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Thursday, February 9, 2017

PA Ed Policy Roundup Feb 9: Secretary .@BetsyDeVos Come visit our schools and see the good work we are doing.

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
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup Feb 9, 2017
Secretary .@BetsyDeVos Come visit our schools and see the good work we are doing.



RSVP Today for a Forum In Your Area! EPLC is Holding Five Education Policy Forums on Governor Wolf’s 2017-2018 State Budget Proposal



Proposed PA Budget: Click on these links for district-by-district subsidy charts from PDE:

Blogger note: Great to see the Governor’s commitment to funding education, even in a tough budget year.  Especially good to see the proposed increase in early childhood resources.  As a fifth term school board member here’s my summary of the proposed budget:

+$100M basic education
+$  25M special education
-$144M 500 districts’ share of PSERS cost increase
-$  50M cut in pupil transportation line
= $69M more that our districts/taxpayers will have to pony up

As far as I know, there has been no “pension reform” legislation in play that would address our skyrocketing short term costs.  In the meantime, in the face of a $3 billion deficit, on Monday the House Ed Committee voted out HB250, which would divert $75 million more to unaccountable private and religious schools via the EITC/OSTC programs.  How about if we used that $75 million to reduce the pension increase burden on taxpayers?

HB250: Tell PA Lawmakers--OPPOSE additional funding for private school scholarships
Education Voters PA February 7, 2016
On Monday, the PA House Education Committee passed HB 250. We expect to see a vote in the full House as early as Wednesday, February 8.  HB 250 proposes to increase funding for private school scholarships to $180 MILLION/year by providing $55 million in NEW corporate tax breaks for businesses that contribute to private school scholarship organizations through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs.   The EITC and OSTC programs already divert $125 million from the PA general fund budget and funnel this money into private schools.  This leaves less money to fund PUBLIC schools and other important programs that benefit Pennsylvanians.
Please call our state representative and senator NOW and then send a follow-up email with one click.
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6041/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12710

#HB250 EITC/OSTC - this 2012 NYT deep dive is still fresh: Public Money Finds Back Door to Private Schools
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/education/scholarship-funds-meant-for-needy-benefit-private-schools.html

Increase in education funding will not balance budgets in NEPA
Times Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL AND KATHLEEN BOLUS, STAFF WRITERS / PUBLISHED: FEBRUARY 8, 2017
School districts in Northeast Pennsylvania could see an additional $9.7 million under Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed 2017-18 budget unveiled Tuesday. However, area educators say the boost does little to help balance their own spending plans.  The 37 districts in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties would receive an additional $7.8 million for basic education funding, the largest funding stream — or about 1.9 percent more than this year. The districts would also see a $1.9 million increase, or 2.7 percent, for special education funding. Statewide, the governor’s proposed education budget includes an additional $100 million for basic education, $25 million for special education and $75 million for prekindergarten programs. He calls for updating and simplifying the transportation reimbursement formula, which could save the state $50 million. Mr. Wolf also asks districts to competitively bid busing contracts, which Scranton has received criticism from two state auditors general for not doing.

York Suburban talks tax reform
By Junior Gonzalez, For The York Dispatch Published 5:03 a.m. ET Feb. 9, 2017
Community members learned about school property tax reform Wednesday evening, but not as much as some would have liked as a moderator ended the event when the audience tried to ask questions outside the agreed-on channels.  The meeting, which took place in the York Suburban High School auditorium, featured speakers Wayne McCullough, of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, and state Sen. Mike Folmer, R-York and Lebanon counties.  Both spoke at length regarding state legislation regarding property tax reform, specifically state Senate Bill 76, otherwise known as the Property Tax Independence Act. The bill aims to eliminate school property taxes while raising personal income taxes and increasing and expanding sales taxes to help offset public school funding.

