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PA budget
context: mandated pension costs will go up this year at least $200 million; special
ed costs at least $260 million
Blogger note: we took a few days off
from posting to join over 800 U.S. school board members in Washington DC for
NSBA’s 2018 Advocacy Institute and Capitol Hill visits.
We asked our members of Congress
to support the following:
·
Use public funds for public
schools
·
Reauthorize Perkins CTE Act
·
Fully fund IDEA
·
Protect Title II funding for
teacher training
·
Prioritize federal funding of
Title programs
·
Support net neutrality
.@GovernorTomWolf's 2018-19 budget proposal for education:
•$100M
increase in Basic Education
•$40M
increase in Pre-K Counts and Head Start
•$20M
increase for Special Education
•$15M
increase for the State System of Higher Education
•$10M for #CTE
Read Pa.
Gov. Tom Wolf's 2018 budget proposal speech
Penn Live By The Associated Press Updated Feb 6, 12:48 PM; Posted Feb
6, 12:09 PM
Text of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's 2018 budget address, as prepared
for delivery on Tuesday:
Did you catch our Groundhog’s Day
postings?
Phil sees shadow; forecasts yet another PA voucher
bill
Keystone State
Education Coalition PA Ed Policy Roundup Feb 2, 2018While you were watching SB2, the “Education Savings Account” voucher plan currently in the Senate Ed Committee, Rep. Judy Ward (R-80, Blair County) is now running a cosponsorship memo for a special education voucher bill. No bill number yet; we’ll keep you posted. Has your school board passed a resolution in opposition to vouchers yet?
PA House GOP Caucus
website 2/6/2018
HARRISBURG – House Republican leaders reacted
to the governor’s call to increase state spending by $1 billion for fiscal year
2018-19. The governor presented his $33 billion spending proposal today in
front of a joint session of the General Assembly. Speaker of the House Mike
Turzai (R-Allegheny), Majority Leader Dave Reed (R-Indiana), Majority Whip
Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster), Appropriations Committee Chairman Stan Saylor
(R-York), Policy Committee Chairman Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin),
Caucus Chairman Marcy Toepel (R-Montgomery), Caucus Administrator Kurt Masser
(R-Columbia/Montour/Northumberland) and Caucus Secretary Donna Oberlander
(R-Clarion/Armstrong/Forest) issued the following statement:
“Even with these increases, we cannot
forget that mandated pension costs will go up this year by at least an
estimated $200 million and special education costs by at least an estimated
$260 million, which the proposed increases do not fully cover.”
PSBA
believes budget is positive move for public education
PSBA Website February 6, 2018
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA)
believes Governor Tom Wolf's proposed 2018-19 state budget is a positive move
for the commonwealth's public schools. The proposed increases would continue
desperately needed investments in the future of Pennsylvania. Even with these
increases, public schools continue to face huge increases in costs outside of
their control such as pensions and special education. “There are few things
more important than properly funding public education, which helps secure our
children's future and strengthen this commonwealth,” said PSBA CEO Nathan G.
Mains. “This budget does just that, and we encourage the General Assembly at a
minimum to preserve these increases and if possible to add to them.”
“Under his plan, Wolf would spend $100
million more on public school funding and $40 million more on early childhood
education, and provide an additional $20 million for special education and
$15 million for the 14 universities in the State System of Higher Education. He
also announced a $50 million job training initiative.”
Pa. Gov.
Wolf's budget wish list: More money for schools, more money from drillers
Inquirer by Angela
Couloumbis & Liz Navratil, HARRISBURG BUREAUS
Updated: FEBRUARY 6, 2018 — 6:29 PM EST
HARRISBURG — Gov. Wolf on Tuesday unveiled
an election-year budget of nearly $33 billion that would boost funding for
public schools, hike the minimum wage, expand the fight against Pennsylvania’s
opioid addiction crisis — and slap a new tax on natural gas drillers. “We
have finally begun to tame the fiscal beast that haunts Harrisburg,” Wolf told
a joint session of the legislature. His speech — nearly 20 minutes
long — was one of the shortest in recent memory and included nods to
bipartisanship, a recognition that Wolf faces
reelection and wants to avoid the broad tax-hike proposals
that led to his prolonged battles with the Republican-controlled
legislature in the last three years. The longest and loudest applause came at
the start, when Wolf briefly — and uncharacteristically — went off
script to don an Eagles hat, bringing Republicans and Democrats to their feet. “Fly,
Eagles, Fly,” the governor said, as the familiar chant broke out in the House
chamber. Afterward, Republican legislative leaders said they approved of parts
of the governor’s proposed budget, including a bigger investment in job
training. But they objected to Wolf’s proposed $1 billion increase in
overall spending — about 3.1 percent more than the current fiscal year
— and to the idea of a severance tax on gas drilling in the Marcellus
Shale.
