Wednesday, February 24, 2016

PA Ed Policy Roundup Feb 24: TOP 10 REASONS PA NEEDS A BETTER BASIC EDUCATION FUNDING SYSTEM

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 3850 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, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, 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

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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup February 24, 2016:
TOP 10 REASONS PA NEEDS A BETTER BASIC EDUCATION FUNDING SYSTEM



PSBA Advocacy Forum & Day on the Hill APR 4, 2016 • 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM



TOP 10 REASONS PA NEEDS A BETTER BASIC EDUCATION FUNDING SYSTEM
Campaign for Fair Education Funding

PA Budget Clock: This is the longest-lasting budget impasse the state has seen in two generations.

Pa. lawmakers seek audit of Wolf's spending, report: Tuesday Morning Coffee
Penn Live By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com  Email the author | Follow on Twitter  on February 23, 2016 at 8:19 AM, updated February 23, 2016 at 1:36 PM
Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
State lawmakers are asking Pennsylvania's fiscal watchdog to figure out how the Wolf administration spent $37.5 billion since last July 1, even though the state went six months without an approved budget.  Wolf is spending as though "he has an open checkbook," a spokeswoman for Senate Republicans tells The Tribune-Review. "We're concerned about checks and balances."  Lawmakers authorized a $23.4 billion budget last December. Since Jan. 1, the administration has spent about $12.8 billion, the Trib reports, citing Treasury Department data.  State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat like Wolf, said he's reviewing the audit request submitted by leaders in the state House and Senate, the newspaper reported.

Pennsylvanians don't have much confidence in state government
Penn Live By Rachel Bunn | rbunn@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on February 23, 2016 at 1:57 PM, updated February 23, 2016 at 6:11 PM
After a year where Gov. Tom Wolf and the Pennsylvania General Assembly failed to agree upon a budget, and Attorney General Kathleen Kane had her law license suspended — among other things — it's no surprise that Pennsylvanians have little confidence in state government.  According to a Gallup poll conducted between March and December 2015, about 53 percent of Pennsylvanians surveyed are not confident in state government.  That puts Pennsylvania residents in the sixth place spot — tied with Kansas and New York residents — for lack of confidence in their state leaders. Illinois tops the list with about 74 percent of residents lacking confidence in state government.

John Hanger on Pa.'s budget: Gov. Wolf 'took a lot of guff and...got us nowhere'
Penn Live By Wallace McKelvey | WMckelvey@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on February 23, 2016 at 7:30 AM, updated February 23, 2016 at 10:12 AM
John Hanger was among the most powerful members of Gov. Tom Wolf's Cabinet, particularly in the midst of one of the state's longest budget impasses.  As policy and planning secretary, Hanger helped shape the governor's budget proposals, sat in on meetings with lawmakers and oversaw compromises and the political wrangling inherent in the process.  Hanger faced off against Wolf in 2014's Democratic gubernatorial primary, but despite the turmoil of the last year — Pennsylvania still lacks a finalized budget — Hanger wouldn't change a thing.

We're taxed enough - we have a spending problem: Mike Folmer
PennLive Op-Ed  By Senator Mike Folmer on February 23, 2016 at 1:00 PM, updated February 23, 2016 at 1:03 PM
Leaving Gov. Tom Wolf's budget address earlier this month, I thought about a line from "Apollo 13": "Houston, we have a problem."  Article VIII, Section 12 of the Pennsylvania Constitution stipulates:  "Annually, at the times set by law, the Governor shall submit to the General Assembly" information on "a balanced operating budget for the ensuing fiscal year setting forth in detail:  (i) proposed expenditures classified by department or agency and by program and (ii) estimated revenues from all sources.  If estimated revenues and available surplus are less than proposed expenditures, the Governor shall recommend specific additional sources of revenue sufficient to pay the deficiency and the estimated revenue to be derived from each source".  Other provisions of Article VIII, Section 12 require the Governor to also submit information on a capital budget and a financial plan for the next five years.  While Wolf submitted these required materials, none of the information was part of his budget address to the General Assembly. Rather, his talk was more of a campaign speech.  I agree with Wolf: Pennsylvania needs to put its financial house in order.  However, I strongly disagree to address a structural deficit requires increased spending, borrowing, and taxation. 

