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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup Oct. 5, 2017:
Budget
talks crash; legislature recesses until Oct 16th
Reclaiming Our Democracy: The
Pennsylvania Conference to End Gerrymandering Saturday, October 14th,
2017 9:00am-5:00pm Crowne Plaza Harrisburg, PA
Seven of 14 charter schools in Pa. are
operating with expired charters. Why is the Department of Education delaying
the process?
Public
Source By Stephanie Hacke OCT. 4, 2017
PART OF
THE SERIES The Charter Effect|
Pennsylvania
Leadership Charter School needs cash to finance the construction or renovation
of a new building. But no bank has agreed to lend them money. Every bank the
school’s leaders met with wants to see the school’s charter renewed with the
Pennsylvania Department of Education [PDE] before they take that step. But the
school does not have it. It’s been five years since the former charter school
coordinator at the PDE told the school that it should only take a few weeks for
their charter renewal to be completed. But they are still waiting for it. “Am I
allowed to scream? Nah. I never scream, but sometimes I scream inside,” said
James Hanak, founder and CEO of the statewide cyber charter school with an
enrollment of 2,361 students in 2016-17. “Over the years, I have had maybe 40,
certainly 30, banks come and visit us and we lay out all of our finances and
all of the things we’re doing and they just love us, until I say to them, ‘But
we’ve had this one sticky little problem and that is, the state has not yet
issued the formal charter renewal.’”
Residents, officials discuss school
funding problems
Intelligencer By Chris English, Staff
Writer October 4, 2017
A recent state Supreme Court decision on
a school funding lawsuit is a step toward giving every public school student in
Pennsylvania a better chance for a quality education, one of the attorneys for
the plaintiffs in the case said. The lawsuit brought by the William Penn School
District in Delaware County and other parties can move forward to trial, the
Supreme Court ruled last week. That decision reversed an earlier Commonwealth
Court ruling to dismiss the lawsuit. Speaking at a Tuesday night meeting at
Bensalem High School, Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, staff attorney for The Public
Interest Law Center in Philadelphia, said the Supreme Court decision is
important but represents just a positive step in what will continue to be a
hard fight. "We won our day in court, but there
is a lot of work ahead," he said. The lawsuit originally filed in 2014
claims that current state funding for public schools is unconstitutional in
that it doesn't provide adequate funding to give every student a chance to
succeed, and doesn't spread funding around to the various school districts in
an equitable way. "They (state lawmakers) don't even
pretend to give children the resources they need and that's a profound
dereliction of duty," Urevick-Ackelsberg said. "The system is broken.
Public schools don't have enough (money from the state) and what resources
there are are distributed in an irrational way. "Even if we win the
lawsuit, we still need the legislature to do its job and that will take more
than lawyers," he continued. "We will only truly win if there is a
will in our government to do it (adequately fund schools)."
“The lawsuit filed in June by the League
of Women Voters of Pennsylvania concerns congressional districts drawn up by
Republican leaders in 2011 and signed into law by then-Gov. Tom Corbett, also a
Republican. Republicans currently represent 13 of 18 congressional districts in
Pennsylvania, despite winning about half the statewide votes in the past three
elections.”
Gerrymandering:
Pennsylvania judge: Congressional map lawsuit may be too late for 2018
elections
Delco Times By
Mark Scolforo, The Associated Press POSTED: 10/04/17, 5:30 AM EDT
HARRISBURG, Pa. >> A Pennsylvania
judge said Wednesday his court was unlikely to decide a civil case challenging
the constitutionality of the state’s congressional district maps in time to
affect next year’s elections. Commonwealth Court Judge Dan Pellegrini did not
immediately rule after the hearing on a request to delay the case while the
U.S. Supreme Court weighs the role of partisanship in drawing legislative
district lines. The judge also put off consideration of a separate request by
several Republicans who are active in political campaigns, seeking to join the
litigation. Pellegrini said he saw his role as teeing up the lawsuit for
consideration by a full panel of the court, which could involve a trial. But he
said it was not likely to be resolved before the spring primary season, and any
appeal to the Supreme Court would extend it further. Jason Tochinsky, a lawyer
for legislative Republican leaders who are among the defendants, said the case
could be affected by how the U.S. Supreme Court rules in a challenge to
Wisconsin’s legislative districts, argued on Tuesday.