Gov. Wolf
emphasizes education, but scales back funding ambitions during final first term
budget address
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent February 6, 2018 Listen 2:47
Pennsylvania
Governor Tom Wolf asked the General Assembly Tuesday for another $100 million
in basic education spending and $20 million for special education — his
smallest request since taking office in 2015. Wolf also proposed a $40 million
bump in pre-K spending, $15 million more for the state’s system of higher
education, and $10 million for career and technical education. “Rebuilding our
schools is the beginning of rebuilding our economy,” Wolf said during his
budget address. The relative modesty of Wolf’s ask likely reflects
political realities, said education advocates. With the governor facing
re-election in November — and his counterparts in the legislature facing the
same — there’s little appetite for raising taxes to generate a large chunk of
new revenue. “We’d like to see him be asking for more money for education
funding, but we understand the practical realities,” said Marc Stier of the
Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, a left-leaning Harrisburg think tank.
Pa. budget
winner: Wolf proposes record-level spending on schools and preschools
Penn Live By Jan Murphy jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Feb
6, 11:58 AM
At a glance: Gov. Tom
Wolf's 2018-19 budget unveiled on Tuesday pushes the state's investment in
preschool-to-grade 12 education to a record level of more than $9.3 billion -
close to one third of the general fund budget. It includes a $100 million
increase in basic education (the bread and butter of state funding for school
districts), $20 million more for special education, and $40 million more for
preschool. In addition, it calls for maintaining the $250 million in school
block grant funding for another year.
Pa.
Republicans are skittish on spending levels in Gov. Tom Wolf's budget proposal
Penn Live By Charles Thompson cthompson@pennlive.com Updated Feb
6, 2:50 PM
Republican leaders in the Pennsylvania Legislature
weren't angry about Gov. Tom Wolf's $33 billion budget proposal Tuesday. But
they did have a few, immediate ideas about how to improve on it. Here's what
the loyal opposition had to say Tuesday afternoon:
Governor’s
budget proposal faces familiar GOP objections
By Alex Rose, Delaware County Daily Times POSTED: 02/06/18, 8:11 PM EST
Gov. Tom Wolf’s final budget proposal of his term
Tuesday set the stage for familiar battles with the Republican-controlled
Legislature over imposing an extraction tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas and
increasing the minimum wage. But state Rep. Alex Charlton, R-165 of
Springfield, said there also weren’t any far-reaching objectives outlined in
Wolf’s address to the General Assembly that might derail negotiations. “Certainly
nobody’s looking for a protracted argument over this that’s going to go beyond
a due date for a budget,” he said. “Nobody wants the bed press that comes with
a drawn-out budget debate that sees service providers not receiving their
funding, that sees schools on the leash for not knowing when they’ll get their
state support.” Prior years’ budget negations have stalled for
months due to partisan bickering. Wolf, who is running for re-election, said he
hopes to avoid that scenario this year with a proposed $33 billion budget –
about $1 billion, or 3 percent, higher than the current one. Half of the Senate
and the entirety of the House are also up for election in 2018. “It’s hard to
know how an election affects things, except that it makes it very difficult to
enact taxes on Pennsylvanians,” said Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
Director Marc Stier. “My sense is that both sides want to reach an agreement
and then move on to the election.” To that end, Charlton said the governor
appeared to have presented a reasonable budget on the surface that legislators
can work with.
