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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup July 8, 2017:
#HB97 While you're at the beach this weekend
charter lobbyists are working hard at the capitol. Take a minute, call your
senator
Tell
your state senator to oppose HB 97 as part of a 2017-2018 budget deal
Education Voters PA July 2017
As lawmakers negotiate a 2017-2018 budget, they will be under
pressure from charter school industry lobbyists to make HB 97 part of a
deal.
Please call and email your state senator NOW and ask him/her to
oppose HB 97.
·
HB 97 does not address the $100 million (and growing) windfall
charters receive each year from the broken special education funding system.
·
HB 97 does nothing to address the continued abysmal academic
performance of the state's cyber charter schools -- none of which have met the minimum proficiency standard
on the state's school performance profile.
·
HB 97 allows for the expansion of low-performing charter schools
that fail to provide students with a quality education.
·
HB 97 limits local school board input on the charter
approval process. If approved, local
school board would be prohibited from requesting any additional
information -- beyond what's in a state-created application form -- from an
organization applying to open a charter school in its school district.
HB 97 fails to address critical funding and academic
performance issues that must be fixed in order to strengthen PA's system of public
education and help ensure that all students receive a quality public
education.
“HB
97 creates gaping new loopholes and inefficiencies while failing to
substantially ensure high performing charters can operate with predictability
and low performing charters are terminated in a timely manner. Charter school
reform is necessary, but HB97 misses the mark.”
PCCY Letter Regarding Charter Bill (House
Bill 97) To PA Senate
PCCY July 7, 2017
Dear Senators,
We are writing to you today about House Bill 97 which seeks to
amend the charter school law. As advocates for high quality educational options
for students, we believe that students should have greater access to high
schools, charter or traditional public schools. We agree that the current law
is outdated and needs revision, but this bill misses the mark on several
fronts. Here are several reasons why:
Priciest Palm Beach house listing drops $5 million to $64.9 million
Even with a new $5 million price cut, a beachfront house at 1071 N. Ocean Blvd. remains the priciest property for sale in the Palm Beach Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. Its new price is $64.9 million.
By Darrell Hofheinz – Palm Beach Daily News Real Estate Writer Posted: Friday, May 12, 2017
End-of-the-season price drops aren’t uncommon in Palm Beach real estate. But when the price is slashed by $5 million and the mansion is new and on the ocean, it still draws attention. For two years, the never-lived-in house at 1071 North Ocean Blvd. has been the priciest house in Palm Beach’s multiple listing service — and it just saw its price tag drop from $69.9 million to $64.9 million, according to an online search today. That price is nearly $20 million less than the one it carried when it entered the market in March 2015.
The French Chateau-inspired house — with a bowling alley among its features — was first listed for sale while it was still in construction. It underwent subsequent price reductions after failing to attract a buyer. With its stylized H-shape, the house occupies a 2-acre double lot with 242 feet.
Even with the price cut, the eight-bedroom, 35,993-square-foot house still leads the entries in the Palm Beach Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service, the search showed. It is also the most-expensive MLS-listed property in Palm Beach County. Broker Christian Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate, meanwhile, has represented the house on North Ocean Boulevard since it entered the market. His clients are greater Philadelphia-based owners Vahan and Danielle Gureghian, who originally planned the mansion as a custom home for themselves.
http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/business/real-estate/priciest-house-listing-drops-million-million/TozPlolQSXAsUbUnUCsEZN/
Mr.
Trombetta who founded PA Cyber, the state’s largest cyber charter, is awaiting
sentencing on tax fraud charges. It is
considerable harder to buy an airplane, a Florida condo and homes for your
mother and girlfriend when there are nine pairs of elected eyes approving
payments and reviewing check registers.
PA
Cyber condo deal in Florida defies math
$933,000 home sold for $10 now on market for $875,000
RICH LORD PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE 4:00 AM OCT 12, 2012
A Florida condominium bought last year by the Pennsylvania Cyber
Charter School's founder for $933,000, and then sold to a business created by
one of the school's former executives for just $10, is back on the market, real
estate agents said Thursday. The
four-bedroom, 4 1/2-bathroom house passed in December from PA Cyber CEO Nick
Trombetta to Palatine Development LLC. That Ohio-based firm was created by
former PA Cyber technology director Brett Geibel, who left the school in 2007
for a series of positions with direct or indirect vendors of the school.
