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directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers,
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More than 2250 PA education policymakers have the
Education Policy Roundup from the Keystone
State
More than 2250 PA education policymakers now
have the Keystone
State
Special education funding panel holds inaugural
hearing
WITF Written
by Mary
Wilson, Capitol Bureau Chief | Jul 10, 2013 8:32 PM
State
lawmakers are staring down a funding formula that some say is a recipe for a
budgeting disaster. It's the
commonwealth's way of paying for federally-required special education services,
and it's the subject of a special commission whose recommendations for legislative
fixes are due this fall.
FYI, here’s a list of the
members of the PA Special Education Funding Commission…..
The teachers' contract
and how it relates to the District’s financial problems
thenotebook by James Lytle on Jul 10 2013 Posted in Commentary
In an op-ed
piece in the Inquirer on July 7, three Philadelphia
civic leaders argued that Philadelphia schools must get help, then went on
to support the financial package emerging from Harrisburg and City Hall to
address the District’s financial crisis. The largest component of this $273
million package is the “$133 million in projected savings from a new collective
bargaining agreement to be negotiated with the Philadelphia Federation of
Teachers.”
Why, one
might ask, are teachers expected to be the solution for a problem not of their
making? Somehow the notion has been put forth and reinforced that Philadelphia
Despite what you may have heard, the fight to abolish
property taxes is alive and well: David G. Argall
State Sen. David G. Argall, a
Republican, represents the Schuylkill County-based 29th Senate District.
Patriot-News Op-Ed By David G. Argall on July 11, 2013 at 10:00 AM
Despite
renewed special interest attacks at the capitol in Harrisburg
By Lynn Olanoff | The Express-Times
on July 11, 2013
at 6:17 PM
A large
crowd filled Bethlehem Town Hall today to lobby for the approval of a
new Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the
Arts building. Its efforts
weren't needed as the city planning commission gave its unanimous approval to
the new East Third Street
AASA Installs President and President-Elect for
2013-14
AASA Contact:James
Minichello
ALEXANDRIA , Va. ,
July 10, 2013 –
Amy F. Sichel, superintendent of the Abington
School
District in
Abington , Pa. ,
and David Pennington, superintendent of the Ponca City Public Schools in Ponca City , Okla. Fort Smith , Ark. Arlington , Va.
America’s School Leaders Visit Capitol Hill
Alexandria,
Va., July 10,
2013 –
At a time when reauthorization of theElementary and
Secondary Education Act is moving forward, superintendents from across
the country are meeting with members of Congress today on Capitol Hill to
discuss pressing issues facing our nation’s schools. The Congressional visits are part of AASA’s Legislative Advocacy Conference,
taking place at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington , Va.
NY Charter School
Claims State
Courthouse
News Service By MARLENE KENNEDY July 11, 2013
Charter schools - public schools financed by taxpayer money but independent of local school districts - have been permitted in
Protests Planned Against Nation’s Largest
Charter Operator | Diane Ravitch’s blog
NPE News
Briefs: by Sharon Higgins; posted by Diane Ravitch –11 Jul 2013
This post
was written by Sharon Higgins, a parent activist and indefatigable blogger in Oakland , California
Higgins
writes:
This
weekend, hundreds of people from all over the country, mostly Turkish
Americans, are traveling to Saylorsburg ,
Pennsylvania
NSBA Legal
Clips July 11,
2013
According
to The Times-Picayune, the Louisiana Association of Educators
(LAE) and several local teachers associations have filed a class-action
suit charging that the state owes local school boards $199 million as a result
of the Louisiana Supreme Court decision striking down a portion of the state’s
private school voucher law. The Louisiana School Boards Association
(LSBA) is also considering filing suit for about $65 million.
NCLB Waiver States Split
on New Flexibility Offer
Education Week By Alyson Klein Published Online: July 8, 2013
Premium
article access courtesy of Edweek.org.
States with
waivers from provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act are almost evenly
divided on whether they will take U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan up on
his offer of extra time to begin using new teacher-evaluation systems to decide
which educators to hire, fire, or promote.
The federal
Department of Education has decided to allow states that received waivers by
the summer of 2012 to push back the deadline for using their new evaluation
systems. Initially, schools were supposed to have those systems fully in place
by 2015-16.
