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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup Nov. 10, 2017: State Supreme Court fast tracks gerrymander
case
Save the Date: Pitt Johnstown to host
Funding Lawsuit Panel at Murtha Center on campus November 15th at 7:00 pm
“There are major problems with this
proposal. First, in practice, the bill will likely simply subsidize private
K-12 education for many families that were already planning, and can already
afford, to send their children to private schools. Second, if the provision
does induce a significant number of additional families to leave public
schools, that will certainly undermine support for public schools generally, and
potentially exacerbate even further the racial and class-based segregation that
many public schools face. Third, given that there is little evidence that these
vouchers do any good for education quality, it is flat-out fiscally
irresponsible to spend potentially billions of federal dollars on a new
education subsidy that is likely to have negative, not positive, effects on
overall student achievement.”
Tax
Incentives to Secede from Public Education
The Century Foundation by RICHARD D. KAHLENBERG SENIOR FELLOW NOVEMBER
08, 2017
For years, conservatives have been promoting
publicly financed private school vouchers for low-income students. There
doesn’t seem to be much to recommend them: not only do the vouchers divert
public funds away from public schools, but
the evidence is very mixed about whether such programs
improve the academic achievement of the vouchers’ recipients. Despite these
concerns, Republicans in Congress are now proposing to spend billions of
federal funds over time to subsidize private-school education for the children
of higher-earning families. The provision, included in the Tax Cut and Jobs
Act, expands Section 529 (which currently provides tax incentives that
encourage parents of all income levels to save for college) to allow such
tax-deferred savings to be used for private K-12 education. Unlike existing
programs, which allow families to put aside $2,000 a year for K-12 education,
the new plan will allow for $10,000 per year to be set aside and grown
tax-free. Furthermore, the income limits of the existing K-12 savings plans
($220,000 for joint filers) would be lifted entirely.
15 Ways the Tax Bill Harms Children and Families
First Focus Campaign for Children Bill Commentary by Bruce Lesley, Rachel Merker NOVEMBER 7, 2017
The House Ways and Means Committee has released its long awaited bill to dramatically overhaul the existing tax code. The bill’s writers claim that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) will provide meaningful tax relief to millions of families. However, initial analysis of the bill suggests that for families with children—especially those who are low-income—this is not the case. In fact, First Focus Campaign for Children has identified fifteen provisions that harm kids and families.
Fifteen pieces of the Tax Bill that Hurt Children:
https://campaignforchildren.org/resources/bill-commentary/15-ways-the-tax-bill-harms-children-and-families/?utm_content=buffer10d65&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Lancaster Online by MARK SCOLFORO | Associated Press
November 9, 2017
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A state-level challenge to
how congressional districts were drawn by Republicans six years ago will
proceed on a compressed schedule, a closely divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court
ruled on Thursday. The Supreme Court's 4-3 decision overturned a
lower court judge's ruling last month that had put the dispute on hold. The
order said the case "involves
issues of immediate public importance" and gave Commonwealth Court only
until Dec. 31 to issue findings of fact and legal conclusions. "We are
thrilled that Pennsylvania voters will have their day in court," said Mimi
McKenzie, legal director of the Public Interest Law Center and part of a team
that represents the plaintiffs, a group that includes people who live in each
of the 18 districts and the state's League of Women Voters. "I think the
average citizen doesn't have to do more than look at the distorted shapes of these districts to understand
that something is very much amiss," McKenzie said. Senate President Pro
Tempore Joe Scarnati and House Speaker Mike Turzai, the top-ranking Republicans
in the Legislature, sought the delay, arguing a pending
U.S. Supreme Court case should be resolved first.
“But the league asked the state high
court to fast-track the case. In agreeing to do so Thursday, the court employed
a power it rarely used. "They reserve it for cases that are of great
public importance," Ms. McKenzie said. "This is exactly the kind of
case that's meant for the Supreme Court to exercise extraordinary
jurisdiction."
