PA Ed Policy Roundup May 8: Court Rules PA School Funding Lawsuit Will Proceed

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PA Ed Policy Roundup May 8, 2018

Court Rules PA School Funding Lawsuit Will Proceed


Court allows historic school funding case to proceed
Advocates call it a victory for students.
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa May 7, 2018 — 6:17pm
Dismissing most objections raised by legislative leaders, Commonwealth Court ruled Monday that a landmark legal case with the potential to overturn Pennsylvania's system for funding education can proceed. The court rejected arguments from State Senate President Pro-tem Joseph Scarnati and Assembly Speaker Mike Turzai that the petitioners – several school districts,  individual parents, and state organizations – had failed to prove that the current system harms students. Pennsylvania's school funding system, which is heavily reliant on local property taxes, has some of the widest gaps in spending among districts of any state. In the case, called William Penn School District v. Pennsylvania Department of Education, plaintiffs argue that students are being deprived of their right to a "thorough and efficient" education as described in the state constitution. The Education Law Center and the Public Interest Law Center, which represent the plaintiffs, hailed the ruling.   “This is a clear victory for public school students across the commonwealth,” said Maura McInerney, legal director at the Education Law Center. “There is no doubt that Pennsylvania's schoolchildren continue to suffer extraordinary harm due to severe underfunding and gross inequalities. We look forward to proving our case at trial.”  
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/05/07/court-allows-historic-school-funding-case-to-proceed

UPDATE: SCHOOL FUNDING LAWSUIT WILL PROCEED, COMMONWEALTH COURT RULES
Public Interest Law Center Website May 7, 2018
In an opinion released May 7, the Commonwealth Court overruled various preliminary objections to the Pennsylvania school funding lawsuit. On May 7, in a victory for students across Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth Court overruled various preliminary objections to Pennsylvania’s landmark school funding lawsuit. The ruling was an important step to ensure that the suit, William Penn School District v. Pennsylvania Department of Education, will move forward towards a full trial. The Education Law Center and the Public Interest Law Center represent the families, school districts, and statewide organizations that have petitioned for relief. The court heard oral argument on the objections on March 7. Among the objections that the Court overruled was the claim that the petitioners had not established that the current funding scheme caused the injuries they suffered. Ruling that the objection had “no merit,” the Court noted the Supreme Court was already “clearly able to discern” the nature of petitioners’ claims. “This is a clear victory for public school students across the Commonwealth,” said Maura McInerney Legal Director at the Education Law Center.  “There is no doubt that Pennsylvania’s schoolchildren continue to suffer extraordinary harm due to severe under-funding and gross inequalities. We look forward to proving our case at trial.”
https://www.pubintlaw.org/cases-and-projects/school-funding-lawsuit-will-proceed-commonwealth-court-rules/

Landmark Pa. school-funding suit clears legal hurdle
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer  @newskag |  kgraham@phillynews.com Updated: MAY 7, 2018 — 5:29 PM EDT
A lawsuit that has the potential to reshape the way schools are funded in Pennsylvania cleared another legal hurdle on Monday. A panel of Commonwealth Court judges swept away some of the state’s objections to a suit, brought by plaintiffs including Philadelphia parents and the William Penn School District in Delaware County, that contends Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unfair, inadequate, and unconstitutional. The court overruled a claim by Republican lawmakers that William Penn and the other petitioners had not proven that the current funding system caused harm to students. Judges did, however, say they wanted to hear more information from the plaintiffs — including whether a 2016 funding formula rendered inequalities moot, and information about whether education is a fundamental right. Lawyers for House Speaker Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny) have argued that students have “no fundamental right to equal education” under the state constitution. The funding formula does not discharge the state from its obligations, said Maura McInerney, an Education Law Center lawyer representing the plaintiffs along with the Public Interest Law Center. Just 2 percent of all education funding flows through that formula. As to the larger question, “I think it’s very clear to almost everyone other than the legislature that education is an important right,” McInerney said. “This is clear in the language of our constitution.” Pennsylvania has the largest gap in funding between wealthy and poor school districts, federal data show.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/landmark-pa-school-funding-suit-clears-legal-hurdle-20180507.html

