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“CUTTING THROUGH BONE:” PA’S SCHOOL FUNDING SYSTEM DEPRIVES STUDENTS ACROSS THE STATE
Public Interest Law Center Website July 2018
Superintendents from six school districts across the state filed affidavits as part of our school funding lawsuit. These filings paint a clear picture: Pennsylvania's school funding system has gotten worse and continues to deprive students of the resources they need. On July 6, 2018, in a new filing in our school funding lawsuit, we reported that state funding available for classroom expenses in Pennsylvania has declined by $155.3 million since 2013, and spending gaps between wealthy and poor school districts have widened. We filed the brief and affidavits in response to Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati’s claim that our case, William Penn et al. v. PA Dept. of Ed. et al., was rendered moot by the state legislature’s adoption of a new funding formula in 2016. To the contrary, not only has the legislature failed to fix Pennsylvania’s inadequate and inequitable state funding system, but conditions have actually gotten worse. Our filing included affidavits, summarized below, from the superintendents of six Pennsylvania school districts who are petitioners in the lawsuit. Put together, the stories from each district paint a clear picture: Pennsylvania’s school funding system has continued to deprive districts of the resources necessary to provide all children with an education that allows them to grow to the best of their capacity and potential. We are more determined than ever that students have their day in court. And when that day comes, we intend to be ready to win.
https://www.pubintlaw.org/cases-and-projects/cutting-through-bone-pas-school-funding-system-deprives-students-across-the-state/
“Yes, Wolf said at a June 29 Philadelphia news conference that he’s for pushing all state school funding through a “fair-funding formula” to help poorer, urban districts and growing districts by factoring in tax base, poverty rates, and enrollment. And, yes, that would mean a major change. Currently, the formula applies only to annual increases. Applying it to all funds would mean a boon to Philadelphia and other urban districts. And, at current funding levels, cuts to districts across the state, especially in rural areas. ut, come on. It’d require approval of a Republican legislature. (Like that’d ever happen.) The whole funding concept is tied up in state courts. And anyone remotely familiar with Pennsylvania knows no big change comes fast, if ever. This is a nonsensical scare tactic about nothing new. Wolf has always supported more money for education and a distribution formula fair to all districts. Wagner, on the other hand, has said the state spends “enough money” on public schools. And if we laid off 10 percent of our teachers, “we’d never miss them.” This governor’s race offers voters a real choice with stark differences. Issues such as a shale tax and school funding are worthy of debate. And maybe we can get there – if silly season passes.”
Is Scott Wagner Harrisburg's 'very worst'? Does Tom Wolf want to kill rural schools? Only in the current silly season | John Baer
Philly Dally News by John Baer, STAFF COLUMNIST baerj@phillynews.com Updated: JULY 17, 2018 — 7:29 PM EDT
I don’t know. Maybe it’s the heat. Or the humidity. Or an effort to be heard in a political world that only has ears for Trump. Whatever it is, it’s created a midsummer silly season in the Pennsylvania governor’s race. Now, it’s not uncommon for campaigns getting little attention during vacation times to, well, just throw stuff around to see what happens. But what’s happening these days in these campaigns is worth a little vetting. Gov. Wolf’s campaign is airing a 30-second TV ad in (at least) Western Pennsylvania markets claiming his Republican opponent, former State Sen. Scott Wagner, is “the very worst of Harrisburg.” He’s not. I’ve written about Harrisburg for 30 years. Seen lots of the bad, ugly, and awful. And I mean up close. Pols who went to prison for stealing your money. Pols who used unmonitored, unvouchered expenses to buy houses or go to law school. Pols who took bribes. And an unending parade of public servants from both parties who commit governmental malfeasance just by hanging around, padding their pensions while producing little or nothing of value. Wagner’s a long way from the “very worst.”
Evidence offered in Wolf’s ad? Wagner’s “the ultimate Harrisburg insider.” The citation for this is a Harrisburg Patriot-News editorial. But that’s a stretch. The ad implies Wagner’s mired in all the swampy things Harrisburg represents. The editorial, published the day before the May primary, isn’t about that. It’s about Wagner’s political metamorphosis from a 2014 York County Senate write-in candidate opposed by his party to a 2018 party-backed candidate for governor.
