Wednesday, February 22, 2017

PA Ed Policy Roundup Feb 22: “Backdoor voucher” Trump considers tax credit to channel public money to private schools

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 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

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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup Feb 22, 2017: “Backdoor voucher” Trump considers tax credit to channel public money to private schools


State lawmakers question drilling tax, wage hike as budget hearings begin
In his state budget plan, Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed imposing a 6.5 percent severance tax on natural gas drilling and raising the minimum wage to $12.
Post Gazette By Karen Langley / Harrisburg Bureau February 21, 2017 6:48 PM
HARRISBURG — Three weeks of state budget hearings kicked off Tuesday with legislators scrutinizing Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposals to enact a new tax on natural gas drilling and raise the minimum wage.  Members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees questioned officials with the state Independent Fiscal Office about the Democratic governor’s calls to raise the minimum hourly wage to $12 from $7.25, the federal level, and his plan to impose a 6.5-percent severance tax on natural gas drilling, an industry that has provided an economic boost to pockets of the state.  House Appropriations Committee Chairman Stan Saylor, R-York, said that taxing a particular industry could lead to the loss of jobs to other states.  “We have to keep in perspective our economy, what taxes we put in place and how it affects job creation here in the future,” he said. “We have a spending problem, not a tax problem.”  Mr. Wolf earlier this month proposed a $32.3 billion spending plan for the next fiscal year that would use expenditure cuts and agency consolidations to close much of Pennsylvania’s budget shortfall, which current projections say could swell to more than $2.8 billion in the next fiscal year if not addressed. Unlike his past proposed budgets, the latest one does not call for increases in the state sales and personal income tax rates.

“The end result is the same — federal tax dollars going to private schools,” said Sasha Pudelski, assistant director for policy and advocacy at AASA, The School Superintendents Association, who called the program “a backdoor voucher.”
Trump considers tax credit to channel public money to private schools
Politico By CAITLIN EMMA 02/21/17 12:18 PM EST
The Trump administration is considering a first-of-its-kind federal tax credit scholarship program that would channel billions of dollars to families from working-class households to enable their children to attend private schools, including religious schools.  The federal tax credit proposal is one of several ideas under review by the White House to fulfill Donald Trump’s campaign promise to promote the expansion of charter schools and vouchers that would allow families of low income to use public money for private school tuition, sources tell POLITICO. During a recent meeting with parents and teachers at the White House, Trump said he wants “every single disadvantaged child in America, no matter what their background or where they live, to have a choice about where they go to school.”  But the federal tax credit proposal already has critics on the left and right. Public school advocates say such a tax credit is a voucher program in disguise and would divert tax dollars from struggling public schools.

See more info on Pennsylvania’s existing education tax credit programs here….
PA Ed Policy Roundup Feb 21, 2017
Primer on PA Tuition Tax Credits: Vouchers in Disguise
Keystone State Education Coalition

Local school district payments to charter schools shot up 70 percent in 6 years.
Charter schools, particularly online “cyber charters” have increasingly been blamed for school district financial woes, with administrators contending charters siphon much-needed money from district coffers.  An advocacy group recently compiled state data for all 500 districts in the state showing just how much money is involved, providing payments to charters during a six-year span. The local hit is steep: Luzerne County’s 11 school districts paid $16.1 million for charter school tuition in 2014-15. It’s also escalating rapidly. The data shows the payments by all 11 districts increased 70 percent since 2009-10.

Sen. Eichelberger: Bad schooling, not skin color, behind call for vo-tech options for urban students
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on February 21, 2017 at 8:02 PM, updated February 21, 2017 at 10:25 PM
Senate Education Committee Chairman John Eichelberger believes Pennsylvania needs to do better by its students, inner-city ones in particular, regardless of the color of their skin, by increasing opportunities to pursue vocational careers.  He also believes the career counseling available to students and their parents is inadequate in some of those schools, leaving students to believe their only option is to go to college.  Eichelberger, R-Blair County, said that's the message he tried to convey at a sparsely attended town hall he held last week in western Cumberland County that he claims has been misinterpreted by others to make him appear biased against minorities and inner-city kids.  An outraged Sen. Vincent Hughes, D-Philadelphia, isn't buying it. He said he believes Eichelberger is biased against urban minority students and wants him removed as education committee chairman. He said other Democratic senators share those views.  "It's outrageous we have to be dealing with this," Hughes said.

