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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup April 19, 2017:
HB97
Charter Reform voted out of Committee; on Calendar for Consideration by House
Today
The
Annual State of Education Report
AT A GLANCE - The Annual State of
Education report surveyed chief school administrators from school districts,
career and technical centers and intermediate units, as well as pulling data
from public sources. It is intended to be a barometer of not only the key
indicators of public school performance but also the challenges schools face
and how they are coping with them.
HB97 Charter reform law voted out of House
committee, more revisions likely
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa
and Greg Windle April 18, 2017 — 5:30pm
The Pennsylvania House
Education Committee voted out of committee Tuesday a charter school reform bill
that makes significant changes in what the state’s Auditor
General called“the worst charter school law in the United States.” The bill, HB
97, the subject of fierce lobbying, is likely to be further revised as it
moves forward. Legislators, including its sponsor, Rep. Mike Reese
(R-Westmoreland), called it “a work in progress” as they continue to face
detailed concerns from both charter proponents and skeptics about different
parts of the legislation. It passed out
of the committee by a vote of 17-10, largely but not
entirely on party lines, with most Republicans in favor and most Democrats
opposed. Since Philadelphia has half the charter schools statewide, any changes
would have the biggest impact here. The
charter law has not been significantly revised since it was enacted 20 years
ago. During that time, more than 160 charter schools have been established
across the state, educating more than 130,000 students.
HB97 Charter school reform in Pa. is back
on the table for consideration
Penn Live By Jan Murphy |
jmurphy@pennlive.com Email
the author | Follow
on Twitter on April 18, 2017 at 1:03 PM, updated April 18, 2017
at 1:04 PM
Once again, state lawmakers are
trying to tackle reforms to the 20-year-old charter school law that opened the
door to public school choice in Pennsylvania.
This law, which led to the creation of 162 brick and mortar charter
schools and 14 cyber charter schools, has proven to be controversial from the
outset. Time has not changed that, which is why legislative
sessions come and go and reforms to this embattled law never reach the
governor's desk. On Tuesday, the
House Education Committee revived the issue for the first time in the
legislative session that began in January by approving a charter school reform bill. Among other
changes, it would establish an advisory commission to examine and recommend a
new way of funding these independent public schools that serve more than
134,000 students. The bill, sponsored
by Rep. Mike Reese, R-Westmoreland County, won committee approval by a 17-10
near-party line vote, although some of the affirmative votes came from Republican
members who indicated their support was conditioned on more work being done to
address concerns they hold.
HB97:
Pa. Legislature tries again to reform maligned charter school law
Morning
Call by Steve Esack Contact
Reporter Call Harrisburg Bureau April 18, 2017
Pennsylvania Legislature tries
again to reform nearly 20-year-old charter school law
Pennsylvania's charter school law
will turn 20 this year, and the efforts to reform it are nearly as old. Those efforts started anew Monday. The House
Education Committee voted 14-10 for a bill supporters say will save taxpayers
$27 million and improve oversight, but opponents say doesn't go far enough to
improve spending and academic accountability at 176 charter schools. "This is not a perfect piece
of legislation," said Rep. David Hickernell, R-Lancaster, committee chairman.
"I've never seen one in 14 1/2 years in the Legislature." The 1997 law mandates that one or more local
elected school boards can hold a hearing on a request to open a charter school,
which then is governed by an appointed board that must adhere to state laws
defining the roles of public officials. Another law, passed a few years later,
created cyber charters under approval of the State Department of Education. All charters are funded through local
property taxes on a per-pupil basis, minus deductions for transportation and
other expenses charter schools do not have for those children. In the nearly two decades since Gov. Tom
Ridge signed the law, school boards have complained that they do not have
enough oversight of charters. In response, charters say districts have too much
oversight of their independent operations. In June 2012, the state auditor
general's office issued a report that found taxpayers were overcharged $365
million annually to pay for the 162 charter schools at the time.
House Bill 97, sponsored by Rep.
