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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup March 6, 2017:
Property
Tax Cost Drivers: PSERS costs up from 3% of North Penn's budget in 2010-11 to
16% in 2017-18 — a jump from $6.1 million to $40 million
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
Also,
on March 20th at 10:30 AM a joint Public Hearing by the PA House and
Senate Education Committees is scheduled regarding the Federal Every Student
Succeeds Act. Hearing Room #1, North Office Building
Blogger note: PA school districts'
special ed programs currently receive about $130 million in Medicaid
reimbursement
Medicaid
Cuts
AASA Website March 2017
Superintendents and other school
district leaders are “overwhelmingly concerned” and “deeply worried” about
students in special education programs and those living in poverty if
Republican proposals to refinance Medicaid are enacted according to a new AASA
survey. In Cutting
Medicaid: A Prescription to Hurt the Neediest Kids, close to 1,000
school leaders detailed the educational and economic consequences of a proposed
30 percent cut in Medicaid reimbursements. Republicans have expressed a desire
to reduce federal Medicaid spending by 25 percent by distributing funding
through a block grant or a per-capita cap, which would shift costs to states. Access the full report of Cutting Medicaid here. an executive summary that details the
survey findings in brief here, and an infographic with the eight
facts you need to know about children on Medicaid and the services they receive
in schools here.
“He spent several minutes focusing on
the "mind-boggling" growth of state-mandated contributions to the
Public School Employees' Retirement System, which have risen from 3 percent of
North Penn's budget in 2010-11 to 16 percent of its budget in 2017-18 — a
jump from $6.1 million to $40 million. "I
can't emphasize enough how staggering a figure that is,"
Skrocki said.”
North Penn eyes $14.7 million budget hole, slams 'mind-boggling'
retirement costs
Intelligencer By Gary
Weckselblatt, staff writer March 2, 2017
The North Penn School District is
looking at a $14.7 million deficit in its 2017-18 draft budget, unveiled to the
finance committee Thursday night. "That
is clearly an astronomical number," business manager Stephen Skrocki said,
adding that he used "ultra conservative" revenue figures in the
$258.6 million spending plan that increases expenditures by $13.1 million, or
5.6 percent. he budget was developed without
a tax increase and committee Chairman Frank O'Donnell said he hoped it stayed
that way. In November, the school
board passed a resolution to limit any potential increase in property taxes to
2.5 percent, the amount allowed by Act 1, the state's property tax law. A 2.5 percent tax increase would generate
$4.2 million and cost a resident with a home assessed at the district average
of $147,965 an additional $90. The school tax bill would rise to $3,669. Taxes
were raised 2.4 percent, $84, this year.
"I don't know how we can walk around (the community) and tell
people that taxes are going up $90," O'Donnell said. Skrocki said salaries, benefits and debt
payments make up nearly 90 percent of the budget. He cited the major increases
coming from retirement costs, salaries, curriculum improvements to elementary
science and high school English, debt service, medical costs and charter school
payments.
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer Mar
5, 2017
With Betsy Devos, a big charter
school advocate, occupying the nation’s highest education office, there is
growing expectation that it may soon become easier for parents to choose
nonpublic schools. When parents choose
privately run charter schools, tax dollars typically follow the students and
flow out of public schools. And that frustrates administrators at public
schools, where more than 90 percent of the state’s schoolchildren learn. Last year, Lancaster County public schools
paid nearly $19 million to charter schools, up about $6 million from six years
ago. Charter school enrollments have gone up to 1,570 from 1,265 in 2010. Besides attracting tax dollars out of public
schools, local school education leaders say that charter schools need better oversight.
Pennsylvania’s two-decades-old charter
school law, which a top state official called the “worst in the nation,”
just won’t do, they say. School-choice
advocates, however, argue that charter schools get a bad rap simply because of
the apparent differences in the way they approach education, compared to
traditional public schools.
“Ah, but now, amid new (often angry)
citizen interest in government and politics, there’s a move to push gerrymandering
off our list of political problems; there even are sparks of hope behind it. There’s the nonpartisan Fair Districts PA
crossing the state, drawing big crowds, backed by the Committee of Seventy,
Common Cause, and others, including the conservative Commonwealth Foundation. There’s bipartisan-sponsored Senate Bill 22
(Democrat Lisa Boscola, of Lehigh County; Republlican Mario Scavello, of Monroe
County) to take redistricting away from politicians and hand it to an
independent citizen commission. And
there’s federal court action suggesting gerrymandering could be in trouble.”