 “Whether a school board should be elected or appointed is debatable. Politics will play a role regardless. A Pew Charitable Trusts survey of 15 major urban school districts shows that 10 have elected boards, as do 90 percent of school districts nationwide. Any SRC replacement will also have to address the issue of taxing authority, including a mechanism to allow public input. In any case, Philadelphians are as capable as anyone else of running their public schools.”
Time to think beyond the SRC
Inquirer Editorial Updated: FEBRUARY 24, 2016 — 3:01 AM EST
It's time to begin the hard work necessary to replace the Philadelphia School Reform Commission with a viable school board. The SRC's reason to exist was all but buried last week when the state Supreme Court ruled that the law that created its extraordinary powers nearly two decades ago was unconstitutional.  Without the authority granted in the 1998 law allowing the state to take over the School District in 2001, the SRC won't be able to circumvent its contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers to assign staff and change work rules based on what it deems necessary. That may be good for the union, but not necessarily for schoolchildren.  A recent SRC meeting was the scene of a vigorous debate about charter schools.  The court's ruling, however, only validated what has been apparent for a while now: The SRC long ago stopped fulfilling the high hopes many had when it was created in a deal between Mayor John Street and Gov. Mark Schweiker. Philadelphia schools were supposed to become financially resilient as a result. Instead, they remain destitute.

Readers riff on Wolf budget woes
by John Baer, Daily News Political Columnist.  Updated: FEBRUARY 23, 2016 — 8:54 AM EST
Monday's column focused on what Wolf can do to untangle the snagged state budget mess drew an unusually-high number of reader emails filled with suggestions.  This is in contrast to the normal flow of messages about how horrible and hopeless Harrisburg is and/or how everything is (a) the rookie governor's fault or (b) due to blockhead lawmakers.  I, perhaps overly optimistically, take this to mean taxpayers might finally be paying more attention to a system sucking down their dough while providing little or no progress on the many things taxpayers pay for -- including, of course, the Legislature.  So I thought I'd share some of the thoughts readers shared with me.  Al simply says, "Try smaller government, lower taxes!"  Great idea, Al, expect you can expect the Wolfman to veto anything reflecting that, and Republican don't (yet) have enough votes to override his vetoes.

Schools face challenges of new testing
Lancaster Online by LAURA KNOWLES | LNP CUSTOM CONTENT CONTRIBUTOR Feb 20, 2016
If it seems like children are taking lots of tests in schools, it’s not your imagination.
In Pennsylvania, students take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA), the Keystone Exams, Classroom Diagnostic Tools (CDT) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
It’s no wonder that Pennsylvania students — and educators — might be feeling a little over-tested.  The PSSA assesses English language arts and mathematics for students in grades 3 through 8, while students in grades 4 and 8 are also administered the science PSSA.
The PSSAs are aligned to the Pennsylvania Common Core Standards in English language arts and mathematics. The PSSAs are intended to provide students, parents, educators and the public with an understanding of student and school performance related to the attainment of proficiency of the academic standards.  Then there are the Keystone Exams, which are high school accountability assessments for federal and state purposes, which eventually will be used as high school graduation requirements.


Numerous concerns raised about designated Renaissance school operator
Councilwoman Gym is calling for the District to drop Great Oaks as a Renaissance charter provider.
the notebook February 23, 2016 — 4:16pm
Kevin McCorry of NewsWorks contributed reporting.
City Councilwoman Helen Gym is formally raising questions about the fitness of Great Oaks Foundation, Inc., to operate Cooke Elementary School in Logan, calling its “proposed budget and academic programs ... an unjustified mess which defy standard accounting practices and basic pedagogy.”  In its application, Great Oaks “offers nothing in the way of educational innovation while relying on a bloated administration,” Gym wrote in a letter to Superintendent William Hite that was released Tuesday. “I urge the District and the SRC to cease all consideration of Great Oaks as a charter operator.”  Great Oaks' chief academic officer, Rashaun Reid, said that Gym made several “misrepresentations” in her statement and that a fuller response would be released later Tuesday.  Gym said she found many “troubling” aspects about the application. Chief among them is that the organization has no experience in school turnaround or in dealing with the K-5 population that Cooke serves. Plus, she said, the organization plans to increase administrative costs while cutting teachers and relying on recent college graduates receiving small stipends as tutors.

