PA Ed Policy Roundup Dec 20: DeVos affiliated school reform PAC has given millions to PA lawmakers

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4000 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 Dec 20, 2016

DeVos affiliated school reform PAC has given millions to PA lawmakers

Rising costs of cybercharter tuition beleaguer Pa. school districts
WHYY Newsworks BY LAURA BENSHOFF DECEMBER 20, 2016

Cybercharter education is now nearly a half-billion dollar industry in Pennsylvania, according to public school advocacy group Public Citizens for Children and Youth.

Earlier this year, a bill to overhaul Pennsylvania's charter school law — including small measures to reduce cybercharter tuition — fizzled in Harrisburg.  "We wanted to make sure people knew the scale and that it is hitting more and more school districts and a situation that needs attention by the legislature," said Donna Cooper, PCCY executive director.  Of the $450 million PCCY calculated districts across the commonwealth are spending to enroll their students to the state's 14 cybercharter schools, the five-county Philadelphia region contributes $132.5 million, $42 million more than five years ago.  While bricks-and-mortar charters need local school districts to authorize their locations, the state Department of Education oversees cybercharters.  In the region, Philadelphia and Bucks counties had the largest cost increase, respectively paying 59 and 55 percent more than during the 2011-2012. Delaware County is next, paying 36 percent more. A combination of rising enrollment and per-pupil tuition costs account for the bigger price tag.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/99824-pa-school-districts-beset-by-rising-costs-of-cybercharter-tuition?linktype=hp_impact

“Proponents of the current campaign finance system often say that the super PACs are advocating policies developed by independent research organizations, known as think tanks. But the think tanks and the super PACs advocating charter expansion are often run by the same people, and their money often comes from the same donors.  No one illustrates that relationship better than DeVos, who established Students First PA and who still runs its national parent organization, American Federation for Children. Jeffrey Yass, one of the local millionaires who donates to Students First PA, is also on the board of the Cato Institute – a think tank whose studies have been cited to explain votes on charter expansion by Pennsylvania legislators who received donations from Students First.”

Super PACs and school reform

A pro-charter group – started by Trump’s nominee for education secretary – has given millions to Pennsylvania lawmakers.

The notebook by Greg Windle December 19, 2016 — 12:22pm

There's an old saying for those who want to understand political influence: Follow the money.

In the case of Harrisburg’s interest in the governance of Philadelphia’s schools, that trail leads from pro-charter political action committees to the millions of dollars they donate to support the campaigns of state legislators and leaders.  Super PACs – political action committees that can raise unlimited amounts of money for causes but cannot donate directly to a campaign – play key roles in decisions that affect Philadelphia’s school system, from input on the wording of proposed legislation to financial support for pro-reform candidates.  The pro-charter super PAC called Students First PA – which was started by President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos – drew attention during the 2014 election cycle by donating a total of $7.6 million to groups supporting at least 10 Republican and Democratic candidates around the state. Students First PA raises most of its money from just four local millionaires and American Federation for Children, an organization run by DeVos’ out-of-state billionaire family.

http://thenotebook.org/articles/2016/12/19/super-pacs-and-school-reform

Blogger note: None of the pension reform legislation being considered by the PA legislature would have any impact on school district costs and increased property taxes for 20-30 years.  What it will do is permit legislative leadership to check off the “Pension Reform” box and say “we did that.”

Pennsylvania's pension crisis just got worse, and the Legislature must act

Lancaster Online Editorial by The LNP Editorial Board Dec 19, 2016

THE ISSUE - Teacher pension costs will be higher than expected in 2017-18, according to the board that administers Pennsylvania’s Public School Employees’ Retirement System, or PSERS. The share of school districts’ contributions will increase from 30.03 percent to 32.57 percent. PSERS officials are blaming flat investments. The percentage that each school district contributes to the PSERS system has risen dramatically from 5.64 percent in 2010-11.  As bad Christmas gifts go, this one is right up there. Even worse than a donation made in your name to a phony charity — “Seinfeld” character George Costanza’s “The Human Fund: Money for People,” comes to mind.  No, this is much worse.  So, here it is, no wrapping necessary — a donation will be made, in your name, to your local school district to fund teacher pensions. The twist is you’ll be making the donation, assuming your school district can’t find the money somewhere else.  Rising teacher pension costs are a main driver of increased property taxes. According to the PSERS projections, school districts’ rate of contribution is expected to rise to 36 percent over the next four years. The districts have to find that money somewhere, and you know exactly where every year when you see your tax bill.  This year, 15 of 16 Lancaster County school districts raised taxes.

