PA Ed Policy Roundup June 5: The new formula is only as good as the funding behind it.

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Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Ed Policy Roundup June 5, 2018

The new formula is only as good as the funding behind it.


School choice debate reignites at Capitol
Sharon Herald By JOHN FINNERTY CNHI Harrisburg Bureau June 4, 2018
HARRISBURG – The controversy over expanding school choice to use tax dollars to help parents afford private school tuition has been renewed at the state Capitol. A Senate panel in May approved a plan that would require the state to set up Education Savings Accounts that parents could tap into to cover some or all of the cost of private school if they live in an area served by a poorly-performing public school. Under the plan, school districts would have to transfer about $6,000 annually into the education savings account for each student who leaves for private school. The move comes as the pro-school choice views of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos has shifted the issue to the center of a national debate over whether the government should do more to help parents afford alternatives to the public school system. Arizona, in 2011, became the first state to create education savings accounts like those proposed in Senate Bill 2, authored by state Sen. John DiSanto, R-Dauphin County. Since then, Florida, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina and Tennessee have approved similar plans, according to EdChoice, a pro-school choice group based in Indianapolis. The major public school lobbying groups, including the Pennsylvania School Board Association and the state’s largest teacher union, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, have roundly criticized the plan. Gov. Tom Wolf has voiced his opposition, as well.
http://www.sharonherald.com/news/school-choice-debate-reignites-at-capitol/article_6f223ed4-67a5-11e8-85e9-ff804d0cac6b.html

“The General Assembly did a great job coming up with a funding formula and enacting it into law, but the new formula is only as good as the funding behind it. The state needs to adequately and equitably fund our public schools.”
Why have Republicans in the Legislature declared war on public education? | Opinion
Penn Live Guest Editorial By Lawrence A. Feinberg Updated 8:45 AM June 5, 2018
Lawrence A. Feinberg is serving his 19^th year as a locally elected school director in Haverford Township. He is the chairman of the Delaware County School Board's Legislative Council and also serves on the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
Almost two years ago, the Pennsylvania General Assembly overwhelmingly enacted legislation establishing a new basic education funding formula to serve the students of our state. But because the formula only applies to new money, two years have gone by with little actual impact upon students in our most underfunded districts. Only about 7 percent of basic education funding was distributed through the new formula this year. Equity First, a group raising awareness of school funding issues in Pennsylvania, looked at what districts would receive if the formulas for basic and special education were applied to all funding proposed for next year. The organization found that the top five underfunded school districts are:

·         York City School District, underfunded by $6,565 per student

·         Reading School District, underfunded by $6,520 per student

·         Harrisburg City School District, underfunded by $5,225 per student

·         Wilkes-Barre Area School District, underfunded by $4,468 per student

·         Pottstown School District, underfunded by $4,214 per student

If past years' funding increases are any indication, it is estimated that it may take another 20 years for students in districts like those to receive the funding they deserve. Instead of taking steps to provide Pennsylvania students with adequate resources for a "thorough and efficient" public education, as guaranteed in the state constitution, the General Assembly continues to focus on school privatization measures that divert already scarce tax dollars to unaccountable private and religious schools (EITC/OSTC tax credit programs and education savings account vouchers), and on chronically failing cyber charter schools. Additionally, up until 2011 the state reimbursed districts about $200 million for about one-third of charter tuition costs, acknowledging stranded costs that continue when students leave district schools.
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2018/06/a_new_school_funding_formula_g.html#incart_river_index

Tell Pennsylvania's legislature to end gerrymandering now | Editorial
by The Inquirer Editorial Board Updated: JUNE 5, 2018 — 5:00 AM EDT
If the Pennsylvania legislature doesn’t vote to end gerrymandering by July 6, residents can not only forget about a citizens’ redistricting commission but also can pretty much give up on the hope of any needed government reforms. As it is now, Pennsylvania’s congressional and state legislative districts are among the most gerrymandered in the nation. Legislators from the party in power manipulate boundaries to dilute the power of voters of other parties. It’s how they’ve gotten away with ignoring equitable taxation and fair school funding, failing to pass gun safety laws that most residents want, and passing budgets that are built on solid financial footing and not fake gambling revenue projections. They don’t have to respond to diverse interests because they draw legislative districts filled with enough like-minded voters to keep them in office term after term. But the time to  fix this is right now .  Under convoluted rules, both houses of the state legislature must pass bills by July 6,  or we have to wait another decade to address redistricting changes.   A truly independent citizens’ commission would draw state legislative and congressional district lines based on principals of fairness after the 2020 Census. They would do it in the open and not in some dark corner of the Capitol where political deals are cut. The commission wouldn’t slice and dice towns to dilute minority party’s voters or reach far into the hinterlands to create majority districts for the party in power.
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/editorials/pennsylvania-legislature-gerrymandering-citizens-commimssion-editorial-20180605.html

