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Wednesday, November 7, 2018

PA Ed Policy Roundup Nov. 7: Election Results; Boys club no more: four women to represent Pa. in Congress


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Election Results; Boys club no more: four women to represent Pa. in Congress



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.



Democrats Capture Control of House; G.O.P. Holds Senate
New York Times By Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns Nov. 6, 2018
Democrats harnessed voter fury toward President Trump to win control of the House and capture pivotal governorships Tuesday night as liberals and moderates banded together to deliver a forceful rebuke of Mr. Trump, even as Republicans added to their Senate majority by claiming a handful of conservative-leaning seats. The two parties each had some big successes in the states. Republican governors were elected in Ohio and Florida, two important battlegrounds in Mr. Trump’s 2020 campaign calculations. Democrats beat Gov. Scott Walker, the Wisconsin Republican and a top target, and captured the governor’s office in Michigan — two states that Mr. Trump carried in 2016 and where the left was looking to rebound. Propelled by an unusually high turnout that illustrated the intensity of the backlash against Mr. Trump, Democrats claimed at least 26 House seats on the strength of their support in suburban and metropolitan districts that were once bulwarks of Republican power but where voters have recoiled from the president’s demagoguery on race. Early Wednesday morning Democrats clinched the 218 House seats needed to take control. There were at least 15 additional tossup seats that had yet to be called.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/us/politics/midterm-elections-results.html

Midterm elections: Democrats projected to win control of House, but Senate remains in GOP hands
Washington Post By Philip Rucker , Matt Viser , Anne Gearan and David A. Fahrenthold November 7 at 6:09 AM
Democrats claimed control of the House late Tuesday and picked up at least seven governorships, but Republicans were poised to expand their majority in the Senate, delivering a split verdict in the first national referendum on Donald Trump’s presidency. The most expensive and consequential midterm elections in modern times came to a dramatic finish that underscored the nation’s deep polarization, but fell short of delivering a sweeping repudiation of Trump that Democrats had hoped would put an exclamation point on the “resistance” movement. Trump’s racially charged warnings about illegal immigrants and demonization of Democrats appeared to mobilize enough Republican voters to withstand the “blue wave” the party once feared. The president helped Republicans win hotly contested Senate races in Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Tennessee and Texas, and proclaimed the election’s outcome a “tremendous success.” Republicans held their grip throughout the South and in rural and exurban areas. But Democrats — propelled by a rejection of Trumpism in the nation’s suburbs, and from women and minority voters especially — notched victories in areas that just two years ago helped send Trump to the White House. 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/midterm-elections-voters-head-to-the-polls-with-control-of-congress-at-stake/2018/11/06/26931840-e14a-11e8-b759-3d88a5ce9e19_story.html?utm_term=.f7aa0703a59a

Trump Faces Challenges as Midterms Deliver a Split Congress
Democrats retake the House as GOP strengthens Senate majority
Wall Street Journal By Janet Hook and  Byron Tau Updated Nov. 7, 2018 5:05 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON—Democrats took control of the House of Representatives, while Republicans retained their grip on the Senate, as millions of voters flocked to the polls Tuesday to render their first national verdict on the Donald Trump presidency.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/health-care-trump-animate-voters-survey-shows-1541548869?mod=article_inline

PA DEPARTMENT OF STATE Unofficial Midterm Election Returns
2018 General Election Tuesday, November 6, 2018
https://www.electionreturns.pa.gov/General/SummaryResults

EdWeek's Election Watch
Complete coverage of the 2018 midterm elections
The stakes were high in this year’s midterm elections for K-12 policy, with 36 governorships up for grabs, along with more than three-quarters of state legislative seats, and pivotal votes for control of the U.S. Congress. And among the candidates running for office were teachers—at least 177 had filed to run for state legislative seats, according to an Education Week analysis. Here highlights from around the country on the what happened in key races on Election Day, along with background articles on the big education issues that fueled this year’s elections.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/edweeks-election-watch-party.html

