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Friday, July 14, 2017

PA Ed Policy Roundup July 14: House Lawmakers Advance Funding Bill Without Trump-DeVos Choice Programs; Bill Strips Out $2 Billion for Teacher Training

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn

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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup July 14, 2017:



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Budget mess may mean 'real trouble soon,' Pa. treasurer warns
Inquirer by Liz Navratil & Angela Couloumbis, HARRISBURG BUREAU Updated: JULY 13, 2017 — 7:16 PM EDT
HARRISBURG — State Treasurer Joe Torsella warned Thursday that the commonwealth could run out of money to pay its bills by the end of August unless the legislature quickly passes a responsible revenue package to balance its budget.  That’s alarmingly early in the year, said Torsella, who said he also fears that the state’s cash-flow problems could last for a worrisome eight straight months.  “That’s not some distant prospect,” said Torsella, a Democrat. “There is going to come some real trouble soon.”  If the state did run out of money, Gov. Wolf could be forced to make dramatic cuts.  Budget negotiations continue in private, and spokespeople for some of the leaders said they remained optimistic a deal could be reached — although they disagreed on when and provided no details as to why.  “Gov. Wolf continues to negotiate with Republicans and Democrats in the General Assembly and is optimistic that all parties can come together to balance the budget,” said J.J. Abbott, the governor’s spokesman.  Jennifer Kocher, a spokeswoman for the Senate Republicans, said: “There is a willingness by everyone involved to finalize everything and to do so quickly. We are close to a final deal.”  But Steve Miskin, a spokesman for House Republicans, said he did not believe a deal on revenue would happen “right away.”  “Hopefully I’m wrong about that,” he said.  Many of the hallways in the Capitol were empty Thursday. Both the Republican-controlled House and the Senate were in recess — with no definite return date — and many legislators had returned home to their districts.

Lawmakers take a budget break; constitutionality concerns persist
WITF Written by Katie Meyer, Capitol Bureau Chief | Jul 13, 2017 7:09 AM
 (Harrisburg) -- Nearly two weeks after the state budget deadline, House and Senate members and Governor Tom Wolf do not have an agreement on a revenue plan to fund for it.   Wolf let the unbalanced spending plan become law Monday night, a decision that puts Pennsylvania in a sort of constitutional no-man's-land for the second year in a row.  Around the Capitol there's no clear consensus on whether the state's allowed to handle its budget this way--or if there are any consequences for doing so.  At the moment, the halls of the Capitol are quiet after days of feverish, all-hours negotiations on a revenue deal that never came together.  Lawmakers returned to their districts after negotiations fell apart early in the week, over how much new revenue the budget needs in order to be considered balanced, and to stave off credit rating downgrades. The House and Senate are on a six-hour call, with no session days scheduled for the foreseeable future.  Leaders said they'll be back to the table soon, though House GOP Leader Dave Reed indicated they could use a break.  "Sometimes maybe a couple hours away for everybody is a good thing. Everybody can regroup and we can put it back together," he said. For at least the near future, state government is left with a budget that authorizes it to spend $32 billion this fiscal year, but doesn't say where the money should come from. 

“Miller, the Centennial school board member, said the combination of the state's lack of funding and costly mandates "forces school districts to raise taxes on people with fixed incomes."  If the state would eliminate "high stakes testing ... stop overpaying charter schools for special education and overpaying cybercharter schools for not giving kids any education, the money districts are getting would be more equitable. There is just too much public money enriching private enterprise.  "The system is definitely broken," he said. "This is not the fix."
Ballot referendum for potential property tax relief isn't solution for homeowners, school officials say
Intelligencer By Gary Weckselblatt, staff writer July 13, 2017
School officials don't believe a November ballot referendum to amend the state constitution would provide property tax relief to homeowners.  The Homestead Exclusion Amendment, which the bill is being called, would allow local taxing authorities ― counties, municipalities and school districts ― to exempt up to 100 percent of the assessed value of each homestead from taxes. Currently, local taxing authorities can exempt up to 50 percent of the median value of all homesteads within their jurisdiction.  Should a school board enact the change, it could make up for the revenue lost from lower property taxes on homeowners by raising or instituting another tax, possibly a personal income tax or even a sales tax. Commercial properties aren't part of the potential reductions, and homeowners with multiple residences would be able to lower the assessment of only one.   "I don't think it's well thought out," said Mark Miller of the Centennial school board. "It's misdirection. I don't think anyone will be paying less taxes; they'll just be paying different taxes."  Neale Dougherty, president of the New Hope-Solebury school board, called the amendment "another half-baked attempt" by the state Legislature "to try and exert control and tamper at the local level. But yet again it doesn't address the needs of school districts or their constituents."  Lawmakers feel differently. The Senate voted 46-2 for the measure this week, a month after a 190-0 tally in the House. It was also passed as a House bill in the last session. To amend the state constitution a bill must pass in two consecutive sessions.

