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
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 March 2, 2017:
There are just 8 certified school
librarians left in the School District - down from nearly 200 25 years ago
The
PA Department of Education Appropriations hearings are:
March
6th 10:00 AM House Hearing Majority Caucus Room, Main Capitol 140
March
7th 10:00 AM Senate Hearing Hearing Room 1, North Office Building
“There are just eight certified school
librarians left in the School District — down from nearly 200 25 years
ago. In a nation where urban libraries often fall victim to budget cuts,
experts say Philadelphia’s may be the worst school library situation in the
United States. Children who attend
schools with libraries and certified librarians fare better academically than
those who do not have access to them, research shows. They are most important
to children living in poverty.”
Phila. school libraries are disappearing —
this group fights the trend
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Inquirer Staff
Writer @newskag | kgraham@phillynews.com Updated: MARCH 1, 2017 — 1:52 PM
EST
On the ground floor
of Blankenburg Elementary is something most city schools can only
dream about: a functioning school library. Principal Kelly Parker’s budget is just as
tight as anyone’s. Blankenburg, at 4600 W. Girard Ave., does not
have a music program or an abundance of extracurricular activities. But it has a room with thousands of books,
where, on a recent day, a third-grade class sat rapt on a colorful rug,
listening to a librarian teach them about figurative language. “We could never, ever afford this on our own,
and I know how fortunate we are,” Parker said. “Schools that don’t have this
are at a real disadvantage.” The library
is open thanks to the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children, a nonprofit that
organizes, reopens, and runs libraries in city public schools — free. Since
2009, it has opened 13 in the Philadelphia School District. It also runs the
library at Global Leadership Academy, a charter school.
WHYY Newsworks DAVE DAVIES OFF MIC A BLOG BY DAVE DAVIES MARCH 1, 2017
Could a citizens' group defy
tradition and change Pennsylvania politics?
Fair Districts PA, which has taken on the issue of gerrymandering in
state political boundaries, is at least making some noise. Fair Districts PA is a coalition of groups
that includes the League of Women Voters, Common Cause and the conservative
Commonwealth Foundation among others. When
it called a meeting at Upper Dublin High School in Montgomery County last week,
more than 600 people showed up. Not only
that, they listened intently to a 40-minute presentation by Carol Kuniholm of
the League of Women Voters on the harmful effects of how political parties draw
district lines to gain advantage. One
example she cited was Montgomery County, which has enough people to merit its
own congressional representative. "Your
county should have one congressional district, and your congressman should be
thinking about nothing but you," she said. "Instead, you have five
congressional districts, and I promise your congressmen are not thinking about
you."
Blogger note: CSMI is owned by Vahan
Gureghian, who has been a major PA GOP campaign contributor over the years
and a major influence on PA charter school policy….
“The school is managed by CSMI, the
education management company that runs the Chester Community Charter School.
The Chester school was among a number of schools recently scrutinized by
Pennsylvania’s auditor general.”
N.J. directs Camden Community Charter
School to close by June 30
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Trenton Bureau @maddiehanna | mhanna@phillynews.com Updated: MARCH 1, 2017 — 7:57 PM
EST
The state Department of Education
has denied the renewal application of Camden Community Charter School and
directed it to close by June 30. The charter
school, which opened in 2013 and says it serves students in kindergarten
through eighth grade, was not renewed, the department said Wednesday,
because of its low academic performance.
In a letter to the president of the school’s board of trustees, Kimberly
Harrington, the state’s acting education commissioner, said the school’s
performance on the PARCC assessments “strongly suggests that the school is not
offering its students a high-quality education.” With an exception for middle-grades math, the
school's student growth scores on the test last year “were the lowest of all
charter schools in Camden." Over the last two years, Harrington's letter
said, the proportion of students who met or exceeded grade-level expectations
on a PARCC test in both subjects and grade levels "have ranked no higher
than the bottom sixth percentile in the state." No more than 13 percent of students in
elementary grades at the charter school and 15 percent of students in middle
grades have met grade-level expectations in any one subject during the
last two years, the letter said. Camden Community Charter School was also
considered low-performing prior to the PARCC test, the letter said. The school enrolled 679 students in the
2015-16 school year, according to Department of Education data.
Jersey Jazzman Blog THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2013
Now that the state has officially taken control of Camden's schools, what changes are we likely to see? What's in store for the city's children and their schools?
The best place to find an answer may be right down the Delaware River. A charter school made famous in Chester, PA is setting up shop in Camden.
http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-selling-out-of-camdens-schools-part.html
PA Capitol Digest by Crisci Associates March 1, 2017
Pennsylvania collected $1.9 billion in General Fund revenue in February, which was $32.9 million, or 1.7 percent, less than anticipated, Secretary of Revenue Eileen McNulty reported Wednesday. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $18 billion, which is $449.7 million, or 2.4 percent, below estimate.