The Latest: An even split for Pennsylvania’s DC delegation
AP State Wire HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Latest on Election Day in Pennsylvania (all times local): 12:20 a.m.
Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation will be evenly split between Republicans and Democrats after the Democrats picked up three seats in Tuesday’s election. Amid the heaviest turnout for a midterm election in nearly 25 years, Democrats flipped several open seats that had been under Republican control before the state Supreme Court redrew their boundaries in a bid to make them more competitive. The justices threw out the old map, ruling that Republicans had drawn it in an unconstitutionally partisan manner. Pennsylvania voters are sending a state record four women to the House, all Democrats from eastern Pennsylvania. Democratic U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, meanwhile, beat three-term Republican Rep. Keith Rothfus in the nation’s only race pitting two incumbent representatives against each other. Republican incumbents won several tight races, including freshman Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who prevailed in a swing district in Philadelphia’s suburbs.
https://www.apnews.com/35e415b494774ad5b1c63ffe4fc5a600

Democratic Women Sweep Philly Suburbs
PoliticsPA Written by John Cole, Managing Editor November 6, 2018
Southeast Pa. has done its part to fit a major narrative of the 2018 midterm: the suburban revolt, led by Democratic women. Candidates Madeleine Dean (PA-4), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-5) and Chrissy Houlahan (PA-6) each guaranteed themselves their first term in Congress in landslide victories tonight. The newly drawn map was much more friendly for Democrats in the the Philadelphia suburbs, compounded by a scandal-induced resignation of Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Delaware) and redistricting-induced resignation of Rep. Ryan Costello (R-Chester). The additional retirement Rep. Bob Brady (D-Phila), allowed the creation of a Delaware County-based district. The Republican candidates were Dan David (PA-4), Pearl Kim (PA-5), and Greg McCauley (PA-6).
http://www.politicspa.com/democratic-women-sweep-philly-suburbs/89466/

Boys club no more: four women to represent Pa. in Congress
WHYY By Susan Phillips November 7, 2018
Four Pennsylvania women will be heading to Washington, D.C., in January, breaking up the state’s current all-male congressional delegation and making history as the largest contingent of women the state has elected to federal office. Mary Gay Scanlon, Madeleine Dean, and Chrissy Houlahan will be representing the Philadelphia suburbs, and Susan Wild will serve the Lehigh Valley. All Democrats, they are part of a wave of victories across the country for women. In a race that gave voters a rare choice of two women, Scanlon easily beat Republican Pearl Kim in the newly formed 5th Congressional District that includes Delaware County as well as parts of South and Southwest Philadelphia and Montgomery County. She said women jumped in off the sidelines to make themselves heard. “They’ve risen to the occasion in order to protest and push back against the worst impulses of this administration,” she said.
https://whyy.org/articles/boys-club-no-more-four-women-to-represent-pa-in-congress/

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker defeats Jess King to secure second term in Lancaster County's congressional seat
Lancaster Online SAM JANESCH | Staff Writer November 6, 2018
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker emerged from Tuesday's midterm elections with a decisive victory over Democratic challenger Jess King to secure a second term representing Lancaster County in Congress and keep the district in Republican hands for another two years. The Republican incumbent won by about 18 percentage points to defeat the first-time candidate, who had built the most extensive field operation and raised more money than any previous Lancaster Democrat. Smucker secured 159,727 votes, or 59 percent, according to the unofficial results, with nearly 100 percent of precincts reporting. King, a progressive running in an area that President Donald Trump carried by 26 points two years ago, won 111,375 votes, or 41 percent. Smucker credited the win to his record and the promises he made in his first race two years ago, and that he kept — tax reform and regulatory relief being at the forefront.
https://lancasteronline.com/news/politics/u-s-rep-lloyd-smucker-defeats-jess-king-to-secure/article_45cadc54-e22e-11e8-9c29-5ff4d451e531.html

Conor Lamb beats Keith Rothfus for new 17th Congressional District seat
Beaver County Times By J.D. Prose Posted Nov 6, 2018 at 10:51 PM Updated at 12:08 AM
In the only U.S. House race in the country pitting two incumbents against each other, Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb unseated Republican Rep. Keith Rothfus in the new 17th Congressional District race. According to unofficial results posted on the Pennsylvania Department of State website, Lamb received 144,631 votes, or 58 percent, to Rothfus’ 105,616, or 42 percent. After winning Beaver County in 2014 and 2016, Rothfus won 52 percent to 48 percent here Tuesday, collecting 35,085 votes to 32,782 for Lamb. The 17th District includes Beaver County, part of Cranberry Township in Butler County and a large portion of Allegheny County, including Sewickley and Leetsdale as well as Moon, Crescent, Findlay, Leet and North Fayette townships. Lamb, a 34-year-old Mount Lebanon resident, shot to national fame earlier this year when he won the special election in the 18th Congressional District against GOP state Rep. Rick Saccone. That race was seen as test of Democratic chances to recapture the House in districts that voted for President Donald Trump in 2016. A Marine Corps veteran and former federal prosecutor, Lamb came out of that special election with wide name recognition from the publicity surrounding it. While the 18th District went with Trump by about 20 percentage points two years ago, the new 17th District would have gone for him by just 2.5 percentage points, boosting Lamb’s chances at ousting Rothfus, 56, who had served three terms representing the 12th Congressional District.
http://www.timesonline.com/opinion/20181106/conor-lamb-beats-keith-rothfus-for-new-17th-congressional-district-seat