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/john_baer/scott-wagner-harrisburg-tom-wolf-campaigns-ads-20180718.html
Wagner, Wolf volley back and forth on education
WITF Written by Katie Meyer, Capitol Bureau Chief | Jul 18, 2018 5:29 AM
(Harrisburg) -- Governor Tom Wolf and GOP challenger Scott Wagner have spent much of this month trying to paint one another as supporters of school funding cuts. And both say the other camp is being misleading. The exchanges started after Wolf appeared to call for all school money to be routed through the state's fair funding formula, which has only applied to new funding increases since 2016. A sudden shift would have probably led to cuts in small districts. And Wagner's campaign seized the situation as an opportunity, most recently citing a school funding advocate as saying Wolf staffers voiced support for a full funding formula shift, and claiming that "try as he might, Tom Wolf cannot hide from the fact that he is in support of a disastrous proposal that would cut $1.2 billion from 362 school districts." But the administration quickly followed up. Campaign spokeswoman Beth Melena said the governor never wanted an immediate change.
http://www.witf.org/state-house-sound-bites/2018/07/wagner-wolf-volley-back-and-forth-on-education.php
Rep. Steve Bloom reveals his plans for life after elected office
Penn Live By Jan Murphy jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Jul 17, 9:45 AM
Rep. Steve Bloom has a been a conservative voice in the state House of Representatives since he first took office in 2011 so it's only fitting that he joins a conservative-leaning policy center after his term ends on Nov. 30. The Harrisburg-based Commonwealth Foundation announced on Tuesday that Bloom, 56, will be joining the organization as a vice president, starting Dec. 1. Bloom, a business lawyer who has represented a portion of Cumberland County in the state House's 199th District, said he respected the work of the Commonwealth Foundation and frequently relied on its research in crafting legislation that was signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf and former Gov. Tom Corbett before him.
https://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/07/rep_steve_bloom_reveals_his_pl.html#incart_2box_politics
Community schools strategy attracted DeVos to visit Erie school
Erie News Now Monday, July 16th 2018, 10:52 pm EDT by Matt Knoedler
ERIE, Pa. - U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos appeared to focus on the whole student, from the classroom to school safety, during a two-hour visit in Erie on Monday. DeVos first toured a class of students at Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary to learn more about the Erie School District's “Community Schools” strategy. “I think she was very impressed by the number of community partners we brought to the table to share how they're supporting the district,” Superintendent Brian Polito said following a 45-minute meeting of more than a dozen district, community and political leaders. The strategy is driven largely by privately-funded groups, including the United Way, bringing more resources into the city's low-income schools, such as Pfeiffer-Burleigh. Congressman Mike Kelly called DeVos’s visit “historic,” saying he believes it to be the first to Erie by a sitting U.S. Cabinet member. Kelly, who toured the school alongside DeVos, is pushing the Department of Education to release another $450,000 for programs like these. “I think today, we're looking at things that are really important for our children to make sure they have an equal opportunity going into the future,” said Kelly, who is running for re-election against Democrat Ron DiNicola in Pennsylvania’s 16thCongressional District. The community schools concept is attractive to DeVos, according to U.S. Dept. of Education Deputy Press Secretary Sara Broadwater. DeVos refused to answer questions from reporters during her time in Erie. “(DeVos) wanted to see first-hand how the community school model was working in Erie to improve student performance,” Broadwater said. The nation's highest-ranking education official is known as a staunch supporter of school choice, such as charter schools, which made up 13 percent of the Erie School District's budget in 2015, at the height of the district's financial crisis. “Agree with it or not, that's one the reality of our situation,” Polito said of charter school funding. “We understand we're in a competitive environment. That's one of the reasons why we did our strategic plan.”
