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
If any of your colleagues would
like to be added to the email list please have them send their name, title and
affiliation to KeystoneStateEdCoalition@gmail.com
PA Ed Policy Roundup for Feb 5, 2020
.@PSBA .@PASA .@PAIU school leaders - this is the best shot
we've had for charter reform in 20 years. Come meet your legislators in their
Capitol offices for Advocacy Day on March 23rd. Register at http://mypsba.org
Adopt the 2020 PSBA resolution for charter school funding
reform
PSBA Website POSTED ON FEBRUARY 3, 2020 IN PSBA
NEWS
In this legislative session, PSBA has been
leading the charge with the Senate, House of Representatives and the Governor’s
Administration to push for positive charter reform. We’re now asking you to
join the campaign: Adopt the resolution: We’re asking all school
boards to adopt the 2020 resolution for charter school funding reform at your
next board meeting and submit it to your legislators and to PSBA.
“The governor didn’t mince words in his budget address. He said
some charter schools were “little more than fronts for private management
companies, and the only innovations they’re coming up with involve finding new
ways to take money out of the pockets of property taxpayers.”
‘Fronts for private management:’ Wolf takes aim at
charter schools in state budget
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent February 4, 2020 Updated: 1:37pm
In the annual state budget address,
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf hit many of the education talking points he’s
covered in previous addresses: more funding for public schools, a push for
universal kindergarten and expanded pre-K, to name a few. But there was one
education issue atop the governor’s agenda, an issue Wolf has sidestepped in
prior speeches: charter schools. In his previous five budget talks, Wolf hadn’t
even uttered those words — despite 20 years of debate over how the state should
fund and oversee this growing part of Pennsylvania’s public-school profile. That
changed Tuesday, when Wolf laid out a plan that would reduce the amount of
money school districts must pay when one of their students decide to attend a
charter school. The proposal would save traditional school districts
approximately $280 million annually, according to Wolf.
Pottstown, Souderton superintendents on hand to cheer
Wolf's calls for charter school reform
Pottstown Mercury by Evan Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com
@PottstownNews on Twitter February 4, 2020
HARRISBURG — When Pennsylvania Gov. Tom
Wolf talked about charter school reform in his budget address Tuesday, he had
two local educators cheering him on. Stephen Rodriguez, superintendent of the
Pottstown School District, and Frank Gallagher, superintendent of the Souderton
Area School District, were both on hand at the invitation of the governor. The
invitations were no accident. Both superintendents have been on the forefront
of the push to reform how charter schools are funded in Pennsylvania. As the
president of the Pennsylvania League of Urban Schools, Rodriguez spearheaded a
statewide press conference in December, on the
64th anniversary of the Montgomery bus boycott to call for charter school
reform. Gallagher, who has been advocating for charter
school reform since at least 2017, was one of
the leading speakers among 30 other superintendents last week in Eagleville to
announce the formation of a new coalition pushing for charter school reform. The superintendents were
announcing the formation of LEARN, or Leaders for Educational Accountability
and Reform Network, a coalition of educators whose "first
priority is to urge lawmakers to reform Pennsylvania's outdated charter school
law." The superintendents no doubt liked what they heard on Tuesday.
Philly charters say Wolf’s budget proposals will
devastate them
Education advocates are seeking much larger
increases in state funding.
The notebook by Dale
Mezzacappa February 5 — 6:42 am, 2020
Gov. Wolf’s budget proposals for
revamping how charters are reimbursed for special education will be
“devastating” for their students, charter operators say, and especially
disadvantage those in Philadelphia, where half the state’s charters are
located. At the same time, traditional public school advocates who support
Wolf’s proposed charter formula revisions nevertheless say that his overall
revenue increases for education, while a positive step, fall far short of what
is fair and what is needed. Wolf, declining to ask for a tax increase that the
Republican legislature has repeatedly shot down in past years, wants to
increase the basic education funding formula by $100 million and special
education aid by $25 million. In addition to changing the special
education charter reimbursement formula, Wolf also proposes to reduce payments
to cyber charters a flat $9,500 per student statewide. Now, districts pay cyber
charters, which are authorized by the state, the same as they do
brick-and-mortar charters. These changes, if accepted, would save districts
$280 million, adding up to $405 million in additional K-12 funds for
school districts. While supporting the proposed charter reforms, education
advocates say they would also like to see a bigger boost in direct state
education aid.
Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2020-21 budget address, annotated with
analysis
PA Post by Ed Mahon FEBRUARY 4, 2020 |
11:41 AM
PA Post reporters will be providing analysis
of Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget address for 2020-21. To see the
notes, click on the yellow areas. To make your own annotation or
to comment on one, sign up for a Genius
account.
Harrisburg, PA – Governor Wolf
delivered the following speech to the General Assembly:
Lieutenant Governor Fetterman, Speaker
Turzai, President Scarnati. . .
Leader Corman, Leader Costa, Leader Cutler, Leader Dermody. . .
Members of the General Assembly, invited guests, friends and family, especially my wife Frances… and my fellow Pennsylvanians,
Leader Corman, Leader Costa, Leader Cutler, Leader Dermody. . .
Members of the General Assembly, invited guests, friends and family, especially my wife Frances… and my fellow Pennsylvanians,
A couple hours’ drive east of here, near the
corner of Crown and Highland streets in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, there’s a
plaque marking the spot where, more than 300 years ago, William Penn finalized
his first purchase under the charter he’d been granted by King Charles II. And,
today, you can stand there and marvel at what William Penn must have been
envisioning on that pivotal day.
“Allentown, expected to pay $60 million this year for more than
4,000 students to attend charters, would save $3.7 million if Wolf’s charter
school plans pass. While Wolf has pushed charter school reform before, this was
the first time he mentioned charter schools in a budget address. Additionally,
Wolf is calling for a $100 million increase in the fair funding formula, an
additional $25 million increase in funding for special education and a $30
million increase for early childhood education. He is also pushing for
districts to offer universal, full-day kindergarten, although most Lehigh
Valley districts already do.”
Gov. Tom Wolf highlights Allentown School District in
calling for charter school reform, increases to education funding
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING
CALL | FEB 04, 2020 | 1:30 PM
As he has done every budget proposal for the
last six years, Gov. Tom Wolf once again called for an increase in education funding,
including for early childhood education and special education. But this year,
Wolf also pushed for reform to the state’s charter school law and upgrades to
aging school buildings. And he did so on Tuesday by highlighting the
financially distressed Allentown School District which has railed against
charter school tuition for contributing to large deficits in its budgets in
recent years and has almost 20 buildings built before 1950. “As the
superintendent of the Allentown School District, Thomas [Parker] knows
first-hand just how much potential there is in our children,” Wolf said in his
remarks. “But he also knows the obstacles that stand in the way of unleashing
that potential.” In his $36 billion state spending plan, Wolf called for a
total investment of $435 million in education. That investment includes charter
school reform to special education and cyber-charter students that he said will
save districts statewide a total of $280 million. Charter school changes face a
tough passage in the Republican-controlled state Legislature, which created the
charter school system.
“Last week, a
coalition of roughly 30 area superintendents calling themselves the
LEARN coalition called for the state to reform charter school funding. North
Penn's charter school tuition costs have grown from roughly $1.4 million in 2009-10
to more than $2.7 million in 2020-21 with zero state subsidy since 2011.”
North Penn: Wolf's budget address could impact district's
bottom line
North Penn Reporter By Dan Sokil dsokil@21st-centurymedia.com
@dansokil on Twitter Feb 3, 2020
LANSDALE — As Gov. Tom Wolf delivered
his budget address in Harrisburg Tuesday morning, local officials were
watching. Director of Business Administration Steve Skrocki told North Penn's
school board Monday night that the budget address is the next key step as local
officials work to refine their own 2020-21 budget. "We pay close
attention to this, because these are the governor's initiatives for the
upcoming year," Skrocki said. "We are most concerned, of course, with
the basic education funding and the special ed funding for the next year,"
he said.
