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
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These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
EITC: ‘Trapped’ on the Main Line: Expensive private
schools benefit from Pa. tax credits but report zero low-income students
Here’s what
Pennsylvania’s public education advocates think of this year’s budget plan
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison June 26, 2019
A $34 billion
budget plan approved by the state House Tuesday boosts basic education spending
by $160 million, but public school advocates say Pennsylvania’s school
districts need even more to cover ever-increasing expenses. The House-approved
appropriation is 20 percent, or $40 million, less than what Gov. Tom Wolf first
proposed to lawmakers back in February. “This lets districts tread water,” said
Susan Spicka, executive director of Education Voters of PA, a nonprofit public
education advocacy group. “I’m hoping that next year, we will see a much bigger
ask so we can really start to make progress toward building the schools our
kids need.” Spicka said that state funding isn’t keeping pace with the mounting
costs of special education, charter school tuition payments, and employee
benefits — mandated costs that districts can’t cut without violating state or
federal law. Spending on those three areas grew by a combined 7.8 percent for
the average Pennsylvania school district last year, according to an annual survey of school district budgets from the Pennsylvania Association of
School Business Officials and the Pennsylvania Association of School
Administrators. Seventy-four percent of the districts they surveyed said
they planned to levy a tax hike to make up the difference. Spicka and others
say that more generous state aid — or reforms to charter school funding laws —
could provide crucial relief for local property taxpayers. But right now, “the
state is coming up short” on both measures, Spicka said.
Funding Increases in
PA Budget Are Welcomed but Not Sufficient, ELC Says
Education Law
Center Statement on PA’s Proposed 2019-20 State Budget June 25, 2019
Deborah Gordon
Klehr, executive director of the Education Law Center, released the following
statement today in response to the tentative budget agreement between
legislative leaders and Gov. Wolf: “The need for additional state education
funding has been acute in literally hundreds of struggling school districts
across the Commonwealth. Thus, the proposed increases in the budget agreement
between Governor Wolf and legislative leaders are needed and welcomed, though
insufficient. “Over the past year, the Education Law Center (ELC) has drawn
attention to chronic deficiencies in state support for special education, and
the challenges that has created for local school districts. The proposed $50
million increase (4.4%) in state special education funding is a bright spot in
this budget plan, an important first step toward remedying a long history of
inadequate funding for students with disabilities. The $160 million proposed
increase in basic education funding through the state’s funding formula, a
modest 2.6%, is the largest increase since 2016. ELC welcomes the proposed
increases for Pre-K Counts, Head Start, and Early Intervention, which will
allow additional children to receive essential services. “While we appreciate
these steps forward, the state’s investment in education continues to fall far
below what is needed to have an adequately and equitably funded public
education system. And while the Pennsylvania legislature adopted a funding
formula in 2016 that recognized the importance of distributing education aid on
the basis of need, the proposed budget distributes barely one-tenth of basic
education funding through the formula. Not enough aid is getting to the
districts with the greatest need, and research has shown a disturbing statewide
pattern that Pennsylvania districts with larger numbers of African American
students receive fewer state education dollars.
Pennsylvania House
passes $34 billion budget proposal without widespread Democratic support
PA Capital Star By Stephen Caruso June 25, 2019
With support from
most Republicans and some Democrats, the Pennsylvania House passed a $34
billion budget spending plan Tuesday afternoon, 140-62. The budget, agreed on by House and Senate GOP leadership and Democratic Gov. Tom
Wolf, includes no new taxes and $160 million in additional funding for public
education — $40 million less than the governor’s February ask. Total funding
for basic education is now at $6.7 billion, a historic high for the state. But
debates over where the funding goes and whether it is enough to prevent rising
property taxes remain a heated debate. “It very nicely aligned with all of our
legislative agenda items … since the beginning of the year,” House Majority
Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, said of the budget. It includes increased
funding for workforce development programs — including farm workers — as well
as boosts for certain state technical schools, like Thaddeus Stevens College in
Lancaster.