http://www.erienewsnow.com/story/38659177/community-schools-strategy-attracted-devos-to-visit-erie-school
GAO: Less than half of school districts test water for lead
Inquirer by AP Updated: JULY 17, 2018 — 5:07 PM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) - A survey of school districts around the country finds that less than half test their water for lead, and among those that do more than a third detected elevated levels of the toxin, according to a federal report released Tuesday. Lead can cause brain damage and learning disabilities in children. The report, released by the Government Accountability Office, is based on a survey of 549 school districts across the United States. It estimates that 41 percent of school districts, serving 12 million students, did not test for lead in the water in 2016 and 2017. Of the 43 percent that did test for lead, about 37 percent reported elevated levels. Sixteen percent of schools said they did not know whether they test for lead, the report says. A 2005 memorandum signed by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides guidance to schools, including a testing protocol and suggestions for disseminating results, educating the school community about the risks and health effects of exposure and what actions should be taken to correct the problem.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20180717_ap_adac76fecc0b4ce7a07357419e11c7a9.html
Commentary: Philadelphia still needs an elected school board
The notebook Commentary by Bessam Idani July 17 — 10:30 am, 2018
I studied music in school. That was an aspect of growing up in the 90s that I came to take for granted as an adult, even while I was analyzing and discussing the deep budget cuts that were being inflicted on the students of the Philadelphia School District. I didn’t connect the tangible effects of such cuts on these students: that they would not have the opportunities that my primary school education, although not great by any means, was nevertheless able to provide. In Philadelphia today, music classes as well as other arts programs are not available in many schools, in some cases supplanted by after-school and extracurricular programs from nonprofit organizations. But tragically, in light of the dire conditions in Philadelphia schools, educational opportunities, which should be the sole purpose of a school system, are in fact the least of their worries. The buildings are filled with toxic materials such as lead and moldthat threaten to poison students and faculty. The schools are infested with mice and insects. And as recently as last year, some students still did not have potable drinking water. The existence of these third-world conditions in the middle of the richest country on earth ought to be someone’s responsibility to address. Traditionally, it is the school system’s leadership. Last week, a new school board took office in Philadelphia. Mayor Jim Kenney made the announcement on April 4th, after a laborious public outcry led by the local grassroots campaign Our City Our Schools against the 15-year reign of the School Reform Commission.
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/07/17/commentary-philadelphia-still-needs-an-elected-school-board/
Perceived private school edge has some PIAA affiliates speaking about ‘secession’
Delco Times By Matthew DeGeorge, mdegeorge@21st-centurymedia.com, @sportsdoctormd on Twitter POSTED: 07/16/18, 10:31 PM EDT | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
When John Sarandrea said yes a year ago, he didn’t know how much weight was behind the question. The WPIAL needed a new superintendent’s representative to its board, and Sarandrea, a former basketball coach now heading the New Castle Area School District, thought he was up to the task. Soon into that endeavor, the role’s main task was explained: Superintendents wanted to delve into competitive balance in the PIAA. Would Sarandrea take the lead in canvassing District 7’s administrators? That inquest led to the “PIAA Playoff Equity Summit” next Tuesday in State College, open to public-school administrators to ascertain how to rectify competitive imbalance that has led to an overwhelming proportion of PIAA championships won by private and charter (so-called “non-boundary”) schools. Topics on the agenda, like separate championships and even a possible secession from the PIAA, were once regarded as third rails in this conversation, but they’ve gained traction as animosity has mounted. While the PIAA has proposed remedies via rule changes to toughen transfer guidance (which could be approved as soon as Wednesday at its bimonthly board meeting also in State College), many in the public sphere believe them to be ineffective half-measures.
http://www.delcotimes.com/sports/20180716/perceived-private-school-edge-has-some-piaa-affiliates-speaking-about-secession
Waynesboro Area School District hires first grant writer
Herald Mail Media by Jennifer Fitch July 17, 2018
WAYNESBORO, Pa. — The Waynesboro Area School District's newly hired grant writer hopefully will secure funding for security needs, the school-to-career transition and early-childhood education, Superintendent Tod F. Kline said Tuesday night. The school board at its meeting entered into a three-year contract with Ginny Lays of Brookville, Pa., for $2,800 per month. Lays will be the district's first person formally given the title of grant writer since the applications previously were handled by staff members. Lays is the former executive director of the Greencastle-Antrim (Pa.) Education Foundation, and Kline said he interacted with her in two other school districts where he was employed. "I worked with this lady in the past ... and she brought in $6 million over five years," Kline said.
https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/tri_state/pennsylvania/waynesboro-area-school-district-hires-first-grant-writer/article_874af14c-8a2b-11e8-b47e-b7fc779e49aa.html
UW study: Want highly trained teachers to work at high-poverty schools? Try offering them $10,000
In Washington state, teachers who complete a rigorous national certification program and work at a high-poverty school collect a combined $10,000 bonus each year. And new research from the University of Washington finds that the bonus program helps improve recruitment and retention at those hard-to-staff schools.