GOP
gubernatorial candidates criticize Wolf's budget as 'more of the same'
Penn Live By Jan Murphy jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Feb
6, 6:09 PM
Gov. Tom Wolf's $33 billion
budget proposal for 2018-19 was ridiculed by Republican candidates who
want his job as one that overspends and lacks vision to lead Pennsylvania
forward. Wolf, who is up for re-election this year, spent
much of his budget address to the General Assembly on Tuesday touting the
accomplishments of his first three years in office and focusing little on the
details of what's in his $33 billion budget that proposes a $1 billion, or 3.7
percent, spending increase. But one piece he did highlight in a challenge to
the Legislature was to pass a severance tax on natural gas drillers, the only
tax increase included in his budget proposal for next year. His GOP gubernatorial
challengers saw his blueprint for state spending as an election-year budget
intended to bolster Wolf's chances of being elected to a second term. Here are
some of their thoughts they offered about the proposal:
Press
Release Education Voters of
PA Media contacts: Susan Spicka POSTED FEBRUARY 6, 2018 EDVOPA
(HARRISBURG) February 6, 2018 – Susan Spicka,
Executive Director of Education Voters of PA, made the following statement
about Governor Wolf’s 2018-2019 budget proposal:
Budgets are about priorities and we are encouraged
that investing in the education of PA’s public school students remains a top
priority for Governor Wolf. We hope that state lawmakers will support these
critical investments in our children and the new revenues that will be required
to pay for them. PA has the most inequitable school funding system in the
nation because our state government simply does not pay its fair share. PA
provides just 37% of K-12 funding to school districts; the national average is
47%. As a result, local taxpayers do the heavy lifting of funding their
children’s public schools through property taxes. In low-wealth rural, urban,
and suburban communities throughout Pennsylvania, local taxpayers- cannot raise
the resources necessary to provide their children with the educational
opportunities they need to reach their potential in school and after
graduation. Governor Wolf’s proposed increases of $100 million in Basic
Education Funding and $20 million in Special Education Funding will provide
school districts throughout Pennsylvania with desperately needed additional
state funding. However, given the state’s extraordinarily inadequate
contribution to K-12 school funding, we recognize that the state must make a
significantly larger investment in our children’s schools in order to
adequately prepare all students for a bright future after graduation.
Additional
$14 million for Erie schools included in Pa. budget
Erie News Now By Matt Knoedler Posted: Feb 06, 2018 5:52 PM EST Updated: Feb
06, 2018 5:52 PM EST
Leaders in the Erie School District are
relieved following the Governor Tom Wolf's budget address Tuesday. The
budget includes the additional $14 million in recurring state aid that was
promised last year. That's on top of their standard $1 million in basic
education funding. The money will help eliminate the district's structural
deficit and allow them to expand other educational programs,
Superintendent Brian Polito told Erie News Now following the announcement. "We
had been assured that it was going to happen over the last couple of months,
but just seeing it in writing is a very positive thing," said Polito. The
funding is expected to last five years to help get the district back on its
feet following years of multi-million dollar budget deficits. School
administrators have spent the last three years lobbying for the funding after
cutting their way to a balanced budget each year. That included a massive
consolidation, in which four high schools merged into two and several other elementary
schools were closed to save money.
U.S.
Supreme Court to Pa.: Quit the clowning and draw fair congressional districts|
Editorial
by The Inquirer Editorial Board
Updated: FEBRUARY 6, 2018 — 3:01 AM EST
No more dawdling, excuses, or tricks. The U.S. Supreme
Court says Pennsylvania has to continue on a track to
redraw congressional district lines in time for the May 15 primaries. If
lawmakers fail, the state Supreme Court says it will draw the maps itself.
On Monday, the highest court in the land upheld a Jan. 22 state Supreme Court
ruling ordering the legislature to hand in new maps by Friday to reduce the
partisan gerrymandering that’s robbed Democrats, giving them only five of
the state’s 18 seats — though voting is split almost evenly between the
parties. Before the Republican-controlled legislature drew
maps in 2011, the party held seven seats to the Democrats’ 12. The state lost
one seat due to a shrinking population, leaving it with 18. When the GOP
was done packing and stacking their voters into districts to ensure wins for
their candidates, their seven seats swelled to 13 and the Democrats’ 12 shrunk
to five. Among their tricks: Republicans spread Chester County
through three House districts; Montgomery County through five and Berks County
through four to find their voters and dilute the Democrats’ influence. They
even drew a line through the city of Chester in Delaware County just to weaken
that struggling community’s clout in Congress.
