Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now
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administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's
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These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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Wolf, Wagner spar over funding formula as education surges to center of Pa. governor’s race
WHYY by By Kevin McCorry and Avi Wolfman-Arent August 2, 2018
Republican gubernatorial nominee Scott Wagner released an attack ad Wednesday ripping Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf over education policy. The ad claims Wolf plans to rip money away from rural school districts in order to favor Philadelphia — which the Wolf campaign contended is a complete falsehood. It’s the latest ripple in a wave started a month ago by Wolf’s remarks at a Philadelphia press conference that have surged to the forefront of the education debate in this year’s election. On June 29, the governor appeared at a Philadelphia public school to announce money his administration had set aside for lead remediation in the wake of a series of damning press reports. During a question and answer session, Keystone Crossroads asked Wolf if this sort of one-shot emergency funding was evidence that the state should act more consistently toward needy districts.
https://whyy.org/articles/wolf-wagner-spar-over-funding-formula-as-education-surges-to-center-of-pa-governors-race/?utm_source=dlvr&utm_medium=twitterauto&utm_campaign=social-inbound
In new TV ad, Wagner hits Wolf again over school spending | Thursday Morning Coffee
Penn Live By John L. Micek jmicek@pennlive.com Updated 7:55 AM; Posted 7:52 AM
Good Thursday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Well, you have to give GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner this much, when he finds a riff, he sticks with it. The York County pol is out with a new TV ad hammering Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf over what Wagner says is the Guv's plan to gut about $1 billion in funding from Pennsylvania's 500 school districts. "The cat's out of the bag," the narrator in the 30-second spot, called "Drastic," intones. "Tom Wolf's plan for a drastic school funding change," it continues. "Your school could see a big cut so that Philadelphia gets a whole lot more. Hundreds of our schools would see crippling cuts. Even Democrats are saying Tom Wolf's plan would be immediately devastating. Typical Tom Wolf. Scott Wagner is on our side, fighting so that all our children have the opportunity to receive a great education. Scott Wagner for Governor." As we've pointed out before, Wagner's campaign has been more than a tad stretch-y with the truth of the incident that's driving this spot: Wolf's awkwardly phrased late June remarks in Philadelphia that he'd like to see funding for all 500 districts driven through a funding formula approved to bipartisan acclaim three years ago.
https://www.pennlive.com/capitol-notebook/2018/08/in_new_tv_ad_wagner_hits_wolf.html
Pa. millennials are sick of the BS in Harrisburg — so they’re running for office
Young candidates are swarming state races on both sides of the aisle.
Billy Penn by SARAH ANNE HUGHES AUG 02 2018 · 6:00 A.M.
HARRISBURG — Ethan Keedy is a member of Connellsville City Council, the owner of a pizza shop in the Fayette County city, a substitute teacher, and a candidate for state House. He’s also 24. That may seem young to run for office, but Keedy’s far from alone. He’s one of more than a dozen millennials vying for seats in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. They run the generational gamut from people in their early 30s to the youngest age legally possible: Logan Dellafiora, a Democrat running in Indiana County, turned 21 on July 30. While millennial candidates supported by the Democratic Socialists of America have gotten a lot of ink for their wins in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvanians in their 20s and 30s running for House and Senate seats prove the generation is anything but a monolith. Keedy lost his father to opioid addiction and suicide in his teens. He calls this point rock bottom, when his family didn’t know where they were going to live or what they were going to eat. He was supported by a teacher who “went out of her way to make sure I was OK,” which is why he got certified to be an emergency substitute teacher in what little spare time he has. Far from their lazy and entitled stereotype, many young candidates like Keedy share similarly difficult upbringings — experiences that are driving their runs.
https://billypenn.com/2018/08/02/pa-millennials-are-sick-of-the-bs-in-harrisburg-so-theyre-running-for-office/
“Although we don’t know if the school LeBron built will bring about sustained outcomes, I’m very happy for the students of Akron and deeply appreciative of what James does in his hometown. It’s consistent with his other socially and racially conscious acts. The I Promise school is built on a foundation that demonstrates the school as a community revitalization effort. Perhaps Pennsylvania’s legislators are paying attention. Never mind. While we shouldn’t have to wait for entertainers to open schools, which constitutionally are the responsibility of state governments, we applaud efforts to provide more access to our students. May more folks with means lean in heavily on the issue of educational injustice.”