This Pa. Senate bill doesn't fix gerrymandering. It makes it worse | Opinion
Penn Live Guest Editorial Updated Jun 4, 8:15 AM; Posted Jun 4, 8:15 AM
This piece was co-authored by the following organizations: Action Together NEPA, Capital Region Indivisible, Erie County United, For Our Future Pennsylvania, Keystone Progress, Make the Road PA, The NAACP State Council, One Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, PA Together, Pittsburgh United, Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates, Thomas Merton Center, Voice Of Westmoreland.
When elected officials draw electoral maps, they use the process to protect themselves, and their self-interest comes before competitiveness, community cohesion, racial equity, or any other priority of the public interest. Consequently, legislative delegations to state and federal office do not reflect the demographics or policy preferences of the electorate. When politicians choose their voters, instead of the reverse, it's a democratic injustice that voters vividly understand.  In 2021, Pennsylvania is set to redraw its electoral maps in the wake of the census. A redistricting reform bill, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton, is the state Senate's idea of how the new maps should be drawn. While this proposed constitutional amendment (SB22) appears to set up an unbiased commission to draw districts, a closer read reveals that the commission is anything but independent. The Senate wants to create a commission appointed by elected officials, and gives the Legislature final say on whether or not to approve the maps. In other words, elected officials would still control the process, so elected officials would still use the process to advance their position.
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2018/06/this_pa_senate_bill_doesnt_fix.html#incart_river_index

York County high school student: I feel like a sitting target for a shooter
York Daily Record by Gianni Hill Published 10:46 a.m. ET June 4, 2018
Gianni Hill is a York Catholic student who lives in West Manchester Township.
I’m a high school student. I’m a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and I am sick and tired of people dying from perfectly preventable gun violence. Dec. 14, 2012, I was in sixth grade, and I remember exactly where I was when I found out a gunman massacred innocent men, women and children at Sandy Hook. That night, WGAL told my parents to hug my brother and me just a little tighter before bed and tell us it would never happen again. Since then over 180 times it has happened, an average of a week and a half between each, but that’s just the shootings with a death. The fact I’ve only heard of about 15 scares me. This year alone there have been 45 school shootings, on pace to hit nearly 100.  We have become desensitized to death and destruction. As an American, the process of responding to these tragedies is frustratingly simple. A united Pavlovian chorus, we offer our prayers, wish each other well, and those in charge promise it will never happen again because they’re going to do something. I’m still waiting.
https://www.ydr.com/story/opinion/columnists/2018/06/04/york-co-student-feel-like-sitting-target-shooter/668863002/

“More astute readers will recall that, way back in February, Gov. Tom Wolf rolled out a $33 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1 that included , about $225 million more for education and a $230 million increase for services at home for the elderly and disabled.”
It's game on for the budget as advocates descend on the Capitol | Monday Morning Coffee
Penn Live By John L. Micek jmicek@pennlive.com Updated 7:58 AM; Posted 7:54 AM
Good Monday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Today is Monday, June 4, which means that a mere 26 days remain before the lights blink out on the 2017-18 fiscal year, and that state lawmakers and the Democratic Wolf administration have to approve - and sign - its replacement. With the deadline clock officially ticking, a diverse coalition of advocacy groups will descend on the Capitol this Monday morning to demand "a budget that puts people first." Things get rolling at 9:45 a.m. with a rally in the Capitol rotunda, with events and legislative office visits scheduled to go on throughout the day. Over the weekend, activists were sending out sign-up sheets for the rally-goers they're hoping to bus into town as lawmakers return to work for a new week of voting sessions. The rally - and today's events - are intended to "highlight the stark choice Pennsylvania faces today when it comes to how lawmakers are crafting the state budget a if the state cannot fix our upside-down tax system and secure new revenue, we will face devastating cutbacks to government funding for education, human services, protecting clean air and water, and many other programs that are critical to Pennsylvanians every single day," the groups said in a statement.
http://www.pennlive.com/capitol-notebook/2018/06/its_game_on_for_the_budget_as.html