A reluctant
Pa. legislature settles in for a map-making cram session
Penn Live By Charles Thompson cthompson@pennlive.com Updated 5:25
AM; Posted Feb 6, 9:43 PMState lawmakers are scrambling to replace Pennsylvania's now-unconstitutional Congressional map.
Backed into a corner after weeks of hand-to-hand
legal combat, majority Republicans in the Pennsylvania Legislature are
reluctantly setting about drawing a new Congressional map.
Top Senate and House staffers said Tuesday
their leaders have resigned themselves to try to comply with a Jan. 22 state
Supreme Court order that ruled the current boundaries of
Pennsylvania's 18 U.S. House districts unconstitutional due to extreme partisan
gerrymandering. In a 4-3 vote, the court further ordered the
production of new maps for the House districts in time for the May primary
election. The court-imposed deadline is Feb. 9, or Friday.WITF Written by Bill Barrow and Mark Scolforo/The Associated Press | Feb 7, 2018 3:18 AM
(Pittsburgh) -- Pennsylvania already figured prominently in Democrats' attempt to win back control of the U.S. House. A decision this week in a long-running redistricting case is set to give those efforts a boost. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene after the state's high court declared unconstitutional Pennsylvania's existing House map, which had been heavily gerrymandered by Republicans. A reshuffled map is expected to make several districts friendlier for Democratic candidates in November. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the leaders of the Republican-run Legislature face a court-ordered Friday deadline to find a compromise approach to drawing the new boundaries. "It's still early in the process ... but I'm very encouraged by what this decision could mean for the people of Pennsylvania," said Rep. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, who heads Democrats' House campaign arm. Before the redistricting decision, Democrats had zeroed in on six Pennsylvania congressional districts out of 91 they are targeting nationwide. Only California and New York have more top targets for House Democrats.
Pennsylvania
School Boards Association calls for equity in education | PennLive letters
Penn Live Letters to the Editor By Nathan Mains Updated Feb 6, 8:45 AM
Nathan Mains is the CEO of the
Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
The recently posted "50 worst schools in
Pennsylvania" story that ran on PennLive on Jan. 29 was extremely
misleading and detrimental to those districts placed on the list. While the
editors may feel this type of story is helpful, it does nothing but tear down
communities and foster bitterness. When one of the schools on the list
contacted Niche.com, which is where PennLive got the data, Niche's response was
to say "the PennLive article published earlier this week took our data out
of context and used it in a way that was never intended." This post is
significantly detrimental because it provides no context to the student,
educators and communities that are a part of this school district as to why
they are identified as the worst schools.
Once a
national model, the school system in Washington, D.C., is now the target of an
FBI investigation
Post-Gazette by PETER JAMISON AND FENIT
NIRAPPIL The Washington Post FEB 5, 2018 3:00 AM
WASHINGTON - For much of the past decade the
District of Columbia school system has been the crown jewel of public policy in
the nation’s capital, held up as a national model for education reformers and a
shared source of pride for the District’s fractious elected officials. Former
U.S. education secretary Arne Duncan pointed to the District as an example of
“what can happen when schools embrace innovative reforms and do the hard work
necessary to ensure that all students graduate ready for college and careers.”
Philanthropists have poured more than $120 million into the school system since
2007. Many are now asking whether that confidence was misplaced. With the
revelation last week that more than 900 students - one-third of last year’s
high school graduates - should not have been awarded diplomas because of
truancy and other problems, the school system has turned virtually overnight
into an embarrassment for the city and its elected leaders, who are publicly
re-examining their assumptions about the system’s progress.
