Started in November 2010, 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
Tweet from PA House Republicans @PAHouseGOP:
43 members of the #PAHouse will be sworn in for
the first time on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. 19 are @PAHouseGOP. 24 are @PaHouseDems.
After another ‘Year of the Woman,’ how close is PA to gender parity in politics? (Not very)
Inquirer by Samantha Melamed and Anna Orso, Updated: December 27, 2018- 5:00 AM
When Joanna McClinton first stepped onto the floor of the Pennsylvania Senate as a staffer in 2013, she experienced something like a revelation. “All I saw was older white men — that’s it. I was like, ‘This is who leads Pennsylvania?’" she said recently. "I spent all those years in the courthouse as a public defender, and I’m like, No wonder! It became very clear: No wonder we have mandatory minimums. No wonder things are so flawed. No wonder I’m in court with these sentencing guidelines, and things seem so unfair.” On Jan. 1, 2019, McClinton will be sworn in for her third term as a state representative and her first as the chairperson of the House Democratic Caucus — making her the first woman of color ever to hold the position. It’s just one in a year of political firsts helping transform a state that has, in recent years, ranked 49th in the nation in gender parity (and that still has a long ways to go).
http://www.philly.com/news/women-pennsylvania-politics-year-of-the-woman-house-senate-congress-20181226.html
There Used To Be One Woman In The State House From Allegheny County. Now There Are Six
WESA By LUCY PERKINS • DEC 26, 2018
There are 23 state representatives and five state senators who represent Allegheny County in the state legislature. In the last legislative term, only one of those lawmakers was a woman. Rep. Anita Astorino Kulik was elected in 2016 to represent State House District 45. In 2019, the Democrat will get five new female colleagues as state reps, and one new female lawmaker in the state senate. “I think that’s amazing to make that transition,” Kulik said. “First, we started with no women. Then I got elected two years ago and there was one woman, and now we have six. That’s absolutely amazing to me.” Kulik will be joined in the State House by fellow Democrats Sara Innamorato and Summer Lee. She’ll also have three new Republican colleagues – Natalie Mihalek, Valerie Gaydos and Lori Mizgorski. Kulik said she’s spoken at length with both of her soon-to-be Democratic colleagues.
https://www.wesa.fm/post/there-used-be-one-woman-state-house-allegheny-county-now-there-are-six
“While some black leaders see charters as a safer, better alternative in their communities, a deep rift of opinion was exposed by a 2016 call for a moratorium on charters by the NAACP, a longtime skeptic that expressed concerns about school privatization, transparency and accountability issues. The Black Lives Matter movement is also among those that have demanded charter school growth be curbed.”
Walmart heirs promote charter schools among black community
Inquirer AP by SALLY HO, Updated: December 24, 2018- 1:42 PM
Amid fierce debate over whether charter schools are good for black students, the heirs to the Walmart company fortune have been working to make inroads with advocates and influential leaders in the black community. The Walton family, as one of the leading supporters of America's charter school movement, is spreading its financial support to prominent and like-minded black leaders, from grassroots groups focused on education to mainstream national organizations such as the United Negro College Fund and Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, according to an Associated Press analysis of tax filings and nonprofit grants data. "Those closest to the challenge often have the best solution," Marc Sternberg, who leads the Walton Family Foundation's education efforts, said in a prepared statement. Charter schools, which are publicly funded and privately operated, are often located in urban areas with large back populations, intended as alternatives to struggling city schools. Black enrollment in charters has doubled over the course of a decade, to more than 760,000 students as of 2015-16, according to the latest federal data, but the rise also has been marked by concerns about racial segregation, inconsistent student outcomes, and the hollowing-out of neighborhood public schools.
