Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now
reach more than 3525 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors,
administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's
staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition
team members, Superintendents, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher
leaders, business 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, Twitter and
LinkedIn
These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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?
The Keystone State Education Coalition is an endorsing member of The Campaign for Fair Education Funding
Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for February
10, 2015:
Charter
magnate Gureghian also funded McCord campaign
Upcoming Basic Education Funding Commission hearing
scheduled in Dauphin County
PA
Basic Education Funding Commission website
Thursday, February 26, 2015, 11 am Dauphin County, location TBA
Education Voters of PA will hold a forum
about public school funding in York County 6:30 to 8 p.m. March 25 at York Learning
Center 300 E. 7th Ave., North York
Some education officials, advocates are 'hopeful' for a
solution
York Daily Record By Angie Mason amason@ydr.com @angiemason1 on Twitter 02/09/2015
03:07:28 PM EST
Discussion of school funding issues will come to York County York
County York
County
"The Enterprise
Fund's report shows that it received $100,000 from Ross Nese, president of a
Pittsburgh-based nursing home services company, and another $25,000 that
filtered through two other political action committees after being given by
Vahan and Danielle Gureghian of Gladwyne in suburban Philadelphia Montgomery
County
Source of $125K donation to
Rob McCord's Pennsylvania
Morning Call By Marc Levy Of The Associated Press February
9, 2015
Who gave Rob McCord $125,000? Now we know.
A report by The Enterprise Fund appeared on the Pennsylvania
Department of State's website Friday. The department, which administers state
election and campaign finance reporting laws, fined the group $500 for missing
a June deadline to file the report.
"The treasurer of Campaign for Pennsylvania 's Future is Max Tribble of Lancaster
PAC that gave McCord $125,000
reveals its sources
ANGELA COULOUMBIS, INQUIRER HARRISBURG
BUREAU LAST UPDATED: Tuesday, February 10, 2015, 1:08 AM OSTED: Monday,
February 9, 2015, 6:53 PM
SRC to vote on 39 charter
applications Feb. 18, invites public comment
WHYY Newsworks BY LAURA
BENSHOFF FEBRUARY 9, 2015
After a last-minute effort to put off the vote until June
1, Philadelphia 's
School Reform Commission announced it will decide on all 39 charter
applications at a special meeting Feb. 18. That meeting is set for 3:30 p.m. at
the Philadelphia School District
Decision on charters to come
next week
SOLOMON LEACH, DAILY
NEWS STAFF WRITER LEACHS@PHILLYNEWS.COM,
215-854-5903 POSTED: Tuesday, February 10, 2015, 3:01 AM
DECISION DAY for charter-school applicants is about a week
away. The Philadelphia School
District
"n its $2.6 billion 2014-15 budget,
the school system is spending just 53 percent of its revenue on district-run
schools. It is spending 29 percent on charter schools, 11 percent on debt
service, 4 percent on out-of-district costs, and 3 percent on administrative
costs, officials said. For the projected
2015 budget, the biggest increases will be in charter school spending, pension
costs, and debt service - $42 million, $34 million, and $5 million."
Phila. school's latest budget
forecasts $80 million deficit
KRISTEN A. GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Tuesday, February 10,
2015, 1:08 AM OSTED: Monday, February 9, 2015, 8:26 PM
The news remains grim: Without major cash infusions from the
city and state, the Philadelphia
School District
Chief among them are fixed costs that are increasing far faster
than revenue. Current projections have revenue rising $13 million and
expenditures rising about $100 million to maintain the current level of
service, which does not allow for full-time counselors and nurses at every
school.
The district would need $370 million more next year to execute
Superintendent William R. Hite Jr's plan for academic improvements.
"PSP’s tax forms say it distributed
$10,245,186 in grants in 2013. Over 90 percent of it—more than $9.2
million—went to charter schools.
But PSP didn’t stop there. They wielded political influence as well. In
2013, the organization spent $239,601 on lobbying activity. Over $186,500 was
spent on direct contact with legislators, their staffs, government officials or
a legislative body."