Mike Reese, R-Westmoreland, aims for a middle ground. It is similar to another
bill that failed last year.
Rep. Roebuck Media Advisory April 18, 2017
HARRISBURG, April 18 – House Democrats will hold a news conference Wednesday to unveil a package of charter school reform bills designed to treat all Pennsylvania public schools – both traditional and charter – and their students equally under law.
The news conference will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 19 in the Capitol Media Center. Media coverage is invited. Live video of the event is also expected to be available on www.pahouse.com. Members of the media may also listen to the news conference by calling 717-787-9903 through 9910.
Speakers are expected to include:
·
Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster, chairman of the House Democratic
Policy Committee
·
Rep. James Roebuck, D-Phila., Democratic chairman of the House
Education Committee
·
Rep. Mike Carroll, D-Luzerne
·
Rep. Mark Longietti, D-Mercer
The House is
scheduled to consider a Republican charter school bill (H.B. 97) and Democratic
amendments to it later on Wednesday.
Letter
to House Education Committee From Education Law Center
Re:
Oppose HB 97 Charter School Reform Date: April 17, 2017
Deborah Gordon Klehr, Executive
Director, Kristina Moon, Staff Attorney, Yvelisse B. Pelotte, Staff Attorney
The Education Law Center is a
non-profit legal advocacy and educational organization dedicated to ensuring
that all of Pennsylvania’s children have access to a quality public education.
We are not pro or anti charter school. We are advocates for vulnerable student
populations. A responsible charter school law must empower local governing
bodies to strategically control charter growth as a tool to increase quality
options and improve our system of public education for all communities. The
charter school law should not force blind expansion on already burdened systems
and compel the loss of neighborhood schools options. With forty-two years of
experience in public education advocacy, we write to urge you to oppose HB 97,
the purported charter reform legislation scheduled for vote, with no debate, on
April 18, 2017. Unfortunately, this bill falls far short because, like its
predecessors,1 it fails to adequately address the significant problems
presented by charter schools across the Commonwealth with regard to equity,
transparency, and quality of education. This bill should not be passed without
major revision.
HB97
on House Calendar for Today
PA
House Education Committee Roll Call Vote on HB97 Charter Reform Bill April 18,
2017
Please Vote No: House Bill 97 does not
provide real charter school reform
The PA House of
Representatives is preparing to fast-track another charter school proposal.
House Bill 97 (Rep. Reese, R-Westmoreland) was introduced this week and
is scheduled for vote by the House Education Committee next Tuesday, April18. Once
passed out of the committee, House Bill 97 will move to the House floor so it
is important to reach out to all House and Senate members now to make them
aware of your position on the proposal.Tell your legislator to vote "No" on House Biill 97. Here are some of the reasons why -
·
School districts won't get a fair trial: House Bill 97 stacks the
Charter School Appeal Board (CAB). The CAB would move from 6 to 9 members with
only one of the three new members representing traditional public schools.
·
Lack of accountability and oversight: The bill expands the terms
for charter school approval and extensions from 3 to 5 years to 5 to 10 years.
This will leave longer periods of time with charters going unchecked by their
authorizers.
·
Commission misses the mark: The proposed Charter School
Funding Commission created in House Bill 97 goes way beyond addressing funding
issues with charter schools and dives into charter authorization and a
performance matrix. A true Charter School Funding Commission should focus
solely on funding issues.
Once again, the stage is
being set to rush through another comprehensive charter bill under the guise of
“reform.” Tell your legislators to vote NO on House Bill 97.
Education Voters PA on HB 97: Charter
Reform that is Not Worth the 20-Year Wait
Education Voters PA
Website Posted on April
17, 2017 by EDVOPA
It has been 20 years since the
law that established charter schools in PA was enacted. Significant flaws in
this charter school law have surfaced over the past two decades and legislators
are now making what appears to be a serious effort to improve it. On Tuesday, April 18th, the House
Education Committee will begin fast-tracking HB 97, comprehensive charter
school reform legislation. Unfortunately, HB 97 is a tremendous disappointment. Call
your state lawmakers now. Tell them that HB 97 is NOT charter reform that was
worth the 20-year wait. HB 97 increases transparency
and holds charter schools to similar standards as other publicly funded
entities. These are important and necessary changes to the law. Unfortunately,
however, these changes aren’t enough to make HB 97 a bill lawmakers should
support in its current form.