Educators at forum question drive to kill property taxes
Pottstown Mercury By Bob Keeler, bkeeler@21st-centurymedia.com, @bybobkeeler on Twitter
POSTED: 02/08/17, 2:42 PM EST
SOUDERTON >> Proposed state legislation to do away with school property taxes has “laudable objectives,” including helping senior citizens and others on a fixed income, according to Wissahickon School District Superintendent James Crisfield.  “But it’s mixed in with a really nefarious, unstated subtext, which is a desire on the part of some to reduce spending on education. Both aspects need to be recognized and addressed separately in the open,” Crisfield said.  He was speaking Monday, at press conference at Souderton Area School District’s E. M. Crouthamel Elementary School featuring officials from area school districts who want to address the rarely discussed impacts of eliminating property taxes, among other things. A proposal to replace school property taxes with an increase to state income tax and sales tax rates and adding to the items on which the sales tax is paid was narrowly defeated in the Pennsylvania Senate last year, but is believed to have enough votes to pass this year.

Jansen: Beware property tax elimination bill (column)
York Daily Record Opinion by Matthew Jansen 3:33 p.m. ET Feb. 7, 2017
Matthew Jansen is a member of the Spring Grove School Board.
Members of the school board will lose all control over raising taxes and hand it to the 253 members of the Legislature.
I just left my school board meeting over at Spring Grove, and seriously, my head is spinning.  Typically these meetings are just fine and dandy. I love the school and respect everybody involved in making that place work, but meetings lack a certain edginess that I particularly enjoy.  Where is the crazy zealot hating on me again who would rather see me in line for the guillotine than an elected member of local government?  What about the radical priest who suggested I am the seed product of national genocide?  I miss you guys!  Don’t make me touch off another local incident, now.  LOL, just kidding. I promised to be good.  But tonight was different. There were no news cameras.  There were no critics.  There was only a gathering of school district leaders as they were briefed on the conspiring of state legislators and what they plan on doing with our lives.

$100M in Waste and Inefficiency & Segregation by Disability: It’s Time to #FixSpecialEdFunding
Education Voters PA Posted on February 5, 2017 by EDVOPA
As Pennsylvanians rally to stop Betsy DeVos from becoming Secretary of Education (and Senator Pat Toomeytries his hardest to ignore us), we are working with a coalition of parents, disability rights advocates, faith leaders, and advocacy groups to build public pressure on our state lawmakers to fix an egregious flaw in PA charter law that mandates more than $100 million in special education overpayments to charter schools every year and causes segregation of students by type of disability in school district and charter schools.  Expense reports filed by the charter schools themselves and documented in a report  by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, demonstrate that $100 million in special education funding that charters receive from school districts is not used to pay for services for students with disabilities.  Instead, because of Pennsylvania’s broken charter school law, charter schools divert more than $100 million in special education funding from school districts into things that don’t benefit students with disabilities, including fattening administrative salaries, lining the pockets of charter operators, and paying for other expenses such as advertising.

Erie-area schools get help from Harrisburg
Basic funding would rise, separate from Erie district's request
GoErie By Valerie Myers valerie.myers@timesnews.com and Ed Palattella ed.palattella@timesnews.com February 9, 2017
The Erie School District is still looking for massive amounts of funding from Harrisburg to end its financial crisis. The district hopes that money will come later.  But no matter what happens with the Erie School District's request for an additional $31.8 million, it and the other school districts across Erie and Crawford counties still would get increased funding under the proposed 2017-18 state budget that Gov. Tom Wolf presented on Tuesday.  The boosts would come in basic education and special education.  Wolf wants to increase basic education funding by $100 million statewide, or 1.7 percent above the current level. He is proposing to raise special education funding by $25 million, for a 2.3 percent increase.  The percentage increases for the local school districts - 13 in Erie County and three in Crawford County - would vary from district to district, based on how much funding each receives already.

Freeport Area tax hike may be hefty
Trib Live by MARY ANN THOMAS  | Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, 11:30 p.m.
The Freeport Area School Board on Wednesday passed a preliminary $31.7 million budget that would increase the real estate tax by 4.9 percent in Freeport and South Buffalo and 3.9 percent in Buffalo Township.  There is a difference in the tax rates because of a state formula that equalizes tax rates in school districts that cross county lines.  Freeport and South Buffalo are in Armstrong County and Buffalo Township is in Butler County.  The proposed tax hike doesn't mean the district will raise taxes by that amount.  But the school board has raised real estate taxes for the past consecutive four school years. Taxes went up an average of 5 percent this school year in both counties.

