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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup July 7, 2017:
Blogger
note: #HB97 Charter Expansion bill is in the Senate Appropriations Committee. If your state senator is a member of that
committee please consider contacting them regarding the charter bill.
PASA Update on Status of HB97 Charter
School Bill
PA Association of School Administrators Website July 3, 2017
PASA recommends the following changes in
charter school law:
*The funding formula for charter
school entities must be changed to reflect the actual cost needed to educate
students in these alternative environments.
*The cost of special education
students attending charter school entities must reflect the actual cost to
instruct the students through the IEP process.
*Over-identification of special
education students by charter school entities must be addressed.
*Professional educators in
charter school entities must meet the same certification requirements as
educators in traditional public schools.
*Charter schools must be
evaluated by the same measures as traditional public schools to ensure the
public can compare the effectiveness of all educational entities supported by
public tax dollars.
*Public school districts must
have the authority to properly oversee and evaluate charter schools.
*The Charter School Appeal Board
must consist of neutral, bi-partisan members that will be objective in the
hearing process.
*Billing discrepancies between
school districts and charter school entities should be reconciled between the
two agencies. The process of automatic
withholding of subsidies from school districts based on a charter school entity
claim must cease.
*Charter school entities must
display the same level of transparency with their finances that are required of
traditional public school districts.
*The enrollment and selection
process of charter school entity students must be transparent and free of any
form of discrimination.
*More scrutiny and review must be
applied to cyber charter school entities as their academic performance is
significantly lower than brick-and-mortar charter schools and traditional
public schools.
Crisci Associates Posted by PA Capitol Digest at 12:06 PM July 6, 2017
Senate reconvenes Saturday at 1:00, planning 4 days in
Harrisburg. House comes back Friday at 11:00.
House
GOP leader: No agreements in Pennsylvania budget talks
Delco Times By Marc Levy, The
Associated Press POSTED: 07/06/17, 3:32 PM EDT
HARRISBURG >> The Republican leader in the GOP-controlled
Pennsylvania House of Representatives says there haven’t been any agreements
reached in a six-day-old budget stalemate over the state’s deficit-ridden
finances. Majority Leader Dave Reed told
House GOP members in a Thursday memo that he’s also opposed to a “broad-based”
tax increase and favors trying to raise money by expanding casino-style
gambling and further privatizing the sale of wine and liquor in Pennsylvania. Critics say it’s too unreliable to try to
balance the budget by expanding gambling or selling more wine and liquor
licenses. Reed’s memo comes as top
lawmakers negotiate a revenue package in private and Standard and Poor’s warns
that Pennsylvania faces another credit downgrade if the state doesn’t improve
its finances. A downgrade increases the cost of government borrowing.
WITF Written by Katie Meyer, Capitol Bureau Chief | Jul 7, 2017 6:00 AM
(Harrisburg) - A state budget standoff has been going strong since lawmakers passed a spending plan Friday, but no revenue package to pay for it. As members return from their Independence Day recess, House and Senate Republican leaders don't appear much closer to a consensus. The budget that's currently sitting on Governor Tom Wolf's desk becomes law automatically at midnight on Monday--even if it's not balanced. If that happens, credit rating agencies are already warning of possible downgrades. The conflict is coming down to differing views among GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate. In a strongly worded note to members, House Leader Dave Reed defended his caucus' proposed revenue plan, saying that "to just walk away from legitimate concepts in favor of tax increase after tax increase is just not realistic or acceptable." He struck a pessimistic tone, saying while the House will compromise, members won't "completely abandon" their proposals. Senate GOP spokeswoman Jenn Kocher countered that the House's proposals were never realistic in the first place. "The House has to remember that they were two billion dollars out of balance in the budget they presented, and never closed that gap. And now we are left with trying to close that gap," she said.