Action, not just talk, needed to save Philly kids from toxic schools | Opinion
by Jerry Jordan, For the Inquirer Updated: JUNE 4, 2018 — 11:50 AM EDT
Jerry Jordan is president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.
As another school year draws to a close, it is important for all of us to reflect on our successes and challenges of the year, and to work diligently to ensure that come August, our students are prepared for success. Setting our students up for success is something we talk about frequently — but too often, it’s just that — talk. Philadelphia, we have some tough choices ahead of us. Are we going to invest in crucial programs and services that our children not only deserve but to which they are also legally entitled? Are we committed to expanding Mayor Kenney’s Community Schools initiative, where students all over the city are benefiting from schools that are transforming into community hubs, bustling with activities, programs, and energy? Do we believe that Dean Pagan, the young boy poisoned by lead paint in his classroom at Comly School, deserves the resources he needs to thrive and grow? Are we willing to recognize that the systemic and massive environmental hazards in our schools will not get fixed without extraordinary investment? Or, do we want to just talk? It’s good that the elected officials in our city recognize the enormous challenges before us and are taking a variety of approaches to these challenges. Council President Darrell L. Clarke is pursuing an important bill that would greatly expand affordable housing across the city — something that low and mid-income neighborhoods, where residents are getting priced out of their homes at alarming rates — desperately need. In fact, council members across the city are invested in causes that matter to them, and most importantly, to every day Philadelphians.
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/commentary/philadelphia-public-schools-city-council-mayor-kenney-lead-poisoning-taxes-20180604.html

Bills to take on food insecurity, food waste in schools
Special to PennLive By Gillian McGoldrick Updated Jun 4, 12:30 PM; Posted Jun 4, 12:30 PM
In each public school in Pennsylvania, there are students who throw away their lunches, and others who wish they had enough to eat. This is what inspired Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Greene County, to draft two bills to address food waste and food insecurity in schools. The two bills include one that would urge the federal government to alter its 2012 guidelines and give students the opportunity to make their own food and beverage choices. The other bill, inspired by a recent West Virginia law, would create a "Shared Table" initiative in each public school. For the Shared Table bill, students would place their unwanted food in a specified location. Cafeteria workers would then repackage it so that it could be redistributed to children experiencing food insecurity to either eat the food during the school day or take it home with them.
http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/06/bills_to_take_on_food_insecuri.html#incart_river_index

“Deadly school attacks — like those in Sante Fe, Texas, this month and Parkland, Fla., in February — are prompting schools to beef up security. Districts all over the nation are considering arming teachers and hiring more resource officers. But some districts, including Pittsburgh Public Schools, Mt. Lebanon and North Allegheny, are looking at the peacekeeping side of things as well. They’re using mindfulness practices to reduce stress and anger among staff and students, to improve mental health and to create a calm and compassionate atmosphere in their schools.”
Is mindful meditation the new normal in some Pittsburgh-area schools?
Public Source by Mary Niederberger  | May 29, 2018
It’s a warm, sunny May afternoon. The kind of afternoon that prompts young minds to think more about escaping school than sitting silent and still at their desks. And yet, in Elizabeth Fulton-Lasley’s third-grade classroom at Pittsburgh King PreK-8 on the North Side, there are more than a dozen little bodies sitting in chairs, eyes closed, feet on the floor. The room is without sound other than the voice of teacher Kathy Flynn-Somerville. She’s leading the students through a body scan, starting with their hair and moving down through their foreheads, eyes, cheeks, neck, chest, spine, hips, knees and feet. “Can you imagine the blood flowing through your legs?” Flynn-Somerville says. A chime playing from her phone alerts the students to open their eyes and return their focus back to the classroom. “I didn’t feel my body because it felt like my body went to sleep,” says My’Ona Mollet, 9. “It’s a really good thing to do if you are stressed or upset because it really calms you down,” 8-year-old Laylah Dukes reflects. There’s at least one naysayer — a boy sitting with his arms crossed and insisting the exercise is doing nothing for him. Fulton-Lasley says students, for the most part, like the exercises. “The class receives it open-hearted. They will stop in a lesson and say, ‘Can we do it?’”
https://www.publicsource.org/is-mindful-meditation-the-new-normal-in-some-pittsburgh-area-schools/

