Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now
reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors,
administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's
staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition
team members, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, charter school
leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders,
faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members
of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional
associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website,
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
Don't Take Federal Funding from Military Families' Public Schools to Fund a Private School Voucher Program
Network for Public Education
We need YOU to contact your members of Congress TODAY and say NO to a cynical attempt to hide a federal private school voucher program in the defense budget! Ask your members of Congress to oppose any amendments added to the National Defense Authorization Act that divert federal tax dollars from the Impact Aid public school districts receive, to a private school voucher program for students from military families. We've made it easy to send an email with a few clicks to stop this outrageous attempt to advance Betsy DeVos's failed school choice legislative agenda. Please take action today - your legislators need to hear from YOU! Fight to prevent your federal tax dollars being taken from public schools in order to support private and religious schools.
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/dont-take-federal-funding-from-military-families-public-schools-to-fund-a-private-school-voucher-program
NEPC Report: Full-Time Virtual and Blended Schools: Enrollment, Student Characteristics, and Performance
National Education Policy Center Report by Gary Miron, Christopher Shank, and Caryn Davidson May 1, 2018 Press Release
This sixth NEPC Annual Report on Virtual Education provides a detailed overview and inventory of full-time virtual schools and blended learning, or hybrid, schools. Full-time virtual schools deliver all curriculum and instruction via the Internet and electronic communication, usually asynchronously with students at home and teachers at a remote location. Blended schools combine virtual instruction with traditional face-to-face instruction in classrooms. Evidence related to inputs and outcomes indicates that students in these schools differ from students in traditional public schools. In particular, school performance measures for both virtual and blended schools indicate that they are not as successful as traditional public schools. Nevertheless, enrollment growth has continued. Compared to prior years, there has been a shift in source of growth, with more school districts opening their own virtual schools. However, these district-run schools have typically been small, with limited enrollment. Thus, while large virtual schools operated by for-profit education management organizations (EMOs) have lost considerable market share, they still dominate this sector. This report provides a census of full-time virtual and blended schools. It also includes student demographics, state-specific school performance ratings, and—where possible—an analysis of school performance measures.
http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/virtual-schools-annual-2018
House GOP Leader announces he wants to reform redistricting
WITF Written by Katie Meyer, Capitol Bureau Chief | May 2, 2018 6:27 AM
(Harrisburg) -- In recent weeks, proponents of overhauling Pennsylvania's redistricting process with an independent citizens' commission have been frustrated as their bills have been repeatedly gutted by the Republican majority in a prominent state House committee. But now, those advocates may be getting an unexpected new ally in House GOP Leader Dave Reed, who told reporters Tuesday, this is an issue he wants to address before he departs the legislature at the end of this year. Currently, congressional redistricting is done by the legislature, and the governor signs off on it. Reform proponents say that makes the process too partisan, and argue an independent panel of citizens would be more representative. Opponents, like House State Government Committee Chair Daryl Metcalfe--who has made a project of quickly blocking the bills--say the legislature itself is perfectly representative. The independent commission effort has been recently championed by the Democratic minority, who stand to gain more through reform. But Reed argued, it's not a fundamentally partisan issue. "I've heard a lot of comments from a lot of folks across the state with frustrations with our current redistricting process, and you know to be honest, I agree," he said. "I don't think it's the greatest process in the world. It's served us for the last couple hundred years, but I think it could be better." He plans to circulate his own bill soon, and said he has been discussing the matter with other lawmakers on and off for about a year.
http://www.witf.org/state-house-sound-bites/2018/05/house-gop-leader-announces-he-wants-to-reform-redistricting.php
It's time for Daryl Metcalfe to step down from the House State Government Committee
Penn Live Opinion By John L. Micek jmicek@pennlive.com Updated 1:24 PM; Posted 11:26 AM
In his nearly 20 years in the General Assembly, state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe has rarely wasted an opportunity to ostentatiously wrap himself in the flag. Every year, like he did on Monday, Metcalfe throws a big Second Amendment party in the Capitol rotunda, yammering on about the sanctity of the nation's founding documents and the need to protect them from liberal Democratic communist socialists who are just waiting to take your rights away from you. "The left has been going crazy; they are so over the top with attacks on our rights," Metcalfe said during Monday's group hysteria. But here's the thing: It's a charade. It's an act. He doesn't mean a word of it. Metcalfe plays a maverick and a patriot on TV. But when push comes to shove, the Butler County Republican, and chairman of the House State Government Committee, is the most dedicated protector of the Harrisburg swamp you're going to find. On Monday, for the second time in a month, Metcalfe did an end-run around the voters, gutting a proposed constitutional amendment creating a Citizens Redistricting Commission that's supposed to minimize the role Harrisburg insiders play in the decennial redrawing of Pennsylvania's congressional and legislative districts.