“Recent studies show that this funding distribution method discriminates against school districts with higher minority populations. It certainly holds true in my home county of Monroe where the least-white (49 percent) district gets less than $2,000 per student while the mostly-white (77 percent) district gets more than $4,300 per student. Based on the last two state budgets there is no plan to reach equity in school funding, and $5.5 billion in basic education funding and nearly $1 billion in special education funding will continue to be distributed by this discriminatory method in perpetuity. Tragically, by official state policy, Pennsylvania continues to discriminate against schools with higher populations of students of color.”
Another View: Education funding continues to hurt kids
Delco Times Commentary by David Parker POSTED: 07/13/17, 2:48 PM EDT
David Parker is a Republican from Monroe County who served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2015-2016. He represented the people of the 115th District, which includes three school districts shown to be collectively short-changed by $50 million in 2015-16 based on the new basic education funding formula. He serves as a Director with Citizens for Fair School Funding to continue advocating for students and taxpayers to be treated fairly.
To the Times: This past December marked the 60th anniversary of the day Rosa Parks got to ride on the front of the bus in Montgomery, Ala. We’ve made a lot of progress on Civil Rights across this great country since December 21, 1956; but for some reason, on June 21, 2017, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we are still treating African Americans and other people of color, like second-class citizens when it comes to education funding.  In 2014, our Legislature recognized that Pennsylvania distributes education funding unfairly and established a Basic Education Funding Commission to design a better, fairer way to invest those education dollars. A new, fair, funding formula was unanimously approved by all members of the commission. Unfortunately, the Legislature would only implement the newly adopted formula on the NEW money added to the Basic Education line item, while the Existing $5.5 billion would continue to be distributed unfairly.

A bad bet: Expanded gambling is no state budget solution
Post Gazette Editorial by THE EDITORIAL BOARD 12:00 AM JUL 14, 2017
A 2014 report by TheStreet.com ranked Pennsylvania as the second-heaviest gambling state in the nation after Nevada. While revenue sources for the new fiscal year’s budget remain up in the air, legislators in Harrisburg seem determined to increase the amount of legal gambling in the state and keep us near the top of those rankings. This roll of the dice is not the proper way to balance the state budget. The state House recently approved a measure to add up to 40,000 video gaming terminals at bars, restaurants and private clubs. Proponents said this eventually could add $500 million in badly needed revenue for the commonwealth each year. According to news reports, as budget negotiations continued into overtime over the weekend, senators rejected that proposal and expressed support for another kind of gambling expansion. It involves the creation of up to 10 “satellite” casinos, secondary sites in smaller markets that could be operated by the current casino operators. 

KIPP Philadelphia expands and creates new charter feeder networks
The organization has to meet conditions set by the School Reform Commission to launch its full plan.
The notebook by Greg Windle July 13, 2017 — 12:49pm
KIPP Philadelphia, affiliated with one of the nation’s largest and most well-known charter organizations, has almost reached its goal of creating a K-12 network of schools in West Philadelphia. Earlier this year, the School Reform Commission approved KIPP’s plan for a new elementary school in Parkside, serving grades K-4.  KIPP opened its first school in Philadelphia in 2003. To round out its presence here, KIPP Philadelphia plans two networks of elementary, middle, and high schools that can take students all the way from kindergarten through 12th grade in high-poverty areas in West Philadelphia and North Philadelphia.  KIPP is intent on filling a need in two stressed communities and offering a structured, academically rigorous environment to underserved families. But, according to the Charter Schools Office, the academic record at some of its schools has not been significantly better than other schools in their neighborhoods.

