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Wednesday, January 18, 2017

PA Ed Policy Roundup Jan 18: Follow the Money: You don’t need to know what IDEA is to become US Sec’y of Education; DeVos Hearing Postmortem

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, Instagram and LinkedIn

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup Jan 18, 2017
Follow the Money: You don’t need to know what IDEA is to become US Sec’y of Education; DeVos Hearing Postmortem


Editorial: Property tax bill is faulty
Pottsville Republican Herald EDITORIAL / PUBLISHED: JANUARY 18, 2017
Pennsylvania needs major property tax reform. For far too long, state legislators have refused to take sufficient responsibility for state-level education funding.  The state is far more dependent on local property taxes than most other states. That creates vast inequities in funding that belie the state constitution’s guarantee of an adequate education. It also harms local economies and diminishes local municipal governments’ ability to provide services by requiring so much of the local tax base to be dedicated to school funding.  Advocates of a bill to eliminate school property taxes are overly optimistic about its likely effects, however, and blind to a separate set of problems that it would create.  The bill would eliminate school property taxes, which will generate about $13.9 billion statewide during the current school year. It would replace that revenue through a 55 percent increase in the state personal income tax, from 3.07 percent to 4.75 percent, and a 16.5 percent increase in the sales tax for most of the state, from 6 percent to 7 percent. It also would apply the higher sales tax to a wide array of items that are now excluded.

Property Tax Reform and Related Issues
PASBO Website
Property tax reform remains an important focus for the legislature in 2017-18, with a property tax elimination proposal taking center stage. While a bill has not yet been introduced in 2017, we assume that the proposal will be similar to that offered in past legislative sessions. The co-sponsorship memo for the bill states that the bill will prohibit school districts from levying a property tax on or after July 1, 2017, with the exception of a limited property tax necessary to fund the debt service existing in a school district as of December 31, 2016.  Like past versions of the bill, we expect that to replace local property tax revenue, the statewide PIT would increase from 3.07% to 4.95% and the statewide sales and use tax would increase from 6% to 7% and the list of items and services to which the tax would apply would expand to include the majority of services (such as legal services and mental health services) as well as items such as most food and clothing.  The revenue raised as a result of the increase and expansion of the PIT and SUT will be placed into the Education Stabilization Fund to be used to distribute revenue to school districts annually. In the first year of implementation, the state would provide each school district with the same amount of funding (from the Education Stabilization Fund) as their local property tax revenue in 2016-17 and their property tax reduction amount from 2016-17 minus the amount of property tax revenue still allowed to be collected by the district to correspond to their outstanding debt.

PSBA Webinar: Review and analysis of property tax-shift legislation
JAN 19, 2017 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Join PSBA and the Pa. Independent Fiscal Office for this complimentary member webinar to discuss the proposed property tax-elimination legislation being considered by state legislators. Learn how the legislation could impact your school district.  Presenters include John Callahan, PSBA assistant executive director for public policy; Matthew Knittel, director, and Mark Ryan, deputy director — both of the Pa. Independent Fiscal Office.

Another View: Push for ‘choice’ schools hurts the public schools
Delco Times Opinion By Michael Faccinetto and Joseph Roy, Times Guest Columnist POSTED: 01/17/17, 10:38 PM
Michael Faccinetto is president of the Bethlehem Area School District Board of School Directors and the President-elect of the Pennsylvania School Board Association (PSBA); Joseph Roy is superintendent of schools for the Bethlehem Area School District and the 2017 Pa. Superintendent of the Year.
The movement to take control of public education away from local communities and to turn tax dollars over to privately run charter schools, religious schools and private schools is likely to take on new urgency in the Pennsylvania legislature in 2017.  The “choice” movement hampers public school efforts to address urgent problems facing schools such as childhood poverty and an inequitable state funding system by diverting public dollars to privately run schools.  Pennsylvania’s 500 public school districts are governed by your neighbors and fellow community members elected by local citizens. School boards and the public school districts they oversee, are this country’s best examples of democracy – elected directly by the voters in their local community and charged with serving the public good. These school directors serve as volunteers and accept the civic duty to educate our children while balancing that duty with the community’s ability to pay.  In Pennsylvania and across our nation, locally elected school boards are undermined by an anti-public education “choice” movement pushed in large part by billionaires and lobbyists. This “choice” movement supports using local tax dollars to pay for privately run charter schools as well as to pay tuition at religious and private schools.

