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“At the rate that
Republicans want to address this issue, “fair funding” will be achieved 33
years from now when today’s kindergarten students are 38 years old.”
“Petitioners argue that from 2014 to 2017, the unreimbursed district contributions to the state pension program have increased $867.6 million dollars, while basic education, special education and Ready to Learn Block grants in that same timeframe have increased $712 million, an overall loss of $155 million for classroom expenses. …“As a result (of inadequate funding), low-wealth districts continue to pay higher taxes while having radically less to spend on the State’s neediest students,” read the argument.”
William Penn-led funding lawsuit isn’t ‘moot,’ argue lawyers
Delco Times By Kevin Tustin, ktustin@21st-centurymedia.com, @KevinTustin on Twitter POSTED: 07/09/18, 4:49 AM EDT
The Philadelphia-based law firms representing over a dozen petitioners in an education funding lawsuit against the state have filed their response with the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania why the case is not legally moot, citing a $155 million drop in funds for classroom expenses since 2013 and the expanding gap of spending between wealthy and poorer school districts. The Public Interest Law Center and the Education Law Center – with assistance from the firm O’Melveny & Myers LLP - filed a 112-page response to the court Friday morning in the case William Penn School District et. al. v. Pennsylvania Department of Education et. al. to rebut the preliminary objection brought by co-defendant state Senate President Pro-Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-25 of Jefferson County, challenging the constitutionality to provide a fair and equitable education system. At the core of the petitioners’ argument is Act 35 of 2016, which established the use of a basic education funding formula created and approved by the bi-partisan Basic Education Funding Commission. This formula takes into account the number of children in a district who live in poverty, enrolled in charter schools, English language learners, and other demographic identifiers to appropriately allocate money to districts to ensure districts are equal.
http://www.delcotimes.com/general-news/20180709/william-penn-led-funding-lawsuit-isnt-moot-argue-lawyers
“At the rate that Republicans want to address this issue, “fair funding” will be achieved 33 years from now when today’s kindergarten students are 38 years old.”
Sturla: Pa.’s mediocre budgets
Delco Times Opinion By Rep. Mike Sturla, Times Guest Columnist POSTED: 07/07/18, 5:18 AM
Democrat Rep. Mike Sturla represents the 96th Legislative District in Lancaster.
Recently, the General Assembly (Democrats and Republicans) passed a state budget that meets the constitutional muster of being on time, but that is about all it does. Unfortunately, this mediocre budget is precisely what we have come to expect from the Republicans who have controlled the state Senate for last 31 years and the state House for 20 of the last 24 years even though there have been 12 years of Republican governors and 12 years of Democratic governors during this same time period. Given these circumstances, Gov. Wolf should be praised that this budget does anything at all. While this budget has $100 million more for basic education funding, it does not fix the cost disparity of funding; $10,833 per student in some schools versus $29,255 per student in other schools; that ranks our state worst in the nation. In a state where all children deserve an equal opportunity, nobody should find this acceptable. It also does little to close the inequitable state funding gap of what a school should get if all basic education funding were distributed through the fair funding formula. For example, 94 school districts get less than 80 percent of the funding they deserve (some as low as 30 percent) while 95 school districts receive more than 200 percent of the funding they deserve.
http://www.delcotimes.com/opinion/20180707/pas-mediocre-budgets
“Our client districts have some of the highest tax rates in the state and are struggling to provide the most basic resources,” Michael Churchill, a lawyer with the Public Interest Law Center, said in a statement. “If the legislature continues to shortchange schools, a child’s opportunities will continue to be determined by the accident of their zip code.” Friday’s filing comes in response to a motion to dismiss the case by State Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson), who argued that the lawsuit’s claims were moot in light of a 2016 law that revised the way the state determines funding for each of its 500 districts.”