House of Representatives Session of 2019 - 2020 Regular
Session
Roll Call Vote for Final Passage for House Bill 790 (Budget Bill)
Roll Call Vote for Final Passage for House Bill 790 (Budget Bill)
“We looked at 151 schools that
administer their own tax credit scholarship programs, and then examined
demographic data those same schools report separately to the Pennsylvania
Department of Education. Of those schools, 57 — more than a third — report
enrolling zero low-income students or said they couldn’t determine how many
low-income students they have. Another 15 schools told the state that less than
five percent of their student body was low-income. Many of these schools are
located in the state’s wealthiest suburbs, where students have access to some
of Pennsylvania’s highest-rated public schools.”
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent June 26, 2019
The Shipley
School, in Bryn Mawr benefitted from more than $500,000 in OSTC and EITC
scholarship funds in 2017-18. It reported serving zero low-income students that
year.
Any debate over the
tax-credit programs that subsidize private-school education in Pennsylvania
could begin here: There is very little public data on the students who benefit.
Backers often say that scholarship money raised through the Educational
Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC)
goes to poor families who’d be “trapped” in
“failing” public schools if
they didn’t have tuition assistance. Skeptics paint another picture. Because
the scholarship programs have income limits nearly twice the state median, they
say the state is foregoing tax revenue in order to fund private schools for
families who have other quality options. Based on an analysis of right-to-know
records and other state data, Keystone Crossroads found muddled evidence to
support both claims. The analysis comes with caveats and strong indications
that private schools and scholarship organizations regularly report incomplete
or incorrect information.
American Bar Association condemns conditions at migrant
child detention centers as a violation of law, 'common decency'
The Hill BY REBECCA KLAR - 06/25/19
05:12 PM EDT 707
The American Bar
Association (ABA) condemned conditions at detention centers holding immigrant
children, calling them violation of law and "common decency." "The
American Bar Association is appalled by credible reports of hundreds of
children being held in unsafe and unhealthy conditions in violation of federal
and state law, court settlements and common decency," ABA
president Bob Carlson said in a statement issued Tuesday. The statement highlights
reports alleging children and infants were held for up to two weeks at a time
in "overcrowded facilities that lack the most basic of human
necessities." Carlson said that directly violates the law,
which requires children must be released to Health and Human Services within 72
hours. "The ABA calls on federal authorities to immediately end this
inhumane and illegal treatment of children and provide attorney access to
facilities operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection," Carlson
said.
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.
In 2016-17, taxpayers in Senator .@SenTomlinson’s districts had to send over $10.3 million to chronically
underperforming cybers that their locally elected school boards never
authorized. . #SB34 (Schwank) or #HB526 (Sonney) could change that.
Data source: PDE
via PSBA
|
Bensalem
Township SD
|
$1,571,402.03
|
|
Bristol
Borough SD
|
$438,334.52
|
|
Bristol
Township SD
|
$4,759,441.79
|
|
Centennial
SD
|
$597,090.55
|
|
Central
Bucks SD
|
$1,383,453.48
|
|
Neshaminy
SD
|
$1,562,355.07
|
|
|
$10,312,077.44
|
Has your state
senator cosponsored bipartisan SB34?
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2019&sind=0&body=S&type=B&bn=34
Is your state
representative one of the over 70 bipartisan cosponsors of HB526?
“On the surface the cyber charter school
would seem like a good thing: more choice for parents, diversification of a
community’s education programs, and maybe even competition to improve subpar
public schooling. This might be true were it not for two negative consequences of the program: dismal learning outcomes and its growing
concentration of use among the most disadvantaged districts across the state.”
Do cyber charter schools harm public education for the
most disadvantaged?
