budget.  Badams said he’d rather shut down all four of the city’s high schools than continue with program cuts. Drastic matters call for drastic actions, he said. When Badams took the helm of the state’s 10th-largest district in 2010, he erased a $26-million shortfall by cutting 240 teaching positions.  Enough was enough.  “The only things left substantial that we have to cut are student programs,” Badams said. “And that’s something we’ve tried avoid like the plague for the past five years.”  One of the poorest districts in the state, Erie’s financial crisis is extreme. But the district isn’t alone in dealing with a budget crunch. Districts across the state are trying to balance budgets littered with state mandates. Fixed costs – salaries, pensions, health-care fees, charter school payments – make up the vast majority of school budgets.  As those costs continue to rise, districts are trying to keep pace while state mandates limit how much officials can raise taxes each year. Despite those caps, 15 of the 19 districts in The Times’ coverage area increased property tax rates to balance budgets for the 2016-17 school year.

For these Philly kids, eyeglasses can be life-changing
by Tracey Romero, For The Inquirer Updated: NOVEMBER 19, 2016 — 4:00 AM EST
Imagine feeling disoriented walking home because you can't read street signs, or struggling in class because the whiteboard is too blurry to read.  This was La'Shawna Johns' daily existence after she fell down while running a few weeks ago. Her eyeglasses hit the ground, and she accidentally stepped on them when she got up.  The 14-year-old tried to muddle through by squinting but succeeded only in giving herself headaches. Her mother, Rasheedah Moore, knew her daughter needed help, but couldn't afford new glasses until June, when La'Shawna's insurance would pay for a new pair.  Then Moore heard of an alternative.  On a recent Saturday, mother and daughter rose before dawn to take the bus from their North Philadelphia home to Wills Eye Hospital in Center City. It was the seventh annual Give Kids Sight Day, where uninsured and underinsured kids such as La'Shawna could get free vision screening, exams, and glasses.  Yasir Ahmed, the Wills Eye fellow who examined La'Shawna, was amazed at how well the girl was managing, considering that she's so nearsighted that she couldn't even see the big E on the eye chart.  Thanks to the program, she'll get her new glasses in a couple of weeks, rather than waiting until summer.

How the GOP's Sweep in the States Will Shape America's Schools
Experts predict greater access to school vouchers, challenges to teacher-tenure laws, and continued fights over funding.
The Atlantic by LAURA MCKENNA  NOV 21, 2016
Many eyes have been on Trump Tower as the president-elect and his transition team have started to select key cabinet positions. Effectively shutting down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan during these deliberations, the team is making decisions that will shape wide-ranging policies, on everything from immigration to trade, in the coming years.  For people like myself who are closely monitoring what the future will look like schools, the locus of attention is not on Trump Tower, but on the state capitals, which have the greatest power over America’s classrooms. Like the upheaval that happened with the national election, the states had somewhat of their own shake up this November, with Republicans winning a record number of legislative spots—and a historic high for governorships—in what some have described as a “bloodbath.”  Beginning in January 2017, Republicans will control two-thirds of the state legislative chambers, an all-time high. The GOP will control both legislative chambers in 32 states, another all-time high; the same is true for Democrats in just 13 states. Republicans will hold 33 governorships for the first time in 94 years. And 25 states have a Republican trifecta with control of the executive branch and both legislative chambers.

Where Donald Trump Stands on School Choice, Student Debt and Common Core
New York Times By STEPHANIE SAUL NOV. 21, 2016
When it comes to predicting how President-elect Donald J. Trump’s administration will affect America’s schools and universities, education experts say they are struggling to read the tea leaves.  “The fundamental issue is that nobody really knows what the Trump administration is about” on education, said Frederick M. Hess, a conservative education policy expert. At a panel discussion in Washington last week, he joked that Mr. Trump’s trademark educational achievement thus far, creating the controversial Trump University, placed him in history alongside another president, Thomas Jefferson, the founder of the University of Virginia.  “He’s been all over the map on a number of these questions,” Mr. Hess, the director of education policy studies for the American Enterprise Institute, said during a panel discussion on Wednesday at the Shanker Institute, an education nonprofit.  Mr. Hess is among education experts and policy makers who, since the election, have been trying to figure out what a Trump administration might do for education — starting with whether there will even be a federal Department of Education. Mr. Trump suggested during the campaign that the agency might be on the chopping block, though the statement seemed more like a sound bite than a policy pronouncement.

