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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for July
2, 2014:
Wm. Penn School Board Member
in Harrisburg: “When I leave here this afternoon, I’ll have to go raise taxes.”
PA Budget: What's in it for
Your School?
Posted by PA Budget and Policy Center on June 30, 2014
The Senate Appropriations Committee released this
document showing each school district’s funding under the Ready to
Learn Block Grant program.
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$100 million would be distributed using the
2013-14 Accountability Block Grant formula.
·
$100 million in new funding will be allocated
though a new Ready to Learn formula, which counts students and includes weights
for poverty, aid ratio, and English language proficiency.
·
Every school district will receive an increase.
·
Charter schools receive a separate, direct
allocation under this proposal.
2014-15 General Fund Budget
by Department
PA Budget and Policy Center Posted by Michael Wood on June 30,
2014
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Fiscal Code: School Provisions
Posted by PA
Budget and Policy Center on June 30, 2014
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Pennsylvania’s Agora Cyber Charter, managed
by K12, Inc. never made adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind
·
In 2006 its AYP status was Warning
·
In 2007 its AYP status was School Improvement 1
·
In 2008 its AYP status was School Improvement 2
·
In 2008 its AYP status was Corrective Action 1
·
In 2010 its AYP status was Corrective Action 2 (1st Year)
·
In 2011 its AYP status was Corrective Action 2 (2nd Year)
·
In 2012 its AYP status was Corrective Action 2 (3rd Year)
·
In 2013 Agora's School Performance Profile score was 48.3 on
a 100 point scale; Acting Sec'y of Education Carolyn Dumaresq has indicated
that a score of 70 is considered passing
In addition to never making AYP.
Agora's 2012 graduation rate was 45% while the Philly SD graduation
rate was 57%
School Choices: K12
Inc execs taking $2K per student in salary. 8 execs, 75K students, $21M in
salaries. 20% of revenue in 8 pockets.
Morningstar Executive Compensation
Gov. Corbett remains stalwart on Pa. pension reform
By Tim Logue, Delaware County Daily Times POSTED: 07/02/14, 12:03 AM EDT |
In another year,
Tom Corbett would have a hard time thumbing his pen at a no-tax budget that
contained so much of what he wanted. This
year, however, with his prospects for reelection teetering somewhere between
dismal and slim, the governor is looking for a little more.
“There’s no
doubt he’s a big underdog, and there’s no doubt he needs a big game change and
something to take to the voters in November,” said G. Terry Madonna, a state
government expert and director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at
Franklin & Marshall College. “He is substantially behind in the polls, and
he needs a way to change the narrative.”
Before
Republicans in the House and Senate pushed through a $29.1 billion budget bill
Monday night, Corbett hinted — but never pledged or shouted from the steps of
the Capitol — that he would reject any proposal that did not contain
substantial pension reform.
So it came as
something of a surprise late Monday night when Corbett decided, for the first
time since taking office, to enter the month of July without a budget in place.
William Penn School Board members plead case for funding in Harrisburg
before voting to increase taxes
By NICK TRICOME, Delco Times Correspondent POSTED: 07/02/14, 12:18 AM EDT
HARRISBURG —
William Penn School District board member Rafi Cave stood at the podium in the
rotunda of the capitol building on Monday.
He had been asked to speak at a press conference for Public Citizens for
Children and Youth on the day both the state and his school district had to
pass their budgets. Cave stood at the
podium and said, “When I leave here this afternoon, I’ll have to go raise
taxes.”
It was one “of
like nine million things” he wanted to say about not only the problems William
Penn School District is facing with their budget, but about education in
general.
Although it was
far from being a popular decision among residents living in the district, the
William Penn School Board approved an $89.58 million budget on Monday night,
implementing in a 3 percent property tax hike to help balance it. The increase brings the school district’s tax
rate to 42.29 mills. A homeowner with a property assessed at $100,000 can
expect his tax bill to increase $123 annually.
Budget stalled, Senate goes home, House wrangles on pension changes
AMY WORDEN AND
ANGELA COULOUMBIS, INQUIRER
HARRISBURG BUREAU
POSTED: Tuesday,
July 1, 2014, 11:54 PM
HARRISBURG - The
Senate went home. The governor was largely silent.
And as the first
day of a new fiscal year without a state budget neared an end, House members
met behind closed doors for hours on Tuesday, trying to find consensus on
changes to the pension system - but refusing to move on a proposed a cigarette
tax that could fund Philadelphia schools.