The changes to the money flowing to charter schools that Wolf
would like to see include imposing the same special education funding formula
used to distribute money to school districts on charter schools. That is
expected to save districts $147 million. Additionally, he wants to establish a
flat $9,500 per student per year tuition rate that cyber charter schools can
charge districts for educating students who reside within their borders.
Currently, districts pay between $7,700 to $21,400 per student, because the
rate is based on a percentage of what districts pay to educate their own
students.
Pa. budget winner: Gov. Tom Wolf calls for more money for
public schools
Penn Live By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated 1:33 PM; Today 11:43 AM
At a glance: Gov. Tom
Wolf once again is proving himself to be a friend to pre-K to grade 12 public
education in his 2020-21 budget proposal – with his support for charter schools
being the exception. His budget calls for a $114.6 million increase in direct
support to school districts, raising the basic education funding level to
another historic high of nearly $6.86 billion. He also seeks a $25 million
increase in special education funding, raising that total to $1.2 billion. As
for the programs that serve the state’s youngest students, his budget includes
a $25 million increase in preschool funding, for a total of $242.2 million. He
also proposes $69.2 million, an increase of $5 million, to supplement federal
dollars for Head Start programs. In addition, he is calling for mandating all
schools to provide full-day kindergarten for all students and renewing his call
to raise the minimum teacher salary to $45,000, from $18,500. On the charter
school front, he is asking for changes in funding these independent public
schools that live on tuition payments from school districts.
-Public schools would receive an additional $100 million, and
the governor is proposing an extra $25 million for special education funding.
-Wolf would boost funding for early childhood education by $30
million: $25 million for Pre-K Counts and $5 million for the Head Start Supplemental
program.
-The governor would expand free, full-time kindergarten to every
Pennsylvania student, and pay for it through a separate
reform plan for charter schools.
-Wolf is again proposing to raise the minimum salary for public
school teachers to $45,000 per year, from $18,500 per year.
-Under an expanded grant program, $1 billion in state funding,
typically set aside for capital projects would be available to remediate lead-
and asbestos-tainted schools, an issue that
has been particularly acute in Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf wants more money for public
schools — and gun control
Inquirer by Cynthia Fernandez and Angela Couloumbis, Updated: February
4, 2020- 11:41 AM
Capitol Notebook by Spotlight
PA provides updates on important news and
notes from the halls of power in Harrisburg. Sign
up for our weekly newsletter.
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday
proposed a $36 billion dollar budget with no major tax increases that would
boost funding for public education, expand full-day kindergarten to all
students, borrow money to address environmental hazards in schools, and make
sweeping changes to how charter schools are funded. In his annual address
before a joint session of the General Assembly, the Democratic governor also
departed from the boundaries of a traditional budget speech to make a strong
plea for stricter gun laws in a state with a long history of taking a hands-off
approach to the issue. Wolf called for universal background checks, stronger
reporting requirements for lost and stolen firearms and a “red flag” law that
would give judges the ability to temporarily seize firearms from people
considered a threat to themselves or others.
