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PA Ed Policy Roundup for July
22, 2014:
"It's time to adequately support Pennsylvania
Pa. needs to fix the way
it pays for its public schools: As I See It
By PennLive
Op-Ed By Jim Buckheit, Nathan Mains, Jay Himes, Joseph
Bard and J. Hugh Dwyer n July 21, 2014
at 2:00 PM, updated July 21, 2014 at 2:11 PM
Jim Buckheit is
Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators;
Nathan Mains is Executive Director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association; Jay
Himes is Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business
Officials; Joseph Bard is Executive Director of the Pennsylvania
Association of Rural and Small Schools, and J. Hugh Dwyer is Chair of the
Central Pennsylvania Public School Coalition.
The Legislature passed, and the Gov. Tom Corbett recently
signed, a 2014-14 state budget that invests about $10.5 billion in state
funding for prekindergarten to 12th grade education.
The budget includes $100 million in additional state funding in
the newly established Ready-to-Learn Block Grant program. The additional investment in targeted
initiatives such as STEM programs (science, technology, math and engineering)
will prepare our students for in-demand jobs and to be the innovators our
economy needs.
Lawmakers also invested an additional $20 million to support
for students with special needs, increased school construction funding by $10
million and lifted the moratorium on reimbursements during this legislative
session.
However, the state's primary support for education is still
distributed according to the whim of the Legislature, leaving each school
district wondering annually if it will receive more, less or the same amount of
state support as the previous year.
Nation Apparently Believed in
Science at Some Point
The New Yorker BY ANDY
BOROWITZ JULY 21, 2014
Moody's downgrades Pa.
Trib Live By Debra
Erdley Monday, July 21, 2014,
4:39 p.m.
Relaxed and confident despite sagging poll numbers and a bruising budget battle with the General Assembly, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said Monday he is weighing whether to call lawmakers back toHarrisburg
for a special session on pension reform.
Relaxed and confident despite sagging poll numbers and a bruising budget battle with the General Assembly, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said Monday he is weighing whether to call lawmakers back to
Corbett made his
comments in a meeting with editors and reporters at the Tribune-Review, an hour
before Moody's Investors Service downgraded the rating on $11.1 billion in
state general obligation bonds from Aa2 to Aa3, citing Pennsylvania 's “large and growing public
pension liabilities” and the state's use of one-time revenue to balance its
budget.
Rating Action: Moody's
downgrades Pennsylvania
Moody's Global Credit Research - 21 Jul 2014
Approximately $13.1 billion in general obligation and related
debt affected
SUMMARY RATING RATIONALE
The downgrade of the general obligation rating to Aa3 reflects
the commonwealth's growing structural imbalance, exacerbated by the fiscal 2015
enacted budget that depends on non-recurring resources; a weak GAAP balance
position that will further deteriorate based on the budget's one-time measures;
and the expectation that large and growing pension liabilities coupled with
modest economic growth will limit Pennsylvania's ability to regain structural
balance in the near term. The stable
outlook reflects the commonwealth's diverse economy but below average growth,
its recent history of improved governance reflected in timely budget adoption,
and strong executive powers to control spending midyear..
Post-Gazette by Associated Press July 21, 2014 5:05 PM
HARRISBURG — New York-based credit ratings agency Moody’s
Investors Service is slapping a lower rating on Pennsylvania’s debt for the
second time in two years, as state government grapples annually with built-in
budget deficits. Today’s downgrade of
$11.1 billion general obligation bonds from Aa2 to Aa3 means Pennsylvania is
ranked among the six worst states in Moody’s ratings for the 47 states with
general obligation debt.
Moody's downgrades
Pennsylvania on pensions, budget
Moody’s Investors Service lowered Pennsylvania 's credit rating on $11.1
billion worth of bonds in part due to the recently passed state budget that it
said relied too heavily on one-time money transfers and failed to address the pension crisis.