A Palatine campus in Calcutta, Ohio, was the scene in July of one
of several searches by FBI and IRS agents, all part of a federal grand jury
investigation believed to focus on former or current executives of PA Cyber. It's not clear if the condo deal is part of
the probe. Federal prosecutors would not comment Thursday. But the transactions
surrounding the property in Bonita Springs defy normal primary school math.
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.
School Performance Profile Scores for PA Cyber
Charters 2013 - 2016
Source: PA Department of Education website. A score of 70 is considered
passing
Not one of Pennsylvania’s cyber charters has achieved a passing SPP
score of 70 in any of the four years that the SPP has been in effect.
Total cyber charter tuition paid by PA taxpayers from 500 school
districts for 2013, 2014 and 2015 was over $1.2 billion; $393.5 million, $398.8
million and $436.1 million respectively.
|
School Name
|
2013
|
2014
|
2015
|
2016
|
|
21st Century CS
|
66.5
|
66.0
|
69.2
|
62.2
|
|
Achievement House CS
|
39.7
|
37.5
|
44.8
|
54.5
|
|
ACT Academy Cyber CS
|
30.6
|
28.9
|
36.1
|
40.7
|
|
Agora Cyber CS
|
48.3
|
42.4
|
46.4
|
37.6
|
|
ASPIRA Bilingual CS
|
29.0
|
39.0
|
38.4
|
41.9
|
|
Central PA Digital Learning
Fdn CS
|
31.7
|
48.8
|
39.3
|
46.7
|
|
Commonwealth Connections
Academy CS
|
54.6
|
52.2
|
48.8
|
47.5
|
|
Education Plus Academy Cyber
CS
|
59.0
|
50.0
|
|
67.9
|
|
Esperanza Cyber CS
|
32.7
|
47.7
|
31.7
|
50.7
|
|
PA Cyber CS
|
59.4
|
55.5
|
65.3
|
51.0
|
|
PA Distance Learning CS
|
54.7
|
50.9
|
49.2
|
53.9
|
|
PA Leadership CS
|
64.7
|
59.3
|
54.7
|
57.5
|
|
PA Virtual CS
|
67.9
|
63.4
|
64.6
|
49.7
|
|
Solomon CS
|
36.9
|
|
|
|
|
Susq-Cyber CS
|
46.4
|
42.4
|
45.5
|
49.3
|
Pa.
lawmakers to work into the weekend to resolve budget
Inquirer by Angela
Couloumbis, Harrisburg Bureau @AngelasInk acouloumbis@phillynews.comUpdated: JULY 7, 2017 — 8:03 PM EDT
Gov. Wolf has until the end of Monday to decide what to do about the nearly $32 billion spending plan the GOP-controlled legislature sent him last week.
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers will return to the Capitol for
a rare weekend session as negotiators continue to try for an agreement on how
to pay for this year’s nearly $32 billion budget. Both the House and Senate will convene
Saturday as they race to figure out how to raise more than $2 billion in new
revenue to cover the biggest budget shortfall since the end of the recession. Last week, with hours to spare before the
July 1 start of the new fiscal year, the Republican-controlled legislature sent
Gov. Wolf a $31.99 billion spending bill — lacking the supporting legislation
that spells out how to pay for it.
Penn Live Posted July 07, 2017
Pennsylvania's 2017 state budget: The rest of the story
We're now into "the rest of the story," with apologies
to iconic radio host Paul Harvey, when it comes to the Pennsylvania $32 billion
state budget. As in, how do we pay for
it? This may interest you because it
could make the difference in whether or not there's a need for a major state
tax increase in the next year or two; whether the decks are clear for another
run at school property tax reform; or who gets what kind of ammunition for key
state elections in 2018. Or, just because some the proposals under consideration could
really tinker with Pennsylvania's social fabric. Here's a look at what we know so far, and
what we don't.
A
budget isn't a budget until you can pay for it - get it done, Harrisburg:
Editorial
BY PENNLIVE EDITORIAL BOARD penned@pennlive.com Posted on July 7, 2017 at 1:55
PM
Recent Pennsylvania budgets have been worthy of criticism, both
for timing and substance. And we've noted both in the past. This year,
we regret to call "shenanigans" once more. Taxpayers should do
the same. One often hears that
"we wish government would be run like a business."
There's no business on Earth that would operate as close to the
edge as the General Assembly.
