Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now
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Editorial: Fair funding marathon is an uphill climb
Daily Local Editorial POSTED: 05/12/18, 6:14 PM EDT
“Fairness” and “school funding” are words that don’t go together in Pennsylvania.
The commonwealth in fact has the widest funding gap between wealthy and poor school districts in the nation. The state’s wealthiest school districts spend 33 percent more on each student than its poorest districts, according to The Campaign for Fair Education Funding, an advocacy coalition that has been fighting for a fair funding formula. The result is an opportunity deficit for many of Pennsylvania’s children and an increasingly difficult burden on taxpayers. State lawmakers and governors including Gov. Tom Wolf have taken actions to address this gap, adopting more than once Fair Funding Formulas touted as the solution for struggling districts. But the Legislature has repeatedly failed to put money where their mouths are and allocate funding to those formulas. The most recent fair funding solution was adopted two years ago. But the amount of money Harrisburg provided through that formula has been meager. In fact, according to information presented at a recent fair education rally in Pottstown, of the $5.5 billion in school funding in Gov. Wolf’s proposed budget, only $5.4 million would be distributed through the formula — less than 10 percent of the total education budget.
http://www.dailylocal.com/article/DL/20180512/NEWS/180519947
“If the formula was enacted to its fullest extent in the next year, 180 school districts would benefit and 320 would actually lose. This is why Quigley wanted a gradual increase in the use of the formula with the bill he introduced with Hennessey, including the portioning out of each year’s new basic education money with 75 percent of it going to the most underfunded schools and the remaining 25 going through the formula.”
More legislation on the verge on use of state’s fair funding formula
Delco Times By Kevin Tustin, ktustin@21st-centurymedia.com, @KevinTustin on Twitter POSTED: 05/13/18, 8:15 PM EDT
Another piece of legislation addressing the way state basic education subsidies are distributed to 500 public school districts is slowly making its way to the state House of Representatives. Reps. Martina White, R-170 of Philadelphia, and Todd Stephens, R-151 of Horsham Township, are seeking co-sponsors for a bill that would require all $6 billion of the basic education fund to be appropriated through the fair funding formula. Their bill follows one introduced on May 7 by Reps. Tim Hennessey, R-26 of North Coventry, and Tom Quigley, R-146 of Royersford, that would alter how new basic education money introduced in each fiscal year is allocated through the state’s basic education funding formula (known as the fair funding formula), At present, the fair funding formula is applied to about 7 percent of basic education money which is based on district demographics and information like poverty levels, number of English language learners, median household income and local effort capacity. White and Stephens’ bill would not only increase the use of the funding formula, but it would remove the “hold-harmless” provision that says districts will receive state funding at a level that is no less than was received in the year prior no matter how many students are enrolled. “There is certainly a greater interest in insuring there’s an equitable distribution of those funds,” said Stephens. “That line item is one of the largest in the state budget and we wanted to ensure they’re being distributed fairly. Once the commission was empaneled they identified the true cost of educating our students and created a formula on a bi-partisan basis. Now that we’ve identified what that fair formula is we should be driving it all through.”
http://www.delcotimes.com/general-news/20180513/more-legislation-on-the-verge-on-use-of-states-fair-funding-formula
“State Rep. Tom Quigley of Royersford co-sponsored a bill with state Rep. Tim Hennessey of Chester County that seeks to speed up the implementation of the Fair Funding Formula for education, the work of the bipartisan Basic Education Funding Commission. "It has been two years since the adoption of the Fair Funding Formula for basic education funding," Quigley said in a news release.
The bill would implement the commission's recommendations by allocating 75 percent of any increase in basic education funding in the 2018-19 fiscal year and beyond to school districts considered underfunded under the commission's findings. Under the commission's formula, Pottstown is underfunded about $13 million per year. The bill would send the remainder of new basic education funding to all 500 school districts under the state's student-weighted Basic Education Formula, they said, with no school's funding dropping below what it received in 2014-15.”