Pennsylvania state senator under fire for 'inner city' comment
WHYY Newsworks BY KATIE MEYER FEBRUARY 22, 2017
A Pennsylvania state senator's remarks at a recent town hall have prompted some calls for him to step down from the committee he chairs.  Republican John Eichelberger of Blair County heads the Senate Education panel, and he's receiving harsh criticism from across the aisle after saying inner city students might benefit from less intensive academics.  Eichelberger—who's an outspoken school choice advocate—told the crowd money was being wasted pushing unprepared inner city kids into college programs. He suggested it might be better-spent getting them into vocational programs.  Democratic Senator Vince Hughes, who represents the Philadelphia area, took umbrage, saying Eichelberger's comments show a prejudice against inner-city kids and should disqualify him from running the Education Committee.  "Should there be more vocational programs? Absolutely. Should there be more higher education programs? Absolutely. But don't perpetuate this myth, this stereotype, that we can't achieve," Hughes said.  He added that lower scores only happen because inner city schools aren't equally funded.  "If he [Eichelberger] is so damn caring, he should fund the schools the way they deserve to be funded," Hughes said.

“We should be looking at the best practices, and then we should be doing away with a lot of the bad programs we have and looking at some of the really poor performing schools and looking at moving those kids to charters and other things to give them an opportunity to get ahead. Keeping them in bad programs and in bad schools is not helping anybody in the system,” he stated in his blog.
Senate to debate education measure; Eichelberger, new Senate Education Committee chairman, sponsored SB 229
Altoona Mirror by RUSS O'REILLY Staff Writer, oreilly@altoonamirror.com FEB 21, 2017
The full Senate is to debate a bill sponsored by Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr., R-Blair, next month that would make teachers negotiate with school districts for sick, bereavement and sabbatical leaves that currently have minimums set by state statutes.  Senate Bill 229 passed the Senate Education Committee 7-5 in late January and is scheduled for debate and amendments March 20. A similar bill by Eichelberger never made it out of committee last session.  Depending on what happens March 20, it could be included with bills affecting the budget “or simply as a good government reform measure,” Eichelberger said.  Eichelberger is the new Senate Education Committee chairman, a position he assumes after years of having a critical eye on education funding and teacher unions while supporting charter schools and tax credits to religious schools.
The Blair County Republican is bothered by the education spending increase proposed by Gov. Tom Wolf for next year. Eichelberger’s blog states, “There’s a lot of evidence to show that isn’t working.”

State Charter Appeal Board approves expansion for Pittsburgh's Environmental Charter School
By Molly Born / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette February 21, 2017 3:21 PM
Environmental Charter School at Frick Park may proceed with a planned expansion that could include a new high school and a second K-8 school, the Pennsylvania Charter School Appeal Board decided today.   The development could cost Pittsburgh Public Schools, its home district, up to $11 million a year, according to figures from 2014, when the city school board first rejected the plan.   ECS made changes and resubmitted its request in August 2015, which the city school board denied in December of that year. Finally, ECS appealed with the state in August 2016, and the charter appeal board — which included state education Secretary Pedro Rivera — voted 5-1 in favor of the plan today.

