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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup Jan 27, 2017
.@SenatorFranken: No Dem will vote for .@BetsyDeVos
as ed sec'y — and we’re seeking Republicans to oppose her
Just a heads-up
that the PA Ed Policy Roundup may be posting intermittently between now and Wednesday.
“The Methacton
School District is a paragon of privilege. The median income of district
households is roughly $100,000. In the 2014-15 fiscal year, the district spent
$19,471 per student on a school population that is almost entirely White and
Asian. That's the 71st highest spending total of the state's 500 school
districts. Just 15.7 percent of students are economically disadvantaged --
compared to 50 percent statewide — and the 86 percent of graduating seniors who
go on to college attend some of the world's most prestigious universities.
The students from
Kensington receive about $6,000 less per student per year from the School
District of Philadelphia, which ranks 418th in per-student expenditures. They
are almost entirely black and Latino and largely live in neighborhoods that
rank among Philadelphia's worst in
terms of crime.”How the other half learns: a field trip from Kensington to the suburbs
WHYY Newsworks BY AVI WOLFMAN-ARENT and BY KEVIN MCCORRY JANUARY 25, 2017
You can find the story of
Pennsylvania's education funding system carved into Hakeem Thompson's biceps. Thompson, a senior at Kensington Health
Sciences Academy in Philadelphia, is a middle linebacker on the school football
team. Because it can't afford a regulation field, the squad practices on a
crooked patch of grass behind a neighboring high school. "Our field is not good at all,"
Thompson says. "We play on rocks and everything."
To prove it, Thompson lifts up
his sleeves to reveal a scatter-plot of cuts and scars. When you play on ragged
field, your body bears the testament. Classmate
Ruth Andujar scans the bruises stained across Thompson's arms and offers a
simple, excited evaluation: "Yoooooo,
that's nasty."
A bus ride to
Methacton When
we first meet Thompson and Andujar, we're barreling northwest on a school bus.
This is technically a class trip, but our destination isn't a museum or an
amusement park. It's another school. We're
busing out to the suburbs, to see how the other half learns. Our destination is Methacton High School in
Montgomery County.
“Over the last few years, districts’
operating budgets have ballooned to cover costs associated with contributions
to employee pensions, charter and cyber charter payments, health-care costs and
special-education spending -- and districts have had to shift funds to finance
those expenses.”
Beaver County school administrators express funding concerns
Beaver County Times By Katherine
Schaeffer kschaeffer@timesonline.com
January 26, 2017
CENTER TWP. -- School districts
across Beaver County will have to cut programming and services if the state
doesn’t contribute its fair share of funding and address cost drivers,
administrators say. School administrators from Aliquippa, Beaver Area, Big
Beaver Falls Area, Hopewell Area, New Brighton Area, Rochester Area, South Side
Area and the Beaver County Career and Technology Center met Thursday morning at
the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit to express concerns and emphasize the
partnerships that exist among the county’s school districts ahead of 2017-18
state budget discussions. The meeting
was organized in part by Pennsylvania schools circuit rider Thomas Zelesnik, a
former executive director of the BVIU, before Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf gives
his third budget address Feb. 7. A circuit rider is an advocate for fair school
funding, and the position is sponsored by the Philadelphia-based William Penn
Foundation, a nonprofit organization. Without
a state funding increase this year, districts will be forced to consider
cutting programming, increasing class sizes and scaling back on career-readiness
and technology initiatives, Beaver Superintendent Carrie Rowe said.
Here’s
a list of phone numbers for all members of the Senate Health, Education Labor
and Pensions Committee, which is scheduled to vote on Betsy DeVos’ nomination
on Tuesday January 31.