In his 6th budget, Wolf mixes old plans with new pitches
for college grants, universal kindergarten
PA Capital Star By Stephen Caruso| Elizabeth Hardison February 4,
2020
One year ago, Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled a budget
proposal that drew more applause from Republicans than from members of his
own Democratic Party. Now, in his
sixth budget address, Wolf doubled down on his self-proclaimed title as the
“education governor” by pushing progressive policies for learners from cradle
to college, as well as cash infusions for gun violence reduction initiatives
and workforce development programs. “This budget is a blueprint for
unleashing a new wave of prosperity for our Commonwealth,” Wolf said
Tuesday, speaking to the combined General Assembly in Harrisburg. “It will
make a tangible difference in the lives of millions of people. And, folks, we
can actually do this – together.” The $36 billion budget Wolf proposed would
take effect July 1. It represents a $1.4 billion — or 4.2 percent — spending
increase from the state’s current spending plan. The governor renewed his
call for a new tax on natural gas production but did not propose any tax hikes,
saying revenue surpluses generated by a strong economy and low unemployment
would allow for a balanced budget. The address included policies Wolf has
pitched, unsuccessfully, each year since his first budget presentation in 2015:
a minimum wage increase to $15 an hour and a fee on municipalities to fund
state police protection. But it also included new proposals likely to meet
resistance in the Republican-controlled General Assembly, including calls to
tighten charter school funding and a new scholarship program for state
university graduates who agree to work in Pennsylvania.
Most Luzerne County school districts find little to cheer
in budget
Times Leader By Mark Guydish mguydish@timesleader.com February
4, 2020
If Luzerne County school districts were
hoping for a good-sized shot in the arm from Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed budget,
most of them saw those hopes dashed. With the exception of Hazleton Area, which
would get a fairly impressive 3.9% boost in basic education funding, local
districts would get modest increases. Five would see increases of less than 1%,
and Hanover Area faces a decrease of 0.4%. Gov. Wolf earned some overall praise
from public education advocate groups for a proposed increase of $100 million
in basic education money and $25 million in special education funds. But spread
that across 500 districts in the state and the pie slices get pretty slim. Overall,
Luzerne County’s 11 districts would see basic education money rise by 2%, to
$158.9 million, and special ed money would climb by 2.7%, to $26.2 million. But
the increases in individual districts vary quite a bit.
“McInerney said the wealthiest districts in the Commonwealth
spend 33% more per student than the poorest school districts. She said the goal
is to get the state to adequately maintain and support a thorough and efficient
system of public education that meets the needs of all students.”
PA School Budget Increases Called Positive but
Insufficient
Pennsylvania ranks 44th in the nation for
state share of education funding.
Public News Service February 5, 2020
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Gov. Tom Wolf's budget
proposal includes more for schools, but education advocates say there's still a
long way to go. The proposed budget includes a package of initiatives that add
up to $435 million more in classroom spending. But that won't stop a
pending lawsuit filed
by the Education Law Center and
the Public Interest Law Center, seeking to
bring funding up to levels experts consider adequate. Maura McInerney, legal
director at the Education Law Center, said a one-year spending increase is
welcome but insufficient to meet the needs of Pennsylvania children. "We need
a long-term strategy and deep investment to adequately and equitably fund all
schools for all students across the Commonwealth," she said. In 2015, the Commonwealth Court dismissed the suit, saying courts cannot get
involved in school-funding issues, but that was overruled on appeal, sending
the case back to the Commonwealth Court. Trial is tentatively scheduled to
begin this fall. Pennsylvania ranks 44th in state share of education funding,
and the funding gaps between wealthy and poor districts are among the widest in
the nation. McInerney said the school districts named in the lawsuit have given
testimony about the consequences.
https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2020-02-05/education/pa-school-budget-increases-called-positive-but-insufficient/a69124-1
https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2020-02-05/education/pa-school-budget-increases-called-positive-but-insufficient/a69124-1
“More than 80% of Pittsburgh Public Schools' teachers are white,
demographics that do not reflect an enrollment that is more than two-thirds
nonwhite, according to district data. District officials said they hope the
program will narrow that divide by encouraging paraprofessionals — more than
half of whom are nonwhite — to become teachers in the district. Those future
teachers, district officials believe, already work in Pittsburgh schools —
experience that gives them the tools to thrive as teachers.”
