Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now
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These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup November 19, 2015:
Case will proceed against founder of PA Cyber Charter
School
Blogger rant: Unlike brick
and mortar charter schools that primarily take funds out of their chartering
school district, cyber charters take funds from taxpayers in all 500 PA school
districts. Back in 2007, Mr. Trombetta
took $10 million from PA Cyber's fund balance to finance the construction of a
performing arts center for the town of Midland Midland
to play one of the Steinway pianos that my Delaware County
BTW, here are PA Cyber Charter
School
"Mr. Trombetta is
charged with siphoning about $1 million from the Midland-based school through
various corporate entities he controlled."
Case will proceed against founder of PA Cyber Charter
School
A federal judge has
rejected Pennsylvania
Cyber Charter
School
LNP Editorial: Hope for a budget, with K-12 funding
THE ISSUE: The “framework” budget agreement being negotiated between
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican legislative leaders includes $350
million more for basic education and $50 million more for special education.
The governor’s spokesman, Jeff Sheridan, also says the governor is committed to
seeking $50 million more for preschool education. A 21 percent boost in the
state sales tax to 7.25 percent statewide (8.25 percent in Allegheny County
and 9.25 percent in Philadelphia
The boosts in
funding to public schools that have been agreed to by both sides are perhaps
the first true rays of light in Pennsylvania ’s
now 141-day-old budget stalemate. Education
has, according to polls by
Franklin & Marshall College’s Center for Opinion Research, been the top or
No. 2 concern of Pennsylvania
voters since June 2014. It was the top issue of Wolf’s successful
campaign. So, it’s good that all have agreed to a $400 million increase for
K-12 education. An added $50 million for
pre-K programs — when done right save $7 for every dollar spent — should be
settled quickly. “It’s not that we
oppose it,” House GOP spokesman Steve Miskin told LNP on Tuesday. “It’s about
how much money we have.” Given pre-K’s payback
potential, Wolf is right to dig in on this issue. A reasonable extraction tax on natural gas
should do the trick. And that, unfortunately, is something Republicans have
opposed.
School leaders: Voter referendum on property tax hikes
would mean 'slow death' for public education
School districts are
hurting, and the remedy, say education advocates, is a state budget with
sufficient funding that's fairly distributed.
Instead, they could get "a prescription for disaster," said
Matt Przywara, Chief Financial and Operations Officer for School District of
Lancaster, at a school board meeting last week.
Przywara was referring to a proposal being floated — as part of state
budget talks in Harrisburg
— that would require school districts to seek voter approval before raising
property taxes. In the week since a budget framework emerged, school leaders in Lancaster County
Editorial: Property tax
reform takes a new hit
Delco Times POSTED: 11/18/15,
10:21 PM EST | UPDATED: 31 SECS AGO
The road to property
tax relief – that bane of every Delaware
County
The first-term
Republican state senator who filled the large shoes of longtime Sen. Ted
Erickson in the 26th District made property tax reform one of the keystones of
his campaign. As a former Springfield
Township
That’s because the
Delco senator recently pulled his support for the bill.
"A memo sent to
legislators by a coalition of groups - including the Pennsylvania Chamber of
Business and Industry, the Pennsylvania Business Council, the Pennsylvania
Bankers Association, and the National Federation of Independent Business -
voiced strident opposition, citing "uncertainties and significant
risks" of a measure with such a steep hike in income taxes."
Pa.
by Matthew Nussbaum, Inquirer Staff
Writer Updated on NOVEMBER
19, 2015 — 1:08 AM EST
Pension reform’s goals
start to take shape despite lack of agreement
The PLS Reporter Author: Jason Gottesman/Wednesday,
November 18, 2015
While budget
negotiators continue to hammer out the finer points of what the pension reform
portion of the budget framework will entail, those close to the negotiations
game The PLS Reporter a closer look of what goals the reforms
hope to achieve as vehicle legislation continued to make its way through the
General Assembly Wednesday. Senate Bill
1071, the current vehicle bill, passed through the Senate Finance Committee
Wednesday along a party-line vote. Committee
Minority Chairman John Blake (D-Lackawanna) encouraged his Democratic colleagues
to vote in the negative on the legislation since it is in the form of the
previously vetoed Senate Bill 1, though he noted through is involvement in the
negotiations on pension reform this year that the current discussions are
“progressing satisfactorily.” After the
meeting, he told The PLS Reporter that Democrats are
continuing to push for a number of specifics on pension reform.