Almost a day after legislators handed him a $29.1 billion budget on time
and with no tax increases, Gov. Corbett still had not signed it, or signaled if
or when he would. His spokesman, Jay Pagni, said the governor was reviewing the
plan.
Corbett's last
public statement had been near midnight Monday, when the governor said he would
not sign the budget without "meaningful" action aimed at reining in
the cost of public employee pensions. "Nothing
has changed," Pagni said Tuesday evening.
House won't vote on cigarette tax to help Philly schools
SOLOMON LEACH, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER LEACHS@PHILLYNEWS.COM, 215-854-5903 POSTED: Wednesday,
July 2, 2014, 3:01 AM
ONCE AGAIN,
Philadelphia's hopes for increased school funding from Harrisburg appear to be
on hold. A spokesman for House Majority
Leader Mike Turzai, an Allegheny County Republican, said yesterday that there
were no plans to vote on a bill passed by the Senate that includes the
Philadelphia cigarette tax, which would generate much-needed revenue for the
school district.
The omnibus bill
was approved in the Senate early yesterday, 38-12.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20140702_House_won_t_vote_on_cigarette_tax_to_help_Philly_schools.html#T0O3F0qqj8glpFd7.99
Lawmakers
plan to watch the Fourth of July fireworks at home, leaving pension issue
unresolved
By Jan Murphy |
jmurphy@pennlive.com on July 01, 2014 at 5:07 PM
Even though the 2014-15 general fund budget is
still a signature away from being a done deal, state Senators are packing up
today so they can be home to watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July. The House is expected to follow suit today or
tomorrow, as well, putting the onus on Gov. Tom Corbett to decide his next
step. Will he sign the $29.1 billion
spending plan as is? Or force the lawmakers back to Harrisburg by using his
line-item veto power to cut out the $280.4 million appropriation for the
legislative branch or something else? Or call lawmakers back for a special
session on pension reform?
Philadelphia's
request for a school funding-cigarette tax adds to drama of finalizing Pa.'s
state budget
By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com on July 02, 2014 at 12:55 AM, updated July
02, 2014 at 6:15 AM
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter's hope of getting a $2-a-pack
cigarette tax to keep class sizes from rising to 41 and preventing
1,300 teacher layoffs in that city's schools still remains unfulfilled.
Democratic lawmakers made a passionate, yet unsuccessful
push on Tuesday evening during a House Rules Committee meeting to get the
authorization for the city to impose that tax into a budget-related fiscal code
that the House will act on today. Under
Nutter's watchful eye, the committee defeated by a party-line vote this latest,
and likely last, effort to address this issue that has added to the legislative
drama playing out before the summer recess.
Philly cigarette tax rejected
by House GOP
WHYY Newsworks BY MARY
WILSON JULY 2, 2014
Pennsylvania House Republicans rebuffed an attempt to let
Philadelphia impose a cigarette tax to help fund its city schools. GOP leaders said Tuesday the $2-dollar-a-pack
levy was not related to the bill Democrats were attempting to amend. It was a setback for Philadelphia Mayor
Michael Nutter, who earlier that day had seen senators approve the tax
authorization in a separate bill.
Nutter said about 1,300 employees' jobs are on the line, as is
the timely opening of city schools in September.
Pennsylvania
pension reform takes a blow as Tobash plan is steered into an ardent foe's committee
By Charles Thompson |
cthompson@pennlive.com on July 01, 2014 at 1:14 PM, updated July
01, 2014 at 3:26 PM
Gov. Tom Corbett's full-court press for public
employee pension reform in Pennsylvania took a direct hit Tuesday
morning as debate on his preferred option was quickly steered into a House
committee headed by a reform foe. The
House voted 107-96 to refer the bill making major long-term changes to the
current state employees retirement systems to the House Human Services
Committee. The motion was made by Rep.
Eugene DiGirolamo, R-Bucks County, who has the power as chair of that committee
to control all future movement on the bill.
DiGirolamo said he wanted to end Tuesday's debate to clear the way for a
broader, big-table discussion of the state's looming pension crisis with all
stakeholders represented, including public-sector labor unions.
As Corbett presses,
pension reform hits the wall in the House: Analysis
By John L. Micek |
jmicek@pennlive.com on July 01, 2014 at 12:27 PM, updated July
01, 2014 at 2:21 PM
Gov. Tom Corbett continued to press the case for pension
reform, even as it became crystal clear that the administration's preferred
reform plan did not have the votes to pass the 203-member state House. In a surprise move, the House voted 107-96 to
recommit the pension bill to a House committee chaired by Rep. Gene
DiGirolamo, R-Bucks, which appeared to effectlvely kill the chances of
passage for the administration's preferred reform plan.