Pa.
court weighs delaying gerrymander lawsuit similar to case before U.S. Supreme
Court
BY LINDSAY LAZARSKI, WHYY Newsworks OCTOBER 5, 2017
Commonwealth Court Judge Dan Pelligrini
heard arguments Wednesday over whether to stay a lawsuit over the state’s
congressional district map until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a similar case
out of Wisconsin. The case brought by the League of Women Voters of
Pennsylvania claims the current map is a partisan gerrymander that favors
Republicans and violates the state constitution. Gerrymandering is the age-old
practice by which lawmakers draw voting districts that give one political party
— typically the one in charge — an advantage over their opponents. The idea is to pack as many voters of
the opposing party into as few districts as possible, then break up remaining
opposition voters over as many districts as possible — minimizing the number of
the other party’s voters within each of the “cracked” districts. The issue of
partisan gerrymandering is also before the U.S. Supreme Court right now and
could have an influence on the Pennsylvania case. In Commonwealth Court,
attorneys representing the Pennsylvania General Assembly and Republican
leadership asked the judge to wait until the Supreme Court issues a decision
in Gill v. Whitford later
this term.
Gerrymandering:
Dubious distinction: Pa. Congressional district gets singled out for crazy
shape
Penn Live By Teresa Bonner tbonner@pennlive.com Updated
on October 4, 2017 at 11:47 AM Posted on October 4, 2017 at 11:08 AM
Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional
District has drawn attention for its crazy shape right from the moment it was
drawn by the state's legislature in 2011. The Washington Post immediately held
a "name that district" competition, and came up with a name that has
stuck -- Donald Duck kicking Goofy -- to describe what it looks like. It's
long been identified as one of the worst examples of gerrymandering --
drawing a congressional or legislative district in such a way as to benefit one
political party over another -- in the country. CNN
weighed in on the issue Wednesday, labelling the 7th District as one
of the three worst gerrymandered districts in the nation. Tom Rentschler
believes that over time, and and other voters in Berks County have lost their
voice. So in June In June, he became one of 18 plaintiffs in a lawsuit
challenging Pennsylvania's 2011 congressional map and claiming lawmakers
violated the state constitution when they created it. CNN says of the 7th
District: "The districts built around Philadelphia and its western suburbs
are uniformly ugly. But, the 7th, represented by Republican Pat Meehan, is
the worst of the worst. In a feat of understatement, the Almanac
says of this seat: 'The unconventional shape of the 7th
made it one of the most highlighted gerrymanders in post-2010
redistricting.'"
WITF Written by Katie Meyer, Capitol Bureau Chief | Oct 5, 2017 8:24 AM
(Harrisburg) -- The latest push to finish Pennsylvania's late, unbalanced budget has melted down. After several false starts, talks between House Democrats and Republicans dissolved into fights Wednesday over who's at fault for the chamber's inability to find consensus on a tax package. Meanwhile Governor Tom Wolf declared himself "done" playing games, and unexpectedly announced he'll balance a portion of the budget himself, by borrowing against future revenue from the state-controlled liquor industry. Among the failures over the last three days of negotiations were Republican-proposed bills to tax warehouses and the hotel industry. GOP Majority Leader Dave Reed blamed the letdown on a lack of Democratic votes--which he claimed amount to a betrayal by Democratic leaders, and by extension, Democratic Governor Tom Wolf. "It seems to me that once again some folks can't keep up their end of the bargain, and they looked for the easiest way to get out of town," Reed said. "I'll say from a personal perspective, it's very frustrating. If I can't take people at their word, then I don't know how I can negotiate with them." House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody said that's ridiculous.
