PA Ed Policy Roundup April 19: “an affront to the 38 House Republicans who co-sponsored” HB722

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

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Ed Policy Roundup April 19, 2018

“an affront to the 38 House Republicans who co-sponsored” HB722


Partisan political gridlock coming to a Pennsylvania school board near you?
The Pennsylvania House passed a bill, sponsored by Rep. Justin Simmons, R-Lehigh, that would require school board candidates to run for election as either a Democrat or Republican instead of candidates cross-filing.
Morning Call Steve Esack Contact Reporter Call Harrisburg Bureau April 18, 2018
Your local school board soon could act like Congress and the Pennsylvania Legislature: Blatant partisan politics and hopeless gridlock on budgets and other big matters. The state House voted 114-77 Wednesday for a bill that would end the bipartisan nature of school board elections. House Bill 638, sponsored by Rep. Justin Simmons, R-Lehigh, would change the state’s 1937 Election Code that allows school board candidates to cross-file as both a Republican and a Democrat. The bill would force those candidates to file under only one or the other major party. Simmons explained his rational in a memo to lawmakers. He wrote: “Historically, school board candidates have been permitted to cross-file because this position has been thought of as non-partisan. However, school board members once in office make very important decisions related to a school district's budget, and constituents are increasingly viewing this position as a partisan one. Often, voters are confused when a school board candidate receives the nomination of more than one party on the ballot, and eliminating their ability to cross-file could provide some clarity to voters in school board elections.”
http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-nws-simmons-school-board-politics-20180418-story.html

“The state’s 2018 Handbook for Assessment Coordinators runs more than 80 pages; it contains strict rules on everything from bathroom breaks to the handling of testing materials. The handbook uses phrases such as “Under no circumstances should you attempt ...” and “In the interest of test security it is of the utmost importance that ...” Students aren’t even permitted to sharpen their No. 2 pencils during a PSSA exam.”
On PSSA protocols and pancakes
Lancaster Online by THE LNP EDITORIAL BOARD April 19, 2018
THE ISSUE:  Hand Middle School eighth-grade teacher who said he was suspended pending termination last week for serving whole-grain pancakes to his students during a Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exam will return to work today, School District of Lancaster officials said Tuesday. Social studies teacher Kyle Byler told LNP that he was expecting the school board to vote on his termination at its Tuesday evening meeting. But as school board President Edith Gallagher writes today in an op-ed, termination of Byler was never on the board’s agenda. It appears that the Great Pancake Incident of 2018 has been resolved. The matter of the batter is moot. It’s easy for us to joke about this, of course. We weren’t the ones suspended — without pay — for the grave infraction of serving whole-grain pancakes to students taking a PSSA exam. And we aren’t the students who faced the prospect of losing a beloved teacher. “He is an amazing teacher,” Hand eighth-grade student Naryeliz Lopez told LNP staff writer Alex Geli. “He’s been there for me since day one, and when he wasn’t there (after his suspension), I completely fell apart.” Student Alizea Rodriguez said she cried when Byler wasn’t in class the day after the PSSA exam because she knew he was in trouble. She and some 30 other Hand and McCaskey High School students protested for nearly two hours outside the middle school Friday. “He makes learning fun,” she said. “He has a great personality. He helps students and can relate to them.” We’re glad for the sake of Naryeliz, Alizea and other Hand students that Byler will return to his classroom today.
https://lancasteronline.com/opinion/editorials/on-pssa-protocols-and-pancakes/article_2759f71e-4364-11e8-a8dd-2feaa7dfbd9e.html

Fifth-grader: Legislators should take ‘this nuisance that they call a test’
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss April 19 at 6:00 AM Email the author
Dawn Neely-Randall is a fifth-grade teacher at McKinley Elementary School in Elyria, Ohio. Her class — and many others in the state — were prepared to take annual standardized tests but computer glitches caused delays. Annoying delays, she said. When it became clear that students were not going to be able to take their tests as scheduled, Neely-Randall allowed them to open up their computers and write about how they feel about the tests. The exams are used, ostensibly, to assess how much students have learned during the year and to evaluate teacher performance. Some of Neely-Randall’s students expressed their distaste for the tests, which you can see in the tweets below. One student complained about computer scoring of tests, including essays, which is controversial. The legislators have never had to take the AIR test. I would love to see them sit down for 90 minutes at a time and this nuisance that they call a test and I bet they would struggle during so many days of testing. Plus this is not even a good testing system at all and now because of robo scoring, it makes it even worse. Now more kids are going to fail all because [of] this one test. Also not only do they judge you by the test, they judge the teachers and the schools. That’s not fair now is it? The state doesn’t even ask the teacher what your grades or what you score on your assignments! They don’t care. They just care about this one test. Plus, people predict that at least one third of the students will fail the test.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/04/19/fifth-grader-legislators-should-take-this-nuisance-that-they-call-a-test/?utm_term=.f2b5be1be2ed