Get to Know Donald Trump's Education Transition Team
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on November 21, 2016 10:57 AM
The folks on President-elect Donald Trump's education transition team will help set the policy course—and likely, even appoint key personnel—for the new administration. Their backgrounds could provide clues on the direction the Trump administration wants to go on K-12. Here's a look:

“Disclosure: The 74’s Editor-in-Chief Campbell Brown sits on the American Federation for Children’s board of directors.”
Education Secretary: Rhee vs. DeVos? What We Know About the Finalists (and 3 Other Wild Cards)
The 74 by DAVID CANTOR  david@the74million.org cantorrac November 22, 2016
Rhee? DeVos? Or yet another wild card? What we know about Trump's 5 finalists for Education Secretary
Betting on presidential nominees seems particularly hazardous in 2016, but we’re not without information. The names floated, leaked or wishfully inserted into the conversation about Donald Trump’s choice for education secretary share his apparent resolve to expand school choice — but they do so along a continuum.  The best-known of the presumed candidates, former Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, is not primarily associated with the choice movement; she backs charters but has been pragmatic and restrained (among this company) about other options. By contrast, for Larry Arnn, president of conservative Hillsdale College and a Trump supporter during the campaign, choice is an imperative of limited government and the free market.  But education secretaries labor in the shadow of the presidents they serve, and this, at least, is unlikely to change in the administration of Donald Trump. Even Rhee, who in her salad days was perhaps as close to a celebrity as a superintendent can get, is presumably unfamiliar to most Americans; well-connected and influential players like Michigan philanthropist Betsy DeVos and Indiana insider and U.S. Congressman Luke Messer are even less familiar outside the political bubble and their home states.

Trump’s Search For Education Secretary Narrows To Two Candidates
Republican megadonor Betsy DeVos would be the conventional choice, while school reformer Michelle Rhee would be the “f*** you” candidate for teachers unions.
Molly Hensley-Clancy BuzzFeed News Reporter posted on Nov. 21, 2016, at 7:47 p.m.
President-elect Donald Trump’s search for a secretary of education has narrowed to two candidates, the school reformer Michelle Rhee and Republican megadonor Betsy DeVos, according to two people familiar with the search process.  DeVos is in most ways a conventional choice for the position: a longtime advocate of alternatives to the public school system, with close ties to many on Capitol Hill, she is closely aligned to Republican education officials like Sen. Lamar Alexander and serves on the board of Jeb Bush’s education foundation. She’s also a staunch opponent of the Common Core education initiative, which Trump often denounced at his rallies with promises of a “repeal.”  “Rationally, she’s the one that makes sense for Republicans,” said one school choice advocate who has worked closely with both DeVos and Rhee. “She’s much more aligned policy-wise. And she’s a get-things-done type person — she’s got a team of people and she can work very quickly to get a bill through.”  But Rhee may hold a strong allure for Trump, who sometimes deviates from the Republican orthodoxy in education and has embraced controversial picks in many of his early cabinet positions.  The former chancellor of Washington, DC, public schools, Rhee is an unconventional pick. She’s a former Democrat and a polarizing firebrand who made a name for herself by fighting teachers unions and advocating fiercely for the expansion of charter schools.

Falwell meets with Trump to talk education
Washington Post By Nick Anderson November 21 at 3:42 PM 
Among college presidents, one stood out this year for his early and unwavering support ofDonald Trump in the presidential campaign: Jerry Falwell Jr. of Liberty University.  Falwell endorsed Trump in January when the Republican primary outcome was still very much in doubt, enabling the New York businessman to tout the backing of a prominent voice in the evangelical Christian community. Falwell also stood by the GOP nominee in October after the release of damaging video footage that showed Trump in 2005 making lewd remarks about groping women.  So it was not surprising that Trump would seek to thank Falwell after his upset victory in the Nov. 8 election. But the president-elect went a step further, meeting with Falwell on Thursday afternoon in New York at Trump Tower to discuss education and the coming administration.