The Rundown: House bill would ax property taxes
Also: Three GOP lawmakers from Montgomery County propose school funding measure to aid Pottstown's and other school districts
Reading Eagle MONDAY MAY 14, 2018 12:01 AM
HARRISBURG, PA — State Rep. Jim Cox, a Spring Township Republican, said in a recent memo to his House colleagues that he plans to offer a bill that would eliminate property taxes on owner-occupied homes and farms, an effort given new hope by a constitutional amendment approved by voters in November. Thanks to the amendment's allowance for business and residential properties to be treated differently, the latest proposal would not have to expand the state sales tax to food or clothing as previous versions had, according to the Cox memo. But it would increase it to 7 percent, up from the current 6 percent, and boost the state's personal income tax to 4.76 percent, up from the current 3.07 percent. Sen. David G. Argall, a Schuylkill County Republican who represents part of Berks County and the prime sponsor of similar legislation in the state Senate, said he and Cox hope to make their proposals identical and then decide which chamber will be the first to move on it. He expressed frustration with a lack of help from Gov. Tom Wolf.
http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/the-rundown-house-bill-would-ax-property-taxes
Blogger note: Almost 2 years ago, the PA General Assembly overwhelmingly enacted legislation establishing a new basic education funding formula to serve the students of our state, with the Senate passing HB 1552 by a vote of 49-1 and the House by a vote of 188-3.
Almost two years have gone by with little actual impact upon students in our most underfunded districts.
The new formula is only as good as the funding behind it.
Reprise May 2016: Lawrence Feinberg: Pa. now able to close funding gap between wealthy, poor school districts
How will new funding formula affect Pa. school districts?
Morning Call Opinion by Lawrence A. Feinberg May 26, 2016
Lawrence A. Feinberg, a member of the Haverford Township School Board in Delaware County, works with the Campaign for Fair Education Funding, is founder and a co-chairman of the Keystone State Education Coalition and serves on the board of governors of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
Pennsylvania has the largest school spending gap between wealthy and poor school districts of any state in the country, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Per-pupil spending in our poorest districts is 33 percent less than in the wealthiest — $12,529 vs. $9,387 per student. For a class of 25 students, the wealthiest districts spend $78,000 more per classroom. In 1974, Pennsylvania funded 54 percent of public education. For the 2012-13 school year, only 36.1 percent of public education in Pennsylvania was funded by the state — almost 10 percent lower than the national average of 45.6 percent. Pennsylvania ranked 46th in the nation this school year for state funding, trailing only Illinois, Nebraska, New Hampshire and South Dakota. Our state simply does not provide enough resources to educate all students to meet our state academic standards. In addition, Pennsylvania also has the dubious distinction of being one of only three states that creates education budgets without using a statewide funding formula.
In 2015, the Basic Education Funding Commission recommended that the General Assembly adopt a formula for distributing state funding for basic education to Pennsylvania's 500 school districts. The 15-member group, created through Act 51 of 2014 (sponsored as House Bill 1738 by Rep. Bernie O'Neill), held 15 public hearings around the state over 11 months and heard from more than 110 individuals, including superintendents, school board presidents, business leaders, nonprofit organizations, national experts and parents before making their recommendations.
Sincere thanks to Rep. O'Neill (R-Bucks) and to commission chairs Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh) and Rep. Mike Vereb (R-Montgomery) for their determination and good work in getting that formula done.
http://www.mcall.com/opinion/yourview/mc-education-funding-public-schools-feinberg-yv-0526-20160526-story.html
For the first time: Seventy’s 2018 Voter Guide now covers Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Get ready to vote on May 15
Committee of Seventy Website Voter Guide MAY 15, 2018 PRIMARY ELECTION
The battle of the 2018 midterms begins Tuesday, May 15, when registered Republicans and Democrats in Pennsylvania will choose their candidates for:
o Governor
o U.S. House of
Representatives
o PA Senate
(even-numbered districts)
o PA House of
Representatives
In addition, registered Republicans and
Democrats across Pennsylvania will also elect members of
their state and local party committees. ALL voters,
regardless of party affiliation, are eligible to vote on ballot questions. Polls
will be open from 7AM to 8PM. Any eligible voter in line by 8PM must
be allowed to cast a ballot using the voting machine. Seventy encourages
voters to review their Rights and
Responsiblities before heading to the polls.https://seventy.org/publications/elections-voting/may-15-2018-general-primary
Primary will help set stage for next crop of state lawmakers
AP State Wire By MARK SCOLFORO Published: Yesterday
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - This year's legislative races in Pennsylvania have drawn extremely high levels of interest, with reports of activists swamping normally quiet organizational meetings and an unusually large number of candidates making it onto the ballot. Republicans hold strong majorities in both chambers, 121-82 in the House and 34-16 in the Senate, so they correspondingly have more turf to defend. Democrats have made a push to challenge as many Republican seats as possible in swing areas, and they hope to capitalize on a national political tail wind. In some areas, the voting on Tuesday will be of particular interest, with multiple candidates taking on incumbents or seeking their party's nomination in areas where the general election in November is unlikely to be competitive.
