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PA’s secretary of education discusses school inequities and the court case aiming to diminish them
PublicSource By Mary Niederberger Videos by Ryan Loew and Kat Procyk August 20, 2018
Part of the PublicSource series
Failing the Future
In July, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera sat down with PublicSource reporter Mary Niederberger for a wide-ranging interview on school funding issues, the current Commonwealth Court lawsuit that seeks a more equitable education funding formula and possible solutions to narrow disparities between districts across the state. The secretary acknowledged the disparate curriculum, facilities and extracurricular opportunities for students in Pennsylvania. He noted that, in some cases, affluent districts with healthy educational programs sit next to districts where the majority of students live in poverty and have limited access to rigorous courses or technology. Rivera said he wants students in districts with fewer resources to know he is “advocating on behalf of them, their families and their communities.” In this video clip, Rivera responds to the fact that he was one of the original plaintiffs in the current Commonwealth Court lawsuit. In November 2014, when the lawsuit was filed, he was serving as the superintendent of The School District of Lancaster. Two months after the case was filed, he was appointed state secretary of education, meaning he technically became a defendant in the case. When Gov. Tom Wolf abandoned all preliminary objections to the lawsuit on behalf of the state administration in January, Rivera was no longer considered a defendant. “In my heart, I’ve always been a strong advocate for equity,” Rivera said.
https://schoolfundingpa.publicsource.org/stories/pas-secretary-of-education-discusses-school-inequities-and-the-court-case-aiming-to-diminish-them/
David Mekeel: Audit of Reading schools good news, but best for kids
It's the city students who benefit most from the district's turnaround.
Reading Eagle by David Mekell THURSDAY AUGUST 16, 2018 09:26 PM
When it comes to the Reading School District, Eugene DePasquale is a man of extremes. Back in 2013, the state auditor general ripped into the district, calling his office's audit report of Reading the "worst ever" of a school district in Pennsylvania. The district was woefully mismanaged, he said, so much so that it was in risk of being taken over by the state. Eight months after his initial visit, DePasquale was at it again, angered at the district's lack of progress in addressing the issues his office's report had raised. He called the district's efforts "ridiculous." Apparently a lot has changed in the past five years. DePasquale stopped by Reading on Thursday to present his office's latest report on the city district. The language he used this time around was again quite strong, but it carried a much different tone. He called the improvements the district has made "unprecedented." He said it was the greatest turnaround his office has ever seen. Bills are being appropriately and timely paid, he said, taxpayers' money is being properly tracked, the district's management is stable and there's a comprehensive plan in place to improve student performance. I was covering the school district back in 2013 when that first report came out. It was filled with salacious details, with claims of monumental failures.The kids of Reading deserve better than the picture painted by that report. I remember how sad I was to realize that the futures of the district's 17,000 or so students were being put in jeopardy by the actions of adults tasked with helping them succeed. And that made yesterday's report incredibly happy news.
http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/david-mekeel-audit-of-reading-schools-good-news-but-best-for-kids
Here's 5 midterm worries for Republicans, analysts say | Monday Morning Coffee
Penn Live By John L. Micek jmicek@pennlive.com Updated Aug 20, 11:23 AM; Posted Aug 20, 8:09 AM
Good Monday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
We're now about 80 days out from the 2018 mid-term elections. And with control of Congress, the Governor's Mansion and GOP margins in the General Assembly on the line, we're turning to a pair of professional prognosticators for some outside perspective. In an op-ed submitted to news organizations around the state, including this one, veteran seers Terry Madonna and Michael Young, offer their take on the midterms. And they offer up five reasons for Republicans to be worried as Election Day draws ever nearer. "The GOP's problem is that it doesn't confront a single problem, but a daunting multiplicity of them. Each of the problems is individually troubling; collectively, they threaten continued Republican rule in Washington," they write. And with that as preamble, here we go, the topography, according to Madonna and Young:
https://www.pennlive.com/capitol-notebook/2018/08/heres_5_reasons_gop_should_be.html#incart_2box_politics
Research: Consolidations would have mixed results
Daily Item By David Hurst dhurst@tribdem.com August 19, 2018
Sweeping statewide consolidation across Pennsylvania’s 500 public schools wouldn’t bring the cost-savings that some lawmakers — and the public alike — envision, at least not without the state providing financial incentives, a recent analysis shows. While there is evidence that in some cases moves to combine very small districts could yield savings or improve educational opportunities, consolidating schools with 1,000 students or more might increase costs — and, in many cases, raise the tax millage in many communities those districts serve, a Joint State Government Commission report notes. That doesn’t mean consolidation wouldn’t benefit Pennsylvania’s struggling communities. But the state has no incentives in place to help schools interested in combining to overcome financial sticking points that might be holding them back, a New Jersey-based reform-minded nonprofit’s study added. In 2016, a bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers spearheaded an effort to have Pennsylvania’s Joint State Government Commission study the pros and cons of school district consolidation — in a move aimed at looking to trim costs, particularly administrative expenses.
http://www.dailyitem.com/news/research-consolidations-would-have-mixed-results/article_8d139f98-a286-11e8-9d8c-63dd513825e3.html
Early start to Philly school year? Got it. New Board of Education? Not so much.
