Keystone State Education Coalition

Established in 2006, the Keystone State Education Coalition is a growing grass roots, non-partisan public education advocacy group of several hundred locally elected, volunteer school board members and administrators from school districts throughout Pennsylvania. Our mission is to evaluate, discuss and inform our boards, district constituents and legislators on legislative issues of common interest and to facilitate active engagement in public education advocacy.

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for August 31, 2013: Corbett numbers continue to drop; as James Carville might say, “It’s education, stupid!”……..

You are receiving this email because you previously expressed interest in public education advocacy efforts. If you would like to have your name removed from the list for any reason please reply with “REMOVE” in the subject line and I will gladly remove you from the Keystone State Education Coalition distribution list. If any of your colleagues would like to be added to the list please have them send their name, title and affiliation.

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 3000 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, 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 and Twitter

These daily emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

The Keystone State Education Coalition is pleased to be listed among the friends and allies of The Network for Public Education. Are you a member?

Keystone State Education Coalition:

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for August 31, 2013:

Corbett numbers continue to drop; as James Carville might say, “It’s education, stupid!”……..

Save the Date: Pennsylvanians Want a School Funding Formula

Press Event Monday September 23^rd, 11:30 am Capitol Rotunda, Harrisburg

Grassroots Advocacy by Education Voters PA; Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley and the Keystone State Education Coalition

Sign up here if you may be able to join us to represent your schools and community: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/104e0endYpVYcPxSyfG9V_DOIVAB0J3AVI0-20Q8Yylw/viewform more details will follow.

PA Special Education Funding Formula Commission Upcoming Meetings

1. Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 4^th, 10:00 am at the Nittany Lion Inn State College

To consider special education funding and charter schools

2. Save the date: September 19 tentative meeting date in Reading; no venue announced yet

To consider charter and cyber special education funding

Reality Check: Corbett and public education funding

Axis Philly by Isaiah Thompson, Aug. 30, 2013

A week ago, in response to a reference by President Obama to “brutal” cuts to education in Pennsylvania under Gov. Tom Corbett, Republicans shot back claiming exactly the opposite.

Gov. Corbett, said his campaign manager Mike Barley, has put “more state funding to education than any time in our Commonwealth’s history.”

It’s a forceful claim, given the reality of struggling school districts around the state, including the Philadelphia School District, which has cut hundreds of millions from its budget and still approached the new school year facing roughly a $300 million dollar budget gap.

It’s also not exactly true.

http://axisphilly.org/article/breaking-down-claim-of-historic-education-funding-under-corbett/

As James Carville might say, “It’s education, stupid!”……..

"On the big things that voters care about, education, every day you read a story about cutbacks," Madonna said. "Not just in Philly. All over the state."

Voters ranked education and unemployment as the most important issues facing the state.

First Term Troubles - Corbett's numbers continue to drop

BY CHRIS BRENNAN, Daily News Staff Writer brennac@phillynews.com, 215-854-5973

POSTED: August 29, 2013

PENNSYLVANIA governors typically encounter trouble in their first terms and the polls reflect that with dipping popularity.

It happened to Gov. Tom Ridge, a Republican, in the late 1990s.

It happened to Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, in the mid-2000s.

Ridge and Rendell recovered, posting popularity numbers above 50 percent by the time they ran successfully for re-election.

A Daily News/Franklin & Marshall College Poll being released today tells a different story for Gov. Corbett, a Republican up for re-election next year.

Corbett's poll numbers continue to drop precipitously.

Just one in five registered voters think Corbett, who faces challengers from his own political party but no primary-election opponent, deserves a second term.

http://articles.philly.com/2013-08-29/news/41584778_1_corbett-11-percent-pollster-g

As teachers' contract expiration looms, legislators urge state to release $45 million

REGINA MEDINA, Daily News Staff Writer medinar@phillynews.com, 215-854-5985 POSTED: Sunday, September 1, 2013, 3:01 AM

AS THE CLOCK winds down to midnight tonight - when the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers' contract officially expires - a sense of urgency has prompted a group of Democratic state legislators to take action. State Sens. Vincent Hughes, Anthony Hardy Williams, Shirley Kitchen and state Rep. Cherelle L. Parker have written a letter, obtained by the Daily News, urging the state's acting education secretary, Carolyn Dumaresq, to release a $45 million grant, saying the PFT, as well as the city and the School Reform Commission, have "continued their efforts to ensure that our schools open on Sept. 9 with the best possible environment in place for all of our students."
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/education/221881021.html#HgEBJb6e5MlZc1ZZ.99

Philly Countdown, Day 10: Citywide, number of school secretaries is down by 30%

The notebook by Paul Socolar on Aug 30 2013

As the School District secured the first installments of desperately needed new revenue this summer, one of the first steps taken was to rehire one secretary for each of the 213 schools -- a recognition of the vital role they play in school operations. The cost was $17.6 million.

