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The Top Five Reasons Your State
Senator Should Oppose SB 1085
NAACP Public Discussion on PA Charter School
January 18th, 12:30 pm Campbell AME
Church
Worried about 'political gamesmanship,' Gov. Tom
Corbett cancels first visit to Philadelphia public school
EPLC Education Notebook – Friday, January 18, 2014
Education Policy and
Leadership Center
Corbett to propose big boost in school funding: Friday Morning Coffee
By John L. Micek |
jmicek@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter
onJanuary 17,
2014 at 7:52 AM ,
updated January 17, 2014 at 8:19
AM
on
Good Friday Morning,
Fellow Seekers.
With clearly more than one
eye on November, Gov.
Tom Corbett will propose adding hundreds of millions of dollars to public
education during his annual budget address next month.
Citing sources familiar
with the budget talks, Corbett could propose pumping as much as $200 million
into schools, a move described as a "major investment" after years of
reductions, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports this morning. Administration spokesman Jay
Pagni would neither confirm nor deny the report, telling the newspaper
that "We won't release any details of the proposal"
beforeCorbett delivers it to a joint session of the state House and Senate
in February.
Corbett is set to make
his first appearance at a Philadelphia
Education rising to the top of the legislative agenda in election year
PA Independent By Maura
Pennington | Watchdog.org January 16, 2014
Dianne Piché, senior
counsel and director of education program at theLeadership Conference on Civil
and Human Rights, and David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law
Center in New Jersey
New Year Cheer
Yinzercation Blog January
17, 2014
It may be mid-January,
but we have at least four more reasons to keep the New Year party going this
week. First, Governor Corbett is
apparently getting ready to propose an increase to state funding for public
education. Sources close to his office say that the new budget, which will be
announced on February 4th, will include $100 to $200 million more
this year. [Philly.com,
1-16-14] That’s a good step in the right direction. But we’re still down $700
million in the annual budget from 2010-2011, with the cumulative loss for our
schools now topping $2.4 billion. Any restoration of funds will be a win for
our education justice movement, reflecting the enormous effort of grassroots
advocates to keep the plight of public schools on the political agenda.
Pennsylvania owes its school districts $1.2 billion for construction;
reps want it to pay up
By Jeff Frantz |
jfrantz@pennlive.com on January 17, 2014 at 10:58 AM
Pennsylvania owes its
school districts $1.2 billion in reimbursement for construction.
The state has been slow
to pay up -- even after issuing a moratorium
blocking more districts from entering the the PlanCon reimbursement program --
and now districts are having to pay debts they were told the state would cover.
Now two state representatives are working on plans to overhaul the PlanCon
program and get schools their money.
Rep. Seth Grove, R-Dover,
and Rep. Steve Santarsiero, D-Bucks, each said Thursday they will be
introducing legislation aimed at making districts whole for building new
schools and renovating old ones.
Backers withdraw plan for proposed D. June Brown Charter School in
Harrisburg
By M. Diane
McCormick | Special to PennLive on January 15, 2014 at 10:15 PM,
Applicants for a
Harrisburg charter school withdrew their proposal Wednesday night, claiming
after a break in a Harrisburg School Board hearing that he had a train to
catch.
The bumpy beginning to
the hearing – referencing plagiarism, people named as school founders later
disclaiming their involvement, and the naming of the planned school after a
woman facing 54 counts of wire fraud -- did not influence the withdrawal, said
Johnny Patterson, CEO of Philadelphia-based nonprofit National Education
Partners. "It has nothing to do
with the hearing," Patterson said after the withdrawal. "It's just
time constraints. I would be more than willing to sit here and answer their
questions, but due to the time constraints, that's it."
The full text of this resolution is included in the link
LMSD Board approves resolution in opposition to Senate Bill 1085
Lower Merion School District
website Announcements Posted: January 13, 2014
The Lower Merion School
District Board of School Directors unanimously approved a resolution to oppose
Senate Bill 1085, a charter school reform bill that will create new and
substantial costs for taxpayers, take control of public schools away from local
communities, and limit the ability of school districts to effectively plan for
student enrollment changes and staffing needs. The resolution, initially
discussed in the Board’s legislative committee, was presented and approved at
the start of the Board’s education meeting on Monday, January 13.
http://www.lmsd.org/news/article/index.aspx?pageaction=ViewSinglePublic&LinkID=2065&ModuleID=22&&NEWSPID=1
http://www.lmsd.org/news/article/index.aspx?pageaction=ViewSinglePublic&LinkID=2065&ModuleID=22&&NEWSPID=1
"We, as the staff of Central High School, are writing to
express discomfort with your visit," the letter states. "We are proud
of and celebrate our students' achievements, yet we recognize that they have
accomplished this in spite of, rather than because of, your budget cuts and
educational policies."