Post-Gazette by MADDIE HANNA Philadelphia
Inquirer 8:14 PM NOV 9, 2017
In a case that could force the redrawing of
congressional maps before the 2018 elections, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on
Thursday ordered the Commonwealth Court to decide a gerrymandering lawsuit by
the end of the year. "We will have our day in court, and we will get a
decision and a resolution of this matter in time for the 2018 election,"
said Mimi McKenzie, legal director of the Philadelphia-based Public Interest
Law Center, which represents the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania in the
case. If the districts are, in fact, redrawn before next year’s mid-term
elections, the result could have national implications. New districts could
give Democrats a boost in competitive, Republican-held districts as they push
to take control of the U.S. House. “It’s something that has broad national
implications,” said Michael Li, senior redistrict counsel for the Brennan
Center for Justice at New York University. The high court's 4-3 vote overturned
a decision by Commonwealth Court Judge Dan Pelligrini, who last month ordered a
stay in the league’s suit pending a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a similar case
out of Wisconsin.
Public Interest Law Center Website November 9, 2017
Today the Pennsylvania Supreme Court took control of the lawsuit alleging Pennsylvania’s Congressional districts were gerrymandered for partisan purposes by granting the Application for Extraordinary Relief filed by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and individual voters. The state’s highest court lifted the stay, ordered the Commonwealth Court to conduct all necessary pre-trial and trial proceedings, and issue its findings of fact and conclusions of law no later than December 31, 2017. Attorneys for the petitioners hailed the ruling reversing the Commonwealth Court’s decision, which would have delayed trial until late next year. This decision enables the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to review the matter and make a determination in time for the 2018 election. “Pennsylvania voters deserve to have their day in court,” said Mimi McKenzie, Legal Director of the Public Interest Law Center. “We will leverage this expedited process to ensure the map is struck down and a new map that complies with the constitution is created in time for the 2018 election.”
Pennsylvania
Supreme Court orders Congressional district gerrymandering case to court
Penn Live By Charles Thompson cthompson@pennlive.com Updated 1:35
AM; Posted Nov 9, 7:34 PM
A state court challenge to Pennsylvania's contorted
Congressional map just became a lot harder to ignore. In a split 4-3 decision
Thursday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overruled a lower court's stay on the
case, and put it at or near the top of the Commonwealth Court's docket with a
decision deadline of Dec. 31. Plaintiffs in the case celebrated the chance to
get their partisan gerrymandering challenge heard and decided in time to
potentially redraw the maps for the 2018 elections for Pennsylvania's 18
Congressional seats. Legislative leaders said they would defend the existing
maps, which they noted have been in play here since 2012. And all sides found
themselves a little stunned by the high court's decision to force the issue.
The state’s electoral map has been described as one of the most egregious cases of gerrymandering in the U.S.
Huffington Post By Sam Levine11/09/2017 06:15 pm ET
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear an expedited
argument in a case challenging the state’s congressional map, setting the stage
for a potential decision on the constitutionality of the map ahead of the 2018
midterm elections. The League of Women Voters and nearly 20 Pennsylvania voters
filed the lawsuit against the state in
Commonwealth Court in June. They claim the
state’s Republican-drawn congressional map violates the state constitution’s
protections on freedom of expression and equal protection, because it
deliberately dilutes the influence of Democratic voters in the political
process. The Brennan Center for Justice has described
the map as one of the most egregious examples of a political party drawing a
map for its own benefit ― a process often called gerrymandering. In 2012,
Republicans were able to win 13 of the state’s 18 congressional seats, and were
able to retain a similar share of seats in 2014 and 2016 even though the
party’s share of the statewide vote only went up by a few points.
The plaintiffs in the state want the court to block
officials from using the plan in future elections and require the legislature
to draw a new plan.
Trib Live by JAMIE
MARTINES | Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017,
9:00 a.m.
Pennsylvania is among seven states that require the
fewest years of school attendance, according to an updated 50-state comparison by the Education
Commission of the States.
New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts all require
students to attend at least 10 years of school, while West Virginia requires 11
years and Ohio requires students to attend for at least 12 years. Several
states, including Connecticut, Maryland and the District of Columbia, require
as many as 13 years in the classroom. Students in Pennsylvania are guaranteed a
free education in the state's public schools between the ages of 6 and 21;
however, attendance is required only for students between the ages of 8 and 17.