To compete
with charters, Pa. district schools now polishing up their brands
WHYY By Laura Benshoff February 5, 2018
It’s not unusual to
see billboards, advertisements, and glossy brochures for charter schools in
Pennsylvania. Now, more traditional public schools are crafting their image
just as carefully as they compete for students. In the Upper Darby School District in Delaware County, more than half of all
students are minorities, and more than half are economically disadvantaged. The
reputations of districts like this one don’t always match academic realities,
according to Dana Spino, director of district media relations. “We know our
story, and we want to be able to tell our story, and I think there is a public
perception of public education that doesn’t reflect Upper Darby in particular,”
she said. For example, parents comparing public and charter schools might not
know about the district’s Advanced Placement course offerings or that the
dropout rate is lower than in many neighboring districts.
“Before Quakertown started offering the
new program, students interested in dance would have to look to area charter
schools — like Lehigh County’s Innovative Arts Academy Charter School or the
Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. Under state law, Quakertown, on
average, pays about $14,000 per student who opts for a charter school. Harner
estimated costs for about 16 or 17 students who pursued arts courses at charter
schools totaled about $267,000 a year.”
Dance
classes in Quakertown high school off to a good first step
Intelligencer By Chris Ullery Posted
at 5:00 AM February 7, 2018
A new dance studio and performing arts classes have
school administrators hopeful to retain and attract students drawn to charter
schools with similar programs. The second semester of a dance program at
Quakertown Community High School began earlier this month, and administrators
hope the new courses will grow in leaps and bounds. Done in part to retain
current students and attract new students from charter schools, the new program
and construction of the 2,774-square-foot dance studio bolsters what
administrators say is already a robust curriculum. “The crown jewel of our high
school and our district is our performing arts programs,” Superintendent
William Harner said. The dance classes are the newest addition to the school’s
performing art offerings, which also include choral, band and theater groups.
Classes offered include jazz, ballet and modern dance, as well as a
fundamentals course that includes a “dance history” section, dancing instructor
Sarah Hirsch said.
Charter
operators press for changes in how schools are authorized
As Philadelphia prepares for its new school
board, charter leaders are angling for independence from the District and
pushing for friendly board members.
The notebook by Greg Windle February 5, 2018 —
3:41pm
With the process of returning Philadelphia schools
to local control well underway, charter school operators are taking the
opportunity to seek long-desired changes in how charters are authorized. They
are looking at models in other cities where such power lies directly with
city government or is otherwise more independent of the school district. On
full display last week was the testy relationship between the charters and the
District’s Charter Schools Office, which sets the rules for their approval and
renewal and manages their evaluations. Now, the office reports directly to the
School Reform Commission, whose days are numbered. A mayorally appointed
Board of Education is scheduled to take over governance of the District on July
1. “With the SRC going away, it is unclear whether [the charter office’s]
reporting would go back to the District, to the new school board, or over to
the mayor, or to an independent board,” said Stephen DeMaura, head of Excellent
Schools Pennsylvania, which advocates for charter schools. “We would very much
like to see ... a different reporting lineage; that is how it is done in every
other city in the country. A conversation is worthwhile.”
York Dispatch by Junior Gonzalez,
717-505-5439/@EducationYD Published 7:38 p.m. ET Feb. 6, 2018
While Helen Thackston Charter School turned in three
years of audits to the York City School District by a hair’s breadth on
condition of a dissolution agreement, it might still be at risk of closure at
the end of the current school year. According to York City school board
president Margie Orr, district administrators found “some discrepancies” in the
financial documents submitted by Thackston officials last Wednesday, Jan. 31,
but added she wasn’t privy to additional information. The York City school
board and Thackston's board agreed last October to cancel charter revocation
hearings and instead simply dissolve the school after the 2018-19 school year. However,
a condition in the closure agreement states that if the charter school failed
to approve and submit completed independent audits for the 2013-14, 2014-15 and
2015-16 school years by Jan. 31, it must surrender its charter and close upon
the end of the current school year.
The
benefits of education choice
Centre Daily Times Letter by COLLEEN HRONCICH, GROVE CITY February
06, 2018 11:58 PMThe writer is a senior fellow at the Commonwealth Foundation
A recent column claimed education choice trades
accountability for flexibility. In fact, choice boosts accountability for
parents and taxpayers. Education savings accounts allow families to use a
portion of the state’s education spending for private school tuition, special
needs services, tutoring, therapy, and more instead of enrolling in public
schools. ESAs empower parents and create real competition, which has defenders
of the status quo trembling. The anti-educational choice crowd’s latest salvo
is that students with special needs will have to give up their rights if they
utilize ESAs. The Individuals with Disability Education Act guarantees public
schools provide Free Appropriate Public Education to students with special
needs. Importantly, this right to an education is not a right to the best
possible education.