“Speaking as a Republican, this move wasn’t just a slap in the face to Democrats and independents. It was an affront to the 38 House Republicans who co-sponsored our bill.”
HB722: Roe denounces amendment to redistricting bill 
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer04/17/2018 02:05PM ● Published by Richard Gaw
In a big blow to a state bill intended to strike down future partisan gerrymandering in Pennsylvania, 15 members of the House State Government Committee voted on April 11 to attach an amendment to House Bill 722 that gives legislators more leverage in the redistricting process, and erases the start of a proposed independent, citizen-led commission that would serve as a watchdog to prevent gerrymandering practices in the state. The tweaked amendment redefines HB 722 and would guarantee that politicians continue to have a partisan grip on how district lines are drawn, preventing the opportunity for a more fair and transparent redistricting process, said Rep. Eric Roe of the 158th Legislative District in Chester County, who co-sponsored and introduced the bipartisan bill with Rep. Steve Samuelson, (D-Northampton). “I am very disappointed by what transpired on Wednesday at the impromptu House State Government Committee meeting on HB 722,” Roe said. “The intention of our bill was to make the redistricting process less partisan and more neutral. The ‘gut-and-replace’ amendment inserted by the committee did just the opposite. It placed more power in the hands of partisan politicians, and it gave the majority party -- whichever party that will be after the next census in 2021 -- an even greater opportunity to gerrymander.
http://www.chestercounty.com/2018/04/17/171393/roe-denounces-amendment-to-redistricting-bill

HB722: Editorial: Voting rights rally in Harrisburg inspires hope, but prayers may be what’s needed
Intelligencer Editorial Posted Apr 18, 2018 at 1:09 AM
Tuesday’s headline said Monday’s rally in Harrisburg “inspires hope” that state lawmakers will take action to protect Pennsylvanians’ voting rights. Maybe so. It certainly doesn’t inspire confidence. We say that because the 700 people who flooded the capitol this week were there because of what members of the House State Government Committee did last week, gutting a measure seeking to protect voting rights. The legislation that came before the committee would create a non-partisan citizens panel to redraw the state’s congressional map based on population shifts identified by the census. This would take the process out of the hands of politicians — and the influence of politics — ensuring that district boundaries are not manipulated to produce favorable election results for one party or the other. When that manipulation occurs it’s called gerrymandering. And it’s illegal.
http://www.theintell.com/opinion/20180418/editorial-voting-rights-rally-in-harrisburg-inspires-hope-but-prayers-may-be-whats-needed

“But despite a sustained campaign that drew more than 700 people Monday to chant and sing under the Capitol Rotunda — a number organizers say likely suffered last-minute losses because of the morning’s heavy rain — Fair Districts Chairwoman Carol Kuniholm said many politicians continue to skirt the issue. “Some are trying not to talk about it at all,” she said. “But we will do everything we can to keep the focus on it.”
Harrisburg rally inspires hope amid setback in redistricting fight
Bucks County Courier Times By James O’Malley / jomalley@couriertimes.com / @omalley_news Posted Apr 16, 2018 at 8:54 PM Updated Apr 16, 2018 at 9:59 PM
After suffering a setback last week in the state House of Representatives, activists in the redistricting fight flooded the Capitol Building to make their voices heard.
HARRISBURG — Lisa Manheim didn’t always spend her Mondays this way. But in torrential rain, she jumped on a bus from Doylestown Borough to Harrisburg to add her voice to the grassroots fight for voting district reform. “It’s not partisan, it’s about fairness,” the borough resident said. “And I feel like I can put my energy into that.” A yoga instructor and teacher at Bucks County Community College, Manheim said she never considered herself a particularly political person, only beginning to attend rallies and protests in the last two years. “Since the last election, this country is under a huge amount of stress,” she said. Many on the nearly-full charter carrying 44 people from Bucks and Montgomery counties to the capital echoed her sentiments. Once in Harrisburg, the group joined with hundreds more from around the state in a pair of rallies organized by Fair Districts PA, a nonpartisan anti-gerrymandering activism group. Fair Districts has advocated for a pair of bills in the state Senate and House of Representatives to amend the state constitution and strip the power to draw voting maps from the General Assembly, placing it instead with an independent commission.
http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/20180416/harrisburg-rally-inspires-hope-amid-setback-in-redistricting-fight