http://lancasteronline.com/opinion/editorials/pennsylvania-s-pension-crisis-just-got-worse-and-the-legislature/article_49dce98a-c3b9-11e6-834d-3b151d27aaed.html

Standardized testing is not the answer for evaluating schools or students

Lancaster Online Editorial by The LNP Editorial Board December 20, 2016

THE ISSUE - Pennsylvania education officials are considering a proposal to revamp the state’s grading system for public schools, placing less emphasis on standardized testing. The new system is called the Future Ready PA Index. While not doing away with standardized testing as a measure of school performance, it would give more weight to other factors, such as reading assessments and Advanced Placement courses offered. The proposal has the support of the state Department of Education, in addition to school administrators and teachers. The state Legislature would have to pass a law to make the new system a reality.  It’s all or nothing, the Super Bowl for every school district in the state — two weeks’ worth of standardized testing to separate winners from losers. And what does the run-up, the intense preparation and pressure ultimately tell us about how our schools are educating our children? We would argue not nearly enough.  Standardized testing might have a place in education. But it has become a behemoth that leaves little space in the classroom for much else — creativity, the measurement of individual skills, the different ways students learn, among other things.  In response to the proposal, which we fully endorse, one superintendent said that “students are so much more than the results of a standardized test.”  Pennsylvania grades its public schools using something called the School Performance Profile. How students perform on annual standardized tests makes up about 90 percent of a school’s performance grade. That grade plays an oversized role in teacher and principal evaluations, and how schools are complying with federal education mandates. But its biggest flaw is that it doesn’t tell us much about the individual student for whom the school exists. The students themselves are the least served by the current system.

http://lancasteronline.com/opinion/editorials/standardized-testing-is-not-the-answer-for-evaluating-schools-or/article_f8bcf7c0-c629-11e6-aeae-e37b75edb823.html

“If DeVos had any expertise at all in education, she would understand that one of the things that can best improve schools is active and committed parental involvement. Encouraging parents to abandon ship, to remove their kids from a school system, does nothing to encourage it to improve. We don’t encourage people to move to another city, state or country if they don’t like what their politicians are doing. We encourage them to stay and work for change.

Schools should not be treated like cellphone service providers, to be joined or abandoned on a whim depending on their prices and features.”

Involvement key to improve schools

Centre Daily Times Letter by NED BALZER, LEMONT DECEMBER 19, 2016 8:05 PM

The Dec. 13 CDT opinion page featured a “debate” over the wisdom of Donald Trump’s selection of Betsy DeVos for secretary of education. Although there may be some unlikely case for supporting DeVos’s selection, Lindsey Burke, of the Heritage Foundation, did not make it.  She overstated the success of the Washington, D.C., Opportunity Scholarship Program, which provides vouchers for lower-income children to attend private schools, calling it “wildly successful,” despite overwhelming opposition by D.C. voters and a Department of Education study that found its effects on achievement to be inconclusive. She also overstated the Obama administration’s opposition to the program. Indeed, President Barack Obama’s Education Secretary Arne Duncan has been quite supportive of charter schools and no particular friend to teachers unions himself. There is no great need for a change in course away from Obama’s policies toward the direction of greater parental choice.

http://www.centredaily.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article121895053.html

Saving Dobson: A story of class, disability, and self-preservation in a Philly school
WHYY Newsworks BY AVI WOLFMAN-ARENT DECEMBER 20, 2016