A Story About Michelle Rhee That No One Will Print
Taking Note Blog by JOHN MERROW on 31. JUL, 2013
Michelle Rhee lobbies across the country for greater test-based accountability and changes in teacher tenure rules.  She often appears on television and in newspapers, commenting on a great range of education issues.  Easily America’s best-known education activist, she is always introduced as the former Chancellor of the public schools in Washington, DC, the woman who took on a corrupt and failing system and shook it up. The rest of the story is rarely mentioned.  The op-ed below has been rejected[1] by four newspapers, three of them national publications. One editor’s rejection note said that Michelle Rhee was not a national story.

Trump and Pence huddle with education activists
Politico Morning Education  By MICHAEL STRATFORD 11/21/16 10:00 AM EST With help from Caitlin Emma
RHEE, DEVOS GET FACE TIME WITH TRUMP AND PENCE: Michelle Rhee, the controversial former head of D.C.’s public schools, and Betsy DeVos, the school choice activist and Republican mega-donor, met over the weekend with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Rhee and DeVos were among a wide-ranging list of guests who paid visits to the president-elect at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., on Saturday — further stoking rumors that one or both could play a role in the new administration, but also raising questions about the direction of the Trump administration’s education agenda.  — Rhee, a Democrat, discussed “the future of public education” with Trump and Pence, according to a statement from Trump’s transition team. “This included the possibility for increasing competition through charter and choice schools.” The statement added that the conversation also touched on “the idea of merit pay for teachers going above and beyond in their classrooms.”  — Rhee was previously floated as a possible Cabinet pick by Trump spokesman Jason Miller in response to a question about the representation of women and minorities in Trump’s administration. Rhee was joined at Trump’s golf club — where the president-elect spent the weekend — by her husband, Kevin Johnson, the Democratic mayor of Sacramento, though it was not clear what role, if any, he played in the meeting.

Seeking common ground with charter critic Diane Ravitch
Washington Post By Jay Mathews November 20 at 4:43 PM 
I have been exchanging emails with Diane Ravitch, the clearest voice in the movement to reverse American emphasis on raising school achievement no matter what. She is a brilliant historian and essayist, even if she does not share my fondness for this century’s biggest education reform: charter schools.  We agree that disadvantaged children have to be rescued from poverty before most of them can learn as much as middle-class kids. But while the country struggles to make that happen, why can’t we, in the meantime, support those public charter schools that are preparing significant numbers of low-income children for college?  Charter schools are still growing. There are about 7,000 in 42 states and the District. They have 3 million students, six times more than 15 years ago. I have visited more than 50 great charters, but I know that many others are bad.  In 2015, 400 charters opened while 270 were closed for lack of students, money or academic success. The NAACP wants a moratorium on charter expansion. Voters in Georgia and Massachusetts just turned down measures to increase charters. Education Week found that low-performing cybercharters are still getting state money because of heavy lobbying by their corporate sponsors.

Education Bloggers Daily Highlights 11/22/2016


“The “Success Starts Here” campaign is a multi-year statewide effort to share the positive news about public education through advertising, web, social media, traditional media and word-of-mouth with the goal of raising understanding of the value of public education in Pennsylvania. The campaign is lead by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, but relies on the support of a wide variety of participating organizations.”
Share Your School’s Story: Success Starts Here Needs You!
Success Starts Here needs you! Show your support by sharing stories, using social media and applying window clings to all of your school buildings. Below are some links to resources to help you help us.
Not sure where to start? This simple tool kit will provide to you everything you need to get involved in the campaign, including ways to work with the media, social media tips, a campaign article to post, downloadable campaign logos, and photo release forms.
We know you have great stories, and it’s easy to share them! Just use our simple form to send your success story to be featured on our website. Help spread the word about how Success Starts Here in today’s public schools.
All school entities have been sent a supply of window clings for school building entrances. Need more? No problem! Just complete the online order form and more will quickly be on their way to you.


