Thursday, May 17, 2018

PA Ed Policy Roundup May 17: DeVos knows little about public education. And she doesn’t want to learn.


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DeVos knows little about public education. And she doesn’t want to learn.


Betsy DeVos knows little about public education. And she doesn’t want to learn.
Washington Post By Helaine Olen May 16 at 4:09 PM
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visited New York City this week. And what did she learn?
Nothing about public education, that’s for sure. While in New York, DeVos did not visit a single public school. Not a traditional public school, and not a charter school. DeVos, however, did make time to tour a pair of private Orthodox Jewish day schools. She also made time to speak at a breakfast sponsored by two charities that promote Catholic parochial education. Let me repeat that. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visited the nation’s largest public school district, one responsible for educating 1.1 million students annually, and didn’t bother to check out even one public school. What could she be thinking? According to the Education Department’s own data, there are more than 50 million students attending U.S. public schools during the 2017-2018 school year. At last count, only 10 percent of the nation’s schoolchildren — about 5.7 million — attend private schools.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/05/16/betsy-devos-knows-little-about-public-education-and-she-doesnt-want-to-learn/?utm_term=.8781ccc6b8cf

Highlights from the 2018 Pennsylvania Primary
City and State PA By: RYAN BRIGGS MAY 16, 2018 AT 7:15 AM
In some ways, Tuesday’s primary races went much as expected: Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Tom Wolf cruised to predictable victories – neither had primary challengers – as did some Republican challengers, like Casey’s GOP opponent, Congressman Lou Barletta. Beyond the top-tier races, a record-setting number of political contests and candidates – spurred by everything from President Donald Trump’s election, to retiring and resigning incumbents, to redrawn political districts – yielded a bumper crop of surprising outcomes.  ere are some highlights from a night that saw dozens of interparty battles draw to a close ahead of the November general election.
https://www.cityandstatepa.com/content/highlights-2018-pennsylvania-primary

Pennsylvania fields historic slate of women congressional candidates
Trib Live by DEBRA ERDLEY  | Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 5:15 p.m.
Pennsylvania has 18 congressional seats and no women currently elected to Congress. The state elected four women to Congress in the past 25 years and just seven in its history. The first three won special elections held after their husbands died in office.
Pennsylvania, a state that experts call ground zero in the Democratic Party's battle to regain control of Washington, D.C., will see an unprecedented field of eight women seeking congressional seats on the November ballot. The election guarantees that Pennsylvania's congressional delegation — a boy's club since the 2014 exit of Allyson Schwartz — will have at least one, if not more, female voices. In suburban Philadelphia's 5th Congressional District, Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon faces Republican Pearl Kim. Closer to home, Democrat Bibiana Boerio, 64, a retired Ford Motor Co. executive and one-time chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, will face Republican state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, 35, in the new 14th Congressional District. And Democrat Susan Boser, 61, an Indiana University of Pennsylvania professor, will face five-term incumbent Republican Glenn Thompson, 58, of Centre County in the new 15th District.
http://triblive.com/politics/politicalheadlines/13657312-74/pennsylvania-fields-historic-slate-of-women-congressional-candidates

‘Year of the Woman’ hits home in Delco
By Kathleen E. Carey, Delaware County Daily Times POSTED: 05/16/18, 8:43 PM EDT
It was a female wave that crashed over Pennsylvania politics Tuesday as four U.S. congressional districts, including the 5th, found women victorious in a place where women had never been. “We’re finally going to have a woman representing Pennsylvania in the (U.S.) House of Representatives,” Wes Leckrone, associate professor of political science at Widener University, said. “That’s not something that’s a small issue.” G. Terry Madonna, director of the Franklin & Marshall College’s Center for Politics and Public Affairs, agreed. On Wednesday, he tweeted, “It looks like 8 women in PA have won nominations for Congress, 7Ds and 1R. If we subtract 4D male incumbents that won, women will make up 50 percent of the D candidates in the state. That’s historic!” He extrapolated on that later in the day. “We’ve never elected a female governor,” Madonna said. “We’ve never elected a female senator. We are seeing an energy level to elect women in this state ... We do not have a single woman in the Pennsylvania delegation.”
That changed Tuesday night. “What’s basically going on is ‘The Year of the Woman,’” Madonna said.
http://www.delcotimes.com/general-news/20180516/year-of-the-woman-hits-home-in-delco