Lawmakers must substantially
change HB 97 in order to address critical funding and academic performance
issues, ensure that charters will serve all students equitably, and
ensure that communities are able to plan and exercise appropriate fiscal
and academic oversight over their public education system(s). Call
your state legislators to urge them to work toward charter school reform that
will address all of the significant problems in the current charter law
and improve PA’s system of public education for all students.
PennCAN on HB97: Charter Reform
Legislation Overview
PennCAN website Publish
date: April 2017
HB97 is a comprehensive charter
reform bill. It reflects years of compromise and negotiation with all of the
major education stakeholders. Over time, all of the controversial provisions
have been stripped away (e.g. independent authorizers, direct pay) so all that
remains are commonsense policies that meet the needs of both charter schools
and traditional public schools.
Commonwealth Foundation Apr 17, 2017 James Paul
·
Charter reform bill is, on the whole, a win for thousands of
students served by charter schools
·
Union leaders and special interests will rally against legislation
·
Regrettably, bill cuts funding for cyber charters and fails to
create independent authorizer
Charter school reform is
advancing in Harrisburg. Long in the works, HB
97 (previously HB
530) is a sweeping bill that includes several important revisions to
Pennsylvania’s charter school law. The legislation will be considered in the
House Education Committee this week. As we
wrote in August, it is vital that Pennsylvania do right by its charter
families. HB 97 strengthens charter
school accountability. The bill mandates greater financial disclosure,
increases transparency, and prevents potential conflicts of interest between
school administrators and vendors. Unfortunately HB 97 imposes cuts on cyber
charters and fails to create an independent
charter school authorizer. Overall, however, there are many
things to like in the legislation.
York
Daily Record Opinion by Joel Sears Published 1:05 p.m. ET April 18, 2017
Joel Sears is a former member of the York Suburban School Board.
The cost of K-12 education in
Pennsylvania is at an all-time high. At $15,000 per student per year, we rank
fifth highest in the U.S. Unfortunately, the funding system is characterized
more by distortions than by the ideals of equity and adequacy, and it’s getting
worse.
The most recent attempt by the
General Assembly to create a fair funding formula left many of us wondering if
anything meaningful would happen. Would the new formula be implemented or go
the way of so many other noble attempts that gather dust on a shelf in the
basement of the Pennsylvania Department of Education? The press releases led us to believe that the
impossible had finally been achieved and equity was right around the corner.
But, if you read the fine print, you found that the new allocation scheme only
applies to “new” money. To put that in context, during the first year of
implementation, $200 million would be distributed according to the new formula.
Unfortunately, the remaining $6 billion would be distributed by the old “hold-harmless”
formula, which guarantees that school districts cannot receive less money than
they received in a prior year – regardless of changes in their student
populations or demographics.
“With the state facing a $3 billion
budget deficit, Spicka believes there are real threats to public education that
need immediate attention. "Making
sure that we don't have to go through another round of cuts, making sure that
our kids can get a quality education," she added. "That is what the
Senate Education Committee should be focusing on, not trying to find a way to
get guns in public schools."
PA Senate Committee to Vote on
Guns in Schools
Public News Service April 18,
2017
HARRISBURG, Pa. – On Wednesday
the state Senate's education committee is set to vote on a bill to allow school
personnel to carry loaded weapons in public schools. Senate Bill 383 is labeled as "providing for
protection and defense of students." It would empower school districts to
establish a policy to allow personnel who have a concealed-carry permit and
training to have access to firearms in public school buildings. Susan Spicka, executive director of Education
Voters of Pennsylvania, says they looked for evidence that arming school
personnel increases student safety, and found none. "The National School Safety Security
Services advises against it," she said. "Every state study that has
been done about school safety has not recommended it." Republican State Sen. Donald White, the sponsor of the bill, says it would
provide another option to improve the safety and security of children, teachers
and school staff. But according to
Spicka, there has been at least one experience in Pennsylvania that shows
bringing guns into school can increase risk.
