PA Ed Policy Roundup July 26: Wolf: does not support changing the distribution in a way that would cut funding to any school district

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PA Ed Policy Roundup July 26, 2018

Wolf: does not support changing the distribution in a way that would cut funding to any school district

Mark Twain: Out of the public schools comes the greatness of the nation.

Congress Sends Career-Technical Education Bill to President Trump
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on July 25, 2018 1:39 PM
Congress passed a bipartisan overhaul of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act on Wednesday and sent it for signature to President Donald Trump, who has made career and technical education, or CTE, a priority for his administration.  The $1.1 billion program, last reauthorized in 2006, provides funding for job training and related programs for high school students, many of whom may be seeking postsecondary options other than a four-year college degree, as well as for students in higher education. The Senate bill to revamp Perkins was co-authored by Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and is called the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. The House, which passed its own version of a Perkins reauthorization last year, approved CTE reauthorization as amended by the Senate version. The legislation passed via voice vote.  Momentum behind the Perkins legislation has grown in recent weeks, after a lobbying effort by the Trump administration on Capitol Hill that included presidential senior adviser Ivanka Trump, who is Trump's daughter. The legislation sailed through the Senate education committee last month and was lavished with praise by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. 
Here are a few highlights of the legislation that we mentioned last month when the bill was introduced:

·         The secretary of education would be barred from dictating states' CTE assessments or standards. States would also set their own goals under the legislation. 

·         States would have to make "meaningful progress" toward meeting their own goals under the proposed bill.

·         The legislation creates "core indicators" for the performance of students concentrating in CTE, including their graduation rate and the percentage who continue on to either postsecondary education or advanced training within a certain time frame. 

·         It also requires schools to align career and technical education programs with the needs of the state or local communities. 

Trump on Tuesday urged lawmakers to send him the bill:  And U.S. Secretary of Betsy DeVos also chimed in Monday to support the Perkins push:
Calling the Perkins reauthorization "long overdue," Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., who worked on the House version of CTE legislation, said on the House floor Wednesday before the vote that, "It will restore rungs on the ladder of opportunity."
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/07/congress-technical-education-bill-president-trump-sends.html

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey celebrates reauthorization of bill for career and technical job
Beaver County Times By J.D. Prose Posted Jul 25, 2018 at 3:09 PM Updated Jul 25, 2018 at 3:09 PM
The U.S. House on Wednesday passed career and technical education legislation after a bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including Sen. Bob Casey, had worked on securing its passage. If signed by President Donald Trump, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act will be reauthorized for the first time since 2006 under the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. It passed the Senate by voice vote Monday. “I am pleased that we were able to work together in a bipartisan manner on legislation that will help ensure that all students and workers get the skills they need to compete for well-paying paying jobs today and in the future,” Casey, D-Scranton, said in a statement. Besides continued funding, the bill would update career and technical education to ensure access to high-quality programs, help recruit and retain educators, and assist workers and students in obtaining the necessary skills to find in-demand jobs. The reauthorization would also encourage states, schools and local career and technical education providers to configure education and job training with local economies, and improve alignment with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Every Student Succeeds Act. According to Casey’s office, the other senators involved in pushing for the legislation were Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., Senate Education Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and committee ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash.
http://www.timesonline.com/news/20180725/us-sen-bob-casey-celebrates-reauthorization-of-bill-for-career-and-technical-job-education

Campaign for Grade Level Reading conference comes to Philadelphia
The goal is to align systems and motivate families to stress early literacy. The city's program is a pioneer.
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa July 25 — 2:44 pm, 2018
Rachel Honore is a foot soldier in a vital campaign in Philadelphia: the drive to get all children to read on grade level by the time they reach 4^th grade. Honore is a “family navigator” for Action for Early Learning, an initiative led by Drexel University that brings together social service agencies, schools, and community members in the 19104 zip code, which includes parts of West Philadelphia. It is one of the partners in Philadelphia’s Read by 4th campaign, a three-year-old effort to promote early literacy. As a navigator, Honore, mother of a six-year-old, mobilizes her neighbors not only to advocate for more governmental and private resources around literacy, but to model reading for their children and keep books in their homes. “We want a reading captain on every block,” she said. Honore was a featured panelist at a national convening of the Campaign for Grade Level Reading, where more than 700 educators, funders and policymakers descended on the Logan Hotel in Center City to reiterate the importance of and share strategies around early literacy, especially in low-income areas. “The goal is to mobilize educators, public agencies, leaders of government, parents, funders, partners, and everyone to really focus on moving the literacy needle,” said Rhonda Lauer, president and CEO of Foundations, Inc., a New Jersey-based nonprofit that partners with organizations and school districts to enhance educational experiences. Foundations, Inc. is a main organizer of this week’s conference.
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/07/25/campaign-for-grade-level-reading-conference-comes-to-philadelphia/