Blogger note: These tax
credit programs divert tax dollars to unaccountable private and religious
schools, reducing the funds that are available in the general fund to provide
constitutionally mandated public education to all children. There are virtually no academic or fiscal
accountability requirements for the funds.
EITC/OSTC: Politics
imperil 2,000 low-income scholarships
by Martha Woodall, Inquirer Staff Writer Updated on NOVEMBER 19, 2015 —
1:08 AM EST
Officials from the
state's largest K-8 scholarship program warned Wednesday that Harrisburg
politics were jeopardizing $2.5 million for 2,000 new scholarships to help
low-income Philadelphia
children attend nonpublic schools next year.
Ina Lipman, executive director of the Children's Scholarship Fund
Philadelphia, told families at the National
Constitution Center Harrisburg
is holding up" the letters approving the tax credits that companies need. "It's not a budget issue," Lipman
said. "It's not an appropriation issue."
Sen. Patricia Vance, a
West Shore political mainstay, calls this her last term
Penn Live By Charles Thompson |
cthompson@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on
November 18, 2015 at 11:28 PM, updated November 19, 2015 at 5:48 AM
Pat Vance, once a
pioneering female community volunteer who became one of the West Shore Cumberland County Harrisburg 's GOP
caucuses.
Blogger note: In addition to
being a founding member and Co-Chair of the Keystone State Education Coalition,
Master School Board Member Roberta Marcus served as President of PSBA in 2010
and was the 2nd recipient of PSBA's Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award. She has a long record of distinguished volunteer
service at the local, state and national levels. She also serves on the Board of Directors of
the Education Policy and Leadership
Center
Officials heaped praise upon
Roberta Marcus for about 25 minutes during a meeting Monday.
Stephen Althouse,
WFMZ.com Reporter, news@wfmz.com Posted: 0:18 AM EST Nov 18, 2015
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - School board meetings are rarely associated with good cheer
and joy, but Tuesday night's Parkland School District meeting could easily have
been labeled as such. The reason was the retirement of President Roberta Marcus
after more than two decades on the dais. "Thank you for listening to me
all these years," said Marcus in her farewell address. QUICK CLICKS
Residents mad over decision at old Stine Stump Farm One City Council member
opposes Bethlehem tax hike Local Scoreboard ASD superintendent speaks out in
wake of recent violence Local students prepare for Luminaria Night
Superintendent Richard Sniscak lauded Marcus for her "dedication to the
school district" and for serving as a fierce "advocate for public
education." Marcus continued offering her opinions right up to the rap of
the final gavel Tuesday night. She called public education "the best
investment" a community could make, adding that she was against
legislation in Harrisburg
that sought property tax and Act 1 exceptions reforms.
Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-lehighvalley/Parkland-president-steps-down-after-two-decades-of-service/36515570
Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-lehighvalley/Parkland-president-steps-down-after-two-decades-of-service/36515570
Radnor district and
teachers reach deal
by Kathy Boccella, Inquirer Staff Writer Updated on NOVEMBER 19, 2015 —
1:08 AM EST
After months of
contentious talks and a dispute that roiled one of the region's elite school
districts, Radnor
Township Radnor Township
School District
The dispute - which
also included protracted contract fights with bus drivers and support staff -
may have cost three incumbents their seats on the board. President Kimm
Doherty, Vice President Lisa Borowski, and chief negotiator Eric Zajac lost
reelection bids in November, but remain on the board through this year and
voted on the pact.
Elizabeth Forward school directors OK loan to offset
state budget impasse
By Janice
Crompton/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette November 18, 2015 10:03 PM
School directors in
the Elizabeth Forward School District Harrisburg
continues next year. "We may need
to borrow again next year," said Mr. Fantauzzi, who said the district is
limited to $10 million in tax anticipation notes by the state each year. The district will pay a 0.93 percent interest
rate that will total $27,198 by the end of April, when the debt is to be paid.
The district will also pay about $6,551 in additional fees.
$5M shortfall in
Spring-Ford school budget blamed state stalemate
By Eric Devlin, The Mercury POSTED: 11/18/15, 6:16 PM EST | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
Royersford >>
Harrisburg’s inability to pass a budget has made it nearly impossible for
officials in the Spring-Ford Area School District to present a 2016-17 proposed
budget. During Monday night’s
meeting, James D. Fink, the district’s new business manager, who’s only been on
the job for three months, stood with Superintendent David Goodin to present the
preliminary proposed budget, which as it stands now has a 4.8 percent gap that
needs to be filled. Both men said they
don’t yet have all the information needed to accurately predict what the budget
might look like, especially since the General Assembly can’t agree on a budget
of its own. “It’s still too
early to tell without the insight of what’s going to happen with the state
budget,” Fink said. “It’s very difficult to tell what our budget is going to
look like.”