Can $35 million buy the Philadelphia School District
WHYY Newsworks THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT A
BLOG BY SOLOMON JONES
FEBRUARY 10, 2015
Is the Philadelphia
School District
That seems to be the central question facing taxpayers in the
wake of a $35 million offer from the non-profit Philadelphia School Partnership
(PSP). Most of the money—$25 million—would go to fund some of the 39 new
charter school applications that the School District says it can’t afford to
approve. Another $10 million would go to District schools. If the School District
takes the money, PSP hopes it will help to create 15,000 more charter school
seats for city students. There’s a problem, though. The money isn't nearly
enough. In fact, the School District estimates
it would take around $500 million to put 15,000 more students into charter
schools.
It's not just the money
INQUIRER
EDITORIAL BOARD POSTED: Tuesday, February 10, 2015, 1:08 AM
The Philadelphia School Partnership, which began about four
years ago with the mission of raising private money for public schools, hasn't
tried to hide its preference for charters. It's not an infatuation:
High-quality charter schools have proven their academic effectiveness with
motivated students who have escaped from chronically bad traditional public
schools. To open charters' doors to more
students, the PSP has offered the School District $25 million to end its
moratorium on expanding the number and size of charters in the city, plus
another $10 million to help turn around failing traditional schools. Charters
are primarily funded with public money taken from the district's budget, and
the district has authority over their creation and growth.
The district was right not to pounce on the PSP offer. It's
inadequate. In fact, the School District
believes it would need about 20 times as much to cover the cost of creating 15,000
new charter seats over six years. The district would still have to fund the
schools the students left, paying for utilities, transportation, and maybe even
the same number of teachers.
Legislators back pension
reform
Republican Herald BY
PETER E. BORTNER Published: February 7, 2015
WEST HAZLETON — Pennsylvania
needs to reform its pension system for public employees or face economic
disaster, state Rep. Mike Tobash said Friday.
“It is crushing our school districts,” Tobash, R-125, said during the
Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers and Employers Association Legislative
Roundtable at the Top of the 80s restaurant. “I think we’re all frustrated.”
Tobash was one of six legislators attending the two-hour
roundtable, where they focused attention on issues that concern association
members, about 40 of whom attended. All
the legislators who attended the roundtable session are Republicans, and they
expressed similar views on pension reform and other issues.
"Bethlehem
·
Public School Employees Retirement System,
up $4.6 million.
·
Employee salaries are up $4.1 million.
·
Technology costs are up $1.35 million,
including a major wireless infrastructure upgrade.
·
Charter school tuition costs will rise by
$721,218.
·
Student tuition up $566,758.
·
Health care up $258,174.
Bethlehem plans to pressure Harrisburg to
reinstate the charter school reimbursement payments, which were phased out in
2011-12. The district has lost out on $15.4 million in charter school subsidy
reimbursements in recent years. The
district's charter and cyber school enrollment has gone from about 500 students
in 2007-08 to a projected 1,800 students next year at a cost of $21 million."
By Sara K.
Satullo | The Express-Times Email the author | Follow on Twitter on
February 09, 2015 at 6:37 PM, updated February 09, 2015 at 7:12 PM
The Bethlehem
Area School Board on Monday night authorized the administration to
apply to the state for exceptions to exceed the annual cap on property tax
increases. The board voted 7-1 to pass
the $247.2
million preliminary budget. Director Sudantha Vidanage arrived late to
the meeting and missed the vote. The
board's vote also allows the administration to apply to the Pennsylvania
Department of Education for permission to exceed the district's 2.3
percent cap on annual property tax raises.
Longstanding
education advocate Gym to run for Philly City Council
Gym
for council
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN
MCCORRY FEBRUARY 9, 2015
One of Philadelphia 's
most recognizable education advocates has announced her candidacy for City
Council. Helen Gym, co-founder of
Parents United for Public Education, held a kickoff event Monday at the Ethical
Society of Philadelphia surrounded by parents, students and union boosters. Gym, a former elementary school teacher who
was selected by the Obama administration last year for a Cesar Chavez Champions
of Change award, has been a stalwart voice for education equity and government
transparency for more than a decade.
Helen Gym announces run for
Phila. City Council
JULIA TERRUSO, INQUIRER
STAFF WRITER POSTED: Monday, February 9, 2015, 4:44 PM
Helen Gym is no stranger to speaking - sometimes yelling - at
elected officials. Now she's vying for a seat at their table. Gym announced her candidacy for a City
Council at-large seat at a lively rally Monday at the Ethical Society in Rittenhouse Square
that focused on education. The mother of
three children in Philadelphia
public magnet schools, Gym has become an advocate for public education funding
and a frequent critic of city policies surrounding it. Gym, 47, entered the race with the
endorsement of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.