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=vFmRoYUL
Find out where your candidates stand on creating an independent citizens commission.
Fair Districts PA Website
Fair Districts PA is currently tracking where all legislative candidates in the May 2018 Primary stand on creating an independent citizens commission. The 11-member commission would be responsible for drawing both Congressional and General Assembly maps. Current PA law puts state legislators in charge of redistricting—the process of redrawing voting districts, which happens every 10 years to reflect population changes. (It happens next after the 2020 census.) Letting legislators draw their own districts is a conflict of interest from the start. Learn more about the problem and how we’ll fix it.
https://www.fairdistrictspa.com/take-action/know-before-you-vote
Is this primary election Pennsylvania's oddest ever?
Philly Daily News by John Baer, STAFF COLUMNIST baerj@phillynews.com Updated: MAY 13, 2018 — 9:22 PM EDT
Like being part of history? Well, if you’re voting Tuesday, and I hope you are, you’ll be part of what is arguably Pennsylvania’s most extraordinary election ever. Thanks largely to new, controversially created congressional maps, the state’s often somnambulant self is suddenly shaking in ways formerly unimagined. A record number of candidates, especially among women. Reported high energy. Maybe record turnout. And races that challenge political norms, some setting the stage for oddness this fall. Take Western Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District. It’s the only congressional race without primary competition. The lone Democrat and the sole Republican on the ballot both are incumbents. Come November? Incumbent v. incumbent.
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/john_baer/is-this-primary-election-pennsylvanias-oddest-ever-20180514.html
Need more info before you vote tomorrow? Check out state website
Morning Call May 14, 2018
Check out votesPA.com for all your Voting information, prior to Tuesday's Primary Election.
Are you so wrapped up in day-to-day life that you completely forgot that Tuesday is primary election day? Not sure where your polling station is? Head over to votesPA.com for everything you ever needed to know about voting information.
At the website, you can:
·
Confirm your voter registration status;
·
Find your polling place and get directions;
·
All county election offices contact information;
·
Watch a video of the voting system used in each
county;
·
File a complaint if you encounter any difficulty or
questionable situation at the polling place.
The polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Tuesday where registered Democratic and Republican voters will elect their
parties nominees for:
·
U.S. senator
·
Governor
·
Lieutenant governor
·
Representatives in Congress
·
State senators (even-numbered districts)
·
Representatives in the General Assembly
·
State party committee members
·
County party committee members
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-state-government-website-voting-20180511-story.htmlCHIP: Casey says Dems will battle cuts to children's insurance program
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by JULIAN ROUTH jrouth@post-gazette.com MAY 11, 2018 9:57 PM
In what could be a go-to line of attack against Republicans in his bid for re-election, U.S. Sen Bob Casey on Friday sharply criticized the GOP for choosing tax cuts for corporations over funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. After participating in a round-table with local families and child care professionals in Brighton Heights, the Democratic senator said his party will have to fight against "goofy, extreme proposals" by White House budget director Mick Mulvaney -- including a proposed $7 billion cut to CHIP funding announced this week. Though the Trump administration argues the cuts are to funding that was previously allocated but unused, Mr. Casey said it shows a lack of priority in budgeting, pointing to $2 billion in cuts to a contingency account that CHIP could use as "rainy day funds." "I just wish the administration, when they're going to claw back money for the budget, would look to other sources of revenue," Mr. Casey said. "It's pretty hard to make that argument that they're making when they gave away the store to rich people and big corporations in the tax bill. We're going to be paying for that tax bill for a generation or more."
