Tuesday, October 16, 2018

PA Ed Policy Roundup Oct. 16: What Polarization? After unanimous votes in both the PA House and Senate SB1095 heads to Governor


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
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What Polarization? After unanimous votes in both the PA House and Senate SB1095 heads to Governor


“Keystone Crossroads traveled to York County — home base of both Governor Tom Wolf and challenger Scott Wagner — to ask taxpayers, students, parents and educators a simple question: what about public schools matters most to you?”
A dozen voices on education in the heart of Wolf, Wagner country
Keystone Crossroads/WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent October 16, 2018
When Craig Murphy walks into the headquarters of the Red Lion School District just southeast of the city of York, the receptionist greets him with a friendly and familiar hello. Within minutes, Murphy is talking about taxes. His basic take: there’s too many of them and they’re too high. “I see it that I’m going broke,” he said. “Where do you say enough’s enough?” Murphy is here on a Thursday night for one of the district’s twice-monthly board meetings. He’s one of the regulars, maybe the only regular. The meetings take place in a small, carpeted conference room with only a few rows of chairs set up for public attendees. Most of them sit empty. It’s a sleepy meeting. The biggest debate is over a policy mandating students have at least 20 minutes for lunch. Murphy asks a few questions about the cost of some new vocational programs. Murphy grew up in the Red Lion School District and sent both his boys through the schools here. The area used to be rural, Murphy says, but it’s become more suburban as commuters from Baltimore and Philadelphia fill up new developments.
https://whyy.org/articles/a-dozen-voices-on-education-in-the-heart-of-wolf-wagner-country/

Philly educators group looks to high school to introduce young black men to teaching career
WHYY By Darryl C. Murphy October 15, 2018
Black men make up about 4 percent of Philadelphia’s public school teachers, and a city organization wants to raise that by extending the career pipeline. The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice is working to add more to city schools by identifying potential candidates who are still in high school. Fellowship CEO Vincent Cobb said it’s a way to address the misconceptions young black males may have about teaching. “We’re trying to change a narrative, and we’re trying to shift mindsets and culture,” he said. “And that has to start early. That can’t start when you’re looking for a job your senior year of college and you’re just trying to get paid.” Fellowship’s Protégé after-school mentorship program introduces students to a career in teaching. Participants shadow and observe the work teachers do, while learning about the impact teaching can have on their community. They can take on the role themselves as a student-teacher.
https://whyy.org/articles/philly-educators-group-looks-to-high-school-to-introduce-young-black-men-to-teaching-career/

SB1095: Governor Wolf to Sign Bill to Reduce High Stakes Testing
Governor Wolf’s website October 15, 2018
Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf today announced his intention to sign Senate Bill 1095, which reduces the reliance on high stakes testing as a graduation requirement and provides alternatives for high school students to demonstrate readiness for postsecondary success. “Preparation for 21st century success cannot be measured just by performance on high stakes tests,” Governor Tom Wolf said. “In an economy which demands multiple skill sets and includes varying educational pathways to good-paying jobs, students should have multiple ways to demonstrate that they are college and career ready. I will be proud to sign this bill which is in line with the recommendations of my Department of Education and builds off of the actions I have already taken to reduce our reliance on high stakes testing, including reducing testing time for the PSSAs for students in 3rd through 8th grade.”
https://www.governor.pa.gov/governor-wolf-sign-bill-reduce-high-stakes-testing/

SB1095: Bill giving options to high-stakes graduation tests going to the governor
The state Senate voted 49-0 on Monday to approve a bill that establishes a statewide graduation requirement that provides more pathways to graduate high school beyond passing the three Keystone Exams.
Penn Live By Jan Murphy jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated 5:44 PM; Posted 5:42 PM October 15, 2018
Legislation to provide alternatives to passing high-stakes exams to prove readiness to graduate high school won passage in the state Senate on Monday. By a vote of 49-0, the Senate sent the measure to the governor's desk for enactment. A spokesman for Gov. Tom Wolf indicated that he intends to sign the bill. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Tom McGarrigle, R-Delaware County, would allow students who don't pass all three Keystone Exams to earn a diploma by such alternatives as gaining admission to a four-year college, achieving what the State Board of Education determines to be a passing score on the SATs, or passing the military entrance exams, among other options. The State Board of Education adopted the controversy-ridden graduation testing requirement in 2009, giving districts until 2016-17 to align their curriculum with the Keystone Exams in Algebra I, biology, and literature before the testing rule took effect. But the continued pushback from parents and educators who feared it was discriminatory to under-resourced schools or would lead to higher dropout rates led lawmakers to delay the testing requirements' implementation. This measure would further delay it until 2020-21 when the alternative pathways to passing the Keystone Exams would take effect.
https://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/10/bill_giving_options_to_high-st.html