The School District of Lancaster considers it an honor to serve refugee students
Lancaster Online Letter BY HARVEY MILLER | Special to LNP Feb 8, 2017
Harvey Miller is president of the School District of Lancaster Board of School Directors. This op-ed was co-authored by Dr. Edith Gallagher, vice president of the board, and Dr. Damaris Rau, superintendent of the school district
On Jan. 27, the British Broadcasting Corporation profiled Lancaster, Pennsylvania as “America’s refugee capital,” and highlighted the fact that our community welcomes hundreds of arriving families on an annual basis — 20 times more, per capita, than the United States as a whole. The same week, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on resettlement efforts across Pennsylvania, and documented that our small town resettled as many families in 2016 as did the entire City of Philadelphia (population 1.6 million).  Lancaster’s commitment to refugee families who are fleeing unspeakable violence reflects both our history as a haven for those facing religious persecution and our unshakable belief — especially in this tumultuous period for our country — that we are a stronger and healthier place when we embrace diversity and serve one another.  Jan. 30 brought news of a different sort — the latest decision in a difficult, ongoing federal court case leveled against the School District of Lancaster by the American Civil Liberties Union and Education Law Center of Pennsylvania.  To begin, we need to be clear about some basic facts.

Philly approves one new charter school, rejects another two
WHYY Newsworks BY AVI WOLFMAN-ARENT FEBRUARY 9, 2017
In what was a slow year for applications, Philadelphia's School Reform Commission approved one new charter and rejected two others Wednesday night.  The sole approval went to KIPP Parkside, which will become seventh school under the KIPP Philadelphia umbrella when it opens in 2019. The SRC rejected applications for Friendship Whittier Charter School and Deep Roots Charter School.  The district received just five applications for new charter schools this year; two were withdrawn prior to final deliberations.  The SRC approved KIPP's application with conditions, one of which was that it delay opening the Parkside school until 2019. The SRC also mandated that KIPP Parkside open as a K-4 school rather than a K-8. SRC members said they were concerned about KIPP's past performance in the middle grades and stipulated that the school could expand grades if performance improved.

“The SRC turned down the bid of Deep Roots, which had hoped to open in the fall of 2018 in the  Harrowgate/Kensington section with 300 K-4 students.  It also denied the  Friendship Whittier application.”
SRC approves new KIPP charter school -- in 2019
Inquirer by Martha Woodall & Kristen A. Graham - Staff Writers FEBRUARY 8, 2017 9:57 PM
Amid  parents' calls for new charter schools to meet the demand of Philadelphia families, and complaints that the School District can’t afford any more, the School Reform Commission on Wednesday approved one of three applicants.  During a  special meeting on charters, the commission voted, 4-0, to approve KIPP Parkside school in West Philadelphia, with conditions. The opening of the K-4 school was delayed until 2019-20, and the school is required to demonstrate two years of strong academic performance before it can add grades five through eight.  “We’re just elated for the families that are going to benefit from another KIPP school,” said Marc Mannella, CEO of KIPP Philadelphia, which has four charters in the city. “While we believe we would be ready to open in 2018, if they want to make opening in 2019 a condition, that’s something we’ll work with them on.”  Mannella also said he understood commissioners’ concerns that academic performance had declined recently at two KIPP schools.

Commentary: Update Philadelphia schools by amending tax credit law
By Dwight Evans Updated: FEBRUARY 9, 2017 — 3:01 AM EST
Philadelphia schools recently issued a facilities report showing that the average student attends a school built in the year Brooklyn Dodger great Jackie Robinson stunned a Yankee Stadium crowd by stealing home during Game 1 of the World Series.  That was 1955.  This means our children go to the same aged, rundown K-12 facilities considered functionally obsolete by national standards a generation ago, when their parents attended the same dilapidated buildings. The report puts a price tag on fixing this intolerable situation: $5 billion.  Philly isn't alone. A 1995 federal survey showed that the average K-12 facility across America to be similarly obsolete. And studies indicate that students forced to attend these structures lose statistically one educational year.

