Thursday, December 14, 2017

PA Ed Policy Roundup Dec. 14: SB2: Senator swap in education committee likely to impact school choice vote

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, charter school leaders, 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
SB2: Senator swap in education committee likely to impact school choice vote

Ample tax cuts for business, wealthy in new GOP tax accord
Delco Times By Stephen Ohlemacher, Andrew Taylor and Marcy Gordon, The Associated Press POSTED: 12/14/17, 5:21 AM EST | UPDATED: 39 SECS AGO
WASHINGTON >> Generous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans would be delivered in a sweeping overhaul of the tax laws, under a new agreement crafted by Republicans in Congress. Middle- and low-income families would receive smaller tax cuts, though President Donald Trump and Republican leaders have billed the package as a huge benefit for the middle class. The agreement reached Wednesday by House and Senate GOP leaders also calls for scrapping a major tax requirement of the “Obamacare” health law, a step toward the ultimate GOP goal of unraveling the law. The agreement combines key elements of separate tax bills recently passed by the House and Senate, striking compromises on some of them. The Republicans are pushing to deliver final legislation to Trump before Christmas as the first major legislative accomplishment of his presidency.

GOP Tax Plan: WSJ Live Coverage
Wall Street Journal Last Updated Dec 13, 2017 at 7:55 pm ET
Join WSJ's tax-policy experts to follow the twists and turns of Congress’s attempt to make the most significant tax-code changes since 1986.

Republican Tax Bill in Final Sprint Across Finish Line
New York Times By JIM TANKERSLEY, THOMAS KAPLAN and ALAN RAPPEPORT DEC. 13, 2017
WASHINGTON — The day after suffering a political blow in the Alabama special Senate election, congressional Republicans sped forward with the most sweeping tax rewrite in decades, announcing an agreement on a final bill that would cut taxes for businesses and individuals and signal the party’s first major legislative achievement since assuming political control this year. Party leaders in the House and Senate agreed in principle to bridge the yawning gaps between their competing versions of the $1.5 trillion tax bill, keeping Republicans on track for final votes next week with the aim of delivering a bill to President Trump’s desk by Christmas. The House and Senate versions of the tax bill started from the same core principles — sharply cutting taxes on businesses, while reducing rates and eliminating some breaks for individuals — but diverged on several crucial details.

Blogger note: Solid coverage of education issues in the pending tax bill here. Have you contacted your Congressman regarding concerns with the impact that the pending tax legislation will have on public education?
The Advocate, December 2017
By Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director, policy and advocacy, AASA
As 2017 draws to a close, federal advocacy and its implications for education are far from boring. Between the need to avoid a federal shutdown—a tough task further complicated by considerations related to deferred action for childhood arrivals, an effort to raise the funding caps, a push to provide funding for the children’s health insurance program (CHIP), and more—and regular order, the fact that Congress is gunning to push through the GOP tax bill means the end of the year will be active, intense, and likely down to the last minute. The House and the Senate have both passed their respective versions of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act. Both bills are highlight partisan, relying exclusively on Republican support, and the GOP is committed to seeing this proposal through to completion to notch a win in its belt before 2017 draws to a close. As the president and Congress move forward with their efforts to overhaul the federal tax code, it is important to have an understanding of how the proposed reforms will affect education. Tax reform and related changes may not affect education as directly as changes in annual federal funding (appropriations), but the potential consequences are significant. That is how AASA came to be engaged in the current effort to overhaul federal tax code. AASA efforts in monitoring the tax bill have been focused on specific policies that will impact public education. We provided a summary of these issues in a memo this summer, and issued various resources with detailed analysis on the blog. The bills will now go through the process of conference, where by the chambers will reconcile the differences that exist between the bills and emerge with one final bill that will then need to be adopted by both chambers and then signed into law by the president.  Congressional Research Service prepared a white paper on what the conference process involves, which you can access here.

