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
Blogger note: we’re hearing that House
Ed Committee Chairman Sonney will drop 4 charter reform bills next week. Here
are links to the cosponsorship memos for each of them.
Here is info on the Democratic package
of charter reform bills announced last week:
Roebuck and colleagues announce charter school reform
package
Rep. James R. Roebuck
Jr. Website May 3, 2019 | 10:22 AM
HARRISBURG, May 3 – Today, Rep. James Roebuck, D-Phila., alongside other House Democrats,
unveiled a package of eight charter school reform bills designed to treat all
Pennsylvania public schools – both traditional and charter – and their students
equally under law. "I believe we can get bipartisan support for these
bills and improve accountability in the charter school system,” Roebuck said.
“Our goal is to treat these schools equally under the law, so that we can make
sure tax dollars are being used efficiently.” Roebuck, Democratic chairman of
the House Education Committee, introduced H.B. 1330 that would end conflicts of
interest in tax-funded payments for charter school leases.
School funding inequity: House bill 800 | PennLive
letters
By Cordell Affeldt, Harrisburg, PennLive Letters to
the Editor Posted May
8, 11:24 AM
Short-term gain for
a few: long-term loss for Pennsylvania. House Bill 800 directs tax money that
could have gone to public schools to go instead to private and religious
schools. How appealing to cut one’s $38,000 tuition bill for a private suburban
Philly school, or any private or religious school. Do it under the banner of
“CHOICE” and it sounds noble. Cut private cost with public tax money and the
personal appeal can go up even more--your private choice will be paid for in
part of everybody else. Meanwhile, most of Pennsylvania’s public schools
continue to steadily starve. We rank 47th in school funding from state sources,
depending dramatically on local property taxes. The burden is constructed to be
worst for the poorest districts, who already tax their local property at
proportionately higher rates than do the richest districts. We rank 8th in
school spending as a share of state economy. We just don’t distribute the money
equitably--and the gap is growing. The answer HB 800 offers? Yell CHOICE to
distract us from the current school funding inequity. Shift more money to
non-public options; even assure automatic increases in future years. HB bakes
in accepting poor resources for the public at-large while year-after-year increasing
resources for a few.
Level of state education funding keeps families in
poverty
We should
not elect representatives who put little effort into giving children an
equitable education.
The notebook Commentary by Carly King May 8 — 6:24 am, 2019
I will always
remember the first time a teenager told me they didn’t have dreams and
aspirations. As one young lady put it, “What’s the point?” Discouraged by the
state of their public schools, they saw minimal opportunities for their
futures. As a social worker, I see daily how poverty blurs the lines of child
abuse and neglect for families and disproportionately affects black and brown
communities. I have seen more families enter the child welfare system from
truancy or education-based referrals than from any other point of entry. Pennsylvania
schools need a fair funding formula that will address economic and educational
inequality across districts. Instead, our elected officials find ways to dance
around addressing any true marginalization of black and Latino students in our
public schools. The City of Brotherly Love doesn’t seem to have unconditional
love for all its children, which is shown by the poor conditions many endure
daily. Philadelphia students are being shortchanged from the chance to break
economic barriers in their communities by receiving an adequate education. The
evidence includes deplorable building conditions, lack of tangible learning
resources, digital divides between and among district schools, issues with
school safety, low graduation rates, poorly executed special education
services, and the overall lack of preparedness for higher education and the
workforce. To break cycles of intergenerational poverty in Philadelphia, we
must invest in education and prioritize those most in need.
Blogger note: Total cyber charter tuition paid by PA taxpayers
from 500 school districts for 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 was over $1.6 billion;
$393.5 million, $398.8 million, $436.1 million and $454.7 million respectively.
We will continue rolling out cyber charter tuition expenses for taxpayers in
education committee members, legislative leadership and various other
districts.
In 2016-17, taxpayers in House Ed Committee
member @JasonOrtitay’s school
districts in Allegheny and Washington Counties
had to send over $4.4 million to chronically underperforming cybers that they
never authorized. #SB34 (Schwank) or #HB526 (Sonney) could
change that.