http://www.philly.com/education/walmart-heirs-promote-charter-schools-among-black-community-20181224.html
The Waltons and Their Charter-Choice “Inroads”: Making Strategic Purchases
Deutch29 Blog by Mercedes Schneider December 26, 2018
On December 24, 2018, the Associated Press (AP) published this article about the billionaire Walton family’s attempts to purchase “like minded” persons of color in order to advance charter schools in America. …..When I first saw the AP article, my mind immediately turned to the Walton Family Foundation’s (WFF) 2016-2020 strategic plan for the spread of school choice and how WFF wants to “create” a bottom-up, parent-engaged base in favor of the school choice that it promotes from the top– but WFF doesn’t want to be accused of being “top down” in this effort. I wrote about the WFF charter plan in this October 29, 2016, post.
https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2018/12/26/the-waltons-and-their-charter-choice-inroads-making-strategic-purchases/
Reprise Feb. 2013: Follow the Money: Walton Family Foundation Grants 2009 through 2012
Keystone State Education Coalition Sunday, February 3, 2013
Follow the Money: In the past four years the Walton Family Foundation has invested well over half a billion dollars to privatize democratically run American public schools.
Are you still shopping at Walmart? Click on the following links for detailed lists of recipients and amounts for each year:
2009 $ 134,119,354
2010 $ 157,220,283
2011 $ 159,049,864
2012 $ 158,142,809
http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2013/02/follow-money-walton-family-foundation_3.html
Community hears update on School Funding Lawsuit – Trial set to begin Summer 2020
Chestnut Hill Local by Sue Ann Rybak Posted on December 21, 2018 by Sue Ann Rybak
Roughly 30 parents, advocates and teachers attended a community meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 12 at the Lovett Memorial Library in Mt. Airy to hear Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, a staff attorney for The Public Interest Law Center, discuss the latest developments in the Pennsylvania School Funding Lawsuit. On Dec. 6, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court released a tentative schedule for hearing the facts in the “William Penn et al. v. Pa Dept. of Ed. et al.” lawsuit. That process will begin with discovery in October of 2019 with final briefs filed in March of 2020. The trial will begin in the summer of 2020. In 2014, the Education Law Center and the Public Interest Law Center filed the suit on behalf of six Pennsylvania school districts, seven parents, the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools and the state conference of the NAACP claiming that the state had failed to provide a “thorough and efficient” system of public education.
https://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/2018/12/21/community-hears-update-on-school-funding-lawsuit-trial-set-to-begin-summer-2020/?fbclid=IwAR1vUeJWj4BgIU4h9MdDMPg8Ko8Uft3eD6FmeLZHrQP50lxtPObuFfI0wfo
“The state Education Department paid $8 million in lease reimbursements to charter schools statewide last school year, based on a per-pupil formula. While many charter schools have no connection to their landlords, others have close ties. In some cases, landlords operate as the foundation that supports the charter school. In other cases, membership on the boards of the schools and the foundations overlap.”
WATCHDOG: Lehigh Valley arts charter high school looking to receive state money for lease
Jacqueline Palochko Contact Reporter Of The Morning Call December 22, 2018
The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts will take advantage of a loophole that allows charter schools to collect lease reimbursements from the state while paying rent to foundations that support them. Under state law, charter schools can apply for partial reimbursement of leasing costs as long as the school does not own the building it’s in. The Bethlehem charter school does not own its facility. The school leases the building on Third Street in south Bethlehem from the Charter Arts Foundation, a nonprofit set up to support the charter school. Since 2015, when the school moved into its new building, it has not applied for lease reimbursements. But in August, the school’s board of trustees unanimously approved applying for state reimbursement, according to meeting minutes. School CEO Diane LaBelle confirmed the school applied for lease reimbursements, but said it has not yet received the money. She declined to say why the school is now seeking reimbursements. When reached by phone, board President Mario Acerra declined to comment. He referred questions to Ann Gilette, the charter school’s media relations person, who did not return messages for this story.
https://www.mcall.com/news/education/mc-nws-charter-arts-high-school-lease-reimbursements-20181218-story.html
Series: Teacher Diversity in Philadelphia
More than 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education, an analysis of state data shows persistently stark racial disparities in the demographics of PA teachers and students — among the widest gaps in the country. And the number of black teachers is on the decline in Philadelphia and beyond. What does this mean for our schools?