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/nation/2018/05/12/U-S-Sen-Bob-Casey-Dems-fight-cuts-CHIP-childrens-insurance-program/stories/201805110188
A firearms trade association and manufacturer cut ties with Dick's Sporting Goods
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette STEPHANIE RITENBAUGH sritenbaugh@post-gazette.com MAY 11, 2018 2:50 PM
A firearms trade association and a manufacturer both have cut ties with Dick’s Sporting Goods over the Findlay retailer’s decision to change its firearm policies and push for greater gun control. The board of The National Shooting Sports Foundation, based in Newtown, Conn., unanimously voted to expel Dick’s Sporting Goods from membership “for conduct detrimental to the best interests of the foundation,” the organization said in a statement earlier this month. That announcement was followed by one this week by O.F. Mossberg & Sons, a firearms manufacturer, to stop selling products to Dick’s Sporting Goods and its subsidiary, Field & Stream. O.F. Mossberg & Sons, which is based in North Haven, Conn., said it will not accept future orders from the company and is “in the process of evaluating current contractual agreements.” On Feb. 28, Dick’s Sporting Goods said it would stop selling what it called assault-style rifles, also known as modern sporting rifles, at its Field & Stream stores. In addition, the retailer said it would no longer sell high capacity magazines and it raised the minimum age to purchase to 21. The company made the move two weeks after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 students and staff members.
http://www.post-gazette.com/business/money/2018/05/11/A-firearms-trade-association-and-manufacturer-cut-ties-with-Dick-s-Sporting-Goods/stories/201805110146
The soda tax preemption bill gives Big Sugar a break at our kids' expense | Opinion
Penn Live Guest Editorial By Donna Bullock May 12, 2018 Updated 8:30 AM; Posted 8:30 AM
State Rep. Donna Bullock, a Democrat, represents the Philadelphia-based 195th House District.
For too many years to count, many in the state Legislature have been telling Philadelphia to solve its own funding problems, including when it comes to public education. So we did. Acting on this urging from Harrisburg, the city enacted a beverage tax on sweetened drinks and now raises more than $80 million in local funding to improve public education and fight poverty. Now, some of these same legislators, led by Allegheny County Republican Rep. Mark Mustio, want to kill the effective beverage tax by banning local communities from taxing food and beverages at the local level, preempting any attempts for local officials to "solve their own problems."
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2018/05/the_soda_tax_preemption_bill_g_1.html#incart_2box_opinion
A new Philly Board of Education is coming; but responsibility for schools is still shared | Opinion
Opinion by David Thornburgh, For the Inquirer Updated: MAY 14, 2018 — 3:01 AM EDT
David Thornburgh is CEO of the Committee of Seventy, a nonpartisan advocate for better government and politics in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia is in the midst of a significant shift in the governance of its public school system. Since 2001, the School Reform Commission (SRC) has overseen the city’s more than 200 district and charter schools, and the more than 200,000 children they serve. Come July 1, the School District of Philadelphia will be governed by a mayoral-appointed Board of Education. The Committee of Seventy supports the move back to local control. And we applaud Mayor Kenney, Gov. Wolf, and our last set of SRC members for seeing this transition through. We also support the proposed City Charter amendment voters will see on primary election day. The amendment, notably, does not approve the change in governance. This was initiated by a vote of the SRC and confirmed by the Pennsylvania secretary of education in December 2017. Approval of the May 15 ballot question would make sensible adjustments to the eligibility, nomination, appointment, and removal of school board members. Seventy encourages voters to review our full statement on the proposal at www.seventy.org.
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/commentary/philadelphia-education-phled-school-board-mayor-kenney-william-hite-20180514.html
“A big expense for the school district is charter school tuition, which at $52.7 million next school year represents 14 percent of the district’s expenditures. By comparison, in 2011-12, Allentown paid $15.1 million in charter tuition.”