Baer: Gerrymandering: Is Pennsylvania
waking up to the issue?
by John Baer, Political Columnist baerj@phillynews.com MARCH 5, 2017 1:42 PM EST
I’m sure you’re aware that, when
it comes to reform or almost any sort of awakening, the Pennsylvania
legislature has institutional narcolepsy.
So don’t be surprised when its general response to efforts to end
gerrymandering is great gaping yawns. After
all, the longstanding, democracy-draining practice of carving up legislative
districts to benefit one party or the other is the featherbed in our system of
self-protective politics, in which lawmakers luxuriate. Gerrymandering rigs the system to favor those
who run it. It eliminates competition
(in 2016, half our legislative races had only one candidate). It preserves
incumbency and ensures the status quo. And our pols like nothing more than
wallowing in status quo. That’s why,
unlike other states, we’ve got no term limits (15 states do), no citizen
initiative or referendum (26 states do), no recall of state officials (19
states do), all despite our cradle-of-democracy heritage. We the people might want reform. Our
political class does not. It wants preservation of power. So we get districts drawn to protect or
punish that have nothing to do with public service and everything to do with
politics.
“If our state legislators actually
represented Pennsylvanians, these two proposals would fly through the
legislature, for neither proposal will increase taxes on Pennsylvanians, but
instead will raise revenues from people and corporations in other states.”
Op-ed: If Pa. lawmakers actually
represented Pennsylvanians, tax policy would make more sense
WHYY Newsworks COMMENTARY BY MARC STIER MARCH 2, 2017 SPEAK EASYMarc Stier is the director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center.
When I was in graduate school in
political science many years ago, I had a teacher — a moderate Republican — who
used to say that government in representative democracies is tricky because you
can always ask, "who do the representatives actually represent?" That's a question all Pennsylvanians should
keep asking during this year's budget cycle.
Along with his bold plan to restructure Pennsylvania's government and
save $2 billion, Gov. Tom Wolf has put forward two proposals that will raise
$375 million and take a small step towards fixing our broken tax system. Taxes in Pennsylvania are upside
down. At the bottom and middle of the income scale, Pennsylvanians pay 12
percent and 10 percent of their income in state and local taxes. The top 1
percent pay only 4 percent of their income. And while taxes have gone up on
working people and the middle class in the last 20 years, taxes on corporations
have been cut. It's those cuts — and our whole broken tax system — not
non-existent spending increases, that account for the $3 billion deficit we
need to close this year. One of the
governor's proposals is a severance
tax on natural gas drilling. The other is a proposal to institute combined
reporting of corporate taxes, while also reducing the corporate tax rate.
Stroudsburg School District has mixed
financial forecast
By Kevin Kunzmann Pocono
Record Writer Posted Mar 4, 2017 at 8:21 PMUpdated
Mar 4, 2017 at 8:27 PM
A handful of particular
circumstances has the Stroudsburg Area School District's preliminary budget
looking in good shape for the 2017-18 school year, but superintendent Cosmas
Curry is cautious about future fund balances.
Curry presented a preliminary budget for approval at the school board's
Wednesday night meeting, projecting an income of local, state and federal
sources to equate about $106.5 million for next year. The total is a boost from
the 2016-17 budgeted $104.4 million and is aided by various one-time
contributions. Curry cited a $1 million grant awarded from the penned efforts
of then-state senators David Parker, Mario Scavello and Rosemary Brown that
will be accounted for next school year. The
district also received a $1.9 million reimbursement from the state for Planning
and Construction Workbook-eligible projects, and had a major jump in local tax
funds as well. The district, which generally sees a tax collection rate of 89
to 91 percent, collected 91 to 93 percent this past year, Curry said.
Lots of questions for Erie School District
Go Erie By Ed Palattella Posted
Mar 5, 2017 at 2:00 AM
Here's what to expect with
proposed changes
The Erie School District just
ended a momentous week, with plenty of change coming soon.
The state Department of Education
rejected the 11,500-student district's financial recovery plan on Monday. Erie schools Superintendent Jay Badams then
directed his administration to develop a strategy to eliminate the district's
projected $10 million deficit in 2017-18.
The major initiatives involve a consolidation of the district's four
high schools and the closing of two elementary schools. If the School Board
approves the changes, they would be effective after July 1, the first day of
the 2017-18 academic year. The district
has scheduled five public hearings on the proposed changes. The first is March
13 at 6 p.m. at the Booker T. Washington Center, 1720 Holland St. The district
originally scheduled that meeting for East High School. Here is an overview of some of the major
issues. The district also has information at www.eriesd.org/reorganization.
