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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup June 16, 2017:
$143 Million in Medicaid funding for services to
Pennsylvania special education students would be in peril if U.S. Senate passes
House bill
“This
week, Mr. Casey sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell charging that “every indication is that you intend to jam this
legislation through with minimal opportunity for debate.” The letter noted that
there had not been a single hearing on the legislation, nor any discussions
within the Senate committees that would ordinarily handle it.”
Toomey works on health-care bill being
crafted in secret; Casey challenges process
By Chris Potter / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette June 15, 2017
8:01 AM
Pennsylvania’s two U.S. Senators agree on this much: There is
every chance that Senate Republicans will craft — and possibly pass — a bill to
repeal former President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul in the next few
weeks. That’s about as far as the
bipartisan consensus goes, however. Republicans hope to pass a measure before
July 4, and it remains to be seen how much fire Obamacare defenders can train
on a measure that is being crafted in secret.
“I'm operating on the assumption that they are going to get a bill
done,” said Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. “For the next two weeks we have to
do everything we can to stop them from doing that.” “I think there’s a reasonable chance that we will see a draft of
legislative language as early as next week and we might vote the following
week,” Sen. Pat Toomey told Philadelphia talk-show host Chris Stigall
on Tuesday. During that period, he said, “everybody can have at it and
criticize, attack, praise, suggest changes.”
The Senate took up the repeal effort in May, after the House passed a
bill so quickly that Congressional researchers didn’t have time to analyze its
effects. The bill has since been projected to cost 23 million people their
insurance coverage by 2026, while reducing federal deficits by $119 billion. While Senate Republicans said they would put
forward their own measure, the language has so far been kept under wraps. A
small group of senators, among them Mr. Toomey, has led efforts to draw up a
measure out of the public eye.
Secrecy Surrounding Senate Health Bill Raises
Alarms in Both Parties
New York Times By THOMAS KAPLAN and ROBERT PEAR JUNE 15, 2017
WASHINGTON — As they draft legislation to repeal the Affordable
Care Act, Senate Republican leaders are aiming to transform large sections of
the American health care system without a single hearing on their bill and
without a formal, open drafting session.
That has created an air of distrust and concern — on and off Capitol
Hill, with Democrats but also with Republicans.
“I’ve said from Day 1, and I’ll say it again,” said Senator Bob
Corker, Republican of Tennessee. “The process is better if you do it in public,
and that people get buy-in along the way and understand what’s going on.
Obviously, that’s not the route that is being taken.” The secrecy surrounding the Senate measure to
repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act is remarkable — at least for a
health care measure this consequential. In
1993, President Bill Clinton empowered the first lady, Hillary Clinton, to
assemble health care legislation in private, with input from a group of more
than 500 experts. That approach won scathing reviews from Republican lawmakers
and others shut out of the deliberations. But it took place at the White House,
not in Congress. Once the Clintons’ health plan reached Capitol Hill, it died
in the public spotlight. Republican
leaders this week defended their actions.
“Look, we’ve been dealing with this issue for seven years,” said the
Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “It’s not a new
thing.”
Wolf,
Casey warn about GOP cuts to Medicaid hurting Pennsylvanians
Beaver County Times By J.D. Prose jprose@calkins.com June 15, 2017
With Senate Republicans quietly working on their own health-care
reform plan, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Tom Wolf partnered on
Thursday to warn of the impact more than $800 billion in Medicaid cuts could
have on seniors and those receiving nursing care in Pennsylvania. While the Senate GOP plan remains secret so
far, Casey, D-Scranton, said one Republican senator has hinted it reflects 80
percent of the House plan (the American Health Care Act), which the
Congressional Budget Office has said would throw 23 million off health
insurance plans. On Wednesday, a new report estimated that the House
plan could lead to nearly 1 million job losses across the country by 2026,
including 85,000 in Pennsylvania. “It’s
not really a health-care bill. It’s a scheme to give the very rich a lot more
money,” Casey said during a conference call with reporters. He predicted that
the plan “would be a devastating blow for seniors who need nursing home care or
who receive care at home.” The House
plan proposed an $834 billion cut to Medicaid, meaning less money to support
seniors, low-income children and people fighting substance addiction.