Pa. school funding lawsuit inches forward, though roadblocks remain
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent May 7, 2018
A lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s education funding system inched forward Monday, delivering a incremental victory to the plaintiffs, though potential roadblocks linger. A Commonwealth Court ruling tossed objections raised by leaders of the Republican-controlled state House and Senate, allowing the case to move forward. But the court also ordered the parties to present more information on whether the case should be declared moot and what standard of review the judiciary should use if it ultimately reviews the case — meaning there will be at least one more intermediary phase to decide if the case should proceed to a full trial. That decision could have dramatic implications for Pennsylvania’s public schools. In 2014, a group of school districts and advocates sued the state, saying the legislative and executive branches failed to adequately fund Pennsylvania’s schools and thus violated the education clause in the state constitution. They also claim the large disparities in spending among rich and poor school districts violates the state’s equal protection clause. It isn’t the first lawsuit of its kind in Pennsylvania, but it is the first to get this far through the legal system.
https://whyy.org/articles/pa-school-funding-lawsuit-inches-forward-though-roadblocks-remain/

Pennsylvania school funding lawsuit survives again
Morning Call by Steve Esack Contact Reporter Call Harrisburg Bureau May 7, 2018
A Pennsylvania school funding lawsuit survived another challenge after a state court rejected Gov. Tom Wolf's and lawmakers' attempts to toss it. Seven parents and six school districts, including Panther Valley School District in Carbon and Schuylkill counties, are suing Wolf and the Legislature to try to get the state to provide more financial aide to poor districts with low local tax bases. The lawsuit, filed in 2014, claims the state’s funding formula is too low, too outdated and too unfair in light of specific math and reading standards set by governors and lawmakers on mandatory, standardized exams. On Monday, Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson ruled the lawsuit could continue despite objections from the Democratic governor and leaders of the Republican-Controlled House and Senate. In trying to get the lawsuit thrown out, Wolf’s lawyers argued that state constitution’s separate of powers doctrine gives the governor and lawmakers the right to make budget decisions, not the court.
http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-nws-school-funding-lawsuit-20180507-story.html

“Without full funding from the state there is continued disparity throughout Pennsylvania due in part to the longstanding “hold harmless” provision of giving districts education funding. It held that districts will receive state money at a level that is no less than what they were given in the prior year regardless of enrollment. To combat this, a basic education funding formula was signed into law in 2015 which uses factors like enrollment, number of students in poverty and English Language Learners in how state money is sent to districts. However, only new money added to the state’s basic education fund since 2015, approximately $450 million, is appropriated by the funding formula, which is about seven percent of the $6 billion basic education fund for 2017-18.”
Inequities continues in education funding despite more money
Bradford Era By Kevin Tustin ktustin@21st-centurymedia.com @KevinTustin on Twitter May 7, 2018
The school year is drawing to an end, and that means district leaders are compiling their budgets for 2018-19 to scrutinize what their expenses will look like and how they’re going to pay for it. Perhaps the most certain thing every year is that real estate taxes will be the driving revenue source for districts, leaving most to raise taxes to fight off rising expenses like salaries, benefits, and education mandates as they settle for their state and federal appropriations. The Education Law Center declared in 2013 that the state’s share of school funding is 34 percent, an approximate figure reiterated by the Pennsylvania School Board Association and Public Citizens for Children and Youth. It may be a coincidence that two reports released last week address the commonwealth’s funding of primary education. A poll commissioned by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center of 1,100 residents show that 83 percent believe full funding of K-12 public schools is a top or important priority and 56 percent said the Legislature spends too little on education. A majority was reached across the political spectrum on the topic from 62 percent of self-identifying conservative republicans giving it a higher priority and up to 97 percent of liberal democrats agreeing.
http://www.bradfordera.com/news/state/inequities-continues-in-education-funding-despite-more-money/article_4e73a8ca-2c65-57d2-919d-e27d8a9cbe7d.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