School vouchers get a bad rap, but they can pay huge dividends for Pennsylvania’s students
Post-Gazette By Chris Brueningsen
March 5, 2017 12:00 AM
The debate on school choice has
been reignited with the recent appointment of Betsy DeVos as secretary of
education. Fair questions about her qualifications to run this agency were
raised during her confirmation hearings, and in many educational circles her
policies have been viewed with uncertainty and concern. But the fact that Ms.
DeVos is pro-vouchers shouldn’t cause people to capriciously discount the
benefits of such programs. When structured thoughtfully, school choice programs
can offer worthwhile alternatives for students who are looking for improved
educational opportunities. The number of
state-sponsored school choice programs has grown considerably in recent years.
According to a report by the Shorenstein Center at Harvard, the number of
students using school vouchers grew from 61,700 in 2008 to over 153,000 by 2015
— an increase of nearly 150 percent. The same report indicates that vouchers
cost taxpayers just over $6,000 per child each year, compared to public school
per-pupil spending, which exceeded $11,000 on average.
MaST: A high-tech Philly charter school in
high demand
Inquirer by Martha Woodall, Staff Writer @marwooda | martha.woodall@phillynews.com Updated: MARCH 6, 2017 — 5:00 AM
EST
Perched in a corner of the Far
Northeast, Math, Science and Technology Community Charter School has been
popular since it opened in 1999. But MaST, as it is known, has
become one of the hardest schools to get into in the region. Applicants have a
better chance at Harvard. The K-12
charter received nearly 9,200 applications from across the city for just 96
seats in the fall. That translates to a 1 percent chance; Harvard admitted 5.4
percent of 39,041 applicants in 2016. MaST recently held a lottery to
determine who would win a golden ticket for a seat in September. What’s behind MaST's draw? Is it
the state and national accolades, such as being recognized by Apple for
innovation, leadership, and educational excellence three years running? The
fact that about 90 percent of grads go to college? The focus on technology and
the arts? The 3-D printers and robotics labs?
Could it be the virtual Wii fitness center, the video studio, or the
three-story media and library wing with a projection screen in the floor? Or,
are parents lured by the school’s rooftop telescope?
“OJR is the third district in
Chester County to consider altering start times. Unionville-Chadds
Ford and Phoenixville districts are also looking at the logistics of changing
start times. At this time, there are no recommended changes to the 2017-18
school schedule.”
Owen J. Roberts start time survey splits
community
Daily
Local By Eric Devlin, edevlin@21st-centurymedia.com, @Eric_Devlin on Twitter POSTED: 03/05/17, 5:56 PM
EST | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
SOUTH COVENTRY >> A new
survey conducted by the Owen J. Roberts School District shows that a little
over half of parents and students surveyed support the idea of shifting to a
later start and dismissal time at the middle and high schools. About 20 percent
of staff members, however, agreed. The
results of the survey conducted last month were presented at Monday’s school
board meeting as part of the district’s nearly year-long study of the topic.
The district received over 2,000 survey responses — 1,352 parents, 446 students
and 287 staff members. The results are available to view on the district’s website. Tellingly, the survey results featured some
of the anonymous comments the district received from respondents who fell on
both sides of the issue. “The sleep patterns of teens are
different than those of adults,” said one comment. “Let teens get the sleep
they need by making the start time later.”
“I believe altering the start time for middle/high school is not
teaching a valuable life lesson,” said another. “Life often begins before 8:30
a.m. and employers are often are not flexible. It is important to set up healthy
sleep and work ethics, and I disagree that switching the time would be
effective.”
“Camden Community Charter, which opened
in 2013, is managed by CSMI. The company also manages Chester Community Charter
School in Pennsylvania and Atlantic City Community Charter School. The company’s CEO is Vahan Gureghian, a Main
Line lawyer and prolific political donor. He was a top local donor to
the super PAC supporting Gov. Christie’s unsuccessful presidential campaign,
and has given more than $15,000 to the campaign committee of U.S. Rep. Donald
Norcross, a South Jersey Democrat, among a multitude of federal and state
donations. Norcross and Redd attended
the school’s ribbon-cutting in 2013.”
Camden charter school says it has mayor’s
support, will ‘aggressively fight’ closure
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Trenton Bureau @maddiehanna | mhanna@phillynews.com Updated: MARCH 3, 2017 — 6:03 PM
EST
The Camden charter school
directed to close by June 30 is telling parents it intends to “aggressively
fight” the state’s decision. Camden
Community Charter School also says it is supported by the city’s mayor, Dana L.