Lawmakers have repeatedly found creative ways to kick the
fiscal can down the road. And unless something changes, there's no incentive to
do things any differently. In case
you missed it, the 2016-17 budget was a "get-along-to go-along"
affair, after a most contentious 2015-16 budget process. Combine a modest increase in spending with an
even more modest increase in revenue, much of which was born on the backs of
tobacco users, and everyone claimed victory.
Several days now have been devoted to seeing whether the
slots-style games can pass muster in the state Senate. The increase in spending was so modest, this
fiscal year we need to make up a revenue shortfall from last year, add it to a
current shortage this year, and find $2 billion.
Senate
Minority Leader Jay Costa talks budget
Inquirer by Karen
Langley & Liz Navratil, HARRISBURG BUREAU Updated: JULY 7, 2017 — 8:33 PM EDT
HARRISBURG — Legislators began to trickle back into the Capitol,
but it remained unclear Friday — a week into the fiscal year — how they would
finish paying for the state budget.
The House met for a few hours Friday, but there was no sign of a
revenue package on their voting calendar. They, along with the Senate, are scheduled
to return to session Saturday.
While negotiators have said they are discussing using some
combination of borrowing, gambling expansion and other measures to close last
year’s shortfall and pay for the entirety of this year’s budget, on Friday they
were saying little. But Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D., Allegheny), took
some questions about the talks. Here are excerpts from the conversation, which
included his views on proposed slots-style machines called video gaming
terminals, commonly called VGTs:
Pennsylvania
legislative leaders preparing to place their bets on gambling expansion
Penn Live BY CHARLES THOMPSON cthompson@pennlive.com Updated on July 7, 2017 at 11:19
PMPosted on July 7, 2017 at 10:48 PM
Elements of a hard-fought compromise package on expanded
gambling in Pennsylvania are starting to take shape as lawmakers struggle to
complete a plan to pay for a $32 billion state budget.
Legislative leaders, along with Gov. Tom Wolf, are said to be seeking
about $700 million in recurring revenues to close out the budget, and all sides
have committed to doing that without an increase in the state income tax. Gambling expansion has significantly slowed
the effort, as warring factions have clashed for weeks over how deep to
plunge in this next wave of legalization.
By Friday, two tracks appeared to be developing: One including items that most caucuses and
the governor's office are actively working to finalize language on; and a
second made up of items that don't yet have a critical mass of support from all
players.
Nothing is finalized yet.
“According
to Zahorchak, another problem for public schools is the loss of money from
students going to charter schools. At
one time, he said, 30 percent of the money lost from a student choosing charter
schools was reimbursed by the state to the affected school district. But former
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett cut that funding.
“Now your costs went up 30 percent for every child who leaves to go to a
cyber or charter school,” Zahorchak said. “The idea of choice could be good.
But it should be a quality set of programming. Not just another school for
another school’s sake.””
Have
charter schools been a blessing or curse?
Johnstown Daily American By CODY McDEVITT codym@dailyamerican.com Jul 7, 2017
Twenty years after the first charter school law was enacted in
Pennsylvania, the question of whether charter schools have hurt or harmed
traditional education remains a point of controversy.
The man who was responsible for it continues to think it was a
good decision. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, who signed the law, spoke
about the school’s charter law recently in Harrisburg. “Two decades later, with nearly 160 charter
schools statewide that serve more than 100,000 students, plus a waiting list of
tens of thousands more children, it is clear that charter schools are an
invaluable asset in public education, particularly when it comes to serving
those in poverty,” Ridge said. But
longtime educators in the greater Johnstown area have disputed that notion. Gerald Zahorchak, the one-time secretary of
education of Pennsylvania and former superintendent of the Greater Johnstown
School District, witnessed what the charter law did during his educational
career. He pointed out that prior to the law being signed, there was a
concerted effort to consolidate schools to save money. When charter schools became a thing, he said,
the number of schools increased from 500 to 670, which undercut that effort.
“Now we have 670 bank offices and redundancies,” he added. “So
from a pure business framework, that is the opposite of consolidation. That’s
an expansion of schools.”
Trib Live by JAMIE
MARTINES | Friday, July 7, 2017, 2:03 p.m.