Seattle Times By Neal Morton Seattle Times staff reporter Originally published July 17, 2018 at 12:00 am Updated July 17, 2018 at 6:38 am
Since 2007, the state of Washington has tried to persuade more teachers to work and stay at high-poverty schools by offering them a $10,000 bonus — if they complete a rigorous, national certification program. The bonus actually comes in two installments: $5,000 for any teacher who earns a certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and another $5,000 for teaching at a school that enrolls a significant number of low-income students. Compared to other states, Washington has the third highest count of nationally certified teachers — 10,135 as of January — suggesting the bonus may have led more educators to complete the one- to five-year training program. And according to new research from the University of Washington, the additional $5,000 bonus for certified teachers who work in high-poverty schools has improved recruitment and retention efforts at those hard-to-staff schools.
https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/uw-study-want-highly-trained-teachers-to-work-at-high-poverty-schools-try-offering-them-10000/
Career and Technical Education Bill Expected to Clear Senate by Month's End
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on July 17, 2018 7:39 AM
The Trump administration may be soon take a step closer to getting its wish for one of its major education priorities. The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which passed the Senate education committee last month with overwhelming bipartisan support, will probably get the full chamber's approval by the time August rolls around, according to a Senate aide. That's barring any unforeseen trouble with the bill's score from the Congressional Budget Office and small technical tweaks. "I think our expectation is that things will be drama-free," the aide said Monday. President Donald Trump has made passing an overhaul of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act a top priority, dispatching his daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump to Capitol Hill several weeks ago to lobby for the legislation. The House passed its own version to revamp Perkins, which federal lawmakers last reauthorized in 2006, in the summer of 2017. The Senate's version of a Perkins update would allow states to set their own goals for CTE without the approval of the education secretary, but would also require them to make "meaningful progress" towards those goals. Like the House bill, it would also create a new definition of "concentrators" in high school that covers students focusing on CTE courses.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/07/career_technical_education_trump_priority_clear_senate.html
U.S. Senate Confirms Betsy DeVos' New Policy Chief
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on July 17, 2018 1:09 PM
Jim Blew, the former director of Student Success California, an education advocacy group, has officially been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the office of planning, evaluation, and policy analysis at the U.S. Department of Education. Blew has been serving at the department in an advisory capacity. Blew's background could be a boon to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' push to expand school choice. He was the national president of StudentsFirst, an education redesign organization started by former District of Columbia schools chancellor Michelle Rhee. He took that job in late 2014, when Rhee stepped down from the organization, serving until mid-2016, when StudentsFirst merged with 50CAN, a network of state advocacy organizations. Student Success California is an affiliate of 50CAN. Before that, Blew spent nearly a decade as the Walton Family Foundation's director of K-12 reform, advising the foundation on how to broaden schooling options for low-income communities. And he worked in communications before devoting himself to K-12 policy. Blew has worked with DeVos for years to champion school choice. The Walton Family Foundation donated to the Alliance for School Choice, which is affiliated with the American Federation for Children, the school choice advocacy organization that DeVos used to chair. AFC and the Alliance for School Choice put out a warm statement of congratulations when Blew was tapped to lead StudentsFirst back in 2014.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/07/senate_confirms_jim_blew_department_betsy_devos.html
PA Superintendent of the Year nominations requested by July 27th
PASA and the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) are seeking nominations for 2019 Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year. Candidates will be judged on the following criteria: leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement. The nomination deadline is Friday, July 27. For more information, visit the AASA website, http://soy.aasa.org.
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.
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.
2nd Annual National Black Male Educators Convening, Oct. 12-14,
Philly
Teacher diversity works. Increasing the number of Black
male educators in our nation’s teacher corps will improve education for all our
students, especially for African-American boys.Today Black men represent only
two percent of teachers nationwide. This is a national problem that demands a
national response. Come participate in the 2nd National Black Male Educators
Convening to advance policy solutions, learn from one another, and fight for
social justice. All are welcome. Register to attend. Nominate a speaker.
Propose a workshop. Sponsor the event.
Save the Dates PASA/PSBA School Leadership Conference –
Hershey, Oct. 17-19, 2018
Mark your calendar! The Delegate Assembly will take place Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, at 2:30 p.m.
Housing now open!
Housing now open!
Our Public Schools Our Democracy: Our Fight for the Future
NPE / NPE Action 5th Annual National Conference
October 20th - 21st, 2018 Indianapolis, Indiana
We are delighted to let you know that you can purchase your discounted Early Bird ticket to register for our annual conference starting today. Purchase your ticket here.
Early Bird tickets will be on sale until May 30 or until all are sold out, so don't wait. These tickets are a great price--$135. Not only do they offer conference admission, they also include breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. Please don't forget to register for your hotel room. We have secured discounted rates on a limited basis. You can find that link here. Finally, if you require additional financial support to attend, we do offer some scholarships based on need. Go here and fill in an application. We will get back to you as soon as we can. Please join us in Indianapolis as we fight for the public schools that our children and communities deserve. Don't forget to get your Early Bird ticket here. We can't wait to see you.
Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization
that I may be affiliated with.
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