“Six hours is simply not enough time for even the most diligent rank and file House member to find and bring to the attention of the public objectionable provisions –especially considering the multiplicity of other legislation in play around budget time.  The 24 hour wait rule was adopted after the controversial midnight pay raise vote of 2005. It was among the changes recommended by a bipartisan reform commission to improve both transparency and legislative accountability. These new rules are a step in the wrong direction.”
Guest Column: New Pa. House rules step on wrong direction
Delco Times By Greg Vitali, Times Guest Columnist POSTED: 01/17/17, 10:39 PM EST
State Representative Greg Vitali represents the 166th Legislative district of Pennsylvania which includes parts of Delaware and Montgomery Counties. He is the former Democratic Chairman of the House Environmental Resource and Energy Committee.
On the first day of the new legislative session the Pennsylvania House changed its rules to make it easier for House leadership to obscure the contents of important legislation from rank and file House members and the general public.  Under the new rules the House will no longer have to wait 24 hours to vote on bills amended by the Senate. Now bills can be considered by the House six hours after they come into the public domain.  This rule will be most damaging around budget time. Frequently, in the back rooms of the state capitol, House and Senate leaders surreptitiously insert provisions in large budget related bills that many rank and file House members and the public would find highly objectionable.  For example, last term provisions were inserted in the fiscal code to cancel regulations to make gas drilling safer, delay measures to address climate change and transfer millions of dollars from a fund for high energy efficiency buildings for natural gas development.

“DeVos’s inexperience in the realm of public education appeared at times to be a liability. During rapid-fire questioning by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), she seemed to demonstrate a lack of understanding of one of education’s major federal civil rights laws, which requires states that take federal funding to provide children with disabilities the services they need to benefit from a public education.”
Betsy DeVos, Trump’s education pick, lauded as bold reformer, called unfit for job
Washington Post By Emma Brown, Danielle Douglas-Gabriel and Moriah Balingit January 17 at 11:37 PM 
Democrats attacked Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s education nominee, calling her unfit for the job during a contentious confirmation hearing Tuesday evening, while Republicans defended her as a bold reformer who would disrupt the status quo in U.S. education. DeVos told skeptical senators that she looked forward to working with them to improve the nation’s schools. But she sidestepped several issues important to Democrats and their allies, declining to take a position on whether guns belong in schools or to commit to upholding the Obama administration’s aggressive approach to handling sexual assault on college campuses, and she called Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (D-Vt.) ideas about free college “interesting.”  A Michigan billionaire, DeVos has lobbied for decades to expand charter schools and taxpayer-funded vouchers for private and religious schools, but she has no professional experience in public schools, never attended public schools nor sent her own children to public schools. She also has not held public office.

Betsy DeVos’s Education Hearing Erupts Into Partisan Debate
New York Times By KATE ZERNIKE and YAMICHE ALCINDOR JAN. 17, 2017
WASHINGTON — At her confirmation hearing on Tuesday to be education secretary, Betsy DeVos vigorously defended her work steering taxpayer dollars from traditional public schools, arguing that it was time to move away from a “one size fits all” system and toward newer models for students from preschool to college.  The hearing quickly became a heated and partisan debate that reflected the nation’s political divide on how best to spend public money in education. Republicans applauded Ms. DeVos’s work to expand charter schools and school vouchers, which give families public funds to help pay tuition at private schools. Democrats criticized her for wanting to “privatize” public education and pushed her, unsuccessfully, to support making public colleges and universities tuition-free.  Ms. DeVos, a billionaire with a complex web of investments, including in companies that stand to win or lose from federal education policy, was the first nominee of President-elect Donald J. Trump to have a Senate hearing without completing an ethics review on how she planned to avoid conflicts of interest. Democrats pointed out that in the past, Republicans had insisted that no hearings be conducted before those reviews were complete.

DeVos says she'll support 'great' public schools
But she refuses to promise to maintain funding.
Politico By KIMBERLY HEFLING, MICHAEL STRATFORD, CAITLIN EMMA and BENJAMIN WERMUND 01/17/17 06:03 PM EST Updated 01/17/17 08:45 PM EST
Republican mega-donor Betsy DeVos portrayed herself Tuesday as an advocate for parents who want to send their children to schools with “rigor, challenges and safe environments,” if she is confirmed as Donald Trump’s Education secretary.  DeVos, who has spent millions advocating for tuition voucher programs and charter schools, pushed back against critics who fear she would try to dismantle or defund traditional public schools.  “My greatest educational influence in life was a public school teacher named Elsa Prince,” DeVos said of her mother, although neither she, nor her children attended public schools.  But she said parents should have choices, among them, magnet schools, charter schools, traditional public schools, religious schools and home schooling — or some combination of those.  “If confirmed, I will be a strong advocate for great public schools,” DeVos said. “But, if a school is troubled, or unsafe, or not a good fit for a child — perhaps they have a special need that is going unmet — we should support a parent’s right to enroll their child in a high quality alternative.”  Democrats pressed her repeatedly about whether she would steer public funds away from traditional public schools to charter and private schools but were unable to get a firm commitment.