All states offer free education for more years than they require attendance,
according to the report. Local school boards have the power to establish and
maintain kindergarten requirements for children age 4 to 6. Kindergarten is not
required by the state. There are 13 states, plus the District of Columbia, that
require districts to offer full-day kindergarten, according to the report.
Philly
school graduation rates up; mayor promises more progress
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff
Writer @newskag | kgraham@phillynews.com Updated: NOVEMBER
9, 2017 — 1:19 PM EST
The audience was fired up, and so was Mayor Kenney:
For three straight years, the Philadelphia School District’s graduation rate
has risen. For the class of 2017, 67 percent of all students earned
diplomas in four years. That’s up 1 percentage point over last year,
Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. on Thursday told the audience at Lincoln
High School, which saw a 12-point increase in its graduation rate. Kenney, who
recently announced plans to seize control of city schools after 16
years of state control, said even
marginal progress was remarkable. “This accomplishment is even more significant
when you look at all the cuts our graduates had to endure during their academic
careers,” the mayor said after Lincoln’s color guard, drum line and
cheerleading squad welcomed an audience of students and dignitaries. “We’re
sorry about that.” During the Class of 2017’s high school career, the
district endured dozens of school closings, layoffs of 4,000 staff, hundreds of
millions in program cuts. Kenney, who last week directed the SRC to take a
dissolution vote next Thursday that would become effective in June,
said local control would advance the progress. He expects the school
system to function as a department of the city.
Philly graduation
rate rises slightly, and District celebrates
The notebook by Staff Report November 9, 2017 —
5:35pm
Four-year high school graduation rates have ticked
up in Philadelphia for the third straight year, and scores on a key
standardized test, the PSSA/Keystones, have improved as well. Among students
who entered 9th grade in the District in 2013-14, 67 percent graduated in four
years, a 1-percentage-point increase from the year before. The School District
of Philadelphia held a pep rally Thursday at Lincoln High School to celebrate,
and Mayor Kenney promised more progress when the city takes
over control of the District – planned for 2018-19 – and pledged to close an
anticipated $900 million funding gap over the next five years. School officials
said the test results reflect the District’s strategic focus on college and
career readiness and the hard work being put in by students, families,
teachers, and principals.
Students
at Young Scholars Charter get ready for 'Experience Week'
The notebook by Evan Durant November 9, 2017 —
2:50pm
Starting Monday, students at Young Scholars Charter
School will be able to spend time at local businesses, organizations, and
government agencies to learn about careers in what is being called “Experience
Week.” The week will have theme days, such as vocations, the arts, and
humanities. The school has partnered with 22 local workplaces where students
can learn about day-to-day operations. The partners include
Philadelphia City Planning Commission, Keller-Williams Real Estate, the African
American Museum in Philadelphia, Vetri Family Restaurants, the Stephen Klein
Wellness Center, Castle Valley Mill, CBS Radio, and the Walnut Street
Theatre. The goal is to give students a better idea of the
variety of careers and options available. Young Scholars is a middle school
serving 6th to 8th graders. “We are already pretty good at closing the
achievement gap,” said John Amenda, the school's executive director, referring
to a persistent test-score gap between white and Asian students and black and
Hispanic students. “We just need to get better at closing the exposure gap.”
Students
learn to combat hate at Philly conference
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent November 9, 2017As his speech began, Akbar Hossain paused to take a selfie from behind the rostrum at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. With a crowd that big behind him, he explained, who could resist a picture? In the audience behind him sat nearly 500 students from 65 area high schools, all gathered in Philadelphia Thursday for the 11th annual Youth Conference hosted by the Anti-Defamation League. The conference aims to combat hate through a day of workshops and tough conversations. And if the crowd looked big to Hossain, the keynote speaker, it also looked big to organizers. Participation was up 30 percent from the year prior. “A lot of schools are experiencing hate incidents, bias incidents that they didn’t have before or weren’t as aware of before,” said Lisa Friedland, one of the event organizers. “So I think the attraction to having a workshop where kids can come together to challenge these things is a lot more prominent this year.”
CBS Pittsburgh November 8, 2017 9:08 PM By Paul
Martino
LEETSDALE (KDKA) — Starting classes later for
teenage students is becoming a national trend.