Pa., N.J. among brokest U.S. states
Inquirer by Joseph N. DiStefano , Staff
Writer @PhillyJoeD | JoeD@phillynews.com Updated: MARCH 1, 2017 — 6:28 AM
EST
New Jersey has to pay an extra 1
percent interest every time it borrows money because its finances are so bad,
notes Tom Kozlik, muni bond analyst, in a report to clients at PNC.
Only Illinois is worse: it has to
pay a whopping 2.25% extra to borrow money. Pennsylvania is third-worst, at
0.7% extra, compared to AAA-rated states like Delaware. Pennsylvania and New Jersey are also among 11
states whose ratings Moody's is threatening to cut again, according to PNC's
report, which joins data from credit agencies and research groups. New Jersey and Illinois have the worst-funded
pensions in the U.S., with just 41 and 42 cents invested and expected to accrue
to their respective public-pension funds, for every $1 they expect to have to
pay. The same two states also have the
biggest combined pension, public worker medical benefits, and debt-service
burden: they are the only states where those three expenses add up to more than
one-third of the yearly revenues. Not counting salaries. Pennsylvania has the third-worst-funded
pensions, with just 60 cents on the dollar. Pension, benefit and debt charges
for Pennsylvania are higher than the U.S. average but still within the
big-state mid-range, about the same as Califronai and Texas. Pennsylvania has the second-worst state
budget deficit, with a shortfall of $2.3 billion over two budget years. Only
New York is worse, down $4.5 billion for three years. At least New York's
pensions are fully funded. Oregon and Virginia also have big budget gaps.
York
Dispatch by Alyssa
Pressler , 505-5438/@AlyssaPressYDPublished 1:40 p.m. ET March 1, 2017 | Updated 11 hours ago
·
The charter school has fired its business manager and hired a
part-time CEO.
·
This decision comes as the charter school is under scrutiny by the
York City School District.
·
Carlos Lopez, a former school superintendent and now part-time
CEO, has been working with Helen Thackston.
Recently notified that it was at
risk of losing its charter, Helen Thackston Charter School fired its business
manager in the past week and hired a former York City School District
superintendent to assist the principal. According
to school solicitor Brian Leinhauser, Thackston's business manager and human
resources director Kimberly Kirby recently was relieved of her duties, although
he said he was not at liberty to discuss the details of the decision. Additionally, Leinhauser said the charter
school board has decided to hire Carlos Lopez as the school's part-time CEO.
Lopez was superintendent of the York City School District from 2001 to
2005, when he left to become principal of a charter school in Allentown.
Rejection of plan frustrates Erie School
District
'A fool's errand,' Badams says as
staff prepares for massive cuts.
GoErie By Ed Palattella
/ ed.palattella@timesnews.com March 1, 2017
The Erie School District didn't
know what would occur after it sent its plan for financial recovery to the
state Department of Education. But the
district was not expecting what happened Monday. The department rejected the plan,
primarily because the district said it would need an additional $31.8 million
in annual state funding to stay solvent and improve programs and buildings. Erie schools Superintendent Jay Badams said
the denial of the plan stung because the Department of Education never told the
district to exclude a request for additional state funding — despite the district's
repeated interactions with department officials and despite the extensive news
media coverage of what would be in the plan, including the request for $31.8
million. The Erie School District had
been working on the plan since September. The district submitted the plan Dec.
6.
"A fool's errand,"
Badams said Tuesday. Had the district
known not to include a request for additional state revenue, Badams said,
"we would have submitted a very different plan."
Erie School District speeds up schools
consolidation plan
Badams: State's rejection of plan
means changes to come sooner.
GoErie By Ed Palattella Posted
at 12:01 AM Updated at 5:34 AMThe Erie School District had always planned to consolidate schools no matter how much additional funding the district received from the state. But the district had hoped to proceed gradually with the consolidations and school closings, mainly to give students and parents more time to plan. The district has scrapped the incremental approach. Superintendent Jay Badams said the state's rejection of the district's financial recovery plan on Monday has left the district with little choice but to consolidate its high schools and close two elementary schools starting in the 2017-18 fiscal year, which begins July 1. Learn more about the Erie School District's reorganization plan at eriesd.org/reorganization The building changes, he said, would save the district at least $4 million and help eliminate a projected $10 million budget deficit in 2017-18. "We don't have any options," Badams said.
Read by 4th is asking Philadelphians to
complete a survey
Parents and non-parents are
eligible to participate. The deadline is March 19.
The notebook by Darryl Murphy March
1, 2017 — 4:11pm
Read by 4th has
partnered with BeHeardPhilly to launch a survey about views on how
children become successful readers and learners. This survey, which is for all
Philadelphians, not just parents, takes less than five minutes to complete.
Anyone completing the survey is eligible to win a $20 gift card from a raffle.