Puerto Rico governor announces public education
overhaul
Reuters by Nick Brown February 5, 2018
(Reuters) - Puerto Rico’s governor said his
administration will unveil a broad education reform bill on Tuesday aimed at
incorporating school vouchers and charter schools into the bankrupt U.S.
territory’s education system.
Speaking in a televised address on Monday, Governor
Ricardo Rossello also said every public school teacher in Puerto Rico would
receive a $1,500 annual salary increase beginning next school year. It was
unclear whether the pay bump would require legislation. The governor’s remarks
came 10 days after the island’s education secretary, Julia Keleher, said she
planned to decentralize Puerto Rico’s education department and introduce
“autonomous schools.” Public school reform is a touchy issue in the U.S.
territory, where teachers make an average of about $27,000 a year. But Puerto
Rico, struggling simultaneously through the biggest government bankruptcy in
U.S. history and the aftermath of September’s Hurricane Maria, its worst
natural disaster in 90 years, is trying to embrace much-needed structural
reforms. Its public school system, organized as a single, island-wide district,
is among the weakest in the United States and long plagued by bloated
administrative spending. In some age groups, less than 10 percent of students
meet federal testing standards.
Where Will
Trump Go Next on Choice? Watch These Three Groups of Students
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson
Klein on February 6, 2018 3:06 PM
Want
to know where the White House and Congress might go next on school choice? Watch three populations that the federal
government has a special responsibility for: children of military personnel,
Native American students, and kids living in the District of Columbia. President Donald
Trump ran
on creating a $20 billion voucher program, but so far,
Republicans in Congress aren't exactly chomping at the bit to make that a
reality. That's partly because fears from many in the GOP about federal
overreach—even in the service of school choice, a policy that most Republicans
favor. But focusing on these particular groups is a different story. "What
is appropriate is for the federal government to advance choice for populations
where the federal government has a special obligation," said Lindsey
Burke, the director of the Center on Education Policy at the Heritage
Foundation, a conservative think tank. There are several proposals
and pieces of legislation seeking to offer Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs,
to military-connected or Native students. In fact, there's some speculation
that this could even be a part of President Trump's fiscal year 2019 budget
proposal, which is expected to be released soon. The problem? Many groups that
would be directly impacted by these proposals aren't clamoring for a big school
choice initiative, their advocates say.
Vouchers
Are Still an Issue in Milwaukee
Education Week By Walt Gardner on February
7, 2018 7:14 AM
The debate over vouchers will likely never end, but
that does not mean it's useless taking a closer look at the birthplace of this
innovation ("Do School Vouchers Work? Milwaukee's Experiment
Suggests an Answer," The Wall Street Journal, Jan.
29). Since 1990, parents in Wisconsin have been given state-funded vouchers to
be used to educate their children in private schools. (The initial plan barred
religious schools.) To date, about one-quarter of students - nearly 29,000 -
have participated. Have vouchers worked as intended? According to an analysis
conducted by The Wall Street Journal, they have as long as enrollment of
voucher students has been kept low. In short, there is a tipping point beyond
which there is little difference in performance between public and private
schools. What the study did not explain, however, is what criteria were used by
private and religious schools in admitting students. That's an important
question because the bulk of schools with the highest voucher enrollments were
in the bottom quartiles of private schools for results on state exams. In
order to look good, private and religious schools will quite naturally want to
cherry pick students. Traditional public schools, on the other hand, by law
must enroll all who show up at their door regardless of ability or
motivation. As a result, I'm surprised that private and religious schools
didn't far surpass their competition.
If 12,000
Families Didn’t Want School Choice, We Wouldn’t Be Here
Education Post by Constance Jones Brewer POSTED FEB.
5, 2018
Constance Jones Brewer is the
president of the Noble Network of Charter Schools in Chicago, Illinois.