WITF Written by Katie Meyer, Capitol Bureau Chief | Jun 14, 2017 7:04 PM
(Harrisburg) -- With a little over two weeks until the state budget is due, House and Senate Republicans have been holding closed meetings to hash out details. Few concrete plans are available, but GOP leaders say they're on roughly the same page on spending. A few months ago House Republicans released their budget proposal, which would spend about $800 million less than Democratic Governor Tom Wolf's blueprint and not raise taxes. The Senate's GOP majority hasn't released its own plan yet, and it's unclear if they will. Caucus spokeswoman Jenn Kocher said senators agree with much of the House's early April plan, though with this year's budget shortfall having since grown to well over a billion dollars, she added that it needs some updates.
HARRISBURG — Calling gerrymandering “one of the greatest threats
to American democracy,” the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania sued
Thursday to have the state’s congressional district map thrown out. Future maps, the suit urges, should be drawn
without “burdening or penalizing an identifiable group, a political party, or
individual voters based on their political beliefs.” Filed in Commonwealth Court on behalf of
Democratic voters in each of the state’s 18 congressional districts, the
complaint argues that the map, drafted in 2011, “was the product of a national
movement by the Republican Party to entrench its own representatives in power.” The GOP did so, the suit argues, by “utilizing the latest advances
in mapmaking technologies and big data to gerrymander districts more
effectively than ever before.” At a news
conference Thursday, lawyers involved in the case said both parties engage in
gerrymandering, the drawing of district boundaries to maximize political
advantage. But they contended that a Republican-controlled legislature created
blatantly partisan maps in 2011 that allowed the GOP to take 13 of 18 seats the
next year while winning only about half of the ballots cast overall.
“The
lawsuit asks the court to declare the 2011 map unconstitutional and order a new
map to be created. McKenzie said that could be accomplished through the
appointment of a special master or by having both parties submit alternative
maps that could then be put to the general assembly. McKenzie noted similar lawsuits have been
filed against Republicans in North Carolina and Democrats in Maryland. The U.S.
Supreme Court is also poised to take on a gerrymandering case in Wisconsin that
could impact how states nationwide draw their boundaries.”
Group
files suit, claims GOP stacked deck in gerrymandered districts
By Alex
Rose, Delaware County Daily Times POSTED: 06/16/17, 4:30 AM EDT
The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit
Thursday challenging a 2011 congressional redistricting that the organization
claims created “safe” districts for Republican candidates while
disenfranchising Democrats. “By any
measure, Pennsylvania’s congressional map is among the top three starkest
partisan gerrymanders in the country,” said Mimi McKenzie, legal director of
the Public Interest Law Center representing the League. “This map was drawn to
ensure that our general elections will be decided before voters even go to the
polls on Election Day.” The suit, filed
in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, alleges two claims under the state
Constitution for violations of the Free Expression and Association Clause and
Free and Equal Clause, the state-level equivalents of the First and 14th
Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The
petition names the Pennsylvania General Assembly; Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov.
Michael Stack, both Democrats; House Speaker Michael Turzai, R-28, of Marshall
Township; Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati, R-25, of Brockway;
Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro Cortés; and Bureau of Commissions,
Elections and Legislation Commissioner Jonathan Marks as respondents. McKenzie said those respondents are not
necessarily the same responsible for drawing the boundaries in 2011, but would
be tasked with charting the new electoral map if the lawsuit is successful.
Pennsylvania Lawsuit Says House Redistricting Is
Partisan Gerrymander
New York Times By MICHAEL WINES JUNE 15, 2017
Voting-rights advocates in Pennsylvania filed suit on Thursday to
nullify the state’s congressional-district map as an unconstitutional partisan
gerrymander, joining other court battles over the role of politics in
redistricting already being waged in three other states. It is the latest major legal effort arguing
that gerrymanders have become so egregious they are subverting democracy and
creating legislative races with predetermined results. In a tactical twist, however, the
Pennsylvania lawsuit was filed in a state court, which means that if the
plaintiffs prevail, the ruling would set no precedent for challenges in other
states. The three other lawsuits, in Maryland, North
Carolina and Wisconsin, were filed in federal court and
argue that the maps of congressional or state legislative districts violate the
federal Constitution. Pennsylvania
Republicans called the lawsuit baseless. In a statement, Drew Crompton, the
general counsel for Republicans in the State Senate, said that the
redistricting measure was enacted with some Democratic support and that some
claims in the suit were “demonstrably false.”