Democrats Press Betsy DeVos on Privatization, ESSA, and LGBT Rights
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on January 17, 2017 9:59 AM
By Alyson Klein and Andrew Ujifusa
Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Department of Education, used her confirmation hearing to beat back the notion that she would undermine public education as head of the department, as Democrats pressed her on everything from her views on the civil rights of gay and lesbian students, to states' responsibilities for students in special education, and guns in schools.   "If confirmed, I will be a strong advocate for great public schools," DeVos said. "But, if a school is troubled, or unsafe, or not a good fit for a child—perhaps they have a special need that is going unmet—we should support a parent's right to enroll their child in a high-quality alternative." She also noted that her mother, Elsa Prince, was a public school teacher. But those assurances didn't seem to quell the anxieties of Democrats on the committee, including Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the ranking member. "I have major concerns with how you have spent your career and fortune fighting to privatize public education and gut investments in public schools," she said.  In the early stages of a tense hearing that lasted three and a half hours, Murray asked DeVos if she would be willing to commit not to "cut a penny from public education" or use her perch at the department to privatize public schools. DeVos said she would seek to give parents and children the best educational options possible, which Murray essentially took as a no.

Six astonishing things Betsy DeVos said — and refused to say — at her confirmation hearing
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss January 18 at 1:46 AM 
At her contentious confirmation hearing as Donald Trump’s nominee to be education secretary on Tuesday, Betsy DeVos was asked a question by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) about an important education debate involving how student progress should be measured. The query essentially rendered her speechless as she appeared not to know how to answer. When Franken told her he was upset she didn’t understand it, she did not protest.  That was just one of several moments during the hearing in which DeVos either displayed a lack of knowledge about education fundamentals or refused to answer questions that Democratic members of the Senate education committee believe are critical to her fitness for the job.

Betsy DeVos apparently ‘confused’ about federal law protecting students with disabilities
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss January 17 at 10:10 PM 
Betsy DeVos displayed at best confusion and at worst a lack of knowledge about a key federal law involving students with disabilities during her Tuesday confirmation hearing before a Senate panel that will vote on whether she should become President-elect Donald Trump’s education secretary.  Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) asked DeVos about the federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which requires public schools to provide children with disabilities a “free appropriate public education” and governs how states and public agencies provide various services to millions of students.  Kaine asked her if she believes that all schools that receive federal funding — whether public, public charter or private — should be required to meet the requirements of IDEA.  She responded: “I think they already are.”  Kaine: “But I’m asking you a should question. Whether they are or not, we’ll get into that later.” He then repeated his question.  DeVos said: “I think that is a matter that is best left to the states.”

Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Pick for Education Secretary, Won’t Rule Out Defunding Public Schools
NBC News by EMMA MARGOLIN January 17, 2017
Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Education, faced tough questions on Tuesday from Democratic lawmakers at her charged confirmation hearing. DeVos refused to promise that she would not privatize or strip funding from the public schools she would oversee if confirmed.  Asked bluntly by Sen. Patty Murray of Washington whether she would commit to keeping funding for public schools intact, DeVos dodged the question. "I look forward, if confirmed, to working with you to talk about how we address the needs of all parents and all students," she said. "We acknowledge today that not all schools are working for the students that are assigned to them, and I'm hopeful that we can work together to find common ground and ways that we can solve those issues and empower parents to make choices on behalf of their children that are right for them."  "I take that as not be willing to commit to not privatizing public schools or cutting money from education," Murray replied. "I guess I wouldn't characterize it in that way," DeVos said.