Experts say many kids just aren’t ready to learn at
7 a.m., so that has many school districts in the Pittsburgh area rethinking
what time they will ring their first bell. Quaker Valley began a bit of an
experiment this year, starting first period at 8 a.m. instead of 7:45 a.m. So
far, it’s been a big success. Now other schools, like Pine-Richland are
thinking about starting their day later, too. “They just had kind of the zombie look, and they
looked tired. So I think the shift by 15 minutes has definitely made a
difference,” said Quaker Valley High School Principal Deborah Riccobelli.
The students agree.
Senate Tax
Bill Ends Deductions for State and Local Taxes, Classroom Supplies
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on November
9, 2017 9:40 PM
The Senate on Thursday released its version of tax
reform, and in one important respect it could have a bigger impact on spending
for public schools than the House bill released last week. The Senate's GOP-only version would eliminate all
the current deductions people can take on the federal tax returns for state and
local income, sales, and property taxes. That could lead to a bigger federal
tax burden for many individuals. So why is that a big deal for education? Education advocacy groups in Washington have been
alarmed by the House legislation's provisions to strip away several state and
local tax deductions, although the legislation would allow taxpayers to deduct
up to $10,000 in property taxes. They've argued that without those
deductions, many people's federal tax returns would rise dramatically (and
unfairly), and that would subsequently put a lot more pressure on state and
local governments to cut their own tax revenue to compensate, which would
reduce the pot for public schools. Since the Senate bill would get rid of all state
and local tax deductions, the downstream effects on state and local K-12
spending would only increase, according to those advocates.
'Starve
the Beast,' Hurt Our Schools
Our schools will bear the brunt of the
enormous disinvestment in the middle class being sold as tax reform.
US News By Lisette
Partelow, Contributor | Nov. 8, 2017, at 1:00 p.m.
Having failed to enact their other legislative
priorities this year, congressional leaders have now decided to place a big bet
on getting "tax reform" to the president's desk as quickly as
possible. Since the rushed introduction of their bill last week, much has been
written about how individuals will fare come filing time, but changes to the
tax code will also have huge implications for students, teachers and schools. Sadly,
the tax bill currently under consideration in the House is designed primarily to
redistribute money away from middle-class families toward rich people like
Trump and his wealthy donors. It contains enormous
permanent giveaways to the very wealthy and large corporations,
while about a third of
middle-class families will eventually see their taxes increase.
Comments
About Muslims, Women in Science Sink Trump Education Nominee
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson
Klein on November 9, 2017 5:01 PM
UPDATED
- The Trump
administration is yanking the nomination of Tim Kelly, a Michigan state
representative who President Donald Trump tapped to lead the office
of career, technical, and adult education at the U.S. Department of Education,
after it became clear he was the author of a personal blog that made offensive statements about Muslims,
Head Start parents, and federal efforts to recruit women into the sciences, a source said. "It
became clear that Mr. Kelly had made a series of statements that were not
reflective of the secretary's values," said an administration official.
Sources characterized this as a decision that U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy
Devos made when she was presented with the blog posts. The blog should
have been caught in the White House vetting process, one source said. And Kelly
should have disclosed it with his application, but failed to do so, this source
added. Kelly did not respond to an email and a phone call from Education
Week, and his state legislative office declined to make him available
for comment. However, in comments to the Detroit News after news
broke that the Trump administration had pulled his nomination, Kelly said
his blogs posts "have been blown out of proportion and were generally
reflected 'mainstream' conservative thought," the newspaper reported.
HENDERSON, Nev. (KSNV News3LV) — by Kelsey Thomas
Nevada took a gamble on recreational marijuana and
it’s going to pay off big time for schools in Henderson. The Henderson City
Council voted Tuesday night to put money from pot shop sales towards funding 39
public schools in Henderson. “I think it’s great,” said Armen Yemenidjin,
founder and CEO of Essence Cannabis Dispensary in Henderson. Yemenidjin has
been giving Henderson a taste of Nevada’s green rush and now, some of the money
he makes will be going to nearby schools. "Nevada, for everything we have
to offer, and for who we are as a state, I think the one area we lack in, is
education,” he explained. There are no set numbers for how much money the
schools will receive. It depends on how much marijuana the pot shops in
Henderson sell. The money will come from license fees at businesses, which are
based on 3-percent of gross revenues from all Henderson recreational marijuana
sales. Around 30-percent of those fees would go to public schools in Henderson.