Inquirer by Joseph N. DiStefano, Staff Writer @PhillyJoeD | JoeD@phillynews.com Updated: JULY 6, 2017 — 12:50 PM EDT
S&P Global Ratings threatened Thursday to cut Pennsylvania’s
AA- general-obligation bond rating a notch, which would likely drive up
taxpayers’ annual borrowing costs. The “negative credit watch” warning
“reflects Pennsylvania’s eroding financial position and our view that
there is a significant likelihood that the commonwealth will not enact a
structurally balanced budget for fiscal 2018” over the next three months, said
analyst Carol Spain in a statement. Though
the General Assembly has “passed a $32 billion spending plan,” members can only
count on $30 billion in tax income, and haven’t said where they’ll get the
other $2 billion, Spain noted. Gov. Wolf “has 10 days to sign or veto the
spending plan or to let it lapse into law” while the Republican legislature
weighs a last-minute revenue deal.
Deficit-ridden
Pennsylvania warned of another hit to credit
Post Gazette by MARC LEVY Associated Press 12:49 PM JUL 6, 2017
HARRISBURG — A credit rating agency is putting Pennsylvania on
notice that it faces another downgrade that increases the cost of government
borrowing if the state doesn’t improve its finances. Standard and Poor’s on Thursday said putting
Pennsylvania on a negative “creditwatch” reflects Pennsylvania’s eroding
financial position. It says it also reflects its view that there’s a
“significant likelihood” that Pennsylvania state government won’t pass a
structurally balanced budget for the fiscal year that began Saturday. Pennsylvania is struggling with an entrenched
post-recession deficit, and credit downgrades in 2012 through 2014 left
Pennsylvania with among the nation’s lowest ratings. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf
says the move “is an urgent call to action” for a long-term budget solution. Republican legislative leaders are
considering borrowing money and expanding casino-style gambling to help balance
the budget.
Bloomberg.com By Martin Z Braun July 6, 2017, 12:42 PM EDT
·
Budget passed by legislature leaves $2 billion deficit
·
It’s uncertain whether revenue raising steps will follow
Pennsylvania’s bond rating may be downgraded as its finances erode
and the state risks enacting a budget that leaves it on track to spend more than
it brings in, S&P Global Ratings said. S&P placed the Keystone State’s AA- rating on negative watch
after it failed to enact a spending plan before the fiscal year began on July
1. The Senate and House have since passed a $32 billion budget that falls $2
billion short in revenue. Governor Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has 10 days to sign,
veto or let it become law without his signature. It’s not clear whether
legislators will agree on a revenue-boosting package by July 10, S&P said. “While it is not uncommon for states to have
periodic structural imbalance, Pennsylvania’s chronic misalignment and eroding
general fund position, particularly during a period of economic growth,
demonstrate a pattern of financial mismanagement," S&P said in a
statement. “If legislators enact a budget that relies on what we view as
optimistic assumptions or one-time sources, we would likely lower the
rating."
Editorial:
No plan to fund new state budget
Intelligencer Editorial July 6, 2017
Let's all give a cheer for Pennsylvania state lawmakers, who last
week agreed on a new state budget with hours to spare before the midnight June
30 deadline. Now, take a deep breath and
offer a rousing Bronx cheer for the manner in which the nearly $32 billion
spending bill was passed: with no plan on how to pay for it. This, apparently, is how our state senators
and representatives define responsible budgeting. Never mind that a budget, any
budget, is essentially meaningless without a revenue component. What makes the
Legislature's action all the more bizarre is that Pennsylvania faces a
projected shortfall of more than $2 billion for the just completed fiscal year
and the one that began on Saturday. Given the haggling that's been going on in
Harrisburg for weeks about how to plug the deficit, where that kind of money
comes from is anyone's guess. Democratic
Gov. Tom Wolf is publicly praising the new spending plan crafted by the
Republican-dominated Legislature, in large part because it increases spending
on some of Wolf's priorities: public education, early childhood and special
education, and services for the intellectually disabled. But at this
writing, he hadn't indicated he would sign the budget bill before a revenue
package also clears both houses.