“DeVos has been a major donor to Republican politicians; she and her family members have given at least $20.2 million to federal Republican candidates and committees since 1989, according to OpenSecrets.org.During the 2014 and 2016 election cycles, according to this story by my colleague Emma Brown, DeVos and her relatives gave at least $818,000 to 20 current Republican senators, including more than $250,000 to five members of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).”
Sanders to DeVos: Would you be Trump’s education nominee if you weren’t a billionaire?
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss January 18 at 1:34 AM 
He couldn’t have really expected her to answer this in the negative, but Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) went right at Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s education secretary nominee, at her confirmation hearing on Tuesday with a question that was a direct jab at her qualifications for the job: Did the fact that she is a billionaire have anything to do with her nomination?  DeVos, one of a few billionaires that Trump has tapped to serve in his Cabinet or as an advisor, is a controversial choice for education secretary.  Her allies say she has worked in education for decades, is devoted to helping children and will be a fine education secretary. Critics have accused her of working for decades to privatize the public education system — which she herself has called a “dead end” for students — and they have noted that she never attended a public school, sent her children to one, or worked in one and has no real understanding of how it works.

Trump’s Education Secretary Nominee Struggles In Hearing
Betsy DeVos will likely still get confirmed, but she had difficulty answering several basic questions about education policy.
Molly Hensley-Clancy BuzzFeed News Reporter posted on Jan. 17, 2017, at 11:02 p.m.
WASHINGTON — Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary, weathered an unusually contentious confirmation hearing Tuesday night, where she stumbled over several basic questions about education policy and denied she served on a board of a private foundation that donated to anti-LGBT causes, despite years of tax filings that indicated otherwise. DeVos, a Republican megadonor who has worked for decades to expand school choice, said she would wanted to end “one-size fits all education,” steering taxpayer money away from traditional public schools and into charter schools, as well as private schools, religious schools and online charters.  Democrats harped on what they said was DeVos’s history of opposition to gay rights, pointing to donations from DeVos’s family members to anti-LGBT groups. But DeVos, who said she was opposed to discrimination against gay students, tried to distance herself from those donations.  In an unusual exchange, she denied sitting on the board of a private foundation, run by her mother, which gave more than $5 million to the evangelical Christian group Focus on the Family. Pressed by Democrats, she later claimed that three years of tax forms that listed her as a vice president of the foundation were a “clerical error.” DeVos’ husband, Richard, also gave $20,000 to a Michigan campaign to ban same-sex marriage in 2004.

The Real Betsy DeVos
Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of education tried to sound like a moderate—and revealed that she’s either underprepared or a zealot.
Slate.com By Dana Goldstein January 17, 2017
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of education, school-choice philanthropist and Republican donor Betsy DeVos, faced a starkly divided panel of senators at her confirmation hearing Tuesday night. Republicans lauded DeVos’ advocacy on behalf of school choice. Democrats, meanwhile, pressed DeVos, a billionaire, to release three years of tax returns and provide more detailed ethical disclosures.  DeVos was exceedingly polite and made efforts to present herself as moderate. In her opening statement, she praised public school teachers and tipped her hat toward the Department of Education’s role as a protector of students’ civil rights. But in several instances—such as when she said the treatment of disabled children was “an issue best left to the states,” despite the fact that federal law contains strict regulations on accommodating disability—she revealed herself to be either underprepared for the job or stiffly wedded to an ideological, market-oriented vision of education policy, one that has had disappointing results in her home state of Michigan, where she wields enormous influence. DeVos’ allies, like former Sen. Joe Lieberman, who introduced her, presented her lack of governing experience as a plus. Coming from outside the educational “establishment...is one of the most important qualifications you can have for this job,” Lieberman said.

Assessing Trump's pick to lead Department of Education
Jennifer Lynn and Kevin McCorry discuss Ed. Secretary pick Betsy DeVos
WHYY Newsworks BY JENNIFER LYNN JANUARY 17, 2017
Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Education, is slated to appear before the Senate this week for a confirmation hearing.  DeVos is a fierce advocate for school choice — both in expansion of charter and private school vouchers — and her confirmation could mean a major shift in American education.  "To some people DeVos is kind of a lightning rod," said Keystone Crossroad's education reporter Kevin McCorry said. DeVos has been an advocate for charters in Michigan since the 1990s where her pro-charter lobby has curried heavy favor in the state's GOP-dominated house.   Devos, married to billionaire Michigan businessman Richard DeVos whose family founded Amway and now owns the NBA's Orlando Magic, has not been the most popular person in Detroit and other urban centers.   What DeVos could mean to Pennsylvania schools, particularly those in Philadelphia, remains to be seen. McCorry said it all depends on who is in charge of the state.  "Right now, Gov. Tom Wolf's Department of Education, it wouldn't line up at all," McCorry said. "Wolf has been somewhat hostile to the charter sector and has pushed for more investment in more traditional public schools. DeVos comes from a point ideologically where it doesn't matter who is administering it. 