Gym questions proposed Cooke charter operator
Inquirer by Martha Woodall, Staff Writer. Updated: FEBRUARY 24, 2016 — 1:08 AM EST
City Councilwoman Helen Gym said Tuesday that a New York-based charter chain lacks the qualifications to turn around Cooke Elementary School and that its proposed administrative costs are so high that the school would have 50 percent less to spend on classroom instruction.  Gym, who analyzed the proposal of Great Oaks Foundation Inc., said that its budget at Cooke calls for spending four times the amount on administration as the Logan school pays now, and includes a $550,000 management fee to the foundation.  "This company has proposed an indefensible use of public funds that will cost more than we currently spend while offering students even less than they already receive," Gym said in a news release accompanying her report. "Their proposed budget and academic programs are an unjustified mess."  The councilwoman, who has criticized Great Oaks before, also said the organization has never operated a turnaround school and has no experience working with K-5 students - a large share of students at K-8 Cooke.  Great Oaks operates charters in New York City; Newark, N.J.; Wilmington; and Bridgeport, Conn.  Gym's report, which was sent to Superintendent William R. Hite Jr., urges the district and the School Reform Commission to drop Great Oaks from consideration as a Renaissance charter operator.

SRC suspended school code in dozens of resolutions over five years
The commission used its special powers frequently and in a variety of ways. The Supreme Court has declared those powers null and void.
The notebook by Paul Socolar February 23, 2016 — 6:33pm
A review of minutes of School Reform Commission meetings has turned up at least 44 different resolutions at 26 meetings since 2011 in which the commission exercised the power to suspend portions of the Pennsylvania School Code.   In all, the SRC's special power was invoked more than 60 times over this five-year period, the Notebook found, with some of its resolutions incorporating multiple waivers of the state law.    Last week, the state's Supreme Court wiped away that power, declaring "null and void" all SRC actions based on these code suspensions.  It was a bipartisan ruling. The court's majority ruled that the legislature, when creating the SRC, had acted unconstitutionally in granting the body blanket power to waive state laws.  Much of the discussion of the ruling has focused on the issue at the center of the court case. Charter advocates have cheered the court's action for freeing them from District limits on enrollment. District officials warn that the ruling, by preventing the District from imposing caps on charter enrollment, could cripple the District's finances, hurt students in District schools, and allow low-performing charters to expand at will.  But the SRC frequently exercised these extraordinary powers and used them on a variety of issues – beyond the issues of charter school enrollments and authorizations, school closings, and seniority that have been recognized by the District. 

Philly commission hears from public on pre-K plan
The notebook by Fabiola Cineas February 23, 2016 — 2:07pm
The community came forward Monday to give feedback on the city's plan to close the current child-care gap that leaves two in three preschool-aged children without access to affordable, high-quality pre-kindergarten.  "It is a great start, but it can do more," said Lorraine Simms, expressing the sentiment of most community members who spoke before the city’s commission on universal pre-K.    Simms, a grandmother of 16, is a community liaison with the West Philadelphia Action for Early Learning Initiative, which works through Drexel University to build awareness about early childhood education and improve the quality of child-care centers.  "Our children need to learn how to read by the end of 3rd grade, and pre-K is a major factor in determining whether they will be able to do this," said Simms. "The plan needs to emphasize the importance of having high-quality teachers. … We need skilled teachers who can meet students' needs."  Earlier this month, the commission released an initial plan that recommends how Philadelphia can expand and fund high-quality early education for all 3- and 4-year-old residents. To gather feedback, the commission will be holding community meetings like this around the city over the next few weeks