Group says many Pennsylvania schools are severely underfunded
By: Matt Heckel, WHTM Updated: May 07, 2018 05:24 PM EDT
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) - More than a dozen school districts across Pennsylvania are severely underfunded to the tune of almost $1 billion, according to Equity First. Now, that group is pushing for lawmakers to even out that funding.  "There are 138 school districts that are underfunded. There are 19 school districts that are severely underfunded by $10 million or more," said Kelly Lewis, founder of Equity First. Those 19 school districts include Wilkes Barre, underfunded by more than $33 million; Harrisburg, by $38 million; York, by over $51 million; and Allentown City School District, underfunded to the tune of over $80 million, according to Equity First. "Large minority populations, very large special education populations. They really have a tough nut to crack, and they're underfunded," Lewis said.  Lewis said the underfunding can put a huge strain on those school districts and can result in some extreme measures to solve the problem. Potentially cutting kindergarten or reducing it to half day. Lots of preschool programs aren't offered in these city school districts," she said.  Equity First is pushing lawmakers to adopt a four- to six-year plan to fix it as well as $400 million in new basic education funding and $80 million in new special education funding.
http://www.wkbn.com/news/pennsylvania/group-says-many-pennsylvania-schools-are-severely-underfunded/1165144920

Bill would help school districts facing financial losses
ABC27 By: Matt Heckel  Updated: May 07, 2018 08:18 PM EDT
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -- - Kelly Lewis, one of the founders of Equity First says underfunding school districts can put a huge strain on them, and can result in some extreme measures to solve the problem. "There's 138 school districts that are underfunded. There's 19 school districts that are severely underfunded by 10 million dollars or more," said Lewis. According to Equity First, those 19 school districts are underfunded by a total of $931 million. They include Wilkes-Barre, underfunded by more than $33 million, Harrisburg $38 million, and York $51 million. Nothing compares to the Allentown City School District, underfunded to the tune of over $80 million. "Large minority populations, very large special education populations. They really have a tough nut to crack, and they're underfunded," said Lewis. "Potentially cutting kindergarten or reducing it to half day. Lots of preschool programs aren't offered in these city school districts." Equity First is pushing lawmakers to adopt a four to six year plan to fix it. The measure would call for $400 million in new basic education funding, and $80 million in new special education funding. Senator Mensch has introduced a bill that would send 75% of that new funding to the underfunded schools, and the other 25% going to all 500 districts.
http://www.abc27.com/news/local/bill-would-help-school-districts-facing-financial-losses/1165652561

The 2018 list of 'Standout High Schools' in Pennsylvania
Penn Live By Linda Hasco | lhasco@pennlive.com | Posted May 07, 2018 at 05:30 AM
Niche has released its 2018 list of Standout High Schools in Pennsylvania, recognizing public schools that are making a difference in their community. The list is limited to schools where at least 50 percent of the students are identified by the school as being economically disadvantaged, and those schools with a Niche overall grade of B or higher. Rankings were based on analysis of academic and student-life data from the U.S. Department of Education, as well as test scores, college data and more. The methodology used for this compilation can be found here.  For comparison, PennLive has compiled some of the factors Niche used to determine a school's rank, including student enrollment, student/teacher ratio, percentage of students enrolled in AP programs, math and reading proficiencies, the school's graduation rate and spending per student.   
https://www.pennlive.com/expo/erry-2018/05/66ecb141391345/the_2018_list_of_standout_high.html#incart_most_shared-politics

'We have to stop self-destructing:' Harrisburg school board mulls budget to save kindergarten, cut jobs
Penn Live By Steve Marroni smarroni@pennlive.com Updated 6:49 AM; Posted May 7, 10:50 PM
HARRISBURG - Full-day kindergarten in the Harrisburg School District may be safe for now, but that would mean more than 30 jobs could be on the chopping block. And part of the problem is that the school district hired close to 40 teachers over the last two years for whom it did not properly budget.  "We have to stop self-destructing here," budget and finance chair Ellis Roy said in frustration after hearing this news from the finance team. In a budget discussion Monday night, acting Chief Financial Officer James Snell and acting Business Manager Bilal Hasan laid out their latest recommendations for the 2018-2019 budget, which must be finalized next month. The district has a $30 million fund balance, but that amount is rapidly depleting, and projections show the district will be in the hole in three years. To help combat that, the school district will likely raise taxes the maximum allowed  by law over the next three years, but that won't be enough. Program cuts will be needed, too. 
http://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/05/harrisburg_schools_full_day_ki.html