Gap between rich and poor Pa. school districts has grown, funding lawsuit says
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Staff Writer @maddiehanna | mhanna@phillynews.com Updated: JULY 6, 2018 — 10:08 PM EDT
Not only has Pennsylvania’s new school-funding formula failed to remedy disparities between wealthy and poor public school districts, the spending gap between such districts has grown, according to a filing Friday by plaintiffs in a landmark funding lawsuit. The formula also hasn’t pumped money into cash-strapped schools. State money available for classroom costs has actually decreased since 2013, because pension expenses incurred by districts have risen faster than state aid, according to the filing by the Education Law Center and the Public Interest Law Center. They represent a group of parents, organizations, and school districts, including William Penn in Delaware County, that are challenging the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s education-funding system. The lawsuit, filed against the Pennsylvania Department of Education in 2014 and reinstated by the state Supreme Court last year, alleges the system discriminates against children based on where they live, since lower-wealth communities cannot keep up with rising costs.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/pennsylvania-school-funding-lawsuit-rich-poor-districts-20180706.html
“In adopting the formula, the Legislature deliberately avoided any assessment of how much total money was required to provide a good-quality education across all the state’s districts, but only made new rules for distributing what new basic education aid it made available. It declined to apply the needs-based formula to all the state’s basic education aid because t many districts would have lost money while others, including Philadelphia and William Penn, would have received more. Right now, the new formula applies to only 7.6 percent of state aid and just 1.4 percent of total state education funding, including money contributed by local districts and other sources. Because of this, the legislative action “did not “replace” or “supplant” the school funding scheme, as Scarnati maintains. Instead, “it enshrined the existing scheme’s inadequacy and inequity in perpetuity,” the brief says.”
Spending gaps are wider, school conditions worse, petitioners in school funding lawsuit say
They are responding to state legislative leaders, who contend that the need-based education funding formula adopted by the legislature in 2016 makes the case moot.
The notebook byDale Mezzacappa July 6 — 4:30 pm, 2018
A new analysis done on behalf of the petitioners in the education funding case shows that state subsidies available for classroom expenses have actually declined by $155.3 million since 2013 while gaps between rich and poor districts have gotten larger. The lawsuit, William Penn School District et al. v. PA Department of Education et al, was filed in 2014 on behalf of six Pennsylvania school districts, six families, and two civil rights organizations. Now before the state Supreme Court, it seeks to prove that that the current method for funding schools in Pennsylvania is unconstitutional because it is both inadequate and inequitable, penalizing students and educators in less affluent areas. On Friday, the petitioners filed a brief to rebut the position of Senate President Joseph Scarnati that the case is moot because the Legislature adopted a new funding formula in 2016 and the problems have been addressed. Instead, they have gotten worse, the petitioners say.
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/07/06/spending-gaps-are-wider-school-conditions-worse-petitioners-in-school-funding-lawsuit-say/
Wilkes-Barre Area superintendent, student’s mom file affidavits in school funding suit
By Mark Guydish - mguydish@timesleader.comJuly 6, 2018 timesleader
Wilkes-Barre Area School District Superintendent Brian Costello painted a grim picture: Lack of adequate state support has resulted in loss of school librarians, inability to replace old textbooks, nearly 10 percent of teachers furloughed since 2011, and more, he wrote in an affidavit backing a court brief filed Friday. But resident Tracey Hughes, a periodic critic of the district who also filed an affidavit, stole the legal show. In a media release announcing the latest action in a suit begun four years ago, Hughes was highlighted for her personal touch to the broad problems Costello outlined. She said her son, a student at Meyers, “is not able to bring home books to study or do homework.” Hughes and Costello were among nine people who submitted affidavits in the latest filing in “William Penn School District et. al. v. Pa. Department of Education et al.” The Wilkes-Barre Area School Board joined five other districts in the suit, while Hughes joined as an individual. The suit contends the state Legislature is violating two aspects of the state constitution: the “Education Clause” and the “Equal Protection Provision.” The former, they argue, requires the state to “provide a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.” The latter requires equitable funding across districts. Neither is happening, the suit contends.
https://www.timesleader.com/news/710536/w-b-area-superintendent-students-mom-file-affidavits-in-school-funding-suit
SCHOOL FUNDING LAWSUIT UPDATE
Public Interest Law Center Website July 6, 2018
UPDATE: NEW PA SCHOOL FUNDING LAWSUIT COURT FILING SHOWS DECREASED CLASSROOM SPENDING AND WIDENING INEQUALITIES
Petitioners in PA school funding lawsuit report decreased classroom spending and widening inequities since the lawsuit was filed in 2014, leaving schools starved for resources. The filing in Commonwealth Court rebuts Senator Scarnati’s claim that funding system has been fixed.