Grim new forecast sees nearly $3B budget
gap in Pennsylvania
Inquirer by MARC
LEVY, The Associated
Press Updated: JANUARY 26, 2017 —
12:49 PM EST
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -
Pennsylvania's grim state budget forecast is getting gloomier.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the
Republican-controlled Legislature are facing a potential shortfall of nearly $3
billion through next summer, based on new projections by the state Legislature's
Independent Fiscal Office. With an
approved state budget this year of $31.5 billion, the projected deficit is
among the state's largest post-recession gaps as it struggles to keep up with
rising costs for health care for the poor, prisons, state police and overdue
pension obligation payments. Matthew
Knittel, the director of the Independent Fiscal Office, said Thursday that
year-over-year tax collections are virtually flat halfway through the fiscal
year. "We're really not getting any
kind of economic growth through January," Knittel said. "So it's very
puzzling." Forecasts for other states have
also been gloomy, although Knittel said Pennsylvania's may be slightly worse
because the state's population isn't growing and is slightly older. Pennsylvania's
corporate tax collections are also reflecting an overall national weakness in
corporate profits, Knittel said.
WITF Written by Katie Meyer, Capitol Bureau Chief | Jan 26, 2017 3:59 AM
(Harrisburg) -- Just about two weeks before the governor gives his annual budget address, the state's Independent Fiscal Office has released an updated revenue report. Like most of the IFO's reports in the last several months, this one does not contain good news. After some promising growth in November, Pennsylvania's economy has slumped back down according to Matthew Knittel, the IFO's director. He said he doesn't know where the weakness is coming from, but it's everywhere. "It's really broad-based," Knittel said. "It's hitting all individuals, businesses, investment income. It's all weaker than we had projected." So how does that affect the commonwealth's bottom line?
“The largest
government investment in the next generation is about to be under the control
of a Secretary of Education who shares the president's lack of faith in the
very schools that educate 50 million students. Trump's plan to put $20 billion
in vouchers into the private-school marketplace sounds big, and since $76
billion in federal funds flow to all of America's public schools, it certainly
is. The problem is that this new spending will reach only 4 percent of all students
in the nation. That's neither huge nor big-league.”
Commentary: Invest in education for the
long-term, President Trump
Inquirer Commentary by Donna
Cooper Updated: JANUARY
26, 2017 — 10:31 AM EST
BEFORE HE WAS president, he was a
businessman and a successful media personality. For this reason, President
Trump knows all too well that the push for headlines touting strong quarterly
earnings forces businesses to forgo critical long-term investments that gird
sustained profitability. That's no strategy to make America great, for the long
run. If the president is serious about bold change, from his first days in
office, he must propose investments that benefit the next generation and ensure
our competitiveness for the long run. Let's
focus on the options with a proven high return on investment: early childhood,
aligning public school spending to need and youth employment. Glowing headlines accompanied the campaign
announcement on child care that Trump and first daughter Ivanka first unveiled
in Pennsylvania. The president must capitalize on the popularity of that issue,
but improve on that proposal in ways that deliver for hardworking families and
produce long-term economic gains.
"In the
2014-15 school year, the Conneaut School District paid over $1,000,000 taxpayer
dollars to cyber-charters that are failing," Sperry said. "In that
same year, the school districts out of our local Intermediate Unit paid out
over $20,000,000 to cyber-charters."
Erie-area school officials call on
Harrisburg to fix education spending
Superintendents from Girard,
Corry, Conneaut and Iroquois highlight the challenges their school districts
face in advance of Gov. Tom Wolf's next budget address.
By Nico Salvatori
Posted
Jan 25, 2017 at 2:38 PMSchool districts throughout the region could end up like the struggling Erie School District within a few years unless Gov. Tom Wolf and the state legislature create a more equitable state education funding system and address some of the most pressing cost drivers. School superintendents from Girard, Corry, Conneaut and Iroquois gathered on Wednesday morning to relay that message and highlight the challenges their school districts face as they await news on the state's 2017-18 budget. The Democratic governor is expected to give his third budget address on Feb. 7. "Without fair and equitable funding, districts will be required to reduce programs, increase class sizes, and reduce career related electives for students," said Bill Nichols, Corry Area School District superintendent, from the Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit building in Edinboro. Nichols said uncertainty over the 2017-18 state budget has left Corry school officials considering cuts to school supplies and vocational training equipment. The Conneaut School District is in a similar position, Superintendent Jarrin Sperry said. Such cost-cutting measures would harm students but do little to stave off the massive cuts that would be necessary down the line in the absence of reform on pension and cyber-charter school mandates. Sperry said his district is only about six years away from having to make significant cuts to programs under the current funding system.