Parents were interviewed at the Back 2 School event, which offered school supplies and services.
The notebook by Sam Haut August 20 — 6:35 pm, 2018
Beyond the unusually early start – Aug. 27, a full week before Labor Day – this school year is different because, for the first time in 16 years, the District is under local control. On July 1, a nine-member Board of Education appointed by Mayor Kenney assumed governance of the District from the state-dominated School Reform Commission, which originally took power in 2001. Parents interviewed last week at the District’s Back 2 School event at the School of the Future, where they could obtain information and supplies, seemed fine with the earlier start date – but were mostly unaware of the governance change. Chris Corbine, a parent of two, for instance, said she thought Philadelphia’s schools, like others in the state, were always run by a local school board. “It could be a good thing, but I’m not sure,” Corbine said of the governance change, adding that she doesn’t follow the issue at all but feels this is something “I need to know.” As she thought about it, she said that “everything that sounds good isn’t always as good, and a lot of things people are accustomed to aren’t always so bad.” Another parent, Jeanette Boxtan, who was keeping an eye on her three children, also said she was not familiar with the governance changes, but said she thought the earlier start to the year is not a bad thing. Hailing from Florida, she is used to starting the year earlier. As for the switch from the SRC to the school board, she said, “I’m going to pay attention to this.”
https://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/08/20/early-start-to-school-year-got-it-new-board-of-education-not-so-much/
ACT 55 OF 2017: SCHOOL DIRECTOR AND TRUSTEE TRAINING PROGRAMS
PA Department of Education Website August 2018
Beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, school board directors and charter school trustees will be required to complete training programs pursuant to Act 55 of 2017.
1. When do
school director and charter school trustee training requirements take
effect?
Requirements will apply beginning in the 2018-19 school year. School board directors or charter school trustees appointed as of July 1, 2018 will be required to complete the initial four-hour training program required under Act 55 during their first year in office
Requirements will apply beginning in the 2018-19 school year. School board directors or charter school trustees appointed as of July 1, 2018 will be required to complete the initial four-hour training program required under Act 55 during their first year in office
2. Must the
class of school directors elected in November 2017 and seated in December 2017
complete training requirements?
School directors elected in November 2017 will not be “newly elected” during the 2018-19 school year; therefore, these school directors are not required to complete the initial four-hour Act 55 training program but may do so voluntarily if they so choose. School directors elected in November 2017 who seek and win reelection in 2021 will be required to complete the advanced, two-hour training programs required by the Act within one year of reelection.
https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/Governance/Act55/Pages/default.aspxSchool directors elected in November 2017 will not be “newly elected” during the 2018-19 school year; therefore, these school directors are not required to complete the initial four-hour Act 55 training program but may do so voluntarily if they so choose. School directors elected in November 2017 who seek and win reelection in 2021 will be required to complete the advanced, two-hour training programs required by the Act within one year of reelection.
“A Leon county judge ordered Monday that Amendment 8, the measure that seeks to create a pathway for the state to oversee charter schools and bypass local school boards, be removed from the ballot.”
Judge orders Amendment 8 be removed from Florida ballot
The education amendment has stirred controversy since its creation by the Constitution Revision Commission.
Tampa Bay Times By Emily L. Mahoney August 20, 2018
A Leon county judge ordered Monday that Amendment 8, the measure that seeks to create a pathway for the state to oversee charter schools and bypass local school boards, be removed from the ballot. Circuit Judge John Cooper wrote in a summary judgement that the amendment's ballot title and summary "fails to inform voters of the chief purpose and effect of this proposal." The judge agreed with the plaintiff, the League of Women Voters, that the ballot language was "misleading" and that the Constitution Revision Commission intentionally bundled three separate education proposals into one "to increase, in its view, their chances of passage." Read the ruling here. The CRC meets every 20 years to propose amendments to the state Constitution. In drafting Amendment 8 for the November ballot, the commission combined the charter school provision with two others — one that would impose term limits on school board members and another that would constitutionally require civics education in public schools. League of Women Voters Florida president Patricia Brigham called Cooper's ruling a "terrific piece of news to wake up to on a Monday morning." "It's a victory for the people of Florida," she said. "That measure was meant to confuse voters. It did not show the intent was to take away home rule from the districts. … The judge saw right through it."
http://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/08/20/judge-orders-amendment-8-be-removed-from-florida-ballot/
“In Kansas, the state’s Supreme Court ruled last year that the school finance system was shortchanging students and was unconstitutional. Courts in Pennsylvania and Florida have agreed to hear similar cases — a break from years past, when judges in both states said such Part of what has changed is the evidence used in such cases. Over the past 10 years, as most states set new academic standards, test score data has revealed how many children are attending schools that fail to meet more challenging academic goals.”