The city projects fiscal year 2018 will bring in revenues up to $1 million.
That means about $300,000 will go to Henderson schools.
Watch
EPLC'S "FOCUS ON EDUCATION" on PCN on Sunday 11/12 at 3:00 pm. Panel
discusses homeless students followed by update on new School Code changes.
November School
Leader Advocacy Training
PASA, PASBO, PSBA, the Pennsylvania
Principals Association, the PARSS and PAIU are offering five, full-day School Leader Advocacy Training sessions at the
following locations:
Wednesday, November 15 – Berks County I.U. 14 (Reading)
Thursday, November 16 – Midwestern I.U. 4 (Grove City)
Friday, November 17 – Westmoreland I.U. 7 (Greensburg)
Take advantage of this great opportunity – at NO cost to you!
REGISTER TODAY at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SchoolLeaderTraining.
Wednesday, November 15 – Berks County I.U. 14 (Reading)
Thursday, November 16 – Midwestern I.U. 4 (Grove City)
Friday, November 17 – Westmoreland I.U. 7 (Greensburg)
Take advantage of this great opportunity – at NO cost to you!
REGISTER TODAY at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SchoolLeaderTraining.
Cyber Charter School Application; Public Hearing November 20
Pennsylvania Bulletin Saturday, October 14, 2017 NOTICES - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Pennsylvania Bulletin Saturday, October 14, 2017 NOTICES - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The Department of
Education (Department) has scheduled one date for a public hearing regarding a
cyber charter school application that was received on or before October 2,
2017. The hearing will be held on November 20,
2017, in Heritage Room A on the lobby level of 333 Market Street, Harrisburg,
PA 17126 at 9 a.m. The hearing pertains to the applicant seeking to operate a
cyber charter school beginning in the 2018-2019 school year. The purpose of the
hearing is to gather information from the applicant about the proposed cyber
charter school as well as receive comments from interested individuals
regarding the application. The name of the applicant, copies of the application
and a listing of the date and time scheduled for the hearing on the application
can be viewed on the Department's web site at www.education.pa.gov. Individuals who wish to provide comments on the
application during the hearing must provide a copy of their written comments to
the Department and the applicant on or before November 6, 2017. Comments
provided by this deadline and presented at the hearing will become part of the
certified record. For questions regarding this hearing, contact the Division of
Charter Schools, (717) 787-9744, charterschools@pa.gov.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education
Cyber Charter School Application for Commonwealth Education Connections Cyber
Charter School 2017
Charter School
Application Submitted: September 27, 2017
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.
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2017/10/02/springsteen-on-broadway
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
Register
for New School Director Training in December and January
PSBA Website October 2017
You’ve started a challenging and
exciting new role as a school director. Let us help you narrow the learning
curve! PSBA’s New School Director Training provides school directors with
foundational knowledge about their role, responsibilities and ethical
obligations. At this live workshop, participants will learn about key laws,
policies, and processes that guide school board governance and leadership, and
develop skills for becoming strong advocates in their community. Get the tools
you need from experts during this visually engaging and interactive event.
Choose from any of these 10
locations and dates (note: all sessions are held 8 a.m.-4 p.m., unless
specified otherwise.):
·
Dec. 8, Bedford CTC
·
Dec. 8, Montoursville Area High School
·
Dec. 9, Upper St. Clair High School
·
Dec. 9, West Side CTC
·
Dec. 15, Crawford County CTC
·
Dec. 15, Upper Merion MS (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m)
·
Dec. 16, PSBA Mechanicsburg
·
Dec. 16, Seneca Highlands IU 9
·
Jan. 6, TBD Southeastern PA
(event pending 50+ registrations)
·
Jan. 13, A W Beattie Career Center
·
Jan. 13, Parkland HS
Fees: Complimentary to All-Access
members or $170 per person for standard membership. All registrations will be
billed to the listed district, IU or CTC. To request billing to
an individual, please contact Michelle Kunkel at michelle.kunkel@psba.org. Registration also includes a
box lunch on site and printed resources.
Registration Opens Tuesday, September 26, 2017
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