Pittsburgh city schools seek to reset program that
focuses on teacher diversity
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com FEB 4, 2020
8:08 PM
Pittsburgh Public Schools said Tuesday that
it found two new partners for a pilot program that aims
to narrow racial disparities between
students and instructors by helping classroom aides become teachers. Carlow
University and Point Park University have been selected to work with the city
schools on the district's Para2Teacher initiative, in which
selected paraprofessionals will earn a two-year master’s degree in education
online while continuing to work in the district. Pittsburgh Public Schools planned to launch
the initiative in October, but suspended its roll-out over concerns about
Phoenix-based Grand Canyon University it chose as its partner for the program.
The district cited Grand Canyon University’s “lack of disclosure of existing
litigation” and “relationships with for-profit affiliates” as reasons for
ending the partnership. "Increasing our diversity pipeline and teacher
workforce has been on our radar for a long time," said Robert Harris, the
district's chief human resources officer. "We're really happy that we're
able to do this now so that we'll be able to take advantage of an increased
pipeline going into the 2022 school year."
Debate over police in schools causes uproar in Abington
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: February 4, 2020- 10:32
PM
Several hundred people packed the Abington
Senior High School auditorium Tuesday night as the Board of Education tried to
tamp down backlash over remarks by one of its members that students of color
were “much more likely to be shot by” school police. As they criticized Tamar
Klaiman’s comments — and as Klaiman again apologized — board members navigated
their part in the national debate over race and policing, touched off in
Abington during an otherwise routine meeting last month as the board reviewed a
proposed amendment to a policy on school police. “We should not be trying to solve the problems
of the world around us,” board member and former board president Raymond
McGarry said to applause. “If that’s what you want to do, run for a different
office or become a political activist.” He and several other board members
dismissed Klaiman’s statements as incorrect, inflammatory, and offensive to
Abington police, who have two school resource officers working in district
schools. The crowd — many of whom held signs reading “Support Abington Police”
— gave Abington Police Chief Patrick Molloy a standing ovation, and cheered
loudly in support of police.
Voucher supporters denounce calls to stop funding schools
that discriminate against gays
ORLANDO SENTINEL | By GRAY ROHRER, LESLIE POSTAL and ANNIE MARTIN FEB 04,
2020 | 6:25 PM
TALLAHASSEE -- Supporters of Florida’s
largest school voucher program Tuesday denounced efforts by two Orlando
lawmakers to pressure companies to stop contributions because some
participating private schools have anti-gay policies. The group of about 100
people criticized an “attack” on school vouchers and blamed Democratic
lawmakers Anna Eskamani and Carlos Guillermo Smith for pushing companies to
halt donations to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program. The lawmakers
have urged that action until the state adopts safeguards for gay and
transgender students who attend private schools using those scholarships. The
Orlando Sentinel published an investigation on Jan.
23 that detailed how more than 150 private schools that take Florida
scholarships, often called vouchers, have anti-gay policies. About half
of those say they would deny admission to or discipline LGBTQ students; the
others declare homosexuality a biblical sin but don’t spell out what that means
for students.
“The school choice proposal Trump touted calls for up to $5
billion in federal tax credits that would provide a dollar-for-dollar match in
exchange for contributions to to scholarship programs in participating states.
Currently, 18 states have tax-credit scholarship programs. Under the Trump
administration plan, a taxpayer could receive a tax credit of up to 10 percent
of their adjusted gross income in a given year, directing that money toward
their children's education instead.”
Trump Pushes Tax Break to Promote School Choice in State
of the Union Address
Education Week By Evie Blad on February
4, 2020 10:26 PM
President Donald Trump used his State of the
Union Address Tuesday to urge Congress to greenlight a plan that would provide
federal tax credits for scholarships to private schools and other education
services, offering the largest stage yet for one of his administration's key
education priorities. "The next step forward in building an inclusive
society is making sure that every young American gets a great education and the
opportunity to achieve the American Dream," Trump said. "Yet,
for too long, countless American children have been trapped in failing government
schools." States have sought to "rescue these students" with
tax-credit scholarship programs, he said, gesturing to invited guests Stephanie
Davis, a mother from Philadelphia, and her 4th-grade daughter, Jayinah, who is
on the waitlist for Pennsylvania's tax-credit scholarship program. Gov. Tom
Wolf, a Democrat, vetoed an expansion of the program last
year. Trump said a scholarship had "become available" for Jayinah,
but it's unclear what he meant because those scholarships are under state
control.