Data source: PDE via .@PSBA
Data source: PDE via .@PSBA
|
Burgettstown
Area SD
|
$622,578.65
|
|
Canon-McMillan
SD
|
$1,235,101.40
|
|
Chartiers
Valley SD
|
$641,094.90
|
|
Fort
Cherry SD
|
$342,488.85
|
|
South
Fayette Township SD
|
$282,311.08
|
|
Trinity
Area SD
|
$925,251.07
|
|
West
Allegheny SD
|
$424,029.00
|
|
|
$4,472,854.95
|
Has your state
representative cosponsored HB526?
Has your state
senator cosponsored SB34?
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2019&sind=0&body=S&type=B&bn=34
‘We need to stop it before it happens:’ Bipartisan House
coalition rolls out new school safety measures
PA Capital Star by John L. Micek May 8, 2019
Barely a day after
America’s latest school shooting, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in the Pennsylvania House of
Representatives introduced a package of bills that they say could help stop
future acts of violence before they happen.
The measures call for more school nurses; increased firearms and CPR
training for school police and security officers; efforts to get school
guidance counselors, social workers, and psychologists to meet national
standards; improved reporting and data collection for students who attempt or
commit suicide on school grounds; and a mandatory mental health and
anti-bullying curriculum for students. At a Capitol news conference Wednesday,
backers of the proposed “Beyond Safe Schools” package say the bills are
designed to build on legislative authorization last year of a $60 million grant
fund that districts can use to enhance physical safety and security in school
buildings. But as lawmakers reviewed the initial grant proposals, “we
[recognized] that there needs to be a more comprehensive approach to dealing
with school safety that involves focusing on the overall behavioral health of
students,” said Rep. Dan Miller, D-Allegheny, who’s among the sponsors of the
more than a dozen bills included in the package. The bills are “intended to
address problems before they occur,” he added.
School safety bill package seeks to go beyond locking
doors and security cameras
Penn Live By Jan Murphy |
jmurphy@pennlive.com Posted May
8, 1:51 PM
Locking doors and
installing security cameras to make schools safer to prevent tragedies like the
latest one that happened in Colorado on Tuesday are important but some lawmakers say school building modifications
alone are not enough. Addressing student wellness issues to improve student
learning and address students’ social and emotional problems early on are just
as critical. In a 14-bill “Beyond Safe Schools” package spearheaded by a group of Democratic lawmakers, they are
calling for funding for schools to hire more school nurses, counselors, social
workers, and librarians and a myriad of other initiatives aimed at creating a
safer and healthier school environment. The bills were unveiled at a Capitol
news conference on Wednesday that also brought out Pennsylvania State Education
Association President Rich Askey who threw the union’s backing behind them.
Why Allentown and Bethlehem’s school budgets are night
and day
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO | THE MORNING CALL |MAY 08, 2019 | 7:36 PM
The Allentown
School District avoided financial collapse this school year by taking out a $10
million loan to fill a $7.6 million budgetary hole. But Allentown, the region’s
largest school district, still faces an $18 million deficit for 2019-20. While
Allentown searches for a way to close that gap by a June 30 deadline,
neighboring Bethlehem
Area School District, the Valley’s second largest, is poised to pass its first
budget in 25 years with no tax increase. The district faced a $7 million deficit in February, but through
savings and increases in revenue, that has dwindled to $1.6 million. That hole
will be closed with borrowing from a reserve account. Here’s how the area’s
largest districts are different: Allentown has a weak tax base The
Allentown School District, educating about 17,000 students, is the one in the
Lehigh Valley solely within a city. Bethlehem Area, enrolling about 14,000 students, extends beyond the
city to Bethlehem and Hanover townships, and to the boroughs of Fountain Hill
and Freemansburg. In Pennsylvania, public schools have three funding streams.