Redd, according to a copy of a letter students at the North Camden school were
given Friday. “I am proud to let you
know that we have received the full support of Mayor Dana Redd and other
education leaders in the community who know what an important role our school
is playing in the education of your sons and daughters,” the president of the
school’s board of trustees, Edmond George, said in the letter, addressed to parents. “Mayor Redd and others who have
visited the school have witnessed firsthand the impact that CCCS is having, the
education it is providing, and the opportunities it is helping its students
realize,” George said.
Award-winning author visits Olney to
discuss memoir
The notebook by Camille DeRamos March
3, 2017 — 3:31pm
Author M.K. Asante, who grew up
in Philadelphia, discussed his memoir with 10th graders at ASPIRA Olney Charter
School on Thursday.
The auditorium of
sophomores at ASPIRA Olney Charter High School erupted with applause and
loud cheers when M.K. Asante, award-winning author of Buck: A
Memoir, walked down the aisle toward the stage. The students had recently finished studying
Asante’s book in their English classes, and now the author, who grew
up in Philadelphia, had returned home to talk to them about his
troubled childhood, the struggles he faced, his careers as a writer, rapper,
and filmmaker, and using life as a basis for writing, For the teachers and students, Asante rapped
and spoke in lyrics, as the students nodded to the beat of his words. Gwynae Seegars said, “My dream and
a lot of other kids’ dreams [who grew up in Philly] is to get out of the hood
and make it big – like Asante.
“But having him come back to Philly and speak to us inspired me. You
can’t forget where you came from, because how and where you start is more
important than the journey and the end.”
“Pretty good for Gongol and Jeremy
Lloyd, childhood friends who met at Haverford High School and who named their
jazzily electronic songwriting-singing-production duo after two characters
from The Music Man (Marian
Paroo and Harold Hill). … Like any
lifelong pals, Gongol and Lloyd — both 26 — each anticipate what the
other will say, finish each other’s sentences, and talk quickly over each other
while doing so. “We had classes together in middle and high school,” says
Gongol. “There was Seventh Heaven choir, rehearsal mornings at 7 a.m.,” says
Lloyd.”
The music in that crazy catchy Apple ad?
It comes from a Philly band
by A.D. Amorosi, FOR THE INQUIRER Updated: FEBRUARY 1, 2017 — 4:45
PM EST
By now, you’ve probably seen the
new, black-and-white Apple ad for its iPhone + AirPods that does as much for
its product as it does the music behind it (if you haven't, check it out
above). “Play Marian Hill,” is the
first (and only) phrase uttered in the bright, prancing commercial, followed by
a subtle robotic beat, a twitchy piano, a whistling electronic ambience, and
the softly skittering voice of Samantha Gongol – from the Main Line
duo’s 2016 tune “Down,” off their debut album, Act One. It’s no surprise that with such a showcase,
“Down,” long outside the Top 200, jumped onto iTunes’ single sales chart
at No. 12 after the commercial’s Jan. 14 debut. It rose to No. 8 this
week, with Act One at No. 7 on the album chart. Also
this week, Marian Hill released “Back to
Me,” a high-profile duet with Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui. “That’s the theater geek in us,” says Lloyd,
who, after high school, studied music theatre at Yale University; Gongol
split for Manhattan and music business courses at New York University. Marian
Hill’s occasional third member is experimental saxophonist Steve Davit (a
Drexel University music industry major), whose smoky, supple subtone gives
Marian Hill’s bluesy, jazzy vibe greater heft. “He’s our secret weapon,”
Gongol says of Davit.
Bellefonte
teachers contact Sen. Toomey, speak out against Betsy DeVos
Centre Daily Times BY BRITNEY MILAZZO
bmilazzo@centredaily.com MARCH
5, 2017 9:35 PM
Donna Smith has
been working at Bellefonte Area Middle School for 32 years. She teaches
eighth-grade language arts. But for her,
teaching is more than just a job. “Teachers are a different breed,” Smith said.
“It’s not just a job. It’s our life, our passion.” That’s why she helped spearhead an effort
with members of the Bellefonte Area Education Association to reach out to U.S.
Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican, regarding his vote in favor of confirming
Betsy DeVos as secretary of education — a pick who is reportedly
pro-alternative education at a time that teachers, like some of those at
Bellefonte Area School District, are fighting for public education. “The motivation was that I’ve
been a teacher for more than 30 years, and teaching is very important for me,
and it was very hard to accept,” she said about the DeVos pick. “I wasn’t ready
to accept it. I personally felt like I had been punched in the stomach and it
was really upsetting. If the vote came down to it, I had some hope he (Toomey)
would have been the senator to vote no.” Toomey released a statement Feb.
3 about his vote for DeVos, stating he was in support of the secretary of
education because of her experience fighting to ensure “poor children trapped
in failing schools have the same opportunities that wealthy and middle class
kids already have.”
Kansas
Supreme Court rules the state has failed to ensure adequate education funding
The Kansas City Star BY BRYAN LOWRY blowry@kcstar.com HUNTER WOODALL hwoodall@kcstar.com AND KATY BERGEN kbergen@kcstar.com March 2, 2017
Kansas lawmakers have until the
end of June to fix the state’s school finance system after the state Supreme
Court ruled Thursday that the state had failed to ensure adequate funding for
public schools. The court determined
that the state is failing to provide roughly one-fourth of its public school
students with basic math and reading skills. If the state fails to demonstrate
the adequacy of a new funding system by June 30, then the state’s current
system will become invalid, which would trigger a shutdown of the schools. Four school districts, including Kansas City,
Kan., first sued the state in 2010 for more education funding, contending that
the state was failing to meet a constitutional requirement for suitable
funding. Thursday’s ruling did not
specify an exact dollar figure for fixing the finance system, but it did
reference conclusions previously made by a district court that restoring the
state’s old school finance system and increasing the base aid per student would
satisfy the requirement.
America
Needs Public School Choice, Not Private School Vouchers
The Century Foundatiion MARCH
2, 2017 — RICHARD
D. KAHLENBERG
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
·
The Trump administration is reportedly considering a proposal
devoting up to $20 billion to create the nation’s first federal tax credit
program (or possibly a voucher program) to support students attending private
schools. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has been a long-time supporter of
private school vouchers.
·
Direct private school vouchers and a private school tax credit
both threaten the quality of public education; reduce accountability and civil
rights protections for students; cause further segregation of pupils by race
and class; reduce overall student achievement; and decrease teaching of
democratic ideals and values, which are not usually prioritized in private
school curricula.
·
School choice such as public magnet schools provide families with
different educational options while also fostering racial and socioeconomic
integration. Beyond furthering social mobility and cohesion, integrated schools
underline the democratic message that in America, we are all equals.
We are in a moment of crisis for
American public education. President Donald Trumpand his Secretary of
Education Betsy DeVos are pushing an effort to create the first federally
funded national program to support private school education. In a nation long
committed to a public schooling for students of all backgrounds, we could end
up taking a critical step down the road to privatization of American education. The threat is very real. I have been
researching and writing about public schools for more than two decades. I also
have strong familiarity with public education debates dating back to the early
1960s, having
written a biography of Albert Shanker, the longtime president of the
American Federation of Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers in New
York City.1 In
my view, American public education is in greater jeopardy than at any other time
in the last fifty years.Moreover, this crisis for public schools could not be
coming at a worse time. Public education is critical to American democracy,
which itself is under greater strain than at any time in recent memory. Public
schools are charged with teaching students an appreciation for democracy and
what they have in common as Americans. Yet the new administration is bent on
promoting private school vouchers, which decades of research suggest would be
bad for social mobility and social cohesion.
How States Turn K-12 Scholarships Into
Money-Laundering Schemes
American Prospect by CARL
DAVIS MARCH 3,
2017
“School choice” happy talk
obscures how privatizing education dollars allows wealthy taxpayers to scam the
government.
Politicians have long
had a knack for framing policy proposals, however controversial, in terms that
make them more palatable to voters. This
is why unpopular tax cuts for the wealthy are often sold as plans to “invest”
in America or to stimulate “growth.” Likewise, school voucher programs that
funnel public money to religious schools are cast as “school choice,” because
underwriting parochial schools with taxpayer dollars is controversial. The “choice” frame has heightened public
awareness of school voucher programs, and helped their advocates make
significant inroads in convincing states to allow the use of public dollars for
private schools. Obscured in the spin, however, is how some states, in their
zeal to subsidize private schools, have created an egregious tax scam that
allows wealthy taxpayers to profit by donating to private school scholarship
funds in return for lucrative tax credits.
Many states have constitutional provisions that expressly prohibit the
use of public dollars for private religious schools. To sidestep these
prohibitions and public aversion to the
practice, voucher proponents and their legislative allies in 17 states have
created generous tax credits to encourage taxpayers to donate to private school
scholarship funds.