Gerrymandering: Here's a way to smarter Congressional redistricting: Franklin L. Kury
PennLive Op-Ed  By Franklin L. Kury on February 21, 2017 at 9:45 AM, updated February 21, 2017 at 6:04 PM
Franklin L. Kury, of Hummelstown, served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1966-1972 and the state Senate from 1972-1980.
Judicial relief from Pennsylvania's grotesquely gerrymandered Congressional districting map may be on the way.  In Wisconsin, on January 27, a 3-judge federal court ordered the Wisconsin legislature to redraw its own district lines by Nov. 1.   The case, Whitford vs. Gill, challenges the gerrymandering in Wisconsin as so partisan as to be unconstitutional. The challenger's argument is centered on the "efficiency gap" standard for measuring excessive partisanship in drawing legislative district lines.   The "efficiency gap" is a mathematic model for determining how unfairly legislative district boundary lines have been drawn.

On pension reform, Pa. lawmakers talk a good game, but it's another state that's swinging for the fences
Penn Live By Charles Thompson | cthompson@pennlive.com  Email the author | Follow on Twitter on February 21, 2017 at 7:00 AM, updated February 21, 2017 at 7:07 AM
Redesigning government is cool in Pennsylvania these days.
But there's one makeover that's taken on a third rail of politics quality in many quarters of the state Capitol: Fixing the biggest legislative mistake of the last political generation.
We're talking about trying to unwind that notorious 25 percent increase in pension formulas granted in 2001 to all state and school district employees employed at that time - plus a 50 percent hike for state legislators for good measure.  Pennsylvania has had a couple of false starts on this issue - most recently in 2015, when the state Senate voted 28-19 to attack future benefits for current workers, only to see that drive quickly stall in the state House.  But it was so tantalizing from a fiscal perspective: By one actuarial assessment, the plan could have saved $18 billion in future taxpayer obligations through 2040, or about $800 million a year.

Community Briefs: Rose Tree Media holds public budget forums Feb. 25-28
Delco Times POSTED: 02/21/17, 12:03 PM EST | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
Residents in Rose Tree Media School District have four opportunities to weigh in on the 2017-18 budget before a budget is finalized later this school year. In a new collaborative approach to engage all community stakeholders in the budget planning process, the district announces forums on Feb. 25-28.  To support this effort, the district has retained Dr. Harris Sokoloff from The Penn Project for Civic Engagement to implement and facilitate public forums on important budget considerations. Along with Sokoloff, an advisory committee consisting of parents, business leaders, senior citizens, non-public school families and other stakeholders has been established to ensure a broad community participation.  With an anticipated gap for the 2017-18 budget, these forums enable the community to play a key role in finding solutions to the challenges ahead. The first two meetings are at Springton Lake Middle School, 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26. The following two meetings are at Penncrest High School, Monday, Feb. 27 and Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 nightly. Registration opens 30 minutes prior to each meeting.  “We are excited to begin this new interactive approach to budget planning” said Superintendent James Wigo. “I hope we have a strong turnout for these forums. Each meeting provides an opportunity to build our relationship with community members and to support public understanding of the budget planning process.”

Two Philly community school coordinators settle into their new roles
At Dobbins and Southwark, plans are taking shape to address different needs.
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa February 21, 2017 — 11:19am
Following are profiles of two community school coordinators – Charles Reyes at Dobbins Career & Technical Education High School and Beth Dougherty at Southwark Elementary.
Dobbins is located in a low-income, mostly African American neighborhood in North Philadelphia. Southwark is in a more diverse pocket of South Philadelphia that attracts both struggling new immigrants and upscale professionals.