The largest comes from local property taxes, with state and federal taxpayers
covering the rest. So the more affluent a district is, the more local money it
has. Allentown’s homes, mostly twins and row homes, have a $124,000 median
value, according to the U.S. Census. As a result, Allentown is only able to
cover 30 percent of its $318 million budget with local revenue. Bethlehem Area
is a different story. While the city’s median home value is $168,600, the
district includes 4-bedroom houses with lush lawns and in-ground pools in
Hanover and Bethlehem townships with median values of $283,700 and $243,200,
respectively, according to census numbers.
Mars Area school board approves preliminary budget with
no tax increase
Post-Gazette by SANDY
TROZZO MAY 9, 2019 12:00 AM
The 2019-20 budget
for the Mars Area School District adds 16 positions but does not raise taxes. The
proposed final budget was approved Tuesday by an 8-1 vote. Superintendent
Wesley Shipley said that the $52.2 million spending plan addresses the need for
low class sizes, growth in the special education department and increased
safety. The budget adds one elementary classroom teacher to help keep class
sizes low, five special education teachers, five paraprofessionals for special
education, one district-wide social worker, one school psychologist and three
district police officers. The three officers will work with two Adams Township
officers to have one armed police officer in every building, Mr. Shipley said.
Penn Hills students to receive free lunches, breakfasts
next school year
Trib Live by MICHAEL DIVITTORIO | Wednesday, May 8, 2019 10:53 p.m.
Penn Hills School
District students will not have to worry about paying for breakfasts and
lunches next school year. District officials recently approved the high
school’s participation in the National School Lunch Program’s Community
Eligibility Provision. It’s being administered by the state Department of
Education’s Division of Food and Nutrition. CEP provides free breakfasts and
lunches in districts or schools in which at least 40% of the students are
eligible for free or reduced lunches, meaning their families receive food
stamps, medical assistance or other government aid. There are about 1,150
students at the high school and about 3,820 in the district. The current cost
of a high school lunch is $3.75 and $2 for breakfast. The elementary school
qualified for the program since the 2017-18 school year. Linton Middle School
and the district’s K-8 cyber academy qualified this school year. The programs
last for five years.
“Unlike other states, Oregon teachers
are not seeking pay raises or other union demands. They say they’re walking out
to highlight classroom conditions and how years of low funding has affected
learning opportunities.”
Oregon teachers walk out in red to press for school
funding
AP by By GILLIAN
FLACCUS and SARAH ZIMMERMAN yesterday
SALEM, Ore. (AP) —
Tens of thousands of teachers across Oregon walked off the job Wednesday to
demand more money for schools, holding signs and wearing red shirts that have
become synonymous with a nationwide movement pushing lawmakers to better fund
education.
Schools around the
state, including Oregon’s largest district, Portland Public Schools, closed for
at least part of the day. Most offered day care and free lunch programs. An
estimated 25,000 people massed in a downtown Portland park for a rally before
marching through the city. The mix of teachers, parents and students wore red
to support the “Red for Ed” campaign that’s taken hold nationwide and chanted
that slogan. It was one of many protests statewide that called on lawmakers to
expand school funding in Oregon, which has some of the largest class sizes and
lowest graduation rates in the United States. Kathy Paxton-Williams, who
attended public school in Oregon and has been teaching in Portland for more
than 20 years, said she has seen dramatic changes. “Every year, for the last 21
years, there’s been cuts and cuts and cuts,” she said.
The walkout follows
a wave of teacher activism that began in West Virginia in 2018 and was followed
by Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona and elsewhere. Teachers in North Carolina and
South Carolina rallied at their respective state capitols last week seeking
more money.
PA Schools Work Capitol Caravan Days Wed. June 5th
and Tues. June 18th
If you couldn’t
make it to Harrisburg last week, it’s not too late. We are getting down to the
wire. In a few short weeks, the budget will likely be passed. Collectively, our
voices have a larger impact to get more funding for Pennsylvania’s students.
Legislators need to hear from you!