SB1095: McGarrigle's education bill off to Wolf for signature
Delco Times By Kevin Tustin ktustin@21st-centurymedia.com October 16, 2018
A bill by state Sen. Tom McGarrigle, R-26 of Springfield, to peel back performance requirements for graduating high school students on state standardized tests is headed to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk to be signed. A concurrence vote on Senate Bill 1095 by a 49-0 vote Monday pushes the bill to Wolf for a full sign off in order to become law. The bill provides alternative education pathways by which students can graduate high school without being held strictly to their performance on the Keystone Exams in the testing areas of algebra I, biology and literature. Technical career training, performance in courses pertaining to the subject testing areas and enrollment in a higher education institution are some of the alternate ways that students will be able to graduate high school under this bill. “The reason I introduced Senate Bill 1095 was to return graduation requirements to their original intent. The purpose of graduation requirements is to ensure students can show proficiency in the knowledge and skills relevant to their individual career pathways,” McGarrigle said in a prepared statement released after a final sign off in the Senate late Monday. “Keystone Exams shouldn't be the sole factor in determining high school graduation because it does not measure the range of aptitude needed to be successful in college or the workplace.” Wolf announced his intentions Monday to sign the bill into law.
https://www.delcotimes.com/news/mcgarrigle-s-education-bill-off-to-wolf-for-signature/article_9ff8d4dc-d0c8-11e8-8977-974506ce1b0e.html

PSBA in Support of Senate Bill 1095 – Years of Uncertainty will be Resolved with the Governor’s Signature
PSBA Press Release October 15, 2018
Mechanicsburg, PA, October 15, 2018 – With the passage of Senate Bill 1095, years of uncertainty and concern with the current system have been resolved for students and schools. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) applauds the final passage of Senate Bill 1095, legislation that provides multiple pathways for students to demonstrate readiness for high school graduation, in addition to passing Keystone Exams. The association extends its appreciation to Senator Thomas McGarrigle (R-Chester/Delaware), who worked with PSBA and other stakeholders to introduce and advance the bill through the General Assembly. The association urges Gov. Tom Wolf to quickly sign the measure into law. “Senate Bill 1095 recognizes that our students are better than a test. This bill listens and responds to the voices of concerned students, parents, teachers, school board members, administrators and others who believe that Keystone Exam scores should not be used for high-stakes motivations nor become a barrier as a sole measure for being eligible to graduate. The legislation provides flexibility by allowing alternative valid and rigorous benchmarks for students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to be college and career ready,” said PSBA Chief Executive Officer Nathan G. Mains.
https://www.psba.org/2018/10/psba-in-support-of-senate-bill-1095-years-of-uncertainty-will-be-resolved-with-the-governors-signature/

“Since 2007, when Pennsylvania first began real debate over a shale levy, industry interests, including the powerful Marcellus Shale Coalition, have spent $69.6 million to lobby Pennsylvania state government. In addition, lobbyists, PACs, and executives from fracking-related companies have donated $11.2 million to campaign committees registered to the Pennsylvania Department of State, according to the MarcellusMoney report.”
New report on shale industry spending is a clarion call for campaign finance reform | Editorial
By PennLive Editorial Board penned@pennlive.com Updated Oct 15, 3:47 PM; Posted Oct 15, 3:47 PM
Every year for the four years he's been in office, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has pushed hard for a severance tax on Pennsylvania's Marcellus shale natural gas industry. Every year, he has been rebuffed. This past year was no exception. And as he runs for re-election this fall, Wolf has vowed to keep pursuing the tax, which would provide a steady source of revenue for public education and other programs. We have agreed with that call and encouraged legislative authorization of a tax. We continue to believe that it is long overdue.  It's true that Wolf came tantalizingly close to landing the tax in 2017, when the majority-GOP Senate approved a shale levy as part of a revenue package to balance the fiscal 2017-18 state budget. The proposal collapsed under its own weight in the Republican-controlled House during an amendment free-for-all.
https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2018/10/new_report_on_shale_industry_s.html#incart_river_index