Phoenixville
council calls for end to gerrymandering
By Eric
Devlin, The Mercury POSTED: 06/14/17, 6:10 PM EDT | UPDATED: 19 MINS
AGO
PHOENIXVILLE >> Phoenixville Borough Council adopted a
resolution aimed at ending the practice of gerrymandering in Pennsylvania
Tuesday night. With the 6-1 decision, the borough joins just over 50 other
municipalities statewide in favor of the move.
Councilman Jon Ichter II dissented, while Councilman Jeremy Dalton was
absent. Wayne Braffman, of Kennett
Square, representing the Chester County chapter of Fair Districts PA, a nonpartisan group committed
to energizing support around a state constitutional amendment that would
eliminate gerrymandering ahead of the 2020 census, gave a brief presentation
explaining the resolution and what other municipalities have supported it. “The resolution you’re considering endorses
the concepts of fair and independent and nonpartisan redistricting reform,” he
said.
Sen.
Vincent Hughes unveils plan to fund schools with $8.25 billion from fracking
tax
The state senator from Philadelphia pointed to poor conditions at
Cassidy Elementary to illustrate inequity.
The notebook by Darryl Murphy June 15, 2017 — 5:34pm
State Sen. Vincent Hughes chose Cassidy Elementary Thursday as the
spot to unveil a new bill to bring money to underfunded schools by taxing
natural gas production. Hughes, a
Democrat representing parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery counties, was
returning a favor of sorts. Cassidy students visited the state capitol in
Harrisburg on Tuesday to urge legislators to address inequity among school
districts across the state. Hughes’
proposed legislation would provide money to repair and upgrade schools and
ensure an equitable public education for students statewide. Among several people at the school to support
Hughes was state Rep. Morgan Cephas, a fellow Democrat from Philadelphia, Jerry
Roseman, acting director of Occupational & Environmental Health and Safety
for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Rev. Gregory Holston, executive
director of POWER, and Dr. Joan Duvall-Flynn, president of the Pennsylvania NAACP. Standing in front of the school, just minutes
away from Lower Merion Township, one of the wealthiest school districts in the
state, Hughes said schools such as those in Lower Merion don’t suffer from the
same problems as those in underfunded districts. “There are two separate and distinct
education systems in this state, and they are unequal,” said Hughes. “They are
unequal because of race, and they are unequal because of income.” Senate Bill 777, or The Emergency Equal
Education Plan, as Hughes calls it, will cost $8.25 billion, and bring
underfunded districts to equitable standards along with more investments in
academics.
“While
lawmakers on both sides of the aisle deserve credit for coming together and
working to pass the measure, it’s important to note to that its effects won’t
be felt for at least another 20 or 30 years down the road. The bill does nothing to address the current
debt, which is estimated at roughly $60 billion and rising every year. The
state is paying about $3 billion more per year into the fund than it was a
decade ago. Similarly, school districts are being forced to use increasing
amounts of property taxes to pay into the pension fund, diverting money that
had been going towards the education of students.”
Even
with pension reform, problem far from fixed
Beaver County Times Editorial By Calkins Media June 15, 2017
EDITOR'S NOTE: This editorial first appeared in the Uniontown
Herald-Standard, a sister publication of The Times.
Everyone was smiling in the Capitol Rotunda Monday as Gov. Tom
Wolf signed a bill to restructure the state’s public pension system. According to the Associated Press,
legislative leaders congratulated each other during the bill-signing ceremony. “I couldn’t be prouder to be here ... to get
real meaningful pension reform,” said the governor. “Here in Harrisburg we can
get important things done in a way that I think a lot of other places cannot.” Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre County, a leading
proponent for pension reform in the Senate, jokingly said, “I’m not sure what
I’m going to talk about tomorrow.’’ Under
the bill, the state will no longer offer guaranteed pensions to state
employees, including teachers. Instead employees hired after 2019 will be
offered a 401(k) plan, which many employers in the private sector already use.
Employees will have three retirement savings options, but once a decision is
made it will be final. The legislation
passed both chambers with bipartisan support. In the Senate, it passed by a
40-9 vote and the House, 143-53.