Education Voters PA Posted on June
29, 2017 EDVOPAPosted in Uncategorized
By a vote of 28 to 22, the PA Senate approved SB 383, a bill that
allows teachers and other school employees to carry concealed, loaded firearms
in public schools.
Each school board will decide if it will allow teachers and
employees to carry weapons in its district’s schools. Each board’s firearm
access policy, including the names of those who will be armed, must be on file
with law enforcement agencies that serve the school district. However, this
plan would NOT be subject to PA’s Right to Know law. School boards would be
prohibited from sharing with parents and community members which teachers and
school employees in buildings are armed.
Employees who wish to carry weapons into classrooms will need to have
some firearms training, possess a concealed carry license, and pass a
psychological exam. There is no limit on the number of employees in a school
who could be armed and the bill contains no guidelines about the safe storage
of weapons in schools.
Why
study history? A bill before the Pa. Senate is only part of the answer: Opinion
Penn Live GUEST EDITORIAL By John Fea Updated on July 6, 2017 at 8:34 AMPosted on July 6,
2017 at 8:30 AM
John Fea chairs the history
department at Messiah College. He is the author of "Why Study History: Reflecting on the Importance of the
Past."
Legislation now before the Pennsylvania Senate (SB723) would require Commonwealth
high school students to take a history and civics test identical to the one
taken by immigrants seeking naturalized citizenship in the United States. According to the bill's co-sponsors, Sens.
John C. Rafferty, R-Montgomery, and Andrew Dinniman, D-Chester, knowledge of
basic American history and civics is on the decline in Pennsylvania. Citing a 2016 survey from the University of
Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, only 26 percent of adults were
able to identify the three branches of the United States Government. According to Rafferty and Dinniman,
"this is not an acceptable percentage." If the bill passes, students will be required
to take a test modeled off of the 100 question exam that U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services administers to citizenship candidates.
School
Reform Commission approves new in-house special education program
The District downscaled the proposal after advocates complained,
but concerns linger.
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa and Avi Wolfman-Arent July 6, 2017
— 4:29pm
The School Reform Commission voted Thursday to establish a new
in-house special education program for 100 students, most diagnosed with
social-emotional disabilities and now placed in facilities run by Wordsworth.
The new program will be run initially by the private education provider
Catapult Learning before transitioning to full District control. The vote, which was unanimous, came after
hearing from parents and advocates for disabled students who want a firmer
commitment from the School District to work toward educating these students,
and others with similar needs, as much as possible in regular classrooms with
extra support. The proposal adopted
Thursday is significantly smaller than the original contract with Catapult,
which was for $36 million over three years and could have served up to 600
students. This contract is for $10 million over three years and is capped at
100 students. The District plans to set
up the program in three schools, according to Cheryl Logan, the District’s
chief academic support officer. The two sites chosen are Frankford High School
and Penrose Elementary in Southwest Philadelphia.
“While
BDEA’s approach to education may once have been a radical departure from the
norm, educators say it’s gaining in popularity and becoming a role model for
others. For one, its strategies work: According to school administrators, 65
percent of its students graduate from BDEA or get a general equivalency degree
(GED), 70 percent of its graduates go on to college, and the school has one of
the lowest suspension rates in Massachusetts, despite several gang affiliations
among its students.”
'Last Chance' schools prove to be best
chance for struggling students
Alternative high schools, such as one in Boston, offer lessons in
how to reach students who might otherwise drop out.