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2017-04-18/education/pa-senate-committee-to-vote-on-guns-in-schools/a57315-1
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2017-04-18/education/pa-senate-committee-to-vote-on-guns-in-schools/a57315-1
Curmuducation Blog by Peter Greene Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Apparently it's education crazy
season in Harrisburg, with one ill-advised ed bill after another. But fear
not-- at least one PA legislator wants some of us to start packing heat in
school. Senate
Bill 383 intends to amend the school code, with the intent of
"providing for protection and defense of pupils. Sponsor
Donald C White, who was an insurance salesman back before
his 2001 election, explains the reasoning here:
In the aftermath of a number of tragic school shootings, the debate continues across the country on how we can better protect our children. While most of this discussion surrounds whether or not more gun control measures are needed, I believe we must look at all options when it comes to improving the safety and security of our children, teachers and school staff....
In the aftermath of a number of tragic school shootings, the debate continues across the country on how we can better protect our children. While most of this discussion surrounds whether or not more gun control measures are needed, I believe we must look at all options when it comes to improving the safety and security of our children, teachers and school staff....
Pa. Senate leader balks at using gaming
and booze revenue to close Pa. budget gap
Inquirer by Karen Langley, HARRISBURG BUREAU @karen_langley | klangley@post-gazette.com Updated: APRIL 18, 2017 — 8:01
PM EDT
HARRISBURG – House Speaker Mike
Turzai’s office boasted that he would lead an effort to “free the wine,” and
some of his GOP colleagues continue to look at expanding gambling as a way to
fill a looming budget shortfall. But in
the upper chamber, Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre) argued that
legislators should not be relying on “addictive products” to pay the state’s
bills. With 2½ months to go before the
end of the fiscal year, Pennsylvania legislators returned to the
Capitol on Tuesday touting ideas about how to raise the money, but
not on how to arrive at a consensus. A
House committee approved two Turzai bills, one that would allow all grocery
stores to obtain permits to sell wine and could bring in $119 million, and
another to sell the state's wholesale alcohol business. Gov. Wolf, a Democrat, opposes the bills, and
they appear likely to run into trouble even if they reach the
Republican-controlled Senate. In an
interview, Corman noted that the state in recent years had made
significant changes to alcohol policy, such as allowing wine to be sold in
certain grocery stores. "I can't
imagine we're going to do any more liquor expansion," Corman said.
"Maybe something around the edges, but certainly nothing overly
significant."
Let's drain the Legislature's slush fund
and use it to pay for pensions: Dan Truitt
PennLive Op-Ed By Dan Truitt on April 18, 2017 at 7:30 AM, updated April
18, 2017 at 7:31 AM
Last month, the Legislative Audit
Advisory Committee voted to accept the audit report on the Legislature's
spending of its 2015-2016 appropriation.
In essence, the report is simply a reaffirmation of data that is already
available to the public in one way or another. So, the report itself and its acceptance by
the Legislature are unremarkable. However,
the report confirms that the Legislative slush fund now stands at more than
$118 million and it's time for the legislature to return those lapsed funds to
the tax payers. Defenders of the
slush fund are quick to say it's not a "slush fund", it's a
"surplus" and it is needed to ensure the Legislature's independence
in the event of a budget impasse.
How do you get Philly teens to and through
college?