For
public school teachers, it's less about the pension and more about the
'calling'
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer Jun 15,
2017 Updated 21 hrs ago
Twenty-year-old Megan Groff may start her teaching career at a
transitional time for Pennsylvania educators — when retirement benefits for
incoming public school teachers will be slashed, potentially by a sizable
percentage. But for Groff and many of
her friends who find themselves in a similar situation, she said, frankly, it
doesn’t really matter. In fact, they’d
be hard-pressed to describe what a pension is.
“A lot of us have no idea about retirement,” said Groff, who is
double-majoring in special education and early childhood education at
Millersville University. “We really haven’t talked about it.” Groff expects to graduate in December 2019.
When she gets her first teaching job, she will join other teachers starting
after June 30, 2019, who will be ineligible for the full, traditional,
defined-benefit pension plan. Instead, Groff and her
peers will have to choose one of three retirement plans, including two hybrid
pension plans and a 401(k)-style plan. Each is likely to result in benefits
that are substantially lower than those of the traditional pension plan.
Pension reform may sound familiar to Pennsylvania’s political
observers, public employees and taxpayers.
But the reason Groff and others like her, she said, are pursuing a job
in teaching isn’t for the benefits — be it income, health care or retirement —
but rather the opportunity to benefit others.
Trib Live by JAMIE
MARTINES | Wednesday, June 14, 2017, 3:33 p.m.
There's room for improvement in Pennsylvania's rural schools.
That's according to a new report from the Rural School and Community Trust , an organization based in
Washington, D.C., advocating for rural schools.
While Pennsylvania's rural students are likely to perform well in the
classroom and have high graduation rates compared to their peers across the
country, they are less likely to enroll in Advanced Placement courses or take a
university entrance exam, such as the SAT or the ACT, compared to rural
students in other states. Only one fourth of Pennsylvania schools are rural, but they serve
more than 280,000 students. That's about 16 percent of the total statewide
student population, and the sixth-largest rural student population in the
nation. Only Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio and New York have more
students in rural schools. Nearly
50,000, or about 17.5 percent, of those students are enrolled in special
education services. That's the second-highest percentage in the nation; the
national average is 13.4 percent.
Unfunded
State Mandates Push Pennsylvania School Districts, Tax Payers Finances to the
Brink
Montco Today Posted By: Ken Knickerbocker Posted date: June 15, 2017
With bookbags strapped to the back of Pennsylvania school
districts getting heavier and heavier each year, some districts are now
starting to stumble. The weight of new
state budget mandates for pensions, special education and charter school
tuition is becoming too much for some of them to bear, according to a Penn Live report by Jan Murphy. “Many school districts are now reaching their
tipping point, where they will no longer be able to deliver a quality education
to their students due to their financial situation,” said Pennsylvania Association of School
Administrators Executive Director Mark DiRocco in the article. “So subsidy increases need to be greater than
the mandated expenditures that districts must pay out.” Recognizing the dilemma, the Gov. Tom Wolf
and the House of Representatives both added $100 million to basic education and
$25 million to special education but cut $50 million from school
transportation. Nevertheless, 70 percent
of districts are still looking at property tax hikes, the article explained.
https://montco.today/2017/06/sunfunded-mandates-push-pennsylvania-school-districts-tax-payers-brink/
Under
fire, SRC moves to shut 2 Philly charters
Inquirer by Kristen
A. Graham, Staff Writer @newskag | kgraham@phillynews.com
Updated: JUNE 15, 2017 — 10:13 PM
EDT
The School Reform Commission on Thursday took action against two
charter schools at a packed, contentious meeting where dozens called for the
body to dissolve itself. The SRC voted,
5-0, to put Eastern University Academy Charter School on notice that its
charter will not be renewed because of academic and operational problems. The
East Falls school, which objected bitterly to the move, will remain open as it
goes through due process. And the
commission took a final vote to close Khepera Charter School in Logan amid news
that the school had laid off staff, skipped retirement and health-care
payments, and not paid its landlord. The troubled school has also had academic
problems. No representatives of the school
showed up to defend it, but it has the right to appeal the SRC’s decision to
the state. Eastern parents and staff
showed up in force to say the district had its facts wrong. Omar Barlow, the school’s principal and CEO,
pointed to strong graduation rates and said Eastern takes children who are
years behind and puts them on a path to college. “If our school was to close, where would they
go?” Barlow said. DawnLynne Kacer, the
district’s charter schools chief, said the school had significant academic issues.