State extends review of Erie schools plan
District awaits decision on $31.8
million proposal
GoErie By Ed
Palattella ed.palattella@timesnews.com
January 27, 2017
The Erie School District's wait
on the state is not yet over. The Pennsylvania Department of Education's review
of the district's state-mandated financial plan is again taking longer than
anticipated. It will not be done on Friday, as the district expected. The
department told the district in late December that Education Secretary Pedro
Rivera would get briefed on the plan by Friday. The previous date had been Jan.
7. The district submitted the plan on Dec. 6 and has been hoping that Gov. Tom
Wolf considers it before Feb. 7, when he releases his proposed 2017-18 state
budget. But the Department of Education is continuing to review the plan, which
asks for an additional $31.8 million in annual state aid for the 11,500-student
Erie School District to stay solvent and improve its buildings and programs. The
Department of Education's second-highest official, David Volkman, told the
district in an email late Wednesday that department officials are still analyzing
the district's plan and are preparing an executive summary for Rivera, said
Brian Polito, the Erie School District's chief financial officer.
Philly school buildings need nearly $5B in
repairs, new report says
Inquirer by Kristen
A. Graham, Staff
Writer @newskag Updated: JANUARY 26, 2017 8:00 PM
For the first time in 14 years,
the Philadelphia School District has assessed the state of its aging buildings,
and the results are staggering: The system identified more than 12,000
outstanding repairs. It would cost
nearly $5 billion to do the work. Officials predict that they will need to
spend $3 billion in the next 10 years to address urgent problems. Because of delayed maintenance, close to
three-quarters of city schools are in poor repair, and a third of all schools
are in such bad shape that they are "outside the sustainable funding
range." Engineers recommend that some of these be replaced or closed in
the coming years. District officials
said repair or closure recommendations for some buildings were not a prediction
of school closings, only a statement of building conditions. The school system on Friday will release
its multiyear, building-by-building report on facilities conditions, an
examination of 308 district schools, large athletic complexes, and
district-owned school buildings leased to charter schools. The system took 20
months to compile the report.
Report: Philly needs billions to rehab
sagging schools
WHYY Newsworks BY AVI
WOLFMAN-ARENT JANUARY
27, 2017
Nestled among the gleaming towers
of Temple University sits Paul Lawrence Dunbar Elementary School, built in 1931
and looking every bit its age. On rainy
days, the school's roof--which is out of date and poorly pitched--becomes a
repository for large pools of water. And sometimes those pools of water become
a big problem for the students below. "Quite
often we have to move the class because this water seeps down into the
classrooms, through the ceiling tiles, onto the floor, and there's children in
there with big buckets," said Dunbar principal Dawn Moore. Dunbar is one
of the lucky schools. It will be getting a replacement roof within the year. But
there's a big backlog of projects similar to this one the district can't afford
to complete. In fact, there are more than 12,000 of them. A new report
commissioned by the district and released Thursday shows just how expensive
that backlog has become, and how much pricier it could get if Philadelphia
doesn't commit more money to capital projects. Right now, the district has $4.5
billion in deferred maintenance, according to the just-completed Facilities
Condition Assessment (FCA). In the next ten years, the report says,
Philadelphia schools will accumulate another $3.2 billion in needed repairs.