Tax Plan’s Biggest Cuts Could Be in Living Standards
New York Times by Eduardo Porter ECONOMIC SCENE DEC. 12, 2017
In the summer of 2006, as President George W. Bush was pressing to make permanent the tax cuts he had pushed through Congress in 2001 and 2003, the Treasury Department published a so-called dynamic analysis that, the administration hoped, would prove the undoubted economic benefits of the extension. But its conclusions didn’t draw much applause from the White House: In the long term, the Treasury’s Office of Tax Analysis found, the tax cuts would expand the economy by all of 0.7 percent. It never specified what it meant by “long term,” but on the assumption it means a couple of decades, the tax change would add 0.035 percent to annual economic growth over the period. Math and economics have changed little since that exercise.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin insists that the tax overhaul passed by Republicans in the Senate this month would increase annual economic growth by 0.7 percentage points over the next decade.

Church leaders fear tax plan’s effect
Delco Times Opinion By Rev. Lydia Munoz and Rev. James McIntyre, Times Guest Columnists POSTED: 12/13/17, 9:17 PM EST | UPDATED: 4 HRS AGO
We write as faith leaders concerned by the moral priorities of our nation, and as parents concerned for the health of our daughter. Last week, Rep. Meehan voted for a tax bill that pays for huge tax cuts for corporations with cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. Over 70 percent of the tax breaks in this bill go to the wealthiest 1 percent and multinational corporations already making record profits. The tax bill gives people with incomes over $1 million an annual tax cut of about $14,890 and those with incomes of over $3.1 million an annual cut of about $94,540 annually. These tax cuts will be paid for with our children’s’ futures and our families’ health care – if this tax bill passes, huge cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and Education are next. The federal budget resolution passed last month allows Republicans to cut $1.5 trillion from Medicaid and Medicare next year to pay for these massive tax breaks.

Net Neutrality: The ISP industry donated $101m to Congress - here's how much Pa's delegation got | Wednesday Morning Coffee
Penn Live By John L. Micek jmicek@pennlive.com Updated Dec 13, 8:30 AM; Posted Dec 13, 8:30 AM
Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
You've probably heard by now about the fight over net neutrality: That is whether the internet should remain as it is now - free and open to all - or whether massive internet service providers should be allowed to charge more for certain content and services they provide over their networks. With the Trump administration's Federal Communications Commission almost certain to allow the latter over the former, the fight over net neutrality appears almost certain to spill into the halls of Congress. And since money talks on Capitol Hill - and few industries speak louder than big Telecomm (think Verizon, Comcast, AT&T, etc), the folks at tech website, The Verge, crunched the numbers, finding that, between 1989 and 2017, the industry fire-hosed some $101 million in donations onto Congress as it sought to have its voice heard on key issues.

As FCC prepares net-neutrality vote, study finds millions of fake comments
WHYY By Brian Naylor December 14, 2017
It seems like a lot of Americans are interested in the net-neutrality debate. Some 22 million public comments have been filed with the Federal Communications Commission on the issue of whether all web traffic should be treated equally. The agency is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to reverse regulations put in place during the Obama administration that were aimed at guaranteeing that. But, it turns out, much of that public input is not what it appears. The Pew Research Center took a close look at the comments. Associate Director Aaron Smith said several things popped out. Maybe the biggest, 94 percent of the comments “were submitted multiple times, and in some cases those comments were submitted many hundreds of thousands of times.” So in other words, almost all of the comments seem to have been parts of organized campaigns to influence the FCC commissioners to vote one way or the other.

Debate over ‘wasted’ votes dominates third day of state redistricting trial
WHYY By Emily Previti, WITF December 13, 2017
The plaintiffs’ argument in the state lawsuit over Pennsylvania’s congressional district map hinges on whether they can prove the state legislature designed a map meant to dilute Democratic votes. Much of the trial’s third day was spent by plaintiffs trying to quantify the map’s alleged partisan advantages by looking at decades of data, spurring a debate about how many votes are “wasted” because of the way congressional boundary lines were drawn. Say you have five congressional districts each with 100 voters. Democrats win two by wide margins, and Republicans win three in tight races. That’s what redistricting experts would call a map with an “efficiency gap” designed to advantage Republicans by wasting votes for Democrats.