No middle school students reached proficiency in math, for example. Barlow and others said the school would fight
the decision not to renew the charter. The
SRC did not vote on a resolution that it slipped onto the agenda just a few
days prior to the meeting: a $36 million contract with Catapult Learning Inc.
to establish a school for special education students.
SRC delays vote on $36 million contract for special ed school
City Council had passed a resolution urging rejection. At contentious meeting, SRC also hears calls for it to vote itself out of existence.
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa and Avi Wolfman-Arent Newsworks June 15, 2017 — 8:20pm
The School Reform Commission Thursday postponed a vote on a $36 million contract for Catapult Learning, Inc. that would have set up new special education programming in the city to serve students with multiple disabilities who are now sent to private institutions. The action came at a contentious, nearly five-hour meeting during which speakers repeatedly called on the SRC to disband itself and pave the way for a return of the District to local control. Superintendent William Hite asked for a delay to revise the motion for the special education school so it “more clearly reflects the intent of what we created this resolution to do.” He said that one urgent purpose is to move students from a school run by Wordsworth, which lost its operating license for a residential treatment facility last fall when one of its students died after an encounter with staffers. The death was ruled a homicide. That program had housed between 75 and 100 Philadelphia students, who were moved elsewhere -- including to a day program run by Wordsworth in Fort Washington, because there is an acute shortage of appropriate placements for students with complex mental and emotional needs . “Wordsworth is a school where we have children, and we have to get children out of that school,” Hite said. “We are trying to develop a program to move those children to a more supporting educational program.” The District’s contract with Wordsworth expires on June 30. Hite later told reporters that there is an acute shortage of appropriate programs in the area to meet the needs of hundreds of city students with multiple disabilities.
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2017/06/15/src-delays-vote-on-36-million-contract-for-special-ed-school
Wolf awards $1.5 million to N. Phila. schools for health initiative
Philly Trib by Layla A. Jones Tribune Staff Writer June 15, 2017
Gov. Tom Wolf awarded four North Philadelphia community schools $1.5 million for a pilot health program, connecting the schools to local children’s health services. The funding seeks to improve health, attendance and academics at James Logan Elementary, William Cramp Elementary, Edward Gideon Elementary and Middle school and Bethune Elementary. “Governor Tom Wolf continues to be a strong partner in restoring the education cuts of the Corbett years,” state Rep. Donna Bullock (D-195) said in a release about the school funding. “I and my Democratic colleagues will keep working with him to reinvest in our kids.” Each of the four schools receiving funding are within the North Philadelphia Health Enterprise Zone, a partnership between the Department of Education, the city, area hospitals and other entities created to address health disparities in the North Philadelphia community. The area in the zone include zip codes 19120, 19126, 19130, 19132-19134, 19138, 19140, 19141 and 19144.
Nearly 300,000 Medicaid recipients reside in the area covered by the health enterprise zone and 31 percent of the residents in the zone live below the poverty line. Children within the zone are also expected to live 20 years shorter than children in more affluent zip codes.
http://www.phillytrib.com/news/wolf-awards-million-to-n-phila-schools-for-health-initiative/article_ab60bcb8-49f2-5746-bcae-5dcb6853c529.html
Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth to support its first cohort of musicians
The notebook by Ariel Censor June 15, 2017 — 2:32pm
The Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth (PMAY) named 75 rising 5th- through 12th-grade musicians in its first cohort of PMAY Artists on Wednesday. The students, who are mostly from communities that are underrepresented in classical music, were honored at a gathering at City Hall with Mayor Kenney and Chief Cultural Officer Kelly Lee. The PMAY Artists’ Initiative strives to increase diversity in the professional classical music field. Today, less than 5 percent of musicians in professional U.S. orchestras are African American or Latino, with similarly low statistics for South Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaskan Natives. Joseph Conyers, who is music director of the District’s All City Orchestra, executive director of Project 440, and assistant principal bass in the Philadelphia Orchestra, stressed the importance of diversity in classical music during his remarks at Wednesday’s event. “Classical music is for everyone. Access to music should be universal,” Conyers said. “With programs like the PMAY Artists’ Initiative, it won’t be long until orchestras across the country will be reflections of the diverse group of musicians before me today. The diversity of your experiences makes the music better.” In an effort to provide these students with the tools they need to become professional classical musicians, PMAY will provide them financial support for lessons, music classes, youth orchestra participation, and summer music camps. They will also have the opportunity to attend free college and career preparation workshops and receive mentoring from PMAY teachers and staff.