While Jalen Rose throws shade at LeBron James' new school, black students continue to suffer | Opinion
by Sharif El-Mekki, For the Inquirer Updated: AUGUST 1, 2018 — 10:05 AM EDT
Imagine sharing a loaf of bread with someone who is hungry. Meanwhile, another person with bread is whispering behind you that your compassion isn’t authentic, because, after all, you didn’t actually invent bread. Sounds silly? Petty? Because it is. Former basketball great Jalen Rose stands 6 feet 8 inches, but he made himself appear small this week by continually pointing out that LeBron James isn’t the first athlete to open a school. James’ I Promise School opened Monday to serve low-income and at-risk students in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. We get it, Jalen. You founded a charter school. That is awesome. But now you can’t celebrate what LeBron has done, too? What we know is that black students don’t have enough access to quality schools. We know nationally that less than 60 percent of black boys graduate on time. While a lot of us in education circles are calling for a full-court press on educational inequity, apparently there are some who would prefer to snipe at people doing the work. Interestingly, Jalen acknowledges that the situation is dire: “In the United States, the quality of your education is determined by your zip code.”
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/commentary/lebron-james-i-promise-school-public-education-jalen-rose-20180801.html
Richard Allen Charter school still looking for renewal
Philly Trib by Phillip Jackson Tribune Staff Writer Jul 31, 2018
Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School (RAPCS) is looking for stability in the city after the now-dissolved School Reform Commission (SRC) voted against renewing its charter. Lawrence Jones, the school’s principal, said there been times over the years when the school’s future was uncertain, mostly because of the school district’s renewal process. Jones said his school was not rated by the SRC and school district in the same ways other schools were. If the school were rated on “innovation,” Jones said, he believes its overall rating would have “significantly changed.” Instead, Jones said the school received a “not applicable” and did not get an explanation as to why. “It just seems like there are these nuanced differences as to how our school is being treated and how the policy is not being applied evenly to every single school,” Jones said. “The standard isn’t necessarily a standard and that is the issue that we have.” RAPCS opened in 2001 with 180 students in a smaller location. The school found a new location as it began to outgrow the number of students. The school was already unsure about its future last October, when the SRC initially voted against its renewal. Parents sent inquiries to the school about student records and the possibility that the location could lose staff. The Charter Schools Office (CSO) of the School District of Philadelphia said in October that Richard Allen did not meet standards in the areas of its mission, innovation, special education, discipline and board governance, as well as academic success.
http://www.phillytrib.com/news/richard-allen-charter-school-still-looking-for-renewal/article_6a519609-f2e3-5254-80e5-5e134ffe1062.html
Having exceeded its goal, Philly FUNDamentals enters its second year raising money for schools
Much of the success was due to the Super Bowl Eagles
The notebook by Darryl C. Murphy August 1 — 5:23 pm, 2018
The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia is preparing for another year of fundraising with their Philly FUNDamentals website. The Fund connects the private sector and individual donors with the school district. Individuals and can contribute to a specific school’s specific goal to help them with a specific need. Last year the Fund raised more than four times their $100,000 goal, bringing in $413,000 since launching in November 2017. This year the fund is seeking to raise $200,000. “Now that we have exceeded our first year’s goal three-fold in less than eight months,” said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, president and CEO of The Fund, “it’s clear that allowing individuals and businesses to contribute directly to a particular school has instilled confidence in donors and given our community a sense of ownership in our students’ success.” As of now, 223 schools have 671 active campaigns running through the site, and 19 have reached their goals. The Fund benefited heavily from the Philadelphia Eagles’ historic Super Bowl run when offensive tackle Lane Johnson helped design and sell Underdog t-shirts and masks which generated $185,000 of last year’s total. Another $125,000 came from the NFL Foundation thanks to advocacy from Johnson and teammate Chris Long. The two flagged the league for trying to profit off of the Underdog shirts ahead of the Super Bowl. The league made their donation shortly after.