Blogger handy quote, attributed to both Mark Twain and Gideon John Tucker  "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session."
'Anytime you're in October talking about the budget, that's not a good year': Pa. legislature exits 2017
Penn Live By Marc Levy The Associated Press Updated 12:55 AM; Posted Dec 13, 9:05 PM
HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania Legislature finished for the year on Wednesday after passing veto-bound abortion restrictions, while anti-union legislation sought by top Republicans failed and legislation to tax Marcellus Shale natural gas production remained in limbo. The GOP-controlled House and Senate each adjourned until January after a flurry of votes and a relatively spectacular showdown on the House floor between 25 rank-and-file Republicans and House GOP leaders over a Marcellus Shale bill that has been effectively filibustered for weeks by opponents. It closed a year dominated by a budget deficit that took an extra four months to deal with. "Anytime you're in October talking about the budget, that's not a good year," said Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre.

G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young: An early preview of Gov. Wolf's re-election chances
Morning Call Opinion by G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young December 12, 2017
Will Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf win a second term in the rapidly approaching 2018 statewide election? Or will he become another "one-term Tom," losing his bid for a second term, as did his immediate predecessor, Republican Tom Corbett. Since a constitutional change in 1968 permitted governors to seek a second term, each has done so, beginning with Milton Shapp in 1974. And all but one, Corbett in 2014, won re-election, most of them handily. Winning a second gubernatorial term has been the default position for the past half century. Indeed, that expectation prior to Corbett's 2014 loss was once considered an iron law of Pennsylvania politics known as the "eight-year cycle." So, as we approach the 2018 election we come to a fork in the road for Pennsylvania incumbent governors. Will we return in 2018 to the familiar cycle of governors being comfortably elected to a second term, or will we see another first term governor defeated for re-election as happened four years ago?

“Laughlin is a key opponent, and a big reason the bill failed to get to the Senate floor in October by one vote. Meanwhile, Alloway is one of the bill's co-sponsors.”
SB2: Senator swap in education committee likely to impact school choice vote
Written by Katie Meyer, Capitol Bureau Chief | Dec 14, 2017 5:11 AM
Some have speculated that a personnel change in the Senate Education Committee was politically motivated.
(Harrisburg) - The state Senate Education Committee is making a mid-session personnel change--switching out one Republican senator for another. Erie County Republican Senator Dan Laughlin is officially moving from the Education Committee to the Community, Economic, and Recreational Development Committee. His replacement has been announced as Rich Alloway, a fellow Republican from Franklin County. The move is significant because of Senate Bill 2--a measure would let students in the lowest-performing public schools use the money the state would have spent on their education for alternative school options. Laughlin is a key opponent, and a big reason the bill failed to get to the Senate floor in October by one vote. Meanwhile, Alloway is one of the bill's co-sponsors. Some pro-public school organizations have called foul. The group Education Voters of PA, which often lobbies against charter schools and other school choice efforts, said the committee change is "deeply troubling."

SB2: School Voucher Bills Called a Bad Deal for PA Schools
Pennsylvania Council of Churches  by s.strauss@pachurches.org  December 13, 2017 – Andrea Sears, Public News Service (PA)
Education Savings Accounts would give public education money to families to pay private school tuition.
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Education advocates say bills pending in the General Assembly to create Education Savings Accounts would further defund public education in the state. Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 1717 would allow parents to pay private school tuition with public money. The stated goal is to give parents alternatives to underperforming schools. But according to Reynelle Staley, a policy attorney at the Education Law Center, the bills actually would take money from the school district where a child would have been enrolled and give it to families to pay private or religious school tuition, tutors or other educational expenses. “They incentivize more advantaged parents to flee the public education system,” says Staley, “and they take the legislature further from its constitutional obligation to support and maintain a thorough and efficient system of education.” She says children enrolled for a single semester in a district where there are underperforming schools would be eligible for vouchers through 12th grade. Families that move to a better school district would continue to receive vouchers. And Staley points out that by leaving the public education system, parents also leave behind federal and state requirements for equal access to education.