Do guns belong in schools? Trump’s education pick declines to take a stand.
Washington Post By Emma Brown January 17 at 8:17 PM 
Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary, declined to take a stand on whether guns belong in the nation’s schools while answering senators’ questions during her confirmation hearing Tuesday.  Decisions about firearms in schools should be left to local and state officials, DeVos said in response to a question from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). DeVos pointed to a rural Wyoming school that is surrounded by a fence to keep bears out. “I would imagine there’s probably a gun in the school to protect from potential grizzlies,” she said. Murphy — an advocate for gun control whose constituents include parents who lost children in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. in 2012 — asked whether DeVos would support Trump if he moves forward with his proposal, which he first made a year ago, to ban gun-free school zones.  DeVos said she would support “what the president-elect does,” and then added: “My heart bleeds and is broken for those families that have lost any individual due to gun violence.”

Civil rights leaders urge rejection of DeVos for DOE post
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa January 17, 2017 — 4:13pm
Calling Betsy DeVos "uniquely unqualified" to be the U.S. secretary of education, the heads of leading civil rights organizations Tuesday morning urged the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to reject her nomination by President-elect Donald Trump.  The hearing for DeVos is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Tuesday. An ardent supporter of charter schools and vouchers, she has also drawn the fervent opposition of the major teachers' unions and prominent advocates for public education such as historian Diane Ravitch. Philadelphia City Council member Helen Gym is among those who have called for the committee to permit outside testimony on the appointment.  Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, issued a statement Tuesday afternoon saying that  "anyone who works, has children in, or attends a public school should be alarmed" by the choice. "DeVos' anti-public school agenda would be a disaster for Philadelphia's schoolchildren, who have already endured too many funding cuts."    In a call with journalists, the national civil rights activists were especially concerned that the new administration would halt the work of the Education Department's Office of Civil Rights, which over the last several years has exposed discriminatory discipline practices and other evidence of unequal treatment of students in schools across the country.

DeVos pledges not to undo public education, pushes choice
Inquirer by MARIA DANILOVA and JENNIFER C. KERR, The Associated Press Updated: JANUARY 17, 2017 — 10:10 PM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) - In a sometimes contentious confirmation hearing, education secretary pick Betsy DeVos pledged that she would not seek to dismantle public schools amid questions by Democrats about her qualifications, political donations and long-time work advocating for charter schools and school choice.  DeVos said she would address "the needs of all parents and students" but that a one-size fits all model doesn't work in education.  But Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee grilled the wealthy Republican donor on a range of issues from sexual assault to child care, students with disabilities and making public colleges and universities tuition-free.

Casey questions Trump's nominee for education secretary
Inquirer by Robert Moran, STAFF REPORT Updated: JANUARY 17, 2017 — 10:38 PM EST
Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for education secretary, said at her Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday that she could not commit to Obama administration guidelines on how schools and colleges handle allegations of sexual assault and harassment. "It would be premature of me to do that," she said, responding to questioning from Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) before the Senate Education Committee.  "Assault in any form is never OK, and I just want to be very clear on that," said DeVos, 59, a conservative advocate on education and daughter-in-law of Richard DeVos, the billionaire cofounder of Amway and owner of the Orlando Magic.


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

COMMUNITY TOWN HALL - SUPPORTING PHILLY IMMIGRANT STUDENTS
Tuesday, January 24, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Community College of Philadelphia 1700 Spring Garden Street 19130
Bonnell Building (Large Auditorium BG-20) Entrance Between Spring Garden and Callowhill  on  N. 17th
Hosted by:
Councilmembers Helen Gym, Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, Jannie Blackwell
Dr. William R. Hite, Superintendent, Philadelphia School District
Faculty and Staff Federation, Community College of Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition (PICC)
United Voices for Philadelphia
Juntos
For more info, or to reserve free childcare for ages 3 and up,
Contact: Office of Councilmember Helen Gym 215-686-3420

Register for the 2017 PASA Education Congress, “Delving Deeper into the Every Student Succeeds Act.” March 29-30
Offered in partnership with PASA and the PA Department of Education March 29-30, 2017 at the Radisson Hotel Harrisburg - Camp Hill, PA .    Approved for 40 PIL/Act 48 (Act 45) hours for school administrators.  Register online at http://www.pasa-net.org/ev_calendar_day.asp?date=3/29/2017&eventid=63

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

Save the Date 2017 PA Principals Association State Conference October 14. 15, 16, 2017
Doubletree Hotel Cranberry Township,  PA



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