School and health officials work with students to curtail vaping as e-cigarette use continues to climb
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer May 7, 2018
It was only a year ago when Adrianna Rivera, now 14 years old, was addicted to nicotine. Her friends warned her about it, but she didn’t listen. After all, she wasn’t smoking cigarettes. She was inhaling flavored vapor through a vape pen. The sleek design and assortment of flavors — from Swedish candy to cinnamon toast cereal — got Adrianna hooked. She vaped daily, paying less than $30 on eBay for new vape kits when her flavoring liquid, or e-juice, ran out. All the 13-year-old had to do was check a box asking if she was 18 or older. Her addiction — which to her seemed more like a hobby — eventually caught up with her, as she felt her asthma worsen with each puff. So she quit a few months after she started using the products. Now, the Pequea Valley Intermediate School student wants to help others do the same by sharing her story and spreading awareness. “I’m just glad I’m out of it now,” she said, “because I know how bad it is and I just want to help others because I know how hard it is to not get into.”
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/school-and-health-officials-work-with-students-to-curtail-vaping/article_718a5738-4fd6-11e8-9999-3b9c36f8145c.html

'Juuling' Craze: Schools Scramble to Deal With Student Vaping
Use of Juul device makes vaping hard to detect
Education Week By Evie Blad May 4, 2018
After years of aggressive anti-tobacco campaigns aimed at teenagers, students have largely rejected smoking, but many have tried vaping, sending school leaders scrambling to revise discipline policies and drug prevention classes to confront the new trend of inhaling flavor-infused nicotine vapor. Adding urgency to those efforts: A small, sleek device that could be easily mistaken for a USB drive has joined the market of vaping and e-cigarette products. The device, called a Juul, has surged in popularity in the last year, in part because its low-profile design allows students to easily conceal their habit and inhale the flavored nicotine vapor in school restrooms, hallways, and even classrooms undetected. Like many trends among teenagers, vaping and "juuling" gained a foothold among young people long before adults and school administrators realized the scale of the problem, principals said, and now they are rushing to catch up.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/05/09/juuling-craze-schools-scramble-to-deal-with.html

Local Philly parent and teacher advocates talk unity … separately
The notebook by Darryl C. Murphy May 7, 2018 — 1:53pm
Over the weekend, education advocates gathered to talk about solidarity in the School District. Two groups –Parents United for Public Education and Teacher Action Group – held separate daylong events, which included workshops and discussions and were aimed at unifying families, educators, and students. Held at Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School, Teacher Action Group’s ninth annual Education for Liberation conference followed the theme of creating a united front to transform schools and the city. The six-hour event explored the effects in schools of social issues such as racism, gentrification, sexism, gender inequality, immigration, and school safety – all hot-button topics in Philadelphia. “There’s no way to transform our schools without thinking about how schooling represents the linchpin of the dominant narrative,” said Chris Rogers, a member of TAG, who works with teachers on their professional development. “We know in order to change our education system, we have to be thinking about our connections to economic justice, racial justice, gender justice if we’re thinking about a full transformation.”
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/05/07/local-parent-and-teachers-advocates-talk-unity-separately

Philly students, teachers join in monumental art project to honor Octavius Catto
WHYY By Darryl C. Murphy May 7, 2018
About 200 students gathered, 100 at a time, in the City Hall courtyard to paint roughly half of a 6,000-square-foot mural dedicated to Octavius Catto, who made history in civil rights activism and sports in 19th-century Philadelphia. The finished mural will cover the east facade of the Universal Institute Charter building near 15th and Catharine streets in South Philadelphia. The painting project was part of an event celebrating the end of the city school district’s professional development initiative to help middle and high school teachers incorporate the Catto’s life into their lesson plans. Throughout the school year, the district offered five workshops covering various aspects of Catto’s legacy. The goal is to teach students about the history of black and brown people, as well as to inspire activism, said Shaquita Smith, the district’s social studies curriculum specialist.
https://whyy.org/articles/philly-students-teachers-join-in-monumental-art-project-to-honor-octavius-catto/