The rating for Pennsylvania 's
general-obligation bonds was lowered to Aa3 from Aa2 in a move announced Monday
that also included a downgrade by one notch on $2 billion in other bonds.
The ratings service called out the government officials for
avoiding a "growing structural imbalance" that includes the $29.1
billion budget and what it said was a deteriorating fiscal condition due to
gimmicks in the budget.
"The expectation that large and growing pension
liabilities coupled with modest economic growth will limit Pennsylvania 's ability to regain structural
balance in the near term," Moody's said.
Moody's downgrades Pennsylvania
Roxbury News By James Roxbury Monday July 21, 2014 at 3:24 pm
As released by the Office of the Governor.
Dermody says credit downgrade
is sign of Corbett failure
PA House Democratic Caucus website July 21, 2014
“The poor leadership we’ve been getting from the state’s CEO is
reflected on the balance sheet. The downgrade of Pennsylvania ’s bond rating is a direct
result of Governor Tom Corbett’s misguided philosophy and discredited budget
methods. “He had four years to try to do
things right, but all he did was put our state in a more precarious financial
position. The governor’s near-total reliance on one-time, non-recurring revenue
to ‘balance’ this year’s budget was transparently political, and Moody’s called
him out on it.
Moody's: Pa. has third-worst budget in U.S.
Inquirer Philly Deals Blog by Joseph N. DiStefano
POSTED: MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014, 3:50 PM
Moody's Investors Service says it has cut Pennsylvania 's bond rating to Aa3, down a
notch from Aa2. Only New Jersey (A1) and Illinois (A3) now have lower ratings,
among U.S.
states. The cut is Moody's response to
Pennsylvania's "imbalanced" 2015 state budget and fiscal
problems which "will further deteriorate" due to the General
Assembly's one-time gimmicks and "non-recurring revenues," along with
Pennsylvania's slow economic growth, which has lagged other states despite Gov.
Corbett's attempts to attract industry by avoiding new taxes and easing
business regulation.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Moodys-cuts-Pa-credit-rating.html#qYDhjl1j6Q6wgcyM.99
An annotated read of
today’s news about pensions and politics
Philly Clout Blog Philly Daily News by Chris Brennan
POSTED: MONDAY JULY 21 2014 4:10 PM
Gov. Corbett, still pushing for the state General Assembly to
return from recess to take up legislation to change the state pension plans,
today issued a new release about Moody’s
Investors Service downgrading of Pennsylvania ’s bond rating.
Corbett’s news release said: Today, Moody's
Investors Service cited the commonwealth’s current pension crisis as a key
reason for downgrading Pennsylvania
What it didn’t say: Actually Moody’s was much more
pessimistic about the state’s “strong economy,” citing the new budget signed
into law by Corbett and “modest economic growth” in Pennsylvania as some of the
reasons for the downgrade.
Op/ED: SE GOP leaders back
Corbett on pension fight
Editors Note: This
op-ed was submitted by Patricia Poprik, Chair of the Bucks County Republican
Committee; Valentino DiGiorgio, Chair of the Republican Committee of Chester
County; Andrew Reilly, Chair of the Delaware County Republican Committee; Mike
Vereb, Chair of the Montgomery County Republican Committee; and John Taylor,
Chair of the Philadelphia Republican City Committee; Michael Meehan, Chair of
the Republican Southeastern Pennsylvania Caucus; and Bob Asher, Republican
National Committeeman.
We applaud Governor
Corbett for tackling Pennsylvania ’s
pension crisis which is increasing our residents’ property taxes and diverting
dollars away from the classroom to pay for large pension obligations. We
thank the Governor for standing up for Pennsylvania
taxpayers and Pennsylvania
children. As Governor Tom Corbett
travels across the state making his case for pension reform, much of the news
coverage has focused on the so-called “rift” in the Republican Party between
the Governor and the legislature on the issue of pension reform.
In speaking with our
local Republican legislators, it is evident that all of them understand the
need for pension reform; some just differ on the best approach.
