PA Ed Policy Roundup August 23: Back to school 2018: DeVos considering grant money to arm teachers in public schools

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PA Ed Policy Roundup August 23, 2018

Back to school 2018: DeVos considering grant money to arm teachers in public schools

Tweet from JoAnn Bartoletti‏ @BartolettiNASSP Executive Director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals:

.@NASSP condemns in the strongest possible terms @BetsyDeVosED's proposal to use #TitleIV funds for guns. It's a perverse distortion of Title IV’s goal of enhancing student learning.

“Maura McInerney, legal director of the Education Law Center, emphasized the underpinning of the suit, that while the Fair Funding Formula helped, it did not address the basic unfairness and uneven playing field that is built into education funding in the state. The formula “in no way resolved the broken funding system in the state,” McInerney said. “It did not add a single dollar to the state contribution to education. There’s no question that the schools that are underfunded continue to suffer from the same harm.”
Editorial: Another win for those seeking level playing field in education
Delco Times By Phil Heron, Editor August 23, 2018
The families of the William Penn School District have won another round in court in their fight for fair school funding. 
It now appears the struggling families of the William Penn School District will finally get their day in court. The families, saddled for years with an unequal education for little reason other than their zip code, are celebrating a major court victory. This week Commonwealth Court dismissed objections raised by Republican leaders in the Legislature against the landmark lawsuit challenging the way Pennsylvania doles out funding for education. State Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, and House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, had gone to court claiming the plaintiffs’ point should be rendered “moot,” arguing that the matter of funding already was rectified by the Legislature several years ago with the adoption of the so-called Fair Funding Formula. But the William Penn families, along with those from likewise economically depressed areas across the state countered with a “not so fast.” They maintained that the problem persists in part because the Fair Funding Formula applies only to new education revenue, not the basic state allotment. They actually contended that the situation has managed to get worse since the Fair Funding Formula was adopted by the Legislature a few years ago.
https://www.delcotimes.com/news/editorial-another-win-for-those-seeking-level-playing-field-in/article_a8dfe650-a632-11e8-ae22-c345df3501f4.html

Wolf calls Wagner’s new education funding proposal ‘abracadabra math’
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent August 22, 2018
Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner has a plan to pump an additional $1 billion into public schools without raising taxes. He says he’d do four things to make that happen: privatize the sale of alcohol, lease its liquor wholesale system, slash corporate welfare “that has no positive economic impact,” and reform the welfare system. His campaign says the numbers add up, and at least one think tank backs that assertion. Governor Tom Wolf, Wagner’s opponent, calls it “abracadabra math,” and another think tank agrees with Wolf’s position. There’s been no independent analysis of Wagner’s recently released proposal, which leaves both sides with plenty of ammunition on an issue that’s already dominated the gubernatorial debate thus far. “He’s just proposing this bogus plan,” said Wolf campaign spokesperson Beth Melena. “It’s made up of complete, abracadabra math.” Andrew Romeo with the Wagner campaign shot back: “The math is there,” he said.  “They can call it ‘abracadabra math’ all they want. Because the bottom line is, they don’t have a plan.” Wolf’s camp has not said how much the governor wants to increase education funding over the next four years or how he would raise additional money. The campaign points to Wolf’s track record of increasing education spending, and said Wolf would continue to fight for more school dollars.
https://whyy.org/articles/wolf-calls-wagners-new-education-funding-proposal-abracadabra-math/

Wolf, Wagner schedule first debate Oct. 1
Trib Live WES VENTEICHER  | Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018, 10:48 a.m.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican gubernatorial nominee Scott Wagner have scheduled their first debate of the campaign for Oct. 1. Alex Trebek of TV game show JEOPARDY! will moderate the debate, which the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry is hosting during an annual dinner event in Hershey. Pennsylvania Cable Network will air the debate live. “The gubernatorial debate segment of the dinner will feature a dynamic, entertaining format that will focus on an array of topics that are critical to Pennsylvania’s business community,” chamber President and CEO Gene Barr said in a news release. Wagner’s campaign said in June that he had accepted 11 debate invitations, while Wolf hadn’t publicly accepted any at the time. Wagner resigned a state Senate seat in May to campaign full-time for governor.
https://triblive.com/state/pennsylvania/13995487-74/wolf-wagner-schedule-first-debate-oct-1

Wait? Are Tom Wolf and Scott Wagner both 'breaking decades of tradition?' | Thursday Morning Coffee
Penn Live By John L. Micek jmicek@pennlive.com Updated 7:48 AM; Posted 7:45 AM
Good Thursday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
So this is one of those 'only on the campaign trail' moments. And we bring it to you this morning because, let's face it, in the midst of all the high seriousness of politics, we could all use a good-natured chuckle from time to time. As is so often our wont hereabouts, we cracked open our inbox this morning in search of a little fodder to enlighten and entertain you, the loyal Capitol Notebook reader. That's when we happened across a pair of press releases from the Tom Wolf and Scott Wagner campaigns that were hauntingly familiar.
https://www.pennlive.com/capitol-notebook/2018/08/wait_are_tom_wolf_and_scott_wa.html