Pa. House rejects effort to consider a
shale tax to help fund the budget
Penn
Live By Jan Murphy jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated
on October 4, 2017 at 3:16 PM Posted on October 4, 2017 at 2:13 PM
The
House had an opportunity to force consideration of a shale tax to help fund the
2017-18 budget by using a rarely used tactic to force the discharge of severance tax bill from
the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. But that effort failed
by a vote of 115-83 on Wednesday. Where that leaves the revenue plan to fill
the $2.2 billion revenue deficit in the 2017-18 budget remains in question at
this point since a 5 percent statewide hotel tax also
was proving unpopular with House members.
Delco
Republicans in Harrisburg line up behind shale severance tax
Delco Times By
Rick Kauffman, rkauffman@21st-centurymedia.com, @Kauffee_DT on Twitter
POSTED: 10/04/17, 9:51 PM EDT | UPDATED:
37 SECS AGO
House Republicans from Delaware County
bucked their party Wednesday by voting to move a proposed Marcellus shale
severance tax out of committee and onto the House floor. It failed. However, they represent a contingent
siding with House Democrats calling for the state to seriously look at
implementing a shale tax. Pennsylvania remains the only state in the country
with a fracking industry that hasn’t implement a severance tax on natural gas
extraction. “It’s time to give the Legislature the
chance to vote yes or no,” said state Rep. Steve Barrar, R-160 of Upper
Chichester. “If it fails because of a lack of votes, then that’s the process.” And
indeed it did fail Wednesday in Harrisburg, falling short 83-115, meaning the
Shale severance tax would remain in the Pennsylvania House Environmental
Resources and Energy Committee for the time being. Barrar said the push for a
fracking tax wouldn’t end there. “(The natural gas industry in Pennsylvania)
has invested billions of dollars into pipelines and infrastructure, they’re
getting the gas to market,” Barrar said. “It’s been almost 10 years now in the
state without the tax.” “Now’s the time to seriously look at it.”
Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf blasts House GOP in
budget standoff, says he’ll borrow to patch deficit
Delco Times By Marc Levy and Mark Scolforo, Associated Press POSTED: 10/04/17 3:02 PM
HARRISBURG,
Pa. >> Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday he is tired of waiting for
Republican lawmakers to produce a plan to wipe out a projected $2.2 billion
deficit and will borrow against profits from Pennsylvania’s state-controlled
liquor system to help patch it. Wolf said during a press conference in his
Capitol offices that his moves will be immediate, coming three months into a
stalemate over fully funding a $32 billion budget bill that lawmakers passed
June 30. Wolf pointed the finger at leaders of the House’s Republican majority
for failing to come up with enough votes to produce a tax package big enough to
meet his demands to pare down Pennsylvania’s stubborn post-recession deficit. “I’m
not going to play their games anymore, so I’m going to draw a line in the
sand,” Wolf said. Borrowing the money will raise about $1.2 billion, the
governor said. He suggested other spending cuts may be necessary without a
revenue package. He said he’ll manage the state’s workforce and costs to the
best of his ability to save money.
Pa. Gov on House Republicans: 'I'm not
going to play their games anymore'
Inquirer
by Angela Couloumbis & Liz Navratil, HARRISBURG BUREAU Updated: OCTOBER
4, 2017 — 4:13 PM EDT
HARRISBURG
– Gov. Wolf said Wednesday afternoon that he was fed up with the inability of
House Republicans to pass a revenue measure to balance the Pennsylvania budget,
and that he was going to seek to borrow more than $1 billion against the
state’s liquor revenues. Using withering words, Wolf described House
Republicans as beholden to politics and special interests and called on them to
pass an extraction tax on natural-gas production from the Marcellus Shale – a
measure he believes will help end the state’s more than three-month-long budget
stalemate. The
Democratic governor had included such a tax in his initial budget proposal
earlier this year, and a scaled-down version of it passed the
Republican-controlled Senate this summer. But Republican leaders in the lower
chamber – at least one of whom, Speaker Mike Turzai, is a potential challenger
to Wolf in next year’s election – have blocked a severance tax at every turn. “Too
many Republicans in the legislature are focused on the 2018 elections – they’d
rather see me fail than Pennsylvania succeed,” the Democratic governor said in
a news conference in the Capitol. “I’m not going to play their games anymore,
so I’m drawing a line in the sand.”