Perry wins in close 10th Congressional race
Zack Hoopes The Sentinel November 6, 2018
Republican incumbent Scott Perry held off Democratic challenger George Scott in the race for Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District. Perry was holding 51.3 percent of the vote Tuesday night, with very few precincts left to come in, confirming polls that had him with a two to three point lead in the weeks before the election. “I feel great, but we have a lot of work to do,” Perry said. “I also want to congratulate my opponent. Being in the arena is very difficult.” Voter turnout was extremely high for a midterm. Cumberland County saw 58 percent of registered voters participating, versus 50 percent in the 2014 election. Perry carried Cumberland County by about 6 points, and York County by about 12 points, but saw his margin trimmed in Dauphin, where Scott led by about 9 points. The 10th District has been closely watched by national observers in recent weeks as a potential indicator of Democrats’ chances of taking back the House.
https://cumberlink.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/perry-wins-in-close-th-congressional-race/article_cb0dd357-d8ce-5142-ace1-ab1044930c44.html#utm_source=cumberlink.com&utm_campaign=%2Femail-updates%2Fbreaking%2F&utm_medium=email&utm_content=8F4B2832BB2DFB7D166580A63A303F99A66452A7

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick wins tight race in Bucks County, beating Scott Wallace
Penn Live By Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com Updated 12:56 AM; Posted Nov 6, 11:45 PM
Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick has won re-election in one of the nation’s most competitive contests, defeating Democratic challenger Scott Wallace. With most of the vote tallied, ABC News and NBC News projected Fitzpatrick as the winner. He was leading Wallace, 51.5 percent to 48.5 percent. Fitzpatrick won in the new 1st Congressional District, based in Bucks County. He delivered his victory speech shortly after 11:35 p.m. at the Bucks County Republican Committee building in Doylestown. Fitzpatrick expressed his desire to work together with those who supported his opponent. “I understand it’s been a very tumultuous political environment,” he said. “I just want [Wallace voters] to know that I respect everything they believe in. They are people that care about the community and the country. They just have a different perspective.
https://www.pennlive.com/politics/2018/11/us-rep-brian-fitzpatrick-wins-tight-race-in-bucks-county-beating-scott-wallace.html#incart_river_index

Wolf glides to victory over Wagner in governor's race
Post-Gazette by ANGELA COULOUMBIS, LIZ NAVRATIL AND ANDREW SEIDMAN NOV 6, 2018 10:22 PM
YORK, Pa. — Tom Wolf was re-elected governor on Tuesday, cruising to a second term over a Republican opponent who never managed to build a coherent case against the incumbent Democrat. Mr. Wolf’s win over Republican Scott Wagner ensures Democrats will wield the threat of a veto over everything from restrictions on abortion rights to the congressional maps drawn in 2021 for the next round of redistricting. Mr. Wagner called Mr. Wolf shortly before 10 p.m. to concede. But the governor still will have to contend with a GOP-dominated Legislature. Though Democrats were expected to make gains in the state House and Senate on Tuesday, Republicans appeared set to maintain solid majorities. That means Mr. Wolf will have to continue striking a more conciliatory tone to push through his policy priorities. In doing so, he will have a new partner in the Capitol: John Fetterman, the liberal mayor of Braddock, who ran on the ticket with Mr. Wolf, was elected lieutenant governor Tuesday.
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2018/11/06/tom-wolf-defeats-scott-Wagner-governor-race-pennsylvania/stories/201811060102