Smethport school board rejects fact finder report
Bradford Era By FRAN DE LANCEY Era Correspondent delancey401@yahoo.com July 13, 2017
SMETHPORT — Despite rejecting the fact finder's report on reconsideration at a special meeting Wednesday, Smethport Area School directors seem optimistic that with a few clarifications, the report could lead to a labor agreement with the Smethport Area Education Association. After Wednesday's vote, school director Dan Wertz, an attorney who appeared for the district at the fact finding hearing, said, "Although we rejected the report, it represents a lot of opportunity and with some clarification, I hope we resolve the issue."  Either party in contract talks may request fact finding, a dispute resolution process in which a third party hears offers from both sides. If both sides agree to the fact finder's report, it becomes the basis for an agreement. When one side rejects the report, negotiations continue.  On May 26 the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board appointed a fact finder in the impasse between the district and teachers’ labor union. The report was released June 26.  Once the report is released, the district initially rejected the report within the state-mandated time limit.  The teachers’ union also rejected the report.

Thackston Charter School's former biz manager charged with felony theft
York Dispatch by David Weissman , 505-5431/@DispatchDavid Published 10:29 a.m. ET July 13, 2017 | Updated 11:33 a.m. ET July 13, 2017
Helen Thackston Charter School's former business manager allegedly stole more than $12,000 from the school in cash, checks and merchandise, according to police.  Kimberly Lynette Kirby, 39, was fired as Thackston's business manager on Feb. 24, but still had access to the school's bank accounts, according to charging documents.  She withdrew more than $3,500 from one of the accounts at M&T Bank on March 3 that was never returned, the documents state.  Kirby returned to the bank later that day and withdrew more than $12,500 from the same account, though that was deposited into one of the school's other accounts.  Brian Leinhouser, the school's attorney, reviewed the school's bank accounts after he was made aware of the withdrawals and found that Kirby had cashed a check for $850 that was not used for any school purchases. The school also received an invoice on March 1 from its Newegg Business account for nearly $8,300 for transaction that occurred between Dec. 28, 2016, and Jan. 30. Only $275 was accounted for, according to police.

Click the PA-School-Based-ACCESS-Medicaid-Reimbursement-Data to see how  much your school district received in Medicaid reimbursements in 2015.
From an Education Voters PA Email
At the federal level, in order to provide a massive tax cut to the wealthiest Americans, the Republican healthcare plan in the Senate would strip nearly $145 million in annual Medicaid reimbursements from school districts in PA and gut Medicaid funding for children with disabilities. The Republican healthcare plan ends a nearly 30-year commitment that the federal government has made to provide schools with guaranteed Medicaid reimbursements to help pay for vital healthcare services for eligible students with disabilities, including nursing care, physical therapy, mobility, vision, and audiology services, and many more.  Under the Republican healthcare plan, Medicaid funding is capped and federal Medicaid reimbursements for students with disabilities will no longer be guaranteed to our schools.
Senator Casey  (202) 224-6324 opposes the Senate Republican healthcare plan, Senator Toomey (202) 224-4254 supports it.
If you oppose stripping Medicaid funding from schools, now is the time to call your senator. If  you wait, you may be too late.