Rep. Saylor denies Sen. Wagner's influence
on shale tax
York
Dispatch by David
Weissman, 505-5431/@DispatchDavid Published
12:30 p.m. Oct. 3, 2017
House
Appropriations Chairman Stan Saylor said he has never — and will
never — base his decisions on helping someone win or lose an election. The
longtime Windsor Township representative's comments come after gubernatorial
candidate Scott Wagner was recorded telling a crowd that he urged Saylor to
block a tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas production to hurt Democratic Gov.
Tom Wolf’s re-election chances. Saylor, a Republican serving his 13th term,
declined to discuss any conversations he's had with Sen. Wagner, R-Spring
Garden Township, but he pointed out that he has been strongly opposed to a
severance tax his entire political career. "Why kill an industry that's
set to create a lot of jobs in Pennsylvania in the future?" Saylor asked. In
late July, the state Senate narrowly passed a revenue package — with Wagner
voting against it — that included a severance tax, one of Wolf's
campaign promises when he won election to his first term. Wagner can be heard
on the recording saying, "I said, ‘Stan, you cannot let this severance tax
get through and it gets to the governor’s desk, because if that happens the
governor is going to get re-elected. Stan, you take that to the bank.’”
Governor Wolf Urges Congressional
Reauthorization of Children’s Health Insurance Program
Governor
Wolf’s Website October 03, 2017
Harrisburg,
PA – Governor Tom Wolf today offered a statement on the need for Congress to
address the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
before hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania children are left without health
care. Congress failed to act on extending the popular program before the Sept.
30 deadline. “We can’t forget our most vulnerable – our children who rely on us
to care for them,” Gov. Wolf said. “Congress’s inaction can only be interpreted
as apathy and there can be no tolerance for that. Even though the U.S. Senate
Finance Committee leaders took a step in the right direction to recommend
extending CHIP, Congress did not act, leaving children from low- and
middle-income families at risk,” Gov. Wolf said. In Pennsylvania, the
Children’s Health Insurance Program provides insurance benefits to 176,000
children up to age 19. “Those Pennsylvania children are among the 9 million
from low- and middle-income families who could lose benefits if the federal
funding isn’t reauthorized. In Pennsylvania, we can maintain CHIP benefits into
February 2018, but the longer this drags on in Congress, the more this vital
program is threatened. Congress needs to act now and do the right thing,”
Lawmakers
in Washington: Extend the Children's Health Insurance Program, and do it stat
Lancaster Online Editorial by The LNP
Editorial Board October 5, 2017
THE ISSUE - Federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance
Program expired Saturday, raising concerns about the future of the program,
which covers more
than 10,000 children in Lancaster County and roughly 9 million nationwide.
State officials and local providers told
LNP staff writer Heather Stauffer that the lapse won’t cause
any immediate changes here, and expressed hope that the historically strong
bipartisan public support for the program will result in quick restoration of
funding.
People don’t agree on much these days.
But we’ll wager that most of us agree on this: Children ought to have health
insurance. And community health centers that serve low-income families ought to
be funded. Which is why it came as a surprise to many that federal funding for
the Children’s Health Insurance Program — and that for community health centers
and other safety-net programs — were allowed by Congress to quietly lapse over
the weekend. The deadline for reauthorizing the funding was Saturday. It came
and went with no action by Congress. We wish we could say we were shocked by
the lack of urgency in Congress about meeting the needs of low- and
moderate-income children. As Joan Benso, president and CEO of the nonprofit
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, told LNP’s Stauffer, the annual federal
share of CHIP funding in the commonwealth is more than $385 million. The state
share is 10 percent of the program’s funding, and so money coming from the
state would be quickly exhausted. Also consider the fact that the state budget
still is not resolved.