As schools prepare to open for staff members on Tuesday and for students on Sept. 9, those secretaries are back on the job. The District has estimated that three-fourths of schools saw the return of one of the secretaries from last year.

http://thenotebook.org/blog/136375/countdown-day-10-number-school-secretaries-down-30-percent

“Gov. Corbett had three budget-season priorities: privatize the state-run liquor system, pass a transportation funding bill, and stabilize the state pension fund. He failed on all three. What if city Democrats had helped him in exchange for more support for city schools?”
Patrick Kerkstra: Ineffective Philly leaders

Patrick Kerkstra POSTED: Friday, August 30, 2013, 1:08 AM

Mayor Nutter dropped the mic. It wasn't an unfortunate emcee accident. No, this was a social-media mic drop, a hashtag-punctuated thumping of the chest on Twitter, celebrating his own record in providing for Philadelphia's public schools. "Bottom line - I put up $155 million in new City ed funding last 3yrs, State cut funding $140M - that's my record, indisputable, #dropthemic," wrote the mayor.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20130830_Patrick_Kerkstra__Ineffective_Philly_leaders.html#KFX9Pehr9rQlruZk.99

Threat of teachers strike closes Shaler schools Tuesday

By Mary Niederberger / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette August 30, 2013 3:37 pm

The teachers union's threat to strike has closed Shaler Area schools on Tuesday, district superintendent Wesley Shipley has announced. Teachers threatened to strike that day, the first day of classes for students, if a new contract is not yet settled.

PA Senate Education committee drills education officials on Common Core

PhillyBurbs.com By Natasha Lindstrom Staff Writer Posted: Friday, August 30, 2013

HARRISBURG — The Senate Education Committee drilled the state education chief Thursday on the costs and controversies related to new academic guidelines and testing based on the national standards known as the Common Core. “I’m not arguing the standards,” Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, of Chester County said. “I’m arguing the unfairness of the system and our rush to put in required tests that have the potential of giving a stamp of failure.”

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/senate-committee-drills-education-officials-on-common-core/article_d55b48d2-4209-535e-9c04-91f78a99b78d.html

Follow the Gates’ Common Core Money in Pennsylvania

“In addition, the same Gates Foundation that helped sponsor the Core also funded public relations campaigns for it nationwide through organizations including $260,000 to the Pennsylvania Business Council and $700,000 to the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, whose representatives are testifying here today. It’s odd to consider this initiative “state-led” when vast majorities of state legislators and the public never heard of it until two years after states had already signed the papers.”

Common Core: Low-Quality and Intrusive

By Joy Pullmann, Heartland Institute education research fellow

Pennsylvania State Senate Education Committee Public Hearing on Common Core State Standards, May 15, 2013

http://heartland.org/sites/default/files/pennsylvania_cc_hearing.pdf

Follow the Money: A Brief Audit of Bill Gates’ Common Core Spending

Deutsch29 – Mercedes Schneider’s EduBlog August 27, 2013

This is a post about Bill Gates and his money, a brief audit of his Common Core (CCSS) purchases. Before I delve into Gates accounting, allow me to set the stage with a bit of CCSS background. It is important to those promoting CCSS that the public believes the idea that CCSS is “state-led.” The CCSS website reports as much and names two organizations as “coordinating” the “state-led” CCSS: The National Governors Association (NGA), and the Council for Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Interestingly, the CCSS website makes no mention of CCSS “architect” David Coleman:

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce.[Emphasis added.]

Nevertheless, if one reviews this 2009 NGA news release on those principally involved in CCSS development, one views a listing of 29 individuals associated with Student Achievement Partners, ACT, College Board, and Achieve. In truth, only 2 out of 29 members are not affiliated with an education company.