Angie Mason, amason@ydr.com8:42 p.m. EST November 18, 2015
The York City School
Board denied an application for arts-focused charter school in York on Wednesday. In September, the board had heard a proposal
for the Arts
to the Core Charter School. The applicants wanted to start a K-8 charter
school that would "infuse" arts into core subjects. At a hearing in September, district
administrators targeted what they said was a lack of information in the
application. Representatives of the proposed school had said that many details
requested couldn't be determined until after a charter was obtained. The board did not discuss the application
during Wednesday's meeting, but voted 7-0 to deny the application. A
written decision explaining the denial listed a number of areas
deemed lacking in detail, such as instructional plans and financial plans. "It was expected," Bob Marquet,
treasurer and secretary for the proposed school, said of the decision. Most
charter applications are rejected by school boards in the state, he said. Asked
if the decision would be appealed to the state Charter Appeal Board,
Marquet said probably. "We'll
see," he said.
Understanding the PSSA
exams
the notebook By Paul Jablow on Nov 18, 2015
12:37 PM
What are the
PSSAs?
The Pennsylvania
Department of Education launched the PSSAs (Pennsylvania System of School
Assessment) in 1992. They are standardized tests administered annually and are
based on state standards for what students should know and be able to do at
various grade levels.
Who put them
together?
They are developed
and scored by the Minnesota-based Data Recognition Corp.
The state sets “cut
scores,” determining what results are considered Advanced, Proficient, Basic,
or Below Basic.
Who takes them
and when?
Every Pennsylvania student in
grades 3 through 8 is assessed in English Language Arts and Math. Every student
in grades 4 and 8 is also assessed in Science & Technology. This applies to
students attending District schools, charters, and cyber charters. About
775,000 students took the PSSA tests in 2015.
"Literacy for young
readers is crucial because science, social studies and English at higher grade
levels all hinge on the student's ability to read and understand the material,
the report says. "These efforts are
focused on raising student achievement levels early in their school experiences,
the time when most of the essential and fundamental learning for future school
success is taking place," Reinhart said."
Almost a third of Easton
By Rudy Miller
| For lehighvalleylive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on
November 19, 2015 at 6:05 AM, updated November 19, 2015 at 6:08 AM
Almost a third Easton
Area School District second graders can't read on grade level,
according to a report attached to Tuesday night's school board meeting agenda. That's why the school board hired Step By
Step Learning consultants to help boost comprehension for young readers. The report says 32 percent of second graders
tested in 2013-14 were unable to read grade-level text accurately. That's below
the nationwide average of about 10 percent below grade level, the report says. Less than 70 percent of K-2 students met
their composite score goals on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early
Literacy Skills test, the report says.
Integration: What happens
when magnet school suddenly drops admission criteria?
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN MCCORRY NOVEMBER 18, 2015
For many Philadelphia families,
the city's special admissions magnet schools are key resources that keep them
from moving out of town. But what would
happen if one of these schools was suddenly required to drop its acceptance
requirements and begin enrolling students performing at far lower academic
standards? One Northwest
Philadelphia public school is on track to find out.
First marking period in
Phila. ends with many teacher shortages
by Kristen A. Graham, Inquirer Staff
Writer Updated on NOVEMBER
19, 2015 — 1:08 AM EST
Some Philadelphia
schoolchildren have gone an entire marking period without a permanent teacher.
Others have multiple courses - in major subjects - without one. Two and a half months into the school year,
136 teacher vacancies remain in the Philadelphia
School District Jordan attributes the problem to a
management failure and to poor working conditions for teachers. He and Arlene Kempin, the PFT vice president
responsible for working with the district on human-resources issues, said they
had never seen this many vacancies this late in a year - that in prior school
terms, human-resources officials were by this point already focused on next
year's hiring needs.