School choice fosters healthy competition: Randy Swope
PennLive Op-Ed  By Randy Swope on February 08, 2017 at 10:00 AM, updated February 08, 2017 at 10:03 AM
The January 6th PennLive oped ("School choice's dirty little secret? It's not much of a choice at all") co-authored by Michael Faccinetto, president of the Bethlehem Area School District Board of School Directors and the president-elect of the Pennsylvania School Board Association, and Joseph Roy, superintendent of the Bethlehem Area School District, discredit the old adage that "Two Heads are Better than One."  School choice by parents who also happen to be taxpayers is the main issue. The reader is led to believe that choice in the selection of where one wants to educate their children may somehow undermine democracy.  How did they go off the tracks?

Warm words and good intentions not enough to improve immigrant students' education
District lacks leadership, vision for EL education
The notebook Commentary by Dr. Cheri Micheau February 8, 2017 — 9:34am
Cheri Micheau has worked in second-language teacher development and advocacy for English Language Learners  for more than 30 years, including in the TESOL Programs at West Chester University and at Penn and in the Office of Multilingual Curriculum and Programs for the School District of Philadelphia, from which she recently retired.
The School District of Philadelphia has gotten some positive press recently around the education of immigrant students.  In a series of articles in the Notebook last fall, people from the District's central office praised as successful a program for English Learners (ELs) at Northeast High School.   At a recent diversity forum for parents at District headquarters, District officials reaffirmed their commitment to the safety of all students and acknowledged the assets that our immigrant students and their families bring to the District.   And when District students eloquently made pleas for protection from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions at a recent School Reform Commission meeting, officials assured them that the District will, indeed, protect all students at their schools.  And at a community forum hosted by Councilwoman Helen Gym, School Superintendent Dr. William Hite promised to address some of the concerns voiced by students and parents.   These are all encouraging signs, and families may have been left with the impression that the District is doing all it can to meet the specific needs of immigrant students.  If warm words were enough, ELs would be celebrating.

Chester Upland didn't pay employees' local taxes for three years, owes $570,000
Inquirer by Kathy Boccella, Staff Writer  @Kathy_Boccella |  kboccella@phillynews.com Updated: FEBRUARY 8, 2017 — 4:27 PM EST
The Chester Upland School District, which hasn’t had enough money to pay its staff or buy pencils and paper in recent years, also has come up short with the tax man.  The Delaware County district did not pay $440,000 in employee earned-income tax to the City of Chester, Chester Township, and Upland Borough for 2014, 2015, and half of 2016. It owes an additional $130,000 in penalty and interest, according to Peter Barsz, the district receiver.  Chester Upland tried to pay its tax bills last March and July, Barsz said, but both times the money was not accepted because the fine and interest were not included. The district’s attorney has been trying to get in touch with Keystone Collections Group, the tax-collection agency, to negotiate the penalty, but “we didn’t have any luck getting through,” Barsz said. Keystone could not be reached for comment.

Many local educators unhappy with Secretary of Education pick
Centre Daily Times BY BRITNEY MILAZZO bmilazzo@centredaily.com FEBRUARY 8, 2017 12:32 AM
About five years ago, some Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District board members were in favor of opening a charter school.  The idea was to create an institute that would offer a liberal arts educational experience that focused on individual student interests and educational needs. Stephen Switala, former P-O Area school board member and current music teacher at Clearfield Area School District, said the idea among the board, at the time, was to dissolve some initiatives under former Superintendent Stephen Benson.  “It seemed like an alternative opportunity would provide our kids (with) what was going to be missing at P-O,” Switala said.  But despite Switala being in favor of the 2012 charter school option, he’s not in favor of the newly named Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos — a billionaire advocate of school choice — stating, “money and influence has no place in education.”