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2018/05/its_time_for_daryl_metcalfe_to.html#incart_river_index
Gov. Wolf: Once more to the (gas) well | John Baer
Philly Daily News by John Baer, STAFF COLUMNIST baerj@phillynews.com Updated: MAY 1, 2018 — 4:49 PM EDT
I’m guessing Gov. Wolf might be familiar with Vermont teacher/author Thomas H. Palmer’s 1840 “The Teacher’s Manual” — or at least the introduction. In it, Palmer suggests: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” I’m guessing at this familiarity since Wolf is once again trying to get a severance tax on the extraction of natural gas, his white whale since taking office in 2015. So, here we go again. Some of this could relate to the election calendar. The Guv’s up for reelection. Democrats are hoping for a Dem wave. Let’s stoke the base with something popular, even if it’s unattainable. But asking a GOP legislature to pass new taxes on anything in an election year? C’mon, man. Yet Wolf gamely stood at a news conference Monday with four lawmakers, two fellow Democrats and two Southeastern Republicans, which is to say moderate Republicans who don’t live in districts where there’s natural gas. This grouping – Sen. John Yudichak (D., Luzerne), Rep. Jake Wheatley (D., Allegheny), Sen. Tom Killion (R., Chester), and Rep. Bernie O’Neill (R., Bucks) — was referred to in a press release as “a bipartisan coalition” supporting Wolf’s effort. One might think a “coalition” of lawmakers in a 253-member legislature would be a bit larger than four. But OK. And a Wolf aide says the number is larger and will be reflected in cosponsorships of the “new” tax legislation, which isn’t new at all. Thing is? Lots of lawmakers in both parties support the tax. Why they didn’t stand with Wolf this week is just a little odd.
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/john_baer/gov-wolf-once-more-to-the-gas-well-20180501.html
‘The money shot’: How school districts find and prove residency fraud
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent May 2, 2018 Listen 6:40
Every year, hundreds of kids are kicked out of suburban Philadelphia school districts for residency fraud. Maybe even thousands. This little-discussed corner of the K-12 landscape contains so many of the issues that shape education in Pennsylvania today. WHYY explored the topic of disenrollment in our series, “Kicked Out.” This is part two. You can read part one here, about how some school districts in the Philadelphia suburbs are disproportionately removing students of color. To listen to the radio version of this story, click on the play button above.
https://whyy.org/segments/the-money-shot-how-school-districts-find-and-prove-residency-fraud/
Pennsylvania's annual money problems appear to be getting better — just in time for elections.
Morning Call by Steve Esack Contact Reporter Call Harrisburg Bureau May 1, 2018
Pennsylvania’s pennies finally are adding up— and just in time for elections. As of the end of April, the state collected $29 billion in taxes, which was $164 million or 0.6 percent above estimates, the Revenue Department announced Tuesday. On a percentage basis, that’s not all that much better than professionals figured would come in. But it’s light years better than how they guessed last year when tax collection was 4.5 percent below estimate, contributing to a $1.2 billion deficit by April 30 2017. Unlike last year, the state could have a surplus when the 2017-18 fiscal year books close June 30. For that to happen, revenue must out-performing projections and state officials must spend less on staff, programs and services than they estimated. This year’s general fund budget was nearly $32 billion for the executive, legislative and judicial branches.
http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-nws-pennsylvania-budget-20180501-story.html
April State Revenues Exceed Estimates by $33.3 Million, For The Fiscal Year Still Up $164.1 Million
PA Capitol Digest by Crisci Associates May 1, 2018
Pennsylvania collected $3.8 billion in General Fund revenue in April, the Department of Revenue reported Tuesday. The tax revenue collected exceeded estimate by $33.3 million, which was 0.9 percent above what was anticipated. General Fund revenue was $57.6 million, or 1.5 percent, less than anticipated. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $29 billion, which is $164.1 million, or 0.6 percent, above estimate. The April shortfall is mainly attributable to a timing issue. The department in February received $85.1 million in liquor store profits. The deposit was anticipated in April, rather than in February, which created the artificial deficit in April collections.