CCIU to host documentary screening and educational discussion
By Ginger Dunbar, Daily Local News POSTED: 11/21/16, 3:25 PM EST 
DOWNINGTOWN >> Joining a worldwide campaign to re-imagine education, the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) will host a screening and discussion of “Most Likely to Succeed.”
The documentary screening will be on Nov. 30 from 5:45 – 8 p.m. at the Technical College High School Brandywine Campus at 455 Boot Road. It will feature a student panel, round-table dialogue and an open forum discussion following the screening. Complimentary dinner will be served at 5 p.m.  “Most Likely to Succeed” offers an innovative look at the current educational system and asks audiences to consider a new vision. The film examines the history of education in the United States, revealing the growing shortcomings of conventional education methods in today’s technology-driven world, according to film-makers. They added that the film offers an “inspiring look at what students and teachers are capable” of with a vision and the courage to transform their schools.

Webinar: PSBA Board President’s Forum DEC 7, 2016 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Join fellow board presidents and superintendents for the latest topics affecting public education in this new webinar series hosted by 2016 President Kathy Swope.  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

PASBO is seeking eager leaders! Ready to serve on the board? Deadline for intent letter is 12/31.
PASBO members who desire to seek election as Director or Vice President should send a letter of intent with a current resume and picture to the Immediate Past President Wanda M. Erb, PRSBA, who is chair of the PASBO Nominations and Elections Committee.

Regional Basic Education Funding Formula Workshops
PASA, PSBA, PAIU, PARSS, the PA Principals Association and PASBO are traveling around the state to conduct regional workshops for school leaders to provide them with more information on the new basic education funding formula. Register below to attend one of 8 regional workshops to learn more about the new formula and what it means for your school district and for the state. Please note that capacity is limited at each location and registration is required. A webcast option is also available. These regional workshops are being supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016 @ 9:00 am: Luzerne IU 18
(368 Tioga Ave, Kingston, PA 18704)
Tuesday, December 6, 2016 @ 6:00 pm: Chester County IU 24
(455 Boot Road, Downingtown, PA 19335)

Public Forum: Who should run Philadelphia's schools? Thursday, Dec. 8, 6-7:30 p.m. Drexel University - Behrakis Grand Hall
Join us for a public forum featuring state, city and civic leaders sponsored by Philadelphia Media Network, the Philadelphia Public School Notebook and Drexel University's School of Education.
Creese Student Center 3210 Chestnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19104
It's been 15 years since the state took control of Philadelphia's schools and created the School Reform Commission. Since then, the SRC has been a polarizing presence in the city.
With the recent resignation of two members of the commission and the term of a third expiring soon, the future of the SRC and the issue of school governance is once again at the forefront of the civic dialogue. Is the SRC the only model to consider?  Should Philadelphia create an elected school board, or should the governing body be controlled by the Mayor? Are there models in other cities that could help us rethink our own school governance?   The Philadelphia Public School Notebook, Philadelphia Media Network -- owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and philly.com, and Drexel University's School of Education are hosting a public forum on this critical issue.
RSVP - Admission is free, but you must register in advance. Register now, and find out more about the panelists and other details at our registration page.  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/who-should-run-philadelphias-schools-tickets-28926705555
NSBA Advocacy Institute 2017 -- Jan. 29-31, Washington, D.C.
Join school directors around the country at the conference designed to give you the tools to advocate successfully on behalf of public education.
  • NSBA will help you develop a winning advocacy strategy to help you in Washington, D.C. and at home.
  • Attend timely and topical breakout sessions lead by NSBA’s knowledgeable staff and outside experts.
  • Expand your advocacy network by swapping best practices, challenges, and successes with other school board members from across the country.
This event is open to members of the Federal Relations Network. To find out how you can join, contact Jamie.Zuvich@psba.org. Learn more about the Advocacy Institute at https://www.nsba.org/events/advocacy-institute.

Register now for the 2017 NSBA Annual Conference 
Plan to join public education leaders for networking and learning at the 2017 NSBA Annual Conference, March 25-27 in Denver, CO. General registration is now open at https://www.nsba.org/conference/registration. A conference schedule, including pre-conference workshops, is available on the NSBA website.

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!
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/SAVE-THE-DATE--LWVPA-Convention-June-1-4--2017.html?soid=1102026610927&aid=sie1JiXCxws


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