Thursday, December 22, 2016

PA Ed Policy Roundup Dec 22: .@BetsyDeVos - U.S. public school system is a ‘dead end’

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 22, 2016
.@BetsyDeVos - U.S. public school system is a ‘dead end’


EQUITY OR BUST: ARE ONTARIO PUBLIC SCHOOLS A MODEL FOR PENNSYLVANIA?
Keystone Crossroads Five Part Series by Kevin McCorry December 2016
A series of stories Keystone Crossroads’ education reporter Kevin McCorry worked on. 
His mission was to take a close look at the education system in Ontario — internationally known for its quality and student outcomes — and see if there might be something there worth importing to Pennsylvania.  As a stakeholder in Pennsylvania’s education system, you’ll be interested in this examination of Ontario’s approach and the reaction from people in Pa to those ideas.
·         EQUITY
·         DIVERSITY
·         TEACHERS
·         PRE-K
·         RE

“It was in August when Trombetta acknowledged to siphoning more than $8 million from Midland-based Pa Cyber through both for-profit and nonprofit companies he controlled.  Trombetta used the money to buy, among other things, a Bonita Springs, Fla., condominium for $933,000, pay $180,000 for houses for his mother and girlfriend in Ohio, and spend $990,000 more on groceries and other items.  He manipulated companies he created and controlled to draw the money from the school, also spending it on a $300,000 plane, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Kaufman said.”
Trombetta sentencing postponed until March 3
The Review STAFF & WIRE REPORTS December 22, 2016 
PITTSBURGH — Sentencing for Nick Trombetta, founder of Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, who in August pleaded guilty to tax conspiracy, has been rescheduled until 2017.
Originally, the East Liverpool resident, 61, was to be sentenced Tuesday, Dec. 6, in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh. He faces up to five years in federal prison.  His court appearance now will take place on March 3 before U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti. The move was agreed to by both the U.S. attorney’s office and Trombetta’s lawyers.  It was in August when Trombetta acknowledged to siphoning more than $8 million from Midland-based Pa Cyber through both for-profit and nonprofit companies he controlled.  Trombetta used the money to buy, among other things, a Bonita Springs, Fla., condominium for $933,000, pay $180,000 for houses for his mother and girlfriend in Ohio, and spend $990,000 more on groceries and other items.  He manipulated companies he created and controlled to draw the money from the school, also spending it on a $300,000 plane, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Kaufman said.  Trombetta was making $127,000 to $144,000 annually at PA Cyber when he ran the illegal tax evasion scheme from 2006-12.  By running the money through the companies or their straw owners, Trombetta avoided income taxes, though prosecutors haven’t said how much. Most of the siphoned money was squirreled away in Avanti Management Group, which functioned as Trombetta’s retirement savings account, Kaufman said.

Gov. Tom Wolf says he won’t seek major tax increase to balance Pa. budget
Delco Times By Marc Levy , The Associated Press POSTED: 12/22/16, 4:33 AM EST | UPDATED: 14 SECS AGO
HARRISBURG, Pa. >> Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday he will not ask Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Legislature to raise taxes on sales or income in his upcoming budget proposal, even as the state faces a yawning deficit.  Wolf told The Associated Press he will instead propose a budget balanced with cuts and steps to make state government operate more efficiently.  “Let me be explicit here, I am not going to propose a broad-based tax increase in my budget, and it’s going to balance,” Wolf said in an interview in his office. He was not ready to discuss the steps he will take to save money, although he pointed to his move last week to eliminate positions in state government. That would save roughly $100 million a year, he said. He also would not say whether he will seek to increase aid to public schools, a pursuit that has been a cornerstone of his administration.  “There will be cuts, there will be all kinds of innovative things to make sure that we are living within our budget. That’s what I have to do constitutionally, and I understand there is no appetite for a broad-based tax increase and I don’t intend to ask for one,” Wolf said.  Still, Wolf said he will keep pressing lawmakers to raise taxes on the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry.