The House was far from unanimous on its course on pension
reform. Some Republicans have rallied around a hybrid plan sponsored by
GOP Rep. Mike Tobash of Schuylkill County that would keep current
employees in the defined-benefit pension system and move new hires into a
401(k)-style retirement system. Rep.
Glen Grell, R-Cumberland, author of a competing pension proposal, complained
that Tobash's plan fails to address a roughly $50 billion unfunded
liability in the pension system. "I
think there are some in our leadership who just want an opportunity to vote on
a pension plan," Grell said.
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/07/as_house_debates_corbett_press_1.html
Here's why pension
reform is vital to Pennsylvania: William C. Rhodes
PennLive
Op-Ed By William C. Rhodes on July 01, 2014 at 1:52 PM
There is no more vitally important legislative issue
confronting our state leaders – and candidates for governor and the Legislature
– than meaningful public pension reform.
Pundits suggest that the issue isn't gaining traction in
Harrisburg or locally because voters don't understand it. The grim
reality is that, fiscally, pension reform is the single most important issue
facing the Commonwealth. So it's imperative for the public to understand it.
So there's no budget --
now what?: Tuesday Morning Coffee
By John
L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com on July 01, 2014 at 7:52 AM,
updated July 01, 2014 at 8:21 AM
Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
For Capitol-dwellers, today is the first day of the rest of July - now that Gov. Tom Corbett has rolled the dice on getting pension reform and decided not to sign a new state budget into law.
For Capitol-dwellers, today is the first day of the rest of July - now that Gov. Tom Corbett has rolled the dice on getting pension reform and decided not to sign a new state budget into law.
So now what happens? Well,
lawmakers return to session today to begin moving the package of enabling
legislation that actually allows them to spend the collections of ones, zeroes
and decimals points that were included in the $29.1 billion budget plan that the House and Senate approved
late last night. And it looks like
the state House will start voting on a hybrid pension plan authored by GOPRep.
Mike Tobash, R-Schuylkill, that the administration favors, but has yet to
muster the votes to pass the House.
Did Corbett fumble state
budget politics?
WHYY Newsworks DAVE DAVIES OFF MIC A BLOG BY DAVE DAVIES JULY 1, 2014
Gov. Tom Corbett's decision not to sign the budget passed by
the legislature Monday night means that for the first time since he took
office, the state didn't have a budget in place by the June 30th deadline. And
maybe that's okay for him. Corbett's
been telling voters he's governed without raising taxes (some Republicans
dispute that) and gotten budgets done on time, unlike his Democratic
predecessor Ed Rendell, but the message isn't exactly working. Polls show him
trailing Democratic candidate Tom Wolf by 20 points in the gubernatorial
election.
So, when the Pennsylvania legislature approved another budget
on time Monday night without tax increases, Corbett balked rather than
embracing it. Muhlenbeg College political scientist Christopher Borick said in
this election year, Corbett wants more.
Local school officials
see uncertainty in new Pa. budget
By Evan Brandt, The Mercury POSTED: 07/01/14,
7:08 PM EDT
HARRISBURG — Uncertainty about the $29
billion budget passed in the final hours of the fiscal year Monday by the
General Assembly is not limited to the question of when or whether
Gov. Tom Corbett will sign it. Local
school officials, who oversaw local budget adoptions that raised property
taxes, remained unsure Tuesday about the exact amount of money the state budget
will provide to their districts and how they will be allowed to spend it.
“That sounds about right,” said Pottsgrove Business Manager
David Nester when informed of a calculation by The Mercury that put that
district’s increase over last year at about $178,000.
This year’s state budget does not increase any district’s
“basic subsidy,” which can be used for any purpose. Rather, the increases come as part of the new
“Ready to Learn” block grant program, money from which can only be used for
specific purposes, including kindergarten or implementing technology in the
classroom.
Wolf leads Corbett: Democratic
challenger Tom Wolf leads Gov. Tom Corbett by 22 points in F&M poll
Lancaster Online By KAREN SHUEY | Staff
Writer Posted: Wednesday, July 2, 2014 12:01 am | Updated:
7:38 am, Wed Jul 2, 2014.
Tom Wolf has done it again. He is dominating his competition in
the polls.