The link is Read by 4th Survey, and it is open until March 19. Read by 4th is a citywide
coalition whose goal is to get all schoolchildren reading on grade level by 4th
grade. Studies show that students who reach this benchmark are much more likely
to be successful in school, go on to college, and have better life outcomes.
Philadelphia teacher puts up billboard
criticizing district
Delco
Times By The Associated Press POSTED: 03/02/17, 5:39 AM EST
PHILADELPHIA >> A
Philadelphia teacher has put up a billboard criticizing city and school
district officials. WPVI-TV reports that George Bezanis, a Central High
School teacher, crowdfunded more than $5,000 to erect the ad on Monday. The
billboard flanks Interstate 95 and reads “Welcome to Philadelphia, where we
don’t value our public school children.”
The ad says teachers have gone more than five years without a raise. A
photo of Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney is featured prominently on the billboard
along with an image of superintendent William Hite Jr. and a School Reform
Commission representative. Bezanis says
that Philadelphia public schools are underfunded and teachers need fair
contracts. A district spokesman says it
will try to work out a contract that puts students first.
“Sunshine takes in cast-offs from Olympia
and other Orlando high schools in a mutually beneficial arrangement. Olympia
keeps its graduation rate above 90 percent — and its rating an “A” under
Florida’s all-important grading system for schools — partly by shipping its
worst achievers to Sunshine. Sunshine collects enough school district money to
cover costs and pay its management firm, Accelerated Learning Solutions (ALS),
a more than $1.5 million-a-year “management fee,”
2015 financial records show – more than what the school spends on instruction.”
Hidden dropouts: How schools
make low achievers disappear
York
Daily Record by Heather Vogell and Hannah Fresques, ProPublica Published 10:35 a.m. ET Feb. 21,
2017 | Updated 8:08 p.m. ET Feb.
21, 2017
Tucked among posh gated
communities and meticulously landscaped shopping centers, Olympia High School
in Orlando offers more than two dozen Advanced Placement courses, even more
afterschool clubs, and an array of sports from bowling to water polo. U.S. News
and World Report ranked it among the nation’s top 1,000 high schools last year.
Big letters painted in brown on one campus building urge its more than 3,000
students to “Finish Strong.” Olympia’s
success in recent years, however, has been linked to another, quite different
school 5 miles away. Last school year, 137 students assigned to
Olympia instead attended Sunshine High, a charter alternative school run
by a for-profit company. Sunshine stands a few doors down from a tobacco shop
and a liquor store in a strip mall. It offers no sports teams and few
extra-curricular activities. Sunshine’s 455 students – more
than 85 percent of whom are black or Hispanic – sit for four hours a day in
front of computers with little or no live teaching. One former student said he
was left to himself to goof off or cheat on tests by looking up answers on the
internet. A current student said he was robbed near the strip mall’s parking
lot, twice.
“Allowing taxpayers to select from a
menu just might be the way to go. Imagine the wonderful school systems, safety
services and road maintenance we can have if all taxpayers were allowed to
pay only for what they personally use or value. School choice is a concept most
all can rally around. We have a number of options for families in Iowa. But
while no one would likely be excited about helping to pay for my friend’s
private golf course membership, he’s not excited about paying for anyone’s
private school education.”
Imagine vouchers for other
public services
Des
Moines Register David Wilkerson, Adel, Letter to the Editor5:07 p.m. CT Feb. 28, 2017
Living in Des Moines allows for
seniors, like my friend, to purchase a public golf course pass at a very
reasonable price. The three city courses offer varying degrees of difficulty
and make for enjoyable experiences. But my friend has noticed some “issues”
from time to time. Since they are public facilities, anyone can play these
courses. Pace of play is occasionally slow. Golf etiquette escapes some people.
And while adequate, the clubhouses don’t have the high-quality amenities. The push for vouchers, a.k.a. education
savings accounts, for parents seeking taxpayer assistance for use in paying for
private school or homeschool costs has my friend wondering if this might not
apply to his situation on the golf course. There are some beautiful private
courses in the Des Moines area. And my friend believes there are many city
services he pays for that he doesn’t always benefit from. There are roads
he doesn’t drive, he’s never needed the services of the fire department, police
have never been called to assist at his home. So my friend is wondering if he
might be able to get a tax credit or voucher, which he could use to upgrade his
golf experience.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/readers/2017/02/28/imagine-vouchers-other-public-services/98253988/
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/readers/2017/02/28/imagine-vouchers-other-public-services/98253988/
Just
What IS A Charter School, Anyway?