House vote kills latest attempt to shrink size of Legislature
Pennsylvania has the second-most lawmakers of any state, behind only New Hampshire, and the most of any full-time legislature.
Penn Live By Mark Scolforo The Associated Press Updated Oct 15, 8:01 PM; Posted Oct 15, 8:01 PM
HARRISBURG -- A proposal to shrink the number of lawmakers in the Pennsylvania Legislature was killed Monday by a procedural vote in the state House, a quick death for a proposal that has lingered for years. The House vote of 114-76 was the last stand for supporters trying to keep alive the constitutional amendment as the current two-year session nears a close. Constitutional amendments in Pennsylvania must be passed with the exact same language in two consecutive sessions before they can go to voters as a referendum. The amendment that passed in the last session would have shrunk the House alone, from 203 members to 151. Supporters were trying to strip out language that was subsequently added to also cut the Senate from 50 to 38. House Republican leaders who control the chamber said after the vote that supporters will have to start over next year.
https://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/10/house_vote_kills_latest_attemp.html#incart_river_index

“The race will be a test of whether a Democratic blue wave, which is expected to flip Republican seats in the Philadelphia suburbs; maybe the Lehigh Valley, and perhaps even Republican-red central Pennsylvania, can reach all the way to this solidly working-class city on the edge of the midwest.”
Can the Democrats' blue wave break in this Erie congressional race? | Analysis
By John L. Micek jmicek@pennlive.com Updated Oct 15, 12:26 PM; Posted Oct 15, 11:47 AM
ERIE, Pa. -- It's a Wednesday night in October, three weeks before Election Day, and Mike Kelly is onstage at the Erie Insurance Coliseum, home of the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters, where he finds himself playing a familiar role. Salesman.
The veteran car dealer and four-term Republican congressman is relentlessly pitching what he says is a record of GOP achievement on Capitol Hill to an enthusiastic crowd who've gathered here for President Donald Trump's second Keystone State rally in as many weeks. And he's pleading with the audience to make sure it continues.
https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2018/10/can_the_democrats_blue_wave_br.html#incart_river_index

Jess King raises nearly $381K more than Lloyd Smucker, latest campaign finance reports show
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer October 16, 2018
Jess King since July has raised more than double the amount incumbent U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker raised in the same period, according to campaign finance reports released Monday. King, a Democrat challenging Smucker in Pennsylvania's 11th District, brought in nearly $635,000 in the period between July 1 and Sept. 30. Of that, she spent about $389,000.  Smucker, meanwhile, raised just above $254,000 and spent nearly $394,000.  As of Sept. 30, King had $601,138 left on hand. Smucker had $161,610.
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/jess-king-raises-nearly-k-more-than-lloyd-smucker-latest/article_2fd40b1a-d0da-11e8-b27d-77009febf71c.html

Scott Wagner, candidate who made 'golf spikes' comment, called violent by both parties
Candy Woodall, York Daily Record Published 11:42 a.m. ET Oct. 15, 2018 | Updated 1:43 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2018
Trailing in every independent poll and unknown by 20 percent of Pennsylvania voters, Scott Wagner could use some national attention.  But not this kind.  The Republican candidate is making national headlines in the Pennsylvania governor's race for all the wrong reasons, analysts say. The proof is in the numbers. Gov. Tom Wolf, the Democratic incumbent, has held onto a double-digit lead throughout the campaign. None of Wagner's tough talk has moved independent voters to his side, which is something he will need to do if he wants to win Pennsylvania.  Though Wagner spokesman Andrew Romeo has said the candidate's words shouldn't be taken literally, his opponents in both major political parties have called him "violent." In April, Wagner's Republican primary challenger, Paul Mango, said, "Mr. Wagner does have a long violent, insulting, bullying past and it is not just one incident."
https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2018/10/15/scott-wagner-called-unhinged-and-violent-democrats-and-gop/1646689002/