“SB22 has moved out of committee for hearings; the next one is on April 24. HB722 was gutted on Wednesday through an amendment in a committee run by Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of Butler County. The amended bill from Metcalfe would put in place a redistricting process even more partisan and less accountable than the current process.”
End gerrymandering
Butler Eagle April 14, 2018 Letters to the Editor Submitted by: Brenda Eichelberger Elizabethtown
Unfair congressional and legislative districting affect everyone in our commonwealth. For too long, Pennsylvania legislators have drawn up our districts in secret. They have created bizarre, contorted districts that give one or another political party an unfair advantage in representation. The recent decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has not changed this situation. In 2020, we will go right back to gerrymandering unless we fix this problem. I’m writing from Elizabethtown in Lancaster County because this is a Pennsylvania problem and it takes all of us to solve it. We have the power to eliminate gerrymandering by amending the state Constitution to create a citizens’ commission to draw the voting districts. This commission would consist of four members of each of the top two political parties and three members of minority parties or unaffiliated residents. The commission would create districts that would be transparent, independent and ethical. The two bills that would create this commission, House Bill 722 and Senate Bill 22, must pass in the 2017-18 legislative session (deadline: July 2018), and then again in the 2018-19 session before going to the voters for a referendum.
http://www.butlereagle.com/article/20180414/EDITORIAL02/180419962/-1/editorial

Harrisburg's GOP thugs want to kick voters out of redistricting process | Editorial
by The Inquirer Editorial Board Updated: APRIL 18, 2018 — 1:05 PM EDT
The roots of Pennsylvania’s gerrymandering problem are planted deep in the state legislature. Whichever party is the majority crams its loyal voters into districts so its candidates have easy elections. Voters don’t get to decide a fair fight because there isn’t one. The majority party picks the candidates, picks the voters, and wins. For Republicans, the current majority party, it’s job security. For Democrats, it’s irrelevance. For voters, it’s tyranny. That’s why hundreds of Pennsylvanians went to Harrisburg this week to protest an obscene performance by Republican despots who grabbed total control over redistricting, effectively hamstringing voters’ influence on the electoral process. Lawmakers were supposed to hear legislation to make voting districts better reflect the state’s demographics. Instead, Republicans figured out a way to rig elections even more than they have in the past. Without warning, without public input, and even without testimony from fellow House members, the State Government Committee, chaired by State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R., Butler), shut the public out of  the process to draw legislative district maps.
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/editorials/harrisburgs-gop-thugs-want-to-kick-voters-out-of-redistricting-process-editorial-20180418.html

“At the next public hearing, I hope to learn more about how other states do redistricting and additional possible ways Pennsylvania might change its process.  That hearing will be 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, April 24 in Hearing Room One of the North Office Building.”
Here's what to expect at the next Senate redistricting hearing | Mike Folmer
Guest Editorial By Mike Folmer Updated 8:45 AM; Posted 8:45 AM
State Sen. Mike Folmer, a Republican, represents the 48th Senate District, which includes parts of Dauphin, Lebanon and York counties. He writes from Harrisburg. 
My "Promise to Pennsylvania" calls for strict adherence to Article III of the state Constitution on how legislation is passed.  It's why I've insisted as chair of the Senate State Government Committee to publicly vet legislation prior to voting. As redistricting changes have long been a goal of mine, I've wanted for some time to hold a series of hearings on proposed redistricting bills referred to the Committee.  However, lawsuits over the 2011 maps forced me to put these hearings on hold. With the conclusion of these court challenges, I was both pleased and relieved to convene the first public hearing on proposals to change our redistricting process.  I hope those who watched found it as informative as I did.
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2018/04/heres_what_to_expect_at_the_ne.html#incart_river_index