Tredyffrin/Easttown School District adopts
preliminary budget
Daily
Local By Staff Report POSTED: 01/25/17, 3:36 PM EST | UPDATED: 1 DAY AGO
TREDYFFRIN >> At its
regular meeting on Monday, the Tredyffrin/Easttown Board of School Directors
voted 9-0 to adopt the 2017-18 preliminary budget. State law requires all
public school districts to adopt a preliminary budget if the school district
wishes to explore the option of a tax increase that could include revenue from
referendum exceptions to the Act 1 index. At this time, the district has a
preliminary budgeted imbalance of approximately $5.36 million. To close the budget gap, the
preliminary budget includes estimated property tax revenues from the Act 1
index of 2.5 percent and referendum exceptions of .935 percent for a total
possible tax rate of approximately 3.435 percent. The preliminary budget does
not set the property tax rate for next year. The final property tax rate for
the 2017-18 school year will be set at the June board meeting, after a series
of public meetings and budget workshops.
Sen. Bob
Casey (D-Pa.) has received more than 50,000
emails and letters opposing DeVos, according to his spokesman, John Rizzo.
Anti-Devos calls jam Senate
phone lines
The Hill
BY
LYDIA WHEELER AND MALLORY SHELBOURNE - 01/26/17 01:35 PM
Liberal groups have sought to jam
Republican phones lines with protests of President Trump's nomination of Betsy
DeVos as Education secretary. Credo
Action’s vice president and political director, Murshed Zaheed, said its
members made 18,000 calls to members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee on DeVos, targeting committee Democrats and key Republicans,
including Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) has received more than 50,000
emails and letters opposing DeVos, according to his spokesman, John Rizzo. And Sen. Tim Kaine's
(D-Va.) spokeswoman, Sarah Peck, said Kaine has received more than 25,000
emails and letters about DeVos alone and the vast majority have been in
opposition to her nomination. Calls to
action on social media platforms like Facebook have included a list of
Republican senators on the HELP Committee, urging people to phone offices in an
attempt to block DeVos’s nomination.
Guest Column: One voice against Trump
education nominee
Delco
Times By Jerry Oleksiak, Times Guest Columnist POSTED: 01/25/17,
10:14 PM EST
Jerry Oleksiak is a special
education teacher in the Upper Merion Area School District, and president of
the 180,000-member Pennsylvania State Education Association.
When people get sick, they go to
a doctor. When they need to go to court, they hire an attorney. And when they send their children
to school, they expect their kids to learn from teachers. What do these people have in
common? They’re professionals who have spent years learning, practicing and
perfecting their trades. So why does it
make sense to hire a U.S. secretary of education who has absolutely no
experience in public education? It
doesn’t. But that is exactly what
President Donald Trump has done by nominating Betsy
DeVos – someone who is uniquely unqualified to serve as the nation’s top
education official. Ms. DeVos has no
connection to public schools, as a student, educator, administrator, or parent.
If confirmed, she would become the first secretary of education with absolutely
no public education experience. Nominating her is like nominating a surgeon
general who’s never gone to medical school.
Betsy DeVos is the right choice to run the
Dept. of Education: Matthew J. Brouillette
PennLive
Op-Ed By Matthew J.
Brouillette on January 26, 2017 at 9:30 AM, updated January 26, 2017 at 9:31 AM
This past fall, the American
people did something remarkable. Frustrated
by the yawning gap between Washington and Main Street, voters shrugged off the
conventional wisdom of the punditry and political class and demanded greater
accountability and performance from their government. Here in Pennsylvania, our state played a
critical role in this monumental election. Everyday men and women from
pockets of the country long dismissed by pollsters and so-called experts rose
up and demanded their voices be heard. Now,
as Senators consider President Donald
Trump's Cabinet appointments, Washington is providing the first glimpse of
whether it took heed of November's message.
Voters are closely watching each confirmation, and no hearing will turn
the spotlight on those behind the gavel more than that of Education Secretary-designee
Betsy DeVos
“I work every day, as a teacher, as a
parent of an LGBT teen, and as an active participant in LGBT youth initiatives
that DeVos and her family have worked to suffocate their entire lives. DeVos unashamedly repeated that she does not
believe in the federal protections of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, a provision that yes, makes my job harder sometimes, but which
ensures that every person in the United States is able to reach their full
potential for themselves, their family, and for our national community.”