Bob Casey coasts to third term in U.S. Senate
Post-Gazette Washington Bureau TRACIE MAURIELLO NOV 6, 2018 10:49 PM
SCRANTON – U.S. Sen. Bob Casey had money and momentum on his side as he rolled to his third U.S. Senate victory Tuesday. , His lead in the polls had been steadily growing all cycle, and he was declared the winner early in the evening.  Mr. Casey, a Democrat who has been a thorn in the president’s side, particularly on judicial nominations, faced one of Donald Trump’s most closely allied lawmakers, Republican U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta of Hazleton. Libertarian Dale Kerns and Green Party candidate Neal Gale also ran. Mr. Barletta said he called Mr. Casey to congratulate him and hoped Mr. Casey would “work with President Trump for the good of the American people. I’m sure he will.” He said Mr. Casey would “serve the people of Pennsylvania as he always has.” In a gracious concession speech at The Pines restaurant in Hazleton, Mr. Barletta thanked his volunteers, his supporters, his family, and the president. “I can look myself in the mirror and still stand proud,” he told the crowd. “Trust me, we’re going to come together as a state. We’re going to come together as a country. Sen. Casey is going to represent Pennsylvania well and we’re going to move forward from here.”
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2018/11/06/us-senate-casey-barletta-election-pennsylvania-trump/stories/201811060157

Dems Net 13 PA State House Seats
PoliticsPA Written by John Cole, Managing Editor November 7, 2018
The era lopsided Republican dominance in the State House is over. Democrats picked up thirteen seats on Tuesday, mostly in southeastern Pa. Republicans – led by presumptive Speaker Mike Turzai, who won his re-election bid – will have 108 members to Democrats’ 95. That’s less than half of the party’s current 121-to-82 majority, Of Dems’ 16 pickups, notably, 10 were incumbents. The other 6 were open seats where the Republican incumbent retired. GOP incumbents who lost were: Alex Charlton, Bud Cook, Becky Corbin, Kate Harper, Tim Hennessey, Warren Kampf, Duane Milne, Thomas Quigley, Eric Roe, and Jamie Santora. The GOP open seats that flipped were vacated by Reps. Michael Corr, Bob Godshall, Harry Lewis, Nick Miccarelli, Marguerite Quinn and John Taylor.
http://www.politicspa.com/dems-net-13-state-house-seats/89493/

“The decimation of its moderate wing means the Senate GOP Senate will be more conservative in 2019.”
Dems Flip 5 PA State Senate Seats
PoliticsPA Written by John Cole, Managing Editor November 7, 2018
Republicans no longer hold a veto-proof, 34-to-16 majority in the Pennsylvania State Senate. Democrats hit rock bottom in 2016 but they bounced back in a big way on Tuesday. The party netted five seats on Tuesday. The seven Democratic incumbents on the ballot won, two of 13 GOP incumbents lost, and three of five open GOP seats switched parties. The educated suburbs were a killing field for the GOP, as incumbent Sens. Tom McGarrigle and John Rafferty went down to defeat. Sens. Pat Browne and Tommy Tomlinson each eked out a narrow victory: Browne by 3%, Tomlinson by a mere 100 votes. Browne faced Mark Pinsley, who owns a skin care business and is a South Whitehall Township Commissioner. Tomlinson defeated State Rep. Tina Davis (who easily won re-election to her House seat on Tuesday).
http://www.politicspa.com/dems-flip-5-state-senate-seats/89490/

Blogger note: Pat Browne is Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee
Lehigh Valley election roundup: Susan Wild wins PA-7 but special election close; tight race for Pat Browne
Laura Olson Contact Reporter Of The Morning Call November 6, 2018
Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania voters have had their say in the 2018 midterm elections. The Lehigh Valley has elected its first woman to Congress, and a longtime state senator is locked in a tight race, according to unofficial returns. Here is a roundup of the latest election-night developments and analysis:
9 Democrats, 9 Republicans headed to Congress from PA
Two years ago, Pennsylvania sent 13 Republicans and five Democrats to Congress. In January, the state is poised to have an evenly split delegation on Capitol Hill.  The state Supreme Court order tossing Pennsylvania’s old congressional boundaries set the stage for a political realignment, along with several retirements of Republican incumbents in eastern Pennsylvania. Four of the newly elected federal lawmakers are women, the most that Pennsylvania has had in Congress at one time and a significant change from the former all-male delegation.
https://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-lehigh-valley-election-night-roundup-20181106-story.html