 “First up, Wolf isn't going to cut funding for 362 schools. That's a well-documented falsehood, stemming from Wolf's comments about implementing a new school funding formula that has been thoroughly debunked.”
In new ad, Wagner challenges Wolf to learn the issues. He needs to do homework, too
Penn Live By John L. Micek jmicek@pennlive.com Updated Jul 25, 8:04 AM
Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Looking to wring maximum benefit from an admittedly bumpy series of town hall meetings, Republican governor candidate Scott Wagner is out with a new digital spot touting his inteactions with state voters. In the more than two-minute-long video that's now online, Wagner challenges Gov. Tom Wolf to sit with him and speak with voters about the issues because the incumbent Democrat "needs to go out and talk to the people of Pennsylvania and learn about the issues." "I would love to have Governor Wolf sitting next to me tonight and we would be respectful," he says in the spot.
https://www.pennlive.com/capitol-notebook/2018/07/in_new_ad_wagner_challenges_wo.html#incart_2box_opinion

“Asked about it, Wolf told The Associated Press that he does not support changing the distribution in a way that would cut funding to any school district. Rather, Wolf's aides say he backs a shift when there's a big enough increase in state aid to put all school aid through the state's three-year-old funding formula without cutting aid to any single district.”
Wolf, Wagner make questionable claims about school funding
AP State Wire By MARC LEVY Published: Yesterday
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, and his opponent in the November election, Republican Scott Wagner, each accuse the other of wanting to cut school funding. Neither candidate has quite been able to prove his point. A look at Wolf's comments Tuesday on KDKA-AM radio in Pittsburgh, in which he sought to counter attacks over school funding that Wagner began earlier this month: WOLF: "My opponent Scott Wagner has been lying about my record on education." ANALYSIS: Wagner has claimed - including in a July 12 news conference in Pittsburgh - that Wolf proposed a redistribution of state aid that would result in deep funding cuts to certain school districts. Wagner is unable to point to an instance in which Wolf said he supported switching the existing scheme of distributing state aid to public schools even if it means cutting aid to certain school districts. Wagner instead points to a June 29 online report by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia citing Wolf as saying the state needs "a fair funding formula for all dollars going into public education." The report is headlined, "Gov. Wolf calls for drastic school funding shake-up in surprise announcement," but goes on to say, "Wolf did not elaborate Friday whether he'd support a sudden shift in how the formula is applied or if he'd prefer a staggered approach."
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=tw6wqD6C

“Denying admission to a student on the basis of special-education status is illegal, but the nonprofit Education Law Center, says that its staff has seen “a pattern” of such discrimination from charters.”
She says her granddaughter's acceptance to Philly charter was rescinded because of her special-education status
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer  @newskag |  kgraham@phillynews.com Updated: JULY 26, 2018 — 5:00 AM EDT
Everything was set for Pamela James’ granddaughter to transfer to Franklin Towne Charter High School in Bridesburg — school officials gave her a start date and a locker combination for the ninth grader. James paid fees for activities and uniforms. But hours after James handed over the young woman’s individualized education program — the document that spells out the supports and services that special-education students must, by law, receive — the school rescinded the girl’s admission. There was no room for her after all, a Franklin Towne employee told James. Denying admission to a student on the basis of special-education status is illegal, but the nonprofit Education Law Center, says that its staff has seen “a pattern” of such discrimination from charters. James’ case is not the first such complaint that has been lodged against Franklin Towne, said Peng Chao, an official in the Philadelphia School District’s Charter Schools Office. Chao said the school system is attempting to get to the bottom of the situation, but has had trouble getting answers from Franklin Towne.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/she-says-her-granddaughters-acceptance-to-philly-charter-was-rescinded-because-of-her-special-education-status-20180726.html