Don't let DeVos instill anti-gay bias in
education | Letter
Letter By Kevin Deely Express-Times
Letters to the Editor on January 26, 2017 at 9:36 AM
As a teacher and union leader in
the Easton Area School District, I am asked every day for my opinion of
President Trump's Department of Education nominee, Betsy
DeVos. She is someone who fundamentally does not believe in a public
education system. I could write pages about her record of dumping money into
so-called solutions to public education that serve to waste taxpayer dollars,
reduce opportunities for students, and leave them ill-prepared for the
workforce and adulthood. But I won't,
because before I go to work in the morning, I wake up to a family that is
the reason for everything I do. I am saddened that DeVos espouses a deep and
well documented hatred
for lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and transgender Americans, which
is matched only by her investment in anti-LGBT organizations and causes, such
as Focus on the Family and Exodus International, pro-conversion
therapy groups. No
matter how much DeVos invests her immense wealth in this barbaric practice, you
cannot pray or pay away the gay. DeVos would have power over
policies that social workers follow, the funding for resources for LGBT teens,
and the after-school activity options that can take place on school property,
including "gay-straight alliances," a beacon for young people
struggling with how they fit in a society that is slow to accept and quick to
judge.
Pottstown district protests education
secretary nominee; Radnor resolution fails
Inquirer by Kathy
Boccella, Staff
Writer @Kathy_Boccella Updated: JANUARY 11, 2017 5:07 PM
The Pottstown School District,
whose money woes have led teachers and school board members to frequently speak
out about a need for more equitable funding, has joined with other educators
nationwide to protest what they see as another threat to public schools: U.S.
Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos.
The Pottstown board on Monday night adopted a resolution opposing President
Trump’s selection, citing her lack of experience in public education and her
support of private school vouchers and charter schools. Members of the
teachers' union called U.S. representatives and senators last Thursday and wore
red to school Wednesday to protest. “Nothing personal against Ms.
DeVos, but we do not think she’s qualified,” said Emanuel Wilkerson, 19, vice
president of the school board. “It shows through her record of promoting
vouchers and charters that she has been an advocate for them and not public
education.” The Michigan billionaire and
Republican mega-donor has stirred strong objections from teachers’ unions
and public school advocates. In addition to her longtime support for
charter schools and vouchers, critics say she has no experience in public
education.
English language learners need more help
and services in Philly schools
The notebook Commentary by Maura
McInerney January 25, 2017 — 4:31pm
The Education Law Center
receives hundreds of calls from families and students through
its Helpline and engages in conversations with advocates, student and
parent groups, teachers, and others – many of whom have raised significant
concerns regarding the provision of services to the School District of
Philadelphia’s immigrant students. The following is a summary of issues we
commonly hear about from families and some proposed recommendations: t the
outset, it is important to recognize that many immigrant students are not only
learning English for the first time, they are also “learning how to learn” in a
formal setting. They are new to American culture and our education system. Many
of these children and youth are “students with limited or interrupted formal
schooling” – they may not have gone to school previously or may have
grown up in refugee camps. And many have been severely impacted by the trauma
of war, famine, discrimination, and fear. They take all of this with them into
their schools and classrooms. In addition, many of their parents do not speak
English proficiently and have few supports to navigate the education
system and their new environment. They are also impacted by trauma and
fear. These students and their parents need additional supports in school that
other students may not.
Black Lives Matter week 'an affirmation'
for students, Phila. teachers say
Inquirer by Kristen
A. Graham, Staff
Writer @newskag Updated: JANUARY 26, 2017 12:46 PM
Some teachers have worn shirts.
Others have led discussions, assigned projects, or hosted lunchtime
seminars. On Saturday, Eagles
safety Malcolm Jenkins will even chime in.
