Monday, November 12, 2018

PA Ed Policy Roundup Nov. 12: Advocates hope Gov. Wolf uses decisive election victory to seek large school funding boost


Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

Advocates hope Gov. Wolf uses decisive election victory to seek large school funding boost



PA Schools Work Summit Meetings Saturday Nov. 17th 9 to noon
Hundreds of local school and community leaders will come together on Nov. 17, to lead the fight for greater state investment in public education. #TheSummit will be held in seven locations across Pennsylvania from 9-noon on Saturday Nov. 17.



School funding was on the ballot on Election Day. We can’t let Pa’s kids down | Opinion
Pa's kids have made gains on school funding. In Gov. Tom Wolf's second term, that work must continue.
Penn Live Guest Editorial By Susan Spicka oped@pennlive.com November 9, 2018
Public education – and how it should be funded - was a core issue in this year’s elections here in Pennsylvania. Voters chose to reelect Governor Tom Wolf, who ran on his record of investing in education and restoring past cuts in school funding. Now the work fully and fairly fund our public schools must begin anew. Though progress has been made since 2015 with more significant state funding increases and passage of a fair funding formula, more is needed to make sure every student has the opportunity to successfully move on to college or a career. At one time, Pennsylvania shared the cost of educating children equally with local school districts. Today the state pays for only 37% of educational costs, the fourth lowest rate in the country. As a result, most schools are struggling to give students what they need to succeed, and many must hike property taxes to fill the hole left by the state. If there is any question, we need only read what some school superintendents recently reported as part of an ongoing lawsuit about the inadequacy and unfairness of state funding for schools:
https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2018/11/school-funding-was-on-the-ballot-on-election-day-we-cant-pas-kids-down-opinion.html#incart_river_index

Advocates hope Gov. Wolf uses decisive election victory to seek large school funding boost
WHYY By Kyrie Greenberg November 12, 2018
Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf won a second term by defeating Republican challenger Scott Wagner. A Wagner victory would have paved the way for more school choice-friendly policies such as education savings accounts — which would divert some existing public school dollars to help parents pay for private school tuition. Wolf’s victory makes such proposals highly unlikely to come to fruition over the next four years. In his first term, Wolf’s focus was on investing more money into public education, but on the campaign trail this year he was tight-lipped about his specific plans moving forward. So the big questions now are: How much of a boost will he seek? And how will he pay for it? Advocates for a large boost to school spending say Wolf’s 17-point win over Wagner shows evidence of a mandate for a large ask.
https://whyy.org/articles/advocates-hope-gov-wolf-uses-decisive-election-victory-to-seek-large-school-funding-boost/?utm_source=dlvr&utm_medium=twitterauto&utm_campaign=social-inbound

“I understand why charter schools exist,”.... “But we’ve got to focus on improving our public schools.”
With Democratic Wins, Charter Schools Face a Backlash in N.Y. and Other States
New York Times By Eliza Shapiro Nov. 9, 2018
Over the last decade, the charter school movement gained a significant foothold in New York, demonstrating along the way that it could build fruitful alliances with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and other prominent Democrats. The movement hoped to set a national example — if charter schools could make it in a deep blue state like New York, they could make it anywhere. But the election on Tuesday strongly suggested that the golden era of charter schools is over in New York. The insurgent Democrats who were at the forefront of the party’s successful effort to take over the State Senate have repeatedly expressed hostility to the movement. John Liu, a newly elected Democratic state senator from Queens, has said New York City should “get rid of” large charter school networks. Robert Jackson, a Democrat who will represent a Manhattan district in the State Senate, promised during his campaign to support charter schools only if they have unionized teachers. And another incoming Democratic state senator, Julia Salazar of Brooklyn, recently broadcast a simple message about charter schools: “I’m not interested in privatizing our public schools.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/09/nyregion/nyc-charter-schools.html

Wolf’s $2M in spending lifted down-ballot Dems on Election Day | Friday Morning Coffee
Penn Live By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com Updated 8:16 AM; Posted 7:54 AM
Even as he battled with Republican Scott Wagner, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf spread the wealth in key races in southeastern Pennsylvania, pouring cash and support into key races that helped eat away at Republican majorities in the state House and Senate. The York County Democrat pumped more than $2 million into down-ballot races in Campaign 2018′s closing days, with the money going into television advertisements, direct mail and get-out-the vote efforts across the suburbs. The work complimented efforts by the re-election wings of state House and Senate Democrats, those close to the matter confirmed. In a statement, Wolf’s campaign spokeswoman, Beth Melena, said Wolf was “proud to support Democratic candidates who will help him continue his fight to change Harrisburg.”
https://www.pennlive.com/capitol-notebook/2018/11/wolfs-2m-in-spending-lifted-down-ballot-dems-on-election-day-friday-morning-coffee.html#incart_river_index