Clara Barton elementary holds Picasso project to raise cultural awareness
Philly Trib by Phillip Jackson Tribune Staff Writer May 31, 2018
Clara Barton Elementary school held a dedication ceremony for a new mural Wednesday in front of the school’s entrance featuring a ribbon cutting, speakers, and a student musical performance. The mural, entitled “All Are Welcome Here,” featured images of students with the word “Welcome” written in several languages hoping to establish a more inclusive environment for students of all backgrounds. The mural was created by K-2nd grade students in partnership with artist Lynn Denton under the leadership of art specialist Timothy Caisson and Barton Principal Colleen Bowen. The project received a 2018 Picasso Project grant award from Public Citizens for Children and Youth. Timothy Caison, an art teacher at the school said some students feared their immigrant status and refused to come outside. “We noticed over this year our attendance went down, we believed it was due to students being afraid to come outside because of their immigrant status,” said Caison. “So I applied to a grant to get a big mural that will stand the test of time and show that all are welcome here.” Since 2002, PCCY’s Picasso Project has provided access to the arts for 41,000 students through strategic grants to 164 schools. The Picasso Project advocates for full and equitable funding for arts education for Philadelphia students.
http://www.phillytrib.com/clara-barton-elementary-holds-picasso-project-to-raise-cultural-awareness/article_becc0062-d155-584c-b2a8-c40dbb35d741.html

Commentary: SRC’s last charter approvals undermine neighborhood schools
The notebook Commentary by Kathleen Butts, Zoe Rooney, and Alyssa Shatz June 4 2018
Kathleen Butts, Zoe Rooney, and Alyssa Schatz are members of the NW PHL Public Schools community group that is working to bring students, parents, educators, and community members together to discuss, connect, promote, and advocate for our neighborhood public schools in NW Philadelphia.
School Reform Commission Chair Estelle Richman said she didn’t think Philadelphia Hebrew was the type of charter the District should be prioritizing and argued that its addition would hurt the school system’s already precarious financial position, but voted for its approval anyway at the SRC's May 24 meeting. In one of its last meetings before its scheduled dissolution, the School Reform Commission gave approvals that place two charters in Northwest Philadelphia, one new to the city and the other a cross-city relocation. The approval of Philadelphia Hebrew Public Charter came as a shock to an East Falls community that is working to rally around its neighborhood public school and has serious reservations about another charter starting only a half-mile from Thomas Mifflin School. Even the SRC chairwoman acknowledged that the addition of the school would likely hurt the District’s finances. A recent article in the Notebook described how “two commissioners said they were only approving the school because they were afraid that the state appeals board would overrule them if they issued a denial.” Fear of appeal is a feeble and flawed basis on which to approve a new charter, which will further drain District resources and harm a neighborhood public school that a community is working hard to support and improve.
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/06/04/srcs-last-charter-approvals-undermine-neighborhood-schools/

In one Philly neighborhood, critics ask: Is gentrification closing our high school?
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer  @newskag |  kgraham@phillynews.com Updated: JUNE 4, 2018 — 5:32 AM EDT
Is Strawberry Mansion High School closing? It depends whom you ask. The Philadelphia School District says no. Officially, it describes what is happening at the hulking complex at 31st Street and Ridge Avenue as a “gradual phase-out” of a neighborhood high school program that “is no longer sustainable.” The building will remain open, with alternative programs locating there beginning this fall, and others landing in 2019 that will give the 2,000-plus high-school age young people in the neighborhood a viable educational option close to home. Don’t tell that to Tanya Parker, a neighborhood resident who shows up at events in a black “Forever Mansion” T-shirt. She’s among a group of activists who believe the school has been deliberately ignored, starved of resources, and then blamed for failing to attract students. Now that the neighborhood is showing signs of gentrification, drawing white and middle-class people, some longtime residents say the community is being asked to give an eleventh-hour blessing to a plan they say was hatched by officials, designed to please others, and kept from them for too long: that a building with some new  programs is more palatable to new residents.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/strawberry-mansion-hs-closing-philadelphia-gentrification-school-district-20180604.html

Cumberland Valley School Board approves tax increase, budget
The Sentinel by Phyllis Zimmerman June 4, 2018
Property owners in the Cumberland Valley School District can expect to pay more in real estate taxes next year. On Monday night, the Cumberland Valley School Board finalized a $140,165,287 general fund budget for 2018-19 that will increase the district’s real estate millage rate from 9.516 mills to 9.744 mills. As a result, a property owner assessed at the district average of $243,100 will pay an additional $55.43 in real estate taxes for next year for an annual total of about $2,369. The 2.4 percent tax increase meets the index set for the district by the state Department of Education for the 2018-19 fiscal year from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019. The school board was required to finalize next year’s budget before July 1. The 2018-19 final budget was approved by the school board in a 7-2 vote on Monday. Voting against the budget were school directors Robert Walker and Pamela Long, who also voted against the budget’s tentative draft on April 16. At that time, Walker said he believed the district’s administration “does a good job, but they have to more closely match our revenues and expenditures.”
http://cumberlink.com/news/local/communities/mechanicsburg/cumberland-valley-school-board-approves-tax-increase-budget/article_54a04d35-c49a-5740-8a63-8de8b07b62c0.html#utm_source=cumberlink.com&utm_campaign=%2Femail-updates%2Fbreaking%2F&utm_medium=email&utm_content=8F4B2832BB2DFB7D166580A63A303F99A66452A7