USA Today
Opinion by Betsy DeVos Published 8:02 a.m. ET March 2, 2017 | Updated 12:05 p.m. ET March 3, 2017
We cannot rely on throwing money at education like administrations
past.
Betsy DeVos is the secretary of
Education.
Corrections & clarifications:
An earlier version of this column misidentified a Department of Education
program called “School Improvement Grants.”
President Trump’s first address
to the joint session of Congress was clear: promises made, promises
kept. The president promised to shake up the status quo in Washington, and he
has. From keeping Carrier in the United States to nominating the highly
qualified Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, our president continues to follow
through on his word. He’s also
delivering on his promises for education.
The president made a point during the campaign to highlight the problems
low-income families face in accessing a quality education. We cannot hope to
get America back on track if we do nothing to improve education for the poorest
among us. The achievement gaps in
education result in hundreds
of billions of dollars of lost economic potential every year. And
these gaps disproportionately harm minority students. Currently, more
than 40% of
African-American male students do not graduate high school.
Betsy
DeVos has a lot of work to do on charter schools
CNN By Andre Perry Updated 10:52 PM ET, Thu March 2, 2017
·
Andre Perry says the education secretary should begin her tenure
by cleaning up the charter school mess that she helped create
·
Instead of expanding mediocrity, she should encourage true
innovation among charters, says Perry
Dr. Andre Perry is the former founding
dean of urban education at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan and
author of "The Garden Path: The Miseducation of a City." He was the
CEO of the Capital One-University of New Orleans Charter Network, which
consisted of four charter schools in New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @andreperryedu. The opinions expressed in this commentary
are his own. (CNN)In his first address to Congress, President Donald Trump teed
up his $20 billion dollar voucher program, which he first announced on the
campaign trail, for newly installed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to
implement. This is the same DeVos who
inexplicably said in a written statement a day earlier that historically black
colleges and universities are "real pioneers" of school choice. HBCUs
emerged during a time when blacks were not allowed to attend white institutions
-- blacks didn't have a choice. The
Every Student Succeeds Act, a federal education law passed last year, was
designed to prevent overreach by a secretary of education.
President Trump has consistently emphasized school choice plans that give children the option to attend private schools.
Huffington Post By Rebecca Klein 03/03/2017 07:38 pm ET
President Trump made his first
visit to a school as president on Friday, amid reports that he is planning
an expensive and widespread federal school choice
program. He did not visit one of the
traditional public schools that 90 percent of American students attend. Instead, he
spent the afternoon in a private Catholic school that participates in Florida’s tax credit scholarship program. That program
gives tax breaks to corporations and individuals who donate money to a
scholarship granting group. This group, in turn, helps low-income kids
attend private schools. Trump’s visit has been seen as a
show of support for programs like Florida’s, which make it easier for students
to attend private schools. He has signaled his support for such programs
before, although it is unclear what a school choice initiative from his
administration would look like.
For Trump and
DeVos, a Florida Private School Is a Model for Choice
New
York Times By MICHAEL D. SHEAR MARCH 3, 2017
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — President
Trump on Friday hailed a Florida school tuition assistance program as the
future of education, joining Betsy DeVos, his education secretary, at a
Catholic elementary classroom to kick off an intense political battle on behalf
of school choice in America. The president and Ms. DeVos, who
for years championed school vouchers as an antidote to failing schools and
falling test scores, met with parents, teachers and students at St. Andrew
Catholic School, which has embraced a Florida program that uses public money to
allow low-income students to attend private schools. Hundreds of low-income students, many of them
African-Americans, attend the private religious school thanks to tuition
assistance from the Florida Tax Credit scholarship program. Critics say it
diverts money that would otherwise go to the state’s public school system. Tuition at the school, just outside Orlando,
is normally $6,260 per year, according to the school’s website. The Florida
scholarship program allows businesses in the state to receive tax credits for
donating to nonprofit scholarship organizations that give tuition assistance
for students to attend schools like St. Andrew.
Diane Ravitch’s Blog by dianeravitch March 2, 2017
This is a fun debate to watch, sponsored by Intelligence Squared.
The proposition: Are Charter Schools Overrated?
The debaters:
For the proposition: Julian Vasquez Heilig and Gary Miron. They argue that charter schools are overrated.
Against the proposition: Jeanne
Allen and Gerard Robinson. They argue that charter schools are great.
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.
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
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