Brookings Institution
by David Baker and Bryan Mann Monday, June 24, 2019
Flat Rock School
District (not its real name) in eastern Pennsylvania suffers from all the problems
of exurban decay: Main streets and infrastructure need repair, many storefronts
are boarded up, good jobs are scarce, and a web of social problems from alcohol
and drug addiction to fragile families weighs heavy on the community. The
community’s schools must cope with these problems while faced with one of the
state’s lowest per-pupil funding levels. Flat Rock is also deep Donald Trump
country, as the president won every voting
precinct within the district, most by more than 30 percentage points. Pennsylvania school districts,
including Flat Rock, are at the epicenter of the cyber charter school
phenomenon, a school choice program established by the state’s former
republican administrations and that now receives an enthusiastic boost by the
Trump administration. Any family in any district can opt for their K-12 student
to receive all curriculum and instruction online, at home, and free-of-charge
from companies providing the service, which is paid for out of per-pupil funds
from the local district’s budget. Started with much marketing fanfare across
the state in 2000, enrollment in Pennsylvania’s cyber charters is among the
largest nationally, so large in fact that if all of these students lived in one
district it would be the third largest in the state.
Education secretary
secures key reconfirmation vote from Senate committee
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison June 25, 2019
If the reception he
received from the Senate Education Committee is any indication, Secretary Pedro
Rivera is poised to cruise to a second term as Pennsylvania’s top education
czar. Gov. Tom Wolf has nominated Rivera to be reappointed to his post as
head of the Department of Education, which sets policy for Pennsylvania’s 500
public school districts, as well as its brick-and-mortar and cyber charter
schools. The 50-member Senate voted unanimously in 2015 to appoint Rivera as
secretary. On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee voted unanimously to send
the former classroom teacher and superintendent of the Lancaster School
District to the full Senate for a reconfirmation vote. Since taking the helm of
the Department of Education in 2015, Rivera has worked with the Legislature to
enact a new fair funding formula for Pennsylvania’s public schools, which
funnels education funding increases to school districts based on student
poverty levels, enrollment, and the wealth of a district’s tax base. Rivera’s Department of Education also
provided technical guidance to Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, who is attempting
to reform Pennsylvania’s teacher evaluation system. The resulting bill passed
the Senate on Monday and may be incorporated into Pennsylvania’s updated school
code, a piece of budget-enabling legislation, this week.
Some Pa. teachers
could still get a raise as part of this year’s budget negotiations
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison June 25, 2019
Despite its
lukewarm reception from Republicans, Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to give thousands of
Pennsylvania teachers a pay raise may still find a place in the budget
legislation expected to reach his desk this week. In his February budget
address, Wolf called on the the Republican-controlled General Assembly to raise
Pennsylvania’s minimum teacher salary to $45,000 a year, and to appropriate $14
million in the state’s 2019-20 budget to help districts, mostly in rural areas,
cover the new expenses. That money wasn’t included in the $34 billion spending
plan that came out of the House Appropriations Committee on Monday. But a
spokesperson for a top House Republican told the Capital-Star that the proposal
to raise teacher pay “is not dead.” The policy change may be included in
Pennsylvania’s school code instead, according to Mike Straub, a spokesperson
for House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster. Pennsylvania’s myriad code
bills, which govern everything from agriculture to education, don’t provide
funding — they prescribe policy. Leaders in the House and Senate expect to send
the budget-enabling bills to Wolf later this week. The updated school code,
which is still under negotiation, “could create a policy that impacts [teacher]
pay based on experience, size of district,” and more, Straub said in an email
Monday. Since the policy change wouldn’t carry any earmarked funding, it’s
unclear how lawmakers could avoid foisting an unfunded mandate on districts
across the state.
Jerry Zahorchak |
Pennsylvania’s teachers deserve pay raise
Johnstown Tribune
Democrat By Jerry Zahorchak tribdem@tribdem.com June 25, 2019
Jerry Zahorchak is
a former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education and
superintendent of the Greater Johnstown School District. His 35-year career in
public education also included time as a teacher and football coach.
When I was superintendent
of the Greater Johnstown School District, it was a point of pride for the
district and for me personally to aspire to, and to believe, that we had one of
the best teacher-retention rates in the country for urban school districts.