CCSS as “state-led” is fiction. Though NGA reports 29 individuals as involved with CCSS creation, it looks to be even fewer:

http://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2013/08/27/a-brief-audit-of-bill-gates-common-core-spending/

Lawmakers Begin to Connect the Dots Between Gates and Common Core

Education Week Living in Dialogue Blog By Anthony Cody on August 30, 2013 7:49 PM

Common Core proponents are mounting a full court press in a belated recognition that their testing juggernaut is running into some serious obstacles around the country. Former TFA CEO Wendy Kopp shared her opinion today that the Common Core test results are a "welcome wake-up call" that will "...finally give families an accurate barometer of whether our kids are mastering the skills they need to succeed in a knowledge-based global economy, early enough that we can intervene." Meanwhile New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said yesterday that "there has to be a death penalty for failing schools, so to speak," making it clear that the dismal test scores will continue to be used to decimate schools in high poverty neighborhoods.

But some lawmakers have begun to connect the dots between the Common Core and the various people singing its praises.

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2013/08/lawmakers_begin_to_connect_the.html

Loophole means some private-sector lobbyists get public pensions, Friday Morning Coffee

By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com on August 30, 2013 at 8:00 AM

Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
So here's one that ought to set your teeth on edge: Thanks to a decades-old ruling by the Attorney General's Office, a small group of private-sector lobbyists are eligible for taxpayer-funded pensions. And a senior state senator is trying to end the practice.

Employees of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, which represents the state's 500 school districts in Harrisburg, can qualify for retirement benefits through the Public School Employee Retirement System, our pals at the PAIndependent, report, citing an earlier story by the Associated Press.

http://blog.pennlive.com/capitol-notebook/2013/08/law_loophole_means_some_privat.html

State school board lobby's workers qualify for public pensions

By Peter Jackson / Associated Press August 31, 2013 12:13 am

HARRISBURG -- While many workers covered by Pennsylvania's major public pension systems are not state employees, the Pennsylvania School Boards Association staff is unique among them. The association represents the state's 500 local school boards and, among other things, advocates on their behalf in Harrisburg.

It is the only such interest group whose employees qualify for public pensions.

That is based on the authority of a decades-old legal opinion by the state attorney general's office that says the association is "an extension of local school districts and funded by them to provide information, training, publications, services and advocacy on their behalf."

The opinion was issued "when PSBA hired its first full-time staff person" in the 1930s, said association spokesman Steve Robinson.

“The superintendents shared a simple but disheartening perception: The institution of public education is under siege, and even the best-resourced and highest-performing school districts are in a fight for economic and political survival.”

A Complex Web: The New Normal for Superintendents

A superintendents network in Pennsylvania wrestles to make sense of systems that ‘may be beyond our cognitive limits’

AASA School Administrator BY JAMES H. LYTLE AND HARRIS J. SOKOLOFF September 2013

For the past 70 years, groups of superintendents from the greater Philadelphia region have met monthly at the University of Pennsylvania to discuss current trends and challenges relating to their leadership roles. Recently, one of the study councils decided it needed “to go beyond the generic, the hackneyed and the mundane to develop a theme that is exciting and cutting-edge, that deals with the ‘new normal’ that is evolving in these most demanding times.”

http://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=29618

Florida Virtual School Faces Hard Times

Enrollment declines for country's largest state-run e-school

Education Week By Benjamin Herold Published Online: August 27, 2013

The Florida Virtual School—the largest state-sponsored online K-12 school in the country—is facing troubled times, a sign of major policy shifts now reshaping the world of online education.

On the heels of new state legislation aimed at containing costs and promoting competition among providers offering individual online courses to students, Florida Virtual School officials expect to see a 20 percent drop in state revenue this school year and announced this month that they have shed one-third of their workforce.

Experts in online education say the cuts reflect a national trend.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/08/28/02virtual_ep.h33.html?tkn=WQQFoUwNlNvjCL1m3b78waVBJeUqa39mLQ7L&cmp=clp-edweek

Rise of the connected superintendent
Multibriefs By Joe Mazza

Dr. Joe Mazza is an innovation coach at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education (@PennGSE) and a K-6 Pennsylvania principal. You can follow him on Twitter @Joe_Mazza.
Educators are increasingly leveraging social media to support their work in teaching, learning and leadership. As we head into the 2013-14 school year, it is not uncommon to find school superintendents using Facebook, Twitter, blogs, texting and other digital communications to model, by example, connected teaching, learning and leadership.