School gardens address hunger issues and promote healthy food
They also can foster connections with community members, from neighbors to experts.
The notebook by Melanie Bavaria February 21, 2017 — 2:09pm
When Gregory Wright decided to plant a garden in his backyard in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood of West Philadelphia, he wasn’t really sure what he was doing, he said.
“I didn’t plant any flowers around it,” Wright said. “I just planted the vegetables. And I found myself self-pollinating, because I didn’t plant any flowers to attract any pollinators, so I was literally taking cotton swabs and putting them on the stamen and the pistis of the flowers of the vegetables.”  But now, after two summers, his l four-by-four-foot plot produces endless bounty – from tomatoes and eggplant to conversations and relationships with his neighbors.  “There is a community connectivity that happens from gardening that I’ve experienced firsthand. There are people who I’ve never seen, I’ve been living in my place for about five years, and I’ve never seen certain people,” he said. “So it creates conversation. It breaks down barriers.”  Breaking down barriers and helping communities by addressing food issues  has been Wright’s mission since graduating from Temple in 2011. After college, he worked at the Food Trust, which looks to solve issues of food insecurity and healthy food access in Philadelphia.  Now, Wright is one of the healthy schools coordinators for the mayor’s community schools program and has been working with faculty members at his three schools — Tilden and Gideon Elementaries, and South Philadelphia High School — to bring more green space, gardening, and food education to their students.

Kitchen skills: Innovative programs training the next culinary talents
Trib Live SARAH SUDAR | Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, 2:51 p.m.
The Pittsburgh area has been booming with new restaurants over the past few years; it seems as though every week or so a new one is opening up in a different part of town. With all of the new places to choose from when deciding on where to eat, it makes you wonder where the culinary talent to fill the kitchens is coming from. Take a look at some of the local programs turning out culinary talent in unique and interesting ways.  ….Students at the Barack Obama Academy of International Studies, a grade six to 12 public school in East Liberty, are learning the fundamentals of cooking at the school's weekly cooking club. Held each Tuesday after school for a little over two hours, the club is led by Big Burrito's corporate chef Bill Fuller.  “The kids learn knife skills, how to follow and read a recipe, as well as converting and scaling a recipe and seasoning,” says Fuller. “It's the rudimentary basics of cooking.”  The cooking club started a few years ago as an initiative in conjunction with Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution movement that focused on educating children to make healthy decisions. The club lost its momentum for a while and Fuller decided to refuel the program once his children, Zoe and Jake, enrolled in the school last year.

Ten Commandments to be removed from Valley High School in New Kensington
Trib Live EMILY BALSER  | Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, 2:39 p.m.
The Ten Commandments monument will be removed from Valley Junior-Senior High School, after district officials reached a settlement in a lawsuit claiming the district violated the constitutionally required separation of church and state.  “In order to take the high road, as they say, we compromised and agreed to remove the monument,” said New Kensington-Arnold School District Superintendent John Pallone.  Under an agreement between the district and the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation announced Tuesday, the district agreed to remove the stone monument containing the Commandments within 30 days from Feb. 15.



Have We Lost Sight of the Promise of Public Schools?
New York Times Magazine By NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES FEB. 21, 2017
In the days leading up to and after Betsy DeVos’s confirmation as secretary of education, a hashtag spread across Twitter: #publicschoolproud. Parents and teachers tweeted photos of their kids studying, performing, eating lunch together. People of all races tweeted about how public schools changed them, saved them, helped them succeed. The hashtag and storytelling was a rebuttal to DeVos, who called traditional public schools a “dead end” and who bankrolled efforts to pass reforms in Michigan, her home state, that would funnel public funds in the form of vouchers into religious and privately operated schools and encouraged the proliferation of for-profit charter schools. The tweets railed against DeVos’s labeling of public schools as an industry that needed to adopt the free-market principles of competition and choice. #Publicschoolproud was seen as an effort to show that public schools still mattered.  But the enthusiastic defense obscured a larger truth: We began moving away from the “public” in public education a long time ago. In fact, treating public schools like a business these days is largely a matter of fact in many places.