Greater Johnstown, like many districts across the commonwealth, places a
priority on attracting and retaining the best and brightest to teach because
it’s good for students. Great teachers help students achieve more. But
it’s not just about academic success. Kids who have experienced trauma or
struggle with anxiety or other mental health needs benefit by having stable
adults in their lives. According to Pew researchers, in 2019, anxiety and
depression top the list of what teens (70% of teens) believe is a “major
problem “ among their peers. Well-prepared and practiced teachers lead and
support the development of children’s social and emotional self-efficacy. The
meaningful connections students build with their learned and supportive
teachers can help them navigate the difficulties they face on any given school
day. The challenge for school district leaders then is two-fold: Find and hire
great teachers, and then convince them to stick around long enough to build
those important connections with students.
Dem DePasquale will
launch PA10 bid against Republican Rep. Scott Perry in July: report
PA Capital Star By John L. Micek June 25, 2019
So there’s been
chatter for a while now that state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale is gearing
up for Democratic bid against Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in central
Pennsylvania’s rejiggered 10th Congressional District. Now, it would appear,
there’s an actual launch date. The National Journal, a publication that covers
Congress, reported Tuesday
that DePasquale will launch his bid in July, citing sources familiar with the matter. DePasquale, of
York County, is a “dream recruit” for Democrats who has “name ID &
statewide profile,” the National Journal noted. The brief also observes that a
court-ordered map made the district “much more blue.”
Got popcorn for Democratic doubleheader? | John Baer
Inquirer Opinion by
John Baer | @jbaernews | jbaer@Inquirer.com Updated: June 25, 2019
Something’s gotta
give, don’t you think? Twenty candidates over two nights. Raising, basically,
two questions: Who stands out? Who falls down? Must be some casualties, no? One
sign, more an omen, is that the dual debates almost exactly coincide with the
anniversary of Custer’s (two-day) Last Stand — 143 years ago, in Montana. One irony, maybe an omen, is that a candidate who didn’t
make the stage for either debate is Steve Bullock, governor of Montana. Could
mean something. Also, seems to me, staging for both nights sorta suggests whom
you should pay most attention to. On Wednesday, reportedly surging (and wicked
smaaht) Elizabeth Warren is center stage, literally and figuratively. Warren,
and her many plans, comes off a positive cover
story in
Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, a front-page profile in Tuesday’s New York Times, and a new Washington Post piece calling her a “new kind of threat” to Bernie Sanders. Not that
anybody reads anything anymore. She’s to be flanked onstage by Cory Booker and
Beto O’Rourke. And then, well, others. Booker’s a powerful speaker. But I
honestly don’t get Beto. Must be a Texas thing. (Oh, and there’s always the
chance America’s tweeter-in-chief weighs in before, during and/or after, no
doubt with thoughtful, civil commentary. Or a reprise of nicknames. And maybe
some new ones.) But really, it’s Thursday’s show that holds the better chance
of shaking the ladder. Frontrunner Joe Biden is center stage. Flanked by
Sanders and Pete Buttigieg. Sanders is coming off some slippage in polls.
Buttigieg, who was rising, is fresh from policing
troubles in
South Bend. Both need recovery moments. Be interesting to see how they act and
react. Be more interesting to see how Biden performs. Debate topics are certain
to include health care, foreign affairs, climate change, income inequality,
immigration policy, gun violence, and, of course, who offers the party the best
chance to beat President Donald Trump next year.
Young and undocumented in Philly: How teens are finding
support and community
The
organization La Puerta Abierta offers help
The notebook/WHYY NEWS by Elizabeth Estrada June 25 — 1:33 pm, 2019
When you’re a
teenager, there are the everyday things you have to deal with: showing up to
school on time; doing your homework; extracurriculars; perhaps even a boyfriend
or girlfriend. But when you’re also undocumented, there are the higher-stake
things to worry about too. Being in a new country. Having to learn a new
culture and language. And then, there’s citizenship status — whether it’s yours
or a relative’s, you also have to worry about court proceedings, the
possibility of being picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
deportation, and more. “You can get really depressed,” Keyri Artillero said
during an interview in Spanish. She’s 14 and attends Franklin Learning Center
in Spring Garden. Keyri came to the United States with her mother and three
siblings, escaping a dangerous situation in Mexico after Keyri’s uncle, her
mom’s brother, was murdered by the cartel. Her family was widely reported
about in Philadelphia as
they were on the brink of being deported. But before that could happen, Keyri’s
mom, Carmela Apolonio Hernandez, went knocking on every church door she
could, seeking sanctuary. They found it and lived for a year at the Church of the Advocate in
North Philadelphia.