Personnel change signifies Gov. Tom Wolf's plan to seek a second term
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com  Email the author | Follow on Twitter  on December 21, 2016 at 2:32 PM, updated December 21, 2016 at 3:41 PM
Let's call this personnel change what it is. Gov. Tom Wolf is unofficially announcing his decision to seek re-election to a second term of office.  Jeff Sheridan, who has been the governor's press secretary for the first two years of Wolf's first term, is leaving his $115,013-a-year job to become Wolf's re-election campaign manager, starting Jan. 1.  A news release issued on Wednesday announced Sheridan, 31, is taking on "a new role for Governor Wolf outside his official office." Sheridan confirmed it is the position of campaign manager but declined further comment about his new role.

Is Scott Wagner using his wallet to shape the Legislature?
York Daily Record by Ed Mahon , emahon@ydr.com6:55 a.m. EST December 22, 2016
In the spring, Scott Wagner sent out a mass email criticizing Jon Ritchie, a Cumberland County Republican and state Senate candidate, for taking money from the state’s largest teachers union. In September and October, Wagner gave more than $400,000 of his own money to defeat an incumbent Democratic state senator in Erie County.  The two races demonstrate how Wagner, a York County Republican state senator, has influenced politics statewide and has helped create a state Senate that's more conservative on spending and tax issues.  When the new legislative session begins in January, Republicans will have their largest majority in the Pennsylvania state Senate in almost 70 years. They will control 34 of 50 seats.  Some of those state senators won their seats with significant help from Wagner, a frequent critic of public sector unions and the power they have in government. The wealthy businessman has already said he plans to run for governor in 2018, and he intends to write “a significant seven figure check” to his campaign.

Pittsburgh school board approves budget that contains no tax increase
By Molly Born / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette December 21, 2016 8:38 PM
The board of the Pittsburgh Public Schools passed a $594.4 million budget Wednesday that holds the line on taxes and includes a significant investment in textbooks for a soon-to-be revamped PreK-5 literary curriculum.  The 2017 spending plan represents a 4.3 percent increase over this year’s budget and includes a $15.8 million deficit, which will be covered by tapping into the district’s rainy day fund. The property tax rate remains at 9.84 mills, and no faculty or staff cuts are planned beyond those that may occur by attrition.  Ron Joseph, the district’s chief operating officer, said the financial state of the district is improving, with stable enrollment and increases in earnings and real estate revenues amid the rising costs of special education, transportation, health care and more.  "This will be the third consecutive year of no tax increases. ... We continue to see increased contributions from our local revenue sources that supplement lost revenue, and we’re at a point where we can make targeted investments that have the potential to really impact achievement."

Chester Upland school superintendent resigns
Inquirer by Kathy Boccella, Staff Writer Updated: DECEMBER 22, 2016 — 1:08 AM EST
Chester Upland School Superintendent Gregory Shannon, who started his tenure in 2013 by knocking on doors to sign up students who had been drifting to the community's three robust charters, announced Wednesday that he is resigning, effective Jan. 3.  He boosted enrollment in the public schools by convincing parents that the beleaguered district was on the road to recovery, with safer and better-run schools offering science and technology programs and more high-level courses. Despite that success, he did not manage to move the needle far in regard to Chester Upland's deeply entrenched financial and academic troubles.  Shannon, 53, said he planned to take a position as "chief of schools" with an educational organization that he declined to name, since his hiring had not yet been announced. He said the organization reached out to him.