This week has been designated a time to focus on the Black Lives Matter movement by some Philadelphia School
District teachers who had hoped -- by offering sample lessons -- to spur
awareness of a cause they feel is imperative in a school system where most
students are black or Latino, despite the controversy around the subject. The effort was not sponsored or sanctioned by
the school system or the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and organizers --
members of the Caucus of Working Educators, a group within the teachers’ union
-- do not know exactly how many teachers or schools participated. Counting district schools, charters, a
home-school organization, and colleges that have signed on, about 100 schools
in all said they participated in some way, an organizer estimated. But that’s a
small percentage of the number of schools in the area.
The school system did not allow
reporters to sit in on Black Lives Matter lessons. But teachers who presented
them said they were generally well-received.
Four
former Circle of Seasons workers sue school, alleging harassment,
discrimination
The Circle of Seasons Charter
School is the subject of a lawsuit by four former employees.
Sarah M. Wojcik Contact Reporter Of The Morning Call January 26,
2017
Four former Circle of Seasons
workers sue school alleging harassment, discrimination
Four former employees of Circle
of Seasons Charter School in Weisenberg Township are suing the school, its
board and top administrators, alleging sexual harassment, age and gender
discrimination and retaliation for their complaints. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in
Lehigh County Court, was brought by Katie Werner Hutton, Emily Jones, Christine
Storch and her husband Ronald Storch. In addition to the school, the lawsuit
names Chief Executive Officer and Director Phil Arnold, special education
director Pamela Zerbine, assistant teacher Scott Lesko and board trustees
Kimberly Heiman, Chris Hertzog, Darin Mazepa, Kalyna Procyk and Cory Reinhard. The lawsuit focuses on incidents
in 2014 and 2015, before the charter school faced andtriumphed over the threat of charter
non-renewal. Employee
allegations of discrimination and harassment were among the complaints that
emerged while the Northwestern Lehigh School District was investigating whether
to renew the school, which operates under the hands-on, holistic Waldorf
education method.
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-circle-of-seasons-teachers-harassment-lawsuit-20170126-story.html
“Botel began his
career as a Teach
for America teacher in the Baltimore public schools and went on
to found KIPP
Ujima Village Academy, an academically rigorous charter school in
West Baltimore. He was most recently
executive director of the education advocacy group MarylandCAN. His name has
been removed from the MarylandCAN website, and an automatic email reply says he
no longer works there.”
Jason
Botel, KIPP school founder and education advocate, said to become White House
adviser
Liz
Bowie and Jean
Marbella Contact Reporters The Baltimore Sun January 25,
2017
Politico reports Jason Botel
named to White House education position.
Jason Botel, a Maryland education
advocate and founder of a well-regarded city charter school, is expected to be
named a senior White House adviser on education. Politico first reported
the news Tuesday night, and said Wednesday that Botel would be working with the
interim secretary of education to lead a group of 18 new Department of
Education staffers. A source close to
Botel told The Baltimore Sun that Botel has accepted the post. Botel did not
respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
New Trump Adviser Has Advocated for
Charters, Changes to Teacher-Labor Rules
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on January 26, 2017 12:05 PM
UPDATED
The state director
of the Maryland Campaign for Achievement Now, an organization that advocates
for charter schools and the use of student achievement in teacher and school
accountability, has joined the Trump administration as an adviser on education
issues. Jason Botel will serve as a
senior education adviser for the White House, according to
Politico, which was the first to report the news. He joins a Trump
White House education team that includes Rob Goad, a former staffer to Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind., and now the
education point person on the White House Domestic Policy Council. Botel is
also a former executive director of KIPP Baltimore and worked at Teach for
America, according to his LinkedIn bio. And 50CAN's founder, Marc Porter
Magee, told the
Baltimore Sun Wednesday that "I
can't think of anyone I trust more" to help make key decisions about
education than Botel. Varro and Magee didn't immediatley respond to our
requests for comment.
“Exorbitant
tuition rates, unrelated to charter costs, are paid in Pennsylvania as well.