"Of the roughly $104,000 that
Excellent Schools PA has raised, $75,000 came from another political committee
called Students First PAC, which is funded almost entirely by the three wealthy
pro-voucher, pro-charter Bala Cynwyd donors who gave $5 million to Williams'
2010 gubernatorial campaign I reported last week that the same three donors plan to
fund an independent expenditure effort to promote Williams' mayoral campaign
and they've already put $250,000 into a new committee, called American Cities,
to get that started."
Dave Davies off mic:
PSP-related political committee gives to Williams' campaign
WHYY Newsworks By Dave Davies for NewsWorks on Feb 9, 2015
07:29 PM
The Philadelphia School Partnership, the nonprofit that last
week offered the School District $25 million to expand charter schools, now has
an affiliated political action committee that has donated $7,000 to the mayoral
campaign of State Sen. Anthony Williams of Philadelphia .
Mark Gleason, executive director of PSP, says his organization
has focused on investing in schools and lobbying for change in Harrisburg . But it saw a need to affect the
political process directly "because many of the policies that hold back Philadelphia schools and
schools around the commonwealth are state policies." As a nonprofit organization, PSP can't make
political contributions. The new PAC, called Excellent Schools PA, is
technically distinct from PSP, but Gleason signed its registration statement in
September and its officers are closely affiliated with PSP or its lobbying arm,
Philadelphia School Advocacy Partners.
"Yet students in poor urban and rural
school districts can expect little or no college advising, an especially big
problem given that many of them are low-income, racial minorities who would be
the first in their families to go to college — meaning they need the most help
with the application process. "Your
ZIP code can really determine what your future will look like," said Kim
Cook, executive director of the National
College Access Network."
Looking Across The
College-Access Divide
NPR by ERIN EINHORN FEBRUARY 09, 2015 1:08 PM ET
Beauty and peace radiate across the 319-acre campus of the
elegant Cranbrook
Schoolsin suburban Detroit .
But in one corner of the upper school, overlooking the manicured lacrosse
field, is an angst-filled office where students and their parents come to fret. On a recent morning there, a pony-tailed
soccer player was nervously fiddling with the zipper on her coat as she asked
her college counselor if it was really necessary for her to do an admissions
interview. "It's just, like,
nerve-wracking because, like, you don't want to say the wrong thing," she
murmured, slumping in her chair.
No profit left behind
In the high-stakes
world of American education, Pearson makes money even when its results don’t
measure up.
PoliticoPro By STEPHANIE SIMON
2/10/15 5:34 AM EST
The British publishing giant Pearson had made few inroads in
the United States
— aside from distributing the TV game show “Family Feud” — when it announced
plans in the summer of 2000 to spend $2.5 billion on an American testing
company. It turned out to be an
exceptionally savvy move. The next year,
Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act, which mandated millions of new
standardized tests for millions of kids in public schools. Pearson was in a
prime position to capitalize.
"Merit pay, charter schools and
increased scrutiny of teachers won’t work because they fundamentally
misdiagnose the problem. It’s not that teachers or schools are horrible.
Rather, the problem is that students with an achievement gap also have an
income gap, a health-care gap, a housing gap, a family gap and a safety gap,
just to name a few. If we truly want to improve educational outcomes, these are
the real issues that must be addressed."
‘You have made us the enemy.
This is personal.’ — 7 N.Y. Teachers of the Year blast Cuomo
Seven New York State Teachers of the
Year have written an open letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, blasting his new
proposed education reforms that, among other things, link half of a teacher’s
evaluation to student standardized test scores. Rich Ognibene, 2008 New York
State Teacher of the Year, said in an e-mail that he wrote the first draft and
six others contributed to the effort because “we were deeply hurt by the
governor’s proposed education reforms.”