Our view: Erie has singular champion in Badams
GoErie Opinion Posted at 2:01 AM Deber 22, 2016
Who could blame Erie schools Superintendent Jay Badams if he is weary, frustrated and applying for two jobs in New England?  Occupying the moral high ground in this politically dysfunctional state, especially when it comes to policy affecting the lives of ordinary Pennsylvanians, is a guarantee of neither justice nor success.  Just ask other casualties of partisan enmity and gridlock, handily enabled by gerrymandering - most recently, displaced employees of the state Game Commission's Western Game Farm in Cambridge Springs, and the hundreds of state Department of Labor & Industry workers laid off just in time for the holidays amid a funding dispute between Republican senators and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.  Badams inherited a $26 million budget deficit created by mismanagement and chronic underfunding and aggravated by an imprudent five-year teacher contract that provided generous annual raises amid the uncertainty of the nation's 2008 financial meltdown.  He shuttered schools, cut staffing and raised taxes. But structural forces that continue to fuel the district's multimillion-dollar deficits and deprive students of adequate resources, including textbooks and library books, are not in his control, even with the state's new fair funding formula. In Erie, 80 percent of students are classified as economically disadvantaged and 9 percent speak English as a second language. A full 30 percent of real estate assessments are attached to tax-exempt properties. Add growing pension, health care and charter school costs, and the district in 2017-18 expects to face a $10 million deficit that only promises to grow.

Judge: Philly district's 'scorched earth' legal tactics cost it millions
Inquirer by Martha Woodall, STAFF WRITER Updated: DECEMBER 21, 2016 — 9:01 PM EST
A federal judge has excoriated the Philadelphia School District for its "overly aggressive" defense of the late Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman's "illegal" actions in a discrimination case, a strategy that he said proved "costly."  "The Philadelphia School District now must bear the costs of counsel's scorched earth tactics three times over," wrote U.S. District Court Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg in a sharply worded opinion issued Tuesday. "First in the form of the jury's damages award; second through their own attorneys' surely hefty fees; and now through the payment of the attorney's fees and costs . . ."Goldberg affirmed a federal jury's decision to award $2.3 million to a Bucks County firm that had begun preliminary work on a $7.5 million no-bid emergency contract for security cameras only to see the contract given to another company at Ackerman's direction.  He also ordered the district to pay an additional nearly $1.3 million for the Bucks County firm's legal bills, costs and interest on the judgment. He also denied the district a new trial in the case.

Teachers strain taxpayers
Trib Live LETTER TO THE EDITOR by Scott Angus, President, Ambridge Area School Board Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016, 7:48 p.m.
In Ambridge, where 20 percent of the population lives in poverty, the average public school teacher in the Ambridge Area School District makes $58,741 — nearly three times per-capita income in the borough. Teachers walked off the job this month, demanding a five-year contract with a cumulative wage increase of $36,431 per teacher.  Their last contract awarded them large raises and the district this time offered raises totaling $20,946 per teacher over five years. And unlike nearly everyone else in Western Pennsylvania, teachers in the district pay only $25 a month for full family health coverage — almost unheard of in these times.  As a parent and president of Ambridge Area School Board, I'm disappointed and saddened that the Ambridge Area Education Association chose to strike, closing schools and causing parents to suddenly juggle schedules during the busy holiday season. The union wouldn't allow its teachers to vote on the district's offer.

From the comments section following this opinion piece:
“Founded in 1995, the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy is closely connected to conservative billionaire Richard Melon Scaife.  ...the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy got a full 87% of it's grant money from none other than Richard Mellon Scaife, owner and publisher of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review (from 1995-2009).  http://2politicaljunkies.blogspot.com/2009/12/stumbled-over-this.html
From 2002-2014, five of the top seven donors to the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy are Scaife  institutions.  One of these donors is tied to ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council).  Of course the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy is going to be anti-union.  Mr. McNickle is certainly biased.”
We should ban teacher strikes in Pa. - here's why: Colin McNickle
PennLive Op-Ed  By Colin McNickle on December 21, 2016 at 11:00 AM, updated December 21, 2016 at 11:01 AM
Colin McNickle, an occasional PennLive Opinion contributor, is a senior fellow and media specialist at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy in Pittsburgh.
What a deal.  When Pennsylvania teachers go on strike -- that is, refuse to work because they disagree with the terms of their employment -- they do not lose a day's pay; it's made up with days tacked on at the end of the year to meet the state's 180-day minimum requirement. Neither do they lose any health benefits. Pension benefits? Left intact. Sick days. Not affected. Don't try this in the real world, unionized or not.  But while the Keystone State's public school teachers face no real consequences for their walkout, students and their parents -- and potentially taxpayers -- will suffer negative effects, according to Jake Haulk and Frank Gamrat, scholars at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy.