Would would you do for your kid?  For most parents, the immediate answer is as simple as it is cliched: anything.   Often doing "anything" for one's child has consequences for other children. Moving to a wealthier school district leaves another district one family poorer. Testing into a magnet school deprives the neighborhood school of a talented youngster. Shelling out for those piano lessons gives your kid a leg up in the college admissions process, but also puts the child who didn't get lessons at a disadvantage.  Usually these consequences are indirect — or at least indirect enough to avoid real intellectual scrutiny.  That wasn't the case this year for the parents at James Dobson Elementary, a quiet school of 300 tucked into the hills of Northwest Philadelphia's Manayunk neighborhood.  In the spring, the parents at Dobson discovered — or thought they discovered — a school district plan to increase the number of special-education students in their building. At first they bristled. Then they raged.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/99776-saving-dobson-a-story-of-class-disability-and-self-preservation-in-a-philly-school?linktype=hp_impact

Teachers rally, receive donated supplies at Chester High School

Delco Times By Rick Kauffman, rkauffman@21st-centurymedia.com, @Kauffee_DT on Twitter POSTED: 12/19/16, 10:07 PM EST | UPDATED: 4 HRS AGO

CHESTER >> Year after year, stories flood from Chester Upland School District about the budgeting shortfalls that affect educators and students in the form school closures due to building maintenance, shortage of supplies, dwindling resources and lack of new textbooks.  While it is the students who suffer first, the teachers, who have at times worried that their paychecks may not arrive, have had to shoulder the financial burden of funding their classrooms out of pocket.  Yet on Monday, those teachers received a bounty of donations by fellow educators around the region in the form of a literal truckload of supplies.  “We appreciate their generosity and camaraderie,” said Lisa Mangini, a teacher at Chester High School for 18 years. “Without a contract for five years, we’re buying stuff like paper and pencils, and when they run out, we buy more.”

http://www.delcotimes.com/general-news/20161219/teachers-rally-receive-donated-supplies-at-chester-high-school

80,000 new books for Philly schools

Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer  @newskag Updated: DECEMBER 20, 2016 1:08 AM

As far as Syhere Evans was concerned, it was a good day.

Dignitaries had descended on Syhere's classroom at Ludlow Elementary on Monday, and that was cool. They were interrupting his schoolwork a little bit, but they brought with them a big check that would mean 80,000 new books for kids all around the city.  "You can find out a lot of information in a book," said Syhere, 8, a third grader at Ludlow, on West Master Street in North Philadelphia.  As Syhere and his classmates looked on, former Gov. Ed Rendell announced that the host committee of the 2016 Democratic National Convention was donating $750,000 to place classroom libraries in Philadelphia elementary schools.  The money will go to the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, the nonprofit that supports the system. It will be funneled directly into the Right Books Campaign, which exists to place the libraries in every K-3 classroom in the city.

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20161220_80_000_new_books_for_Philly_schools.html

Philly soda tax lawsuit dismissed

Inquirer by Claudia Vargas and Tricia L. Nadolny, STAFF WRITERS Updated: DECEMBER 20, 2016 — 1:07 AM EST

A Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge ruled Monday that the city's controversial sweetened beverage tax is legal, paving the way for Mayor Kenney to implement one of his main campaign promises: universal prekindergarten.  The decision by Judge Gary S. Glazer was in response to a lawsuit filed in October challenging the recently created tax. The suit was dismissed in its entirety.  The news came on an otherwise quiet Monday, days before the Christmas weekend and approaching the Jan. 1 scheduled start of the tax. As news spread among Kenney staffers, some took to the second floor hallway in City Hall to cheer.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20161220_Soda_tax_lawsuit_dismissed.html

Commentary: Arts community fills the gaps for music education in Philly

Inquirer Commentary By Anne Ewers Updated: DECEMBER 20, 2016 — 3:01 AM EST

Anne Ewers is president and CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts 