Worried about 'political gamesmanship,' Gov. Tom Corbett cancels first
visit to Philadelphia public school
Governor stays away after letter from teachers
expressed 'discomfort' with his presence.
By Steve Esack, Call Harrisburg
Bureau 8:50 p.m. EST, January 17, 2014
PHILADELPHIA — Gov. Tom Corbett canceled his first visit to a
Philadelphia public school on Friday in the face of opposition from teachers. Corbett, who suffers from record low approval
ratings in part over $1 billion cut of federal and state education funds in his
first budget, toured the state this week in an attempt to fix that image as
part of his re-election campaign.
He was presenting
education awards to schools that had students who performed exceptionally high
on the state's new grading system that measures academic performance in math
and reading. His visits to schools in
Hershey and Allegheny County, among others, went smoothly.
The visit to Philadelphia
did not.
He was scheduled to give
awards Friday to three of Philadelphia's premium magnet schools at a ceremony
at Central High School in the city's Olney section. Late Thursday afternoon, his administration
received an unsigned letter from Central staff saying it felt unease over his
plans.
"He has bailed on the children of Philadelphia once
again," parent activist Helen Gym told the crowd. "God knows, for the
last [three] years of his term, we have been here without our governor."
Corbett cancels school appearance amid heavy protests
SOLOMON LEACH, DAILY
NEWS STAFF WRITER Sunday, January 19, 2014, 3:01 AM
A SWARM of protesters who
gathered outside Central High School yesterday morning in anticipation of Gov.
Corbett's first visit to a district-run Philadelphia public school found a bit
of irony: a no-show governor. Corbett,
who has been criticized for cutting nearly $1 billion from education during his
time in office, abruptly canceled the appearance. Instead, he held a news
conference at his Center City office, claiming he did want to cause a
distraction.
"I don't run from
anything," Corbett said. "I take decisions head-on. But I was not
going to be a distraction to the school day or to the students. I was not going
to engage in the theatrics of what the adults wanted to do." The governor and acting Secretary of
Education Carolyn Dumaresq were scheduled to present awards to Central, Julia
Masterman and Carver high schools for their high scores on the state's
first-ever school-performance profiles.
Corbett dodges protesters to name Green SRC chair
thenotebook on
Jan 17 2014 Posted in Latest
news by Kevin McCorry for NewsWorks
On a frigid January
morning nearly halfway through a school year marked by draconian cuts to
services and staff, Gov. Corbett -- plagued by a low approval rating and an impending
November election -- braved the eastbound lanes of the Turnpike to make his
first gubernatorial appearance at a Philadelphia traditional public school. At least that's the way it was written up in
the playbook. Instead, in a last-minute
audible, Corbett changed the event's venue to his office at the Philadelphia
Chamber of Commerce and changed the news narrative to his nomination of two new
School Reform Commission members who he said would bring the city "fresh
talent and true dedication." Corbett
selected Philadelphia City Councilman Bill Green to chair the SRC and Farah
Jimenez, leader of West Philadelphia's People's Emergency Center, to
replace outgoing Commissioner Joseph Dworetzky.
Corbett blames protesters for politicizing Central High School event
Philly.com by Sean
Collins Walsh FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014, 11:55 AM
Gov. Corbett originally
planned to spend the morning presenting educational achievement awards at
Central High School - his first visit to a traditional Philadelphia public
school since taking office.
But a large protest over
education cuts during his administration caused him to divert his plans.
Corbett, speaking to
reporters at the Bellevue in Center City, said he was "saddened and
disappointed" he couldn't go to Central. "Today wasn't supposed to be about
politics, it wasn't supposed to be about contracts, it wasn't supposed to be
about negotiations. It was supposed to be about the students," Corbett
said. "I decided not to engage in the theatrics that have been designed by
adults."
Corbett cancels Philly school visit, is accused of cowardice
Citypaper By Daniel Denvir Published:
01/17/2014 | 1
Comments Posted
Amidst protests,
Republican Gov. Tom Corbett cancelled a visit to Philly's Central High School
at the last minute today and convened a press conference at the Greater
Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce instead.
Corbett, who has orchestrated deep cuts to public education statewide,
was scheduled to commend Central, an esteemed magnet school, and two other city
schools for their academic achievement.