In appeal of closure vote, Eastern charter school questions Philly District’s oversight
Eastern's CEO defended the school's right to exist. Otherwise, he said, students would be forced to attend neighborhood schools that he called "cesspools."
The notebook by Greg Windle October 15 — 3:19 pm, 2018
Eastern Academy Charter School is vociferously contesting the School Reform Commission’s decision to close it, pursuing a wide-ranging appeal that in some places questions the District’s right to regulate it. The appeal could drag on for years. The state charter law allows a school to first appeal to the state Charter Appeals Board, and then all the way up to the state Supreme Court. The process has been criticized by State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale as a way to drag out inevitable charter closings at great cost to local districts.  In April, the SRC, which has since been replaced by the local Board of Education, voted against renewing the East Falls school’s charter after the District Charter Schools Office found the quality of academic programming in both the middle school and high school to be unacceptable. The office also said that some of the school’s operational practices violated the state’s charter school law. For instance, they said, Eastern didn’t properly advertise its board meetings, devised education plans for some students with disabilities without parents’ knowledge, and failed to provide evidence that a sufficient number of its teachers were certified.
https://thenotebook.org/articles/2018/10/15/eastern-charter-schools-appeal-of-closure-questions-districts-oversight/

PSERS’ billion-dollar questions split even Gov. Wolf’s pension watchdogs
Inquirer by Joseph N. DiStefano, Posted: 13 hours ago
As the stock market sank last week, the teachers and public officials on the board that oversees Pennsylvania's largest investment fund — the $57 billion Public School Employees' Retirement System — wrestled over how to prepare for the threat of lower share prices, higher interest rates, faster inflation. They didn't all agree. Even the two trustees appointed by Gov. Wolf, a Democrat, divided and canceled each other's votes on whether  to buy another $1.6 billion in private investments and real estate for the pension system, which is funded by a mix of state and school property taxes, investment profits, and teacher contributions, and needs tens of billions more to cover its long-term obligations. The two-day meeting started on a hopeful note: PSERS should be able to count on around $4 billion in ready cash, from new school district property tax collections and from investments to be cashed in, chief investment officer Jim Grossman told the board and assembled investment pitchmen. (Trustees are unpaid, though PSERS gave them a hot breakfast and other meals. Bowls of Hershey's candies adorned the board table.)
https://www2.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/psers-billion-dollar-questions-split-even-gov-wolfs-pension-watchdogs-20181015.html

Pa. GOP chair accused me of ‘indoctrinating’ my students. Here’s why he’s wrong | Opinion
Thomas Quinn, For the Inquirer Posted: 38 minutes ago
Thomas Quinn is the Chair of the Social Studies Department at Central High School
Two weeks ago, this paper reported that Val DiGiorgio, the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, accused me, a civics teacher at Central High School, of distributing partisan campaign flyers to my students during school hours. He personally called Superintendent Hite, ensuring that I would be muzzled while the school investigated this claim. DiGiorgio repeated this claim on talk radio, claiming that Philadelphia teachers were using our positions for "liberal indoctrination" of public school students. The story was soon picked up by Breitbart Media, where readers across the country called for my firing — or worse, violence against my students and me.
And it was all untrue. The only election-related papers I ever handed out to students were voter registration forms. So why would the GOP target my students and me?
http://www2.philly.com/philly/opinion/commentary/central-high-flier-liberal-indoctrination-republican-gop-val-digiorgio-pennsylvania-20181015.html

“Pennsylvania has failed to do its fair share of paying for education, forcing school boards to fill the gap by raising property taxes.”
Newcomer Steve Snell challenges Rep. Stan Saylor for state House seat in York County
Teresa Boeckel, York Daily Record Published 11:40 a.m. ET Oct. 15, 2018 | Updated 3:50 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2018
The candidates cited taxes, education and jobs among the issues.
Steve Snell, a retired executive of the Realtors Association of York & Adams Counties, is challenging incumbent state Rep. Stan Saylor for the 94th state House seat in the Nov. 6 election. Snell is a Democrat. Saylor is a Republican.  The candidates gave different answers to three questions they were asked. The issues include taxes, education and jobs. The 94th state House seat covers the boroughs of Delta, East Prospect, Felton, Red Lion, Stewartstown, Windsor, Winterstown, and Yorkana and the townships of Chanceford, Lower Chanceford, Lower Windsor, Peach Bottom, parts of Springettsbury, and Windsor. Here is what the candidates have to say:
https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2018/10/15/newcomer-steve-snell-challenges-incumbent-stan-saylor-94th-state-house-seat/1617708002/