OP-ED: Education funding is
top priority under Gov. Corbett
Pottstown Mercury By STATE REP. WILLIAM F. ADOLPH JR., Guest
columnist POSTED: 07/11/14, 4:07 PM EDT
State Rep. Adolph is Chairman of
the House Appropriations Committee
Facts matter in making public policy. Anyone who spends more
than a day working on public policy unfortunately knows that facts are
regularly distorted to advance certain policy positions. Regrettably, in the
editorial “Taxpayers are losers in latest state budget” on July 7, 2014, the
editorial writers for Digital First Media have either blindly taken talking
points from one of the most free-spending education industry advocacy group and
accepted them as fact, or recklessly gambled with the actual facts to advance a
premise not supported by reality.
First and foremost, the simple fact is the recently passed
state budget contains $10.5 billion for K-12 education in Pennsylvania . This is the largest amount of
state funds ever for education and represents a $539 million or 5.2 percent
increase in year-over-year funding.
Republicans must overcome
schism among Harrisburg
ANGELA COULOUMBIS, INQUIRER
HARRISBURG
BUREAU LAST UPDATED: Monday, July 21, 2014, 1:07 AM
POSTED: Sunday, July 20, 2014, 9:43 PM
"You can't do that," Crompton said he told Corbett's
budget secretary, Charles Zogby, questioning the constitutionality of vetoing
some of the money. "Our lawyers
tell us we can," Crompton said Zogby replied tersely. Crompton and his boss, Senate President Pro
Tempore Joe Scarnati, are Republicans. So are Corbett and Zogby.
That may be one of the few things they have in common these
days.
Corbett struggles to energize
the base
For now,
conservatives not happy, and actions aren't winning over moderates.
THOMAS FITZGERALD, INQUIRER POLITICS WRITER LAST UPDATED: Sunday, July 20, 2014, 1:09 AM
Four years ago, Joe Szalwinski knocked on doors and
"passed out more fliers than I can count" to help elect Tom Corbett
governor of Pennsylvania . This year? "I'll probably vote for him,
but I won't work for him," said Szalwinski, 58, a tea party voter from
Fishtown.
He was disappointed that Corbett had abandoned the legal fight
after a federal judge threw out the state's ban on same-sex marriage, and by
the governor's willingness last year to put extra money into Philadelphia schools.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20140720_Corbett_struggling_to_energize_the_base.html#x6yOAWURy2j35gqT.99
Corbett carries the pension
torch
WITF Written by Mary
Wilson, Capitol Bureau Chief | Jul 20, 2014 9:09 PM
Governor Corbett isn't giving up the ghost of a public pension
overhaul -- saying he may still call a special session of the state Legislature
to address the issue. His preferred
proposal still does not have enough support in the House and Senate, Corbett
said at a roundtable discussion in Hummelstown Friday - one of many such events
his office scheduled across the commonwealth last week. The governor made daily statements about the
plan to reduce retirement benefits of future public workers. Supporters say the
changes would reign in long-term costs of public pensions. Opponents, most of
them Democrats, say a better solution is to find new funding for pensions by
raising taxes.
"They just feel, well you have to tax more," Corbett
said. "Well, you'd have to tax and tax and tax everybody. You couldn't tax
any one business enough."
The governor has begun to acknowledge that the proposal in
question would not generate short-term savings for the state or school
districts, both of which are buckling under rising pension costs due to the
state's heavy debt on its two public pension funds. "This is a first step," Corbett
said of the House proposal that evaded a vote in July. "This stops the
bleeding by moving everybody over to a different system." Opponents say even the long-term relief
Corbett promises is in question.
With election looming,
Corbett tries to seize the narrative on school funding: Monday Morning Coffee
By on
July 21, 2014 at 9:04 AM
Good Monday Morning, Fellow
Seekers.