Christian Science Monitor by Natalie
Gross The Hechinger Report JULY 5, 2017At Boston Day and Evening Academy, there are no such things as freshmen, F's, or detention. Sixteen-year-olds share classrooms with 20-somethings, students earn diplomas at their own pace, and if anyone has a problem with a peer, they’re encouraged to talk about it like adults. It is features like these that have helped former high school dropouts such as Rocheli Burgos – and other students who have struggled in school – get a second chance at earning a diploma. After giving birth to her son in 2011, Ms. Burgos dropped out of her old school when counselors told her that she didn’t have enough credits to pass ninth grade. Burgos then discovered this alternative high school in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, where students aren’t placed in classes by age or transcript, but by what they know. She was 17, battling severe depression and dealing with a fallout with her family that would soon leave her homeless. At the Boston Day and Evening Academy (BDEA), Burgos found a curriculum that made it possible to take breaks and start where she left off, so she wouldn’t have to repeat an entire class when her son’s long hospital stays for chronic asthma meant missing a month or two of school. She met teachers who checked in with her on the weekends to make sure she was doing okay – and not just academically. Soon she began to thrive.
“Maybe
more importantly, Republicans in Congress don't seem terribly excited about the
school choice proposals in the budget, which come at the expense of
long-standing education programs. And lawmakers—and maybe even the Trump
administration—don't seem poised to include the tax credit scholarships as part
of a broader overhaul of the tax code, the most likely vehicle.”
Trump
Administration's School Choice Plans: Four Questions to Ask
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson
Klein on July 6, 2017 7:49 AM
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos took over the Education
department, first and foremost, to move the ball forward on school choice, her
long-time passion. She's been in the job less than six months, but already,
time may be running out to get a sweeping school choice initiative over the
finish line, at least this year. One big
reason: There have been broad, school choice proposals floated, but no details. The Trump administration has been signaling
for months that it may push for a federal tax credit scholarship program,
allowing individuals and companies to get a break on their taxes if they donate
to a scholarship-granting organization. That could help low-income or special
needs students cover private school. But it's July, and there aren't specifics
on that. (Sources say that there could be details soon, however.) President Donald Trump's budget includes
some new initiatives aimed at ramping up school choice, including $250 million
for a private school voucher demonstration program, and allowing $1 billion in
Title I money to follow students to the public school of their choice. But,
again, there are ton of questions—both big picture and nitty-gritty—about how
those proposals would work
From Colorado Springs, the campaign for educational savings
accounts – criticized for diverting money from public schools — is shaped to
deploy nationwide
By JOHN
FRANK | jfrank@denverpost.com | The Denver Post PUBLISHED: June
28, 2017 at 3:50 am | UPDATED: June 28, 2017 at 3:55 pm
COLORADO SPRINGS — In a nondescript office building on the
north side of this conservative enclave, more than a dozen volunteers spent
hours making calls to educate voters about a new initiative that will
allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to send children to private schools. At the same time, just miles down the road, the political network
behind the effort gathered hundreds of its wealthiest donors at a posh
mountainside resort to raise money to support the campaign to remake the
education system. The confluence of
policy and politics epitomized how the conservative billionaires Charles and
David Koch flex
their organization’s muscle and spread an ideological agenda in states across the
nation. “The value of this network
cannot be overstated,” said Stacy Hock, a Koch donor and conservative
education advocate in Texas. “The ability to stand on the shoulders of the
giant that is this network to make yourself more impactful and strategic
changes the game.” The phone calls to
middle-of-the-road voters and presentation to donors in Colorado last week were
part of the Koch network’s six-figure campaign to promote
school choice and education savings accounts, or ESAs.
Letter to Members of Congress Outlining
Priorities for Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
Committee on Catholic Education June 9, 2017
As Chairman of the Committee on Catholic
Education at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I write to
propose principles for a federal tax credit scholarship program. First, I offer
my appreciation for your leadership in encouraging true choice for parents and
their children. Our shared Catholic faith teaches us that parents are the first
and primary teachers of their children and that any delegation of that
authority should be empowered by the public authority while always remaining at
the parents’ discretion. A federal tax credit is in keeping with that vision.
The design of a federal program empowering parental choice in education is of
utmost concern to the Catholic education community. As you design a federal tax
credit for K-12 scholarships, please consider the following principles:
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
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
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
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PASCD-Conference-Registration-is-Now-Open.html?soid=1101415141682&aid=5F-ceLtbZDs
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