“Maybe if all voters lobby their newly elected or re-elected representatives for a bill like this, something will happen. Legislators would have to figure out how to deal with the state constitution's uniformity clause, which says a tax rate must be levied equally on everyone, but it could be done.”
Exempt seniors on fixed incomes from school property tax | Letter
By Express-Times Letters to the Editor Ron Pizarie East Allen Township Updated Nov 9; Posted Nov 9
Months ago I contacted my state representative, Marcia Hahn, regarding school property taxes and seniors on fixed incomes. I restated the obvious: Everyone (Democrats, Republicans, Independents, liberals, conservatives, progressive, etc.) all agree on one thing -- senior citizens on "fixed" incomes should not pay property taxes. It seems to me Republicans keep trying a one-size-fits-all property tax relief bill which they know would be too expensive and will ultimately fail because of the big percentage increase in sales and other taxes to cover every homeowner. So isn't the obvious solution, at least for the most vulnerable among us, a bill just for senior homeowners on fixed incomes? The increase in sales and/or other taxes would easily be affordable to everyone, if only intended to address relief for this specific group of citizens. It's equally important to keep in mind that everyone will eventually join that group as they will all become senior citizens on fixed incomes at some point. Consider that school taxes increase a couple hundred dollars every year, forcing seniors on fixed incomes to somehow cut their yearly budget by that amount and do that year after year after year. Eventually some lose their homes because they simply can't afford to own it due to these onerous taxes.
https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2018/11/_letter_455.html#incart_river_index

Philly’s Khepera Charter School loses appeal, plans to close next year
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Posted: November 9, 2018- 1:32 PM
Khepera Charter School in North Philadelphia, which had its charter revoked last year after complaints it hadn't paid teachers or rent, has lost its appeal to a state board and is planning to close at end of the school year. Christina Grant, head of the district's Charter Schools Office, told school board members at a committee meeting Thursday that the Philadelphia School District had issued robocalls to families and was preparing for a June 30 closure of the school, at 926 W. Sedgley Ave. Khepera's CEO, Dana King, on Friday confirmed the school's plans to close, but declined to answer further questions over the phone. She said she would respond by email at the end of the day. The K-8 school, which opened in 2004 with an African-centered curriculum, has struggled financially. In 2016, an ex-administrator sued the school, alleging he was wrongfully dismissed for reporting concerns about the school's governance and finances. The school failed to make required payments to the state pension system. In early 2017, it laid off staff. The school's landlord then took it to court, alleging it hadn't paid rent. The state-appointed School Reform Commission moved to revoke Khepera's charter in June 2017, also citing academic performance.
http://www2.philly.com/philly/education/khepera-charter-school-philadelphia-closing-20181109.html

Community school trying to break cycle of poverty in Lancaster County
AP By JEFF HAWKES, LNP newspaper November 10, 2018
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — Two weeks before the start of school, Joseph Torres, dean of students at George Washington Elementary School, spent a muggy afternoon visiting the homes of incoming kindergartners. A big, amiable man in a loud orange T-shirt and Madras shorts, Torres strolled through the complex of the 124 units of public housing at Franklin Terrace, waving when youngsters shouted greetings. Two faculty members accompanied Torres. Meanwhile, three other teams were stopping by homes elsewhere in Washington’s attendance zone in Lancaster’s Southeast, where over 40 percent of households live in poverty, the highest concentration in Lancaster County. Almost two years ago, the Mayor’s Commission to Combat Poverty set a 15-year goal of halving Lancaster’s 29-percent poverty rate, identifying so-called community schools — which enlist outside partners to meet needs of the disadvantaged — as one of many initiatives to pursue. While the term “community school” may bring to mind a place, it’s better understood as an equity strategy, one that helps children in high-poverty schools keep up with peers in middle-class schools. For some years, the School District of Lancaster, serving 11,300 students in 21 schools, has had six community schools, and a seventh is under development.
https://apnews.com/ac1c58bdde1c49a88da8d146396dcbed

8 businesses partner to make Erie’s Diehl Elementary a community school
GoErie By Matthew Rink Posted Nov 9, 2018 at 2:00 AM Updated at 6:13 AM
The United Way of Erie County’s community school strategy — an effort to pair community and educational resources for student success — will soon be implemented at an eighth school in Erie County. The United Way on Friday will formally announce that Diehl Elementary in the Erie School District will become a community school, joining Pfeiffer-Burleigh, McKinley and Edison elementary schools and East and Strong Vincent middle schools in the district. The community schools strategy also has been implemented at Elk Valley Elementary School in Lake City, which is part of the Girard School District, and Iroquois Elementary School in Lawrence Park, which is part of Iroquois School District. “It was almost like a perfect storm,” Laurie Root, senior vice president of the United Way, said. “They ranked near the top in terms of their high need, (being) economically disadvantaged, and other factors, like learning barriers that are being experienced by the students in the school.” That “perfect storm” also includes the fact that, for the first time, the United Way has not one or two partners on the project, but eight.
http://www.goerie.com/news/20181109/8-businesses-partner-to-make-diehl-elementary-community-school