Lawsuit seeking to end Allentown School District union president's pay as teacher headed to county court
Jacqueline Palochko Contact Reporter Of The Morning Call December 21, 2016
A lawsuit seeking to end the long-held practice of allowing the Allentown School District's teachers union president to be released from classroom duties while still being paid is headed for county court.  On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court booted the lawsuit that was filed in February by former school board member Scott Armstrong, Allentown taxpayer Steven Ramos and James Williams, who as a western Pennsylvania teacher is part the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System.  The case was sent to Lehigh Courty Court because a claim in the lawsuit — that current union President Debbie Tretter and former President Melvin Riddick amassed contributions in their pension plans while not working as teachers — became moot for Commonweatlth Court after PSERS revoked those accruals.

Administrators feel teacher shortage in York County
York Dispatch by Alyssa Pressler , 505-5438/@AlyssaPressYD 7:57 p.m. EST December 21, 2016
York College graduate Brian Baker has known since fifth grade that he wants to teach and help students. That school year, he had a particularly fun teacher, who was hands-on and ultimately changed his life.  "From that point on, I decided I wanted to be that fun teacher," Baker said.
Baker might be the exception and not the rule — according to state and national data, the number of people choosing teaching as a career is trending downward.  Over the past several years, there has been a decline both in students majoring in education and graduates obtaining teaching certificates, according to Nicole Reigelman, press secretary and communications director for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.


Charter schools have an ally in Betsy DeVos
Marketplace By Amy Scott December 20, 2016 | 5:46 AM
At a rally near Grand Rapids, Michigan earlier this month, Betsy DeVos echoed a familiar line from the Trump campaign, saying it was “time to make education great again in this country.” “This means expanding choices and options to give every child the opportunity for a quality education, regardless of their zip code or their family circumstances,” she told a cheering crowd. For DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Education Secretary, a big part of school choice is charter schools, which are publicly funded, but privately managed. The billionaire philanthropist has spent decades and millions of dollars promoting their growth in her home state of Michigan, where about 80 percent of charter schools are operated by for-profit companies. That’s compared to less than 13 percent nationally.   If confirmed, DeVos could use her position to fuel the growth of charter schools, said Thomas Toch, an education policy expert at Georgetown University.  “The federal government provides hundreds of millions of dollars a year for charter school expansion, and she could increase that spending,” he said.  But the results in Michigan have been disappointing, Toch said. In Detroit, where more than half of students attend charter schools, a study from Stanford University found that nearly half of charter schools in the city perform better than traditional public schools. But compared to other large cities, Detroit ranks last on national tests of reading and math.  Toch blamed, in part, limited regulation of charter schools in Michigan, which lifted a cap on the schools in 2011. Last Spring, DeVos fought legislation that would have increased charter school oversight and prevented failing operators from opening new schools in Detroit.  “An unregulated market produces lots of both financial and educational failure in the charter sector,” Toch said.