‘Students first’: new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos seeks common ground
Washington Post By Emma Brown February 8 at 3:26 PM 
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday delivered her first public message since her rocky confirmation hearing, promising her new staff that she is committed to working with it to “protect, strengthen and create new world-class education opportunities for America’s students.” DeVos pledged in a nine-minute speech to challenge the Education Department to examine its policies and practices — and to listen to her new colleagues. “Let us set aside any preconceived notions and let’s recognize that while we may have disagreements, we can — and must — come together, find common ground and put the needs of our students first.”  DeVos addressed more than 200 employees at the headquarters in Washington, with others tuning in online for what was billed as an all-hands meeting. She enters office as a polarizing figure, with supporters calling her a change agent and critics charging that she is unqualified and would undermine public schools. She was confirmed Tuesday by the narrowest of margins, with Vice President Pence casting a tiebreaking vote after senators deadlocked on her fitness for the job.

At Ed. Department, Betsy DeVos Calls for Unity After Bitter Confirmation Process
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on February 8, 2017 3:41 PM
Washington U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos—who took office after barely squeaking through a bruising confirmation process—kicked off her tenure by calling Wednesday for unity and saying she was ready to learn from long-time employees and the field. "The obstacles between our nation's students and their pursuit of excellence can all can be overcome," she said, speaking to staff members at Education Department headquarters. "They're human problems. All too often adult issues can complicate and get in the way of a focus upon those we serve. The good news is: We can all work together to find solutions and make them happen."  DeVos, a billionaire philanthropist and school choice advocate, is best known for her championship of charters and especially private school vouchers. But she didn't mention those policies—which many view as an assault on the department's public education mission—in her speech.  Instead, she focused on the challenges educators and students face, without offering any specifics.

Opponents make DeVos ‘more resolute’
By Ingrid Jacques , The Detroit News Published 9:04 p.m. ET Feb. 8, 2017
Washington — Betsy DeVos sometimes found it hard to keep her composure during her grueling confirmation process as the nation’s new education secretary. The ferocious and largely personal attacks on her character and commitment to promoting school choice were withering.   “I try not to be cynical,” DeVos says, during an exclusive interview in her new Washington office Wednesday, her first with the media since being nominated by President Donald Trump on Nov. 23. “I am disappointed with how some people have behaved, yes. But I still remain very hopeful that if people can unite around doing what’s right for kids we can ultimately find common ground.”

House overturns two Obama-era education regulations
Washington Post By Emma Brown and Juliet Eilperin February 7 
The House of Representatives on Tuesday overturned two key education regulations enacted under President Barack Obama, a move that could change how state officials evaluate school performance and roll back requirements for programs that train new K-12 teachers.  The two votes under the Congressional Review Act, a measure that allows lawmakers to repeal regulations within 60 days of their enactment, aim to curtail the authority of federal officials over educational decisions on the state and local level. To nullify the rules, the Senate must also vote to overturn them and the president must sign the resolutions into law.  The teacher-preparation rule, meant to ensure that new teachers are ready for the nation’s classrooms, require each state to issue annual ratings for teacher-prep programs within their borders, with poor-performing programs losing eligibility for some federal student aid. It stemmed from the Higher Education Act. It was overturned by a vote of 240 to 181. The school accountability rule — which lays out how states should judge which schools are serving students well and which are struggling and need help — stemmed from a bipartisan law, the Every Student Succeeds Act. But many members argued that the previous administration stretched the confines of the law in crafting their regulations.

House Votes to Overturn ESSA Accountability, Teacher-Prep Rules
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on February 7, 2017 5:52 PM
The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to overturn regulations crafted by the Obama administration for accountability under the Every Student Succeeds Act, as well as those for teacher-preparation programs.  If the ESSA resolution overturning the accountability rules is successful, it could have far-reaching consequences for the U.S. Department of Education, state officials, and local district leaders. These rules address school ratings, the timeline for identifying and intervening in struggling schools, indicators of school quality that go beyond test scores, and other issues. A Senate resolution to overturn the ESSA accountability rules is also expected in the near future.  The Obama administration released a draft version of the ESSA accountability rules in May, and finalized them in November after considering public comments. That final version granted states more flexibility in some areas than the May draft on issues like summative school ratings. However, last month, the Trump administration hit the pause button on the implementation of these final rules. The final teacher-prep rules were issued last October. 