https://www.pubintlaw.org/cases-and-projects/new-pa-school-funding-lawsuit-court-filing-shows-decreased-classroom-spending-and-widening-inequalities/
Petitioners in Pa. school funding lawsuit report decreased classroom spending and widening inequities, leaving schools starved for resources
Filing in Commonwealth Court rebuts Sen. Scarnati’s claim that funding system has been fixed
Press release July 6, 2018 Contact: Paul Socolar, Education Law Center, 215-906-1250, psocolar@elc-pa.org Barb Grimaldi, Public Interest Law Center, 267-546-1304, bgrimaldi@pubintlaw.org
Pennsylvania school districts remain unconstitutionally underfunded. In fact, 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, according to the petitioners in a lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s school funding system. The case – William Penn School District et al. v. PA Department of Education et al. – filed in 2014 by a group of six school districts, six families, and two statewide organizations, alleges that the state’s school funding system violates Pennsylvania’s constitution due to significant underfunding and gross disparities in allocations that penalize students in low-wealth districts.
https://www.elc-pa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/wm-penn-mootness-brief-release.pdf
Suit: State school funding formula remains an issue
Citizens Voice by BILL WELLOCK / PUBLISHED: JULY 9, 2018
A 2016 formula to fund Pennsylvania’s public schools has not fixed funding problems, which have only gotten worse since then, according to a brief filed Friday. That brief uses testimony from the Wilkes-Barre Area School District superintended Brian Costello and the parent of a student in the district to make its case. The Wilkes-Barre Area School District is one of six school districts that began the lawsuit in 2014, saying the state significantly underfunded school and allowed major disparities that negatively affected students in low-income districts. Since that original lawsuit began, the state adopted a new formula, and respondents in the lawsuit pointed to that as a reason that the original filing was now moot. But the conditions that led to the original lawsuit still exist and have gotten worse, the July 6 brief says.
https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/suit-state-school-funding-formula-remains-an-issue-1.2359452
Our view: State funding formula needs to apply to all money
Times Leader Editorial July 7, 2018 timesleader Editorials, Our Opinion 4
It matters because one way or another it affects your taxes, it affects our children, it affects our future. Public school funding is typically either rage making (“my taxes are too high for what we’re getting!”) or eye-glazing (millage, assessed value, Basic Education Funding, Special Education Funding, Title I, Act I index, and on and on). But regardless of reaction, it is a topic one ignores at great risk. On Friday, it took center stage with a new legal brief filed in a lawsuit contending the Pennsylvania General Assembly has been violating the state constitution by failing to provide enough money equitably to public schools. The details get dense, but one point stands out: This filing was a direct response to legal objections from two prominent Republican defendants, House Speaker Mike Turzai and Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati. They argued the suit, filed in 2014, was legally made moot when the state adopted a new education funding formula in 2016. The defendants haven’t filed their counter-briefs yet, and this is ultimately a matter for the courts to decide. But to be blunt, the Scarnati/Turzai claim is rubbish.
https://www.timesleader.com/opinion/editorials/710641/our-view-state-funding-formula-needs-to-apply-to-all-money
To keep the momentum going, students join forces to march for gun laws
Inquirer by Kathy Boccella, Staff Writer @Kathy_Boccella | kboccella@phillynews.com Updated: JULY 6, 2018 — 12:46 PM EDT
With classrooms locked for the summer, kids scattered on vacation, and July temperatures rising, it would be easy for people to quickly forget all about the explosion of student activism around gun violence that took place in the aftermath of February’s massacre that killed 17 at a Parkland, Fla., high school. That’s why a coalition of local high schoolers stretching from the foothills of upper Bucks County and the South Jersey suburbs to Philadelphia neighborhoods planned an event to remind people they’re still marching for what they call the unfinished business of commonsense gun laws. To drive home the point, Still Marching Philadelphia is the name they gave their protest Saturday, in which a diverse coalition of more than 200 teens and adults took their antiviolence crusade from the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum to a City Hall rally and then to a second gathering in front of Independence Hall. “We want to make sure this issue doesn’t fade into the subconscious,” said Anna Sophie Tinneny, 17, with the Pennridge 225 group that made national headlines after defying administrators at Bucks’ Pennridge High School over their post-Parkland walkout and then staged sit-ins at their Saturday detentions.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/students-gun-laws-protest-march-for-our-lives-parkland-shooting-pennridge-225-germantown-friends-20180706.html
“In addition, Leichliter said, retirement costs continue to climb at a “shocking” rate. During his tenure as superintendent, the school district’s payments into the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System has increased from 1.4 million in 2009-10 to 11.2 million in 2018-19. Employer contribution rates for pensions are expected to plateau by 2020-21.”