Spring-Ford board plans third march on Harrisburg
By Eric Devlin, The Mercury POSTED: 02/23/16, 4:05 PM EST | UPDATED: 8 HRS AGO
Royersford >> In a third attempt to voice their frustration with Harrisburg’s failure to pass a budget, members of the Spring-Ford Area School Board are planning to march on the state Capitol next month. The hope this time is to finally unite all 500 school districts in Pennsylvania behind them.  “We’re heading into nine months, there’s still no budget,” said board Vice President Joe Ciresi. “The governor presented a budget for next year. We still have no budget for this year. Yet if we don’t finish our budget by June 30, all of us are in trouble.”  That’s why Ciresi called on his fellow board members Monday to join him in a march on Harrisburg March 14 with every other school board in the state, just as the General Assembly returns from its recess.  “It’s time for the 500 school districts to get together across the state and march on Harrisburg as a team,” Ciresi said. “When they come back from recess, let us all be there at the capitol with our residents, with the school buses, bombarding the city so no one moves. Let’s show that we are taking this seriously.”

Audit finds Wilkinsburg schools has $1.2 million deficit
By Mary Niederberger / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette February 23, 2016 10:34 PM
While the full details of the 2014-15 annual independent audit of the Wilkinsburg School District won't be made public until next month, school directors on Tuesday got a preview of the district's ledgers, which are showing a $1.2 million deficit for the year.  It's a total that came as a surprise to board members, who said they expected to end the 2014-15 year with a balanced budget of about $28 million.  "Ending the year with a deficit was a surprise," said school director Debra Raubenstrauch, who chairs the finance committee. "There was no indication we would end this year with this much of a deficit."  When the 2014-15 deficit is added the to the $1.3 million shortfall from the 2013-14 school year, the district has a cumulative deficit of $2.5 million.  In addition, the district owes the Allegheny Intermediate Unit $3.3 million for special education services provided but not paid for in recent years. It's unclear at this point how much of the AIU bill may be included in the cumulative deficit.


Courts Push Lawmakers to the Wall on Funding
By Daarel Burnette II Education Week Feb. 23, 2016
Again and again, state supreme courts in Washington and Kansas have deemed their states' school funding formulas unconstitutional, in various rulings spread over a number of years.  In response, state legislatures—in the view of the impatient justices—have either dragged their feet, backpedaled, or come up with inadequate solutions.  Both courts seem to be fed up.  ruling by Kansas' high court earlier this month would effectively shut the entire school system down if lawmakers fail to come up with a formula the court finds equitable by June 30. The justices are expected to decide later this year if the state's current block grant formula is adequate in terms of overall funding.  And in Washington, the state continues to pay $100,000 in fines into a special account—totaling more than $15 million so far—after the state supreme court decided last year the legislature wasn't moving fast enough to respond to the court's 2012 order to come up with a new formula and found the legislature in contempt of court.  As of last week, both legislatures were puzzling over ways to pump millions more dollars into their school districts' budgets.  In Kansas, legislators met with school officials and financial analysts to discuss how to provide more money. The House passed an overall state budget that closed a $200 million budget deficit, resulting from a slash in personal income-tax rates in 2012 and 2013. But the budget doesn't answer the supreme court's demand that the legislature come up with an extra $54 million for the state's poor districts.

Ed. Groups Urge 'Whole-Child' Approach to Counteract Poverty
Aim is to address barriers to success
Education Week By Denisa R. Superville Published Online: February 23, 2016
Two K-12 initiatives that are launching this week aim to capitalize on the mounting support for taking a more holistic approach to educating poor children, a shift away from the view that has heavily emphasized that schools alone can counteract the effects of poverty.
Expected to be unveiled this week, the first effort is a new project from Harvard University's Education Redesign Lab that is helping local city and school leaders link agencies responsible for children's services—such as mayor's offices, school systems, and social services agencies—to work together to address both in-school and out-of-school factors that affect student learning.  In the six cities that are participating—Oakland, Calif.; Louisville, Ky; Providence, R.I.; and Salem, Somerville, and Newton, Mass.— mayors will set up children's cabinets to coordinate the efforts.  The second initiative is a re-launch of a "Broader, Bolder Approach to Education," a group which first started in 2008 and has pushed for more comprehensive, "whole-child" strategies for educating students in poverty that was meant to be a counter-force to the "no-excuses" strategy, which tended to focus on reforms related to the teaching profession. Leaders of the group say there is new momentum for their policy agenda, including passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act which requires states and districts to judge schools' success on a broader set of metrics than test scores.

