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Monday, December 18, 2017

PA Ed Policy Roundup Dec. 18: Find your Members of Congress Here & Contact Them Today Regarding Tax Bill, CHIP & Net Neutrality

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

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

Keystone State Education Coalition
Find your Members of Congress Here & Contact Them Today Regarding Tax Bill, CHIP & Net Neutrality


“EDUCATION: The bill, by limiting the deduction for state and local taxes, will make it harder for the localities to raise money for education. The burden will fall heaviest on cities with poor students, making it harder for millions of children to escape from poverty -- and leaving more and more businesses with fewer qualified job applicants.”
This Tax Bill Is a Trillion-Dollar Blunder
Congress and President Trump put politics ahead of smart reform.
Bloomberg By Michael R. Bloomberg December 15, 2017, 5:00 AM EST
Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News. He is the UN secretary-general’s special envoy for cities and climate change.
Last month a Wall Street Journal editor asked a room full of CEOs to raise their hands if the corporate tax cut being considered in Congress would lead them to invest more. Very few hands went up. Attending was Gary Cohn, President Donald Trump's economic adviser and a friend of mine. He asked: "Why aren't the other hands up?" Allow me to answer that: We don't need the money. Corporations are sitting on a record amount of cash reserves: nearly $2.3 trillion. That figure has been climbing steadily since the recession ended in 2009, and it's now double what it was in 2001. The reason CEOs aren't investing more of their liquid assets has little to do with the tax rate. CEOs aren't waiting on a tax cut to "jump-start the economy" -- a favorite phrase of politicians who have never run a company -- or to hand out raises. It's pure fantasy to think that the tax bill will lead to significantly higher wages and growth, as Republicans have promised. Had Congress actually listened to executives, or economists who study these issues carefully, it might have realized that.

Did you catch our weekend postings?
5 reasons why Congress should protect public schools, reject tax plan
Keystone State Education Coalition PA Ed Policy Roundup Dec. 16, 2017:

Use GovTrack to find out who represents you in Congress and what bills they have sponsored.

GOP Tax Bill Would Set Up Years of Challenges
Expiration dates guarantee any changes would be revisited
Wall Street Journal By Richard Rubin Dec. 17, 2017 7:42 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON—Republicans are on the cusp this week of passing a historic overhaul of the U.S. tax system but might also be ushering in a new period of instability in the tax code, because the plan is advancing without bipartisan support and with expiration dates that guarantee it will be revisited for years. A $1.5 trillion reduction in the overall tax burden over a decade accompanies the most sweeping rewrite of U.S. business and income taxes since the Reagan era, achieving goals long sought by many conservative economists and politicians. But to get the bill through a closely divided Congress, Republicans made many of its pieces time-limited.

“What has been dramatic is the change in who funds elections. Increasingly our elections are financed by just a handful of donors who make multimillion dollar contributions to support candidates for federal office. In 2010, the top 100 individual donors contributed just of $73 million to federal candidates, parties, and other committees, including super PACs. In 2012, that number increased to $380 million, and by 2016, it reached over $900 million.
All of this means that a few donors matter much more than they used to, and those donors can make threats that genuinely terrify members of Congress. Whereas before Citizens United donors of $100,000 or more could make up as little as 5 percent of all individual contributions in federal elections, after Citizens United they could represent as much as one in four dollars. That’s power!”
How Citizens United Changed Politics and Shaped the Tax Bill
The real impact of an unregulated campaign finance is on policy, and the proof is in this year’s tax bill.
Brennan Center for Justice by Lawrence Norden, Shyamala Ramakrishna, Sidni Frederick December 14, 2017
As Congress is poised to push through a historically unpopular tax bill, it’s worth revisiting a piece by our colleague Daniel Weiner, noting the forthrightness with which members of Congress have made clear that donors have been driving this process. A cynical public has long believed that “candidates who win public office promote policies that directly help the people and groups who donated money to their campaigns,” but rarely have we seen both officeholders and donors themselves state this so openly. It’s worth asking: Has something changed? We think so. But first, let’s look at some of those statements. On the officeholder side, to take but one example, Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) told the Hill newspaper, “My donors are basically saying, ‘Get it done or don’t ever call me again.’” And Steven Law, president of the Senate Leadership Fund and former chief of staff to Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell noted “[Donors] would be mortified if we didn’t live up to what we’ve committed to on tax reform.”

