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Sunday, January 28, 2018

PA Ed Policy Roundup Jan. 28: Sunday Special Edition – Who’s Running; Who’s Not

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
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Keystone State Education Coalition


Here’s an updated look at who in the Pennsylvania State Legislature is departing and who’s seeking another office.  

All 203 state House seats and half the state Senate (25 seats – even numbered districts) are on the ballot this year. Republicans currently hold sizeable majorities in both chambers; 34-16 in the state Senate and 120-81 with 2 vacant seats in the state House.


This site shows all candidates running for listed elected offices in Pennsylvania.  It reports that State Representative Greg Vitali (D-Delaware County) has filed FEC paperwork to run for Pat Meehan’s 7th Congressional District seat
Who’s Running? US Elections ~ Pennsylvania
US Elections Website
Directory of Pennsylvania elections. Pennsylvania candidates for Governor, state reps and Congress (Senators / House of Representatives). PA primary and election races. Voting info. Political parties. State election office.
https://uselections.com/pa/pa.htm

Not running for reelection in 2018:

Rep. Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin) – Elected to House in 1988, Majority Chair of the House Judiciary Committee

Rep. Bob Godshall (R-Montgomery) – Elected to House in 1982, Majority Chair of the House Consumer Affairs Committee

Rep. Will Tallman (R-Adams) – Elected to House in 2008

Rep. John Taylor (R-Philadelphia) – Elected to House in 1985, Majority Chair of the House Transportation Committee

Rep. Eli Evankovich (R-Westmoreland) – Elected to House in 2010

Rep. Harry Lewis (R-Chester) – Elected to House in 2014

Rep. Katharine Watson (R-Bucks) – Elected to House in 2000, Majority Chair of the House Children and Youth Committee

Sen. Chuck McIlhinney (R-Bucks) – Elected to Senate in 2006 (served 1998-06 in House), Senate Republican Caucus Administrator, Majority Chair of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, Majority Vice-Chair of the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee

Rep. Kevin Haggerty (D-Lackawanna) – Elected to House in 2016 (served 2012-14 in House)

Rep. Adam Harris (R-Juniata) – Elected to House in 2002, Majority Chair of the House Liquor Control Committee

Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R-Montgomery) – Elected to Senate in 1978 (served 1977- 78 in House), Majority Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee

Running for a different seat in 2018 and not running for reelection:

Sen. Scott Wagner (R-York) – Elected to Senate in 2014, Majority Chair of the Senate Local Government Committee, Running for Governor

Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) - Elected to House in 2014, Running for State Senate Seat held by Sen. Scott Wagner

Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh) – Elected to House in 2012, Running for US House seat held by Charlie Dent who is retiring

Rep. Stephen Bloom (R-Cumberland) – Elected to House in 2010, Running for US House seat held by Lou Barletta who is seeking to unseat US Sen. Bob Casey

Sen. John Eichelberger (R-Blair) – Elected to Senate in 2006, Majority Chair of the Senate Education Committee, Vice-Chair of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, Running
for US House seat held by Bud Shuster who is retiring

Rep. Judith Ward (R-Blair) – Elected to House in 2014, Running for State Senate seat held by Sen. John Eichelberger

Rep. Dave Reed (R-Indiana) – Elected to House in 2002, House Republican Floor Leader, Running for US House seat held by Bud Shuster who is retiring

Running for reelection and a different seat in 2018:

Rep. Rick Saccone (R-Allegheny) – Elected to House in 2010, Running for US House seat held by Tim Murphy who resigned amid scandal

Rep. Tina Davis (D-Bucks) – Elected to House in 2010, House Democratic Policy Committee Vice-Chair, Running for State Senate Seat held by Republican Tommy Tomlinson

Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) – Elected to House in 2012, Minority Vice-Chair of the House Finance Committee, Running for Lt. Governor

Rep. Jim Christiana (R-Beaver) – Elected to House in 2008, Running for US Senate seat held by Bob Casey

Rep. Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) – Elected to House in 2001, Speaker of the House, Running for Governor (If he wins the Republican primary for governor, Turzai promises to step out of the House race).


More than a dozen PA Republicans not seeking re-election
Morning Call by Mark Scolforo Of The Associated Press January 27, 2018
Retirements and other departures are poised to hit Republicans in the Pennsylvania Legislature particularly hard this year, as most of those who have already announced they are leaving belong to the GOP. The party that has wielded broad power in the General Assembly in recent years, thanks to strong majorities in both chambers, looks to also have far more open seats to defend in 2018. At least eight state House Republicans are running for Congress or state Senate, and the party is also losing several veteran committee chairs to retirement. In all, 15 of the 16 representatives who have said for certain they are not seeking re-election this year are Republicans. In the state Senate, all four who are definitely leaving are Republicans.
Some may return to the House or Senate if they lose or drop out of races for other elective positions. But it’s entirely possible that more than 30 newcomers will take legislative seats early next year. Republicans currently control the Senate 34-16, and the House 120-81 with two vacancies, one from each party.