'Got to Go': high-performing charter schools shed students quickly
Success Academy, New York City’s largest charter school network, loses more than 10% of its enrolled student population each year once testing starts, compared to 2.7% at nearby schools
The Guardian by George Joseph Sunday 21 February 2016 13.16 EST Last modified on Monday 22 February 201617.01 EST
Brendin Smith was only four years old when his mother, Monique Jeffrey, realized her son was no longer wanted at Success Academy. Jeffrey says that administrators at one of the charter school’s Brooklyn locations told her the kindergartener “wasn’t going to make it”. Jeffrey later found out that Brendin was one of 16 students who been placed on the school’s “Got to Go” list, a list uncovered by the New York Times that singled out students that the school wanted to shed.  Success Academy, the largest charter school network in New York City, also has some of the highest test scores. Critics have alleged that Success Academy achieves this in part by driving low performers out.  A Guardian analysis has found that Success Academy loses children between the third and fourth grade, the first two years of New York state testing, at a rate four times that of neighboring public schools. Success lost more than 10% of its enrolled student population from grade to grade, compared with the average rate of 2.7% at public schools in the same building or nearby during the same years.

Accountability Grabs the Spotlight at Senate ESSA Oversight Hearing
Education Week By Andrew Ujifusa on February 23, 2016 4:40 PM
Washington
State officials, union leaders, and others testifying Tuesday before the Senate education committee's oversight hearing on the Every Student Succeeds Act largely agreed on one point: The new flexibility for states and districts could lead to real progress.  But there was less agreement about the extent to which that new latitude could be challenging for schools—or even detrimental to students, particularly historically disadvantaged ones.   Senators quizzed those testifying about how they were rethinking school accountability under ESSA, whether they felt like they will have enough time to create and finalize their plans in order to receive federal funds, and whether the U.S. Department of Education should use a light touch or be aggressive when regulating under the new law.  And it's a safe bet that many of these same questions will come up in the Senate education committee on Thursday, when its members hold a confirmation hearing for acting Secretary of Education John B. King Jr.  

Testing Resistance & Reform News: February 17 - 23, 2016
Submitted by fairtest on February 23, 2016 - 12:43pm 
This week's stories from 20 states, overseas, higher education and even the world of video games again demonstrate the rising tide of the assessment reform movement.  You can learn more about how to replace high-stakes standardized exams with performance assessments by signing up for FairTest's Sunday evening March 6 webinar.


PENNSYLVANIA EDUCATION POLICY FORUM
“Western Region Forum Series” – Thursday, February 25, 2016
Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center – 100 Lytton Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Continental Breakfast – 8:00 a.m. Program – 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
An Overview of the Proposed 2016-2017 State Budget and Education Issues Will Be Provided By:
Representative of The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
Ron Cowell, President, The Education Policy and Leadership Center
Statewide and Regional Perspectives Will Be Provided By:
Karina Chavez
, Executive Director, Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education
Dr. Jeffrey Fuller
, Superintendent, Freedom Area School District
Cheryl Kleiman, Staff Attorney, Education Law Center
Nathan Mains, Executive Director, Pennsylvania School Boards Association
RSVP for the Pittsburgh forum by clicking here.
While there is no registration fee, seating is limited and an RSVP is required.