The CEO of one of the state's largest cyber charter schools was
appointed to the Leaders Council of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public
Charter Schools on Wednesday, reports The
Beaver County Times. The King of Prussia-based coalition advocates for public charter
schools across the state. Brian Hayden,
who took the helm as CEO of Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School in January, joins
six other newly elected and re-elected members of the 19-member council. The
Beaver County resident was elected to serve on the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter
Board of Trustees in 2014 and as board president in 2015. He previously served
in faculty and administrative roles at the Community College of Beaver County. Local charter school leaders Wayne Jones, CEO
of Penn Hills Charter School in Verona, and Ron Sofo, CEO of City Charter High
in Pittsburgh, were also newly elected to the council, according to a statement from Pennsylvania Cyber Charter.
Khepera
Charter School receives partial payment for July
Inquirer by Martha
Woodall, Staff Writer @marwooda | martha.woodall@phillynews.com Updated: JULY 7, 2017 — 5:14 PM EDT
Staff members at the troubled Khepera Charter School in North
Philadelphia could get some of the pay they are owed this month. The Philadelphia School District this week
sent the charter school a partial payment of $172,906 of the nearly
$400,000 scheduled for July. The district withheld some of the funds to recover
money Khepera owed for failing to make required contributions to the state
teachers’ retirement fund. Last month,
teachers and staff at the charter school received no paychecks after the
district withheld Khepera ‘s entire payment of $370,570 for June. The district
said the charter owed it more than that amount for missed pension payments. Under state law, when a charter school fails
to make pension payments, the money is deducted from funds the district
receives from the state. The district then recovers the money by withholding
the amount from charter payments.
Local school districts could get more in
state funding for 2017-18 school year than in previous years
Centre Daily Times BY BRITNEY MILAZZO bmilazzo@centredaily.com July 7, 2017
Many local school districts could get more state funding for the
2017-18 school year than they have in previous years. This comes after several years of some districts
only receiving level state funding. Based
on the $32.3 billion state budget passed last week by the Senate, Bald Eagle
Area School District would receive $8,202,947 in basic education funding for
the 2017-18 school year — a $99,485 increase from last school year, business
manager Craig Livergood said.
There could also be a $25,346 increase in special education
funding, to bump that total to $1,274,655, Livergood added. Bellefonte Area could see a $58,806 increase
in basic education funding, and State College Area could get $181,492 more this
year, according to the districts’ business managers Ken Bean, of BASD, and
Randy Brown, of SCASD. A report from the
Pennsylvania State Education Association said state increases in education
funding includes $100 million more in basic education, $25 million more in
special education funding, $30 million more in pre-kindergarten funding and a
restoration of $50 million in previous cuts to school transportation funding.
Why
Democrats Should Unite On A Charter School Moratorium
By Jeff
Bryant Common Dreams Published on Thursday,
July 06, 2017 by Education Opportunity Network
Democrats know that success for their party relies on bringing
labor and civil rights advocates together on key issues. Faced with disastrous Donald Trump,
labor and civil rights advocates are rallying in common cause behind health
care for all, a living wage for every worker, a tax system where the wealthy
pay their fair share, tuition-free college, and an end to senseless,
never-ending wars. Here’s another
rallying point labor and civil rights agree on: A moratorium on charter
schools. This week, the nation’s largest
labor union, the National Education Association, broke from its cautious regard
of charter schools to pass
a new policy statement that declares charter schools are a “failed experiment” that
has led to a “separate and unequal” sector of schools that are not subject to
the same “safeguards and standards” of public schools. To limit the further expansion of these
schools, the NEA wants a moratorium on new charters that aren’t subject to
democratic governance and aren’t supportive of the common good in local
communities.
Advocacy Groups Issue Toolkit For Schools
Navigating Health Care Law And Pending Changes
AASA/ASBO Press Release July 5, 2017
Reston, VA – July 5, 2017 – The Association of School Business Officials International
(ASBO) and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, in partnership with
American Fidelity, unveiled a new resource to help school system leaders
understand the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Employer Mandate provision and other
regulations of which district officials must be aware.
The toolkit, School
Districts and the Future of the Affordable Care Act, was released today as public
debate surrounding potential changes in the nation’s healthcare laws continues
to escalate. While changes may be on the horizon, the ACA remains the law.
“Although the future of the ACA remains unclear, school business managers and
other district leaders are in desperate need of guidance to comply with the law
as it currently stands,” said ASBO International Executive Director John Musso.
“This resource helps K–12 employers do just that by navigating what are often
considered confusing and burdensome regulations.”
The toolkit includes summaries of ACA rules, applicable
calculation formulas and information on possible strategies for employers to
consider when assessing the impact of the Employer Mandate on their
organizations, contributions and eligibility.
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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