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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA Senate Ed Committee to
consider “Education Savings Account” Voucher bill SB2 on TuesdayTell your state senator to vote NO on Senate Bill 2
Take Action here to Say No to Next Generation School Vouchers in PA
Action Network December 8, 2017
Under the bill, parents of students in low-achieving schools can receive funds in the form of Education Savings Accounts (ESA) to attend a participating nonpublic school and for other expenses. Low-achieving is defined as the lowest performing 15% of elementary and secondary public schools, based on PSSA and Keystone Exam scores. (This does not include charter schools or CTCs.) Those school districts would see their basic and special education subsidies reduced by the amount calculated for each participating student, with that money put into an ESA account for parents to use for “qualified education expenses.” Senate Bill 2 creates a program targeted to the same schools targeted by the existing EITC and OSTC scholarships that already can be used at private schools. ESA proposals have been introduced in various states across the country, and have been dubbed by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) as “the next generation of vouchers.”
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/say-no-to-next-generation-school-vouchers-in-pa?clear_id=true&source=direct_link
Did you catch our weekend posting?
PA Senate’s
coal for Xmas: tell your Senator to oppose Voucher bill SB2
Blogger comment: While Chester Upland SD
is in chaos, almost half of its budget goes to Chester Community Charter School
via its private management company, where ALL financial records are completely
hidden from the public.
Pa.
auditor general says Chester Upland school district in ‘chaos’
WHYY By Sara Hoover December 8, 2017
The Chester Upland
School District is in such “administrative chaos” that Pennsylvania’s
auditor general said his office has been unable to complete an assessment. When
Chester Upland moved its administrative offices five years ago, it lost
many of the district records. Those it retained were incomplete or
disorganized. Without appropriate evidence, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale
said he could not complete his audit of financial stability, school safety, transportation operations and whether the
district is making progress on recommendations from previous audits. Other
factors DePasquale cited included high turnover in senior management and that
district officials did not respond to many of the auditors’ inquiries. It
is rare to find a school district in such disarray, he said. “It’s the first
time since I’ve been auditor general that a school district, or any entity, was
so bad in record keeping we actually couldn’t even complete the audit,” he
said. “So when they moved from one building to another, they basically lost all
the records, and that’s completely unacceptable.” Many of the violations
occurred prior to the current administration, which is working to resolve
the infractions, according to a district statement.
“Too much money tilts the game to
special interests. Gerrymandering reduces voters’ choices. Statewide judicial elections make
justice seem for sale. Outdated voting lawsdiscourage
citizen participation. Greed and abuse of public dollars tarnish trust in
public service. What can YOU do? Read, question, contact lawmakers (legis.state.pa.us),
vote, join or support good government groups: Fair Districts PA; Committee of Seventy; Common
Cause; League of Women Voters.
Or, sit back and watch the state remain
a land of low expectations.”
For a
better Pennsylvania: Part 5 - institutional reforms
Philly Daily News by John Baer, STAFF
COLUMNIST baerj@phillynews.com Updated: DECEMBER
11, 2017 — 5:00 AM EST
(This is the last in a five-part weekly series of
columns, each focused on one area of government and politics that, if reformed,
would make Pennsylvania better.)
Former State Sen. Rob Teplitz is a bit of a case
study in stuff wrong with Pennsylvania. In 2012, the Democratic lawyer won a
Dauphin County seat long held by a Republican. He won in large part due to the
partisan practice of gerrymandering legislative district maps. In 2012, maps
were so bad (and so Republican) and tied up for so long in court that – lucky
for Teplitz – maps from 2000 (favoring Democrats) were used. So, Teplitz,
a reform-minded newbie, wins, joins the Senate and starts the Government Reform
Caucus: bipartisan, 36 members. It pushed for banning gifts to lawmakers.
Teplitz pushed for ending lawmakers’ annual automatic raises. And guess what
happened? No legislative leaders joined the caucus. Its efforts went nowhere.
And when Teplitz sought reelection, new maps favoring Republicans were in
place, and he was defeated. Gerrymandering lived. Reform died. Bad ideas
triumphed over good ones.
That’s a long-time pattern in Pennsylvania.