A portrait in data of the typical Philadelphia teacher
Overall, the number of people obtaining teacher certification in Pennsylvania is declining rapidly. Diversity is still a problem.
Lijia Liu August 22 — 6:00 am, 2018
The typical Philadelphia teacher is a white woman with a bachelor’s degree, about a decade of teaching experience, and a median annual salary of $63,000, an analysis of the city’s workforce shows. This portrait is based on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s 2016-17 demographic data on all personnel in public education. The Notebook has examined the general characteristics of the Philadelphia teaching force derived from the data, which include background information on all District and charter school educators, such as gender, annual salary, and years of experience. Racial data is not included in the online data, but was provided via email after the Notebook submitted a Right-to-Know request to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Research for Action (RFA), a nonprofit education research organization, provided technical assistance for data analysis. The Notebook, with RFA and WHYY’s Keystone Crossroads, will be analyzing teacher data in Philadelphia and across the state to illuminate trends in the teacher workforce. Among the findings: Teachers in District schools have an average of seven more years of experience than those in charter schools. In the city, two-thirds of full-time teachers work in District schools and one-third in charter schools, roughly reflecting the breakdown of student enrollment. Besides having more experience, District teachers generally receive higher pay than charter school teachers. The median annual salary of District teachers is $67,800, while that of charter school teachers is $51,000.
https://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/08/22/a-portrait-of-the-typical-philadelphia-teacher/

Upper St. Clair school board approves armed police officers
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE AUG 22, 2018 11:25 PM
Armed police officers will begin to patrol Upper St. Clair schools for the first time this year. The Upper St. Clair school board Wednesday approved measures to provide an armed school police officer in each of its six schools. The district hired three officers Wednesday, each with 20 or more years of law enforcement experience, who are expected to join the Upper St. Clair staff this fall. That means the school police force will double from three full-time officers last year to six officers in the 2018-19 school year. The district also plans to hire two security officers. “The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. Those words are not merely a slogan; we live by them. Safety and security is one of five pillars of our strategic plan, and we have worked diligently across multiple fronts to create the safest possible environment,” school board president Amy Billerbeck said. “Many of us have children who attend Upper St. Clair schools. We live here, too. This is our community, and we all have a vested interest in keeping it secure.”
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2018/08/22/Upper-St-Clair-school-board-approves-armed-police-officers/stories/201808220218

Community Schools: Call This 'The LeBron James Education Act' and We Won't Argue
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on August 22, 2018 4:57 PM
Remember that petition calling for LeBron James to replace U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos? That's not happening. But back in the real world, Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland have a plan to help schools follow in the footsteps of James' I Promise School in the NBA superstar's hometown of Akron, Ohio, that opened last month.  The Full-Service Community Schools in Distressed Communities Act would authorize $45 million in annual competitive federal grants to support various partnerships between schools and their surrounding communities. These partnerships could cover a variety of services both inside and outside the schools, for parents and other community members as well as students. Community schools focus on early-childhood education, health-care services, family literacy, and mentoring programs, among several potential outreach efforts. Thirty percent of the grants would be set aside for rural schools. 
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/08/lebron-james-education-act-bill-community-schools.html

Betsy DeVos Is Said to Weigh Letting School Districts Use Federal Funds to Buy Guns
New York Times By Erica L. Green Aug. 22, 2018
WASHINGTON — The Education Department is considering whether to allow states to use federal funding to purchase guns for educators, according to multiple people with knowledge of the plan. Such a move appears to be unprecedented, reversing a longstanding position taken by the federal government that it should not pay to outfit schools with weapons. And it would also undermine efforts by Congress to restrict the use of federal funding on guns. As recently as March, Congress passed a school safety bill that allocated $50 million a year to local school districts, but expressly prohibited the use of the money for firearms. But the department is eyeing a program in federal education law, the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants, that makes no mention of prohibiting weapons purchases. That omission would allow the education secretary, Betsy DeVos, to use her discretion to approve any state or district plans to use grant funding for firearms and firearm training, unless Congress clarifies the law or bans such funding through legislative action.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/22/us/politics/betsy-devos-guns.html

DeVos considering grant money to arm teachers in public schools: report
Morning Call by JANON FISHER NEW YORK DAILY NEWS August 23, 2018
The federal Department of Education is thinking of exploiting a legal loophole that would allow taxpayer money to pay for guns for teachers, reversing a longstanding policy, according to a New York Times report. Though the DOE has a traditionally opposed using federal funding to purchase weapons in schools, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos can approve school programs that would buy guns or provide firearm training through Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants, the Times reported. A school safety bill Congress passed in March explicitly prohibited federal funds for guns. The enrichment grants, however, fall outside that law. “The department is constantly considering and evaluating policy issues, particularly issues related to school safety,” DOE spokeswoman Liz Hill told the Times. “The secretary nor the department issues opinions on hypothetical scenarios.” During her confirmation hearing, DeVos said she believed it should be up to the school district to decide the need for guns in school.
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/ny-news-betsy-devos-guns-teachers-federal-money-20180823-story.html