Lancaster County school districts raise taxes as much as 6.3 percent in 2018-19 budgets
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer Jul 7, 2018
Your current school property tax rates may be lower than they were a year ago, but don’t expect to pay any less. In fact, all 17 local school districts have raised taxes in their approved 2018-19 budgets. This year’s rates were based on the new assessed home values after the county reassessment. Because the majority of homes were assessed at higher values, and since reassessments must be revenue neutral, tax rates were adjusted downward after the new property values were determined. But districts then had the option of increasing the adjusted rate for the new budget year. And each one did so. As a result, 2018-19 property tax rates are increasing between 0.5 percent and 6.3 percent, depending where you live in the county, as school boards continue to struggle with unfunded state mandates and construction costs. Warwick adopted the smallest increase (0.5 percent) while residents in the Lancaster portion of Octorara Area, which straddles Lancaster and Chester counties, will see the highest increase (6.3 percent). Penn Manor has the second-highest tax increase at 4.6 percent.
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-county-school-districts-raise-taxes-as-much-as-percent/article_7334d08e-8151-11e8-97d8-9711b834b00e.html
Wolf clarifies funding position
Mirror story about education money prompts response
Altoona Mirror LOCAL NEWS JUL 6, 2018
Gov. Tom Wolf’s press secretary J.J. Abbot issued a response elaborating on a Mirror story published Thursday. At a press conference last week in Philadelphia, Wolf reportedly said all basic education money should be pushed through a new formula that state lawmakers adopted two years ago. The report, from WHYY in Philadelphia, stated that Wolf did not elaborate whether he’d support a sudden shift in how the formula is applied or if he’d prefer a slower approach. A shift would mean sudden funding loss for rural schools, including all in Blair County, because the new formula heavily weighs student population for the distribution of funds. Abbot clarified that Wolf is not calling for anything to be done drastically regarding the pace of implementing the new education funding formula.
“Governor Wolf believes we must fully and adequately invest in public education, and that every dollar should be run through the fair funding formula. Achieving both of these goals will take time and additional funding, as well as input from the General Assembly, school districts and communities across the commonwealth.”
http://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2018/07/wolf-clarifies-funding-position/
The fight for rural schools
Bradford Era Opinion By Rep. Martin Causer July 6, 2018
Recently, Gov. Tom Wolf called for a major change in how public schools are funded in the Commonwealth — a change that would have a devastating impact on students in our local school districts and across rural Pennsylvania. Under the governor’s plan, 100 percent of the state’s Basic Education Funding appropriation in the annual state budget would be distributed through a formula that sends more money to school districts with a growing student population and less money to districts with a shrinking student population. On its face, the formula seems to make sense. But let’s look at the numbers. If the governor’s proposal was to be implemented today, 300 of the state’s 500 school districts would see cuts in state funding. And for each and every one of the 12 school districts that serve students in the 67th Legislative District, the cuts would be dramatic. On the low end, the Galeton Area School District in Potter County would lose 21 percent, or $454,556, of its state funding. On the high end, the Otto-Eldred School District in McKean County would lose 56 percent, or $3.17 million. For districts like ours that mostly rely on state funding to cover 50 percent to 70 percent or more of their annual budgets, such a severe and abrupt drop in state funding would be financially devastating. Our communities do not have the local tax base necessary to make up for such a significant loss of funds, and our students would suffer as a result.
http://www.bradfordera.com/opinion/the-fight-for-rural-schools/article_afbbdb9a-80b8-11e8-ab6d-474ff6ff49eb.html
“I’m proud to see that school choice has worked for these and countless other students. Cyber learning is serving the graduates of CCA well in helping to shape the future. As a society, we need to stop putting significance on what kind of school a student chooses to attend. That doesn’t matter, as long as he or she is getting the best possible education.”