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2017/06/15/philadelphia-music-alliance-for-youth-announces-first-cohort-of-pmay-artists
Saucon Valley teachers land contract peacefully for 1st time in decade
BY SARA K. SATULLO ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com, For lehighvalleylive.com Updated on June 15, 2017 at 2:32 PM Posted on June 15, 2017 at 2:06 PM
Saucon Valley School District parents can let out a sigh of relief. They don't have to worry about teacher contracts or strikes for a long time. Following years of bruising and contentious teacher contract negotiations that divided the school community, the teachers union and school board have quietly agreed to a two-year contract extension. The current contract expires in July of 2018 and, like earlier contracts, it took more than four years to reach. The new deal expires June 30, 2020. "We are pleased that we can begin this new era free from the distractions that contract negotiations have historically brought our school district," Saucon Valley Education Association President Robert Kachmar said. "We consider this a fair agreement for this time." Saucon Valley gained a reputation throughout the region for its arduous negotiations that lasted years, often resulting in state mediation, fact-finding, non-binding arbitrations and several teacher strikes.
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2017/06/saucon_valley_to_have_labor_pe.html#incart_river_index
MY ANTI-SCHOOL CHOICE FRIENDS ARE HYPOCRITES WHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATING BLACK CHILDREN
Philly’s 7th Ward Blog by SHARIF EL-MEKKI JUNE 14, 2017
I have many friends who are staunchly “anti-choice” when it comes to educating Black children. They are awesome people, folks you would trust with your children or money, but I find their hypocrisy alarming. They can be broken up into different categories. However, one trait they all share is that they consistently exercise choice for their children, yet they expect Black families to only exercise patience. My friends are hypocrites based off of stories they have shared with me over the years. None of them could be considered anything less than middle-class economically. Many of them not only choose their children’s schools, they exude an inordinate amount of energy to choose their children’s classrooms! I have heard more stories about my middle-class friends exerting pressure to ensure their children get the best teachers as they matriculate throughout schools. Some have even threatened to pull their children out of a particular school if they don’t get their wishes. Seems like choice to me.
http://phillys7thward.org/2017/06/anti-school-choice-friends-hypocrites-comes-educating-black-children/
Letter: Teens need more sleep and later school start times
Teens need more sleep and later school start times
Main Line Times Letter by Amy Norr, LMSD Interschool Council Sleep Study Committee
Ellen Keefe, LMSD Interschool Council Sleep Study Committee
Sigal Ben-Porath, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Indira Gurubhagavatula M.D., University of Pennsylvania Sleep Medicine
Jodi Mindell, Ph.D., Saint Joseph’s University, Pediatric Sleep Council
To the Editor: My mind does not function at 7:30 in the morning. I am in a constant state of sleep deprivation. I feel miserable most of the time... I get grueling headaches...I feel sort of sick most days. (Lack of sleep) makes every single task twice as difficult and eats away at my energy, effort and motivation. - Lower Merion and Harriton High School students, Sleep Survey responses We are parents (including two sleep professionals) in Lower Merion School District (LMSD) who have been advocating for later high school start times for several years. We appreciate your recent article on Radnor parents and students urging their school board to consider later middle and high school start times (Main Line Suburban Life, June 4, 2017). Locally, kudos are in order for the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, which recently became the first local PA school district to vote for later high school start times for the health and well-being of its students. Hopefully this action will spur other local districts to make similar decisions. Major national medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine have recommended that middle and high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later in order to optimize student health and learning.