As access to AP exams grows, more students are doing better
Washington Post By Joe Heim February 22 at 12:00 AM 
The percentage of the country’s public high school students who scored three or higher on AP exams continues to grow, according to results released Wednesday by the College Board. Nationally, just under 22 percent of the class of 2016 achieved a three or better mark, up slightly from 2015 and nearly eight points up from 2006.   Scores for Advanced Placement exams are on a five-point scale, with a three generally considered passing. Higher AP scores allow students to obtain college credits or skip entry-level college classes.  Massachusetts led all states with 31 percent of its students scoring three or higher. Maryland, which had held the top spot since 2008, dropped to second position with 30.4 percent of its students achieving passing grades. Connecticut (30.1), Florida (29.5) and California (28.5) rounded out the top five

Trump administration poised to change transgender student bathroom guidelines
Washington Post By Sandhya Somashekhar,, Moriah Balingit and Emma Brown February 21 at 11:19 PM 
The Trump administration plans to roll back protections for transgender students, reversing federal guidance that required the nation’s public schools to allow children to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that matched their gender identities.  In a letter to the nation’s schools, administration officials plan to say they are withdrawing guidance issued by the Obama administration that found that denying transgender students the right to use the bathroom of their choice violates federal prohibitions against sex discrimination, according to a draft of the letter obtained by The Washington Post.  “This interpretation has given rise to significant litigation,” states the two-page draft, which indicates that the Education and Justice departments plan to issue it jointly. The draft says administrators, parents and students have “struggled to understand and apply the statements of policy” in the Obama-era guidance.  As a result, the departments “have decided to withdraw and rescind the above-referenced guidance documents in order to further consider the legal issues involved.” The letter makes clear that schools must protect all students and that the withdrawal of the guidance “does not diminish the protections from bullying and harassment that are available to all students. Schools must ensure that transgender students, like all students, are able to learn in a safe environment.”

“I view Betsy DeVos as waging a decades-long war on democracy and campaign finance reform,” says Paul S. Ryan, vice president for policy and litigation at the nonprofit Common Cause. With the help of her family’s bankroll, DeVos has supported a handful of organizations that have slowly but effectively chipped away at the campaign finance regulation system, opening elections up ever more to moneyed interests just like her.  That support helped lead to the infamous Citizens United ruling, which bulldozed the last of the dams keeping corporate cash out of elections. “In a very real sense,” says Ryan, “it’s fair to refer to Betsy DeVos as the godmother of the Citizens United decision.”
Trump’s Education Secretary Nominee Is 'The Godmother of Citizens United'
Village Voice BY JON CAMPBELL SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2017 AT 5 P.M.
If Donald Trump really wants to “drain the swamp” in Washington, choosing billionaire Michigan GOP activist Betsy DeVos to be education secretary may not be such a bad idea after all; she’s a political operator who has made it her life’s mission to weaken public education, with a proven track record of undermining stable systems. If you want to drown government in the tub, first you need to get your assassin through the bathroom door.
For years DeVos been a high profile proponent of charter schools in her home state, and critics say Michigan’s education system hasn’t fared well for it, with many of the charter schools performing terribly even as they divert resources from the larger system. The only thing that has gotten more attention than her agenda is her tactics. A former head of the state Republican Party and a shrewd political operator, she’s been more than willing to use her vast family fortune, estimated at $5.1 billion, to achieve her ends, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to support pro-charter politicians — or punish those who oppose her.  But shoveling money into a race — even if you’re using a backhoe — is of limited value. The effects may not last past the next election cycle. So for decades, DeVos and her family foundation have pursued far wider-reaching and longer-lasting changes by helping systematically weaken the barriers that keep money from flooding American politics. And they’ve been very successful.

Betsy DeVos Used Cherry-Picked Graduation Rates for Cyber Charters
Education Week Digital Education Blog By Benjamin Herold on February 1, 2017 10:38 PM
In her written response to questions from a key Democratic senator, Education Secretary-nominee Betsy DeVos defended full-time online charter schools using graduation rates significantly higher than those used for state and federal accountability purposes. The figures and language cited by DeVos directly mirror those used in a report from K12 Inc., the country's largest for-profit operator of cyber charter schools, in which DeVos is a former investor.  According to the Ohio education department, for example, the Ohio Virtual Academy has a four-year graduation rate of 53 percent, good for an "F" on the state's accountability system.  DeVos put the figure at 92 percent.  The billionaire school-choice advocate did not cite a source. But that figure, and others she used in her letter to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., are the same as those included in a report of academic progress issued by K12 Inc. in 2016 (See page 158). The K12 report makes clear that the figures listed are not calculated in accordance with federal and state regulations. K12's figures are instead calculated using only those students who remained enrolled in their schools continuously from 9th through 12th grade, thus excluding dropouts and transfers.