“The program began 10 years ago with 18 students, said Denise Manganello, principal for the cyber program. Now there are more than 1,000 students each semester in the cyber program. The district made cyber instruction a priority when students began leaving for cyber charter schools or Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Midland, Beaver County, Manganello said. They wanted to know why students were leaving and how they could keep them in the district, she said.
Students wanted more flexibility and more options, Manganello said. Many wanted the ability to pursue a dance or strings program that would prepare them for a career, like the program at Lincoln Park, or to train in other preprofessional athletic programs across the country while staying in school. Some who had social or school anxiety issues opted for cyber school as a way to ease mental health issues. So the district created the Academy of Choice, which is part cyber program and part performing arts school. It’s kept Seneca Valley students in the district, officials say, which also keeps money in the district.”
SV school superintendent welcomes group of peers
Tour includes cyber program
Cranberry Eagle Written by: Rachel Wagoner Published: April 7, 2018
JACKSON TWP — School leaders from across the region gathered at Seneca Valley’s secondary campus Thursday for the Pennsylvania Department of Education Superintendent’s Academy site visit. Seneca Valley superintendent Tracy Vitale was selected to be part of the Pennsylvania Superintendent’s Academy two years ago when the program began. The academy is a professional development program formed by state secretary of education Pedro Rivera. It is open to superintendents from schools with high levels of poverty or special needs students, she said. “We talk about best-practices, benchmarking, or comparing ourselves with the highest-achieving schools, and we study successful systems,” Vitale said. As part of an action learning project she had to complete, Vitale and Seneca Valley hosted a site visit to showcase the district’s programs, share ideas with other school leaders and to be evaluated by representatives from the National Institute for School Leadership. The department of education partnered with the National Institute for School Leadership to offer the program. About 20 superintendents from the southwest region of the academy sat in on presentations and tours about Seneca Valley’s programs, projects and systems. One of the presentations was on the district’s unique cyber and performing arts program, the Academy of Choice. “The times have changed,” Vitale said, of the need for a cyber program. “We have to be more flexible.”
http://www.thecranberryeagle.com/article/20180407/CRAN0101/704079816/-1/CRAN01

Cheltenham HS stresses unity during gun protest walkout on Columbine anniversary
Inquirer by Kathy Boccella, Staff Writer  @Kathy_Boccella |  kboccella@phillynews.com Updated: APRIL 18, 2018 — 6:45 PM EDT
It was hailed as the dawn of a new generation of student activism when tens of thousands of kids streamed out of their classrooms last month for a National School Walkout to protest mass shootings — but Cheltenham High School senior Eve Glazier and some of her friends thought something was still missing. “A lot of people just feel excluded by the movement,” said Glazier, one of about 500 Cheltenham kids who’d walked out on March 14 in the aftermath of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting that left 17 people dead. “It’s not the fault of the people leading it. … It’s just the way society is.” When Glazier learned of a second National School Walkout – slated for this Friday, on the anniversary of the infamous 1999 shooting at Colorado’s Columbine High School – she and two other student activists talked about Cheltenham taking part in a big way, but with some major differences. “We’re saying our focus is on gun violence in general, …” said Glazier. “Every day gun violence is affecting people of color. For a lot of our students it’s hard for them to be concerned with big mass shootings when their everyday reality is urban gun violence….”
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/cheltenham-high-school-student-walkout-gun-violence-columbine-shooting-anniversary-20180419.html

Pittsburgh-area schools prepare for another national walkout
MATT MCKINNEY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mmckinney@post-gazette.com APR 18, 2018 5:29 PM
Over the past two months, Pittsburgh-area students have joined their peers from across the country in rallies and coordinated school walkouts to demonstrate against gun violence and push for stricter gun laws. But if responses from some area school districts are any indication, this round of scheduled demonstrations this week may lack the punch of other recent efforts. A National School Walkout is set for Friday to coincide with the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. “I have not heard anything,” Baldwin-Whitehall School District Superintendent Randal Lutz said in an email. No word of walkouts in North Allegheny School District either, a spokeswoman said. Before the last round of walkouts in March, some districts issued directives either supporting or warning against demonstrations. But that’s been less widespread, several districts say. North Hills School District had not issued any walkout-related notifications as of Wednesday, a spokeswoman said.
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2018/04/18/Pittsburgh-area-schools-prepare-for-another-nationwide-School-Walkout-Day/stories/201804180191

Submit Feedback to the Pennsylvania School Safety Task Force
Governor Wolf’s Website
In the wake of recent tragic events, Governor Tom Wolf called for the organization the School Safety Task Force to address the following questions:

·         How should Pennsylvania improve school safety by addressing the healthcare needs of students who need help?