Letter: Quality of education matters more than the setting
Delco Times Letter by Dr. Maurice “Reese” Flurie, CEO, Commonwealth Charter Academy. POSTED: 07/06/18, 4:58 AM EDT
To the Times: I have the privilege of attending multiple graduation ceremonies each year. Because Commonwealth Charter Academy is a cyber school that serves students across Pennsylvania, we hold ceremonies throughout the state. Attending these events is one of my favorite duties as an educator. This year, I witnessed more than 1,100 students graduate from CCA. I saw their families and friends smile and applaud as their loved ones received their diplomas. I take great pride watching them graduate because it’s a testament to how hard they have worked. Graduation is an important milestone in any young person’s life. It’s a significant achievement, and all graduates, no matter where they graduate from, should be lauded for it. The diplomas that graduates receive signify that they have finished one chapter in their lives and are on their way toward writing the rest.
http://www.delcotimes.com/opinion/20180706/letter-quality-of-education-matters-more-than-the-setting
“The first meeting of the new Philadelphia Board of Education is at 5 p.m. Monday at the District headquarters on 440 North Broad Street.”
Dear Philly Board of Education….
Activists have high hopes for the new Board, which holds its first meeting Monday.
The notebook by Alyssa Biederman July 8 — 10:12 pm, 2018
Last November 16, the School Reform Commission voted to dissolve itself after 16 years of running the School District of Philadelphia. This day was a huge victory for activists who had been working to replace the School Reform Commission for years. Now, as the new nine-member Board of Education holds its first public meeting, these activists have high expectations. “To make this happen was a culmination of a lot of grassroots organizations actually doing it at a time when folks were told that it was impossible,” said Ismael Jimenez, a Philadelphia public school teacher and member of the Caucus of Working Educators. Jimenez said the Caucus will be present at every Board of Education meeting moving forward in order to hold its members accountable. He added that he is looking forward to a Board that will be more responsive to issues that directly affect students, parents and teachers that are a part of the District.
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/07/08/dear-board-of-education/
Meet your new Philly Board of Education member: Maria McColgan
June 8, 2018 Sarah Peterson Philadelphia Board of Education, Mayor’s Office of Education, Office of the Mayor
Maria McColgan is one of the first nine members appointed by Mayor Kenney to the Philadelphia Board of Education (BOE) in April 2018. Beginning in July 2018, the Board will oversee the School District of Philadelphia. Maria’s career has always centered on children and education. Her experience as a teacher in Philadelphia public schools helped shape her passion for learning and education. As a Child Abuse Pediatrician, Maria has provided medical care for thousands of vulnerable children, first at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children where she was the Medical Director of the Child Protection Program, and now at the CARES Institute and Cooper Hospital where she serves as Fellowship Director. A graduate of Philadelphia public and parochial schools and Temple University, Maria is the proud parent of two current charter school students.
https://beta.phila.gov/2018-06-08-meet-your-new-board-of-education-member-maria-mccolgan/
Meet your new Philly Board of Education member: Mallory Fix Lopez
June 21, 2018 Shelby Fisk Philadelphia Board of Education, Mayor’s Office of Education, Office of the Mayor
Mallory Fix Lopez is one of the first nine members appointed by Mayor Kenney to the Philadelphia Board of Education (BOE) in April 2018. Beginning in July 2018, the Board will oversee the School District of Philadelphia. Mallory is an educator and a small business owner, who is committed to supporting neighborhood schools. Mallory has lived in Philadelphia for 15 years, after moving here to pursue a Bachelor and then Master degree in Education. Mallory began her career in Philadelphia schools as a teacher of social studies and English as a Second Language, and today she is a full-time faculty member at the Community College of Philadelphia where she specializes in ESL. Mallory has been an active member of Neighbors Investing in Childs Elementary, supporting G.W. Childs Elementary where she plans to send her child in the next few years.
https://beta.phila.gov/2018-06-21-meet-your-new-board-of-education-member-mallory-fix-lopez/
Guest Column: What Upper Darby needs in its next school superintendent
Delco Times By Joseph Batory, Times Guest Columnist POSTED: 07/07/18, 7:53 PM EDT
Joseph P. Batory was the superintendent of schools in Upper Darby from 1984 to 1999. Batory was the recipient of numerous leadership awards when he retired including the Lifetime Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of School Administrators.
Here are some suggestions for characteristics and practices the next superintendent of schools in the Upper Darby School District should possess:
1. Recognizing diversity: The Upper Darby School District’s uniqueness is that the school system educates a very heterogeneous socioeconomic, racial and ethnic population of students with a wide variety of academic backgrounds and capabilities and needs. The new superintendent must clearly understand that Upper Darby is not a “one size fits all” school district.
2. Advocating a system of best practices: Nothing is more important than the superintendent’s leadership in motivating and urging the refinement and improvement of what happens in schools each day. The basis for all educational decision making should be ultimately driven by what is best for Upper Darby students as guided by educational research and proven best practices.