During a recent appearance at the Kimmel Center, Broadway superstar and Philadelphia native Leslie Odom Jr. said that his fifth-grade history teacher introduced him to the performing arts. Frances Taylor signed him up for creative writing classes and oratorical contests while he was a student at Masterman School. Taylor planted a seed for Odom's performing career, and this year he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in the hit musical Hamilton.  The future is full of possibilities for Odom, yet his "a-ha moment" with the arts happened right here in a Philadelphia classroom, and he was able to hone his skills through experiences with both Philadanco and Philadelphia's Freedom Theater.  Arts and cultural organizations have a responsibility to provide teachers with the keys to unlock learning potential in our children. Teachers can provide students those "a-ha moments," by carving out precious time from their busy class schedules to expose students to the arts. This is one reason the Kimmel Center is excited to announce a new teacher appreciation program in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. The program is fueled by school principals, who nominate exceptional educators to receive free tickets for performances on our campus. Additionally, educators can access deeply discounted tickets to Kimmel Center programs and events. Our goal is to expose more teachers to Kimmel Center resources, which can be invaluable learning tools in their classrooms.

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20161220_Commentary__Arts_community_fills_the_gaps_for_music_education_in_Philly.html

Erie superintendent: Frustration led to job hunt

Badams says family concerns also prompted search in New England.

GoErie By Ed Palattella ed.palattella@timesnews.com Posted Dec 19, 2016 at 10:52 PMUpdated Dec 19, 2016 at 10:52 PM

Superintendent Jay Badams said his frustration with the Erie School District's constant need for money is one reason he is contemplating leaving the school system he has spent more than six years trying to keep solvent.  Badams said family considerations are another primary reason he has applied for two superintendent jobs in New England: one with the newly created Essex Westford School District, in Vermont, east of Burlington, and the other with the interstate school district that serves Hanover, New Hampshire, and Norwich, Vermont.  "The last couple of years, at the same time it has been energizing, it has been draining," Badams said. "The process of building awareness and trying to turn the awareness into action and support has been pretty tiring. But I am not single."  If he leaves, Badams would be departing the 11,500-student Erie School District at what he has described as one of its most pivotal periods - the time when the state Department of Education is evaluating the district's state-mandated financial recovery plan, which Badams' administration submitted on Dec. 6.  The plan asks for $31.8 million in increased annual state aid, which the district said it needs to eliminate a projected $10.1 million deficit in 2017-18; to repair its buildings; and improve its programs to the levels that students in more affluent school district's enjoy.

http://www.goerie.com/news/20161219/erie-superintendent-frustration-led-to-job-hunt

Pennsylvania's Government Pension Crisis (Part One)

Education Week By Dave Powell on December 18, 2016 1:23 PM | 1 Comment

If you are a regular reader, or if you ever let your eye wander up into the corner of the page to my brief bio statement, you know that I live in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is a funny place: it used to be one of the now-infamous "blue firewall" states that was supposed to have protected us from Old Man Trump, but it failed to deliver. Pennsylvania is, as one saying goes, Philadelphia on one end and Pittsburgh on the other and Alabama in the middle. It is, as another saying goes, a big red T (with southcentral PA, where I live, forming the base and the arms stretching above the two metropolitan areas). Some people call it "Pennsyltucky." It is a mixture of deep-red Republican voters in the middle flanked by reliably Democratic voters on its edges, and the culture war runs as hot here as anywhere. Sound familiar?  What Pennsylvania is not, despite its reputation as a firewall state for Democratic candidates, is a bastion of progressivism. Both houses of our state legislature are controlled by Republicans—they outnumber Democrats 123-80 in the state House and 34-16 in the state Senate after making more gains in November—and while our current governor is a Democrat, elected after the outgoing Republican failed to secure re-election in 2015 amidst some of the lowest approval ratings in the country, he has little ability to effect change in the face of unified opposition. Again: sound familiar?