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer @newskag | kgraham@phillynews.com Updated: APRIL 18, 2017 — 6:44 PM EDT
Khalesha Baldwin is the
poster child in the North Philadelphia neighborhood where she grew up: the
smart, motivated kid who got a scholarship to college after earning good grades
at Central High. But there were a few
hitches when she got to Drexel University: She had no money for
books, and she felt completely unprepared for the world of higher education. “I’m not dumb, but there were things I just
didn’t know,” said Baldwin. “I found myself so far behind, with academics and
because of lack of resources.” Baldwin
got help and is now a successful junior at the school. But her case is
emblematic of the struggles of many Philadelphians, and one reason why
just one in four city residents holds a college degree, far fewer than in most
other large U.S. cities.
Suspension-Limiting Bill Aims To Keep
Students In School
WESA By MARK NOOTBAAR • April
17, 2017
Misbehaving students in
Kindergarten through fifth grade would no longer be given out-of-school
suspensions under a measure introduced in the Pennsylvania House of
Representatives. House
Bill 715 would require districts to find alternative disciplinary
methods for elementary students for anything other than offenses that put the
health of students or teachers at risk. “There are other ways to deal
with this,” said Rep. Jake Wheatley (D-Allegheny), the bill’s co-sponsor.
“Restorative practices ways to deal with this in a way that is fair to the
student, helps the student academically, and, in the long term, is a better process
to control behavior and improve behavior.”
Pittsburgh Public Schools has
been accused by education advocacy groups of using out-of-school suspensions
too frequently -- handing out more than 8,000 during the 2015-16 academic
year. In its 2016-17 student conduct
manual, PPS has three levels of misbehavior and accompanying “recommended disciplinary
action.” The guidance does not specify interventions by grade level.
By Molly Born / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 19, 2017 12:00 AM
A proposal in the Pennsylvania
House of Representatives to end out-of-school suspensions for most elementary
students comes as Pittsburgh Public Schools is exploring a plan of its own for its youngest
learners. The bill, sponsored
by state Reps. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District, and Jordan Harris,
D-Philadelphia, would compel districts to use “restorative practices” —
which allows students to make things right post-conflict while staying in
school — or other approaches to “prevent the recurrence of the behavior
that led to” getting kicked out of school. ”When you’re 10 and under, you’re really
not responsible for your own actions—you’re really still dependent on an
adult,” Mr. Wheatley said, citing the story of girl he said was suspended in
second and third grades for being habitually late. “We shouldn’t punish
kids when adults fail.” Nancy A. Hubley,
Pittsburgh director of the Education Law Center, said she’s observed that
increasingly, educators are finding ways to support students “to make
academic progress not depriving them of education.” And she said national
momentum to ditch suspensions for at least some kids appears to have reached
Pennsylvania’s two biggest cities.
Trib Live by JOE
NAPSHA | Monday, April 17, 2017, 9:39 p.m.
The Norwin school board Monday
was confronted with a large contingent of more than 120 teachers, parents and
students concerned about possible teacher layoffs and opposed to cuts in music
and arts programs. Faced with a $3.3
million budget deficit in the upcoming school year that would be partially
offset by an anticipated 2.41 mill tax hike in 2017-2018, the board has not
made a decision on layoffs or cuts. The board has until June 30 to pass a
budget. “We want to disrupt as few
students as possible with any changes we make,” board President Robert Perkins
said after listening to about 10 people who voiced opposition to cuts and fee
increases for organizations that use school facilities. Perkins previously said the district does not
intend to eliminate any programs, nor does he want to limit participation. He
said the board would review the recently adopted fee increases for fields and
facilities.