http://pacapitoldigestcrisci.blogspot.com/2018/05/april-state-revenues-exceed-estimates.html
Report: City still lags in employing teachers of color
Philly Trib by Phillip Jackson Tribune Staff Writer Apr 28, 2018
Only four percent of Pennsylvania’s teachers are teachers of color according to a new study released by Research for Action (RFA), an organization that focuses on education research. Additionally, the study found in Philadelphia — being home to almost half of the state’s teachers of color — the city still enrolls students of color at 2.32 times the rate at which the School District of Philadelphia employs teachers of color. In percentages, that is 77.9 percent of students compared to 33.5 percent of teachers in Philadelphia. The study considers it “one of the lowest” disproportionately rates in Pennsylvania, but it is still barely better than the national average of 2.62. “The Pennsylvania Department of Education highlighted the critical need for increased teacher diversity in its recently-approved ESSA plan,” said RFA Policy Associate Alison Stohr. “In this brief, we provide Pennsylvania policymakers and practitioners with practical suggestions and real-life examples of other initiatives that are working to create a strong pipeline for teachers of color.” Harold Lee Whack, spokesperson for the school district, noted the disparity between the number of students compared to the number of teachers employed. Yet, Whack stated around 24 percent of Philadelphia’s teachers are Black, compared to a national average that sits at seven percent.
http://www.phillytrib.com/news/report-city-still-lags-in-employing-teachers-of-color/article_0937ae84-cb53-5df5-998f-32da5c47db94.html
“School board members were angry to learn Monday night that the district is projected to send an additional $501,302 to charter schools due to a lawsuit that changed the way its tuition rate is calculated. That means the district will pay out almost $30 million in charter school tuition next school year.”
How a charter school tuition change could cost Pa. districts dearly
For lehighvalleylive.com By Sara K. Satullo ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com, Updated 9:00 AM; Posted 8:30 AM May 1, 2018
Bethlehem Area School District taxpayers are facing another school tax hike that has school board members fired up about Pennsylvania's charter school funding formula. The school board held a budget workshop Monday night to discuss the draft $281.3 million 2018-19 spending plan and how to close its remaining $3.8 million budget hole. The district began the budget process with a $10.7 million deficit that's been shaved down to $6.8 million through a mix of cuts and new income. The draft budget also taps $5 million from district savings of which $2 million goes into an emergency reserve. The proposal calls for an almost 2.5 percent average tax increase, below Bethlehem's 3 percent Act 1 index.
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2018/05/bethlehem_school_board_rails_a.html
Bill that would abolish the soda tax advances in Pa. House
Penn Live By Jan Murphy jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated May 1, 8:54 PM; Posted May 1, 4:28 PM
Legislation that aims to put a stop to municipalities imposing a tax on food and beverages and food/beverage containers as a revenue source won approval of the House Commerce Committee on Tuesday. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mark Mustio, R-Allegheny County, passed the committee by a mostly party-line 17-9 vote. Along with pre-empting any community from imposing a tax of this sort, it also would abolish the so-called soda tax in Philadelphia that took effect on Jan. 1, 2017, and adds 1.5 cents per ounce of a sweetened beverage purchased in the city. Mike Dunn, a spokesman for the Philadelphia mayor's office, said this legislation raises grave concerns about pre-empting local governments from taking action to respond to their residents' needs. "This is a dangerous precedent to set, especially at a time when voters are showing their support for more local control matters," Dunn said. "The City of Philadelphia is focused on enacting local solutions to our most pressing challenges. The passage of this legislation would remove our ability to continue to do that."
http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/05/bill_outlawing_local_food_beve.html#incart_river_index
“Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new estimates for the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder. In the 11 states included in the monitoring network, 1 in 59 school-age children is estimated to have autism. This rate represents an approximately 15 percent increase from data released in 2016, when it was estimated that 1 in 68 children had ASD. In New Jersey, it is estimated that 1 in 34 school-age children has ASD, the highest rate among the states in the study.”
A pediatrician on what the new autism numbers mean for Philadelphia parents
by Kate Wallis, For the Inquirer May 1, 2018
A beaming, 2½-year-old girl recently came to see me because her parents were concerned that she still could speak only a few words, and was having tantrums at a rate excessive even for a toddler. Julissa, as I’ll call her, is very affectionate and friendly, but I quickly saw why her parents were worried. She had only a few words in Spanish, her parents’ native language, and in English, learned primarily from a speech therapist. During our visit, she wasn’t able to play peek-a-boo with me, a game I would have expected her to master before age 2. Plenty of toddlers are strong-willed, but she flies into tantrums when even minor things don’t go her way. By the end of the evaluation, it was clear that Julissa has trouble communicating, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors, which are core features of autism. When I made the diagnosis, I explained to Julissa’s parents that autism spectrum disorder is a neuro-developmental condition, defined by differences in how a child experiences the world.