Second Pennsylvania gerrymandering challenge heads to
trial
AP State Wire By MARK SCOLFORO Published:
Today
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A state court trial over
congressional district boundaries is about to get underway in Pennsylvania as a
parallel case awaits a decision in federal court. The Commonwealth Court
proceeding Monday in Harrisburg was put on a fast track by the state Supreme
Court a month ago. The lawsuit by a group of voters says the 2011
Republican-drawn map is too partisan and violates the state constitution. They
want a new map. A separate challenge was the subject of a federal trial last
week in Philadelphia. In that case, a group of Democratic voters argues the map
should be thrown out because no political considerations should be allowed in
redistricting. The Pennsylvania cases are proceeding as the U.S. Supreme Court
considers whether to set new standards for drawing political district lines.
WITF Written by Katie Meyer | Dec 8, 2017 5:52 PM
Over the last month or so, WITF and other public media stations have been rolling out a series of stories in collaboration with PennLive about the weird ways Pennsylvania draws its electoral maps. Reporting these stories has taken us across the state, from coal mines to cornfields to cities to suburbs to random nursing homes. And the reason we've spent all that time and those tanks of gas is that we believe gerrymandering is one of the most important, far-reaching issues facing the commonwealth right now. PennLive's Wallace McKelvey and WITF and Keystone Crossroads' Emily Previti were both leaders on the project, and they join us this week to discuss their main takeaways, and the new directions their reporting will be taking as we continue to follow the issue.
Inside the
gerrymandering data top Pa. Republicans fought to keep private
Inquirer by Jonathan Lai, Staff
Writer @Elaijuh | jlai@phillynews.com Updated: DECEMBER
8, 2017 — 7:14 AM EST
Republican lawmakers used detailed data on the
partisan leanings of voters when they created the current Pennsylvania
congressional map, according to documents federal judges had ordered them to
turn over in a trial that began this week. Lawyers for House Speaker Mike
Turzai and Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati had fought to keep private
a trove of documents as they prepared for the trial, which began Monday in
Philadelphia. They also sought to block the documents in a separate, state
gerrymandering trial that begins next week in Harrisburg. Among them are maps
that contain detailed data on partisanship across the state, which experts
said appear to confirm widespread suspicion that Republicans had intentionally
drawn the map to favor their party. One map’s database contains details for
each of the more than 9,000 voting districts in the state, including
the races and ethnicities of voters and results from state and national
elections from 2004 through 2010. Also included are metrics that appear to rate
each voting district’s level of partisanship.
End
Citizens United announces $35M campaign for next year
WHYY By Dave Davies December 11, 2017
As independent
committees play increasingly important roles in political campaigns, more are
starting ad campaigns earlier. Republican and Democratic radio and digital ads
have already appeared in area congressional races, and now the group End
Citizens United is pledging a $35 million campaign in next year’s congressional
elections. The group said it wants to help candidates committed to rolling back
the big spending permitted by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling. It
will target what it calls “the Big Money 20” next year, incumbents it says are
known to accept large contributions from special interests. Three of the 20 are
Republican Congressman in this region – Ryan Costello and Pat Meehan in
Pennsylvania, and Tom MacArthur in New Jersey.
Latest standardized test reforms get an A+ from
Lancaster County educators
Lancaster Online by
ALEX
GELI | Staff Writer Dec 10, 2017
Pennsylvania’s most recent efforts to dial back
standardized testing is welcome news for Lancaster County educators. Democratic
Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday
that the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment in the 2018-19 school year
will be condensed from three weeks to two. Testing will also take place later
in the year, giving students more time to learn before being tested. “Decreasing
the emphasis on high-stakes testing is significant,” Manheim Township School
District Superintendent Robin Felty said. “It’s a long-awaited change to our
accountability system.” Felty added that the changes will “help lessen the
stress on students and give more time back to teachers for instruction and
educating the whole child.” This year, the PSSA exams will take place during a
three-week testing window beginning April 9, 2018. Starting in the 2018-19
school year, schools will have the ability to start testing as late as April
25. The changes come not long after the state Department of Education released
its Every Students Succeeds Act Consolidated State Plan, which reduced time
students would spend taking standardized tests.
Church
funds Easton school program so taxpayers don't have to
By Rudy Miller rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com, For
lehighvalleylive.com Updated Dec 10, 9:08 AM; Posted Dec 10,
9:06 AM
Easton Area School District administrators believe
the disadvantaged children at Paxinosa Elementary School desperately need an
afterschool program their parents can count on.