Today's "connected superintendent" has begun using Twitter and other social media tools to learn, share, encourage and build relationships among all stakeholders in a way that complements their face-to-face efforts. You might find social media intimidating, but it is easier than you think — and the rewards are many.
I've found that Twitter is the place where connectivity comes alive for many of today's educational leaders, and it is a great starting point for superintendents looking to dive into social media. With more than 250 superintendents currently on Twitter, this tool can connect you to a learning community of other superintendents facing the same kinds of challenges that you are — while also connecting with your stakeholders. Here are five steps to getting started.

http://www.multibriefs.com/briefs/exclusive/rise_of_the_connected_superintendent.html#.UiDcsdJt6_a

Seamus Heaney, Poet of ‘the Silent Things’

New York Times By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Published: August 30, 2013

Seamus Heaney was sipping bourbon during a Boston snowstorm 30 years ago, trying to explain his poetry as an escape from a terrible fear of silence that always haunted him. “What is the source of our first suffering?” he asked, quoting the French philosopher Gaston Bachelard. “It lies in the fact that we hesitated to speak.”

The poet, who died Friday at the age of 74, mastered that fear magnificently in five decades of lyrical composition that earned him a Nobel Prize. But that night in Boston he kept it front and center as a dark but “wonderfully resonant” prod, topping off our glasses while fielding questions for a newspaper profile. “If I could make poetry that could touch into that kind of thing, that is what I would like to do,” he said, stoking his resolve to pursue “the silent things within us.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/31/opinion/seamus-heaney-poet-of-the-silent-things.html?hp&_r=0

Diane Ravitch will be speaking in Philly at the Main Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library on September 17 at 7:30 pm..

Diane Ravitch | Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools
When: Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 7:30PM
Where: Central Library
Cost: $15 General Admission, $7 Students
Ticket and Subscription Packages
Tickets on sale here:

http://libwww.freelibrary.org/authorevents/index.cfm?ID=40337&type=2

Yinzers - Diane Ravitch will be speaking in Pittsburgh on September 16^th at 6:00 pm at Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill.

5505 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Free and open to the public; doors open at 5:00 pm

Hosted by Great Public Schools (GPS) Pittsburgh: Action United, One Pittsburgh, PA Interfaith Impact Network, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, SEIU, and Yinzercation.
Co-sponsored by Carlow Univ. School of Education, Chatham Univ. Department of Education, Duquesne Univ. School of Education, First Unitarian Church Social Justice Endowment, PA State Education Association, Robert Morris Univ. School of Education & Social Sciences, Slippery Rock Univ. College of Education, Temple Sinai, Univ. of Pittsburgh School of Education, and Westminster College Education Department.
Children’s activities provided by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University’s HearMe project.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=504288506307495&set=oa.155123638016809&type=1&theater

Join the National School Boards Action Center Friends of Public Education

Participate in a voluntary network to urge your U.S. Representatives and Senators to support federal legislation on Capitol Hill that is critical to providing high quality education to America’s schoolchildren

http://nsbac.org/?page_id=1873

PSBA is accepting applications to fill vacancies in NSBA's grassroots advocacy program. Deadline to apply is Sept. 6.

PSBA members: Influence public education policy at the federal level; join NSBA's Federal Relations Network

The National School Boards Association is seeking school directors interested in filling vacancies for the remainder of the 2013-14 term of the Federal Relations Network. The FRN is NSBA's grassroots advocacy program that provides the opportunity for school board members from every congressional district in the country who are committed to public education to get involved in federal advocacy. For more than 40 years, school board members have been lobbying for public education on Capitol Hill as one unified voice through this program. If you are a school director and willing to carry the public education message to Washington, D.C., FRN membership is a good place to start!

More info: http://www.psba.org/issues-advocacy/advocacy-services/frn.asp

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:

http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=5787

Electing PSBA Officers: 2014 PSBA Slate of Candidates

Details on each candidate, including bios, statements, photos and video are online now

PSBA Website Posted 8/5/2013

The 2014 PSBA Slate of Candidates is being officially published to the members of the association. Details on each candidate, including bios, statements, photos and video are online at http://www.psba.org/elections/.

PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference
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 and offers an impressive collection of professional development opportunities for school board members and other education leaders.

See Annual School Leadership Conference links for all program details.

Registration: https://www.psba.org/workshops/?workshop=17

PAESSP State Conference October 27-29, 2013

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).