Trump and Me Too help women reach 'historic' heights in Pennsylvania primary races
Tim Darragh Contact Reporter Of The Morning Call May 16, 2018
Like tributaries flowing into a mighty river, strong candidates, a new congressional map, the election of President Donald Trump, the subsequent Women’s March, the Me Too movement and fervor for gun control following the Parkland, Fla., high school massacre, all converged Tuesday to produce a tide of winning female candidates unlike anything seen previously in Pennsylvania politics. In a state with no women in its congressional delegation, eight women — seven Democratsand one Republican — captured nominations Tuesday, producing the most female congressional nominees in Pennsylvania since 1980, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. (Before then, the only Pennsylvania women to serve in Congress won in special elections to fill seats vacated by their husbands’ deaths, center records show.)  At least one woman is all but guaranteed victory in November, and several more Democratic primary winners are in suburban Philadelphia districts highly likely to go Democratic, setting the table for a potential gender change in Pennsylvania’s delegation. “It’s absolutely historic,” Muhlenberg College pollster Chris Borick said. “There is simply lots of energy among women for a change in the status quo in American politics.”
http://www.mcall.com/news/elections/mc-nws-women-candidates-success-primary-20180516-story.html

Wagner vs. Wolf: Pa's next governor will come from York County
Penn Live By Jan Murphy jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated May 16, 7:51 PM; Posted May 16, 12:15 AM
Pennsylvania voters decided that the road to the governor's office will go through York County as they picked Sen. Scott Wagner to challenge Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's bid for a second term. Wagner bested his opponents, both of Allegheny County, in a three-way race in Tuesday's primary by sweeping up victories primarily in the central and northwestern portions of the state. He beat his closest rival, political newcomer Paul Mango, 45 percent to 37 percent with 99.5 percent of precincts reporting, according to the Department of State. The third candidate and another political novice, Laura Ellsworth, came away with 19 percent of the vote. Ellsworth failed to win the majority of the votes in any county while Wagner won 43 counties and Mango won 24. Mango's biggest margin of victory coming from Bucks and Allegheny counties.
http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/05/wagner_wolf_a_gubernatorial_co.html#incart_2box_politics

Governor's race begins with attacks from both candidates
Post-Gazette by LIZ NAVRATIL AND ANGELA COULOUMBIS Harrisburg Bureau MAY 16, 2018 9:11 PM
MANCHESTER, Pa. -- Sen. Scott Wagner had barely wrapped up his victory speech as the Republican nominee for governor in Tuesday's primary when the volleys began. "Scott Wagner is the very worst of Harrisburg," screamed the headline in a statement by Gov. Tom Wolf's campaign. As the Democratic governor prepared to meet up for lunch Wednesday with his new running mate, Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, at a diner near his home in York County, the barrage continued. A fund-raising appeal by Mr. Wolf''s campaign featured a video portraying Mr. Wagner as beholden to gas drillers and stitching together some of Mr. Wagner's more divisive statements, including his now-infamous exchange with a political operative tracking his campaign. The Republican Governors Association on Wednesday tweeted out a 15-second digital ad calling Mr. Wolf a "tax hiker who sat on the sidelines while Pennsylvania was almost brought to the brink of bankruptcy."
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2018/05/16/Governor-s-race-begins-with-attacks-from-both-candidates/stories/201805160195

Governor Wolf: 200 Schools Receive First-ever School Breakfast Grants to Improve Learning
Governor Wolf.s Website May 16, 2018
Harrisburg, PA – As part of his School Breakfast Initiative to help more children start their day with a healthy meal, Governor Tom Wolf today announced $900,000 from the inaugural round of grants to help 200 schools make breakfast available to all students and expand options for the children. “A healthy breakfast helps students begin the school day ready to learn and succeed,” said Governor Wolf. “These school breakfast grants are an investment in the lives of thousands of children. When kids start the day with the nutrition they need, they grow up smarter, healthier, and stronger – and that means a smarter, healthier, stronger Pennsylvania.” First Lady Frances Wolf will join Education Department Executive Deputy Secretary Dr. David Volkman and school advocates at Lawnton Elementary School in Harrisburg this morning to celebrate the announcement. Improving education from preschool through higher education has been a priority for the governor and First Lady since day one. “Ask any teacher and they’ll tell you that food is a basic school supply, just like textbooks and pencils. When kids struggle with hunger, it’s harder for them to learn,” said First Lady Frances Wolf. “This important funding will go to the schools and the students who need it most to ensure they have a healthy, consistent start to their day.”
https://www.governor.pa.gov/governor-wolf-200-schools-receive-first-ever-school-breakfast-grants/