http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/mainlinetimes/opinion/letter-teens-need-more-sleep-and-later-school-start-times/article_2af17c7b-edfe-548d-8228-55bad3f62306.html
“Last month, DeVos told Congress that Washington would need to spend $30 billion on special education in order to meet that 40 percent authorization level. “
Full Funding for Special Education? Lawmakers Try for Fifth Straight Congress
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on June 15, 2017 4:42 PM
Like clockwork in recent years, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing to "fully fund" federal spending on special education. The IDEA Full Funding Act, introduced Thursday, would ramp up Washington's budget for students with special needs. The legislation calls for the feds to pick up 40 percent of the extra cost of educating a student in special education. That's the share Congress is authorized to spend under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which passed back in 1975. Congress hasn't come close to that level in years. And right now, the federal government pays for just 15.3 percent of those expenses, leaving the rest to states and school districts. Current federal spending under the IDEA stands at $12.8 billion. The proposal "would ensure our schools have the resources they need to support students with disabilities, and that Congress finally meets its commitments to all students," Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., a lead author of the legislation, said in a statement announcing the bill. Special education has gotten more of the spotlight ever since Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' controversial comments about IDEA during her January confirmation hearing. The Trump administration's proposed budget would cut a relatively small amount, about, $100 million, from IDEA spending. DeVos' recent comments about special education services with respect to school choice proposals in the budget have also caused a stir.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2017/06/special_education_full_funding_congress_bipartisan.html
Community Schools: An Evidence-Based Strategy for Equitable School Improvement
Learning Policy Institute Authors Jeannie Oakes, Anna Maier, Julia Daniel JUN 05 2017
This brief examines the research on community schools, with two primary emphases. First, it explores whether the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) opens the possibility of investing in well-designed community schools to meet the educational needs of low-achieving students in high-poverty schools. And second, it provides support to school, district, and state leaders as they consider, propose, or implement a community school intervention in schools targeted for comprehensive support. Community schools represent a place-based school improvement strategy in which “schools partner with community agencies and local government to provide an integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement.” Many operate year-round, from morning to evening, and serve both children and adults. Although the approach is appropriate for students of all backgrounds, many community schools serve neighborhoods where poverty and racism erect barriers to learning, and where families have few resources to supplement what typical schools provide. Community schools vary in the programs they offer and the way they operate, depending on their local context. However, four features—or pillars—appear in most community schools:
https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/community-schools-equitable-improvement-brief
“Her
remarks were received with limited enthusiasm, among what should have been one
of the friendliest crowds the controversial DeVos will address — a group of
teachers, administrators and advocates who have embraced school choice as a
solution to inequality. Less than half the audience stood to applaud as she
finished, and many others remained silent.”
How
Betsy DeVos Could Break Up The Charter School Coalition
The fragile bipartisan alliance that formed around the charter
school movement could fall apart in the Trump era.
Molly
Hensley-Clancy BuzzFeed News Reporter Posted on June 14, 2017, at 3:42 p.m.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made a bold choice of opening
anecdote in a speech to charter school advocates on Tuesday: Shetold the story
of how her family chose to forego the public education system entirely, sending
her young son to a Christian private school.
DeVos spoke of the need to ensure that poor students had the
ability to attend not just charter schools, but private schools, too — just as
her son had done. It was a heavy allusion to the necessity of a voucher system
— one that would allow families to use taxpayer money to pay for private and
religious schools. But vouchers have
long been considered politically toxic for many in the charter school movement,
who are already wondering how closely their schools — attended primarily by
low-income, black, and Latino students — should link their fortunes to those of
the Trump administration. “Charter
schools are here to stay,” DeVos told the crowd on Tuesday. “But we must
recognize that charters aren’t the right fit for every child. For many
children, neither a traditional nor a charter public school works for them.” When DeVos singled out a charter school for
praise, she then praised a private school in the next breath, singling out
several "Christian schools," including one that operated, mostly
tuition-free, in a homeless shelter.
The
Education Department Quietly Invited Anti-LGBT Groups To A Father's Day Event
The move that prompted the national Parent Teacher Association to
pull out of the daylong "Engaging Fathers and Families" event.
Molly
Hensley-Clancy BuzzFeed News Reporter Posted on June 15, 2017, at 3:44 p.m.