Praise and reproach from Nutter on SRC nominations
KRISTEN A. GRAHAM AND
JEFF GAMMAGE, INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS
LAST UPDATED: Saturday,
January 18, 2014, 1:08 AM
POSTED: Friday, January 17, 2014, 2:08 PM
POSTED: Friday, January 17, 2014, 2:08 PM
Gov. Corbett on Friday
remade the School Reform Commission - and possibly the Philadelphia School
District - in announcing two new choices for the panel. Corbett will nominate City Councilman Bill
Green, a Democrat, and social-services advocate Farah Jimenez, a Republican, to
the SRC. If approved by the state Senate, Green would have to resign his
Council seat and would become SRC chair.
But even as the governor praised the nominees, Mayor Nutter stepped into
the fray. He lauded Jimenez, but called Green's selection "quite frankly,
perplexing."
The mayor said he was
concerned about Green's votes against some education funding measures and his
published views on public education."
Mayor 'deeply concerned' about appointment of Green to chair SRC
thenotebook by Paul
Socolar on Jan 17 2014 Posted in Latest news
In a bluntly worded statement released to the press Friday afternoon,
Mayor Nutter offered a less-than-welcoming response to Gov. Corbett's
nomination of City Councilman Bill Green to head the School Reform Commission,
calling it "quite frankly perplexing given his votes against some
education funding measures and his published views on public education."
The statement goes on to
say that the mayor is "deeply concerned, based on his past public
statements and participation in School District budget hearings, as to whether
or not, as chair, Councilman Green will be a strong and forceful advocate for increased
educational funding."
More than 130 Philly educators implicated in cheating, officials say
thenotebook by Dale
Mezzacappa on Jan 16 2014 Posted in Latest news
After more than two years
of investigations by both the state and the School District, 138
Philadelphia educators have been implicated in test score cheating,
according to information given to the School Reform Commission on Thursday. The Pennsylvania Department of
Education has filed or is pursuing actions against 69 current and former
employees based on its investigation of 14 so-called Tier 1 schools -- 11
District schools and 3 charters -- District officials told the SRC. They
provided no more details on that group.
The District found
grounds for disciplinary action against an additional 69 educators in 19
so-called Tier 2 schools that
it investigated with the help of the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.
Officials gave more details on the results of its own investigation.
By Jenna Ebersole Pocono Record Writer January 16, 2014
Taxpayers in the Pocono Mountain
School District
The board heard a
presentation on the preliminary budget, which will not be finalized for several
months after state and federal dollars are allocated. It proposed a balanced
budget, with no tax increases, of about $205 million. But board member Ricky Smith suggested an
alternative, taking two mills out of an allocated roughly four mills that was
budgeted to be put in a reserve. The revised proposal will likely return for
consideration at one of the board's February board meetings.
CFO Joseph Colozza said
after the meeting that the reserve money is a kind of "rainy day"
fund to allow for unexpected expenditures, which is less necessary given that
the school has a roughly $17 million fund balance for the first time in several
years.
He said the preliminary
budget also calls for an increase in infrastructure expenditures that have been
put off during more cash-strapped years, including for the purchase of several
buses, which lessens the need for a reserve.
The proposal also did not call for any staff reductions.
To balance the budget,
the proposal takes about $4 million from the fund balance for capital improvements
and employer retirement contribution increases.
EDITORIAL: School districts getting no help with big pension bills
By Express-Times
opinion staff on January 17, 2014 at 6:45 AM
School districts in
Pennsylvania are now sharing their preliminary budgets for the coming school
year, and — no surprise — pension costs are the biggest source of distortion
and tax pressure. That’s not going to change anytime soon; annual local
contributions to state-regulated pension funds are on the increase. Around the Lehigh Valley, the degree of
stress varies by district. The Bethlehem
Area School District is facing a $16.9 million deficit. Even so, the
district is considering upgrades that some districts could only dream about —
such as elevating boy’s club lacrosse to a varsity sport. The district is
facing escalating demands in pension costs (up $4.4 million to $20.7 million)
and charter-school payments (up $6.7 million to $20.5 million).
Voucher and Tax Credit Students Should Participate in State Tests, Says
Fordham
Education Week Charters
& Choice Blog By Katie Ash on January
16
Private schools accepting
voucher- and tax-credit-scholarship students should be required to administer
state tests to those students and disclose the results, says
a new report detailing school choice policy recommendations by the
Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
Only private schools that
teach ten or fewer voucher- or tax-credit-scholarship students should be exempt
from disclosing state test results, in order to protect the privacy of those
students, the report says. And only those students receiving state funds to
attend private schools should be required to undergo state testing, the report
emphasized.