With four months to go until the November general election, Gov. Tom Corbett is trying to regain the high ground on his record on public education funding -- and lawmakers' inaction on pension reform may just have given him the path to get there. In case you've missed it, the Republican governor has been out on the stump almost non-stop for the last two weeks, hammering the Republican-controlled General Assembly for failing to deliver a reform plan before it broke for its annual summer recess.
With four months to go until the November general election, Gov. Tom Corbett is trying to regain the high ground on his record on public education funding -- and lawmakers' inaction on pension reform may just have given him the path to get there. In case you've missed it, the Republican governor has been out on the stump almost non-stop for the last two weeks, hammering the Republican-controlled General Assembly for failing to deliver a reform plan before it broke for its annual summer recess.
Scarnati: "Gov. Corbett's numbers have only one way to
go -- up," he said. "And after he spends $15 million or $20 million,
they will improve."
Democrats expect gains in state Senate
Democrats expect gains in state Senate
Party hopes lead in
governor’s race will bring majority
By James O'Toole / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette July 19, 2014 11:08 PM
Republicans have
controlled the state Senate in Harrisburg
for two decades.
But some Senate
Democrats, buoyed by the polling lead of their candidate for governor and their
own gains in the 2012 elections, contend they are on the verge of reclaiming
the majority that has eluded them for a political generation. "We're really excited,'' said Sen. Jay
Costa, the Democrats' Senate leader. "We're really right on the
cusp."
His opposite number,
Sen. Joseph Scarnati, the Senate president pro tempore, says he's confident not
just that the GOP will retain the majority, but that it has a real chance to
enhance it.
Teachers are getting support they need to improve their
practices and deepen students’ knowledge and skills
US Dept of Education
Progress Blog July 2014
James Ellis, the
principal of White
Deer Elementary
School Pennsylvania ’s
new teacher evaluation system, which went into statewide use as a pilot for the
first time this year. Under the old system, Ellis said he didn’t have the same
deep discussions about what he saw or should have seen.
Guest Column: Let’s listen to
the people
July 19, 2014 6:00 pm • By Jill Bartoli, For The Sentinel
Jill Sunday Bartoli, of Carlisle, is the Democratic
candidate for Pennsylvania
Knocking on the doors
of people in my hometown of Carlisle, and in the surrounding areas of Silver
Spring, Plainfield
and Newville, has given me renewed faith in the basic common sense and good
will of fellow human beings. People have
welcomed me into their homes when it was freezing cold to warm up, or when it
was blazing hot to cool down. They have shared their worries about their
families, our public schools and the need to work together.
They have also shared
their worries about the kind of world we are leaving to our children and
grandchildren:
"Not to sound overly sanctimonious
here, but how long do you think Common Core would last if the public relations
money pushing it dried up? How many people believe strongly enough in it to volunteer
their time to promote it?"
Helmsley
Steps Up Fight for the Common Core
Susan Ohanian's Blog July 2014
Ohanian Note: In case you missed it, here are a few Helmsley grants over the past couple of years to support Common Core--money to everyone from the Business Roundtable to Charlotte Danielson's enterprise
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=726
Susan Ohanian's Blog July 2014
Ohanian Note: In case you missed it, here are a few Helmsley grants over the past couple of years to support Common Core--money to everyone from the Business Roundtable to Charlotte Danielson's enterprise
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=726
Five Inconvenient Truths for
Reformers (1 of 2)
Education Week Learning
Deeply Blog By on July 16, 2014 11:49 PM
In
a piece that Steven Teles and
I published last year, we argued that a group of "jurisdictional
challengers" were seeking to replace many of the functions of traditional
educational entities. So we have alternative teacher certification alongside
traditional certification, charter schools alongside traditional public
schools, new graduate schools of education, like Relay, Sposato, and High Tech
High alongside more traditional ones affiliated with universities; and even new
foundations like Gates, Walton, and Broad seeking to supplant older ones like
Ford, Carnegie, and Spencer. Unlike critics like Diane Ravitch, I do not take
the position that these groups are simply corporate reformers seeking to
privatize education; nor do I take the bullish view held by Eli Broad, Joel
Klein, and others that these reformers are the likely saviors of public
education. Given the scale of the challenge of helping all students engage in
deeper learning, we need an all hands on deck approach, and thus I'm
increasingly convinced that neither the reformers nor the traditionalists have
the answer on their own, and that drawing together the best of both camps is the
way to move forward.