The Life Church will pay for
it so taxpayers don't have to. It's putting up the funds for an afterschool
daycare in the Easton school, according to Easton
Area School District Superintendent John Reinhart. The Allentown-based
church has helped fund similar programs in the Allentown and Bethlehem Area
school districts. "We hope that we can replicate that relationship here in
Easton," Reinhart said. "They care about families and communities and
I am thrilled to welcome them as one of our community school partners in
Easton." The program for school children won't be religious, according to
Frank Pintabone. He was instrumental in getting the Life Church's involvement
approved by the school board before Pintabone resigned from the board Dec. 5.
With each new day, it seems our nation becomes more
and more adverse to learning, knowledge and education. Many years ago, when
Jack Wolf was president of Pottstown Borough Council, he dropped some knowledge
on me. "If you want to see what a government's priorities are, just look
at their budget." A variation on "follow the money," I look back
with chagrin that someone actually had to tell me something I should have
figured out for myself. If we apply that the nation, or, more specifically the
various aspects of the GOP tax bill, it clearly says education for all is not a
high priority. Polls show that Conservatives increasingly see college as
"bad for the country," and yes, I am not making that up.
Pa. school
pension costs: Still exhorbitant, but leveling off
Penn Live By Charles Thompson cthompson@pennlive.com Updated Dec
9; Posted Dec 8
Pennsylvania taxpayers can expect to pay about $200
million more in fiscal 2018-19 for school teacher pensions. Or, a record $4.6
billion between state and local tax-funded contributions. That's the bad news. The long-term hangover, if you
will, from the ill-conceived 2001 benefit increases approved by the General
Assembly and then-Gov. Tom Ridge. The silver lining? It could have been worse. Public School Employees
Retirement System trustees learned Friday that a strong 10.14 percent return on
investments in 2016-17 allowed it to fix the so-called employer contribution
rate at 33.43 percent of payroll. Earlier projections had the rate rising above
34 percent. The 2.6 percent increase from current-year levels (32.57 percent),
will also be the smallest increase in what's been a rock-climb of pension costs
since the 2009-10 fiscal year.
East Penn
vote on all-day kindergarten scheduled for tonight
The East Penn School Board is expected to
approve full-day kindergarten at Monday's meeting.
Daniel
Patrick Sheehan Contact
Reporter Of The Morning Call December 11, 2017
The East Penn School Board is expected to vote
Monday on whether to move from half-day to full-day kindergarten at all
elementary schools, a proposal that was narrowly defeated in October but is expected to
pass this time with the addition of new board members who favor the program. East
Penn administrators estimate it would cost more than $1 million to implement
full-day kindergarten in its first year — the equivalent of 0.21 mills or a
1.16 percent increase in millage rate. Newly elected board members Adam
Smith and Alison Bowman are expected to join incumbents Alan Earnshaw and
Ziad Munson in voting for the plan, which would begin in the 2018-2019 school
year. Outgoing directors Rebecca Heid and the Rev. Wally Vinovskis were no
votes last time, when the measure failed 5-4. Director Charles Ballard, also a
no vote, had unsuccessfully called for a voter referendum on the question. Advocates
for full-day kindergarten, including district officials, have stressed the educational benefits that come
with such programs. They said full-day students have increased reading
comprehension, academic achievement and social and emotional growth. Full-day
kindergarten would also reduce transportation costs by eliminating midday bus
routes.
York Dispatch by The Associated Press Published 7:06
a.m. ET Dec. 11, 2017 | Updated 7:08 a.m. ET Dec. 11, 2017
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Westmont Hilltop schools in Cambria
County are closed following a social media threat to harm students. In a
statement, Superintendent Timothy Williams on Monday said Upper Yoder
Police are trying to determine the credibility of the threat. However, because
the process is ongoing Williams decided to close all the schools. Williams says
he took the action in the interest of student safety.