GOP Insiders: Barletta Could Lose Republican Seats in Southeast
PoliticsPA Written by Paul Engelkemier, Managing Editor January 26, 2018
Retiring state Rep. John Taylor and HRCC Chair Mark Mustio are worried about the consequences of the state Republican Party endorsing Congressman Lou Barletta’s Senate campaign could have on down ticket races. The House Republican Campaign Committee is tasked with electing – and re-electing – GOP candidates to the state House. “Mark, I wanted to express my concern about the potentially negative effects of the top of our ticket to our House colleagues in 2018,” Taylor wrote in an email obtained by PoliticsPA.  Taylor’s concerns stem Barletta’s emphasis on immigration and his close ties to President Trump.  Taylor believes that the election could become a referendum on Trump, hurting southeast Republicans.  

Spending millions on early TV ads, Republican rivals follow Gov. Tom Wolf's lead
Inquirer by Andrew Seidman, Staff Writer  @AndrewSeidman |  ASeidman@phillynews.com Updated: JANUARY 26, 2018 — 12:29 PM EST
One ad shows Paul Mango, a Republican candidate for governor, accepting his diploma from President Ronald Reagan at West Point and later jumping out of an airplane as a paratrooper in the Army. Another ad, called “Tough,” shows Republican State Sen. Scott Wagner standing in front of a garbage facility he owns as he pledges to “put big government in the Dumpster.”
Either explicitly or implicitly, the ads, which have aired in Philadelphia and markets statewide, portray Gov. Wolf as a weak liberal who needs to let a real leader take charge in Harrisburg. But if the candidates are critical of Wolf’s politics, they owe a debt of gratitude to his campaign playbook: Advertise on TV early in the campaign. Wagner, owner of a waste-hauling company in York County, and Mango, a retired Pittsburgh-area health-care consultant, have already spent nearly $2 million on television ads ahead of the May 15 GOP gubernatorial primary, according to data provided to the Inquirer and Daily News by a media buyer. In a crowded four-candidate primary that also includes the speaker of the state House, Wagner and Mango are trying to replicate Wolf’s successful strategy in the 2014 Democratic primary.

Meehan must go now, not 11 months from now | Editorial
by The Inquirer Editorial Board Updated: JANUARY 26, 2018 — 4:21 PM EST
Pat Meehan must go. The Delaware County Republican exposed for using taxpayer dollars to secretly settle a sexual harassment claim made by a former staffer should resign from the U.S. House. Meehan must go now, not 11 months and five days from now, at the end of the 115th Congress. Now.  Meehan, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, should still possess a prosecutor’s sense of how evidence establishes guilt. Meehan was seeking a fifth term when the New York Times broke an explosive storyon Jan. 20 about the settlement. He dropped that reelection bid Thursday after a calamitous attempt at crisis communications exponentially compounded his predicament. If Meehan’s betrayal of the trust of the public and his constituents are bad enough to end his congressional career, why should we wait until next January to be rid of him? Members of the House are paid $174,000 per year. That means we’ll pay Meehan $161,605 before he departs public office. But it’s not just about the money. Consider the defense he offered last week.

Work begins on new congressional maps as Pa. Supreme Court appoints adviser
THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE JAN 26, 2018 5:53 PM
HARRISBURG — The state Supreme Court appointed an adviser Friday to help it select a new congressional map if legislators and the governor miss their deadline for reconfiguring districts, even as legislators quietly began working on just that. The court appointed Stanford University law professor Nathaniel Persily as an adviser “to assist the Court in adopting, if necessary, a remedial congressional redistricting plan,” according to its order. Mr. Persily is a well-known expert who last year was appointed by a federal court to serve as a special master in redrawing state legislative maps in North Carolina. He has also worked on cases in New York, Connecticut, Georgia and Maryland. He was a senior research director for former President Barack Obama’s Presidential Commission on Election Administration from June 2013 to January 2014. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court earlier this week declared the state’s congressional maps unconstitutional and gave the Republican-controlled legislature until Feb. 9 to pass a map, which Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf must approve by Feb. 15. If they miss those deadlines, the state Supreme Court intends to intervene to select a new map on its own. 