Writing and signing the letter along with Ognibene are Ashli
Dreher, 2014 New York State Teacher of the Year; Katie Ferguson, 2012 New York
State Teacher of the Year; Jeff Peneston, 2011 New York State Teacher of the
Year; Marguerite Izzo, 2007 New York State Teacher of the Year; Steve Bongiovi,
2006 New York State Teacher of the Year; and Liz Day, 2005 New York State
Teacher of the Year. The letter has been published in the Albany
Times Union and, with permission from the authors, I am publishing it
here.
Billionaire
Suspends Prize Given to Schools
New York Times By MOTOKO RICH FEB. 9, 2015
Eli Broad, the Los Angeles-based
billionaire philanthropist, has suspended a prize his foundation has given
annually to an urban school district for more than a decade, saying he cannot
find school districts doing enough good work to merit the award. The $1 million Broad Prize, which 12
districts have won since 2002, has rewarded large urban districts with high
numbers of students of color from low-income families. The judges have looked
for improvement in test scores, graduation rates and college admissions.
Education Voters of PA will
hold a forum about public school funding in York County
Where: York
Learning Center 300 E. 7th Ave., North
York
Who: Panelists will include Emilie Lonardi, West York Area
School District superintendent; Scott Deisley, Red Lion Area School District
superintendent; Brian Geller, Northeastern School District director of
operations; Troy Wentz, Hanover Public School District business manager; Ellen
Freireich, York Suburban School Board member; Eric Wolfgang, Central York
School Board member; Jim Buckheit, executive director of the Pennsylvania
Association of School Administrators. Susan Spicka, advocacy coordinator for
Education Voters of PA will facilitate the event.
PSBA 2015 Advocacy Forum
APR 19, 2015 • 8:00
AM - APR 20, 2015 • 5:00 PM
Join PSBA for the second annual Advocacy Forum on April 19-20,
2015. Hear from legislative experts on hot topics and issues regarding public
education on Sunday, April 19, at PSBA headquarters in Mechanicsburg. The next
day you and fellow advocates will meet with legislators at the state capitol.
This is your chance to learn how to successfully advocate on behalf of public
education and make your voice heard on the Hill.
·
Schedule of Events
·
Day One –PSBA headquarters
·
10 a.m. — Early Bird Arrival and Registration
·
10:30-12 p.m. — The State Education Agenda
The chairman of the Senate and House Education Committees will share their perspectives on the education agenda for the 2015-16 session of the General Assembly. Speakers: Senator Smucker, chairman, Senate Education Committee; and Representative Saylor, chairman, House Education Committee
The chairman of the Senate and House Education Committees will share their perspectives on the education agenda for the 2015-16 session of the General Assembly. Speakers: Senator Smucker, chairman, Senate Education Committee; and Representative Saylor, chairman, House Education Committee
·
Noon-1:15 p.m. — Welcome Lunch
·
1:00-12:15 p.m. — Special Welcome and
Introduction: Nathan Mains, PSBA Executive
Director and William LaCoff, PSBA President
·
12:30-1 p.m. — Speaker: Diane Ravitch, nationally known education
historian, policy analyst and author of Reign of Error.
·
1:15-2:00 p.m. — Education Priorities will be
discussed with the Education Secretary Pedro
Rivera
This session provides the latest information on the governor’s proposed state funding plans, the pension crisis and the latest on special education.
This session provides the latest information on the governor’s proposed state funding plans, the pension crisis and the latest on special education.
·
2:00-2:30 p.m. — Federal Education Update:
NSBA
Director of National Advocacy Services Kathleen Branch will join Director of Federal Programs Lucy Gettman from NSBA, to speak about federal advocacy.
Director of National Advocacy Services Kathleen Branch will join Director of Federal Programs Lucy Gettman from NSBA, to speak about federal advocacy.
·
2:30-3 p.m. — Social Media Training (Speakers
to be announced)
·
3-3:15 p.m. — Break
·
3:15-3:45 p.m. — Grassroots Advocacy: How to
be an Effective Advocate
Hear from former Allwein Advocacy Award winners Shauna D’Alessandro, school director from West Jefferson Hills SD and PSBA Allegheny Region 14 director, and Mark B. Miller, board vice president of Centennial SD and PSBA BuxMont Region 11 director.
Hear from former Allwein Advocacy Award winners Shauna D’Alessandro, school director from West Jefferson Hills SD and PSBA Allegheny Region 14 director, and Mark B. Miller, board vice president of Centennial SD and PSBA BuxMont Region 11 director.