Save Medicaid In Schools Coalition Issues Statement On Updated Senate Health Care Bill
Alexandria, Va. – July 13, 2017 – The Save Medicaid in Schools Coalition issued the following statement today regarding the newest version of the Republican health care plan known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act introduced by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).    The Save Medicaid in Schools Coalition consists of over 60 national education, civil rights, disability, child welfare and healthcare organizations.
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell needs to change the playbook and realize that ending Medicaid as an entitlement is not what his colleagues in the Senate or the majority of Americans in this country want Congress to do.  "We urge the Senate to stop trying to deny America’s most vulnerable children critical access to healthcare services in school and instead to work on bipartisan solutions to fix Obamacare that protect health insurance gains for children."
Sasha Pudelski
AASA, The School Superintendents Association
John Hill
National Alliance for Medicaid in Education  
Kelly Vaillancourt Strobach
National Association of School Psychologists

Senate Republicans Unveil New Health Bill, but Divisions Remain
New York Times By ROBERT PEAR and THOMAS KAPLAN JULY 13, 2017
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leaders on Thursday unveiled a fresh proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, revising their bill to help hold down insurance costs for consumers while allowing insurers to sell new low-cost, stripped down policies. Those changes and others, including a decision to keep a pair of taxes on high-income people and to expand the use of tax-favored health savings accounts, were intended to bridge a vast gap between the Senate’s most conservative Republicans, who want less regulation of health insurance, and moderate Republicans concerned about people who would be left uninsured. But Republican leaders will have to battle for votes ahead of a final showdown they hope will come next week. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine, a moderate, and Rand Paul of Kentucky, a conservative, said they were not swayed — even on a procedural motion to take up the bill for debate. Several others, from both sides of the party’s ideological spectrum, expressed misgivings.

New Senate GOP health care bill teeters on the brink
Inquirer by ERICA WERNER & ALAN FRAM, The Associated Press Updated: JULY 13, 2017 6:18 PM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican leaders unveiled a new health care bill Thursday in their increasingly desperate effort to deliver on seven years of promises to repeal and replace "Obamacare." They immediately lost two key votes, leaving none to spare as the party's own divisions put its top campaign pledge in serious jeopardy.  President Donald Trump declared a day earlier that failure would make him "very angry" and that he would blame Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.  But talking with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to France, Trump also acknowledged the challenges lawmakers face.  "I'd say the only thing more difficult than peace between Israel and the Palestinians is health care," Trump said. "But I think we're going to have something that's really good and that people are going to like."

Senate Republicans exempt own health coverage from part of latest proposal
Vox.com Updated by Sarah Kliff on July 13, 2017 3:00 pm
Senate Republicans included a provision that exempts members of Congress and their staff from part of their latest health care plan.  This exemption could have the effect of ensuring that members of Congress have coverage for a wider array of benefits than other Americans who purchase their own coverage.  A Senate Republican aide confirmed that the exemption existed but was unable to comment as to the specific effect it would have. The aide said it was included to ensure that the bill hewed to the chamber’s strict reconciliation rules that limit the policies this health bill can include.  The exemption is similar to the one that existed in the House health bill. After Vox reported on its existence, the House voted to close the loophole — and the Senate aide expected their chamber to follow the same path.

Republicans Made 4 Key Changes to Their Health Care Bill. Here’s Who They Were Trying to Win Over.
New York Times By HAEYOUN PARK, ALICIA PARLAPIANO and MARGOT SANGER-KATZ JULY 13, 2017
Republican senators have added a set of changes to their billto repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. These changes are efforts to appease different groups of senators and move the bill closer to a vote. At least 50 of the 52 Republican senators must support the bill for it to pass.

Prospects Seem Dim for Trump School Choice Initiative This Year
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on July 14, 2017 7:20 AM
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos came to Washington primarily to do one thing: Use the power of her office to expand school choice, her passion for decades.  Members of her own party appeared to deal a major blow to that goal Thursday, when the House panel charged with overseeing education spending approved a bill that doesn't include two of DeVos' big budget asks: using an education research program to offer school vouchers, and allowing Title I dollars to follow students to the school of their choice. More on the bill from Andrew here.  DeVos, so far, is undaunted. "The House process is one part of the process," DeVos said at a press conference Thursday afternoon that focused primarily on college sexual assault. "The Senate will also be a process, and we're committed to working with the Congress on these budget items and issues, so it's an ongoing process."  But DeVos may not have much better luck in the Senate, in part because some Republicans are skeptical of a federal role in school vouchers, Sen. Alexander, R-Tenn., said in an interview Thursday.  Alexander would know. In fact, he tried to get language that would have allowed federal dollars to follow students to the school of their choice included in the Every Student Succeeds Act,but couldn't muster the votes, even though the Senate was under Republican control.