The New Hope-Solebury School District, for example, pays nearly $19,000 for
every general education district student that elects to go to a charter school,
and almost $40,000 for every special education student. The superintendent
of Bethlehem Schools, Joe Roy, estimated that he could save taxpayers $20,000,000 a
year if students in charters came back to the district.”
What taxpayers should know about the cost
of school choice
Washington Post Answer Sheet
Blog By Valerie Strauss January 26 at 2:53 PM
School
choice proponents often attack their critics by saying that anyone who doesn’t
support choice programs — charter schools, voucher programs, tax scholarship
credits — love the status quo and don’t care that children are trapped in
failing traditional public schools.
So let’s stipulate from the
start:
*There are some perfectly awful
publicly funded traditional public schools and some severely troubled
districts, especially in America’s cities. Kids shouldn’t be trapped in them.
*There are some great charter
schools, which are publicly funded but run privately, some of them by
for-profit companies. In some cities, some charters provide better experiences
than the traditional public school.
*All choice supporters aren’t interested
in destroying the traditional public system, and no supporter of the
traditional public system that I have ever heard of thinks the traditional
schools don’t need improvement. Now
let’s move on.
School choice proponents say that
the programs they support do a better job of educating students and that
parents have a right to choose the schools they want for their children. Some
choice supporters have voiced support for more oversight of charter schools,
but the overall thrust of the movement is for expansion of choice, not
oversight.
Critics say that charter and
voucher schools do not do a better job than traditional schools overall, that
they reduce resources traditional districts need to improve and educate the
vast majority of America’s schoolchildren who attend them, that they are not
held to the same standards as traditional schools and that they are not
accountable to the public.
President Trump has promised to
expand school choice — and the Republican-led Congress wants to do the same.
Trump has nominated a choice advocate, Betsy DeVos, as his education secretary,
who is seen by critics as seeking to privatize public education, though her
supporters say she isn’t.
New bill offers glimpse of how Washington
could use federal funding to expand vouchers for private schools
Washington Post By Emma Brown January 26 at 4:14 PM
Sen. Tim Scott, the South Carolina
Republican who is one of the most ardent supporters of vouchers and charter
schools on Capitol Hill, this week introduced a bill that offers some insight
into where and how the new Congress and Trump administration could make good on
their promises to push for the expansion of alternatives to traditional public
schools. Scott’s bill — the Creating
Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education Act, or
CHOICE Act — is a three-pronged approach to devoting more federal funding to
private-school voucher programs.
Sen. Franken: No Democrat will vote for
Betsy DeVos as education secretary — and we’re seeking Republicans to oppose
her
Washington Post Answer Sheet
Blog By Valerie Strauss January 27 at 12:06 AM
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) told Rachel Maddow on
her MSNBC show Thursday night that no Democrat will vote to confirm Betsy
DeVos, the Michigan billionaire tapped by President Trump to be his education
secretary. He also said Democrats were actively looking for Republicans to vote
against her. Her supporters praise her
for being a longtime advocate of school choice but her critics say her
education advocacy is aimed at privatizing the country’s public education
system. DeVos appeared before the Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions last week and fumbled badly,
displaying a lack of understanding of key education issues under tough
questioning from Democrats. Since then,
opposition to her nomination has been growing. Tens of thousands of people have
called or written to senators urging them to vote against her, more than 1
million people have signed petitions, and hundreds of alumni and students
from her alma mater, Calvin College, wrote a letter to the legislators saying
she was unqualified to be education secretary.