Education Bloggers Daily Highlights 2/22/2017

Testing Resistance & Reform News: February 15 - 21, 2017
Fairtest Submitted by fairtest on February 21, 2017 - 2:57pm 
Pressure is rising in state after state to reduce standardized exam overkill, end high-stakes and support better assessment measures. The beginning of testing season is a great opportunity to increase attention to the issue. Parents, students, educators, and community leaders should make sure that their elected representatives know of the strong support for real testing reform.


Stand Up for PA's Public School Students!
Sign up for Education Voters PA email list
Join activists throughout Pennsylvania as we fight to ensure that ALL students have access to educational opportunities in their public schools that will prepare them for graduation and success in life.  Add your voice to thousands of others who are standing up against efforts to privatize and weaken our children’s public schools. Help us create strong public demand for a strong system of public schools that will offer an opportunity to learn for ALL students.

The PASA-PASBO report on School District Budgets, January 2017

Public Education Funding Briefing; Wed, March 8, 2017 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM at United Way Bldg in Philly
Public Interest Law Center email/website February 14, 2017
Amid a contentious confirmation battle in Washington D.C., public education has been front and center in national news. But what is happening at home is just as--if not more--important: Governor Wolf just announced his 2017-2018 budget proposal, including $100 million in new funding for basic education. State legislators are pushing a bill that would eliminate local school taxes by increasing income and sales taxes. And we at the Law Center are waiting on a decision from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court as to whether or not our school funding lawsuit can go to trial.   How do all of these things affect Pennsylvania's schools, and the children who rely on them? Come find out!   Join Jennifer Clarke, Michael Churchill and me for one of two briefings on the nuts and bolts of how public education funding works in Pennsylvania and how current proposals and developments could affect students and teachers. (The content of both briefings will be identical.) 
The briefings are free and open to the public, but we ask that you please RSVP. 

NSBAC First 100 Days Campaign #Ed100Days
National School Boards Action Center
YOUR VOICE IN THE FIRST 100 DAYS!
There is no time like the present for public education advocates to make their voices heard. Misleading rhetoric coupled with budget cuts and proposals such as private school vouchers that divert essential funding from our public schools are threatening the continued success of our 50 million children in public schools. We need your voice to speak up for public schools now!
The first 100 days in the 115th Congress and the Trump Administration present a great opportunity to make sure our country’s elected leaders are charting an education agenda that supports our greatest and most precious resource -- America’s schoolchildren. And you can make that happen.

New PSBA Winter Town Hall Series coming to your area
Introducing a new and exciting way to get involved and stay connected in a location near you! Join your PSBA Town Hall meeting to hear the latest budget and political updates affecting public education. Enjoy light hors d’oeuvres and networking with fellow school directors. Locations have been selected to minimize travel time. Spend less time in the car and more time learning about issues impacting your schools.
Agenda
6-6:35 p.m.         Association update from PSBA Executive Director Nathan Mains
6:35 -7:15 p.m. Networking Reception
7:15-8 p.m.         Governor’s budget address recap
Dates/Locations
Wednesday, Feb 22       Clearfield County Career and Technical Center, Clearfield
Thursday, February 23   Columbia Montour AVTS, Bloomsburg
Monday, February 27     Middle Bucks Institute of Technology, Jamison
Tuesday, February 28    PSBA, Mechanicsburg
Wednesday, March 1     Bedford County Technical Center, Everett
Thursday, March 2         West Side CTC, Kingston
Registration:

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 15213
Forum #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.
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

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.

Register for the 2017 PASA Education Congress, “Delving Deeper into the Every Student Succeeds Act.” March 29-30

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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