“The vote means that the bill advances to the full House appropriations committee, which could take up the bill next week. Notably, the House legislation does not include two signature school choice initiatives in President Donald Trump's proposed budget: a $1 billion public school choice program, and a $250 million state grant program to expand private school choice.”
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on July 13, 2017 5:58 PM
Washington UPDATED House lawmakers who oversee funding for the U.S. Department of Education voted in a subcommittee Thursday to advance legislation funding schools for the coming budget year. Reflecting partisan divisions, GOP and Democratic members of Congress differed sharply over the impact of the bill, which GOP legislators introduced earlier this week and which would provide $66 billion to the department, a $2.4 billion cut for fiscal 2018.  In a brief hearing here in a House appropriations subcommittee, Republicans stressed that the proposed $66 billion legislation would preserve current funding levels for Title I, increase spending on special education by $200 million, and keep intact current aid for early education and career and technical education.  However, Democrats slammed the bill's elimination of $2 billion in Title II money for teacher training and class-size reductions, and said its increases to other education programs were welcomed but not sufficient.

Like Trump Budget, House Funding Bill Strips Out $2 Billion for Teacher Training
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on July 12, 2017 5:29 PM
UPDATED The House spending bill that would fund the U.S. Department of Education for the coming budget year seems to mostly ignore the school choice proposals put forward by President Donald Trump and would cut overall spending at the U.S. Department of Education by less that the president proposes.   However, the budget appears to cut Title II funding for teacher training, which currently stands at about $2 billion. That is in harmony with the Trump budget, which also seeks to scrap the program.   The bill, released on Wednesday, would provide $66 billion for the department, down $2.4 billion from the current budget. By contrast, the Trump adminstration wanted a $9.2 billion cut, down to $59 billion. However, at least a few big-ticket K-12 programs are saved from the budget ax. The legislation would not fund the $1 billion public school choice program the president proposed in his fiscal 2018 spending blueprint. Nor does it appear to provide any money to the $250 million in state grants to support private school choice that Trump also sought.  In fact, the Education Innovation and Research program, which the Trump team sought to use to fund the private school choice initiative, would be entirely eliminated in the House bill—right now, EIR gets $100 million. 

Ed. Dept. Official 'Doesn't Seem to Have Read' ESSA, Sen. Alexander Says
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on July 13, 2017 5:41 PM
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., one of the main architects of the Every Student Succeeds Act, doesn't think that Jason Botel—the acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education, and one of the education department's key point people on ESSA—has done a close examination of the law that he's been charged with implementing.  "I think we have a case of an assistant secretary who hasn't read the law carefully," Alexander, chairman of the Senate education committee, said in an interview. "The heart of the entire law ... was that it's the state's decision to set goals, to decide what 'ambitious' means, to make decisions to help schools that aren't performing well."   The technical, but important back story: Alexander was referring to a feedback letter Botel sent to Delaware on its ESSA plan, telling the state that it hadn't been "ambitious" enough in setting long-term goals for student achievement, sparking wonky outrage inside the Beltway and beyond.  The education chairman noted in an interview that ESSA includes language specifically prohibiting the U.S. secretary of education from telling states what their goals can or can't be—and that 85 senators voted to approve the new law.

On Education, The States Ask: Now What?
NPR by CLAUDIO SANCHEZ July 13, 20176:00 AM ET
The new federal education law is supposed to return to the states greater control over their public schools.  But judging from the mood recently at the annual conference of the Education Commission of the States, the states are anything but optimistic about the future, or about the new law.  The apprehension reminded me of the 1989 education summit convened by President George H.W. Bush. Back then the goal was to persuade governors to adopt a set of national education goals. All but a couple of states bought into the idea of "systemic change" with support from the federal government.  The prevailing view was that state and local control of schools wasn't working. What was needed was a national vision for educating every child, regardless of geography, race, ethnicity, sex, ability or disability across social and economic classes. That vision would drive U.S. education policy for a quarter century, and it was a big part of the No Child Left Behind Act signed by George W. Bush in 2002.  Now, with the new education law, the pendulum has swung back to the states. The Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, ostensibly puts them in the driver's seat.  So why aren't they happy? I heard lots of reasons at the ECS meeting in San Diego.