Allentown School District reduces staggering $28 million deficit, but issues call for outside help
Jacqueline Palochko Contact Reporter Of The Morning Call May 11, 2018
The Allentown School District has slashed its deficit by almost $20 million without significant cuts, although it still has a $9.5 million hole and faces the possibility of passing an unbalanced budget. At Thursday’s school board meeting, Superintendent Thomas Parker said the $28 million deficit with which the district began has been reduced to $9.5 million in the $303 million budget without staff cuts. The board, which congratulated Parker for reducing the staggering deficit, voted 8-1 to move the proposed budget. Director Robert E. Smith Jr. cast the lone “no” vote. This was also the first budget presentation for Parker, who is in his first year leading the district. While the district has significantly reduced its deficit and will work to continue cutting it, Parker said Allentown might either need some outside help or could pass a budget that isn’t balanced.
http://www.mcall.com/news/education/mc-nws-allentown-school-board-20180510-story.html
$92M Phoenixville Schools budget will raise taxes 3.18%
Pottstown Mercury By Evan Brandt, ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com, @PottstownNews on Twitter POSTED: 05/12/18, 7:50 AM EDT | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
PHOENIXVILLE >> With an 8-1 vote, and a dizzying array of failed amendments, the Phoenixville Area School Board adopted its final 2018-2019 budget Thursday at $91.7 million that will raises property taxes by 3.18 percent. For the average taxpayer, the budget will cost an additional $127 per year, said Chris Gehris, the district’s manager of financial reporting. Board member Lori Broker cast the only vote against adoption of the budget. A total of eight amendments to adjust the budget were proposed, all but one of which would have added additional spending to the budget, but they all failed and half of them on close 5-4 votes. But when the smoke cleared, nothing had changed. The final budget, and tax hike remained the same as what was brought before the board in the first place. The final budget was a reduction from the preliminary budget, adopted in February, that called for spending $94 million and would have raised taxes by 4 percent. In the end, although some positions were eliminated, no teacher or administrator was laid off, said Superintendent Alan Fegley.
http://www.dailylocal.com/general-news/20180512/92m-phoenixville-schools-budget-will-raise-taxes-318
“Factors causing increase costs in the upcoming school year include more than $1 million in additional pension costs due to the increasing employer share, adding four staff positions at the high school because of increases enrollment, and capital improvement projects such as Ridley Middle School auditorium lighting, and security projects.”
Ridley schools see increase in taxes and spending
Delco Times By Barbara Ormsby Times Correspondent POSTED: 05/11/18, 10:22 PM EDT
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP >> The proposed final 2018-2019 Ridley School District budget of $107,552,000 approved by the school board at its May meeting, shows a real estate millage rate increase of .830, bringing the total millage rate to 40.73 mills, or $4,070 for a house assessed at the district average of $100,000. That’s an $84 increase for a home with that assessment. Last January the school directors approved a resolution in accordance with state Act 1 regulations that indicated the district would not seek exceptions to the Act 1 limits. It was determined at that time that the district would stay within the eligible adjusted Act. 1 Index of 3.1 percent. “We did not take exceptions (because) we were pretty sure we could bring in a budget under the Act 1 index,” district Superintendent Lee Ann Wentzel said. Act 1 states that school districts will not increase local property taxes in excess of the Act 1 Index set by the state Department of Education each year unless a district is eligible for exceptions under the act that would allow the district to exceed the index. Wentzel said the district would have been eligible for exceptions for both retirement and special education expenditures.
http://www.delcotimes.com/general-news/20180511/ridley-schools-see-increase-in-taxes-and-spending
Leechburg Area school board eyes 2018-19 tax increase
Trib Live by MARY ANN THOMAS | Monday, May 14, 2018, 12:45 a.m.
Leechburg Area school board directors are considering a real estate tax increase for the 2018-19 school budget. They plan to finalize the district's preliminary budget by May 31. “We have to decide if we will take anything out of our fund balance to pay for the budget,” school board President Neill Brady said. A tax increase between 1 and 2 percentage points is possible, according to Brady. But he ruled out a higher increase of 3.4 percent. Last year, the school board approved a $14.6 million budget with a 3 percent real estate tax increase. Officials blamed the tax increase on payments to the state teachers retirement fund, increases in health care premiums and salary increases. If the board doesn't raise taxes for the next school year, the district with its current expenses will be $230,000 in the red, according to district Business Manager Bradley Walker.