the Notebook December 23 — 3:26 pm, 2018
We have known anecdotally that the numbers and proportion of teachers of color in Philadelphia have been on the decline, but we did not know by how much. The state had not recently released racial data on teachers in Pennsylvania despite making public a wealth of other demographic information. So, the Notebook filed a Right to Know request to receive the information from the state Department of Education. Contributing Editor Dale Mezzacappa worked with intern Lijia Liu, a Swarthmore student, and local nonprofit Research for Action to analyze the teacher data. The state’s information led to a series of stories on diversity in Philadelphia, its suburbs and Pennsylvania.
https://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/12/23/teacher-diversity-in-philadelphia/
Hite troubled by lack of black students, and teachers, in some charters
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa December 26 — 12:12 pm, 2018
Philadelphia’s charter schools, which educate about one-third of the city’s student population, have fewer black teachers overall than District schools — 19 percent vs. 24 percent. Charter schools were never subject to any court order regarding the racial composition of their faculty, and they tend to have either very high numbers or very low numbers of black teachers. Some charter schools were founded to be Afro-Centric. Harambee and Sankofa are in that category, and they have a virtually all-black student body and faculty. But there are also several charters in the city at which most of the students are white, and they are taught by an all-white or mostly all-white faculty. For instance, Franklin Towne elementary charter school is 87 percent white, and all its teachers are white. At Franklin Towne’s charter high school, 72 percent of the students and 95 percent of the teachers are white. Green Woods Charter has a 69 percent white student body and a 100 percent white faculty. At MaST Community Charter School, 69 percent of the students and 98 percent of the teachers are white. For Philadelphia Academy Charter, 80 percent of the students and 95 percent of the teachers are white. Superintendent Hite is concerned about the lack of both black students and black teachers in some charters.
https://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/12/26/hite-troubled-by-lack-of-black-students-and-teachers-in-some-charters/
Tamaqua teachers' union fires back at district's objections to lawsuit over gun policy
Morning Call by Kayla Dwyer Contact Reporter December 25, 2018
The legal battle continues over the Tamaqua Area School District’s new policy arming staff, with the teachers union firing back against the district’s objections to its lawsuit. Policy 705 passed unanimously in September, but it drew ire from the Tamaqua Area Education Association, which filed a lawsuit in Schuylkill County Court in November, claiming the measure is a violation of the Pennsylvania School Code. The school district filed preliminary objections in court in early December, arguing the association lacks standing to file such a lawsuit for two reasons: It failed to present facts that allege immediate threat of harm to the employees, and the issue at hand is not a “justifiable controversy.” The union’s memorandum of law, filed in court on Friday, challenges these two complaints about standing and controversy. The memorandum cites a Pennsylvania Supreme Court case — Office of Governor v. Donahue — that determined “standing” applies if the plaintiff is the “aggrieved party.” The union is certainly aggrieved, it argues, since its members’ “employment and their professional responsibility to protect students are directly subject to the policies of the district.” It’s not necessary, argues the association, at the pleading stage to present facts proving the extent of injury.
https://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-tamaqua-gun-policy-memorandum-20181225-story.html
Year-end report shows increase in gun control legislation
Inquirer by Justine McDaniel, Updated: December 26, 2018- 5:18 PM
Laws increasing gun restrictions passed in record numbers across the country in 2018, more than tripling the number of such measures adopted in 2017 and signaling a shift in attitudes toward gun control in the wake of recent mass shootings, according to the advocacy group Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Bills strengthening gun restrictions were signed into law in 26 states and the District of Columbia this year, with 75 new measures contained in 67 laws, according to the year-end report released this month. That’s a jump from the 22 gun control measures counted in 2017. At least 277 laws tightening gun-related restrictions have been signed into law, in nearly every state, since the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., according to Giffords' yearly counts. But after that shooting, waves of gun-rights bills were passed, too-- the number surpassing bills restricting access to firearms. This year marked a change, the new report indicated, with more gun-control laws enacted.