“That’s because Rubio, Corker, Cole, and the rest have reached the point where they know how to listen only to one incredibly narrow sliver of America – K Street lobbyists who 1) told them the GOP 115th Congress had to pass something, with zero regard to whatever that bill actually does; 2) offered their services to write the bill, to the benefit of their fabulously rich clients; and, most important, 3) threatened along with their donor pals to withhold 2018 contributions without passage of the bill – a world devoid of cash that Republican lawmakers simply cannot comprehend.”
How the GOP produced the worst bill since the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 | Will Bunch
Philly Daily News by Will Bunch, STAFF COLUMNIST  @will_bunch |  bunchw@phillynews.com Updated: DECEMBER 17, 2017 — 2:37 PM EST
To anyone who insists there’s no such thing as an honest Republican, I present you with Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma. Cole went on CNBC the other day to confess that he doesn’t know much about the economics of the massive tax overhaul he’s about to vote for – and that what little he does understand, he doesn’t much like. But he said he understands the most important thing is to not cross his tribe. “In the end I’m going to trust the people who are philosophically aligned with me,” Cole told the cable business channel, in the same breath with which he praised the brilliance of House Speaker Paul Ryan – whose college days were spent tapping a keg and planning how to take away poor people’s health care. He trusts these people – despite his sense that the numbers from the tax scheme, which Republicans are all but certain to ram through Congress this week, don’t add up.

“In Pennsylvania, Representatives Ryan Costello, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Pat Meehan voted for the House proposal, saying it would bring tax cuts to most middle-class families.”
Tax plan a dilemma for local Reps
WHYY By Dave Davies December 18, 2017
Congressional Republicans in the Philadelphia area who face re-election next year are confronting the decision over whether to vote for the proposed tax overhaul unveiled by a House-Senate conference committee Friday. Most say they’re studying the plan. New Jersey U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance made up his mind quickly, telling reporters on in the Capitol he will be voting “no.” “I believe that there should be the ability to deduct state and local taxes,” Lance said. “It has been in the tax code since 1913, and I believe it should be retained.” The package limits the combined deduction for state and local income, property and sales taxes to $10,000.

Right answers remain elusive in Harrisburg
Altoona Mirror EDITORIALS DEC 17, 2017
Republicans in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives have been busy working on a package of bills aimed at making changes to the annual budget-preparation process.
The GOP lawmakers envision that the steps they are proposing will make inroads toward averting repeats of the consternation that has dogged budget-making during recent years. The effort currently underway is commendable. Unfortunately, it’s not enough. The reason: It’s not built upon the most pressing need — ensuring a healthy amount of recurring revenue. The consistent lack of an adequate supply of recurring money is the reason the state’s budget deficit has continued to creep upward. Going into 2017-18 budget preparation last February, the state was facing a $2 billion-plus budget shortfall, and what emerged after all the wrangling — and from the months that the Legislature worked beyond the June 30 budget-preparation deadline to fully fund the approved spending plan — was a budget in which boosting recurring revenue was basically ignored. Options for guaranteeing enough recurring revenue are tax and fee increases; new taxes, such as a severance tax on Marcellus Shale gas drilling that has been proposed but never implemented; cutting state programs and spending; or some combination of the available options.
Editorial: State taxpayers getting cheated by Legislature
Delco Times Editorial POSTED: 12/17/17, 10:18 PM EST 
When an employee of a company fails to perform his or her duties in the way necessary, misses timetables for work completion or hinders production by failing to cooperate with other employees, that worker faces disciplinary action or the prospect of being fired. That is as it should be. Now take note of what happened Dec. 1 in Harrisburg, where state lawmakers got a raise despite their ongoing lackluster legislative performance, their inability to complete all of their annual budget work on time and their frequent unwillingness to compromise with House members and senators on the other side of the legislative aisle, hindering progress on proposals, important ones as well as some that are not so important. The bottom line is that state taxpayers aren’t getting their money’s worth for the confidence and tax revenue that they’ve invested in those whom they’ve sent to Harrisburg to represent their best interests.