To bolster academics, Philly schools turning to the outdoors
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Posted: November 10, 2018
Robert Mitchell was 35 feet above the ground, suspended from harnesses and wires amid the tall trees of Wissahickon Valley Park, and he was terrified. "I can't do this," said Mitchell, a ninth grader, shaking visibly. Below him, a knot of his classmates from Penn Treaty High School — some of whom he knew a little, while others had been just faces in the hallway — encouraged him with shouts and claps to move forward on his Outward Bound ropes challenge. And from the tree to Mitchell's left came a voice strong and sure. "I won't let you fall, bro," said Jose Naranjo-Betancourt, Mitchell's partner on the climb, tethered to him as they made their way up trees and across ropes together. Increasingly, city students are having moments like these. The Philadelphia School District has doubled down on its partnership with Outward Bound's Philadelphia arm, spending up to $340,000 annually so students can climb tall trees, take nature walks, and complete physical challenges in one- and multi-day expeditions, all in the name of social and emotional learning. Leaders believe it will have ripple effects, ultimately boosting academics, especially among high school freshmen, whom it has targeted for Outward Bound exposure since last school year. Nationally, Outward Bound focuses on leadership, team building, and character development, primarily through outdoor experiences. The nonprofit works in 11 locations across the United States and has operated in Philadelphia for 25 years.
http://www2.philly.com/philly/education/outward-bound-philly-schools-ninth-grade-academies-20181110.html

“Legislators can take an easy step to  reduce gun deaths by passing a child-access prevention laws. These laws simply require gun owners to lock up their weapons when not in use. In the latest session, such a child-access prevention bill wasn't even heard in the Judiciary Committee.   Leaders have been killing gun-safety bills like this one for years.”
Pa.’s legislature has one easy step to save children: tougher gun laws | Editorial
The Inquirer Editorial Board Posted: November 9, 2018 - 6:15 AM
Lax gun laws kill kids.
In a study presented this week at the American Academy of Pediatrics conference in Florida, a Stanford University trauma doctor said what we ought to know by now: The weaker a state's gun laws are, the more likely it is for children to be shot to death. Pennsylvania is among those states that should hang its head low. It has the loosest gun laws in the region, and the highest death rate per 100,000 children. According to Dr. Stephanie Chao's research, there were 3.05 deaths per 100,000 children in Pennsylvania in 2015. In New Jersey, which has the strongest laws in this region, the death rate was 1.55. About 25 children die from gunshot wounds in Pennsylvania every year and about 18 die in New Jersey,  according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Nationally, Chao found that gun death rates are twice as high among children in states with weak gun laws. (Across the country, more than 17,000 children are shot every year. Of them 2,700 die, reports the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.) Chao's study is the latest in an overwhelming body of research that correlates gun laws and gun deaths. At least since the 1990s, studies have shown that child gun deaths can be reduced in states with strong gun-safety laws. Chao specifically tracks child deaths. Research by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence reports that in 2017, the gunshot death rate for all Pennsylvanians was 11.9 per 100,000. In New Jersey, the rate was 5.5.
http://www2.philly.com/philly/opinion/editorials/lax-gun-laws-are-killing-kids-pa-s-legislature-can-save-children-with-tougher-gun-laws-editorial-20181109.html

Paul Muschick: In light of Borderline bar shooting, give Tamaqua schools credit for addressing mass shootings
Morning Call Paul Muschick Contact Reporter November 8, 2018
“All I could think about was how helpless I was.” That’s what a patron at the Borderline Bar & Grill in California said late Wednesday night after escaping the rampage where a gunman killed 12 people. It could have been said by anyone who had been trapped in any of the previous massacres that have stained our country — at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, the Colorado movie theater or any of the schools that gunmen have targeted. The Borderline patron’s sentiment also applies to many of us who weren’t there when the gunman opened fire. We all feel helpless when this happens and we hear about the people who perished. We aren’t helpless, though. We can try to do something about it. So far, we’ve failed to stop these shootings from happening. But that doesn’t mean we should give up. Locally, I believe the Tamaqua Area School District has taken too much flak for trying to address the issue by allowing teachers and staff to be armed. Parents, staff and others criticized the policy at a school board meeting Wednesday night — just hours before the Borderline shooting.
https://www.mcall.com/opinion/muschick/mc-opi-tamaqua-armed-teachers-borderline-bar-shooting-muschick-20181108-story.html