Pittsburgh Public Schools board passes resolution opposing armed teachers in schools
ELIZABETH BEHRMAN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Lbehrman@post-gazette.com JUL 25, 2018  
9:21 PM
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board on Wednesday called for “sensible gun safety legislation,” passing a resolution that opposes any effort to arm teachers and support staff in schools. Seven board members voted in favor of the resolution, with board members Terry Kennedy and Cynthia Falls abstaining. “Right now there’s many states across the country that are trying to enact legislation to arm teachers and [that goes] all the way up to our president,” said board member Moira Kaleida, who introduced the resolution with board member Lynda Wrenn. “So we just want to reaffirm that is not our belief, that is not a way to protect children.” The resolution calls for “sensible gun legislation” and specifically opposes the “misguided suggestion” by the Trump administration, the NRA and some members of the state Legislature who have proposed arming teachers as a way to dissuade would-be school shooters. According to the resolution, the board would support other measures, such as more extensive background checks for potential gun purchasers, providing funding for gun violence research and increased funding for school programs and staff to support student mental health, social and emotional learning and anti-bullying efforts.
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2018/07/25/Pittsburgh-Public-Schools-armed-teachers-gun-resolution-donald-trump-NRA/stories/201807250010

PA School District Fund Balances Update 2018
Temple University Center on Regional Politics July 16, 2018
A policy brief published by the Center on Regional Politics in July 2018 provides data on the status of fund balances for Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts at the end of fiscal year 2016-17. Although the data show that total reserve funds have increased by about $591 million since 2012-13, from $4.3 billion to $4.9 billion, they also show that the flexible reserves of most districts are within or even below the minimum standards recommended by bond raters and government finance professionals and allowed by state law. The brief summarizes trends for districts, charters, and technical schools. The brief explains the four types of fund balances: restricted, committed, assigned, and unassigned. It also explains the government accounting standards and the restrictions on unassigned fund balances. Committed funds can be used to save for capital projects, while unassigned fund balances are available for use without restriction and can be used as a hedge against future budgetary uncertainty due to emergencies, recessions, delays, or even cuts in state funding. School districts may also accumulate unassigned balances to mitigate the impact of predictable increases in pension, health care, or labor contract costs.
http://www.cla.temple.edu/corp/fundbalances2018/

Another GOP headache: Female voters hand Dems a double-digit edge in new poll | Analysis
Penn Live By John L. Micek jmicek@pennlive.com Updated Jul 25, 4:23 PM; Posted Jul 25, 2:05 PM
In case national Republicans needed another reminder of the power of women at the ballot box this year, pollsters at Quinnipiac University just handed it to them. With the November mid-terms still three months away, women voters prefer Democrats by a nearly 2-1 margin (57-32 percent) according to a poll released Wednesday by the Hamden, Conn.-based school. Democrats have an overall 51-39 percent generic ballot lead in the poll. That edge is more significant than it is for male voters, who narrowly split 46-44 percent for Republicans, the poll found. Nationwide, Democrats hold an average 7.8 percent lead on the generic ballot, according to the RealClear Politics polling average. "Although the mid-term elections are more than three months away, Democrats, who are hoping to retake control of the U.S. House of Representatives, will be cheered by their double- digit lead on the so-called generic ballot," Quinnipiac pollster Peter Brown said in a statement.
https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2018/07/another_gop_headache_female_vo.html#incart_river_index

Cyber School Kingpin Gets Slap on Wrist For Embezzling Millions from PA Students
Gadfly On the Wall Blog by Steven Singer July 25, 2018 
Nick Trombetta stole millions of dollars from Pennsylvania’s children. And he cheated the federal government out of hundreds of thousands in taxes. Yet at Tuesday’s sentencing, he got little more than a slap on the wrist – a handful of years in jail and a few fines. He’ll serve 20 months in prison, be on supervised release for three years, and payback the tax money he concealed. As CEO and founder of PA Cyber, the biggest virtual charter school network in the state, he funneled $8 million into his own pocket. Instead of that money going to educate kids, he used it to buy a Florida condominium, sprawling real estate and even a private jet. He already took home between $127,000 and $141,000 a year in salary. But it wasn’t enough. He needed to support his extravagant lifestyle, buy a $933,000 condo in the Sunshine State, score a $300,000 twin jet plane, purchase $180,000 houses for his mother and girlfriend in Ohio, and horde a pile of cash.
https://gadflyonthewallblog.com/2018/07/25/cyber-school-kingpin-gets-slap-on-wrist-for-embezzling-millions-from-pa-students/