NPR by CLAUDIO SANCHEZ March
1, 20176:18 AM ET
We're all familiar with the term
"hidden in plain sight." Well, there may be no better way to describe
the nation's 6,900 charter schools. These
publicly-funded, privately-run schools have been around since the first one
opened in St. Paul, Minn., in 1992. Today, they enroll about 3.1 million students
in 43 states, so you'd think Americans should know quite a bit about them by
now. But you'd be wrong. "Most
Americans misunderstand charter schools," was the finding of the 2014 PDK/Gallup poll on
public attitudes toward education. The survey found broad support for charters,
but also revealed that 48 percent of Americans didn't know charter schools were
public. Fifty-seven percent thought they charged tuition. And nearly half
thought charters were allowed to teach religion. Now that the Trump administration has made
school choice a cornerstone of its education policy, we thought it would be
worth exploring how charter schools work, who runs them, how they're funded and
whether they work better than the traditional public schools they're often
competing against.
Trump’s first school visit as president
will be to a Catholic school in Florida
Washington Post Answer Sheet
Blog By Valerie
Strauss March 1 at 3:48 PM
In the
newest expression of his commitment to expanding school “choice,” President
Trump is making his first official visit to a school Friday — to a Catholic
school in Florida. Trump will stop at
St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, where several hundred students attend
with help from a tax credit scholarship program that Education Secretary Betsy
DeVos has praised in her declarations about the value of school choice. Trump himself referred to the program in his
address Tuesday night to Congress when he spoke glowingly about one of his
guests, Denisha Merriweather, who attended a private school with help from the
Florida Tax Credit Scholarships program for students from low-income families.
She is now in graduate school. Trump has
repeatedly expressed his interest in expanding school choice, which includes
voucher and tax credit programs that use public dollars to fund tuition and
other educational expenses at private and religious schools. Opponents say
these programs violate the constitutional separation between church and state
and harm traditional public education systems where the vast majority of
America’s schoolchildren are enrolled. But they have grown substantially in the
past decade, and DeVos has been a leader in the choice movement for decades.
Trump’s Call
for School Vouchers Is a Return to a Campaign Pledge
New
York Times By YAMICHE ALCINDOR MARCH 1, 2017
President Trump, returning to a
promise that won him cheers on the campaign trail, signaled in his first
address to Congress on Tuesday that he will move aggressively to allow more
public school students to use tax money to pay for tuition at public charter schools, private
schools and even religious schools. At
rallies last year across the country, Mr. Trump said over and over again that
he would use the nation’s schools to fix what he described as failing inner
cities and a virtual education crisis that most hurts black and Hispanic
children. In North Carolina, he called school choice “the great civil rights
issue of our time.” In Florida, he declared that “every disadvantaged child in
this country” should have access to school choice. And, at a Washington gathering of
conservatives, he said that under his administration, “money will follow the
student to the public, private or religious school that is best for them and
their family.” In his speech on Tuesday, Mr. Trump reiterated those pledges,
and in doing so backed his controversial education secretary, Betsy DeVos, who
has built her career on promoting voucher programs. “I am calling upon members of both parties to
pass an education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth,
including millions of African-American and Latino children,” Mr. Trump said
during the joint session of Congress, to applause from many Republican
lawmakers. “These families should be free to choose the public, private,
charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them.”
Measure to Overturn ESSA Accountability
Rules Introduced in Senate
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on March 1, 2017 11:08 AM
A measure to block the Obama
administration's regulations governing accountability under the Every Student
Succeeds Act was introduced on Tuesday by Sen. Lamar
Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Senate education committee. Senate Joint Resolution 25, if it's approved,
would mean the end of regulations finalized late last year that govern state
plans and issues ranging from testing opt-outs to school turnarounds. The House
of Representatives approved a similar measure last month. In addition, not long
after President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January, his
administration paused these regulations.
If the Senate passes Alexander's resolution and Trump gives the
thumbs-up, the Obama-era rules for accountability and state plans would have no
force, an alarming prospect for Democrats in Congress and civil rights
advocates, who say these regulations include crucial protections for
disadvantaged students. However, congressional Republicans and some school
groups have supported the move, saying that state K-12 leaders and schools need
more flexibility, and that the U.S. Department of Education can still provide
nonregulatory guidance and technical assistance to states seeking more clarity
or other help with accountability provisions of the law.
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.
Briefing:
Public Education Funding in Pennsylvania March 15, from 5:30-7:00 p.m.,
On March 15, from 5:30-7:00 p.m.,
join attorneys Michael Churchill, Jennifer Clarke and Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg
for a briefing on public education.
Topics include:
·
the basics of education funding
·
the school funding lawsuit
·
the property tax elimination bill and how it would affect school
funding
1.5 CLE credits available to PA
licensed attorneys.
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
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 #4 – Indiana University of Pennsylvania Tuesday, March 14,
2017 – 1011
South Drive (Stouffer Hall), Indiana, PA 15705Forum #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.
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!
Save the Date
2017 PA Principals Association State Conference October 14. 15, 16, 2017
Doubletree
Hotel Cranberry Township, PA
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.