Scanlon makes history as Delco's first congresswoman
Delco Times By Kathleen E. Carey November 7, 2018
As Democrats took control of the U.S. House of Representatives, a former Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board president and pro-bono attorney has become Delaware County's first female U.S. representative in the wake of a voter backlash against President Donald Trump. Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon, who jumped into the race only a few months before the primary, went on to win the congressional contest against Republican special prosecutor Pearl Kim. Unofficial results in the 5th congressional race had Scanlon receiving 146,255 votes to Kim's 90,271. In the 7th congressional's unofficial results, Scanlon had 94,119 votes to Kim's 77,550. "Americans, Pennsylvanians and our neighbors across the 5th Congressional District voted (Tuesday) - not for a continuance of hate and division - but to recommit ourselves to the ideals that have served as the bedrock of our democracy for more than two centuries," Scanlon said. "I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the next, and first, congresswoman of Pennsylvania's new 5th Congressional District, to have the opportunity to serve the people of a community I have proudly called home for almost my entire adult life."
https://www.delcotimes.com/news/local/scanlon-makes-history-as-delco-s-first-congresswoman/article_c654205a-e211-11e8-84bb-6b17492a661a.html

Check here for the final Delco 2018 Midterm Election results
Delco Times November 7, 2018
https://www.delcotimes.com/news/check-here-for-the-final-midterm-election-results/article_56eedc3a-e1eb-11e8-92b1-fb486d42235d.html

“The battle last time came down to a mere 700 votes, with Ciresi, the former president of the Spring-Ford Area School Board, defeated by Quigley, the former Royersford Mayor and state representative for 11 of the last 13 years.”
Democrat Joe Ciresi Defeats Tom Quigley In 146th Rematch
Breaking: Two years after defeat, Democrat Joe Ciresi has beat incumbent Tom Quigley to take the 146th seat in the state House.
By Justin Heinze, Patch Staff | Nov 6, 2018 9:00 am ET | Updated Nov 6, 2018 11:34 pm ET
Two years after defeat, Democrat Joe Ciresi has beat incumbent Tom Quigley to take the 146th seat in the state House.  With 20 of 21 precincts reporting, Ciresi has 13,145 votes to Quigley's 10,479, a stark turnaround from 2016's election which Quigley won by a narrow 700 votes.
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/limerick/real-time-results-ciresi-vs-quigley-pa-house-district-146

Voters say no to property tax increase for children's programs
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by KATE GIAMMARISE kgiammarise@post-gazette.com NOV 6, 2018 11:51 PM
Allegheny County voters defeated a proposal that would have increased property taxes to fund children's programs, according to unofficial election results Tuesday. The measure, which would have raised approximately $18 million annually via a 0.25 mill property tax increase, had been backed by a group of nonprofits but was opposed by some education groups and advocates. Supporters of the proposal said they would continue to work to bring additional funding to children's programs, though they ruled out another referendum. “We'll all be at our offices tomorrow trying to figure out those next steps,” said Patrick Dowd, executive director of Allies for Children, who spearheaded the effort to approve the fund. “We're not going to stop. We are all advocates for kids,” he said, speaking Tuesday night after conceding defeat to a room full of supporters who had gathered at the Children's Museum to watch election results.
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-local/2018/11/06/Allegheny-County-Childrens-Fund-vote-rejected/stories/201811060165

How kids could take phys ed without stepping foot in a school gym
For lehighvalleylive.com By Sara K. Satullo ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com Updated Nov 6, 7:25 AM; Posted Nov 6, 7:25 AM
The Bethlehem Area School District is considering offering students a chance to take physical education classes online. The online gym class is one of the new course options being proposed as part of the district's class offerings next year. The school board annually approves the district's program of studies, which was presented during a Monday night curriculum meeting. Sometimes students struggle to fit their gym class requirement into their class schedule or have to forgo another course they are interested in to meet the requirement, Assistant Superintendent Jack Silva explained. If approved, the online physical education course would allow students to design their own class working with a teacher. Students won't be working out to online videos. Rather, they'll be designing a fitness plan, finding a way to track their metrics -- think a FitBit or AppleWatch -- and uploading the results to share with their teacher, Silva said.
https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2018/11/how_these_kids_could_take_phys.html