Republicans, Democrats fight over funding
children's health insurance
Trib
Live by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Wednesday, Oct.
4, 2017, 9:03 p.m.
WASHINGTON
— Republicans pushed a bill extending financing for a popular health insurance
program for children through a House committee Wednesday, but partisan
divisions over how to pay for it suggest that congressional approval will take
time despite growing pressure on lawmakers to act. The House Energy and
Commerce Committee approved the measure on a party-line 28-23 vote. The program
covers 8.9 million low-income children, and a renewal of money for it seems
virtually inevitable. But four days after the program's federal funding
expired, the bill's problems were underscored as Democrats opposed GOP plans
for financing the extension and a related community health center bill. The GOP
cuts include trimming a public health fund established under former President
Obama's health care law and making it harder for people buying individual
health coverage to avoid paying premiums. They would also raise Medicare
premiums on seniors earning more than $500,000 annually, make it harder for
lottery winners to qualify for Medicaid and strengthen how the government gets
reimbursements from private insurers. New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, the
committee's top Democrat, said the dispute could delay congressional action
until the end of the year. He accused the GOP of trying to "continue their
ongoing sabotage of the Affordable Care Act," Obama's 2010 law. "While
some have called these offsets partisan, we would call them reasonable,"
said panel chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore.
States Gird for
Worst as Congress Wrestles with Children’s Insurance Program
New
York Times By ROBERT PEAR OCT.
3, 2017
WASHINGTON
— Federal officials on Monday approved a $3.6 million emergency infusion for
Minnesota after the state’s human services chief warned that pregnant women and
some children were at imminent risk of losing health care coverage under the
Children’s Health Insurance Program. Utah, meantime, has formally requested
authority to “eliminate eligibility and services under CHIP” if the state does
not have enough money to continue coverage. In statehouses around the country,
officials are preparing for the worst as lawmakers in Washington struggle to
find money for the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program, which insures
nearly nine million children but lost its spending authority on Sunday, with
the start of the new fiscal year. Congress has known for two years that federal
funds for the Children’s Health Insurance Program were expiring this fall. But
only on Wednesday are two congressional panels — the Senate Finance Committee
and the House Energy and Commerce Committee — tentatively scheduled to vote on
legislation that would provide money for the program for another five years.
And the
two chambers have not agreed on how to pay for the measures.
Support the Notebook and see Springsteen
on Broadway
The notebook
October 2, 2017 — 10:57am
Donate
$50 or more until Nov. 10, enter to win – and have your donation doubled!
"This
music is forever for me. It's the stage thing, that rush moment that you live
for. It never lasts, but that's what you live for." – Bruce
Springsteen
You can
be a part of a unique Bruce Springsteen show in his career – and support
local, nonprofit education journalism! Donate
$50 or more to the Notebook through Nov. 10, and your donation
will be doubled, up to $1,000, through the Knight News Match. Plus, you
will be automatically entered to win a pair of prime tickets to see Springsteen
on Broadway! One winner will receive two tickets to the 8 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 24, show at the Walter Kerr Theatre. These are amazing orchestra
section seats to this incredible sold-out solo performance. Don't miss out on
your chance to see the Boss in his Broadway debut. Donate
to the Notebook today online or by mail at 699 Ranstead St.,
3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
GOP Rep. Tim Murphy to retire after
reports of affair
Inquirer
by MARC LEVY, The Associated Press Updated: OCTOBER 4, 2017 — 6:26 PM
EDT
HARRISBURG,
Pa. (AP) - Republican congressman Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania
announced Wednesday that he would not run for a ninth term, amid tawdry
revelations of an extramarital affair in which the anti-abortion lawmaker urged
his mistress to get an abortion when he thought she was pregnant. Murphy said
in a brief statement through his office that he will "take personal time
to seek help as my family and I continue to work through our personal difficulties."