To Trump’s education pick, the U.S. public school system is a ‘dead end’
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss December 21 at 12:27 PM 
Many people in the education world are trying to learn as much as they can about Betsy DeVos, the Michigan billionaire tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be education secretary. They are reading articles she has written, checking political donations she and her family have made, assessing her lobbying efforts and her role in education policy — and they are parsing speeches she has made, such as a very telling one in August 2015 at the SXSWedu convention in Texas. In the speech (see video below) she explains her education vision, which she says is meant to bring a wide array of “choice” to parents but that critics say amounts to privatizing America’s public education system.  She made some controversial statements, such as calling the traditional public education system a “dead end,” and labeling as “immoral” President Obama’s decision to send his children to private school while trying to end a voucher program that Congress forced on the District of Columbia. Voucher programs use public money to pay for private school tuition for children deemed eligible. And she also essentially trashed the entire D.C. public school system, saying:

‘Government really sucks’ and five other principles promoted by Trump’s education nominee
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss December 21 at 12:29 PM 
Betsy DeVos, the Michigan billionaire tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be his education secretary, has some very firm views about government and education, which she articulated in a 2015 speech at the SXSWedu convention in Austin. Take this, for example: “Government really sucks, and it doesn’t matter which party is in power.”
That was one of six “inconvenient truths” that she listed, and on which she elaborated, for the crowd in an address that clearly set out her views of education in the United States: The traditional public school system is a “dead end,” and publicly funded charter, parochial and private schools should be part of an expansive “open system of choice” for families. (You can see more about the speech here and watch the video of the entire speech here.)  The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment. Ed Patru, vice president at DCI Group, who identifies himself on emails as spokesman for Friends of Betsy DeVos, a loosely affiliated group of her supporters and allies, said in an email:

Betsy DeVos Is Known For Promoting Vouchers, But Her Take On Charter Schools Also Raises Religious-Liberty Concerns
Americans United for Separation of Church and State Dec 21, 2016 by Carmen Green in Wall of Separation
President-elect Donald Trump has picked Betsy DeVos to head the U.S. Education Department. DeVos is infamous for leading the crusade to create private school vouchers, but she’s also known for her Wild West approach to charter schools – and that should worry religious-liberty watchdogs.   DeVos is a founder of the Great Lakes Education Project (GLEP), a Michigan non-profit group that advocates for increased reliance on (and deregulation of) charter schools. A billionaire who has devoted much of her adult life – and a substantial part of her wealth – to promoting the so-called school-choice movement, DeVos has used her home state of Michigan to trial-run many of her policy preferences. And it hasn’t been going well.  Thanks in large part to DeVos, Michigan has incredibly unregulated charter schools.   As is to be expected whenever there’s a lack of appropriate oversight, problems have resulted. In Detroit, where over half the students are enrolled in charter schools, 65 percent of charters perform worse in 8th-grade math than the public schools. And a federal review in 2015 “found that ‘an unreasonably high’ percentage of [Michigan’s] charter schools were on the list of the state’s lowest performing schools.”  Yet this past year, GLEP successfully opposed efforts by state legislators to begin to remedy this problem through the creation of a bipartisan oversight commission. In fact, DeVos’s substantial past campaign contributions – and the potential that she could withhold future contributions – influenced Republican legislators to refuse to create the commission.

Proposed NYC Teacher Evaluation Plan Emphasizes Classroom Work, Projects
Union says ratings will be more useful than those tied to exams but critics see watering down
Wall Street Journal By LESLIE BRODY Dec. 21, 2016 2:38 p.m. ET
New York City teachers would be judged more on their students’ classroom work and hands-on projects—rather than state test scores—under a proposal for new evaluations unveiled Wednesday by the city Department of Education.  The plan fleshes out the city’s approach in the wake of a state Board of Regents decision a year ago to pause the use of state exams in rating teachers in elementary and middle schools until the 2019-20 school year. That change followed a surge of families opting out of the annual tests, saying they wasted time, caused anxiety and narrowed the curriculum.  City officials and teachers union leaders said Wednesday’s deal would usher in evaluations tied more closely to children’s real learning than one-shot exam scores, and would reduce pressures to cram. But critics said it would add subjectivity to evaluations and water down accountability in a system that already gives too many teachers high marks.  The plan must still be approved by the state. Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña expressed optimism it would be allowed for this school year and lead to more powerful professional development.


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
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

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 4th 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.
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.

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.

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 3rd 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


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