Blogger note: In 2012, TN took over 6 public schools with low test scores and handed them over to charters in an “Achievement School District” that promised top performance within 5 years. Similar proposals have been put forth in Pennsylvania.
It’s been six years since Tennessee took over its first low-performing schools. How are they doing?
Chalkbeat BY CAROLINE BAUMAN  -  12 HOURS AGO
Six years after the state took over six of Tennessee’s lowest-performing schools, all of those schools continue to struggle, new state test results show. The state’s ambitious goal with the Achievement School District was to transform the schools that tested in the bottom 10 percent into top-performers within five years. Though the district’s founder later acknowledged the goal was too lofty, the new test results shed light on the massive challenge ahead for the schools and for Sharon Griffin, who became the district’s new leader in June. Of the schools in the original state-run district, four of the six had fewer than 10 percent of students testing at or above grade level in math or English during the 2017-2018 academic year, according to TNReady test results released last week.  Meanwhile, Cornerstone Prep Lester Elementary School in Memphis performed better than its counterparts with 11.5 percent of students at grade level in English and 20 percent of students at grade level in math. Frayser Achievement Elementary had 12 percent of students at grade level in English, but just 9 percent at grade level in math. As a point of comparison, statewide averages for grades 3-8 had 33.9 percent of Tennessee students at grade level in English and 37.3 percent at grade level in math. In taking over these schools back in 2012, the state handed them over to charter organizations. Five were launched in Memphis, and Brick Church College Prep was opened in Nashville. The state-run district now has 30 schools, the majority of which are in Memphis.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/tn/2018/08/22/its-been-six-years-since-tennessee-took-over-its-first-low-performing-schools-how-are-they-doing/

DeVos makes surprise visits to D.C. public schools that made gains on standardized test
Washington Post By Perry Stein , Reporter August 22 at 9:12 PM
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made a surprise visit Wednesday to three D.C. public schools to mark the start of the year and celebrate their notable gains on a national standardized test. The elementary schools — Hendley, Simon and Amidon-Bowen — are part of the traditional public school system and serve children who are predominately from low-income and African American families. Devos brought cookies to the school staffs to congratulate them on the test achievements. Shayne Wells, a spokesman for the school system, confirmed Devos’s appearance. An official for D.C. Public Schools said the school system’s central office was surprised by the visit. DeVos did not meet with children. Elizabeth Hill, a spokeswoman for DeVos, wrote in an email that the secretary decided to make “several impromptu back-to-school visits this morning to drop off some goodies and say hello.” Hill said it wasn’t a press event. DeVos frequently makes appearances at U.S. schools, but has drawn some criticism for visiting a large number of charter and private schools. She has said that one of her top priorities as education secretary is to expand school choice, which includes charters and programs that allow public funds to be used for private-school education.  In February 2017, DeVos visited D.C. Public Schools’ Jefferson Middle School Academy, where protesters briefly blocked her from entering.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/devos-makes-surprise-visits-to-dc-public-schools-that-made-gains-on-standardized-test/2018/08/22/1e30c81e-a653-11e8-97ce-cc9042272f07_story.html?utm_term=.01e6dde6a1bf

Ohio Sues Cyber Charter Founder, Pursuing Millions in Disputed Funds
Education Week Digital Education Blog  By Lauraine Genota on August 22, 2018 3:35 PM
Ohio's attorney general is suing the founder of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow on Tuesday, aiming to recover the millions of dollars in public funding that the state alleges wrongfully went to the cyber charter school. The lawsuit names William Lager, who founded ECOT, as well as two of his companies, Altair Learning Management I, Inc. and IQ Innovations LLC, both of which provided management and curriculum services to ECOT.  It also names five other ECOT officials--a superintendent, treasurer, vice president of accounting, a data-collection system director and a federal programs director--alleging that they're also liable for ECOT's improper disbursements.  The lawsuit, filed in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court by Ohio Attorney General Michael DeWine, targets the money paid under improper funding received by ECOT that wasn't justified after the state calculated student participation and enrollment, as well as the profits Lager received from his companies' ECOT contracts. Lager founded companies that made millions of dollars doing business with ECOT, while other ECOT officials stood by or actively participated as the school "overbilled the public on a massive scale to keep the money flowing," the state argues in the lawsuit.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2018/08/ohio_sues_ecot_online_charter_founder.html


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

by The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice

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.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-national-black-male-educators-convening-tickets-46322952197

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!

“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.

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.