3 more Boyertown High School students join
transgender lawsuit against district
By Eric Devlin, The Mercury POSTED: 04/18/17, 5:26 PM
EDT | UPDATED: 8 HRS AGO
BOYERTOWN >> Three high
school students have been added to a federal lawsuit against the Boyertown Area
School District over its bathroom and locker room policy for transgender
students, the Alliance Defending Freedom and Independence Law Center announced
Tuesday. Attorneys with the Independence
Law Center filed an amended complaint in the case Tuesday to add the new
students to the suit. “Schools shouldn’t
be robbing students of their legally protected personal privacy,” said Randall
Wenger, chief counsel for the Independence Law Center, in a statement. “The
children joining with the original student who filed this suit shouldn’t be forced
into emotionally vulnerable situations like this when they are in the care of
their schools. It’s a school’s duty to protect and respect the bodily privacy
and dignity of all students. In this case, school officials are clearly
ignoring that duty.” The lawsuit was
originally filed last month by the parents of an unidentified 11th-grade male
student who objected after seeing a female who identifies as a male undressing
in the high school boys locker room. The Alliance Defending
Freedom, an Arizona-based conservative Christian organization, is
co-counseling the student and his family in the suit, along with the Independence
Law Center, a Pennsylvania-based pro-bono legal organization dedicated to
advancing civil rights. Two weeks ago, the American Civil Liberties Union joined the legal dispute on
the school district’s side. Reggi Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of
Pennsylvania, said in a statement at the time the district “did the right thing
in affirming and respecting their students’ gender identity.”
Philly teacher now fund-raising for banner
plane to shame SRC and mayor
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer @newskag | kgraham@phillynews.com Updated: APRIL 18, 2017 — 2:10 PM EDT
He’s at it again.
The Philadelphia educator who
raised thousands to place a billboard on I-95 shaming the
School Reform Commission, superintendent, and mayor for the lack of a Philadelphia
Federation of Teachers contract is asking for donations again. This time, George Bezanis’ sights are set on
a banner plane that would fly a pro-contract message during the NFL draft, when
hundreds of thousands of people are expected to crowd Center City. The draft is
scheduled for April 27 to 29. Bezanis, a teacher at Central
High, has raised more than $800 to date via a crowdfunding site. Once
he raises $1,300, he can put a plane in the air for an hour. If he raises
$2,000, the plane can circle the Ben Franklin Parkway for several hours. Donors will determine what message the plane
will tote. Those who chip in get to choose from among 10 possible messages, from the more tame
“Philly Teachers Should Always Be the #1 Pick” to the pointed “City Hall Hearts
Sports But Hates Our Teachers.” “Some of
those are pretty embarrassing,” Bezanis said of the choices, which he
culled from social media. “It’s a shame that I have to basically shame the city
and the School District into trying to get us a fair contract.”
13 Questions That Scare Charter School
Advocates
Communities need to know what
they're being sold.
By Alan Singer / The Huffington Post April 18, 2017
The Network for Public
Education is challenging the Trump/DeVos anti-public school agenda.
According to NPE, “DeVos and her allies have worked for decades pushing
charters, vouchers and neo-vouchers such as education tax credits. DeVos even
supports virtual charter schools that have a horrific track record when it
comes to student success.” This campaign
picks up urgency as Arizona just
passed legislation providing its entire student population with vouchers to
attend private, for-profit, and religious schools. The law is modeled on
Trump/DeVos proposals. The public is often confused by
the Trump/DeVos assault on public schools because they frame it as promoting
“choice.” In response, The Network for Public Education prepared a
thirteen-point question/answer toolkit to expose the lies and distortions of
charter school, voucher, and tax credit advocates. The full toolkit is
available online.
This report excerpts key items from the toolkit.
What's Missing From Some State ESSA Plans?
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on April
18, 2017 8:14 AM
UPDATED - Under the Every Student Succeeds
Act, states get to decide what goals to set for student achievement, how to
gauge schools' academic progress and quality, and more. (Explainer on
the law here.) But in some of
the 12 plans that have already been submitted to the U.S. Department of
Education, elements are still to be determined. Some states didn't completely
spell out their student achievement goals. Others didn't say exactly how much
each individual factor would count toward schools' overall ratings. And others
proposed school quality indicators they didn't fully explain. (Much
of the up-in-the-air information concerned student achievement goals. More on
those here.) The blank spots in
state plans could set up an interesting test for U.S. Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos, who has made local control a watchword for the department, but
also said she is not going to rubber-stamp all plans. Will she approve plans
despite the blanks? Reject the plans? There
are some middle-ground options too, including approving plans conditionally, or
allowing states to add the missing information during the typical bureaucratic
back-and-forth over plan details. The department also could decide to ask
states to flesh out their plans before starting the peer review process.