Click Here To Register Now!

Click Here To View and Print the Conference Registration Brochure.

Friday, August 30, 2013

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for August 30, 2013: F&M Poll: Only 2% of respondents gave the Governor a grade of “A” for “Improving Public Education”

These daily emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

The Keystone State Education Coalition is pleased to be listed among the friends and allies of The Network for Public Education. Are you a member?

Keystone State Education Coalition:

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for August 30, 2013:

F&M Poll: Only 2% of respondents gave the Governor a grade of “A” for “Improving Public Education”

Save the Date: Pennsylvanians Want a School Funding Formula

Press Event Monday September 23^rd, 11:30 am Capitol Rotunda, Harrisburg

Grassroots Advocacy by Education Voters PA; Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley and the Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Special Education Funding Formula Commission Upcoming Meetings

1. Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 4^th, 10:00 am at the Nittany Lion Inn State College

To consider charter funding

2. Save the date: September 19 tentative meeting date in Reading; no venue announced yet

To consider charter and cyber funding

IMHO, Here’s some takeaways: Pennsylvanians don’t want public education defunded and dismantled; the state is responsible for providing adequate funding. Public tax dollars for charters must include transparency and accountability.

Only 2% of respondents gave the Governor a grade of “A” for “Improving Public Education”

F&M Poll: Corbett’s Numbers Reach Historic Lows

PoliticsPA written by Keegan Gibson, Managing Editor, August 29, 2013

The results of the latest Franklin & Marshall poll are devastating for Gov. Tom Corbett. His approval rating has reached its lowest point ever, and few voters believe he deserves to be re-elected.

http://www.politicspa.com/fm-poll-corbetts-numbers-reach-historic-lows/50524/

The Franklin & Marshall College Poll August 2013 Summary of Findings

The August 2013 Franklin & Marshall College Poll of Pennsylvania registered voters finds a majority (62%) believes the state is “off on the wrong track” and only one in five (20%) believes Governor Tom Corbett has performed sufficiently well to deserve re-election. Nearly one in three (28%) registered voters believe unemployment and the economy is the state’s most important problem, followed closely by schools and school funding (23%). The Poll also finds registered voters believe passing a transportation funding plan (29%) or expanding the state’s Medicaid program (24%) should be state lawmakers’ top priority.

View the latest Franklin & Marshall College Poll:

https://edisk.fandm.edu/FLI/keystone/pdf/August%202013%20Franklin%20and%20Marshall%20College%20Poll%20Release.pdf

Pa. Senate education panel vets concerns about proposed Pennsylvania Core Standards

By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com on August 29, 2013 at 7:01 PM

The cost of implementing new grade-level learning goals remains a major concern for state lawmakers as the State Board of Education prepares to adopt them next month. But it was clear at a state Senate Education Committee hearing on Thursday it is not their only concern.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/08/pa_senate_education_panel_vets.html

"They don't have any resources," he said. "That's the position of my caucus: We don't oppose the standards, but we oppose a stamp of failure on any student, on any community, until that community has the appropriate standards to achieve."
Revised academic Common Core standards explained

By Karen Langley / Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau August 30, 2013 12:04 am

HARRISBURG -- After hearings this spring on a new set of academic standards drew outcry from the right and left, the Corbett administration's top education official returned to a Senate committee Thursday to explain how revisions should calm those fears. Carolyn Dumaresq, who became acting secretary of education Monday with the resignation of acting secretary William Harner, maintained that concerns about the Pennsylvania Common Core standards arose at least in part from misunderstandings.

PA Senate Education Committee Common Core Hearing Audio (runtime 2:53)

PA Senate GOP Harrisburg Thursday, August 29, 2013
http://pasenategop.com/committees/education/2013/082913/agenda.htm

Teachers strike looms for Shaler Area schools

At issue are teachers' contribution to medical benefits and salaries

By Mary Niederberger / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette August 29, 2013 11:37 pm

The Shaler Area teachers union has rejected the district's request to enter into "final best offer arbitration" rather than strike Tuesday if they don't have a new contract agreement.

Superintendent Wesley Shipley will announce later today if he is canceling classes for Tuesday.

43 Western Pa. districts need contracts for teachers, other school workers

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review By Megan Harris August 30, 2013, 12:01 a.m.
With the start of the school year at hand, almost half of the state's 500 school districts are facing contract negotiations for some portion of their workforce, including 43 districts in Western Pennsylvania. The sticking points in talks range from the benign to contentious, as in Shaler Area School District where disagreements about salary scales and contributions to medical benefits have plagued both sides since long before the previous contract expired Aug. 15, 2011.

