Thursday, December 28, 2017

PA Ed Policy Roundup Dec. 28: Every dollar granted in tax credits is a dollar fewer for other state priorities, including (constitutionally mandated) public education.

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 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, school solicitors, principals, charter school leaders, 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, Instagram and LinkedIn

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

Keystone State Education Coalition


No, you may not prepay Pennsylvania taxes to claim expiring deductions
Reading Eagle WRITTEN BY JEFF MCGAW Wednesday December 27, 2017 12:01 AM
A funny thing happened on the way to federal tax reform, but some Pennsylvanians may not be chuckling.The new tax reform bill, signed into law Friday by President Donald Trump, removes some personal exemptions and caps state and local tax deductions at $10,000. Even before Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, some tax advisers and news outlets suggested that taxpayers in Pennsylvania and beyond could save thousands by prepaying their 2018 taxes before deductions disappear. A memo to local tax collectors from the Pennsylvania State Tax Collectors' Association Inc., however, told a different story. "Many of you have been receiving phone calls from taxpayers asking if they can prepay their 2018 real estate taxes," the memo said. "As a result of potential tax reform, national and local news outlets have been promoting this possibility. In Pennsylvania, however, that is expressly prohibited by statute and collectors may not collect any taxes as prepayment for 2018."
http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/no-you-may-not-prepay-pennsylvania-taxes-to-claim-expiring-deductions&template=mobileart

“Sherry Labs, Plumstead tax collector and president of the Pennsylvania State Tax Collector’s Association, said in an email that tax collectors in the state have been inundated with calls asking if prepayments were possible. “Many of you have been receiving phone calls from taxpayers asking if they can prepay their 2018 real estate taxes,” a statement from the association provided by Chalfont tax collector Barbara Klingerman states. “That is expressly prohibited by statute and collectors may not collect any taxes as prepayment for 2018.”
Prepaying taxes not an option for Pennsylvania homeowners
Intelligencer By Chris Ullery Posted Dec 27, 2017 at 8:43 PM Updated at 1:20 AM
As taxpayers in states such as New Jersey are rushing to prepay 2018 taxes and avoid a new federal deduction cap, Pennsylvania state law will keep Bucks County homeowners from paying taxes until after federal law takes effect. As property owners in New Jersey and other high-tax states rush to prepay property taxes before the new federal tax law goes into effect Monday, Pennsylvanians have been told to hold off on writing checks to pay their taxes early. The law in the Commonwealth prohibits tax collectors from accepting any early payments. The rush to prepay property taxes began in the days following President Donald Trump’s Dec. 22 signing of the federal tax overhaul into law. For the first time, the tax code caps the state and local tax deduction to $10,000. When the national income tax was established in 1913, taxpayers were not limited on how much they could deduct. The law does not go into effect until the new year, which has led to a surge of prepayments from residents in other states as property owners try to maximize their federal income tax deductions while they still can. While in nearby New Jersey and New York, where the governors signed executive orders instructing municipalities to accept early payments for 2018, Pennsylvania’s local tax collection law prevents tax collectors from accepting early property tax payments.

Every dollar granted in tax credits is a dollar fewer for other state priorities, including public education. Even if the tax credits become more attractive, though, they won’t immediately bleed the state dry. That’s because the budget caps the total amount of education tax credits at $185 million. Dan Phillips, a tax shareholder with the Downtown accounting firm Schneider Downs, said the federal tax change could put upward pressure on the cap, as more donors seek to make tax credit-backed gifts to private schools.”
EITC: Tax changes could help parochial schools
RICH LORD Pittsburgh Post-Gazette rlord@post-gazette.com 6:59 PM DEC 22, 2017
A good deal for some big taxpayers and their favored private schools is about to become better. That’s because a 16-year-old state program that allows businesses to essentially reroute their levies to private schools just got a subtle boost from the new federal tax rewrite. The resulting winners could include private education organizations, including parochial schools, and certain savvy donors. The losers? That depends on state politics. Republicans have pushed to increase the amount of tax money rerouted to private schools, while Democrats have tended to try to limit the cost to state coffers. At a Wednesday visit to Hillel Academy, state House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Bradford Woods, said he’d continue to try to expand the state’s indirect support for private schools, including the Education Improvement Tax Credit -- and he predicted continued opposition.

Blogger note: Here’s a reminder on the education provisions of the Pennsylvania constitution:
PA Constitution, Article 3, Section 14. Public school system.
The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.
PA Constitution, Article 3, Section 15. Public school money not available to sectarian schools.
No money raised for the support of the public schools of the Commonwealth shall be appropriated to or used for the support of any sectarian school.
PA Constitution, Article 3, Section 29. Restrictions on Legislative Power.
No appropriation shall be made for charitable, educational or benevolent purposes to any person or community nor to any denominational and sectarian institution, corporation or association.