Public Citizens for
Children and Youth (PCCY) will be at the Capitol on Wednesday, June 5th and
Tuesday, June 18th for our next PA Schools
Work caravan days. We’d love to have you join us on these
legislative visits. For more details about the caravans and to sign up, go to: www.pccy.org/k12caravan . Please call Tomea Sippio-Smith at (O) 215-563-5848, ext. 36
or (C) 215-667-9421 or Shirlee Howe at (O) 215-563-5848, ext. 34 or (C)
215-888-8297 with any questions or specific requests for legislative meetings.
PCCY Annual Celebration Wednesday, May 15 at Franklin
Institute in Philly
PCCY would also
love to have you join us at our annual celebration on Wednesday, May
15, 2019 at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. PCCY’s
Celebration is a fun way to network with colleagues, make new friends and learn
more about the important role PCCY plays in the lives of children in our
region. Tickets are on sale NOW for the 2019
Celebration of the Public Citizens Of The Year honoring Chuck
Pennoni and the Penonni team and our regional Advocates of the Year. Come out
for a phenomenal evening of food, drinks, entertainment, auction and a
spirited celebration. Buy tickets and learn more at: https://www.pccy.org/event/celebration-2019-public-citizen-children-youth/
School Funding Briefing Thursday, May 23, 2019 6:30 –
8:00 PM
Drexel Hill Middle School, 3001 State Road,
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
In 2019, the Public
Interest Law Center is celebrating 50 years of fighting for justice, and
preparing for 50 more, through a series of 50th anniversary events.
As part of this
series, the Upper Darby School Board is pleased to host the Public Interest Law
Center at Drexel Hill Middle School on Thursday, May 23rd, for a School Funding
Briefing.
Pennsylvania has
the largest funding gap in the country between low-wealth and high-wealth
school districts. Pennsylvania is also ranked 46th in the share of funding that
comes from the state, leaving local taxpayers to take on rising costs. How did
we get here? At the briefing, you will learn the basics of education funding
and how it works in Pennsylvania, as well as ways you can get involved in
advocacy for fully funded public education. You will also learn about the
latest developments in the Law Center's school
funding lawsuit.
Afterward, you will
have a chance to meet Law Center attorneys working on this landmark case, as
well as mingle with other interested in Pennsylvania education.
Do you have strong communication and leadership skills and a vision for
PSBA? Members interested in becoming the next leaders of PSBA are encouraged
to submit an Application for Nomination no later than
May 31 to PSBA's Leadership Development Committee (LDC).
The nomination process: All persons seeking nomination for elected
positions of the Association shall file with the Leadership Development
Committee chairperson an Application for Nomination (.PDF) on a form to be
provided by the Association expressing interest in the office sought. The
Application for nomination shall be marked received at PSBA Headquarters or
mailed first class and postmarked no later than the application deadline
specified in the timeline established by the Governing Board to be considered
timely-filed.” (PSBA
Bylaws, Article IV, Section 6.E.). Application Deadline: May 31, 2019
Open positions are:
- 2020 President-Elect
(one-year term)
- 2020 Vice
President (one-year term)
- 2020-22
Central At-Large Representative – includes Sections 2, 3, 6, and
7 (three-year term)
- 2020-21
Sectional Advisors – includes Sections 1, 3, 5 and 7 (two-year term)
PSBA Tweet March
12, 2019 Video Runtime: 6:40
In this installment of #VideoEDition, learn about legislation
introduced in the PA Senate & House of Representatives that would save
millions of dollars for school districts that make tuition payments for their
students to attend cyber charter schools.http://ow.ly/RyIM50n1uHi
PSBA Summaries of Senate Bill 34 and House Bill 526
PSBA Sample Board Resolution in Support of Statewide
Cyber Charter School Funding Reform
PSBA Sample Board Resolution in Support of Senate Bill 34
and House Bill 256
How much could your school district and taxpayers save if
there were statewide flat tuition rates of $5000 for regular ed students and
$8865 for special ed.? See the estimated savings by school district here.
Education Voters PA
Website February 14, 2019
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2019&sind=0&body=S&type=B&bn=34
Has your state representative cosponsored HB526?
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.