·         How should Pennsylvania further strengthen protections in school buildings?

To address these guiding questions, the School Safety Task Force will host six regional meetings across the state in April and May. Meetings will be held in south central, north central, northeast, northwest, southwest, and southeast Pennsylvania. In addition to these efforts, the Governor’s Office invites you to provide your feedback on the questions listed above. If you wish to express your thoughts on these topics, please complete this form to share your comments with the School Safety Task Force. Your thoughts and the information gathered by the School Safety Task Force will help guide future policy to ensure our schools are safe spaces conducive to learning and preparing students for their future.
https://www.governor.pa.gov/school-safety-feedback/

Senate Approves Bill Allowing School Security Matters to be Discussed in Executive Session
Senator Jake Corman’s Website Posted on Apr 18, 2018
(HARRISBURG) – Local school districts and governments would be permitted to discuss school security matters in executive session under legislation passed today by the state Senate, according to Senator Jake Corman (R-34).  Senate Bill 1078 passed unanimously. Corman said the bill balances common sense concerns about protecting sensitive discussions and documents involving school security with the public’s “right to know.” Corman said a recent school shooting school in Florida has prompted school districts in Pennsylvania to re-examine, update and strengthen their security plans to better protect students, including identifying potential weaknesses in their current plans.  However, if made public, this information could compromise school safety efforts and put students at risk. “While I strongly support transparency, it makes no sense to give someone who intends to commit an act of violence against our schools access to the plans being adopted to prevent a tragedy,” Corman said. “We want our schools to be safe and to work with local and state law enforcement to develop comprehensive safety plans. We want them to do so without compromising safety.” More than half of the states currently have measures in place which allow for security and safety matters to be discussed in non-public executive session. “This measure balances openness and transparency with our desire to safeguard our children while they are at school,” Corman said.  “This sensible approach will help our school districts, local governments and first responders as they develop new school safety plans and procedures that will hopefully become national models.”
http://www.senatorcorman.com/2018/04/18/senate-approves-bill-allowing-school-security-matters-discussed-executive-session/

NRA to participate in annual rally for gun rights in Harrisburg on April 30 | Wednesday Morning Coffee
Penn Live By John L. Micek jmicek@pennlive.com Updated Apr 18, 11:08 AM; Posted Apr 18, 8:23 AM
Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
The National Rifle Association, whose chief spokeswoman once referred to gun-control advocates as "tragedy-dry humping whores," will take part in an annual gun-rights rallying day in Harrisburg on April 30 where it will seek "a polite discussion" with lawmakers. The annual Second Amendment rallying day and the push by the lobbying group, which specializes in ruthlessly and efficiently dismantling anything that looks even remotely like gun reform, comes as lawmakers in the state House hold an unusual series of public hearing on gun-control and school-safety issues. In an email, the NRA said the annual lobbying day is being coordinated through the office of House State Government Committee Chairman Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, who's one of the Legislature's most vocal gun rights advocates.
http://www.pennlive.com/capitol-notebook/2018/04/nra_to_hold_annual_rally_for_g.html#incart_2box_opinion

“Not included were proposals to ban assault-style weapons, ban devices that make semiautomatic weapons function like automatic weapons and to expand background checks to include long rifle purchases.”
Pennsylvania lawmakers to advance 5 bills intended to reduce gun violence
Trib Live by WES VENTEICHER  | Wednesday, April 18, 2018, 5:27 p.m.
At least five bills meant to reduce gun violence will be given a chance to move forward in the Pennsylvania state House following two weeks of hearings that ended Wednesday, said Judiciary Committee Chairman Ron Marsico, R-Dauphin County. The proposals would tighten rules for relinquishing firearms after domestic violence convictions, create “extreme risk protection orders” to prevent purchases by people deemed to be at risk of killing themselves or others, add police training for domestic violence calls and allow people to voluntarily exclude themselves from being able to purchase firearms for set periods of time. Those provisions had the most support from legislators in both parties among the group of gun bills introduced in the wake of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in February in Florida, Marsico said.
http://triblive.com/state/pennsylvania/13552063-74/pennsylvania-lawmakers-to-advance-5-bills-intended-to-reduce-gun-violence