“The school district still is in a
position to add rather than cut because of the $14 million infusion of
additional annual state funding that the General Assembly approved in 2017. The
unprecedented financial bailout has allowed the district to stay solvent and
undertake long-neglected initiatives, such as buying new curriculum, hiring staff
and fixing its buildings by putting on new roofs and installing new windows and
heating and ventilation systems.”
Erie School Board to
vote on budget with tax increase
GoErie By Ed Palattella Posted at 2:00 AM
Superintendent’s
proposal adheres to state plan, would raise taxes by 2.46 percent, or by about
$41 for $100,000 home.
Erie schools
Superintendent Brian Polito is following a number of scripts as the Erie School
Board votes Wednesday on his proposed budget for 2019-20. The $204.1 million
spending package includes a 2.46 percent property tax increase, which
translates to an additional $41.31 annually in school taxes for the owner of a
home assessed at $100,000, according to district records. The tax increase and
other facets of the budget follow the directions of the Erie School District’s
state-mandated financial improvement plan, which Pennsylvania Education
Secretary Pedro Rivera approved in May. The budget also allocates resources
across the 11,000-student Erie School District to improve academic performance,
the key goal of the district’s year-old strategic plan. And the budget sets
aside millions of dollars to fix the district’s 16 school buildings and other
facilities, such as Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium, as part of Polito’s new
initiative for capital improvements. The budget is “aligned with the financial
plan, the strategic plan and the facilities plan,” Polito said on Tuesday. ….The
proposed budget is about 0.31 percent larger than the 2018-19 budget of $203.5
million. Among the largest increases in expenses from 2018-19 to 2019-20 are to
cover salaries and benefits, from $122.9 million to $127.5 million, for an
increase of 3.8 percent, and charter school tuition, from $26.9 million to
$28.7 million, for an increase of 6.6 percent.
Peters Township school board approves budget with tax
increase
Post-Gazette by DEANA CARPENTER JUN 25, 2019 10:24
AM
The Peters Township
school board on June 24 unanimously approved a budget for the 2019-20 school
year that includes a 0.31-mill tax increase. The $68.2 million
budget will put millage at 13.50 mills, or about $1,350 on every $100,000 of
assessed property value. The tax increase is mainly prompted by the
construction of the district’s new $95 million high school. Starting with the
previous school year and for a total of five years, the district will increase
taxes by 0.31 mills each year to help offset the cost of the new building. Additionally,
the board voted to earmark approximately $8.5 million of the district’s fund
balance to go toward future retirement expenses and future debt service
obligations. The remaining fund balance is estimated at $2.4 million.
No program cuts,
furloughs or tax hike in Plum School District’s 2019-20 budget
Trib Live by MICHAEL DIVITTORIO | Tuesday, June 25, 2019 11:09 p.m.
Plum School
District property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes, and
students will have the same programs next school year as a result of the final
2019-20 budget. School directors voted 6-3 Tuesday night to adopt their $64.7
million spending plan. Board President Scott Coulson and board members Sue
Caldwell, Angela Anderson, Karin Acquaviva, Steve Schlauch and Scott Kolar
voted in favor. Board Vice President Vicky Roessler and members Jim Rogers and
Rich Zucco dissented. The board unanimously approved a tax ordinance
maintaining the tax rate at 21.0757 mills. Schlauch, the board’s finance
committee chairman, lauded the efforts of his colleagues and district
administration for eliminating a $1.1
million deficit projected in January without an additional tax burden or staff furloughs. “We worked
hard on this all year long,” he said. “There’s no program cuts, no tax
increase. It’s a fiscally responsible budget for both students and taxpayers.