Outsourcing contract to be
revised
by REGINA MEDINA & SOLOMON LEACH,
Daily News Staff Writers medinar@phillynews.com,
215-854-5985 Updated on NOVEMBER
19, 2015 — 3:01 AM EST
Source4Teachers is the
right partner for the District
the notebook Opinion By Kendley Davenport on
Nov 18, 2015 03:44 PM
Kendley
Davenport is the chief executive officer of Source4Teachers.
For a number of
years, the School District
of Philadelphia School District
awarded a contract to Source4Teachers to develop and manage a substitute
program that would not only remedy the low fill-rate problem, but also serve as
the foundation for a more sustainable long-term solution.
As the leader of
Source4Teachers, I want to publicly acknowledge that we have underperformed.
We’ve got to do better. We will do better.
Guest Post: The Leaders We
Need
November 18, 2015 | The Leader In Me
November 18, 2015 | The Leader In Me
This is a guest post written by Pedro
Noguera, Distinguished Professor of Education in the Graduate School
Now, more than ever,
education is the subject of great controversy and conflict. Every politician
running for office, whether that office is President, governor, congress or
dogcatcher, claims that if elected, they will fix our schools. As our nation
contends with serious matters—war, global warming, disease, poverty and
inequality, education continues to rise to the surface as an issue that cannot
be ignored. Why?
Education should be
a topic that is so ordinary and mundane that we simply forget about it and take
it for granted. After all, we have been educating children for as long as human
society has existed. Yet, it is increasingly the subject of hot debate. There
are debates over high stakes testing, charter schools, the common core
standards, bilingual education, school choice, violence and safety, and even
“sexting.” These issues compete for space and attention in the news right
alongside the other major issues of the day.
Too many charter schools exclude the ‘hardest-to-teach’
students
The writer is director of the National Education Policy
Center
The Nov. 14
editorial “Turning
her back on children” took Democratic presidential candidate and former
secretary of state Hillary Clinton to task for saying “most” charter schools
“don’t take [or keep] the hardest-to-teach kids.” As a researcher who has
studied charter schools, I would have said “many” instead of “most” because the
system is far too deregulated for us to know how widespread any given practice
is. But Ms. Clinton is right to call attention to this serious problem.
Charter schools can and do control access by recommending other schools to
students with special needs, by deciding what programs and resources they offer
and what conditions they place on applications and on attendance, by
threatening to flunk students and by repeatedly suspending them for minor
disciplinary violations. Whether “many” or “most,” the problem is real.
Also, the editorial
said, “Most charters have more applicants than desks.” According to the same report cited in the editorial, “Only 16%
of charter schools report having a waitlist at all.” One out of six is not
“most.” Please be more careful and please acknowledge that far too many charter
schools find ways to exclude the “hardest-to-teach” students.
ESEA Conference Committee
Kicks Off, NCLB One Step Closer to Extinction
Education Week
Politics K-12 Blog By Alyson Klein on November
18, 2015 4:48 PM
UPDATED - School districts
and state offiicials have been pleading with Congress for years to update the
much-maligned No Child Left Behind Act, the current version of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act. And now it looks like they are finally on the
verge of getting their wish.
Lawmakers on the
U.S. Senate education committee and more than a dozen House members met in a
conference committee Wednesday to begin reconciling two bills—one a
Republican-only measure that barely passed the U.S. House of Representatives in
July, and the other a Senate version that cleared the U.S. Senate with big,
bipartisan support a few days later.
Even before the
official start of the conference, the lead negotiators, Reps. John Kline,
R-Minn.,Bobby Scott, D-Va., and Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.,
and Patty Murray, D-Wash., came to a preliminary agreement or "framework" to
jump-start negotiations. The agreement, called the "Every Student Succeeds
Act" is not the final word, but it will help guide the conference process,
which could conclude this week. The legislation is expected to be on the floor
of both chambers shortly after the Thanksgiving recess.
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT
Comparison Chart of Pending Changes
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Congress is currently considering sweeping changes to the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA),1 with bills having passed both
the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R.52 ) and the U.S. Senate (S.11773 ).
This chart provides a breakdown of pending changes compared to current law and
highlights ASCD’s position on key provisions.
The new ESEA, in a single table
Flypaper Blog by Michael
J. Petrilli November 18, 2015
As first reported by
Alyson Klein at Education Week’s Politics K–12 blog,
Capitol Hill staff reached an agreement last week on the much-belated
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The conference
committee is expected to
meet today to give its assent (or, conceivably, to tweak the agreement
further). Final language should be available soon after Thanksgiving, with
votes in both chambers by mid-December. If all goes as planned, President Obama
could sign a new ESEA into law before Christmas. So what’s in the compromise? Here’s what I
know, based on Education Week’s reporting and my conversations with
Hill staffers. (There are plenty of details that remain elusive.) I’ll display
it via a new version of my handy-dandy color-coded table. (Previous
editions here, here, here,
and here.)