Teacher pension-payment increase shrinks, saving schools some money
Times Leader By Mark Guydish - mguydish@timesleader.com | December 13th, 2017 10:20 pm
School district contributions to the teacher pension fund continue to soar. But there was a small bit of good news when a state agency responsible for setting the rates announced next year’s numbers: Contributions are still going up, but less than projected. The impact likely will be small. Take Dallas School District, where Business Manager Grant Palfey is already crunching numbers for the 2018-19 fiscal year. The payment rate — a percentage of teacher payroll — was supposed to climb from 31.74 percent to 33.43 percent, but will rise only to 32.6 percent. “That saves us about $59,000,” Palfey said. It’s not enough to change the math that has locked the school board and teachers union in protracted, often-bitter contract negotiations — the district insists it cannot afford what the union has asked for — but it is enough to avoid furloughing one teacher if money gets tight, or to shrink any potential tax hike. Of course, the announcement “saves” money the way a shopper saves by unexpectedly finding a needed product on sale. Overall, the payment rate is still climbing — something that has happened almost every year since the 2001-02 school year.

Governor Wolf Announces Grant to Support Quality Early Learning Professionals
Governor Wolf’s Website December 13, 2017
Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf today announced a $1.4 million grant to increase the quality of Pennsylvania’s early childhood learning professional workforce.
The Higher Education, Early Child Care, and Community-based Partnership Working to Implement Innovative and Sustained Pathways grant will enable early childhood education staff to participate in and complete a credit-bearing Child Development Associate (CDA),associate degree, bachelor degree, and/or Pennsylvania PreK-4 teacher certification. “My administration is committed to expanding access to quality pre-kindergarten programs so our children have a positive start to their education,” said Governor Wolf. “Having educated and knowledgeable early childhood educators creates quality classrooms, supports positive relationships with children, and advances the argument for increased compensation – early childhood teachers make an average of $9-$12/hour, even with a degree.”

East Penn made the right choice on full-day kindergarten, which should be offered by all school districts
The newly elected East Penn School Board voted Monday night to make all kindergarten classes full-day. The vote came two months after the previous board had rejected full-day kindergarten.
Morning Call by Paul Muschick Contact Reporter December 13, 2017
Welcome to the 21st century, East Penn School District. After resisting the inevitable, the school board finally recognized what most of the rest of the region and state already had — that offering full-day kindergarten to all of its students is worth the money. The new school board’s vote Monday night to offer full-day kindergarten exclusively, instead of its current mix of full-day and half-day, leaves only a handful of districts in Lehigh and Northampton counties behind the times. It’s time for them to get on board, too. Statewide, 77 percent of kindergarten students attended full-day programs in the 2016-17 school year, according to the Kids Count Data Center. That’s up from 71.5 percent in 2012-13.

Philly residents: share what you want in your schools; questionnaire
Office of the Mayor
On November 16, the School Reform Commission (SRC) voted to dissolve itself. Now, I will appoint an Educational Nominating Panel to identify candidates for the new Board of Education (the Board). The City’s Charter describes who should be on the Nominating Panel. Nine Philadelphians who are the highest-ranking officers of organizations can be on the panel. The organizations include:
● Chambers of commerce
● Philadelphia institutions of higher learning
● Community organizations
● Education organizations
● Labor groups
In addition to these nine Philadelphians, I will select four more citizens of Philadelphia.
The Nominating Panel will be formed in January. The panel will have up to forty days to recommend twenty-seven individuals for me to consider for the Board. From those names, I’ll pick nine to serve on the Board. The current text of these rules was approved by the voters of Philadelphia in 1999.  As our Nominating Panel reviews potential Board members, I want to make sure they hear from you. Please share what you think is important for them to know as they make recommendations for the Board. We can ensure every child has quality schools in their neighborhood. We can do this by creating a school district that is more stable and more accountable to Philadelphians. We can do this -- together.

City Council hears litany of concerns during hearing on resolution to form new school board
From who can serve to why the board should be elected, parents, activists and students made impassioned pleas during two hours of testimony.
The notebook by Greg Windle December 13, 2017 — 5:04pm
Philadelphia City Council members heard arguments from parents, activists, the mayor’s office, and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers on school-related issues this week as they considered a formal process for nominating new school board members. That will be another step in forming a locally controlled school board for the city, following the vote Nov. 16 by the current School Reform Commission to dissolve itself. Mayor Jim Kenney has proposed that a nine-member appointed school board take its place. Tuesday's hearing began with the mayor’s chief of staff, Jane Slusser, outlining the logistics of transitioning from the SRC to the new mayoral-appointed board. First, the state secretary of education has to sign off on the abolition of the SRC by Dec. 31. In early January, the mayor plans to announce his nominating panel, which will propose 27 people — three for each available appointment. The mayor expects to announce his appointments in mid-March, although they won’t take their seats until July. The mayor also plans to submit his appointments to the city council for approval, based on the resolution that will guide formation of the new school board. The resolution also creates a Parent and Community Advisory Council, which will convene at least twice a year to advise the board. The city council will vote on the resolution in January, and if it passes, it will be on the ballot for voters in the May primary election.