I’m pleased.” District Business Manager John Zahorchak said the budget
shortfall was erased through a $250,000 increase in state subsidies in basic
and special education funding, six teacher retirements and more than $600,000
pulled from the district’s Access fund. That fund includes about $100,000 from
the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and more than $500,000 from the district
billing other entities for special education service
Highlands School
District board OKs 1% tax hike for 2019-20
Trib Live by NATASHA LINDSTROM | Tuesday, June 25, 2019 9:36 p.m.
Property taxes will
climb by 1% next year for homeowners in the Highland School District, or about
$25 per $100,000 in assessed property value, district officials said Tuesday. The
tax hike — which does not require state approval — is less than the 3.3%
increase in a preliminary budget that school board members approved last month.
“I’m very excited about that because $25 a year on a $100,000 home around here
is doable,” said board member Misty Chybrzynski, who cast the sole opposition
vote to the proposed budget in late May because of the tax increase. “With
public education funding in general and how our hands are tied a lot of the
time, I was grateful that they were able to get it down.” The school board
unanimously approved its final 2019-20 budget on Tuesday night. The budget
relies on a property tax increase of 0.25 mill, raising the district’s millage
from 24.63 mills to 24.88 mills.
“Board President Michael Goffredo said school districts across
Pennsylvania are paying for 60% of the state’s public education system while state government
has done little to help support it. "(Budgets go up) and the state does
not do anything to help us," Goffredo said. "We deserve a little more
help.”
Bangor Area School District budget includes tax increase
WFMZ By: Bryan Hay Posted: Jun
25, 2019 11:45 PM EDT
BANGOR, Pa. -
Property owners in the Bangor Area School District will face a tax increase
under the 2019-20 budget approved by the school board Tuesday night. The board
balanced the $58.5 million budget with a tax hike of 1.9%, taking the millage
rate from 55.3 to 56.3. For the owner of property assessed at the district
average of $53,000 that means an additional $55.87 in real estate taxes. A mill
equals $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of assessed property value. Tuition costs
for charter schools, increased costs for pensions and contractual salaries and
benefits, which account for 68% of the budget, are among the reasons for the
tax increase, Mark Schiavone, the district’s business manager, said after the
meeting. He said the district is also facing a $500,000 payment toward a $16.2
million bond issue that was approved last year. It’s funding major capital
improvement projects, including renovations at Five Points Elementary School, a
new Bangor Area Middle School roof, and a district-wide sewer and water system,
he said. There are no reductions in staff or programs, Schiavone said. Board
member Ken Brewer said the district is taking a hit for unfunded commitments to
teacher pensions. He called for voters to clean house in the state legislature
because the issue is not being addressed there, he said.
$121M Boyertown
school budget hikes taxes 3.6%
The Pottstown
Mercury Evan Brandt
ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com @PottstownNews on Twitter June 26, 2019
COLEBROOKDALE —
With a 6-2 vote, the Boyertown School Board has adopted a $121.1 million budget
for the 2019-20 school year that will raise property taxes by 3.6 percent. Voting
no at the June 18 meeting were board members Christine Neiman and Ruth Dierolf.
Board member Clay Breece was absent, as he was for the preliminary budget vote
in February. The budget will increase the millage rate from the current 26.37
mills to 27.33 mills. According to the presentation by the administration, for
a home assessed at $100,000, the vote means a $96 annual increase in property
taxes. For a home assessed at $150,000, the annual increase is $144; and for a
home assessed at $200,000 the annual increase works out to $192.