http://www.philly.com/philly/health/a-pediatrician-on-what-the-new-autism-numbers-mean-for-philadelphia-parents-20180501.html
Panel calls for broad reforms in Woodland Hills
MATT MCKINNEY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mmckinney@post-gazette.com MAY 2, 2018
A year after the Woodland Hills School District was roiled by several altercations between students and staff, a panel that evaluated the district’s culture and discipline practices offered a series of recommendations Tuesday it said will help the district heal and avoid similar problems. The group of 20 volunteers — including civic leaders, education experts and parents — called on the district to enact a broad range of policy initiatives, including implicit-bias training, possibly eliminating school resource officers and bolstering efforts to hire minority employees. The actions were necessary, commission members said, to improve the “quality of learning for all Woodland students” and to create a model for other urban and “inner-ring” school districts. The commission released its report 11 months after district officials commissioned an independent study to investigate the underlying causes of the “awful problems” during the 2016-17 school year.
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2018/05/01/woodland-hills-schools-district-shaulis-commission/stories/201805010183
“I said, ‘You’re the one creating the ‘bad’ schools by taking all the kids that can afford to get out and leaving the kids who can’t behind,’” Hazell said he told DeVos in response. (Hazell said he was not referring to DeVos specifically as creating the “bad” schools but to school choice policies generally.) The centerpiece of DeVos’ education agenda involves expanding school choice policies. Before entering the White House, she spent years advocating for these programs and pouring money into the cause.”
Nation’s Top Teachers ‘Verbally Spar’ With Betsy DeVos In Private Meeting
Teachers say they left the meeting disappointed and frustrated.
Huffington Post By Rebecca Klein 05/01/2018 09:49 am ET
At a roundtable with the nation’s top educators on Monday afternoon, at least one teacher told Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that her favored policies are having a negative effect on public schools, HuffPost has learned. DeVos met privately with over 50 teachers who had been named 2018 teachers of the year in their states. As part of the discussion, teachers were asked to describe some of the obstacles they face at their jobs and were given the opportunity to ask the education secretary questions. Jon Hazell, Oklahoma’s teacher of the year, told DeVos that school choice policies are draining traditional public schools of resources in his state. He specifically referenced charter schools and private schools in voucher programs, Hazell told HuffPost. His comment received support from other teachers in the room. But Hazell, a Republican who voted for President Donald Trump, said he found DeVos’ responses to his concerns unsatisfactory. DeVos told Hazell that students might be choosing these schools to get out of low-performing public schools, he said.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/betsy-devos-top-teachers_us_5ae79725e4b055fd7fcef147
Facing Budget Cuts and Teacher Shortages at Home, American School Districts Look Abroad to Hire
By Dana Goldstein for The New York Times May 2, 2018
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The latest wave of foreign workers sweeping into American jobs brought Donato Soberano from the Philippines to Arizona two years ago. He had to pay thousands of dollars to a job broker and lived for a time in an apartment with five other Filipino workers. The lure is the pay — 10 times more than what he made doing the same work back home. But Mr. Soberano is not a hospitality worker or a home health aide. He is in another line of work that increasingly pays too little to attract enough Americans: Mr. Soberano is a public-school teacher. As walkouts by teachers protesting low pay and education funding shortfalls spread across the country, the small but growing movement to recruit teachers from overseas is another sign of the difficulty some districts are having providing the basics to public-school students. Among the latest states hit by the protests is Arizona, where teacher pay is more than $10,000 below the national average of $59,000 per year. The Pendergast Elementary School District, where Mr. Soberano works, has recruited more than 50 teachers from the Philippines since 2015. They hold J-1 visas, which allow them to work temporarily in the United States, like au pairs or camp counselors, but offer no path to citizenship. More than 2,800 foreign teachers arrived on American soil last year through the J-1, according to the State Department, up from about 1,200 in 2010.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/us/arizona-teachers-philippines.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
'Teachers' Spring' forcing lawmakers to find money for schools
Buisiness Insider Reuters May 1, 2018
(Reuters) - It has been called the "Teachers' Spring" in the United States, with educators from five states staging an unprecedented wave of protests demanding increases in pay and school budgets. Encouraged by progressive resistance to President Donald Trump and the #MeToo movement, the protests by the nation's teachers, more than three-quarters of whom are women, mark the first statewide walkouts since the 1990s. Some educators have likened their movement to the "Arab Spring", a series of anti-government uprisings that hit Arab countries in North Africa and the Middle East beginning in 2010. The movement has already prompted lawmakers to allocate pay increases for teachers and more money for schools in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Colorado, while Arizona's legislature is also trying to hammer out a deal.
http://www.businessinsider.com/r-teachers-spring-forcing-lawmakers-to-find-money-for-schools-2018-5
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
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.
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/
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.