“Among the report's findings: Between 2013 and 2016, the percentage of school districts meeting minimum federal connectivity targets rose from 30 percent in to 77 percent. During the same span, the cost schools paid for bandwidth fell from $22 to $7 per megabit, per second.”
Under New Leadership, FCC Quashes Report on E-rate Program's Success
Education Week Digital Education Blog By Benjamin Herold on February 8, 2017 10:47 AM
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday rescinded its own report documenting the success of the E-rate program, a multi-billion dollar FCC-led initiative that has helped tens of thousands of schools and libraries obtain high-speed internet access.  The report will have "no legal or other effect or meaning going forward," according to the commission's order. The move prompted sharp criticism from education and open-government groups.  "While new FCC leadership may have new policy directions, the public record should not be permanently altered," the American Library Association said in a statement.  "We urge the reversal of the retraction decisions and an agreement that the FCC will not order the removal of any other documents from the public record."  The report was released on January 18, just two days before former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, a Democrat who oversaw major changes to the E-rate program during his tenure, stepped down.   It was retracted on February 3, less than two weeks after President Donald Trump appointed Ajit Pai, a Republican commissioner who voted against the Wheeler-led E-rate reforms in 2014, as FCC chair.

Trump Will Repeal Common Core, Says Kellyanne Conway (He Can't)
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on February 8, 2017 12:10 PM
What will Betsy DeVos' confirmation as education secretary mean? Among other things, according to President Donald Trump's counselor Kellyanne Conway, it means the president can move ahead with his campaign promise to repeal the Common Core State Standards. But that's a problematic assertion.  Conway made the claim during a Tuesday interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. Her remarks about the common core begin at around the 50-second mark:  "He wants to repeal common core. He doesn't think that federal standards are better than local and parental control, for example," Conway told Tapper.  As we've reported previously, states adopt content standards like the common core—the federal government doesn't get to choose for them. Washington also didn't write the common core. There was intense debate during President Barack Obama's administration about whether Washington improperly coerced states into adopting the common core through programs like Race to the Top grants. But regardless of that debate, the president by himself doesn't have the authority to scrap the standards with the stroke of a pen.

Republican Introduces One-Sentence Bill To End Education Department
WNEP16 By Ese Olumhense POSTED 7:42 PM, FEBRUARY 7, 2017, BY TRIBUNE MEDIA WIRE SPECIAL REPORT
One Line, One Page Bill Would ‘Terminate’ Education Department
Representative Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) introduced a bill on Tuesday that would abolish the federal Department of Education. The bill, just one sentence long, reads “The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2018.”  “Neither Congress nor the president, through his appointees, has the constitutional authority to dictate how and what our children must learn,” Massie said in a statement about the bill, which was significantly longer than the legislation itself.
“States and local communities are best positioned to shape curricula that meet the needs of their students,” he added.  The bill, co-sponsored by seven other GOP members of the House, outlines no specific plan for the department’s abolition, but came at a strange moment. On Tuesday, Betsy DeVos, a top GOP donor from Michigan, was confirmed as the department’s secretary by the Senate — with Vice President Mike Pence casting a tie-breaking vote.


City of Philadelphia Hiring: Join the PHLpreK team! The Mayor’s Office of Education in Philadelphia is hiring a Pre-K Initiatives Director.
Learn more and apply here: https://t.co/jMVOJ71xGI

Drexel University Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day will be held on February 11 from 10:00AM-2:00PM at the ExCITe Center

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
Monday, February 20     Forbes Road Career and Technology Center, Monroeville
Tuesday, February 21    Venango Technology Center, Oil City
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

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.

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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