Truant board members: Want to serve on a school board? Show up
BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD Pittsburgh Post-Gazette JUN 5, 2018 12:00 AM
In the pantheon of thankless jobs, school board member has to rank pretty highly. The position comes with little or no pay, yet those elected have to endure regular ear-beatings from parents, spend long evenings away from their families for meetings and make brutally tough decisions about schools, finances and curriculum.  Some make the sacrifice because of their kids or their communities. Others promise to make the sacrifice, then don’t, finding they lack the time or interest. There’s no shame in that. The work isn’t for everyone.  But school board members who can’t do the job any longer should resign and make way for those who will. The work is too important to go undone.  The Post-Gazette’s Matt McKinney analyzed attendance records for Allegheny County school boards over a 28-month period and found a troubling rate of absenteeism: 11 members missed meetings one-third of the time while four others were absent at least 25 percent of the time. The analysis covered only attendance at monthly business meetings, not the committee meetings that often precede them, so the true rate of no-shows could be much higher.
http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2018/06/05/Truant-board-members-Want-to-serve-on-a-school-board-Show-up/stories/201806050008

Educators help students sample new careers
With hands-on experience in various trades, teens can make more-informed decisions about their postsecondary plans.
The notebook by Jane M. Von Bergen June 4 — 1:06 pm, 2018
Kim Brown could not have been more proud of her grandson Dionte Brown, a senior at Mastery’s Simon Gratz Charter High School in North Philadelphia. Yes, the wooden bench the Feltonville 19-year-old made as part of Gratz’s after-school program at Orleans Technical College in Northeast Philadelphia looked fine and sturdy, and it would be great for any family’s front porch. But there was more. “I can see the turnabout in him,” she said. “He used to walk around all evil and mean, and now he comes around and helps.” She was talking about Dionte on graduation day at Orleans for eight Gratz seniors who got a chance to see what it would be like to have careers in carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, and painting during an eight-week, 16-session after-school program. “Life is about opportunities and trying things on,” said Sarah Hollister, vice president of youth and gateway programs at JEVS Human Services. JEVS, a non-profit social service agency, operates Orleans and provides a panorama of services to youth, elderly people, veterans, and people with disabilities.
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/06/04/educators-help-students-sample-new-careers/

“With the November midterm elections in mind, survivors of the shooting said Monday that they would take their gun-control and voter-registration message on a two-month bus tour of the country this summer, seeking to raise awareness of the preponderance of school shootings, the easy availability of weapons, and the financial ties of many politicians to the National Rifle Association.”
4 Parkland Seniors Who Died in School Shooting Are Honored at Graduation
New York Times By Matthew Haag June 4, 2018
The names of four students that echoed through a South Florida arena on Sunday laid bare how much has changed for the Class of 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. They were Nicholas Dworet, Joaquin Oliver, Meadow Pollack and Carmen Schentrup — the four seniors among the 17 people killed on Feb. 14 when a gunman opened fire inside the school in Parkland, Fla. When the names rang out on Sunday, their families walked onto the stage to receive what would have been for them: a diploma, a medal, and a cap and tassel. As Joaquin’s name was called, his mother, Patricia Oliver, received a frame enclosing the items and hoisted it in the air. The front of her bright-yellow shirt had five words: This should be my son. It should have been our son accepting his diploma today. We fight for all your children and loved ones and against the gun violence that is epidemic in this country. Change the Ref is how we honor Joaquin’s legacy and continue the fight. - Manuel and Patricia Since the shooting on Valentine’s Day, when 14 students and three staff members were killed, a group of surviving students and parents of the victims have led a vocal gun-control movement that has spread the country.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/04/us/parkland-graduation-high-school.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Feducation&action=click&contentCollection=education&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