Some Pittsburgh school board members are skeptical of Children's Fund proposal
KATE GIAMMARISE Pittsburgh Post-Gazette kgiammarise@post-gazette.com OCT 15, 2018 6:30 AM
Several Pittsburgh school board members say they oppose a proposal to create an Allegheny County Children’s Fund, which will appear on the Nov. 6 general election ballot for county voters. If voters approve the proposed 0.25-mill property tax increase, it will create an approximately $18 million annual fund to bolster early-learning, after-school programs and nutritious meals for kids in the county. Some of the money could go to school districts or nonprofits, depending on how the fund is implemented. Several city school board members said they do not object to the fund’s aim of serving kids through meals and pre-K or after-school programs, but said they had not heard directly from advocates for the fund or they raised concerns about the proposed structure of the fund — an office within county government that would have an appointed advisory commission. “First and foremost, we have not had any conversations with the organizers of the referendum,” board president Regina Holley said. “There are lots of ifs and whats that have not been answered.”
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2018/10/15/Some-Pittsburgh-education-advocates-skeptical-of-Children-s-Fund-proposal/stories/201810110168

Five Chesco school districts win business finance awards
Daily Local by Digital First Media October 15, 2018
DOWNINGTOWN—Every year, the business departments of each school district throughout the world tackle the responsibility of developing and approving budgets that balance student and community needs. Although working with uncertainties and managing various stakeholders’ interests may not be easy, Chester County school districts have continuously proven that they are up to the challenge. For their outstanding financial reporting, budget presentations and leadership in the 2017-18 school year, Downingtown Area School District, Great Valley School District, Kennett Consolidated School District, Owen J. Roberts School District and West Chester Area School District were honored by the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International. Great Valley School District, Kennett Consolidated School District, Owen J. Roberts School District and West Chester Area School District all received the ASBO Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting. Downingtown Area School District, Great Valley School District and Owen J. Roberts School District also earned the ASBO Meritorious Budget Award (MBA), joining only 140 school districts worldwide recognized with the MBA distinction.
https://www.dailylocal.com/news/local/five-chesco-school-districts-win-business-finance-awards/article_f30569ec-d000-11e8-bd90-9f4e3c23a94c.html

About 1,300 U.S. communities have totally lost news coverage, UNC news desert study finds
Poynter.org BY TOM STITES · OCTOBER 15, 2018
It’s hardly a secret that news deserts are spreading, but just how bad is it? A comprehensive new study released today by the University of North Carolina’s School of Media and Journalism shows that far more U.S. communities have totally lost news coverage — more than 1,300 — than previously known.
Top findings:
·         About 20 percent of all metro and community newspapers in the United States — about 1,800 — have gone out of business or merged since 2004, when about 9,000 were being published.
·         Hundreds more have scaled back coverage so much that they’ve become what the researchers call “ghost newspapers.” Almost all other newspapers still publishing have also scaled back, just less drastically.
·         Online news sites, as well as some TV newsrooms and cable access channels, are working hard to keep local reporting alive, but these are taking root far more slowly than newspapers are dying. Hence the 1,300 communities that have lost all local coverage.
“The stakes are high,” the researchers say in their report. “Our sense of community and our trust in democracy at all levels suffer when journalism is lost or diminished. In an age of fake news and divisive politics, the fate of communities across the country — and of grassroots democracy itself — is linked to the vitality of local journalism.”
https://www.poynter.org/news/about-1300-us-communities-have-totally-lost-news-coverage-unc-news-desert-study-finds

Grading the States: A Report on Our Nation’s Commitment to Public Schools
Network for Public Education Privatization Report Card
his report examines our nation’s commitment to democracy by assessing the privatization programs in the 50 states and the District of Columbia with the goal of not only highlighting the benefits of a public school education, but comparing the accountability, transparency and civil rights protections offered students in the public school setting versus the private school setting. States are rated on the extent to which they have instituted policies and practices that lead toward fewer democratic opportunities and more privatization, as well as the guardrails they have (or have not) put into place to protect the rights of students, communities and taxpayers. This is not an assessment of the overall quality of the public education system in the state — rather it is an analysis of the laws that support privatized alternatives to public schools.
This report card, therefore, provides a vital accounting of each state’s democratic commitment to their public school students and their public schools, by holding it accountable for abandoning civil rights protections, transparency, accountability and adequate funding in a quest for “private” alternatives. It is designed to give citizens insight into the extent of privatization and its intended and unintended consequences for our students and our nation.
https://networkforpubliceducation.org/2018/06/10486/