Maryland schools need $100 million for online Common Core tests, says
report
Washington Post Answer
Sheet Blog BY VALERIE STRAUSS January 17 at 9:33
am
A new report from
Maryland’s Education Department to the legislature says that the vast majority
of schools in many of the state’s counties are not technologically prepared to
give new online Common Core-aligned standardized tests and that at least $100
million will have to be spent by 2015 to get ready. In Montgomery County alone, it is estimated
that necessary computer purchases will cost some $10 million, wireless
enhancements to the infrastructure another $3 million and other technological
improvements an additional $4 million. Prince George’s County estimates it will
need at least $5 million in improvements — money neither county has to spend.
Eleven of 24 school systems in the state have completed a series to tests to
determine readiness, and in those 11, a whopping 85 percent of schools aren’t
prepared, the report said.
Come to Harrisburg
Show your School Spirit with PCCY!
In 25 days the Governor
will introduce his budget plan for 2014-2015. Based on past performance,
the next budget may do little to meet the needs of Pennsylvania Philadelphia and the
surrounding counties of Bucks, Chester , Delaware and Montgomery Harrisburg
Click here to sign-up and get details. For more
information please email Shanee Garner-Nelson at shaneeg@pccy.org.
PDE chief Dumaresq LIVE budget presentation, PSBA Conference Center, Feb.
5 at 2 p.m
PSBA’s website 1/13/2014
Acting Secretary of
Education Carolyn Dumaresq will be at the PSBA Conference
Center
Find out how the
proposals of the fiscal year 2014-15 Pennsylvania
To register for the LIVE event, Wed.,
Feb. 5, 2 p.m., at the PSBA
Conference Center
To register for the WEB event: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7884287076736574210
- See more at: http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=6842#sthash.6jG84BK0.dpuf
NAACP: Public Discussions Scheduled on PA Charter School 12:30 pm Media PA.
NAACP Press Release January 9, 2014
Open and public
discussion of PA Senate Bill 1085, a charter school expansion plan now due
third consideration in the PA General Assembly, will be held on January 18, 2014
in the community room of Campbell AME Church ,
at 3rd and Olive Streets in Media , PA. 2:00 PM . A light lunch will be available between 12:30
and 1:00 PM “Local
control of public education through the elected school board is under threat
for each of the 500 school districts in Pennsylvania Garnett
Valley
A panel of informed
education experts has been assembled to enlighten the public concerning the
contents and implications of SB 1085. Sue Tiernan, school board member from West Chester Area
School District and David Lapp of the Education Law Center
More info contact:
Bettie McClairen at Urban_parent@yahoo.com
2014 PA Gubernatorial Candidate Plans for Education and Arts/Culture in
PA
Education
Policy and Leadership
Center
Below is an alphabetical list of the 2014
Gubernatorial Candidates and links to information about their plans, if
elected, for education and arts/culture in Pennsylvania
2014 PICASSO PROJECT SCHOOL AWARDS
Representatives
from winning schools and partner organizations are invited to join us for the
grants award ceremony on Monday, January 27, 2014 at
the World Cafe Live, 3025
Walnut Street 6:00pm . RSVP to
info@pccy.org or call 215-563-5848 x11.
January
24th – 26th, 2014 at The Science
Leadership Academy
in Philadelphia
EduCon
is both a conversation and a conference.
It
is an innovation conference where we can come together, both in person and
virtually, to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an
opportunity to discuss and debate ideas — from the very practical to the big
dreams.
FEBRUARY 1ST, 2014
The DCIU Google Symposium is an opportunity for teachers,
administrators, technology directors, and other school stakeholders to come
together and explore the power of Google Apps for Education. The
Symposium will be held at the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. The
Delaware County Intermediate Unit is one of Pennsylvania
NPE
National Conference 2014
The
Network for Public Education
The Network for Public Education is pleased
to announce our first National Conference. The event will take place on March 1
& 2, 2014 (the weekend prior to the world-famous South by Southwest
Festival) at The University of Texas at Austin
Details
and registration here: http://www.networkforpubliceducation.com/conference/
The National School Boards Association 74th Annual
Conference & Exposition April 5-7, 2014 New Orleans
The National School Boards
Association 74th Annual Conference & Exposition will be
held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans , LA. New Orleans
General
Session speakers include education advocates
Thomas L. Friedman, Sir Ken Robinson, as well as education innovators Nikhil
Goyal and Angela Maiers.
We have more than 200 sessions
planned! Colleagues from across the country will present workshops on key
topics with strategies and ideas to help your district. View our Conference
Brochure for highlights on sessions and
focus presentations.
·
Register
now! – Register for both the conference and housing using our online
system.
·
Conference
Information– Visit the NSBA conference website for up-to-date information
·
Hotel
List and Map - Official NSBA Housing Block
·
Exposition
Campus – View new products and services and interactive
trade show floor
Join the National
School Boards
Action Center
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
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