The Education Department invited representatives from two
anti-LGBT groups to speak at a secretive event on Thursday, a move that
prompted the national Parent Teacher Association to pull out of the daylong
"Engaging Fathers and Families" event. Representatives for the evangelical groups
Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council — which advocate for gay
conversion therapy — both spoke at the event, according to a copy of the agenda
that was obtained by BuzzFeed News, sitting on a panel called "Family
Engagement in Faith-based Organizations." The agenda was first reported by
Politico. The National PTA, which has 4
million members nationwide, said it withdrew from the event after it learned of
the two groups' participation, saying in a statement that they were "not
in alignment" with the PTA's stance on protecting gay youth. The event Thursday, which was hosted ahead of
Father's Day, included several high-level officials, including acting
undersecretary Jim Manning and the head of elementary and secondary education.
Principal
Advocacy Day at 9 a.m. on Monday, June 19, 2017 at The Capitol in Harrisburg
PA
Principals Association Website Wednesday, June 7, 2017 10:03 AM
The PA
Principals Association is holding its second annual Principal
Advocacy Day at 9 a.m. on Monday, June 19, 2017 at The Capitol in Harrisburg,
PA. Once again, a
rally in support of public education and important education issues will be
held on the Main Rotunda Steps from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. Visits with legislators will be
conducted earlier in the day. More
information will be sent via email, shared in our publications and posted on
our website closer to the event.
To
register, send an email to Dr. Joseph Clapper at clapper@paprincipals.org before
Friday, June 9, 2017.
Click
here to view the
Principal Advocacy Day Save The Date Flyer.
Apply Now for EPLC's 2017-2018 PA Education Policy Fellowship
Program!
Education Policy and Leadership Center
Applications are available now for the 2017-2018
Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP). The
Education Policy Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania by The
Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC). Click here for the program calendar of sessions. With more than 500 graduates in its
first eighteen years, this Program is a premier professional development
opportunity for educators, state and local policymakers, advocates, and
community leaders. State Board of Accountancy (SBA) credits are available
to certified public accountants. Past participants include state policymakers,
district superintendents and principals, school business officers, school board
members, education deans/chairs, statewide association leaders, parent leaders,
education advocates, and other education and community leaders. Fellows are
typically sponsored by their employer or another organization. The Fellowship Program begins with a two-day
retreat on September 14-15, 2017 and continues to graduation
in June 2018.
The Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy
Award was established in 2011 by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and
may be presented annually to the individual school director or entire school
board to recognize outstanding leadership in legislative advocacy efforts on
behalf of public education and students that are consistent with the positions
in PSBA’s Legislative Platform. In
addition to being a highly respected lobbyist, Timothy Allwein served to help
our members be effective advocates in their own right. Many have said that Tim
inspired them to become active in our Legislative Action Program and to develop
personal working relationships with their legislators. The 2017 Allwein Award nomination process
will begin on Monday, May 15, 2017. The application due
date is July 16, 2017 in the honor of Tim’s birth date of July 16.
Pennsylvania Education Leadership Summit July 23-25, 2017 Blair
County Convention Center - Altoona
A three-day event providing an excellent opportunity for
school district administrative teams and instructional leaders to learn, share
and plan together
co-sponsored by PASA, the Pennsylvania Principals
Association, PASCD and the PA Association for Middle Level Education
**REGISTRATION IS OPEN**Early Bird Registration Ends
after April 30!
Keynote speakers, high quality breakout sessions, table
talks on hot topics, and district team planning and job-alike sessions will
provide practical ideas that can be immediately reviewed and discussed at the
summit and utilized at the district level.
Keynote Speakers:
Thomas Murray, Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools, a project of the Alliance for Excellent Education
Kristen Swanson, Director of Learning at Slack and one of the founding members of the Edcamp movement
Thomas Murray, Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools, a project of the Alliance for Excellent Education
Kristen Swanson, Director of Learning at Slack and one of the founding members of the Edcamp movement
Breakout session strands:
*Strategic/Cultural Leadership
*Systems Leadership
*Leadership for Learning
*Professional and Community Leadership
*Strategic/Cultural Leadership
*Systems Leadership
*Leadership for Learning
*Professional and Community Leadership
CLICK HERE to access the Summit website for
program, hotel and registration information.
Save the Date 2017 PA Principals Association State Conference
October 14. 15, 16, 2017
Doubletree Hotel Cranberry Township, PA
Save the Date: PASA-PSBA
School Leadership Conference October 18-20, Hershey PA
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