'Beyond Measure' to be shown Feb. 24 at Bucks County Community College
Bucks County Courier Times Joan Hellyer, staff writer Sunday, February 14, 2016 11:45 pm
The general public is invited to a free screening of "Beyond Measure," a documentary about education reform, on Feb. 24 at Bucks County Community College, organizers said.  The movie, from Vicki Abeles, director of the award-winning film "Race to Nowhere," begins at 7 p.m. in the Zlock Performing Arts Center on the BCCC campus at 275 Swamp Road in Newtown Township.
In "Beyond Measure," Abeles examines public schools across the country that are working to "create a more equitable, empowering, student-centered education culture from the ground up," event organizers said.  The college’s Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Future Teachers Organization, and Amy McIntyre, founder of the Council Rock Parents Facebook page, are sponsoring the free event.  Register online at tinyurl.com/BCCCBeyondMeasure. For more information call 215-504-8545 or send an email to Kate.DAuria@bucks.edu.

Blogger note: this conference is SOLD OUT
Attend the United Opt Out Conference in Philadelphia February 26-28
United Opt Out: The Movement to End Corporate Reform will hold its annual conference on Philadelphia from February 26-28.

The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center will host its Annual Budget Summit on Thursday, March 3, 2016 9:00 - 3:30 at the Hilton Harrisburg.
PA Budget and Policy Center website
Join us for an in-depth look at the Governor's 2016-17 budget proposal, including what it means for education, health and human services, and local communities. The Summit will focus on the leading issues facing the commonwealth in 2016, with workshops, lunch, and a legislative panel discussion.  Space is limited, so fill out the form below to reserve your spot at the Budget Summit.
Thursday, March 3, 2016 Hilton Hotel, Harrisburg Pennsylvania
The event is free, but PBPC welcomes donations of any size to help off-set costs.

PASBO 61st Annual Conference and Exhibits March 8 - 11, 2016
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania

PA Legislature Joint public hearing-on Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
PA House and Senate Education Committees
03/14/2016 10:30 AM Hearing Room #1 North Office Bldg

PSBA Advocacy Forum & Day on the Hill
APR 4, 2016 • 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Join PSBA and your fellow school directors for the third annual Advocacy Forum on April 4, 2016, at the State Capitol in Harrisburg. This year’s event will have a spotlight on public education highlighting school districts’ exemplary student programs. Hear from legislators on how advocacy makes a difference in the legislative process and the importance of public education advocacy. Government Affairs will take a deeper dive into the legislative priorities and will provide tips on how to be an effective public education advocate. There will be dedicated time for you and your fellow advocates to hit the halls to meet with your legislators on public education. This is your chance to share the importance of policy supporting public education and make your voice heard on the Hill. Online advanced registration will close on April 1, 4 p.m. On-site registrants are welcome.

PenSPRA's Annual Symposium, Friday April 8th in Shippensburg, PA
PenSPRA, or the Pennsylvania School Public Relations Association, has developed a powerhouse line-up of speakers and topics for a captivating day of professional development in Shippensburg on April 8th. Learn to master data to defeat your critics, use stories to clarify your district's brand and take your social media efforts to the next level with a better understanding of metrics and the newest trends.  Join us the evening before the Symposium for a “Conversation with Colleagues” from 5 – 6 pm followed by a Networking Social Cocktail Hour from 6 – 8 pm.  Both the Symposium Friday and the social events on Thursday evening will be held at the Shippensburg University Conference Center. Snacks at the social hour, and Friday’s breakfast and lunch is included in your registration cost. $125 for PenSPRA members and $150 for non-members. Learn more about our speakers and topics and register today at this link:

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.

2016 PA Educational Leadership Summit July 24-26 State College
Summit Sponsors: PA Principals Association - PA Association of School Administrators - PA Association of Middle Level Educators - PA Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development 
The 2016 Educational Leadership Summit, co-sponsored by four leading Pennsylvania education associations, provides an excellent opportunity for school district administrative teams and instructional leaders to learn, share and plan together at a quality venue in "Happy Valley." 
Featuring Grant Lichtman, author of EdJourney: A Roadmap to the Future of Education, Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera (invited), and Dana Lightman, author of POWER Optimism: Enjoy the Life You Have... Create the Success You Want, keynote speakers, high quality breakout sessions, table talks on hot topics and district team planning and job alike sessions provides practical ideas that can be immediately reviewed and discussed at the summit before returning back to your district.   Register and pay by April 30, 2016 for the discounted "early bird" registration rate:

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

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