Pair of Berks schools receive first-ever breakfast grants
'All students benefit from... breakfast programs'
By:  69 News  Posted: May 16, 2018 11:34 AM EDT Updated: May 16, 2018 11:34 AM EDT
HARRISBURG, Pa. - Two elementary schools in Berks County are among 200 statewide to be part of Pennsylvania's inaugural round of school breakfast grants. The Muhlenberg Elementary Center in Muhlenberg Township will receive $5,000, and the Jacksonwald Elementary School in Exeter Township will receive $3,060. The money is part of $900,000 in state funding that aims to help more children start their day with a healthy meal, according to Gov. Tom Wolf. "A healthy breakfast helps students begin the school day ready to learn and succeed," Wolf said. "These school breakfast grants are an investment in the lives of thousands of children. When kids start the day with the nutrition they need, they grow up smarter, healthier, and stronger – and that means a smarter, healthier, stronger Pennsylvania." First lady Frances Wolf joined state education leaders and school advocates in celebrating the announcement of the grants at an elementary school near Harrisburg on Thursday.
http://www.wfmz.com/news/berks/pair-of-berks-schools-receive-first-ever-breakfast-grants/742515717

PSBA’s 2017 Pennsylvania School Facts and Figures now available
Do you know how many students are enrolled in Pennsylvania public schools? There are 1.72 million total (913,056 elementary and 809,561 secondary for the 2016-17 school year). These facts and many more can be found in the 2017 PA School Facts and Figures. It is designed to help school board members respond quickly to questions from the public and contains the most current statewide information available.
https://www.psba.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/facts-and-figures_2017.pdf

TOXIC CITY SICK SCHOOLS
Botched jobs
Inquirer By Dylan Purcell, Barbara Laker, and Wendy Ruderman / Staff Writers Photos and video by Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer Thursday, May 17, 2018
From harmful dust to toxic fumes, poor oversight is blamed as school repairs make the same mistakes again and again.
Eyes closed, head down, arms draped across his desk, Lucas Sims didn’t move to the blue rug when his second-grade classmates gathered in a circle for story time. Afterward, his teacher, who thought he had drifted off to sleep, gently tried to rouse him. But Lucas didn’t move. Worried classmates jostled his shoulder. He didn’t move. Panic set in. A school nurse rushed to Room 202 and waved smelling salts under Lucas’ nose, six times in all. Nearby another boy appeared lethargic and woozy. Before long, fire and emergency crews, sirens wailing, converged on William H. Loesche Elementary School in Northeast Philadelphia that crisp January day and would soon rush Lucas and the other boy to the hospital. Diagnosis: carbon monoxide poisoning from construction work on a leaking roof. As part of its “Toxic City” series, the Inquirer and Daily News investigated environmental hazards in Philadelphia district schools.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/lead-carbon-monoxide-silica-poisoning-construction-students-teachers-philadelphia-schools-toxic-city.html

Philly Working Educators caucus calls for increase in black teachers in District
'We are 100 percent focused on diversifying our teacher ranks,' District spokesman says.
The notebook by Sam Haut May 16 — 4:20 pm, 2018
The Caucus of Working Educators will hold a panel discussion and petition signing Thursday to demand an increase in the number of black teachers in Philadelphia schools. The caucus hopes to start a discussion about the need for more black teachers when the majority of students in the District are black. Ismael Jimenez, of the Working Educators steering committee, stressed that his group wants to know the number of black teachers by school as well, something Jimenez said their group could not find out. Jimenez said hiring more black teachers is just the first step, with other demands including anti-racist training for teachers and addressing restorative justice. Shira Cohen, an organizer for the event, said it is a continuation of a Black Lives Matter Week of Action that took place in February and is an attempt to keep the momentum going. “It’s ending with a petition to the school district to release data on whether or not they’re attempting to hire black teachers in the city, and an open ask for them to set a goal to hiring more teachers of color,” Cohen said. “At this point we don’t see an effort on their part to do that.”
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/05/16/working-educators-caucus-calls-for-increase-in-black-teachers-in-district/