http://www.philly.com/news/gun-control-bills-legislation-states-giffords-20181226.html
Do smaller class sizes equal success? Woodland Hills officials hope so
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette MATT MCKINNEY mmckinney@post-gazette.com DEC 24, 2018
On Woodland Hills School District’s first day of classes in August, veteran teacher Deneen Davis welcomed her new kindergarten cohort and observed a striking difference from the past: there were fewer of them. Down about 10 students from the roughly two-dozen who have crowded her Wilkins Primary School classroom in years prior, Ms. Davis now can fit the whole group neatly onto the U.S. map carpet at the front of her room during activities, which previously would have been too tight a squeeze. Smaller class sizes are not a symptom of dwindling enrollment. It’s by design, the result of adding 11 kindergarten and first-grade teachers in two schools, at a cost of about $750,000 this year. Officials hope to narrow gaps in skills and knowledge among young students that would likely grow with time. Research largely indicates a link between smaller class sizes and improved learning, although not all studies support that connection. Woodland Hills officials acknowledge that it’s too soon to determine the true impact of smaller classes but say that early anecdotal evidence has been promising.
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2018/12/24/Woodland-Hills-class-size-first-grade-kindergarten-Wilkins-Edgewood/stories/201812230037
“Since 2009, the number of newly-issued in-state instructional teaching certificates has dropped by 71 percent”
How Local Universities Are Working To Retain More Teachers Amidst A Statewide Shortage
WESA By SARAH SCHNEIDER • DEC 26, 2018
Pennsylvania needs more teachers and principals. This past semester, eight state universities created programs to recruit and retain more educators. Since 2009, the number of newly-issued in-state instructional teaching certificates has dropped by 71 percent, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The department also reports that since 1996, the number of undergraduate education majors in Pennsylvania has declined 55 percent. Leaders at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, northeast of Pittsburgh, say they recognize those trends. Sue Rieg, the Dean’s Associate for Educator Preparation at IUP, said for decades the supply of teachers certified in the state outpaced demand. Rieg thinks that meant more recently fewer students have pursued teaching. As the teacher pipeline shrank, it was her job to think of ways to entice more students to pursue teaching certificates. That can be especially challenging when trying to fill positions in hard-to-staff disciplines like science or math, where students with those specialties could make more money in another field.
https://www.wesa.fm/post/how-local-universities-are-working-retain-more-teachers-amidst-statewide-shortage
What the average classroom teacher earns in every Pa. public school district
WHYY/Keystone Crossroads By Ed Mahon, PA Post December 24, 2018
This story originally appeared on PA Post.
Classroom teachers in Council Rock School District in Bucks County, on average, had the highest salary among classroom teachers in the state last year. The average classroom teacher there earned a salary of $99,707 in the 2017-18 school year, according to Pennsylvania Department of Education data. Statewide, the average classroom teacher had a salary of $67,535. In the database below, you can see the average salary for classroom teachers in Pennsylvania public school districts, charter schools, career technical centers, and state juvenile correctional institutes. The database also notes the years of service in education for the average classroom teacher in a district — that is a common factor for determining salary in educator contracts.
https://whyy.org/articles/what-the-average-classroom-teacher-earns-in-every-pa-public-school-district/
In the Spotlight: At 22, Mitchell Sweigart is county's youngest school board member
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer Dec 23, 2018
From finishing his senior year at Princeton University to becoming a school board member and starting his first full-time job, Mitchell Sweigart has had a busy 2018. The 22-year-old, who was appointed by the Penn Manor school board in February, is the youngest school board member in the county. When he wasn’t working on his 73-page senior thesis or playing left tackle on Princeton’s football team, Sweigart traveled two hours from Princeton, New Jersey, to Millersville to attend school board meetings. That was his promise, after all. The Penn Manor High School graduate told school board members during his interview that he wouldn’t miss a meeting. And he hasn’t. Sweigart, who graduated from Princeton in June, now works for Benefix, a small startup company in Lancaster city. His term as a school board member expires December 2019.