How to See Mars Opposition and Closest Approach to Earth
For the past few weeks, the red planet has been growing brighter in the night sky, and everyone in the world can enjoy it at its closest approach.
New York Times By Nicholas St. Fleur July 26, 2018
Perhaps you’ve already noticed the dazzling red dot dancing in the night sky. That’s Mars, our planetary neighbor. And for the past few weeks it has been growing brighter as it slowly approaches a state that astronomers call opposition, when it and the sun are on opposite sides of Earth. It’s like we’re in between the two right now in a cosmic game of monkey in the middle. This will occur on Friday, July 27, and everyone in the world can watch, weather permitting. How often does Mars opposition occur? Earth and Mars align with the sun in opposition about once every two years. But truly jaw-dropping midnight views of Mars happen every 15 to 17 years. That’s when opposition occurs when Mars is at perihelion, or its closest position to the sun, according to Rich Zurek, project scientist for NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This upcoming opposition will be one of those moments. When does Mars reach its closest approach? Mars will be at its closest to Earth before sunrise on July 31 at around 4 a.m. Eastern Time, according to EarthSky.org. Because Mars and Earth have elliptical orbits rather than perfectly circular ones, opposition and the closest approach between the two planets do not happen at the same time. Mars’s orbit around the sun takes about two Earth years to complete. If the two planets orbited the sun along perfectly circular orbits that were in the same plane, then Mars’s closest approach would happen on the same day as opposition. In 2003, Mars was at its closest approach to Earth in about 60,000 years, Dr. Zurek said. At that point, it was only about 34.65 million miles away from Earth, according to EarthSky.org. On average, Mars is about 140 million miles from Earth, according to NASA, and at the farthest, they are about 250 million miles apart, according to Space.com. The close approach happening this month will be the closest since 2003, at a distance of about 35.8 million miles away from Earth, according to NASA.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/26/science/see-mars-opposition-earth.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below


Become a PSBA Advocacy Ambassador
PSBA Website July 18, 2018
PSBA is seeking applications for three open Advocacy Ambassador positions. This is a part-time, 9-month (September 2018-May 2019) independent contractor position with a monthly stipend and potential renewal for a second year. The individuals should have previous experience in day-to-day functions of a school district — on the school board or in a school leadership position. The purpose of the PSBA Advocacy Ambassador program is to facilitate the education and engagement of local school directors and public education stakeholders. Each Advocacy Ambassador will be an active leader in an assigned section of the state and is kept up to date on current legislation and PSBA positions based on the association’s Legislative Platform and Priority Issues to accomplish advocacy goals.  The current open positions are for PSBA Section 1; Sections 3 and 4; and Section 8.  (see map).  Advocacy Ambassadors are independent contractors who serve as liaisons between PSBA and their state legislators, and who also work with local school officials in their section to advance PSBA’s public education advocacy mission. To complete the application process and upload required documents go to PSBA’s Career Gateway to create an account and apply. Career Gateway questions can be directed to Michelle Kunkel at 717-506-2450, x-3365.  Questions and information regarding the specific duties of the Advocacy Ambassador position should be directed to Jamie Zuvich at 717-506-2450, x-3375. The deadline to submit cover letter, resume and application is August 10, 2018.
All other required documents must be submitted upon successful application.
https://www.psba.org/2018/07/become-an-advocacy-ambassador/

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.

http://dlvr.it/Q5d0c8 

2nd Annual National Black Male Educators Convening, Oct. 12-14, Philly

by The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice

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.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-national-black-male-educators-convening-tickets-46322952197

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!

“Not only do we have a superstar lineup of keynote speakers including Diane Ravitch, Jesse Hagopian, Pasi Sahlberg, Derrick Johnson and Helen Gym, but there will be countless sessions to choose from on the issues you care about the most. We will cover all bases from testing, charters, vouchers and school funding, to issues of student privacy and social justice in schools.”
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.