‘You Are Still Black’: Charlottesville’s Racial Divide Hinders Black Students
New York Times By Erica L. Green and Annie Waldman Oct. 16, 2018
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — This article was reported and written in a collaboration with ProPublica, the nonprofit investigative journalism organization.
Zyahna Bryant and Trinity Hughes, high school seniors, have been friends since they were 6, raised by blue-collar families in this affluent college town. They played on the same T-ball and softball teams, and were in the same church group. But like many African-American children in Charlottesville, Trinity lived on the south side of town and went to a predominantly black neighborhood elementary school. Zyahna lived across the train tracks, on the north side, and was zoned to a mostly white school, near the University of Virginia campus, that boasts the city’s highest reading scores. In elementary school, Zyahna was chosen for the district’s program for gifted students. Since then, she has completed more than a dozen advanced-placement and college-level courses, maintained a nearly 4.0 grade-point average, and has been a student leader and a community activist. She has her eyes set on a prestigious university like UVA. “I want to go somewhere where it shows how much hard work I’ve put in,” Zyahna said. Trinity was not selected for the gifted program. She tried to enroll in higher-level courses and was denied. She expects to graduate this school year, but with a transcript that she says will not make her competitive for selective four-year colleges. “I know what I’m capable of, and what I can do,” Trinity said, “but the counselors and teachers, they don’t really care about that.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/us/charlottesville-riots-black-students-schools.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Feducation&action=click&contentCollection=education&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

Pioneer of school choice in Ohio, top Republican donor dies
Education Week October 15, 2018
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — The founder of a for-profit charter school who was a pioneer in Ohio's school choice movement and an influential Republican donor has died. The family of David Brennan says he died Sunday. He was 87. The Akron native and industrialist founded White Hat Management in 1998. It became one of the largest for-profit operators of charter schools in the nation. The schools struggled financially in recent years as the market became more competitive. The company sold off the last of its contracts to run charter schools in August. Brennan helped influence state policy on publicly funded but privately run charter schools. He also was a top Republican donor, giving to both national and state campaigns. Brennan founded a company that oversaw several manufacturing operations before he got involved with education.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/10/15/pioneer-of-school-choice-in-ohio_ap.html

K-12 Education and the Battle for the U.S. Senate: What to Watch
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on October 15, 2018 4:02 PM
It looks like the U.S. House of Representatives stands a good chance of flipping to Democratic control in the fall, but the Senate is much more likely to stay in Republican hands. Still, there are nine Senate match-ups currently rated as "Toss-Ups" by the Cook Political Report, which tracks congressional races. Five of those are in seats currently held by Democrats, and four by Republicans. The GOP has a one vote edge in the Senate right now, 51 to 49, but that could tick up after the election if many of the toss-ups go GOP. So how is education playing out in the battle for the Senate? Here's a quick guide to where candidates in tough races stand on K-12 policy.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/10/senate-campaign-vouchers-devos-education-spending.html


EdPAC reception helps support election of pro-public education leaders
Join EdPAC for an evening reception with lieutenant governor candidates Jeff Bartos and John Fetterman on behalf of EdPAC, a political action committee that supports the election of pro-public education leaders to the General Assembly. The reception will be held during the 2018 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference on Wednesday, Oct. 17 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Cocoa Suite 2 and 3. Visit the conference website for details and to register online. Walk-ins are welcome!



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.

NSBA 2019 Advocacy Institute January 27-29 Washington Hilton, Washington D.C.
Register now
The upcoming midterm elections will usher in the 116th Congress at a critical time in public education. Join us at the 2019 NSBA Advocacy Institute for insight into what the new Congress will mean for your school district. And, of course, learn about techniques and tools to sharpen your advocacy skills, and prepare for effective meetings with your representatives. Save the date to join school board members from across the country on Capitol Hill to influence the new legislative agenda and shape the decisions made inside the Beltway that directly impact our students. For more information contact federaladvocacy@nsba.org

2019 NSBA Annual Conference Philadelphia March 30 - April 1, 2019
Pennsylvania Convention Center 1101 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107

Registration Questions or Assistance: 1-800-950-6722
The NSBA Annual Conference & Exposition is the one national event that brings together education leaders at a time when domestic policies and global trends are combining to shape the future of the students. Join us in Philadelphia for a robust offering of over 250 educational programs, including three inspirational general sessions that will give you new ideas and tools to help drive your district forward.
https://www.nsba.org/conference


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