Voters approve charter change that gives Philly City Council more power over new school board
The change does not apply to nine members Kenney appointed this spring.
the Notebook WHYY NEWS May 16 — 2:22 pm, 2018
Philadelphia voters approved a charter change Tuesday that gives City Council more power over the composition of the city’s new school board. Ballot question No. 2 asked Philadelphians:
Shall the Educational Supplement to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to restore local control by confirming the Board of Education’s independent responsibility to administer the School District of Philadelphia, providing for public participation in the Educational Nominating Panel process, revising eligibility requirements, requiring City Council confirmation of School Board appointments, requiring a stated reason for removing a School Board Member and establishing a Parent and Community Advisory Council?
The question’s first clause, about amending the charter “to restore local control,” is little more than a rhetorical distraction. Local control has already been restored, and this vote will have no bearing on that development. “It’s misleading, that first part of the question,” said Patrick Christmas, policy program manager for Committee of Seventy, a government watchdog group that supports the ballot measure. “Why it was drafted up that way, I can only speculate.”
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/05/16/voters-approve-charter-change-that-gives-city-council-more-power-over-new-school-board/

“The beverage tax wasn’t passed to change health.  That’s just a side benefit. The dollars raised by the tax will help refurbish our parks and recreation centers, helping to create spaces where we can come together to play with our children, strengthen our bodies, and rejuvenate our souls. And when green spaces are kept up and people come together in neighborhood parks, violence falls. By paying for high-quality pre-K and community schools, those dollars will also support our children’s academic futures, using strategies that have been shown to boost test scores, high school graduation rates, and long-term economic success.”
Beverage tax might be Philly's biggest win of all | Opinion
by Cheryl Bettigole, For the Inquirer Updated: MAY 17, 2018 — 5:00 AM EDT
Cheryl Bettigole, M.D., M.P.H., is  director of the Division of Chronic Disease Prevention of Get Healthy Philly, an initiative of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.
A grandmother sat waiting with her 8-year-old granddaughter for the girl’s annual check-up. “I keep telling her to wash her neck, but she never does it,” she said as soon as I walked into the room, clearly embarrassed. The dark, slightly thickened areas on the sides of her granddaughter’s neck told a different, more worrisome story. Acanthosis nigricans, often mistaken for dirt on the neck and under the arms, except that it doesn’t wash off no matter how much you scrub, is an early sign of impending diabetes. Seeing it in this 8-year-old meant  this young girl was already well on the road to developing diabetes, a condition that a generation ago was thought of as a disease of the elderly. This story plays out daily across Philadelphia, as poor diets and lack of physical activity drive rates of chronic disease sky-high. We are the unhealthiest big city in America, and ranked the unhealthiest county in Pennsylvania. High rates of smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, and consumption of unhealthy food drive these numbers, along with our high rate of poverty, particularly childhood poverty. And our high rates of disease also drive up our poverty rate in an ugly cycle, as heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure limit people’s ability to work and support their families.
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/commentary/philadelphia-beverage-tax-soda-tax-diabetes-pre-k-20180517.html

Greensburg Salem approves preliminary budget with no tax increase
Trib Live by JACOB TIERNEY  | Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 10:15 p.m.
Greensburg Salem School District approved a preliminary $46.1 million budget Wednesday that keeps property taxes flat at 88.22 mills for the 2017-18 school year. The school board vote was 7-2, with board members Jeffrey Metrosky and Robin Savage opposing the budget. None of the board members discussed their vote at Wednesday's meeting, but Metrosky said last week that he would not support an unbalanced budget. The preliminary budget would use about $561,000 from the district's reserves. This is largely because of $300,000 being transferred from the district's general fund to its capital fund, which is used to pay for major construction projects. The full budget will be posted on the district's website for public inspection soon.
http://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/13659288-74/greensburg-salem-approves-preliminary-budget-with-no-tax-increase