Every morning, I come to work thinking about our
students. Not politics, or rhetoric, or the news. Just our students—all 12,000
of them. They come from every one of Chicago’s neighborhoods, as far north as
Jefferson Park and as far south as Pullman. Most of them take public transit,
sometimes multiple buses and trains, to get to school. Some of them walk while
others catch a ride with a family member or neighbor. But each one of them, no
matter how they arrive or where they come from or how long it takes to get to
school, is exercising the same right: their right to choose. So much of the
public education debate in our city and country is focused on the abstract. We
talk about policies and ideas in technical terms, and occasionally those
debates spill over into arguments. We get emotional, we take sides. Far too
often we forget that school choice is ultimately a very personal exercise, and
one that empowers families all across our country and city.
Help draft a plan to implement a
statewide vision for the future of public education in PA!
PSBA Member
Roundtables/Receptions – February and March Dates
Join your PSBA Member Roundtable and Reception to
hear the public education advocacy and political updates affecting your school
district. Take this opportunity to network, learn and develop your leadership
skills. Enjoy light hors d'oeuvres and networking with fellow school
directors in your area, then provide your input on the future vision for public
education in PA. Roundtable Discussion: Help draft a
plan to implement a statewide vision for the future of public education in PA!
PSBA would like to capture your thoughts on what education should look like in
the coming decades. We will compile your expertise with the perspectives of
others from across the state to develop the Commonwealth Education Blueprint.
The Blueprint will then serve as our guiding resource and will set milestones
for creating the best public education experience for future generations of
students. Don’t miss your opportunity to weigh in!
Agenda:
·
6:00 -6:15 pm – Association update
·
6:15 -7:00 pm – Governor’s budget address recap
·
7:00 -7:45 pm – Networking Reception
·
7:45 -8:30 pm – Member Round Table Discussion
Locations
and Dates: https://www.psba.org/2018/01/member-roundtable-receptions/
by The Fellowship:
Black Male Educators for Social Justice
There is a serious shortage of Black male
educators in our schools, and all our children are worse off for it. Maybe
you’re the answer. Whether you’re an experienced Black male educator looking
for a new challenge, a college student weighing career paths, or working in
another field you just don’t find fulfilling, come to the PURPOSE CAREER FAIR
to meet and interview with over 30 school networks looking to hire in
Philadelphia public schools and beyond.
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
Welcome to
the new look of psba.org!
POSTED ON JANUARY 30, 2018 IN PSBA NEWS
We’re excited to launch a new website with a cleaner
look and improved navigation to help you find the resources you want with even
more ease. And just like the current website, this new one is completely
mobile-friendly so it works just as easily on your tablet or smartphone as it
does on your desktop computer. Take psba.org wherever you go! As part of this
roll out, we also will be launching a new member portal – myPSBA. The new
portal will be a one-stop shop for event registrations and will offer
many of the same features of your favorite social media platforms,
with online discussion groups where members can communicate on topics
related to their position in the district. Members also can access PSBA's new
Online Learning program, included in All-Access membership, for training
anywhere at anytime. In the coming weeks members will be receiving an email
with personal login information to myPSBA. We look forward to sharing these
exciting new developments with you! Until then, registration forms are found on
each event page and do not require logging in. Available online publications,
and many of our popular reports and resources, now are easily found under
Advocacy & News.
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
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! Join the PA Principals Association,
the PA Association of School Administrators and the PA Association of Rural and
Small Schools for PA Education Leaders Advocacy Day at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June
19, 2018, at the Capitol in Harrisburg, PA.
A rally in support of public education and important
education issues will be held on the Main Rotunda Steps from 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Visits with legislators will be conducted earlier in the day. More information will be sent via email, shared in our publications and posted on our website closer to the event.
Visits with legislators will be conducted earlier in the day. More information will be sent via email, shared in our publications and posted on our website closer to the event.
To register, send an email to Dr. Joseph Clapper at clapper@paprincipals.org before Friday, June 8,
2018.
Click here to view the PA Education
Leaders Advocacy Day 2018 Save The Date Flyer (INCLUDES EVENT SCHEDULE AND
IMPORTANT ISSUES.)
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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