Governor Wolf: School District of Philadelphia Will Return to Local Control
Governor Wolf’s Website December 27, 2017
Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Tom Wolf announced that his administration has approved the return of Philadelphia public schools to local control. In a letter to the School District of Philadelphia, Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera approved of the district’s recommendation to dissolve the School Reform Commission (SRC) and rescind its designation as distressed. “Quality public schools are essential for our economy and our future, and the improvements made by the district in recent years have been significant,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “My administration has made public education a top priority and local control with strong state support will make the district stronger. Restoring district operations to a locally-selected board of education will only allow those improvements to continue, and will better serve the needs of the district’s students and schools. I commend Mayor Kenney, Superintendent Hite, and the administrators, teachers and parents of the Philadelphia school district for their commitment to improving public education in our largest city. I also want to thank the members of the SRC for their efforts and work over the years.”

State gives formal approval to SRC dissolution
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa December 27, 2017 — 3:16pm
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera has officially approved the demise of the School Reform Commission and return of the School District of Philadelphia to local control, formally ending 16 turbulent years of state governance. Gov. Tom Wolf made the announcement after Rivera sent a letter to the SRC approving its recommendation for self-destruction and recinding the District's designation as "distressed." Rivera had until Dec. 31 to act on the SRC's move; the dissolution takes effect on June 30, 2018.  A nine member Board of Education appointed by Mayor Kenney and vetted with City Council will take control of the District on July 1. “Quality public schools are essential for our economy and our future, and the improvements made by the district in recent years have been significant,” said Wolf in a statement. “My administration has made public education a top priority and local control with strong state support will make the district stronger." Wolf, who is running for re-election this year, said that local control will "allow those improvements to continue, and will better serve the needs of the district’s students and schools."

Philly schools no longer distressed, top officials say: Harrisburg signs off on SRC dissolution
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer  @newskag |  kgraham@phillynews.com Updated: DECEMBER 27, 2017 — 1:58 PM EST
It’s official: the School Reform Commission will be no more as of June 30. Pennsylvania’s top education official this week certified the dissolution of the SRC, which voted last month to abolish itself after 16 years of existence. Gov. Wolf announced the move Wednesday, saying that the Philadelphia School District has improved to the point where it is no longer distressed and that “local control with strong state support will make the district stronger.” “Restoring district operations to a locally selected board of education will only allow those improvements to continue, and will better serve the needs of the district’s students and schools,” Wolf said in a statement. “I commend Mayor Kenney, Superintendent Hite, and the administrators, teachers and parents of the Philadelphia school district for their commitment to improving public education in our largest city. I also want to thank the members of the SRC for their efforts and work over the years.” Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera signed off on the move, citing the “financial and academic improvements made during the tenure of the SRC.” He also said that he did not believe the end of the SRC would negatively affect the district.

 “I think the #MeToo movement has opened up a broader conversation on the problems that have always been here,” Krueger-Braneky told me this week. And No. 1 on that list in Pennsylvania is the stunning lack of female elected officials. We are currently 49th of the 50 states in women holding political office, ahead of only Mississippi. Globally, women get elected at a higher rate in Afghanistan than they do here. Pennsylvania has never, in its more than two centuries, had a female governorU.S. senator, or mayor of its largest city, Philadelphia. In the current 18-person delegation in the U.S. House, the rate of women is — hold on, let me take out my calculator … zero percent.”
Will 2018 FINALLY be 'the Year of the Woman' in Pa. politics? Signs point to 'yes' | Will Bunch
Philly Daily News by Will Bunch, STAFF COLUMNIST  @will_bunch |  bunchw@phillynews.com Updated: DECEMBER 21, 2017 — 1:45 PM EST
You think you’ve had a busy holiday season? Try being Delaware County Democratic State Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky, who — in the spirit of Santa Claus, perhaps — has been flying all over the political map in recent days, speaking up and taking a stand for a fast-spreading revolution in female empowerment that must be gaining some traction if it’s actually reached Pennsylvania, the state where women’s movements historically go to die. While you were out hunting down Christmas bargains, Krueger-Braneky has sponsored legislation in Harrisburg that would end the boys-club rules that for decades have helped cover up sexual misconduct by male legislators, stood with Gov. Wolf as he vetoed GOP-passed legislation that would have imposed one of the nation’s strictest antiabortion laws on Pennsylvania women, and this week called for the resignation of two fellow Democratic lawmakers whose bad conduct has been exposed in the growing tidal wave of #MeToo.

Philly schools tormented by decision to reduce suspensions | Opinion
Inquirer by Max Eden, For City Journal Updated: DECEMBER 27, 2017 — 8:15 AM EST
Under an Obama-era directive and the threat of federal civil rights investigation, thousands of American schools changed their discipline policies in an attempt to reduce out-of-school suspensions. Last year, education-policy researchers Matthew Steinberg and Joanna Lacoe reviewed the arguments for and against discipline reform in Education Next and concluded that little was known about the effects of the recent changes. But this year, the picture is becoming ever clearer: Discipline reform has caused a school-climate catastrophe and Philadelphia is the latest city to fall into this crisis, according to a new study conducted by Lacoe and Steinberg. The school district of Philadelphia serves 134,000 students, about 70 percent of whom are black or Latino. In the 2012–13 school year, Philadelphia banned suspensions for non-violent classroom misbehavior. Steinberg and Lacoe estimate that, compared to other districts, discipline reform reduced academic achievement by 3 percent in math and nearly 7 percent in reading by 2016. The authors do report that, among students with previous suspensions, achievement increased by 0.2 percent. But this only demonstrates that well-behaved students bore the brunt of the academic damage.