PPG LTE: Education quality

Post-Gazette Letters by Jonathan Cetel August 29, 2013 12:06 am
Jonathan Cetel in Executive Director of PennCAN

Regarding the Aug. 27 editorial "Virtual Indictment: How Pa. Regulates Charter Schools Is on Trial, Too": The recent allegations against Nicholas Trombetta and Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School expose the urgent need to pass a comprehensive reform of Pennsylvania's public charter schools. Lawmakers had the opportunity to pass legislation that would have paved the way for a better charter funding formula, increased accountability and stronger charter authorizing on at least three occasions over the past few years. But each time, political gridlock got in the way of what was right for kids.

Shocking allegations of financial abuse always generate headlines. But the bigger fraud that deserves more attention is the subpar education that some cyber charters are providing. Nearly every cyber charter school failed to surpass the statewide high school graduation rate of 83 percent, and in many cyber schools less than two-thirds of eighth-graders are proficient readers.

Invest in kindergarten now to develop skills that last a lifetime: Patty Kim

By Patriot-News Op-Ed on August 29, 2013 at 11:00 AM, updated August 29, 2013 at 11:03 AM

State Rep. Patty Kim, a Democrat, represents the Harrisburg-based 103rd state House District.

Last year, because of funding problems, the Harrisburg School District was forced to cut its full-day kindergarten to a half-day program. As budgets get tighter, this may be a common occurrence at school districts across the state. Many people are unaware that under current state law, school districts are not required to offer kindergarten at all. My fear is that as the state budget continues to leave school districts with significant funding shortfalls, school districts will decide that since it’s not required, they are going to cut kindergarten.

This would be a tragedy. Not only would it negatively impact the children who would miss out on kindergarten, but it also would impact our entire society: studies have shown that children who do not start with the solid foundation gained from kindergarten often have worse life outcomes than children who do

http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/08/invest_in_kindergarten_now_to_develop_skills_that_last_a_lifetime_patty_kim.html#incart_river

New Upland charter set to open doors

By JOHN KOPP jkopp@delcotimes.com @DT_JohnKopp August 28, 2013

Kelly Wilson happily had sent her son to Chester Community Charter School through fourth grade. Wilson moved to Upland at the beginning of the summer, but the charter’s expansion to the borough made it an easy decision for her to keep Zykel Buckley-Bolds enrolled at Community Charter for fifth grade. “When they were opening up an Upland campus, it was ideal because it was right down the street and around the corner,” Wilson said.
Community Charter, the largest K-8 charter school in Pennsylvania, will ceremoniously open its third campus Saturday. Tuesday marks the first day of school for its 300 students enrolled in grades K-5.

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2013/08/28/news/doc521eb6adccf61429336479.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Philly Countdown, Day 11: What is the story with counselors?

The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa on Aug 29 2013

The District has said that, so far, it has recalled 126 of the 270 counselors that it had laid off, all but 10 of them by using some of the $50 million in additional funds that the city has promised to deliver as a contribution to helping close the District's budget gap.

Although officials have not confirmed this, it appears that schools with fewer than 600 students were not allotted a full-time counselor. By looking at school enrollment projections from June, the Notebook calculated that only 85 of the District's 212 schools have 600 or more students. Ten additional counselors were also assigned to Promise Academies, seven of which have enrollments below 600.

Barring more recent purchases of counselors by principals or special allotments, that still leaves more than half of the District's schools, including half of the District's 48 high schools, without a counselor -- a situation that is unheard of in fully functional school systems.

http://thenotebook.org/blog/136370/countdown-day-11-what-story-counselors

Cash-strapped Philly school district considers selling prized art collection

WHYY Newsworks By Holly Otterbein, @hollyotterbein August 29, 2013

….."We are considering selling the art collection because we must look at every revenue source possible to assist us with putting more resources the classroom," he said.