·
3:45-4:15 p.m. — Legislative Update and Lobby
Day Coordination
PSBA’s Senior Director of Government Affairs John Callahan will walk you through legislative issues and priorities that might be addressed the next day during legislative visits by members.
PSBA’s Senior Director of Government Affairs John Callahan will walk you through legislative issues and priorities that might be addressed the next day during legislative visits by members.
·
4:15-5 p.m. — Roundtable Discussion
Network with your fellow board members before visiting your legislator
Network with your fellow board members before visiting your legislator
·
5:00-5:15 p.m. — Break
·
5:15-6:30 p.m. — Dinner Buffet
Enjoy a legislative discussion on the 2015-16 budget and appropriations with Senator Browne
Enjoy a legislative discussion on the 2015-16 budget and appropriations with Senator Browne
·
6:30 p.m. — Adjourn
Campaign for Fair Education
Funding Seeks Campaign Manager
Campaign for Fair Education Funding February 2, 2015
The Campaign for Fair Education Funding seeks a campaign
manager who is a strategic thinker and an operational leader. This position
could be filled by an individual or firm. The manager will lead the day-to-day
operations of the campaign and its government relations, communications,
mobilization and research committees and work in partnership with the campaign
governing board to set and implement the campaign’s strategic direction.
Sign-up for weekly email updates from the
Campaign
The Campaign for Fair
Education Funding website
PA Basic Education Funding
Commission website
Thorough and Efficient: Pennsylvania
Education Funding Lawsuit website
Arguing that our state has failed to ensure that essential
resources are available for all of our public school students to meet state
academic standards.
Sign up for National School Boards Association’s Advocacy Network
Friends of
Public Education http://p2a.co/nsbac
Register
Now! EPLC 2015 Regional Workshops for School Board Candidates and Others
The Education Policy and Leadership Center, with the Cooperation
of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) and Pennsylvania
Association of School Business Officials (PASBO), will conduct A
Series of Regional Full-Day Workshops for 2015 Pennsylvania School
Board Candidates. Incumbents,
non-incumbents, campaign supporters and all interested voters are invited to
participate in these workshops.
Pittsburgh Region Saturday, February 21, 2015 – 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120
Harrisburg Region Saturday, March 7, 2015– 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania School Boards Association Headquarters, 400 Bent Creek Boulevard, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Pennsylvania School Boards Association Headquarters, 400 Bent Creek Boulevard, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Philadelphia Region Saturday, March 14, 2015 – 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, 2 W. Lafayette Street, Norristown, PA 19401
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, 2 W. Lafayette Street, Norristown, PA 19401
PILCOP: Children with
Emotional Problems: Avoiding the Juvenile Justice System, and What Does Real
Help Look Like?
This session will help you navigate special education in order
to assist children at home not receiving services, those in the foster care
system or those in the juvenile court system. CLE and Act 48 credit is
available. This session is co-sponsored
by the University of Pennsylvania School of Policy and Practice, a Pre-approved
Provider of Continuing Education for Pennsylvania
licensed social workers. Click here to purchase tickets
NPE 2015 Annual Conference –
Chicago April 24 - 26 – Early Bird Special Registration Open!
January 4, 2015 NPE 2015 Annual Conference, NPE National Conference
Early-bird discounted Registration for the Network for
Public Education’s Second Annual Conference is now available at this address:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/network-for-public-education-2015-annual-conference-tickets-15118560020
These low rates will last for the month of January.
The event is being held at the Drake Hotel in downtown
Chicago, and there is a link on the registration page for special hotel
registration rates. Here are some of the event details.
There will be a welcoming social event 7 pm Friday night,
at or near the Drake Hotel — details coming soon. Featured speakers will be:
§
Jitu Brown, National Director – Journey
for Justice, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, Network for Public
Education Board of Directors
§
Tanaisa Brown, High School Senior, with
the Newark Student Union
§
Yong Zhao, Author, “Who’s Afraid of the
Big Bad Dragon?“
§
Diane Ravitch in conversation with
§
Lily Eskelsen Garcia, NEA President and
§
Randi Weingarten, AFT President
§
Karen Lewis, President, Chicago Teachers
Union
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.