“Decreasing the number of cyber charter students has enormous financial ramifications for the Erie School District, which pays a total of $25.9 million a year in charter school tuition, for cyber charters and stationary charters. The charters receive the money to educate their students. The Erie School District’s 2017-18 tuition costs for charter school students, whether in cyber or stationary charter schools, are $9,142 for each traditional student and $18,450 for each special education student, according to state figures. Of the 116 cyber charter students in kindergarten through fifth grade, 103 are traditional students and 13 are in special education, according to district records. The district’s total tuition costs for the 116 students is $1.18 million — $240,000 for special education students and $942,000 for the other students.”
Erie School District to broaden cyber offerings
GoErie By Ed Palattella Posted at 2:01 AM
In-house program to be available to students in K-5; now limited to 6-12.
The Erie School District is ready to expand its in-house cyber school program to include students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The district has limited its cyber school’s enrollment to students in sixth through 12th grades since the district established the school in 2012 to compete with cyber charter schools statewide. Recent interest for cyber classes from younger students, as well as the need to continue to compete with the cyber charters, prompted the district to explore expanding its own cyber school, Neal Brokman, the district’s director of alternative programming, told the Erie School Board at its most recent study session, on Wednesday. He said 548 students in the 11,500-district attend cyber charters, with 116 of them in cyber charter programs for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. “This program will afford us (a chance) to get some of those kids back,” Brokman said.  The district has 162 students enrolled in its own cyber school program. Students in the district’s program can get help by visiting teachers at the district’s Family Center building at East Ninth Street and Payne Avenue. Students in the district’s cyber program also graduate with an Erie School District diploma.

Cyber Charters Continue to Struggle: A State-by-State Look at Reports of Trouble
Education Week By Arianna Prothero on December 14, 2017 9:14 PM | No comments
From California to Ohio to Nevada, cyber charter schools often struggle mightily to graduate students and they frequently clash with state regulators over their academic performance and financial management. Nevertheless, the niche sector of K-12 schooling continues to expand across states even in the face of such poor results. As part of an Education Week investigation published a year ago, we plotted dozens of local media reports and state audits on an interactive map. Now, we've updated the map through 2017, which you can find here:
Cyber Charters Have a Champion in DeVos - Although cyber charter schools have long struggled with poor academic performance and financial mismanagement, they now have a high-profile ally in the Trump administration: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.  The education secretary has a long track record on favoring a range of school choice, incuding online schools operated by for-profit companies. She was also an early invester in K12 Inc., the country's largest virtual school operator.



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.

REGISTER TODAY! ELECTED. ENGAGED. EMPOWERED:
Local School Board Members to Advocate on Capitol Hill in 2018     
NSBA's Advocacy Institute 2018 entitled, "Elected. Engaged. Empowered: Representing the Voice in Public Education," will be held on February 4-6, 2018 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. This conference will convene Members of Congress, national thought-leaders, state association executives and well-known political pundits to provide local school board members with an update on key policy and legal issues impacting public education, and tactics and strategies to enhance their ability to influence the policy-making process and national education debate during their year-round advocacy efforts.
WHAT'S NEW - ADVOCACY INSTITUTE '18?
·         Confirmed National Speaker: Cokie Roberts, Political Commentator for NPR and ABC News
·         NSBA will convene first ever National School Board Town Hall on School Choice
·         Includes General Sessions featuring national policy experts, Members of Congress, "DC Insiders" and local school board members
·         Offers conference attendees "Beginner" and "Advanced" Advocacy breakout sessions
·         NSBA will host a Hill Day Wrap-Up Reception
Click here to register for the Advocacy Institute.  The hotel block will close on Monday, January 15
.

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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