Facing a $304 million budget deficit, the district sent pink slips this summer to nearly 3,900 employees, including teachers, guidance counselors and safety staff. The district received emergency funding from the city and state after the layoffs, but only enough to hire back 1,600 workers. It is unclear how much money the district could raise by selling the collection. In 2003, an art consultant said it was worth $30 million. Gallard said it is now valued at $2 million, but couldn't explain the change. The fact that the district is eyeing a sale drew a range of responses from education advocates, school employees and city officials.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/59145-cash-strapped-philly-school-district-considers-selling-prized-art-collection?linktype=hp_impact

State oversight lacking

Letter Tribune-Review Published: Tuesday, August 27, 2013, 9:00 p.m.

Shaun Rinier, Harrison City. The writer is president of the Penn Trafford Education Association.

The allegations against Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School founder Nick Trombetta (“Feds charge Pa. cyber school founder with 11 counts of fraud, conspiracy,” Aug. 24 and TribLIVE.com) can best be described as disgraceful. I always questioned how a cyber school, which doesn't have to worry about paying for transportation, lunches, utilities, extracurricular activities, etc., can charge public school districts the full per-pupil expenditure — which can exceed $15,000.

Trombetta indictment details complicated scheme

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review By David Conti Published: Saturday, August 24, 2013, 12:01 a.m.
U.S. Attorney David Hickton and a federal grand jury outlined a scheme they say Nick Trombetta used to skim nearly $1 million from PA Cyber Charter School and a foundation he founded, and related entities they say he controlled.

“What happens if the charter ends?” asks Masch. “Then, Aspira still owns the building even though it was 100 percent paid for with taxpayer money.”

Charter operator owed its schools millions, but no one's checking its books

City Paper By Daniel Denvir Published: 08/29/2013

The Philadelphia School District will spend a projected $729 million on charter schools in the coming fiscal year. But, if the past year at one charter operator is any indication, not all of those funds will actually go toward serving students. Aspira Inc. of Pennsylvania owed large sums of money to four Philadelphia charter schools it runs, according to an independent audit of the organization’s finances as of June 30, 2012, that was obtained by City Paper. According to the report, which was produced for Aspira and completed in April, the nonprofit was running a deficit of $722,949 as of last June and owed the publicly financed schools $3.3 million. That’s in addition to millions of dollars in lease payments and administrative fees filtered to Aspira and entities it controls with no oversight.

http://citypaper.net/article.php?Charter-operator-owed-its-schools-millions-but-no-one-s-checking-its-books-15674

Diane Ravitch will be speaking in Philly at the Main Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library on September 17 at 7:30 pm..

http://libwww.freelibrary.org/authorevents/index.cfm?ID=40337&type=2

Yinzers - Diane Ravitch will be speaking in Pittsburgh on September 16^th at 6:00 pm at Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill.

5505 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Free and open to the public; doors open at 5:00 pm

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=504288506307495&set=oa.155123638016809&type=1&theater

Join the National School Boards Action Center Friends of Public Education

http://nsbac.org/?page_id=1873

PSBA is accepting applications to fill vacancies in NSBA's grassroots advocacy program. Deadline to apply is Sept. 6.

PSBA members: Influence public education policy at the federal level; join NSBA's Federal Relations Network

More info: http://www.psba.org/issues-advocacy/advocacy-services/frn.asp

PSBA members will elect officers electronically for the first time in 2013

PSBA 7/8/2013

http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=5787

Electing PSBA Officers: 2014 PSBA Slate of Candidates

Details on each candidate, including bios, statements, photos and video are online now

PSBA Website Posted 8/5/2013

PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference
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.

See Annual School Leadership Conference links for all program details.

Registration: https://www.psba.org/workshops/?workshop=17

PAESSP State Conference October 27-29, 2013

The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA

Featuring Keynote Speakers: Charlotte Danielson, Dr. Todd Whitaker, Will Richardson & David Andrews, Esq. (Legal Update).

Click Here To Register Now!

Click Here To View and Print the Conference Registration Brochure.

oNormal> Featuring Keynote Speakers: Charlotte Danielson, Dr. Todd Whitaker, Will Richardson & David Andrews, Esq. (Legal Update).

Click Here To Register Now!

Click Here To View and Print the Conference Registration Brochure.

Lawrence A. Feinberg

Keystone State Education Coalition

Visit us online at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition.org

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Keystone State Education Coalition

Pages

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for August 31, 2013: Corbett numbers continue to drop; as James Carville might say, “It’s education, stupid!”……..

Friday, August 30, 2013

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for August 30, 2013: F&M Poll: Only 2% of respondents gave the Governor a grade of “A” for “Improving Public Education”

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