How Do You Get Better Schools? Take the State to Court, More Advocates Say
New York Times By Dana Goldstein Aug. 21, 2018
y his own account, Alejandro Cruz-Guzman’s five children have received a good education at public schools in St. Paul. His two oldest daughters are starting careers in finance and teaching. Another daughter, a high-school student, plans to become a doctor. But their success, Mr. Cruz-Guzman said, flows partly from the fact that he and his wife fought for their children to attend racially integrated schools outside their neighborhood. Their two youngest children take a bus 30 minutes each way to Murray Middle School, where the student population is about one-third white, one-third black, 16 percent Asian and 9 percent Latino. “I wanted to have my kids exposed to different cultures and learn from different people,” said Mr. Cruz-Guzman, who owns a small flooring company and is an immigrant from Mexico. When his two oldest children briefly attended a charter school that was close to 100 percent Latino, he said he had realized, “We are limiting our kids to one community.” Now Mr. Cruz-Guzman is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit saying that Minnesota knowingly allowed towns and cities to set policies and zoning boundaries that led to segregated schools, lowering test scores and graduation rates for low-income and nonwhite children. Last month, the state’s Supreme Court ruled the suit could move forward, in a decision advocates across the country hailed as important.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/us/school-segregation-funding-lawsuits.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
Florida Supreme Court To Hear Oral Arguments In School Funding Lawsuit Nov. 8
WFSU By LYNN HATTER • 14 HOURS AGO
A long-running lawsuit over whether the state is properly funding its public schools is now before the Florida Supreme Court. Oral arguments have been scheduled for November 8th. Arguments will start at 9 a.m. with each side getting 20 minutes to spell out its case. The hearing has been nearly a decade in the making. At issue is whether the Florida legislature is upholding a constitutional mandate to adequately fund a safe and high-quality system of public education. The group Citizens for Strong Schools brought the complaint. It’s argued Florida is funding two separate systems of public education through its use of privately-run yet publicly funded charter schools, and vouchers that allow kids to attend private schools for varying reasons. Opponents say such programs take money away from traditional public schools, though courts have refuted that argument in past lawsuits.
http://news.wfsu.org/post/supreme-court-hear-oral-arguments-school-funding-lawsuit-nov-8
EdPAC reception helps support election of pro-public education leaders
Do you want to help strengthen public education in the commonwealth? Join with EdPAC, a political action committee that supports the election of pro-public education leaders to the General Assembly. EdPAC will hold a fundraising reception at the 2018 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference on Wednesday, Oct. 17 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Cocoa 2-3. More details to come! Visit the conference website to register online.
PSBA Officer Elections: Slate of Candidates
PSBA members seeking election to office for the association were required to submit a nomination form no later than June 1, 2018, to be considered. All candidates who properly completed applications by the deadline are included on the slate of candidates below. In addition, the Leadership Development Committee met on June 17 at PSBA headquarters in Mechanicsburg to interview candidates. According to bylaws, the Leadership Development Committee may determine candidates highly qualified for the office they seek. This is noted next to each person's name with an asterisk (*). Voting procedure: Each school entity will have one vote for each officer. This will require boards of the various school entities to come to a consensus on each candidate and cast their vote electronically during the open voting period (Aug. 24-Oct. 11, 2018). Voting will be accomplished through a secure third-party, web-based voting site that will require a password login. One person from each member school entity will be authorized as the official person to register the vote on behalf of his or her school entity. In the case of school districts, it will be the board secretary who will cast votes on behalf of the school board. A full packet of instructions and a printed slate will be sent to authorized vote registrars the week of August 7. Special note: Boards should be sure to add discussion and voting on candidates to their agenda during one of their meetings in August, September or October before the open voting period ends.
https://www.psba.org/2018/07/psba-officer-elections-slate-candidates/
Apply Now for EPLC's 2018-2019 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program!
Applications are available now for the 2018-2019 Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP). The Education Policy Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC).
With more than 500 graduates in its first eighteen years, this Program is a premier professional development opportunity for educators, state and local policymakers, advocates, and community leaders. State Board of Accountancy (SBA) credits are available to certified public accountants.
Past participants include state policymakers, district superintendents and principals, school business officers, school board members, education deans/chairs, statewide association leaders, parent leaders, education advocates, and other education and community leaders. Fellows are typically sponsored by their employer or another organization. The Fellowship Program begins with a two-day retreat on September 13-14, 2018 and continues to graduation in June 2019.
Applications are being accepted now.
Click here to read more about the Education Policy Fellowship Program.
The application may be copied from the EPLC web site, but must be submitted by mail or scanned and e-mailed, with the necessary signatures of applicant and sponsor.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of the Fellowship Program and its requirements, please contact EPLC Executive Director Ron Cowell at 717-260-9900 or cowell@eplc.org.
2nd Annual National Black Male Educators Convening, Oct. 12-14,
Philly
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 2nd National Black Male Educators
Convening to advance policy solutions, learn from one another, and fight for
social justice. All are welcome. Register to attend. Nominate a speaker.
Propose a workshop. Sponsor the event.
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!
Housing now open!
“Not only do we have a superstar lineup of keynote speakers including Diane Ravitch, Jesse Hagopian, Pasi Sahlberg, Derrick Johnson and Helen Gym, but there will be countless sessions to choose from on the issues you care about the most. We will cover all bases from testing, charters, vouchers and school funding, to issues of student privacy and social justice in schools.”
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.
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