To this end, I wanted to offer two posts, this and the next,
that spotlight some of the blind spots or inconvenient truths for each. Down
the road, I'll try to explain some places where I think the two groups might
work together. Today it is the reformers turn. I'll stay away from the obvious
ones that get bandied about in the blogosphere (reformers are too wedded to
value-added measures, can't fire your way to better quality, etc.) and instead
try to describe some that come out of our visits to dozens of schools, both
charter and traditional public, over the past four years.
Five Inconvenient Truths for
Traditionalists (2 of 2)
Education Week Learning
Deeply Blog By on July 18, 2014 3:12 PM
In
a post yesterday I argued
that moving towards deeper learning would require an all hands on deck approach
that neither the "reformers" nor the traditionalists could achieve on
their own. In the spirit of open discussion, I highlighted five blind spots or
inconvenient truths for the reformers; today I do the same for those who would
put their faith in the more traditional actors in the sector.
Valarie was elected to the local school
board in Decatur in 2002 and served
as its president from 2005-2011. She was elected president of the Georgia
School Boards Association in 2012-13.
Her opponent, Alisha
Thomas Morgan, has been endorsed by the corporate reformers, the hedge fund
managers and billionaires, who support privatization, charters and vouchers.
University
of Pennsylvania Graduate School
The National Writing Project's
resources for teachers\Inspiring Students to Write
The Philadelphia Writing project
(PhilWP), a renowned local site of the National Writing Project, teaches
writing and literacy as critical tools for learning. Penn GSE professor Dianne
Waff works with teachers to move them and their students toward
writing-intensive lives that connect learning, high student achievement, and
personal growth. The following tips come
from experienced PhilWP Teacher Consultants (TCs), who offer ideas to encourage
students to write and develop a love for words and creative expression.
BATS DC
Rally July 28 10 am
The Badass Teachers Association (BATs), an activist
organization of over 50,000 teachers will be holding a rally in Washington D.C. USDOE
Plaza
Bucks Lehigh
EduSummit Monday Aug 11th and Tuesday Aug 12th
Location: Southern Lehigh High School5800 Main Street , Center Valley , PA
18034
Time: 8 AM - 3 PM Each Day(Registration starts at 7:30 AM. Keynote starts at 8:00 AM.)
Location: Southern Lehigh High School
Time: 8 AM - 3 PM Each Day(Registration starts at 7:30 AM. Keynote starts at 8:00 AM.)
The Bucks Lehigh EduSummit is a
collaboratively organized and facilitated two day professional learning
experience coordinated by educators in the Quakertown Community School District , Palisades School District, Salisbury
Township School District, Southern Lehigh School District, Bucks County IU, and Carbon Lehigh IU, which are all located in
northern Bucks county and southern Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Teachers in
other neighboring districts are welcome to attend as well! The purpose of the
EduSummit is to collaborate, connect, share, and learn together for the benefit
of our kids. Focus areas include: Educational Technology, PA Core, Social
Media, Best Practices, etc.
http://buckslehighedusummit2014.wikispaces.com/Home
http://buckslehighedusummit2014.wikispaces.com/Home
Educational Collaborators Pennsylvania Summit
The Educational Collaborators, in partnership with the Wilson School
District
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:
UnitedWay Building 1709 Ben Franklin Parkway
Wed July 30, 5-7 PM
United
Wed July 30, 5-7 PM
Call a Pre-K Friend in Mont Co:
Anne's House242 Barren
Hill Road
Wed July 30, 5-7pm
Anne's House
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.
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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