http://triblive.com/local/valleynewsdispatch/13633907-74/leechburg-area-school-board-eyes-2018-19-tax-increase
For longtime culinary arts instructor, love and patience are keys to cooking and teaching
Beaver County Times By Kate Malongowski Posted at 5:00 PM May 12, 2018
CENTER TWP. — As making a cake from scratch takes precise measurements, patience and care, Camille Stevenson uses the same finesse when teaching cooking methods to her culinary students. She’s taught thousands of Beaver County high school students over her 40-year career as culinary arts instructor at the Beaver County Career and Technology Center. Making cake batter usually entails mixing flour, sugar, eggs and other ingredients together. And sometimes it’s good to taste-test the batter. Teaching, too, is a mixture of labor and love. During a recent lesson where students were learning to cut a whole chicken, she provided firm, straightforward instructions, showing first a demonstration of what to do, but later going around to each student’s station one by one to ensure they understood each step. “There are 100 different ways to cut a chicken,” she explained to the group, adding that chicken can be purchased much cheaper whole. “Every time a butcher puts a knife to a chicken, that raises it 10 more cents a pound.” It’s one lesson among thousands she’s done, a handful of students among the countless she’s taught since 1978, the same year Stevenson graduated from college, and the same year BCCTC opened its doors.
http://www.timesonline.com/news/20180512/for-longtime-culinary-arts-instuctor-love-and-patience-are-keys-to-cooking-and-teaching
Lacrosse season canceled in Haddonfield after player accused of racial slur
WHYY May 11, 2018
Officials in a New Jersey school district canceled the remainder of the boys’ lacrosse season Friday after allegations that a white team member used a racial slur against a black female athlete from another school. Interim Haddonfield School District Superintendent David T. Lindenmuth issued a statement saying the season was canceled effective immediately and that there was “no room for hate of any kind” in the district. The allegations stem from a track meet held at the suburban Philadelphia school district earlier this month. A black female track athlete told officials from her school that she was tying her shoes on the track that surrounds the practice lacrosse field at Haddonfield High School when a group of white lacrosse players passed by her during a multi-school track event on May 1. She said one of the boys told her to get off his track and called her a racial slur. Lindenmuth’s statement said the district had investigated and “some issues were discovered that are completely unacceptable for this community.” The statement did not give details of any other possible incidents or issues uncovered in the investigation.
https://whyy.org/articles/lacrosse-season-canceled-in-haddonfield-after-player-accused-of-racial-slur/
Blogger note: PA’s new 5th Congressional District race is featured in this NYT piece:
A Surge of Women Candidates, but Crowded Primaries and Tough Races Await
New York Times By KATE ZERNIKE and DENISE LU MAY 12, 2018
These are the 476 female House candidates this year.
ARDMORE, Pa. — Just as the women’s marches and #MeToo helped define 2017, the surging numbers of female candidates have defined the midterm races now underway. Yet for all that, the November elections may not produce a similar surge in the number of women in Congress. More than half the female candidates for House and Senate seats are challenging incumbents, who historically almost always win; there were far more wide-open races in 1992’s so-called Year of the Woman,which doubled the number of women in Congress. A large percentage of the women now running for open seats are in districts that favor the other party. And many female candidates are clustered in the same districts, meaning many will be eliminated in this spring and summer’s primaries. Last Tuesday’s primary elections in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and North Carolina help illustrate the steep path. Two women ran for Senate, both were long shots, and both lost. In House races, 27 women won — more than half. But 16 will challenge incumbents in November, 15 of them in districts firmly favoring their opponents.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/12/us/politics/women-midterm-elections.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
How Unequal School Funding Punishes Poor Kids
Our system for funding education is broken, and it’s hurting society’s most vulnerable.