How America Is Breaking Public Education
Forbes by Ethan Siegel Senior Contributor Dec 6, 2017, 09:30am
The ultimate dream of public education is incredibly simple. Students, ideally, would go to a classroom, receive top-notch instruction from a passionate, well-informed teacher, would work hard in their class, and would come away with a new set of skills, talents, interests, and capabilities. Over the past few decades in the United States, a number of education reforms have been enacted, designed to measure and improve student learning outcomes, holding teachers accountable for their students' performances. Despite these well-intentioned programs, including No Child Left Behind, Race To The Top, and the Every Student Succeeds Act, public education is more broken than ever. The reason, as much as we hate to admit it, is that we've disobeyed the cardinal rule of success in any industry: treating your workers like professionals.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/12/06/how-america-is-breaking-public-education/#699a9ecd7f18

The midterm elections show America’s major shift in attitude to charter school privatization
It’s not hard to find news stories about waste, fraud, abuse and downright theft in the school privatization sector
Salon.com by JEFF BRYANT NOVEMBER 6, 2018 9:00AM (UTC)
This article was produced by the Independent Media Institute.
For years, the policy window for privatizing public schools has been wide open, and what was once considered an extreme or at least rare idea — such as outsourcing public schools to private contractors with few strings attached, or giving parents public tax money to subsidize their children’s private school tuitions — has become widespread as charter schools are now legal in all but a handful of states, and voucher programs have proliferated in many forms across the country. Politicians of all stripes have been extremely reluctant, especially at the national level, to lean into a real discussion of the negative consequences of redirecting public education funds to private operators, with little to no regulation for how the money is being spent. Candidates have instead stuck to a “safe boilerplate” of education being “good” and essential to “the workforce” without much regard to who provides it. But policy windows can be fleeting (remember “the deficit crisis”?), and multiple factors can rejigger the public’s views. Indeed, in campaigns that candidates are waging in the upcoming midterm elections, one can see the policy window on school privatization gradually shifting back to support for public schools and increasing skepticism about doling out cash to private education entrepreneurs.
https://www.salon.com/2018/11/06/the-midterm-elections-show-americas-major-shift-in-attitude-to-charter-school-privatization_partner/

“In fact, researchers at Georgia State University published findings last week showing that nearly $1 for every $5 paid out under Georgia's private school tax credit in 2015 went to what's known as alternative minimum tax payers – those who received a federal tax cut on top of 100 percent state tax credit – who in turn actually made money on their donation. Carl Davis, research director at the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, said during the public comments period at the IRS hearing Monday, that Georgia is far from the worst offender since its credit is capped at $2,500. That's not the case in Alabama, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, where there is either no cap or a very high one.”
How a Tax Regulation Could Cripple School Vouchers
An administration proposal to eliminate federal tax deductions of charitable contributions could mean less money for one of its major education priorities.
US News By Lauren Camera, Education Reporter Nov. 6, 2018, at 3:12 p.m.
THE IRS HAS PROPOSED limiting the federal deduction of contributions made to charitable organizations. The move is an attempt by the White House to target a handful of states – most of them wealthy and Democratic – seeking a way around the limits on state and local tax deductions included the new tax overhaul. But in doing so, the Trump administration would undercut its own education agenda by crippling private school choice programs in dozens of states that rely on charitable donations. The conflict was on display Monday at a public IRS hearing, where advocates of tax credit scholarships pleaded for a carve-out to avoid collateral damage, while critics of such programs applauded what they see as a long-overdue change to the way charitable deductions are administered.  "A pro-school choice administration wants to advance their opponents' anti-school choice agenda," said Michael Schuttloffel, executive director of the Council for American Private Education, cutting to the heart of the paradox.
https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2018-11-06/how-a-tax-regulation-could-cripple-school-vouchers


“At 7:30 pm, a Public Hearing to consider the TLC Bucks Charter High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Charter School Application will take place in the auditorium at BHS.”
Bucks County Student Arts Expo - Spread the Word!
Wednesday, November 7th, from 6 to 7 pm at the Bensalem High School.
Email From: Bucks County Schools Communications Advisory Council
The School Districts of Bucks County are excited to be hosting an Arts Exposition to feature and highlight the depth, breadth, and variety of the arts programs being offered through our Bucks County public schools.  This free expo is being held on Wednesday, November 7th, from 6 to 7 pm at the Bensalem High School. At 7:30 pm, a Public Hearing to consider the TLC Bucks Charter High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Charter School Application will take place in the auditorium at BHS.  Please join us!

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.

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