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/K-12_Contrarian/2016/12/pennsylvania_pension_blues_part_one.html

Donald Trump’s Schoolyard Rebel

Time Magazine by Haley Sweetland Edwards @haleybureau December 26^th issue

Donald Trump taps a champion of vouchers for all

Perhaps the best way to understand Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Education, is to see her as she sees herself–an insurgent fighting against a broken public-education industry. “More and more parents are coming to realize their children are suffering at the hands of a system built to strangle any reform, any innovation or any change,” she said in May at a conference held by the American Federation for Children, a conservative advocacy organization that she chaired until recently. “This realization is becoming more evident as the momentum builds for an education revolution.”  At the heart of that revolution, DeVos believes, is a simple idea: parents should be able to use public funds to send their children to whatever private, religious, charter, online-only or for-profit school they choose, including schools run out of the home. It’s a vision that many teachers, the teachers’ unions and most Democrats say would come at the expense of traditional public education by draining funds from an already strapped system. “It would destroy neighborhood schools,” Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers, tells TIME.

http://time.com/4606096/betsy-devos-schoolyard-rebel/

“DeVos and her husband together made about $2.7 million in political contributions in 2016, including donations to Republican Senate leadership PACs, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.  Over the past two and half decades, the couple donated more than $7.7 million to Republican candidates and parties across the country, the analysis found. The center also examined donations by DeVos’ entire extended family, and found more than $20 million in contributions to Republican candidates, party committees, PACs and super PACs since 1989.”

DeVos heads into confirmation with a megadonor's advantage
Billionaire Betsy DeVos gives big to politicians — including some senators who will vote on her confirmation.
Politico By MICHAEL STRATFORD 12/20/16 05:05 AM EST

Billionaire Betsy DeVos has been unabashed about using her wealth to advance her own agenda. “We expect a return on our investment,” she once wrote about her family’s massive political contributions.  After giving millions of dollars to politicians over the last two decades, she now heads into her Senate confirmation hearing for Education secretary with a clear advantage: DeVos and her husband, Dick, have donated to the campaigns of 17 senators who will consider her nomination — four of whom sit on the Senate education committee that oversees the process.  Big donors often get plum government jobs. But DeVos’ contributions to the lawmakers who will decide her fate stand out in a year in which Trump has pledged to “drain the swamp” of Washington politics.  Education committee members Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) have all accepted money — collectively $50,000 — from DeVos and her husband since 2010. In that same time period, the couple contributed a total of more than $160,000 to senators who will consider Betsy DeVos’ nomination, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).   “It’s just another reflection of the distortion of our politics due to massive campaign contributions,” said Robert Weissman, president of the watchdog group Public Citizen, who said he finds DeVos’ political contributions troubling. “People who receive campaign contributions from her are far less likely to scrutinize her than people who have not.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/betsy-devos-donor-senators-232792

Beyond Vouchers: How Trump Could Boost Private School Choice

Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on December 19, 2016 7:35 AM

Since President-elect Donald Trump nominated Betsy DeVos to be his education secretary, there's been a lot of discussion about how a Trump administration could expand school choice. Could Trump and DeVos, for example, push to "voucherize" at least some federal education money? Trump has expressed support for the idea on the campaign trail through his $20 billion choice proposal, and DeVos has a long history of backing vouchers in Michigan and elsewhere.

But getting vouchers through Congress might be a very tough sell. Similar proposals, including the idea of making Title I money for disadvantaged kids "portable" at states' discretion, have been tried before without success. And there are also big questions about a federal voucher program's reach and logistical challenges. So what other avenues are there for Trump, DeVos, and Congress to expand private school choice? Let's explore a few of them.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2016/12/beyond_vouchers_trump_devos_school_choice.html

PSBA’s 2016 Pennsylvania School Facts and Figures is now available

PSBA website December 19, 2016

Do you know how many students are enrolled in Pennsylvania public schools? There are 1.73 million total (918,568 elementary and 813,020 secondary for the 2015-16 school year). These facts and many more can be found in the 2016 PA School Facts and Figures. This document is designed to help school board members respond quickly to questions from the public and contains the most current statewide information available. To request a printed copy, contact PSBA at (800) 932-0588, ext. 3364, or research-info@psba.org. Or read it online.

https://www.psba.org/2016/12/psbas-2016-pennsylvania-school-facts-figures-now-available/

Blogger note: Have an opinion about the appointment of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education?  Call these three senators today.