“When deciding whether to expel a student or let the youngster return, administrators must balance the safety of an alleged victim and other schoolmates with the accused's right to an education. "Schools are up against this problem all the time," said Amy Klinger, director of programs at the advocacy group Educator's School Safety Network. She said no fixed policy exists on how to deal with these situations; instead, they tend to be handled on a case-by-case basis.”
Threat case throws spotlight on hard choices for schools
AP State Wire By ALEXANDRA VILLARREAL  Published: Today
BERWYN, Pa. (AP) - When 12-year-old Nora Nissenbaum told a boy from her class she wasn't interested in him anymore, he started texting her images of Adolf Hitler and insults such as "dirty Jew." Nora's parents contacted her suburban Philadelphia middle school and police. Soon after, word spread that the boy had supposedly threatened to take a gun to class and target 33 people, including Nora. But within a week, the boy was back in class despite facing criminal charges in juvenile court, and he and Nora were crossing paths in the hallway eight times a day. "Knowing that he wants to hurt me scares me a lot," said Nora, who has elected to finish the school year at home with the case against her classmate still unresolved. Across the country, school officials dealing with threats of violence in this era of mass shootings are facing similar choices and constraints.
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=SZzM1xov


Schools See Steep Drop in Librarians, New Analysis Finds
Education Week By Sarah D. Sparks and Alex Harwin May 16, 2018
American schools—particularly those serving black and Latino students—have seen a precipitous drop in their school librarians since the Great Recession. The nation’s public school districts have lost 20 percent of their librarians and media specialists since 2000, from more than 54,000 to less than 44,000 in 2015, according to an Education Week Research Center analysis of federal data. Many districts lost librarians even as student populations grew by 7 percent nationwide. For example, over the past decade in Denver public schools, student enrollment increased by 24 percent, but the number of librarians decreased by 56 percent. The most dramatic drop came after the 2008 recession, and the federal data suggests that cash-strapped districts may have shifted from library services to other support staff. Over the same period when school librarians’ ranks dropped, schools nationwide saw an 11 percent increase in counselors, a 19 percent increase in instructional aides, and a 28 percent increase in school administrators.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/05/16/schools-see-steep-drop-in-librarians-new.html

Bill Gates gives $44M to influence state education plans
Inquirer by SALLY HO, The Associated Press Updated: MAY 16, 2018 — 1:25 PM EDT
SEATTLE (AP) - Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates saw an opportunity with a new federal education law that has widespread repercussions for American classrooms. His nonprofit Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given about $44 million to outside groups over the past two years to help shape new state education plans required under the 2015 law, according to an Associated Press analysis of its grants. The spending paid for research aligned with Gates' interests, led to friendly media coverage and had a role in helping write one state's new education system framework. The grants illustrate how strategic and immersive the Microsoft founder can be in pursuit of his education reform agenda, quietly wielding national influence over how schools operate. Gates' carefully curated web of influence is often invisible but allows his foundation to drive the conversation in support of its vision on how to reshape America's struggling school systems. Critics call it meddling by a foundation with vast wealth and resources. The Gates Foundation says it's simply helping states navigate a "tectonic" shift in responsibility for education - from the federal government to more local control.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20180516_ap_a4042e82ffaa4a34b50ceac464761957.html

“Senate supporters of the FCC rules put forward the legislation under the Congressional Review Act, a law that permits Congress to revisit — and reject — decisions by administrative agencies within a certain window of their approval. The resolution, or CRA for short, passed with the backing of all 49 Democratic senators and three Republicans: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, John Kennedy of Louisiana, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.”
Senate approves bipartisan resolution to restore FCC net neutrality rules
Inquirer by Brian Fung, The Washington Post Updated: MAY 16, 2018 — 5:06 PM EDT
The Senate approved a resolution Wednesday that aims to undo a sweeping act of deregulation undertaken last year by the Federal Communications Commission, issuing a rebuke to the Trump administration, which supported the FCC’s move. The resolution targets the FCC’s vote in December to repeal its net neutrality rules for internet providers. If successful, the legislative gambit could restore the agency’s regulations and hand a victory to tech companies, activists, and consumer-advocacy groups. The congressional effort comes less than a month before the rules are officially expected to expire, on June 11. And the high-profile vote could shine a spotlight on lawmakers running for reelection during a tough midterm season. “The Senate vote, on the eve of midterms, could have significant political effects,” said Marc Martin, a telecom lawyer at Perkins Coie in Washington. But, he cautioned, it remains unclear how many voters will actually be motivated by net neutrality to go to the polls.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/senate-approves-bipartisan-resolution-to-restore-fcc-net-neutrality-rules-20180516.html