Why I Teach Where I Teach: To Fight for Educational Equity
Zachary Wright May 7, 2018 by Ed Trust
Zachary Wright is the 12th-grade world literature and AP Literature teacher at Mastery Charter School Shoemaker Campus, where he has been since 2010, having taught nearly every senior the school has ever had. Wright was named Philadelphia’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2013, and has participated in the fight for equal education funding by testifying before Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission as well as in the state house in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He is also a regular contributor to Education Post.
At Mastery Charter School Shoemaker Campus, I’m not just a teacher; I am a warrior for social justice. Education in America, wherein we have legislated who can learn and with whom one can learn, is inseparable from politics. Education is also, unfortunately, a commodity rather than a social service. Americans are consumers whose wealth is directly associated with our access to school choice and high-quality education. These two combined realities created the unequal distribution of quality education assigned by race and class as suburban White flight concentrated education funding in segregated White suburbs while urban schools serving predominantly minority populations did so while being chronically underfunded. To teach where I teach in West Philly is to understand these forms of systemic oppression and infuse my lessons with these understandings to best serve my students. My colleagues and I strive to be trauma-informed masters of restorative practices. We combine rigorous lessons with differentiated support systems to ensure our students see accelerated achievement without demonstrating the soft racism of lowering the bar of our expectations.
https://edtrust.org/the-equity-line/teach-teach-fight-educational-equity/

The Neubauers want to fix Philly schools. Their plan? To sharpen the principal force.
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer  @newskag |  kgraham@phillynews.com Updated: MAY 7, 2018 — 1:48 PM EDT
Joseph Neubauer made millions as a businessman, and when he turned his attention to Philadelphia schools, he did not abandon the instincts that made him wildly successful. There are too many students in the city — about 225,000 — to improve the education system directly through them, he thought. There are 20,000 teachers, 350 public, private and charter schools. But principals? There, the philanthropist figured, was his leverage point to accelerate Philadelphia’s renaissance. “You have enough critical mass to change the process,” said Neubauer. “You can’t find an excellent school without a great principal.” To that end, Neubauer and his wife, Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer, started the Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders in 2014, and it’s already attracting national attention. Its flagship program, the Neubauer Fellowship in Educational Leadership, takes a class of about 20 charter, private and Philadelphia School District principals annually, and, over two years, arms them with high-level management training — lessons in entrepreneurship and implementing strategic plans, conversations with nationally-recognized researchers and leaders. The organization’s annual budget is about $1.5 million.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/neubauer-fellowship-in-educationl-leadership-joseph-neubauer-jeanette-lerman-neubauer-training-principals-improve-schools-20180507.html

“The root cause of the problem continues to be a statewide teacher shortage. According to the state Department of Education, 6,215 people received new teacher certifications during 2014-15 school year, compared to 16,361 just two years earlier.”
Bethlehem Area looks to increase pay for substitute teachers
Jacqueline Palochko Contact Reporter Of The Morning Call May 7, 2018
The Bethlehem Area School District is considering raising the pay for substitute teachers and offering a $250 bonus per semester. At Monday’s school board meeting, Russell Giordano, chief human resources officer, presented a plan that would raise the pay for day-to-day substitutes from $90 to $100. Additionally, Giordano proposed a $250 bonus for substitute teachers who worked 95 percent of student days per semester. Bethlehem Area, like many other districts, has struggled to find substitute teachers. The rate at which the district was able to hire a substitute decreased from 90 percent in the fall 2016 semester to 83 percent in the fall 2017 semester, according to an analysis by Substitute Teacher Services, a contractor that provides the district’s replacement teachers. That means classrooms across the district went without a substitute teacher nearly 1,100 days during the first semester of this school year, compared to about 600 in the fall of 2016.
http://www.mcall.com/news/education/mc-nws-bethlehem-school-board-20180507-story.html