NOW COMES THE HARD PART
By appointing his first school board, Mayor Kenney has taken responsibility for schools. How can we know if he’s succeeded?
The Philadelphia Citizen BY ROXANNE PATEL SHEPELAVY APR. 18, 2018
In a 1993 speech to his city’s business community, former Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn laid bare an accepted truth in American politics: “Public education is an area that can swallow up the most promising career, and politicians are counseled at every step to ‘stay away from the schools.’”This was a year after Flynn, in his third term, became the first big city mayor in modern America to advocate for, and eventually get, the power to disband his city’s fractious, elected school board and appoint his own seven member schools committee in its place. While Flynn himself didn’t stick around long enough to reap praise or blame for the schools under his watch—he resigned in 1993 to become Pres. Clinton’s ambassador to the Vatican—many credit his move as being the first step in turning Boston’s schools into the best urban district in the country. Since then, several cities have followed suit—including Chicago in 1995, New York City under Mayor Bloomberg, Providence, and Washington, D.C. It has taken 25 years for Philadelphia to have a mayor politically brave enough (and a governor willing enough) to wrest back control of the school board, and put the success of schools at the top of his agenda.
http://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/now-comes-the-hard-part/

Superintendent: Pittsburgh Public Schools OKs 'fair' union contracts, capping 19 months of negotiations
Trib Live by NATASHA LINDSTROM  | Wednesday, April 18, 2018, 10:09 p.m.
The 19-month bargaining impasse that nearly led Pittsburgh Public Schools teachers to strike for the first time in more than 40 years officially ended Wednesday night. The district's school board approved the three-year union contracts for teachers and support staff that the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers overwhelmingly approved last week. Superintendent Anthony Hamlet acknowledged the final contracts reflect "give and take on both sides." "When we began this process so many months ago, we had different ideas on several details, yet shared a common goal: to create a contract that is fair to all — taxpayers, teachers, the district, the community — but above all, places the students at the very top of that list," Hamlet said in a statement Wednesday night. "It took some time to get there, but this agreement does just that." Hamlet said he expects the new contracts — in effect through June 30, 2020 — to help reduce teacher turnover and improve school stability.
http://triblive.com/local/allegheny/13552894-74/superintendent-pittsburgh-public-schools-oks-fair-union-contracts-capping-19-months-of

The State Pension Funding Gap: 2016
Investment shortfalls, insufficient contributions reduced funded levels for public worker retirement plans
Pew Charitable Trust Issue Brief April 12, 2018 
Many state retirement systems are on an unsustainable course, coming up short on their investment targets and having failed to set aside enough money to fund the pension promises made to public employees. Even as contributions from taxpayers over the past decade doubled as a share of state revenue, the total still fell short of what is needed to improve the funding situation. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the pension funding shortfall and the budgetary challenges facing individual states, but without new policies that commit states to fully funding retirement systems, the impact on other essential services—and the potential for unpaid pension promises—will increase.  The Pew Charitable Trusts analyzed the state pension funding gap for fiscal year 2016, the most recent year for which comprehensive data were available for all 50 states. This brief outlines the primary factors that caused the widening divide in most states between assets and liabilities, and identifies tools that can help legislators strengthen policies and better manage risk for their state’s retirement plans. In 2016, the state pension funds in this study cumulatively reported a $1.4 trillion deficit—representing a $295 billion jump from 2015 and the 15th annual increase in pension debt since 2000. Overall, state plans disclosed assets of just $2.6 trillion to cover total pension liabilities of $4 trillion.
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2018/04/the-state-pension-funding-gap-2016?img&utm_campaign=2018-04-18+PNN&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Pew