“DeVos has yet to visit a district-run school in New York, and her choice of institutions to visit drew a terse statement from the city’s Department of Education. “An investment in public education is an investment in the future of our city and country,” the department’s press secretary, Toya Holness, said. “Secretary DeVos is welcome to visit N.Y.C. public schools and see the phenomenal work we’re doing in the nation’s largest school district.”
DeVos Visits New York Schools, but Not Ones Run by the City
New York Times By Sharon Otterman May 16, 2018
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos toured two New York City schools on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the city’s public schools, with their 1.1 million students, were not among them.
Instead, Ms. DeVos visited two Orthodox Jewish schools, and offered her strongest comments to date in support of public funding for religious schools in a meeting with Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan and other Catholic dignitaries. “I know very well there are powerful interests that want to deprive families their God-given freedom,” to choose private schools, she told the cardinal and the Alfred E. Smith Foundation, which supports Catholic charities, on Wednesday morning, according to her prepared remarks. “I know that those sycophants of ‘the system’ have kept legislators here from enacting a common-sense program that would open options to thousands of kids in need.” Ms.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/nyregion/devos-visits-new-york-jewish-schools-not-public.html

DeVos: State Bans on Public Money to Religious Schools Should Go To 'Ash Heap of History'
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on May 16, 2018 12:43 PM
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos railed against state constitutional prohibitions on public funds going to faith-based institutions in a speech Wednesday to the Alfred E. Smith Foundation in New York City, a trip that also included visits to two religious schools.  The target of DeVos' wrath: so-called "Blaine" amendments to state constitutions that prohibit public funds from being used for religious purposes. DeVos said these amendments, many of which originated in the late 1800s, began as "bigoted" against Catholics.  "These Blaine provisions prohibit taxpayer funding of 'sectarian'—a euphemism at that time for 'Catholic'—activities, even when they serve the public good," DeVos said, according to prepared remarks of the speech to the foundation, which is affiliated Archdiocese of New York.  "Activities like addiction recovery, hospice care, or—the amendments' primary target—parochial education." DeVos noted that these amendments are still on the books in 37 states. And though she didn't get into this in her speech, that includes her home state of Michigan. Back in 2000, DeVos helped lead an effort to change the state's constitution to allow for school vouchers. It failed.  
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/05/devos_religious_money_public_private_new_york.html?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=campaignk-12

“The trip is the latest effort by DeVos to press what she says is her top priority as education secretary: to expand school choice, including programs that allow public funds to be used for private school education.”
Betsy DeVos went to New York to visit schools for the first time. Guess which ones.
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss May 16 at 6:30 PM Email the author
Betsy DeVos went to New York on Tuesday for her first official visit as education secretary and visited two schools. Can you guess which schools — or, rather, what kind of schools — she went to? If you said traditional public schools (which educate the vast majority of America’s schoolchildren), you are wrong. If you said charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately operated, you are wrong. If you said independent religious schools — which are religious schools that have independent boards of trustees — you are wrong. DeVos, a longtime supporter of religious education and public funding of religious schools, visited two orthodox Jewish schools, the elite Manhattan High School for Girls and the Yeshiva Darchei Torah Boys School. The schools did not appear on her official schedule until reporters asked about her New York trip. She also delivered a speech at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation, which supports charities that work with the children of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. During the address, she quoted a pope to underscore her oft-stated sentiments about government being a problem rather than a solution to problems — in 2015 she said “government really sucks” — and her opposition to virtually any government involvement in how schools educate children.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/05/16/betsy-devos-went-to-new-york-to-visit-schools-for-the-first-time-guess-which-ones/?utm_term=.fc47203a104d


Nominations for PSBA’s Allwein Advocacy Award
PSBA Website May 14, 2018
The Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award was established in 2011 by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and may be presented annually to the individual school director or entire school board to recognize outstanding leadership in legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of public education and students that are consistent with the positions in PSBA’s Legislative Platform. In addition to being a highly respected lobbyist, Timothy Allwein served to help our members be effective advocates in their own right. Many have said that Tim inspired them to become active in our Legislative Action Program and to develop personal working relationships with their legislators. The 2018 Allwein Award nomination process will begin on Monday, May 14, 2018. The application due date is July 16, 2018 in the honor of Tim’s birth date of July 16.
Download the Application
https://www.psba.org/2018/05/nominations-allwein-advocacy-award/