3. Building Consensus: The next Upper Darby School District educational leader must have the ability to build consensus among staff and parents and political/community leaders to foster “unified” educational directions. Being a good listener is certainly important here. Transparency with all groups is very critical to building consensus.
http://www.delcotimes.com/opinion/20180707/guest-column-what-upper-darby-needs-in-its-next-school-superintendent
Upper Dublin School Board OKs budget, 1.99 percent tax hike
Final budget calls for 1.99 percent tax increase, down from proposed hike in prelim budget
Ambler Gazette By Rob Heyman For Digital First Media Jun 20, 2018 Updated 22 hrs ago
UPPER DUBLIN >> The school board gave unanimous approval June 14 to its $103.7 million 2018-19 budget, which includes a last-minute change to the tax increase. The board had initially signed off on a tax increase of 2.14 percent as part of its preliminary budget approval last month. That increase was amended June 14 to 1.99 percent, a number the board had been considering as a new target number even after the budget was approved in preliminary form. The millage rate has been adjusted to reflect the revised tax increase. The new millage rate will be 33.6826 mills, an increase from 33.0254. A mill equates to $1 in taxes per $1,000 of assessed property valuation. That means a homeowner with a home assessed at the township average of $196,310 will pay an additional $129.01 in school taxes, from $6,483.22 to 6,612.23.
http://www.montgomerynews.com/amblergazette/news/upper-dublin-school-board-oks-budget-percent-tax-hike/article_23089d6c-8a90-52c9-9860-062cc6e3a30d.html
Now Is the Time for Superintendents to Get Political
Harmful immigration policies highlight the need for education advocacy that puts children first
Education Week Commentary By David E. DeMatthews June 22, 2018
On June 20, a group of superintendents from El Paso area school districts convened at the port of entry in Tornillo, Texas. Standing near a tent encampment housing undocumented children, they publicly called for an end to the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their families. Some might ask whether it is wise for superintendents to insert themselves into a national policy debate. Others might suggest a superintendent’s time would best be spent focusing on organizational and academic issues rather than immigration policies. Isn’t the superintendency burdensome enough when just addressing local, school-related issues? These questions are worth asking given traditional superintendent job expectations, but the answers must reflect an overriding concern for the well-being of children and a commitment to human rights.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/06/22/now-is-the-time-for-superintendents-to.html?cmp=soc-edit-tw
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS: IS THIS A TRIED AND TRUE ALTERNATIVE TO CHARTER SCHOOLS?
Cloaking Inequity Blog Posted on July 5, 2018 by Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig
Is there a tried and true alternative to the privately-controlled for-profit and non-profit charter schools? Yes. I previously blogged about community schools in the post California NAACP calls for the choice of community schools. I was honored to volunteer to be on the recent NEA taskforce to design a new policy statement about community schools. Here is the policy statement that passed at the NEA RA few days ago. There is occasionally some “confusingness” about the community schools model, so read the statement below for an outline of the model.
https://cloakinginequity.com/2018/07/05/is-this-a-tried-and-true-alternative-to-charter-schools/
Reading Is Fundamental. But It's Not a Fundamental Right, Court Rules
Education Week Curriculum Matters Blog By Stephen Sawchuk on July 2, 2018 4:58 PM
A federal district court has dismissed a legal challenge asserting that Michigan policymakers deprived Detroit students of a constitutional right to literacy. The case, Gary B. v. Snyder, based its claims in the U.S. Constitution rather than in state laws—the basis of most education-equity lawsuits—arguing that students in the Detroit schools were so ill-served by Michigan policymakers that their failure to learn how to read ran afoul of their due process and equal protection rights under the 14th Amendment. While sympathizing with the students who brought the lawsuit, Judge Stephen J. Murphy III wrote that despite the well-documented problems of vermin-filled classrooms, outdated textbooks, and dysfunctional leadership in Detroit, the U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee literacy. "The conditions and outcomes of Plaintiffs' schools, as alleged, are nothing short of devastating. When a child who could be taught to read goes untaught, the child suffers a lasting injury—and so does society," Murphy wrote. "But the Court is faced with a discrete question: does the due process clause demand that a state affirmatively provide each child with a defined, minimum level of education by which the child can attain literacy? Based on the foregoing analysis, the answer to the question is no."
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2018/07/no_fundamental_right_to_reading.html
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.
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/
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.
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