Trump Seeks Cut to Children's Health Insurance Program
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on May 7, 2018 9:15 PM
The White House is asking Congress to cut $7 billion from the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, which Congress recently renewed, as part of an effort to cut $15 billion from the federal government's bottom line, mostly from unspent funds, senior administration officials said Monday. The CHIP program, which helps low-income children get access to health care, cost about $15.6 billion in federal and state spending in fiscal year 2016, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The proposed cuts include $5 billion from the Children's Health Insurance Fund, to help reimburse states for certain expenses, according to the Washington Post. Senior administration officials said that the authority to use those funds expired last fall, so it can't be legally tapped. Another $2 billion in CHIP funds is for a program that states can help handle higher-than-expected enrollment, according to the Post. The White House estimates that no state will end up needing those funds, because CHIP enrollment is going down, not up. Importantly, White House officials said they plan to later introduce a package that would make midyear cuts to the $1.3 trillion bipartisan spending bill that Congress passed earlier this year. That could include proposed cuts to education programs, since Congress provided more money for the U.S. Department of Education than the Trump team asked for. The Trump budget request for fiscal 2018 sought major cuts to several K-12 programs, including the elimination of $2.1 billion in Title II spending for educator professional development, $1.1 billion in funding for after-school programs, and $400 million in Title IV funding, a block-grant program for districts to use in a variety of areas. Congress rejected the cut to Title II, boosted after-school spending by $20 million, and dramatically hiked Title IV to $1.1 billion. Advocates are taking the potential threat seriously, Andrew reported last month. But they note that GOP lawmakers agreed to the budget blueprint that allowed for that spending.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/05/white_house_CHIP_cut_budget.html

More Than 30 Mishaps From Armed Adults at Schools Since 2014, Review Finds
Education Week By The Associated Press May 5, 2018
They are the "good guys with guns" the National Rifle Association says are needed to protect students from shooters: a school police officer, a teacher who moonlights in law enforcement, a veteran sheriff. Yet in a span of 48 hours in March, the three were responsible for gun safety lapses that put students in danger. The school police officer accidentally fired his gun in his Virginia office, sending a bullet through a wall into a middle school classroom. The teacher was demonstrating firearm safety in California when he mistakenly put a round in the ceiling, injuring three students who were hit by falling debris. And the sheriff left a loaded service weapon in a locker room at a Michigan middle school, where a sixth-grader found it. All told, an Associated Press review of news reports collected by the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive revealed more than 30 publicly reported mishaps since 2014 involving firearms brought onto school grounds by law enforcement officers or educators. Guns went off by mistake, were fired by curious or unruly students, and were left unattended in bathrooms and other locations.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/05/06/ap-review-more-than-30-mishaps_ap.html

ESSA: Which States Are Eschewing School Grades?
By Alyson Klein on May 4, 2018 7:05 PM
Happy Monday, and welcome to another edition of Answering Your ESSA Questions. This question on the Every Student Succeeds Act comes from one of the participants in Edweek's recent ESSA online ESSA summit, "Keys to ESSA Implementation." And it's a wonky one. Question: How many states are using accountability dashboards? Answer: At least 10 states have plans to create some kind of accountability "dashboard." Dashboards consider school performance on a host of factors—test scores, test participation, school climate, graduation rates—but don't give an overall score to a school. Most states are using more-traditional school ratings systems, where schools are labeled for performance. Some of these ratings systems are on an A through F scale, just like school grades. Others label schools based on a point or star system, and still others come up with an overall category for their schools. (For instance, in Nebraska, schools can be either.) Some states want to use these dashboards as their only school rating system for federal accountability. Those states include: California, Idaho, Oregon, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. (Virginia's separate state-based accreditation system does require schools to be rated.) At least four are planning to use both a dashboard and a more-traditional rating system where schools get an overall grade. Those states include Arkansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, and New York.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/05/essa_dashboards_accountability_school_ratings.html

Fact Check: Trump Tells NRA He's Approved $2 Billion for School Safety
Education Week By Evie Blad on May 4, 2018 4:57 PM | No comments
President Donald Trump spoke to members of the National Rifle Association Friday at its first national meeting since the February school shooting in Parkland, Fla., which set off new debates about school safety and gun laws. In a sprawling speech that covered topics ranging from immigration to athletes' protests during the National Anthem, Trump re-upped calls to arm teachers and "harden schools" with increased security. And he may have misstated how much his administration has secured for school safety efforts. "I recently signed legislation that includes more than $2 billion to improve school safety, including the funding for training and metal detectors and security and mental health," the president told the Dallas crowd at the organization's National Leadership Forum. "Mental health is a big one." But it's unclear where he got the $2 billion figure.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/2018/05/Trump_NRA_two_billion_school_safety_fact_check.html?cmp=RSS-FEED


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:

·         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/

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 

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!

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.