Electing PSBA Officers:  Applications Due by June 1st
Do you have strong communication and leadership skills and a vision for PSBA? Members interested in becoming the next leaders of PSBA are encouraged to submit an Application for Nomination no later than June 1, 11:59 p.m., to PSBA's Leadership Development Committee (LDC). The nomination process
All persons seeking nomination for elected positions of the Association shall send applications to the attention of the chair of the Leadership Development Committee, during the months of April and May an Application for Nomination to be provided by the Association expressing interest in the office sought. “The Application for nomination shall be marked received at PSBA Headquarters or mailed first class and postmarked by June 1 to be considered and timely filed.” (PSBA Bylaws, Article IV, Section 5.E.).
Open positions are:
In addition to the application form, PSBA Governing Board Policy 302 asks that all candidates furnish with their application a recent, print quality photograph and letters of application. The application form specifies no less than three letters of recommendation and no more than four, and are specifically requested as follows:
https://www.psba.org/2018/03/electing-psba-officers/

the notebook Annual Celebration - June 5, 2018 - New Location!
Please join us on June 5, 2018, at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia! Please note the new location!
Buy your tickets today!
Every June, 400 public school supporters gather in celebration at the end of the school year. This festive event features awards for outstanding high school journalism, talented local musicians, a silent auction, and the opportunity to speak with the most influential voices in the local education community. This year, the Notebook staff and board of directors would like to honor public education advocates who are committed to our mission of advancing quality and equity in our city’s schools.
Our Honorees:
Debra Weiner - A longtime advocate for public education at a variety of nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions, and a member of the Notebook’s editorial advisory board
Mary Goldman - Former 27th Ward Leader and advocate for children and public schools
Our City Our Schools - A coalition of local grassroots organizations that campaigned to return the school board to local control
The event will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5, at the National Museum of American Jewish History.
http://thenotebook.org/annual-fundraiser

BRIEFING: PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING IN PENNSYLVANIA
IN PHILLY, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2018, 8:30-10:00 A.M.
Join Law Center attorneys Michael Churchill, Jennifer Clarke, and Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg for a free briefing on the state of education funding in Pennsylvania. They’ll cover the basics of education funding, our fair school funding lawsuit, the property tax elimination bill, the 2018-2019 state budget, and more! RSVP online here. The briefing will be held on Wednesday, June 13th at 8:30 a.m. at 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
Download a flyer for this event.
https://www.pubintlaw.org/events/briefing-public-education-funding-in-pennsylvania-2/


MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! Join the PA Principals Association, the PA Association of School Administrators and the PA Association of Rural and Small Schools for PA Education Leaders Advocacy Day at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, at the Capitol in Harrisburg, PA.  
A rally in support of public education and important education issues will be held on the Main Rotunda Steps from 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Visits with legislators will be conducted earlier in the day. More information will be sent via email, shared in our publications and posted on our website closer to the event.
To register, send an email to Dr. Joseph Clapper at clapper@paprincipals.org before Friday, June 8, 2018.
Click here to view the PA Education Leaders Advocacy Day 2018 Save The Date Flyer (INCLUDES EVENT SCHEDULE AND IMPORTANT ISSUES.) 

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.

Save the Dates PASA/PSBA School Leadership Conference – Hershey, Oct. 17-19, 2018 
Mark your calendar! The Delegate Assembly will take place Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, at 2:30 p.m.
Housing now open!

Our Public Schools Our Democracy: Our Fight for the Future
NPE / NPE Action 5th Annual National Conference
October 20th - 21st, 2018 Indianapolis, Indiana
We are delighted to let you know that you can purchase your discounted Early Bird ticket to register for our annual conference starting today. Purchase your ticket here.
Early Bird tickets will be on sale until May 30 or until all are sold out, so don't wait.  These tickets are a great price--$135. Not only do they offer conference admission, they also include breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. Please don't forget to register for your hotel room. We have secured discounted rates on a limited basis. You can find that link here. Finally, if you require additional financial support to attend, we do offer some scholarships based on need. Go here and fill in an application. We will get back to you as soon as we can. Please join us in Indianapolis as we fight for the public schools that our children and communities deserve. Don't forget to get your Early Bird ticket here. We can't wait to see you.


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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