Five compelling reasons for .@PSBA .@PASA .@PAIU school leaders to
come to the Capitol for Advocacy Day on March 23rd:
Charter Reform
Cyber Charter Reform
Basic Ed Funding
Special Ed Funding
PLANCON
Register at http://mypsba.org
For more information: https://www.psba.org/event/advocacy-day-2020/
Hear relevant content from statewide experts, district practitioners and
PSBA government affairs staff at PSBA’s annual membership gathering. PSBA
Sectional Advisors and Advocacy Ambassadors are on-site to connect with
district leaders in their region and share important information for you to
take back to your district.
Locations and dates
- Wednesday,
March 18, 2020 — Section 7, PSBA
Headquarters, 400 Bent Creek Blvd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
- Tuesday,
March 24, 2020 — Section 1, General McLane
High School, 11761 Edinboro Rd, Edinboro, PA 16412
- Tuesday,
March 24, 2020 — Section 4, Abington
Heights School District, 200 East Grove Street, Clark Summit, PA 18411
- Wednesday,
March 25, 2020 — Section 3, Columbia-Montour
AVTS, 5050 Sweppenheiser Dr., Bloomsburg, PA 17815
- Wednesday,
March 25, 2020 — Section 6, Bedford County
Technical Center, 195 Pennknoll Road, Everett, PA 15537
- Thursday,
March 26, 2020 — Section 2, State College
Area High School, 650 Westerly Pkwy, State College, PA 16801
- Monday,
March 30, 2020 — Section 5, Forbes Road
Career & Technology Center, 607 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA 15146
- Monday, March 30, 2020 — Section 8, East Penn School District, 800 Pine St, Emmaus,
PA 18049
- Tuesday, April 7, 2020 — Section 5, Washington School District, 311 Allison
Avenue, Washington, PA 15301
- Tuesday, April 7, 2020 — Section 8, School District of Haverford Twp, 50 East Eagle
Road, Havertown, PA 19083
Sectional Meetings are 6:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. (across all locations). Light
refreshments will be offered.
Cost: Complimentary for
PSBA member entities.
Registration: Registration is
now open. To register, please sign into myPSBA and look for
Store/Registration on the left.
Allegheny County Legislative Forum on Education March 12
by Allegheny Intermediate Unit Thu, March
12, 2020 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
Join us on March 12 at 7:00 pm for the
Allegheny Intermediate Unit's annual Allegheny County Legislative Forum. The
event will feature a discussion with state lawmakers on a variety of issues
impacting public schools. We hope you will join us and be part of the
conversation about education in Allegheny County.
All school
leaders are invited to attend Advocacy Day at the state Capitol in
Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), Pennsylvania
Association of Intermediate Units (PAIU) and the Pennsylvania Association of
School Administrators (PASA) are partnering together to strengthen our advocacy
impact. The day will center around meetings with legislators to discuss
critical issues affecting public education. Click here for more information or register
at http://www.mypsba.org/
School
directors can register online now by logging in to myPSBA. If you need
assistance logging in and registering contact Alysha Newingham, Member Data
System Administrator at alysha.newingham@psba.org
Register now for
Network for Public Education Action National Conference in Philadelphia March
28-29, 2020
Registration, hotel
information, keynote speakers and panels:
PARSS Annual Conference April 29 – May 1, 2020 in State
College
The 2020 PARSS Conference is April 29 through
May 1, 2020, at Wyndham Garden Hotel at Mountain View Country Club in State
College. Please register as a member or a vendor by accessing the links below.
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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