Murphy's decision came a day after the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published text
messages between Murphy and Shannon Edwards. A Jan. 25 text message from
Edwards told the congressman he had "zero issue posting your pro-life
stance all over the place when you had no issue asking me to abort our unborn
child just last week when we thought that was one of the options,"
according to the newspaper.
Testing
Resistance & Reform News: September 27 - October 3, 2017
FairTest Submitted by fairtest on
October 3, 2017 - 3:15pm
Many of this week's stories reflect the
growing recognition that standardized exam scores do not accurately reflect the
realities of student academic achievement or school quality. That's why an
ever-increasing number of states and districts are cutting back on the volume
of tests and the stakes attached to their results.
Saturday, October 14th, 2017 | 9:00am-5:00pm Crowne Plaza Harrisburg, PA
Crowne Plaza Harrisburg-Hershey 23 S 2nd St. Harrisburg, PA
Join us for a one-day redistricting conference in Harrisburg for volunteers, supporters, academics, press and legislators. Gubernatorial candidates, legislative leaders and national redistricting experts have been invited to speak about gerrymandering and the potential for reform. In the afternoon there will be breakout sessions on redistricting issues of interest, including new gerrymandering standards and details on litigation in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and other states.
https://www.fairdistrictspa.com/events/2017/10/14/reclaiming-our-democracy-the-pennsylvania-conference-to-end-gerrymandering
Seventh Annual Pennsylvania Arts and Education Symposium, November 2, 2017 Camp Hill
The 2017 Pennsylvania Arts and Education will be held on Thursday, November 2, 2017 at the Radisson Hotel Harrisburg Convention Center in Camp Hill. See the agenda here.
Early Bird Registration ends September 30.
https://www.eplc.org/pennsylvania-arts-education-network/
STAY WOKE: THE INAUGURAL
NATIONAL BLACK MALE EDUCATORS CONVENING; Philadelphia Fri, Oct 13, 2017 4:00 pm
Sun, Oct 15, 2017 7:00pm
TEACHER DIVERSITY WORKS. Increasing the number of Black
male educators in our nation’s teacher corps will improve education for all our
students, especially for African-American boys.
Today Black men represent only two percent of teachers nationwide. This
is a national problem that demands a national response. Come participate in the inaugural National
Black Male Educators Convening to advance policy solutions, learn from one
another, and fight for social justice. All are welcome.
Save the Date 2017 PA Principals Association State Conference
October 14. 15, 16, 2017 Doubletree Hotel Cranberry Township, PA
Save the Date: PASA-PSBA
School Leadership Conference October 18-20, Hershey PA
Registration Is Open for the
2017 Arts and Education Symposium
|
Thursday, November 2, 2017 8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Radisson Hotel Harrisburg Convention Center
Registration October 1 to
November 1 - $60; Registration at the Symposium - $70
Full-Time Student Registration (Student ID Required at Symposium Check-In) - $30
Act 48 Credit Available
|
Registration now open for the
67th Annual PASCD Conference Nov. 12-13
Harrisburg: Sparking Innovation: Personalized Learning, STEM, 4C's
This year's conference will begin on Sunday, November 12th
and end on Monday, November 13th. There will also be a free pre-conference on
Saturday, November 11th. You can
register for this year's conference online with a credit card payment or have
an invoice sent to you. Click here to register for the
conference.
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PASCD-Conference-Registration-is-Now-Open.html?soid=1101415141682&aid=5F-ceLtbZDs
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PASCD-Conference-Registration-is-Now-Open.html?soid=1101415141682&aid=5F-ceLtbZDs
Registration Opens Tuesday, September 26, 2017
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