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/08/01/having-exceeded-its-goal-philly-fundamentals-enters-its-second-year-raising-money-for-schools/
Mike White: Explanations and opinions on new PIAA rules
MIKE WHITE Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mwhite@post-gazette.com AUG 2, 2018 7:00 AM
The PIAA’s new rules on transfers and a “competitive classification formula” are now in the books. So it’s time to explain and opine. A little more than two weeks ago the PIAA board of directors passed the rules, which are seen by many as major changes. One rule deals with student-athletes who transfer after the start of their sophomore years, a rule that could end up barring some transfer students from playing in the postseason. The classification formula rule deals with only football and basketball teams and involves bumping up teams one classification if they go far in postseason play and use transfers. The rules are the PIAA’s attempt of trying to address the growing number of critics who want separate postseason tournaments for public and private/Catholic/charter schools. These new rules may not quiet those critics. But we’re not here to tackle the public vs. private schools issue again.
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/highschool/2018/08/02/PIAA-transfer-rules-Mike-White-WPIAL-competitive-classification-formula/stories/201808010050?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1533208501
“The federal task force, chaired by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, has held public comment hearings, convened panels of experts, and visited schools of various sizes to hear about how they prevent and respond to school violence since it was formed in the spring. DeVos was not present at Wednesday's meeting in Pearcy, Arkansas, which was led by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The commission heard testimony from local supporters of armed school staff, but it did not hear from any of the groups who have opposed such proposals.”
Armed Staff Keep Rural Schools Safe When Police Are Far Away, Panel Hears
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Evie Blad on August 1, 2018 7:49 PM
Proposals to arm teachers and school staff have stirred controversy since the February school shooting in Parkland, Fla., but such plans are sometimes the best options for rural schools far from first responders, state and school officials told the Federal School Safety Commission at a site visit in Arkansas on Wednesday. "While we are blessed to have excellent law enforcement officers ... because of where we're located, the last two sheriffs here in Garland County told me we could expect 20 to 30 minutes wait time if an active shooter situation happened on campus before an officer could be here," Lake Hamilton, Ark., schools Superintendent Steve Anderson, who carries a gun at school, told the commission. "We're not willing to take that chance. We need someone to protect our kids." Cutter Morning Star district Superintendent Nancy Anderson told the panel of a time she heard three gunshots on an elementary playground. Armed, she rushed to respond as the gunman ran away. "I was never so happy, and never so relieved, and never so empowered that I knew I had a gun and I could protect our children," she said.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/08/arming-teachers-school-shootings-rural.html?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=campaignk-12
PSBA Officer Elections: Slate of Candidates
PSBA members seeking election to office for the association were required to submit a nomination form no later than June 1, 2018, to be considered. All candidates who properly completed applications by the deadline are included on the slate of candidates below. In addition, the Leadership Development Committee met on June 17 at PSBA headquarters in Mechanicsburg to interview candidates. According to bylaws, the Leadership Development Committee may determine candidates highly qualified for the office they seek. This is noted next to each person's name with an asterisk (*). Voting procedure: Each school entity will have one vote for each officer. This will require boards of the various school entities to come to a consensus on each candidate and cast their vote electronically during the open voting period (Aug. 24-Oct. 11, 2018). Voting will be accomplished through a secure third-party, web-based voting site that will require a password login. One person from each member school entity will be authorized as the official person to register the vote on behalf of his or her school entity. In the case of school districts, it will be the board secretary who will cast votes on behalf of the school board. A full packet of instructions and a printed slate will be sent to authorized vote registrars the week of August 7. Special note: Boards should be sure to add discussion and voting on candidates to their agenda during one of their meetings in August, September or October before the open voting period ends.
https://www.psba.org/2018/07/psba-officer-elections-slate-candidates/
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/
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.
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!
“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.
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