ESEA Conference Framework: "Every Student
Succeeds Act"
Education Week
Campaign K-12 Blog tweet November 18, 2015
THE PENDING PA
BUDGET AGREEMENT - How
will it Impact Your Schools and Your Taxes; and is it What You Want for
Pennsylvania?
ST PAUL’S BAPTIST
CHURCH AUDITORIUM ONE HAGERTY BLVD JUST OFF RT 202 BYPASS AT the MATLACK ST
EXIT WEST CHESTER, PA 19382 610-692-2446
It’s time for the
law makers to pass a budget. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN WITHOUT YOUR INPUT! Pennsylvania needs
a responsible budget that invests in the future.
PSBA New School Director
Training
School boards who will welcome new directors after the election should
plan to attend PSBA training to help everyone feel more confident right from
the start. This one-day event is targeted to help members learn the basics of
their new roles and responsibilities. Meet the friendly, knowledgeable PSBA
team and bring everyone on your “team of 10” to get on the same page fast.
- $150 per
registrant (No charge if your district has a LEARN Pass. Note: All-Access
members also have LEARN Pass.)
- One-hour lunch
on your own — bring your lunch, go to lunch, or we’ll bring a box lunch to
you; coffee/tea provided all day
- Course
materials available online or we’ll bring a printed copy to you for an
additional $25
- Registrants
receive one month of 100-level online courses for each registrant, after
the live class
Nine locations
for your convenience:
- Philadelphia
area — Nov. 21 William Tennent HS, Warminster (note: location changed from
IU23 Norristown)
- Pittsburgh
area — Dec. 5 Allegheny IU3, Homestead
- South Central
PA and Erie areas (joint program)— Dec. 12 Northwest Tri-County IU5,
Edinboro and PSBA, Mechanicsburg
- Butler area —
Jan. 9 Midwestern IU 4, Grove City (note: location changed from Penn State
New Kensington)
- Allentown area
— Jan. 16 Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, Schnecksville
- Central PA —
Jan. 30 Nittany Lion Inn, State College
- Scranton area
— Feb. 6 Abington Heights SD, Clarks Summit
- North Central
area —Feb. 13 Mansfield University, Mansfield
Register here: https://www.psba.org/2015/09/new-school-director-training/
NSBA Advocacy
Institute 2016; January 24 - 26 in Washington ,
D.C.
Housing and meeting registration is open for Advocacy Institute 2016. The theme, “Election Year Politics & Public Schools,” celebrates the exciting year ahead for school board advocacy. Strong legislative programming will be paramount at this year’s conference in January. Visit www.nsba.org/advocacyinstitute for more information.
Housing and meeting registration is open for Advocacy Institute 2016. The theme, “Election Year Politics & Public Schools,” celebrates the exciting year ahead for school board advocacy. Strong legislative programming will be paramount at this year’s conference in January. Visit www.nsba.org/advocacyinstitute for more information.
PASBO 61st Annual
Conference and Exhibits March 8 - 11, 2016
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
The Network for Public Education 3rd
Annual National Conference April 16-17, 2016 Raleigh , North Carolina
The
Network for Public Education is thrilled to announce the location for our 3rd
Annual National Conference. On April 16 and 17, 2016 public education advocates
from across the country will gather in Raleigh, North Carolina. We chose Raleigh to highlight the tremendous
activist movement that is flourishing in North Carolina. No one exemplifies
that movement better than the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, who will be the
conference keynote speaker. Rev. Barber is the current president of
the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, the National NAACP chair of
the Legislative Political Action Committee, and the founder of Moral Mondays.
Interested in letting our
elected leadership know your thoughts on education funding, a severance tax,
property taxes and the budget?
Governor Tom Wolf,
(717) 787-2500
Speaker of the
House Rep. Mike Turzai, (717) 772-9943
House Majority Leader Rep. Dave Reed, (717) 705-7173
Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Joe Scarnati, (717) 787-7084
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jake Corman, (717) 787-1377
House Majority Leader Rep. Dave Reed, (717) 705-7173
Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Joe Scarnati, (717) 787-7084
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jake Corman, (717) 787-1377
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