Start the
clock for Trump, GOP in last push on taxes, budget
Delco Times By Donna
Cassata, The Associated Press POSTED: 12/11/17,
5:23 AM
WASHINGTON >> Start the countdown clock on a
momentous two weeks for President Donald Trumpand the GOP-run Congress. Republicans
are determined to deliver the first revamp of the nation’s tax code in three
decades and prove they can govern after their failure to dismantle Barack
Obama’s health care law this past summer. Voters who will decide which party
holds the majority in next year’s midterms elections are watching. Republicans
are negotiating with Democrats on the contentious issue of how much the
government should spend on the military and domestic agencies to avert a
holiday shutdown. An extension of the program that provides low-cost health
care to more than 8 million children and aid to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico,
Texas and Florida need to be addressed. And further complicating the
end-of-year talks is the fate of some 800,000 young immigrants here illegally. Lawmakers
are trying to get it all done by Dec. 22. A look at the crowded agenda:
The legacy
of Newtown: Lockdowns, active-shooter training and school security
Washington Post By Katie
Zezima and Susan
Svrluga December 10 at 9:17 PM
Coy Ferreira stood inside a rural California
classroom, more than a dozen 5- and 6-year-olds huddled in the corner as a
gunman sprayed bullets at the school and tried to break his way in. Ferreira
was terrified that people would die. But the doors were locked and all of the
children were inside, part of a school plan the staff and students had
practiced in drills and knew by heart. They barricaded the school in just 47
seconds that morning last month, probably saving
the lives of countless people at Rancho Tehama Elementary School. “They all
knew what to do,” said Ferreira, who was dropping his daughter off at school
when they heard a gunshot nearby. “No one stumbled. No one was hiding. They
just ran to their classroom, like they had been told to do.” The near-flawless response to what could have been a
bloodbath during a deadly shooting rampage on Nov. 14 came almost exactly five
years after 20 children and six teachers were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary
School in Newtown, Conn. That attack, which involved a mentally unstable man
using an assault-style rifle, shattered the sense of security felt in the
nation’s elementary schools.
Education Week Opinion By Betsy DeVos December 8, 2017
Betsy DeVos is the U.S. secretary of education.
Earlier this year the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision. The justices ruled 8-0 in Endrew F. vs. Douglas County School District that Endrew, a child with autism, was entitled to an educational program that required more than the "de minimis"—or minimum—progress set by his assigned school. This landmark decision was rightly hailed as a victory for the millions of children with disabilities and their families in America today. Too often, the families of disabled children have felt that their children are not being adequately challenged academically or given the support needed to grow and thrive.
Register
for New School Director Training in December and January
PSBA Website October 2017
You’ve started a challenging and
exciting new role as a school director. Let us help you narrow the learning
curve! PSBA’s New School Director Training provides school directors with
foundational knowledge about their role, responsibilities and ethical
obligations. At this live workshop, participants will learn about key laws,
policies, and processes that guide school board governance and leadership, and
develop skills for becoming strong advocates in their community. Get the tools
you need from experts during this visually engaging and interactive event.
Choose from any of these 11
locations and dates (note: all sessions are held 8 a.m.-4 p.m., unless
specified otherwise.):
·
Dec. 8, Bedford CTC
·
Dec. 8, Montoursville Area High School
·
Dec. 9, Upper St. Clair High School
·
Dec. 9, West Side CTC
·
Dec. 15, Crawford County CTC
·
Dec. 15, Upper Merion MS (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m)
·
Dec. 16, PSBA Mechanicsburg
·
Dec. 16, Seneca Highlands IU 9
·
Jan. 6, Haverford Middle School
·
Jan. 13, A W Beattie Career Center
·
Jan. 13, Parkland HS
Fees: Complimentary to All-Access
members or $170 per person for standard membership. All registrations will be
billed to the listed district, IU or CTC. To request billing to
an individual, please contact Michelle Kunkel at michelle.kunkel@psba.org. Registration also includes a
box lunch on site and printed resources.
NSBA 2018
Advocacy Institute February 4 - 6, 2018 Marriott Marquis, Washington D.C.
Register Now
Come a day early and attend the Equity
Symposium!
Join hundreds of public education advocates
on Capitol Hill and help shape the decisions made in Washington D.C. that
directly impact our students. At the 2018 Advocacy Institute, you’ll gain
insight into the most critical issues affecting public education, sharpen your
advocacy skills, and prepare for effective meetings with your representatives. Whether
you are an expert advocator or a novice, attend and experience inspirational
keynote speakers and education sessions featuring policymakers, legal experts
and policy influencers. All designed to help you advocate for your students and
communities.
Registration is now open for the 2018 PASA Education Congress! State College, PA, March 19-20, 2018
Don't miss this marquee event for Pennsylvania school leaders at the Nittany Lion Inn, State College, PA, March 19-20, 2018.
Learn more by visiting http://www.pasa-net.org/2018edcongress
Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization
that I may be affiliated with.
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