Finn and
Petrilli don’t seem to have the same accountability concerns when it comes to
charter schools and vouchers……LAF
Education reform a test
for GOP
Politico By
CHESTER 7/10/13 9:22 PM
EDT
Add
education to a long list of vexing policy issues for today’s fractured
Republican Party. It’s not that complicated at the state level, where dozens of
GOP governors have, over the years, proven their mettle by promoting higher
standards, greater accountability and wider parental choice. But in Washington
That’s the
right needle for Republicans to thread. Though Democrats never admit it, Washington is clumsy at best, and wildly incompetent at
worst, when it comes to improving schools from the shores of the Potomac . That should surprise no one — at least three
levels of bureaucracy separate the secretary of education from actual
classrooms. Federal carrots and sticks, no matter how carefully engineered,
can’t overcome this fundamental challenge.
Read
more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/gop-tests-include-education-reform-93971.html#ixzz2Yk6jyPcl
“A bulk of
the 550
laid-off teachers will be replaced by Teach
for America contractors, many of whom teach in charter
schools”
The Windy City
is is undergoing a tumultuous historical moment, with the uprising of the Chicago Teachers Union occurring alongside the ongoing
restructuring and privatization of the Chicago Public Schools system. Most recently, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel oversaw the closing of 50 public schools, many of which
will be replaced by charter schools. A bulk of the 550 laid-off teachers will
be replaced by Teach for America contractors, many of whom teach in charter schools. “Statewide enrollment in charter schools has
surged from 6,152 students in 2000 to 54,054 this school year — with most of
them in Chicago Illinois
Yinzers - Save the Date: Diane
Ravitch will be speaking in Pittsburgh 6:00
pm . Location and details to
come.
Save the Date: Diane Ravitch will be
speaking in Philly at the Main Branch of the Philadelphia 7:30
pm . Details to come.
Know Your Child’s Rights! 2013-2014 Special Education
Seminars
The Law Center Law Center
This year’s
topics include Tips for Going Back to School; Psychological Testing, IEEs and
Evaluations; School Records; Children with Autism; Transition Services;
Children with Emotional Needs; Discipline and Bullying; Charter Schools;
Children with Dyslexia; Extended School Year; Assistive Technology;
Discrimination and Compensatory Education; and, Settlements. See below for
descriptions and schedules of each session.
PSBA members will elect
officers electronically for the first time in 2013
PSBA 7/8/2013
Beginning
in 2013, PSBA members will follow a completely new election process which will
be done electronically during the month of September. The changes will have
several benefits, including greater membership engagement and no more absentee
ballot process.
Below is a
quick Q&A related to the voting process this year, with more details to
come in future issues of School Leader News and at
www.psba.org. More information on the overall governance changes can be found
in the February 2013 issue of the PSBA Bulletin:
October 15-18, 2013 | Hershey Lodge & Convention Center
Important change this year: Delegate Assembly (replaces the
Legislative Policy Council) will be Tuesday Oct. 15 from 1 – 4:30 p.m.
The
PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference is the largest gathering of elected
officials in Pennsylvania
Registration:
https://www.psba.org/workshops/?workshop=17
The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College , PA
The state
conference is PAESSP’s premier professional development event for principals,
assistant principals and other educational leaders. Attending will enable you
to connect with fellow educators while learning from speakers and presenters
who are respected experts in educational leadership.
Featuring
Keynote Speakers: Charlotte Danielson, Dr. Todd Whitaker, Will Richardson &
David Andrews, Esq. (Legal Update).
EPLC
Education Policy Fellowship Program – Apply Now
Applications are available now for the 2013-2014 Education Policy
Fellowship Program (EPFP). The Education Policy Fellowship Program is
sponsored in Pennsylvania
With more than 350 graduates in its first
fourteen years, this Program is a premier professional development opportunity
for educators, state and local policymakers, advocates, and community
leaders. State Board of Accountancy (SBA) credits are available to
certified public accountants.
Past participants include state policymakers,
district superintendents and principals, school business officers, school board
members, education deans/chairs, statewide association leaders, parent leaders,
education advocates, and other education and community leaders. Fellows
are typically sponsored by their employer or another organization.
The Fellowship Program begins with a two-day
retreat on September 12-13, 2013 and continues to graduation
in June 2014.
Building One
America 2013 National Summit July 18-19, 2013 Washington , DC
Brookings Institution to present findings of
their “Confronting Suburban Poverty” report
Building One America’s Second National Summit
for Inclusive Suburbs and Sustainable Regions will involve local leaders and
federal policy makers to seek bipartisan solutions to the unique but common
challenges around housing, schools and infrastructure facing America America
Lineup of speakers: https://buildingoneamerica.org/summit/speakers
Information and registration: https://buildingoneamerica.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1
James H. Shelton III
is confirmed to participate in a White House panel at the Building One America
Summit, to be held July 18-19 at Georgetown
Law School
in Washington D.C.
PA Charter Schools: $4
billion taxpayer dollars with no real oversight
Charter schools - public funding without public scrutiny
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