The Racist Origins of Private School Vouchers
Center for American Progress By Chris Ford, Stephenie Johnson, and Lisette Partelow Posted on July 12, 2017, 11:59 pm
About three and a half hours southwest of Washington, D.C., nestled in the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont is Prince Edward County, a rural community that was thrust into the history books more than 60 years ago when county officials chose to close its segregated public schools rather than comply with court-mandated desegregation following the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision.1 Like many public school districts in the South during the Jim Crow era, Prince Edward County operated a segregated school system—a system white officials and citizens were determined to keep by any means necessary. The scheme they hatched was to close public schools and provide white students with private school vouchers.
Fast forward to 2017: President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos have championed a plan to provide federal funding for private school voucher systems nationwide, which would funnel millions of taxpayer dollars out of public schools and into unaccountable private schools—a school reform policy that they say would provide better options for low-income students trapped in failing schools. Their budget proposal would slash the Education Department’s budget by more than 13 percent, or $9 billion, while providing $1.25 billion for school choice, including $250 million for private school vouchers.2

IN SEARCH OF THE ELUSIVE BETSY DEVOS
The Education Secretary seems be ducking the press.
(A version of this column originally appeared on Poynter.org.)
Vanity Fair BY JAMES WARREN, CHIEF MEDIA WRITER, POYNTER.ORG JULY 10, 2017 1:00 PM
The Trump administration's suspicion of the press is typified by ditching some daily White House briefings, barring cameras from others and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson straying from the media as if he were still CEO of Exxon Mobil. And then there's Betsy DeVos.  You remember her, right? She's the wealthy charter school advocate from Michigan whose Senate confirmation hearing was a painful embarrassment, given her seeming ignorance of the Education Department she was taking over.  Or maybe you don't. She's not in the news much. She's like a 5th grader avoiding eye contact with a science teacher whose test she flunked. Last night she did what was hailed by NBC as her first "network news interview" on Megyn Kelly's show, offering what appeared to be a brief and banal set of comments on charter schools.  Just ask, among others, Greg Toppo, USA Today's education writer and president of the Education Writers Association (my wife, a Pulitzer-winning ex-journalist, is on the board). He noted how the association started getting complaints about the department being unresponsive and frustrating.
It took nearly three months before DeVos brought on a full-time spokesman. Before then, "many reporters' queries, mine included, were simply going unanswered," says Toppo. Then there is DeVos' general lack of availability. She has yet to sit down with reporters at department headquarters and "I believe you can count her on-the-record interviews on one hand."


Gerrymandering: Fair Districts PA Statewide Calendar of Events

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 
Breakout session strands:
*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.

STAY WOKE: THE INAUGURAL NATIONAL BLACK MALE EDUCATORS CONVENING; Philadelphia Fri, Oct 13, 2017 4:00pm  Sun, Oct 15, 2017 7:00pm
TEACHER DIVERSITY WORKS. Increasing the number of Black male educators in our nation’s teacher corps will improve education for all our students, especially for African-American boys.  Today Black men represent only two percent of teachers nationwide. This is a national problem that demands a national response.  Come participate in the inaugural National Black Male Educators Convening to advance policy solutions, learn from one another, and fight for social justice. All are welcome.

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

Registration now open for the 67th Annual PASCD Conference  Nov. 12-13 Harrisburg: Sparking Innovation: Personalized Learning, STEM, 4C's
This year's conference will begin on Sunday, November 12th and end on Monday, November 13th. There will also be a free pre-conference on Saturday, November 11th.  You can register for this year's conference online with a credit card payment or have an invoice sent to you.  Click here to register for the conference.
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PASCD-Conference-Registration-is-Now-Open.html?soid=1101415141682&aid=5F-ceLtbZDs



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