The political upstart holds a 22-point lead over Republican Tom
Corbett as the gubernatorial campaign shifts into gear for the general
election, according to a Franklin & Marshall College survey released
Wednesday morning. The poll found the
incumbent trailing his Democratic challenger by 47 percent to 25 percent. It was the first time the college placed the
two candidates head-to-head in the contest for public opinion, and it reveals
the Republican is in serious jeopardy of becoming the first Pennsylvania
governor ever to be defeated for reelection.
Chichester School Board members approve 1 percent tax increase for
school district
By TINA DiSERAFINO, Delco Times Correspondent POSTED: 07/02/14, 12:14 AM EDT
UPPER CHICHESTER
— Chichester School Board passed the 2014-2015 final budget totaling nearly
$68.7 million in expenditures. The
budget includes a 1 percent property tax increase, raising the school
district’s millage rate to 39.0708 mills. Last month’s preliminary version of
the budget had proposed a 2 percent tax increase. Absent from the meeting were board members
Georgianna Montella and Jennifer Rodgers who were both on scheduled vacations.
The predicted
increase is due to rising health care costs, an increase in pension payments
owed to the Public School Employees’ Retirement System, and an increase in charter
and cyber charter school enrollments.
NSBA:
E-Rate funding shortage jeopardizes future of program
The federal E-rate program will lose impact and some school
districts will be harmed without additional funding, the National School Boards
Association (NSBA) has warned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In a July
1 letter to FCC commissioners, NSBA Executive Director Thomas J.
Gentzel warns, “The absence of a meaningful increase in funding – at the heart
of NSBA’s recommendations and those of many other organizations – undermines
the future of E-rate as a catalyst for progress. The simultaneous
retrenchment of resources from the discount matrix and legacy services
exacerbates the dilemma for school districts. Further, a multi-year
commitment to Wi-Fi expansion without a clearly identified funding source in
the later years puts the entire E-rate fund at potential risk. Finally,
any departure from need-based dissemination of resources would fundamentally alter
the program and potentially harm the very students and schools that need it the
most.”
Pre-K for PA has supporters
all over the greater Philadelphia region who want to help ensure all three and
four year-old children can access quality pre-K.
We need your help -- join an upcoming phone bank. Join
a fun gathering of like minds in Philadelphia and Conshohocken on
Wednesday evenings throughout the summer. We are calling fellow Pre-K for
PA supporters to build local volunteer teams.
Call a Pre-K Friend in Philly:
United Way Building, 6th Floor 1709 Ben Franklin Parkway 19107
Wed July 9, 5-7 PM
Wed July 30, 5-7 PM
United Way Building, 6th Floor 1709 Ben Franklin Parkway 19107
Wed July 9, 5-7 PM
Wed July 30, 5-7 PM
Call a Pre-K Friend in Mont Co:
Anne's House 242 Barren Hill Road Conshohocken PA 19428
Wed July 16, 5-7pm
Wed July 30, 5-7pm
Anne's House 242 Barren Hill Road Conshohocken PA 19428
Wed July 16, 5-7pm
Wed July 30, 5-7pm
RSVP: http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51084/c/10476/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=9390
EPLC Education Issues
Workshop for Legislative Candidates, Campaign Staff, and Interested Voters -
Harrisburg July 31
Register Now! EPLC will again be hosting
an Education Issues Workshop for Legislative Candidates, Campaign Staff,
and Interested Voters. This nonpartisan, one-day program will take place
on Thursday, July 31 in Harrisburg. Space is limited. Click here to learn more about workshop and
to register.
PSBA opens nominations for
the Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award
The nomination process is now open for the Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award. This award may be presented annually to the individual school director or entire school board to recognize outstanding leadership in legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of public education and students that are consistent with the positions in PSBA’s Legislative Platform. Applications will be accepted until July 16, 2014. The July 16 date was picked in honor of Timothy M. Allwein's birthday. The award will be presented during the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference in October. More details and application are available on PSBA's website.
The nomination process is now open for the Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award. This award may be presented annually to the individual school director or entire school board to recognize outstanding leadership in legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of public education and students that are consistent with the positions in PSBA’s Legislative Platform. Applications will be accepted until July 16, 2014. The July 16 date was picked in honor of Timothy M. Allwein's birthday. The award will be presented during the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference in October. More details and application are available on PSBA's website.
Education
Policy and Leadership Center
Click
here to read more about EPLC’s Education Policy Fellowship Program, including:
2014-15 Schedule 2014-15 Application Past Speakers Program Alumni And More
Information
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. This list will be updated, as more
information becomes available.
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