“The money has come from a who’s who of charter school backers and K-12 philanthropists, including Eli Broad, Reed Hastings, Lynn Schusterman, Julian Robertson, Laurene Powell Jobs, Laura and John Arnold, Dan Loeb, Michael Bloomberg and his daughter Emma, and three Waltons: Carrie Walton Penner, Alice Walton, and Jim Walton. Among Tuck’s biggest backers was Helen Schwab, wife of the finance billionaire Charles Schwab, who gave $2 million to EdVoice for the Kids PAC, which managed independent campaign committees for Tuck; Arthur Rock, the venture capitalist, gave $3 million to EdVoice, while Doris Fisher gave over $3 million. Along with the Schwabs, Fisher has been a huge backer of charter schools as a philanthropist and a consistent mega-donor for political campaigns in this space. “
Not Just Philanthropy: For Top Charter School Backers, Political Giving Is Seen as Key
David Callahan
For wealthy donors who favor charter schools, philanthropy and political spending often go hand in hand. Tax-deductible gifts flow to build new schools and train the teachers who work in them, as well as to bankroll advocacy efforts. But all this giving can have limited impact without changes in laws and policies, and so charter backers have poured ever more money into election campaigns and ballot initiatives in recent years. A case in point is one of the most expensive races of 2018, which unfolded in California, where two Democrats battled to become superintendent of public instruction. On the eve of the election, spending for this election had risen to $50 million. The total is likely to be even higher when final reporting is in. The apparent winner of the contest, Marshall Tuck, is the former president of Green Dot, a charter school network. He wants to expand charters in a state that already leads the nation in the number of such schools. The other candidate, Tony Thurmond, argued for putting the brakes on charters to address issues of transparency and accountability. Tuck ran unsuccessfully for the same office in 2014 in a race that cost $30 million. In both cases, Tuck outspent his opponent. This year, his campaign had raised $28.5 million by election day.
https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2018/11/8/not-just-philanthropy-for-top-charter-school-backers-political-giving-is-seen-as-key#.W-V-deUylaU.twitter

Why I Dread Returning to an American Public School
In Germany, my daughter’s school offered circus lessons. Now I'll have to sell wrapping paper to keep the gym lights on.
New York Times By Firoozeh Dumas Nov. 10, 2018
Ms. Dumas is a humorist and writer.
After almost six years in Munich, my family and I will soon be returning to California, and there are a few things I already know I will miss. I am not talking about the obvious (fresh pretzels, fresh pretzels with cheese, fresh pretzels with cheese and pumpkin seeds, no potholes, universal health care) but the less known differences that come with spending time in schools. We are fortunate to live in a part of Munich with top-notch public schools, similar to where we lived in America. We pay a few percentage points more in taxes than we paid in California, but holy Betsy DeVos, do we get more! Our daughter’s elementary school, which she graduated from a few years ago, offered a rich curriculum, from math and sciences to arts and languages. After school, in addition to the more traditional offerings of chess, theater and computers, she could take circus lessons, where children learned to juggle, walk on a tightrope and ride a unicycle. Since her school did not have a pool, students were bused every week to a nearby sports club for swim lessons, at no extra charge.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/10/opinion/sunday/american-germany-public-school-funding.html


Save the Date:  PARSS Annual Conference May 1-3, 2019
Wyndham Garden Hotel, Mountainview Country Club

NSBA 2019 Advocacy Institute January 27-29 Washington Hilton, Washington D.C.
Register now
The upcoming midterm elections will usher in the 116th Congress at a critical time in public education. Join us at the 2019 NSBA Advocacy Institute for insight into what the new Congress will mean for your school district. And, of course, learn about techniques and tools to sharpen your advocacy skills, and prepare for effective meetings with your representatives. Save the date to join school board members from across the country on Capitol Hill to influence the new legislative agenda and shape the decisions made inside the Beltway that directly impact our students. For more information contact federaladvocacy@nsba.org. 

2019 NSBA Annual Conference Philadelphia March 30 - April 1, 2019
Pennsylvania Convention Center 1101 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107
Registration Questions or Assistance: 1-800-950-6722
The NSBA Annual Conference & Exposition is the one national event that brings together education leaders at a time when domestic policies and global trends are combining to shape the future of the students. Join us in Philadelphia for a robust offering of over 250 educational programs, including three inspirational general sessions that will give you new ideas and tools to help drive your district forward.
https://www.nsba.org/conference


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.


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)