AASA I Love Public Education Campaign
AASA Website
On behalf of the children that attend our nation’s public schools, the I Love Public Education campaign is a year-long effort to highlight why public schools are essential to developing the future generations that will maintain our country’s status as a world leader. The campaign is designed to facilitate deliberate conversations and strong, meaningful actions on the efforts to bolster our schools to best support the students they serve. We will work to reframe the current national dialogue on public education to highlight the critical role public schools play as the bedrock of our civic society and their work to prepare students to be successful, contributing members of their local, national, and global communities. As the national organization representing public school superintendents, we have long focused on the importance of equity as a driver of and goal for educational opportunity and achievement. Equity is at the center of our campaign, with the long-term goal of ensuring all communities have access to a high-quality public school. Our multi-pronged campaign will permeate all aspects of our work: Advocacy, Children’s Programs, Leadership Development and Membership Services, as well as the supports and services we provide members, including newsletters, social media, webinars, cohort communities, and more.


Charter School Discussion in Philly Jan 11, 2018 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.
PCCY Email December 26, 2017
Serious flaws in Pennsylvania’s charter school law put the quality of charter schools on the back burner.  Join PCCY for a discussion of how other states’ laws are doing a better job and explore what makes sense in Pennsylvania. January 11, 2018 from 8:00 - 9:30 a.m., at the United Way Building 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 19103
Featured speakers include:
·         Representative James Roebuck (D), PA General Assembly, Democratic Chairman - Education Committee
·         Representative Jordan Harris (D), PA General Assembly
·         Veronica Brooks-Uy, Policy Director, National Association of Charter School Authorizers
·         Sharif El-Mekki, Principal, Mastery Charter Schools
·         Jeff Sparagana, Ed.D, Former Superintendent Pottstown School District
·         Doug Carney, Former Springfield School Board Member (24 years), SVP Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
·         Donna Cooper, Executive Director, Public Citizens for Children and Youth
·         Tomea Sippio-Smith, Education Policy Director, Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY)


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 remaining locations and dates (note: all sessions are held 8 a.m.-4 p.m., unless specified otherwise.):
·         Jan. 6, Haverford Middle School
·         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.

NSBA 2018 Advocacy Institute February 4 - 6, 2018 Marriott Marquis, Washington D.C.
Register Now
Come a day early and attend the Equity Symposium!
Join hundreds of public education advocates on Capitol Hill and help shape the decisions made in Washington D.C. that directly impact our students. At the 2018 Advocacy Institute, you’ll gain insight into the most critical issues affecting public education, sharpen your advocacy skills, and prepare for effective meetings with your representatives. Whether you are an expert advocator or a novice, attend and experience inspirational keynote speakers and education sessions featuring policymakers, legal experts and policy influencers. All designed to help you advocate for your students and communities.

REGISTER TODAY! ELECTED. ENGAGED. EMPOWERED:
Local School Board Members to Advocate on Capitol Hill in 2018     
NSBA's Advocacy Institute 2018 entitled, "Elected. Engaged. Empowered: Representing the Voice in Public Education," will be held on February 4-6, 2018 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. This conference will convene Members of Congress, national thought-leaders, state association executives and well-known political pundits to provide local school board members with an update on key policy and legal issues impacting public education, and tactics and strategies to enhance their ability to influence the policy-making process and national education debate during their year-round advocacy efforts.
WHAT'S NEW - ADVOCACY INSTITUTE '18?
·         Confirmed National Speaker: Cokie Roberts, Political Commentator for NPR and ABC News
·         NSBA will convene first ever National School Board Town Hall on School Choice
·         Includes General Sessions featuring national policy experts, Members of Congress, "DC Insiders" and local school board members
·         Offers conference attendees "Beginner" and "Advanced" Advocacy breakout sessions
·         NSBA will host a Hill Day Wrap-Up Reception
Click here to register for the Advocacy Institute.  The hotel block will close on Monday, January 15
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Registration is now open for the 2018 PASA Education Congress! State College, PA, March 19-20, 2018
Don't miss this marquee event for Pennsylvania school leaders at the Nittany Lion Inn, State College, PA, March 19-20, 2018.
Learn more by visiting http://www.pasa-net.org/2018edcongress 

SAVE THE DATE for the 2018 PA Educational Leadership Summit - July 29-31 - State College, PA sponsored by the PA Principals Association, PASA, PAMLE and PASCD.  
This year's Summit will be held from July 29-31, 2018 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA.

Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization that I may be affiliated with.

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