The Nation By Michelle ChenTwitter MAY 11, 2018
While a wave of protests, teacher strikes, and student walkouts has exposed the outrageous inequality plaguing the public education system, the budget numbers reveal how unfair funding programs dictate what our children are worth, depending on where they live, the color of their skin, and their families’ wealth. School funding levels, according to the analysis of the Education Law Center (ELC), vary most dramatically along school-district lines, generally dictated by local property taxes, which renders the education of some wealthy children funded at double the rate of a poor kid’s. There are also stark disparities across state lines, with statehouses primarily managing education policy. Fifteen years after “No Child Left Behind” promised to “close the achievement gaps” in race and socioeconomic background, children in more than one-third of the states are not just stagnating, they’re sliding backward with what the ELC calls “regressive” funding. In 17 states, including relatively affluent Connecticut and Maine, the school systems “provide less funding to their higher poverty school districts, even though students in these districts require more resources to achieve.” In many states, including Michigan and Arizona, poor kids are priced out of educational equity: “only the lowest-poverty districts have sufficient funding to reach national average student achievement outcomes.”
https://www.thenation.com/article/how-unequal-school-funding-punishes-poor-kids/
the notebook Annual Celebration - June 5, 2018 - New Location!
Please join us on June 5, 2018, at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia! Please note the new location!
Buy your tickets today!
Every June, 400 public school supporters gather in celebration at the end of the school year. This festive event features awards for outstanding high school journalism, talented local musicians, a silent auction, and the opportunity to speak with the most influential voices in the local education community. This year, the Notebook staff and board of directors would like to honor public education advocates who are committed to our mission of advancing quality and equity in our city’s schools.
Our Honorees:
Debra Weiner - A longtime advocate for public education at a variety of nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions, and a member of the Notebook’s editorial advisory board
Mary Goldman - Former 27th Ward Leader and advocate for children and public schools
Our City Our Schools - A coalition of local grassroots organizations that campaigned to return the school board to local control
The event will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5, at the National Museum of American Jewish History.
http://thenotebook.org/annual-fundraiser
Tickets: PCCY Celebration of the 2018 Public Citizen of the Year
Elizabeth Murphy and Romona Riscoe Benson of PECO
Wednesday, May 16, 2018, The Franklin Institute, 6:00-8:30pm
On Wednesday, May 16, 2018, Elizabeth Murphy and Romona Riscoe Benson from PECO, will be honored by Public Citizens for Children and Youth as the2018 Public Citizens of the Year. Join us at the celebration to thank these two amazing women and PECO for their longstanding and visionary commitment to improving the quailty of life for children in our region.
Tickets are $150 per person. Event will be held at the Frankin Institute, 222 N. 20th Street, Philadelphia, Pa 19103 from 6:00pm to 8:30pm.
Questions: contact Steven Fynes at 215-563-5848 x11 or email:stevenf@pccy.org.
Corporate Sponsorships: click here.
Thank you for your support!
https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51084/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=11643&_ga=2.220936472.1475321964.1522679885-268812658.1512147954
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:
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/
BRIEFING: PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING IN PENNSYLVANIA
IN PHILLY, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2018, 8:30-10:00 A.M.
Join Law Center attorneys Michael Churchill, Jennifer Clarke, and Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg for a free briefing on the state of education funding in Pennsylvania. They’ll cover the basics of education funding, our fair school funding lawsuit, the property tax elimination bill, the 2018-2019 state budget, and more! RSVP online here. The briefing will be held on Wednesday, June 13th at 8:30 a.m. at 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
Download a flyer for this event.
https://www.pubintlaw.org/events/briefing-public-education-funding-in-pennsylvania-2/
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.
Save the Dates PASA/PSBA School Leadership Conference – Hershey, Oct. 17-19,
2018
Mark your calendar! The Delegate Assembly will take place Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, at 2:30 p.m.
Housing now open!
Housing now open!
Our Public Schools Our Democracy: Our Fight for the Future
NPE / NPE Action 5th Annual National Conference
October 20th - 21st, 2018 Indianapolis, Indiana
We are delighted to let you know that you can purchase your discounted Early Bird ticket to register for our annual conference starting today. Purchase your ticket here.
Early Bird tickets will be on sale until May 30 or until all are sold out, so don't wait. These tickets are a great price--$135. Not only do they offer conference admission, they also include breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. Please don't forget to register for your hotel room. We have secured discounted rates on a limited basis. You can find that link here. Finally, if you require additional financial support to attend, we do offer some scholarships based on need. Go here and fill in an application. We will get back to you as soon as we can. Please join us in Indianapolis as we fight for the public schools that our children and communities deserve. Don't forget to get your Early Bird ticket here. We can't wait to see you.
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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