Governor Wolf to Enlist Non-Partisan Mathematician to Evaluate Fairness of Redistricting Maps
Governor Wolf’s Website January 26, 2018
Harrisburg, PA – Governor Wolf today announced he will enlist a non-partisan mathematician, Moon Duchin, Ph.D. an Associate Professor of Mathematics from Tufts University, to provide him guidance on evaluating redistricting maps for fairness. Governor Wolf has made clear since the Supreme Court ruled the map unconstitutional that he saw this as an opportunity to eliminate partisan gerrymandering and deliver the people of Pennsylvania a fair Congressional map. “Moon Duchin has been a leader in applying mathematics, geometry, and analytics to evaluate redistricted maps and work to eliminate extreme partisan gerrymandering,” Governor Wolf said. “The people of Pennsylvania are tired of partisan games and gridlock – made worse by gerrymandering – and it is my mission to reverse the black-eye of having some of the worst gerrymandering in the country. I am open and willing to work with the General Assembly but I will not accept an unfair map and enlisting a non-partisan expert is essential to ensure that is possible.”

How the dominoes may fall as Pennsylvania congressional districts are shifted into a new map
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided the state's congressional map illegally favors Republicans and must be redrawn. Here's the background on the case.
Morning Call by Laura Olson Contact Reporter Call Washington Bureau January 26, 2018
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Pennsylvania’s congressional candidates find themselves amid dominoes after Monday’s state Supreme Court order tossing the current congressional district maps and ordering new ones. Those dominoes will start tipping this way or that as a new map takes shape, shifting the political makeup of each region — perhaps even putting a candidate outside a new boundary line. So far, the state Supreme Court, which ruled the current maps unfairly favor one party, has offered minimal directions on how to make more equitable districts. Should the mapmakers design politically competitive districts? Geographically compact ones? Some combination, or other criteria altogether? One thing is clear: Each tweak to a district has broad ramifications not only on the political leanings of that seat, but of the districts around it — and on the odds of national Democrats salivating to regain control of the U.S. House.


Advertising in schools?
A number of school districts across the country have turned to advertising as a way to fill budget gaps. Some districts have offered corporate naming rights to buildings and others have allowed ads on buses and lockers. A reporter for the Harrisburg Patriot-News is investigating the prevalence of ads in Pa. schools and needs your help. Please contact him if you’re aware of any of the following in your area:
·  Ads placed on sports uniforms, school buses, lockers, or other areas of school grounds.
·  Corporate sponsorship of sports fields, buildings, parking lots, or other school property.
·  Ads on school websites or newsletters.
·  Any other examples of advertising or sponsorship in the school environment or curriculum.
You can reach reporter Daniel Simmons-Ritchie at simmons-ritchie@pennlive.com or on 717-255-8162


Register now for PSBA Board Presidents Panel 
PSBA Website January 2018
School board leaders, this one's for you! Join your colleagues at an evening of networking and learning in 10 convenient locations around the state at the end of January. Share your experience and leadership through a panel discussion moderated by PSBA Member Services team. Participate in roundtable conversations focused on the most pressing challenges and current issues affecting PA school districts. Bring your specific challenges and scenarios for small group discussion. Register online.

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

PSBA Closer Look Series Public Briefings
The Closer Look Series Public Briefings will take a deeper dive into concepts contained in the proposed Pennsylvania State Budget and the State of Education Report. Sessions will harness the expertise of local business leaders, education advocates, government and local school leaders from across the state. Learn more about the fiscal health of schools, how workforce development and early education can be improved and what local schools are doing to improve the State of Education in Pennsylvania. All sessions are free and open to the public.

Connecting Student Success to Employment
Doubletree by Hilton Hotel – Pittsburgh Green Tree Feb. 27, 2018, 7-8:45 a.m.
More than eight out of 10 students taking one or more industry-specific assessments are achieving either at the competent or advanced level. How do we connect student success to jobs in the community? What does the connection between schools and the business community look like and how can it be improved? How do we increase public awareness of the growing demand for workers in the skilled trades and other employment trends in the commonwealth? Hear John Callahan, PSBA assistant executive director, and Matt Smith, president of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, give a free, public presentation on these topics followed by a Q&A period.

A Deeper Dive into the State of Education
Crowne Plaza Philadelphia – King of Prussia March 6, 2018, 7-8:45 a.m.
In the State of Education Report, 40% of schools stated that 16% to 30% of students joining schools at kindergarten or first grade are below the expected level of school readiness. Learn more about the impact of early education and what local schools are doing to improve the State of Education in Pennsylvania. A free, public presentation by local and legislative experts will be followed by a Q&A period.

Public Education Under Extreme Pressure
Hilton Harrisburg March 12, 2018, 7-8:45 a.m.
According to the State of Education Report, 84% of all school districts viewed budget pressures as the most difficult area to manage over the past year. With so many choices and pressures, school districts must make decisions to invest in priorities while managing their locally diverse budgets. How does the state budget impact these decisions? What investments does the business community need for the future growth of the economy and how do we improve the health, education and well-being of students who attend public schools in the commonwealth in this extreme environment? Hear local and legislative leaders in a free, public presentation on these topics followed by a Q&A period.
Registration for these public briefings: https://www.psba.org/2018/01/closer-look-series-public-briefings/

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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