DeVos says she will protect students with
disabilities, but advocates aren’t convinced
Washington Post By Emma Brown January 26 at 4:28 PM
Betsy
DeVos, President Trump’s nominee for education secretary, has promised that she
would enforce federal laws meant to protect students with disabilities, a move
meant to reassure senators, advocates and parents who were unsettled by
positions she seemed to stake out at her recent confirmation hearing. “Thank you for the opportunity to more fully
explain my position on the importance of protecting the rights of students with
disabilities and ensuring that they receive the quality education they
deserve,” she wrote Tuesday in a letter to Sen. Johnny
Isakson (R-Ga.), a member of the Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). DeVos went on to
write that she is “eager to bring a sense of urgency” to enforcing the federal
law, as well as to providing students with disabilities more school choices. During her Jan. 17 confirmation hearing,
DeVos at one point suggested that states should be able to decide whether to
enforce the federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act, which guarantees students with disabilities access to a free and
appropriate education. Later, she said she had been “confused” about IDEA, a
four-decade-old federal law that protects civil rights.
Disability-rights advocates were
upset by what was either DeVos’s lack of understanding of the federal education
law or her belief that states’ rights should take precedence over a federal
civil rights law. Not all of those
advocates were satisfied with DeVos’s letter to Isakson. (Read the full letter
below.)
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 CommitteeWashington, 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. He has stated
that he will OPPOSE this nomination.
3.
Senator Casey’s Offices
Washington, D.C. Phone: (202) 224-6324
Toll Free: (866) 802-2833
by Delaware County Intermediate Unit
This press conference will discuss some of the key cost drivers school districts and the state of Pennsylvania face concerning education and offer some possible solutions to the burdens school districts and taxpayers face. It will focus primarily on pensions, cyber charter schools, and special education funding. Speakers will include several superintendents and school board members. Interested individuals from the public are welcome to attend.
Details and Registration here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/education-funding-press-conference-tickets-30894052944
Ron Cowell at
EPLC always does a great job with these policy forums.
RSVP Today for a Forum In
Your Area! EPLC is Holding Five Education Policy Forums on Governor Wolf’s
2017-2018 State Budget Proposal
Forum #1 – Pittsburgh Thursday, February 23, 2017 – Wyndham University Center –
100 Lytton Avenue, Pittsburgh (Oakland), PA 15213Forum #2 – Harrisburg Area (Enola, PA) Tuesday, February 28, 2017 – Capital Area Intermediate Unit – 55 Miller Street (Susquehanna Room), Enola, PA 17025
Forum #3 – Philadelphia Thursday, March 2, 2017 – Penn Center for Educational Leadership, University of Pennsylvania, 3440 Market Street (5th Floor), Philadelphia, PA 19104
Forum #4 – Indiana University of Pennsylvania Tuesday, March 14, 2017 – 1011 South Drive (Stouffer Hall), Indiana, PA 15705
Forum #5 – Lehigh Valley Tuesday, March 28, 2017 – Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit #21, 4210 Independence Drive, Schnecksville, PA 18078
Governor Wolf will deliver his
2017-2018 state budget proposal to the General Assembly on February 7. These
policy forums will be early opportunities to get up-to-date
information about what is in the proposed education budget, the budget’s
relative strengths and weaknesses, and key issues. Each of the forums will take following
basic format (please see below for regional presenter details at each of
the three events). Ron Cowell of EPLC will provide an overview of the
Governor’s proposed budget for early education, K-12 and higher
education. A representative of The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
will provide an overview of the state’s fiscal situation and key issues that
will affect this year’s budget discussion. The overviews will be followed by
remarks from a panel representing statewide and regional perspectives
concerning state funding for education and education related items. These
speakers will discuss the impact of the Governor’s proposals and identify
the key issues that will likely be considered during this year’s budget
debate.
Although there is no
registration fee, seating is limited and an RSVP is required.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.
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
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
PA
Educational Technology Exposition & Conference (PETE&C), February
12-15, Hershey Lodge and Convention Center.
PASBO
62nd Annual Conference, March 21-24, David L. Lawrence Convention Center,
Pittsburgh.
Register now
for the 2017 NSBA Annual Conference March 25-27 Denver
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.
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!
Save the Date
2017 PA Principals Association State Conference October 14. 15, 16, 2017
Doubletree
Hotel Cranberry Township, PA
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