Houston ISD going all-in on wraparound services
Education Dive by Shawna De La Rosa PUBLISHED June 19, 2019
Dive Brief: Houston
Independent School District is launching a whole-child program that will put
300 staff members in place by 2022 to assist many of its 209,000 students who
struggle with hunger, homelessness, deportation fears, and other social
and emotional concerns, Houston
Chronicle reports. About 110
of the district's schools already have employees in these roles, connecting
students who need support with community providers, finding resources for
families, and monitoring progress through a software platform. The initiative
mirrors a national trend toward focusing on making sure all of a student's
basics needs are met, though its expansion was slowed this spring due to
implementation issues, a high turnover rate among the specialists, and pushback
from some of the district’s employees.
Democrats abandon charter schools as ‘reform’ agenda
falls from favor
Washington Post By Laura Meckler June 25 at 12:00 PM
Democrats have long
backed charter schools as a politically safe way to give kids at low-performing
schools more options. Many supported merit pay for the best teachers and
holding schools accountable for test scores. The presidential contest is proof
that’s no longer the case. If the candidates say anything about charter
schools, it’s negative. Education initiatives boosted by the Bush and Obama
administrations are nowhere to be found in candidate platforms. Instead, the
Democratic candidates are pitching billions of dollars in new federal spending
for schools and higher pay for teachers, with few of the strings attached that
marked the Obama-era approach to education. It adds up to a sea change in
Democratic thinking on education, back to a more traditional Democratic
approach emphasizing funding for education and support for teachers and local
schools. Mostly gone is the assumption that teachers and schools are not doing
enough to serve low-performing children and that government must tighten
requirements and impose consequences if results do not improve.
The deadline to
submit a cover letter, resume and application is August 19,
2019.
Become a 2019-2020 PSBA Advocacy Ambassador
PSBA is seeking
applications for two open Advocacy Ambassador positions. Candidates
should have experience in day-to-day functions of a school district,
on the school board, or in a school leadership position. The purpose of the
PSBA Advocacy Ambassador program is to facilitate the education and engagement
of local school directors and public education stakeholders through the
advocacy leadership of the ambassadors. Each Advocacy Ambassador will
be responsible for assisting PSBA in achieving its advocacy goals. To
achieve their mission, ambassadors will be kept up to date on current
legislation and PSBA positions on legislation. The current open
positions will cover PSBA Sections 3 and 4, and
Section 7.
PSBA Advocacy
Ambassadors are independent contractors representing PSBA and serve
as liaisons between PSBA and their local elected officials. Advocacy
Ambassadors also commit to building strong relationships with PSBA members with
the purpose of engaging the designated members to be active and committed
grassroots advocates for PSBA’s legislative priorities.
PSBA: Nominations for The Allwein Society are open!
This award program
recognizes school directors who are outstanding leaders & advocates on
behalf of public schools & students. Nominations are accepted year-round
with selections announced early fall: http://ow.ly/CchG50uDoxq
EPLC is accepting
applications for the 2019-20 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program
Education Policy & Leadership Center
PA's premier education policy leadership program for education, policy
& community leaders with 582 alumni since 1999. Application with program
schedule & agenda are at http://www.eplc.org
2019 PASA-PSBA School
Leadership Conference Oct. 16-18, 2019
WHERE: Hershey Lodge and
Convention Center 325 University Drive, Hershey, PA
WHEN: Wednesday, October
16 to Friday, October 18, 201
Registration is now open!
Growth from knowledge acquired. Vision inspired by innovation. Impact
created by a synergized leadership community. You are called upon to be the
drivers of a thriving public education system. It’s a complex and challenging
role. Expand your skillset and give yourself the tools needed for the
challenge. Packed into two and a half daysꟷꟷgain access to top-notch education
and insights, dynamic speakers, peer learning opportunities and the latest
product and service innovations. Come to the PASA-PSBA School Leadership
Conference to grow!
NPE Action National
Conference - Save the Date - March 28-29, 2020 in Philadelphia, PA.
The window is now open for workshop proposals for the Network for Public
Education conference, March 28-29, 2020, in Philadelphia. I hope you all sign
on to present on a panel and certainly we want all to attend. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NBCNDKK
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do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization
that I may be affiliated with.
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