https://lancasteronline.com/sunday/in-the-spotlight-at-mitchell-sweigart-is-county-s-youngest/article_3538e266-f95b-11e8-a58a-17b705b96669.html
Spending, Guns, and That DeVos Interview: 10 Big Federal Policy Stories of 2018
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on December 26, 2018 8:15 AM
Not quite ready to let 2018 go? Then hang on for a bit longer by reliving some of the biggest education stories of the year on the federal beat. From a list of some of our most-read stories from Politics K-12, and one more from one of our fellow Education Week reporters, we selected 10 pieces that really resonated with our audience. Check out the list below:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/12/federal-education-policy-top-10-2018-spending-guns-devos.html
Save the date: PSBA Advocacy Day at the Capitol in Harrisburg has been scheduled for Monday April 29, 2019
Pennsylvania schools work – for students, communities and the economy when adequate resources are available to give all students an equal opportunity to succeed.
Join A Movement that Supports our Schools & Communities
PA Schools Work website
Our students are in classrooms that are underfunded and overcrowded. Teachers are paying out of pocket and picking up the slack. And public education is suffering. Each child in Pennsylvania has a right to an excellent public education. Every child, regardless of zip code, deserves access to a full curriculum, art and music classes, technical opportunities and a safe, clean, stable environment. All children must be provided a level chance to succeed. PA Schools Work is fighting for equitable, adequate funding necessary to support educational excellence. Investing in public education excellence is the path to thriving communities, a stable economy and successful students.
http://paschoolswork.org/
Build on finance, policy, board culture skills at PSBA’s Applied School Director Training
Four convenient locations in December and January
Take the next step in your professional development with Applied School Director Training. Building upon topics broadly covered in New School Director Training, this new, interactive evening event asks district leaders to dive deeper into three areas of school governance: school finance, board policy and working collaboratively as a governance team. Prepare for future leadership positions and committee work in this workshop-style training led by experts and practitioners. Learn how to:
·
Evaluate key
finance documents such as budget and audit materials
·
Review and analyze board policies and administrative regulations
·
Build positive board culture by developing strong collaboration skills
Locations and Dates:Dec.11, 2018 — Seneca Valley SD
Dec. 12, 2018 — Selinsgrove, Selinsgrove Area Middle School
Jan. 10, 2019 — Bethlehem, Nitschmann Middle School
Jan. 17, 2019 — State College
Cost: This event is complimentary for All-Access members or $75 per person with standard membership and $150 per person for nonmembers. Register online by logging in to myPSBA.
https://www.psba.org/2018/11/applied-school-director-training-state-college/
PASBO is looking for leaders! The deadline for board seats is Dec 31st, 2018.
PASBO members who desire to seek election as Director or Vice President should send a letter of intent with a current resume and picture to the Immediate Past President Edward G. Poprik, PCSBO, who is chair of the PASBO Nominations and Elections Committee.
More info: https://www.pasbo.org/election
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.
PSBA Board Presidents’ Panel
Nine locations around the state running Jan 29, 30 and 31st.
Share your leadership experience and learn from others in your area at this event designed for board presidents, superintendents and board members with interest in pursuing leadership roles. Workshop real solutions to the specific challenges you face with a PSBA-moderated panel of school leaders. Discussion will address the most pressing challenges facing PA public schools.
https://www.psba.org/2018/11/board-presidents-panel-2/
Annual PenSPRA Symposium set for March 28-29, 2019
Pennsylvania School Public Relations Association Website
Once again, PenSPRA will hold its annual symposium with nationally-recognized speakers on hot topics for school communicators. The symposium, held at the Conference Center at Shippensburg University, promises to provide time for collegial sharing and networking opportunities. Mark you calendars now!
We hope you can join us. Plans are underway, so check back for more information.
http://www.penspra.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
Save the Date: PARSS Annual Conference May 1-3, 2019
Wyndham Garden Hotel, Mountainview Country Club
Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools
https://www.parss.org/Annual_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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