Betsy DeVos Seeks Private School Vouchers for Military Families
But the military community is largely opposed to the proposal.
US News By Lauren Camera, Education Reporter April 18, 2018, at 3:01 p.m.
FEDERAL EDUCATION officials are exploring a new benefit that would give military families additional resources for their children's schooling – despite the fact that the proposal faces significant opposition from within the military community itself, where it is largely seen as costly and ineffective. Discussions about the proposal are taking place at the highest levels of government, with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos slated to meet Thursday with the Department of Defense, U.S. News has learned. DeVos plans to ask for Secretary James Mattis' support for a plan that would create education savings accounts for military families that would cover various education expenses – including private school tuition and tutoring. But Mattis' support is not a sure bet, largely because the proposal would be paid for in part by co-opting funding from the $1.3 billion federal Impact Aid program, which provides funding for schools and education programs located on military bases, Native American reservations and other federal lands that have been exempted from local tax rolls. DeVos, long a supporter of private school choice, made her first public pitch for the idea during an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, where she said there was support among military families for the proposal.
https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2018-04-18/betsy-devos-seeks-private-school-vouchers-for-military-families

At A Glance: PSBA 2018 State of Education
The State of Education report is intended to be a barometer of not only the key indicators of public school performance, such as standardized test scores and school finances, but also the timely challenges that public schools are facing and how they are coping with them. Data for the report comes from publicly available data sources and from surveys of chief school administrators and building principals.
https://www.psba.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SOE-at-a-Glance_2018.pdf

Electing PSBA Officers:  Applications Due by June 1st
Do you have strong communication and leadership skills and a vision for PSBA? Members interested in becoming the next leaders of PSBA are encouraged to submit an Application for Nomination no later than June 1, 11:59 p.m., to PSBA's Leadership Development Committee (LDC). The nomination process
All persons seeking nomination for elected positions of the Association shall send applications to the attention of the chair of the Leadership Development Committee, during the months of April and May an Application for Nomination to be provided by the Association expressing interest in the office sought. “The Application for nomination shall be marked received at PSBA Headquarters or mailed first class and postmarked by June 1 to be considered and timely filed.” (PSBA Bylaws, Article IV, Section 5.E.).
Open positions are:

·         2019 President Elect (one-year term)

·         2019 Vice President (one-year term)

·         2019-21 Eastern At-Large Representative – includes Sections 4 and 8 (three-year term)

·         2019-20 Sectional Advisors (two-year term) – includes Sections 2, 4, 6 And 8

In addition to the application form, PSBA Governing Board Policy 302 asks that all candidates furnish with their application a recent, print quality photograph and letters of application. The application form specifies no less than three letters of recommendation and no more than four, and are specifically requested as follows:
https://www.psba.org/2018/03/electing-psba-officers/

NPE: Join us in a Day of Action April 20^th to Stop Gun Violence in our Schools
Network for Public Education February 16, 2018 by Darcie Cimarusti
After the slaughter of students and staff in Parkland, Florida, the time for action has never been more urgent. The politicians sit on their hands as our children and their teachers are murdered in their schools. We will be silent no more! The failure to enact rational laws that bar access to guns designed for mass shootings is inexcusable. It is past time to speak out and act. Pledge your support to stop gun violence here. We call for mass action on April 20, the anniversary of the horrific shootings at Columbine High School. We urge teachers, families, students, administrators and every member of the community to engage in acts of protest in and around their schools. Create actions that work best in your community.  Organize sit-ins, teach-ins, walkouts, marches–whatever you decide will show your school and community’s determination to keep our students safe. One elementary teacher suggested that teachers and parents link arms around the school to show their determination to protect children.
https://networkforpubliceducation.org/2018/02/join-us-day-action-stop-gun-violence-schools/

PASA Women's Caucus Annual Conference "Leaders Lifting Leaders"
May 6 - 8, 2018 Hotel Hershey
**REGISTRATION NOW OPEN**
Featured Speakers...
*Dr. Helen Sobehart - Women Leading Education Across Continents: Lifting Leaders from Here to There
*Dr. Tracey Severns - Courageous Leadership
*Dr. Emilie Lonardi - Lead and Lift: A Call for Females to Aspire to the Superintendency
*Deputy Secretary Matt Stem - Update from the PDE
Registration: https://www.pasa-net.org/wcconf

Gerrymandering: Fair Districts PA Statewide Calendar of Events

https://www.fairdistrictspa.com/events

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.

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.

http://dlvr.it/Q5d0c8 

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.