What and who are fueling the movement to privatize public education — and why you should care
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss May 30Email the author
This is an important article by author Joanne Barkan about the history of the movement to privatize U.S. public schools, which is now at the heart of the national debate about the future of publicly funded education in this country. We now have an education secretary, Betsy DeVos, who is admittedly doing everything she can to promote alternatives to traditional publicly funded education. Many state legislatures are helping her with programs using taxpayer money to fund private and religious education. Supporters of America’s public education system are concerned about what they say is an assault on the most important civic institution in the country. In this article, Barkan explains the history and current state of the privatization movement and what may lie ahead for the education system. She is a writer based in New York City and Truro, Mass. Her recent writing has focused on market-based public education reform in the United States, the intervention of private foundations in public policy, and the relationship between philanthropy and democracy. An earlier version of this article will be included in “The State, Business and Education,” edited by Gita Steiner-Khamsi and Alexandra Draxler (London: Edward Elgar Publishing, October 2018). I normally don’t include a list of references at the end of posts, but I am with Barkan’s article to show the broad range of sources she used for this comprehensive piece. Here’s her article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/05/30/what-and-who-is-fueling-the-movement-to-privatize-public-education-and-why-you-should-care/?utm_term=.35ef3fb045a6


Apply Now for EPLC's 2018-2019 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program!
Applications are available now for the 2018-2019 Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).  The Education Policy Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC). 
With more than 500 graduates in its first eighteen years, this Program is a premier professional development opportunity for educators, state and local policymakers, advocates, and community leaders.  State Board of Accountancy (SBA) credits are available to certified public accountants.
Past participants include state policymakers, district superintendents and principals, school business officers, school board members, education deans/chairs, statewide association leaders, parent leaders, education advocates, and other education and community leaders. Fellows are typically sponsored by their employer or another organization. The Fellowship Program begins with a two-day retreat on September 13-14, 2018 and continues to graduation in June 2019.
Applications are being accepted now.
Click here to read more about the Education Policy Fellowship Program.
The application may be copied from the EPLC web site, but must be submitted by mail or scanned and e-mailed, with the necessary signatures of applicant and sponsor.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of the Fellowship Program and its requirements, please contact EPLC Executive Director Ron Cowell at 717-260-9900 or cowell@eplc.org.

Gerrymandering: Fair Districts PA Statewide Calendar of Events

https://www.fairdistrictspa.com/events

Nominations for PSBA’s Allwein Advocacy Award due by July 16
PSBA Website May 14, 2018
The Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award was established in 2011 by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and may be presented annually to the individual school director or entire school board to recognize outstanding leadership in legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of public education and students that are consistent with the positions in PSBA’s Legislative Platform. In addition to being a highly respected lobbyist, Timothy Allwein served to help our members be effective advocates in their own right. Many have said that Tim inspired them to become active in our Legislative Action Program and to develop personal working relationships with their legislators. The 2018 Allwein Award nomination process will begin on Monday, May 14, 2018. The application due date is July 16, 2018 in the honor of Tim’s birth date of July 16.
Download the Application
https://www.psba.org/2018/05/nominations-allwein-advocacy-award/

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

Join with EdVotersPA and PCCY for Capitol Caravan Days and fight for our public schools! When: 9:00-3:00 on June 12 or June 20 (your choice!)
Where: The Harrisburg Capitol
Why: To show state lawmakers that their constituents expect them to support public school students in the '18-19 budget
Education Voters of PA joining together with Pennsylvania Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY) for a lobby day in Harrisburg. Join a team and meet with your state legislators and legislative leaders to talk about how the state can support K-12 students in the state budget.
Register Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdrk24gH61bp7Zjy_JFpIELPYcEvXx05Ld4-_CPltQYyqLSPw/viewform

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.

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.) 

POWER 100% SCHOOL FUNDING Day of Action Wednesday, June 20th at 1 PM at the PA Capitol
On Wednesday, June 20th at 1 PM, students, parents, community activists, and faith leaders from different traditions will gather on the steps of the State Capitol Main Rotunda for POWER’s 100% SCHOOL FUNDING Day of Action to demand support for legislation to put 100% of the Commonwealth's Basic Education Budget through PA's Fair Funding Formula. We ask you to join us as we stand in solidarity with one another and continue demanding fair and fully funded education for Pennsylvania’s public school students. In addition to a large rally, we will march to Governor Tom Wolfe's office to pray for his support for 100% through the Formula. Join us as we hold meetings that day with our legislators asking each one to speak out in favor of POWER's 100% plan.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/100-school-funding-day-of-action-tickets-46143414194?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=esfb&utm-source=fb&utm-term=listing

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!

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.