Why high school exit exams are a waste of
time
Washington Post Answer Sheet
Blog By Valerie
Strauss April 18 at 2:45 PM
Not too
long ago more than half of U.S. states required that students pass an exam to
graduate from high school. That is changing, with a number of states dropping
their exit exams — but a good number still require them, and that, this post
explains, is a big and unnecessary problem for many students. This was written by Stan Karp, a veteran
educator and an editor of Rethinking Schools Magazine,
which is now marking its 30th anniversary. The publication is produced by the
Rethinking Schools organization, a nonprofit that began in the Milwaukee area
by teachers who wanted to improve education in their own classrooms but also
help shape public school reform across the country. Along with the magazine,
Rethinking Schools publishes educational materials for use in all 50 states,
Canada and other countries. Its focus is on balancing classroom practice and
educational theory while addressing current policy issues, such as funding
equity, school choice and school-to-work issues.
PSBA
Advocacy Forum and Day on the Hill APR
24, 2017 • 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Join PSBA and your fellow school
directors for the fourth annual Advocacy Forum on April 24, 2017, at the
State Capitol in Harrisburg. Hear from legislators on how advocacy makes a
difference in the legislative process and the importance of public education
advocacy. Government Affairs will take a deeper dive into the legislative
priorities and will provide tips on how to be an effective public education
advocate. There will be dedicated time for you and your fellow advocates to hit
the halls to meet with your legislators on public education. This is your
chance to share the importance of policy supporting public education and make
your voice heard on the Hill.
“Nothing has more impact for
legislators than hearing directly from constituents through events like PSBA’s
Advocacy Forum.”
— Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), Senate Appropriations Committee chair
— Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), Senate Appropriations Committee chair
Registration:
Visit the Members Area of PSBA’s website under
Store/Registration tab to register.
PSBA Spring Town Hall Meetings coming in May!
Don’t be left in the
dark on legislation that affects your district! Learn the latest from your
legislators at PSBA Spring Town Hall Meetings. Conveniently offered at 10
locations around the state throughout May, this event will provide you with the
opportunity to interact face-to-face with key lawmakers from your area. Enjoy
refreshments, connect with colleagues, and learn what issues impact you and how
you can make a difference. Log in to the Members Area to register today for this FREE event!
- Monday, May 1, 6-8 p.m. — Parkway West
CTC, 7101 Steubenville Pike, Oakdale, PA 15071
- Tuesday, May 2, 7:30-9 a.m. — A W
Beattie Career Center, 9600 Babcock Blvd, Allison Park, PA 15101
- Tuesday, May 2, 6-8 p.m. — Crawford
County CTC, 860 Thurston Road, Meadville, PA 16335
- Wednesday, May 3, 6-8 p.m. — St. Marys
Area School District, 977 S. St Marys Road, Saint Marys, PA 15857
- Thursday, May 4, 6-8 p.m. — Central
Montco Technical High School, 821 Plymouth Road, Plymouth Meeting, PA
19462
- Friday, May 5, 7:30-9 a.m. — Lehigh
Carbon Community College, 4525 Education Park Dr, Schnecksville, PA 18078
- Monday, May 15, 6-8 p.m. — CTC of
Lackawanna Co., 3201 Rockwell Avenue, Scranton, PA 18508
- Tuesday, May 16, 6-8 p.m. — PSBA, 400
Bent Creek Boulevard, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
- Wednesday, May 17, 6-8 p.m. — Lycoming
CTC, 293 Cemetery Street, Hughesville, PA 17737
- Thursday, May 18, 6-8 p.m. — Chestnut
Ridge SD, 3281 Valley Road, Fishertown, PA 15539
For assistance
with registration, please contact Michelle Kunkel at 717-506-2450 ext. 3365.
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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