Philly's Robeson High, a school on the rise, now in national spotlight
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer  @newskag |  kgraham@phillynews.com Updated: DECEMBER 12, 2017 — 4:55 PM EST
Paul Robeson High School is having a moment. Richard Gordon IV, the school’s energetic principal, was just named the nation’s top administrator by an online education journal, hailed for his innovation and hard work. Mayor Kenney visited the school Tuesday, oohing and aahing over Robeson’s myriad partnerships, its 95 percent graduation rate, and the general sense of well-being that permeates the hallways. Principal Richard Gordon IV (center) shows Mayor Kenney one of the art classrooms. Gordon was named the nation's top school administrator by an online education journal. “You have a nice school,” the mayor said. “People seem happy to be here.” Marquan Thomas, a senior, couldn’t help himself. From the back of his science class, he called out to Kenney. “It’s the best public school in Philadelphia!” said Thomas, 17. Gordon smiled. “Not bad for a school that wasn’t supposed to be here,” the principal said. In 2012, the school was designated for closure, but was spared at the last minute after a passionate group of students and teachers made a case so strong that the School Reform Commission couldn’t help but keep it open.

Are you one of more than 200,000 people paying too much in property taxes?
Inquirer by Laura McCrystal & Michaelle Bond - Staff Writers Updated: DECEMBER 14, 2017 — 5:00 AM EST
The house on Massachusetts Avenue in Upper Darby had been sitting on the market for a while when Tim Miles and his wife bought it for $185,000 last year. Miles said the Realtor told him why other prospective buyers had been wary: “The taxes were really high,” said Miles, 28, a lawyer. “And I think that’s probably why they weren’t able to sell as quickly.” The annual bill for the two-story house on a sixth of an acre was more than $10,500. The township has some of the region’s highest taxes, but Miles’ property levy was thousands of dollars higher than even those on comparably priced homes in the township. The reason: The county estimate of the home’s worth — the “assessment” on which the tax bill is based — was too high. Inaccurate assessments — primarily the result of varying rates of property appreciation — are common throughout Pennsylvania. Why? Years or decades pass between countywide reassessments, leaving many property owners to pay more than their fair share — or less. Delaware County’s are so out of whack that a judge has ordered the county to revalue all its properties.

Community Schools: Betsy DeVos may not recognize it, but these public schools work
Washington Post Answer Sheet By Valerie Strauss December 13 at 6:00 AM 
If you listen to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos talk about traditional public schools, you could get the impression that they are pretty much all the same. She repeatedly talks about how they are designed in “old factory model” that worked decades ago but no longer meets the individual needs of students. That is why, she says, she wants to expand alternatives in the form of charter schools and programs that use public funds to pay for private school education. On a stop at a school in Wyoming this fall, DeVos said: “For far too many kids, this year’s first day back to school looks and feels a lot like last year’s first day back to school. And the year before that. And the generation before that. And the generation before that! That means your parent’s parent’s parents! Most students are starting a new school year that is all too familiar. … They follow the same schedule, the same routine—just waiting to be saved by the bell.”  Surely there are traditional public schools — as well as charter schools and private schools — that do the same thing year in and year out, and fail to inspire students. But there are many that work well for students. And despite what DeVos says, traditional public schools or their districts are not all alike, not even close.  There are many schools in traditional public school districts that have found new ways to meet the needs of students — among them, what are known as “community schools.” This post looks at the value of community schools. 



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 

SAVE THE DATE for the 2018 PA Educational Leadership Summit - July 29-31 - State College, PA sponsored by the PA Principals Association, PASA, PAMLE and PASCD.  
This year's Summit will be held from July 29-31, 2018 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA.

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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