1. Senator Lamar Alexander, Chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
Washington, D.C. Phone:(202) 224-4944

2. Senator Toomey's Offices

Washington, D.C. Phone: (202) 224-4254

http://www.toomey.senate.gov/?p=offices

Senator Casey is a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

3. Senator Casey’s Offices

Washington, D.C. Phone: (202) 224-6324

Toll Free: (866) 802-2833

https://www.casey.senate.gov/contact/offices/

PHLpreK Now Enrolling!

Philadelphia Mayor's Office of Education
Did you know that quality early childhood education sets our children up for success? It reduces the need for special education, raises graduation rates, and narrows the achievement gap. These benefits ripple throughout our schools, neighborhoods, and local economy.
That’s why the City of Philadelphia is expanding free, quality pre-K for 6,500 three- and four-year-olds over the next five years. In fact, the first 2,000 pre-K seats are available now. Families should act fast because classes begin on January 4^th at more than 80 locations.
Please help us spread the word. Parents/caregivers can call 844-PHL-PREK (844-745-7735) to speak with a trained professional who will help them apply and locate quality pre-K programs nearby.  For more information, visit www.PHLprek.org

Pennsylvania Every Student Succeeds Act Public Tour
The Department of Education (PDE) is holding a series of public events to engage the public on important education topics in Pennsylvania.  The primary focus of these events will be the Every Student Succeeds Act, the federal education law signed by President Barack Obama in late 2015. A senior leader from the department will provide background on the law, and discuss the ongoing
development of Pennsylvania’s State Plan for its implementation, which will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in 2017.  Feedback is important to PDE; to provide the best avenue for public comment as well as provide an opportunity for those who cannot attend an event, members of the community are encouraged to review materials and offer comments at http://www.education.pa.gov/Pages/tour.aspx#tab-1
Upcoming Public Events:

  

Wednesday, January 4- Quakertown- 5:30 pm- Bucks County Free Library
Bucks County Free Library Quakertown Branch
401 West Mill Street Quakertown, PA  18951
  

Tuesday, January 10- Scranton- 4:00 pm- Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County
Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County
3201 Rockwell Avenue Scranton, PA  18508

“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 led 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.

TOOL KIT

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.

SHARE YOUR STORY

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.

DISPLAY YOUR SUPPORT

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.

https://www.successstartshere.org/support/

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.

http://www.pasbo.org/election

PSBA Virtual New School Director Training, Part 1
JAN 4, 2017 • 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
The job of a school board director is challenging.  Changing laws, policies, and pressures from your community make serving on your school board demanding, yet rewarding at the same time.  Most school directors – even those with many years of experience – say that PSBA training is one of the most important and valuable things they have done in order to understand their roles and responsibilities.  If you are a new school board director and didn’t have the opportunity to attend one of PSBA’s live New School Director Training events, you can now attend via your computer, either by yourself from your home or office, or with a group of other school directors.
This is the same New School Director Training content we offer in a live classroom format, but adjusted for virtual training.
Part 1

·         Role and responsibilities of the school board director.

·         How to work with PSBA’s member services team.

·         Your role as an advocate for public education.

·         The school board’s role in policy.

(See also: Part 2, Jan. 11; Part 3, Jan. 18)
Fee: $149 per person includes all three programs. Materials may be downloaded free, or $25 for materials to be mailed to your home (log in to the Members Area and purchase through the Store/Registration link).
Register online: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6607237329490796034

PSBA Third Annual Board Presidents Day
JAN 28, 2017 • 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Nine Locations Statewide
Jan. 28, 2017 (Snow date: Feb. 11, 2017)
Calling all school board presidents, vice-presidents, and superintendents — Join us for the 3^rd Annual PSBA Board Presidents Day held at nine convenient locations around the state.
This is a day of meeting fellow board members from your area and taking part in thought-provoking dialogue about the issues every board faces.  PSBA Past President Kathy Swope will start things off with an engaging presentation based on her years as board president at the Lewistown Area School District.  Bring your own scenarios to this event to gain perspective from other districts.  Cost: $109 per person – includes registration, lunch and materials. All-Access Package applies.  Register online by logging in to the Members Area (see the Store/Registration link to view open event registrations, https://www.psba.org/members-area/store-registration/)

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