Started in November 2010, daily postings from the Keystone State
Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education
policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and
congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of
Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors,
principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher
leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations,
education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory
agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via
emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
Air Date: Friday June
21, 2019 10:00 am
Guests: Margaret
Raymond, Susan Spicka, David Hardy
“Much of the extra spending in the
roughly $34 billion package would cover new discretionary aid for public
schools, plus extra amounts to meet rising costs for prisons, debt, pension
obligations and health care for the poor. House officials say the final package
will carry a little less than Wolf sought for public schools, but more than
Wolf sought for state-subsidized universities, including Penn State, plus
higher reimbursements for nursing homes.”
Disagreements remain as Pennsylvania budget deadline
nears
Penn Live By Marc Levy | The Associated Press Updated Jun 20, 6:04 PM; Posted Jun 20,
5:49 PM
HARRISBURG (AP) —
Top Pennsylvania lawmakers worked Thursday to assemble a budget package that is
due ahead of the July 1 start of the fiscal year, but behind-the-scenes
disagreements remained and rank-and-file lawmakers had yet to hear details
about what they will be asked to vote on. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the
Republican-controlled Legislature have predicted that budget legislation would
pass on time and without the protracted, partisan fights that marked Wolf's
first three years in office. A cash surplus is easing the process this year. The
first votes on budget legislation were scheduled for Monday in the House of
Representatives.
Blogger note:
Total cyber charter tuition paid by PA taxpayers from 500 school districts for
2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 was over $1.6 billion; $393.5 million, $398.8
million, $436.1 million and $454.7 million respectively.
In 2016-17, taxpayers in Senate Majority Leader .@JakeCorman’s districts had to send over $6.3 million to chronically
underperforming cybers that their locally elected school boards never
authorized. . #SB34 (Schwank) or #HB526 (Sonney) could change that.
Data source: PDE
via PSBA
|
Bald Eagle Area SD
|
$167,474.06
|
|
Bellefonte Area SD
|
$652,488.93
|
|
Greenwood SD
|
$369,748.03
|
|
Huntingdon Area SD
|
$324,042.39
|
|
Juniata County SD
|
$830,192.87
|
|
Juniata Valley SD
|
$188,316.99
|
|
Keystone Central SD
|
$1,077,260.40
|
|
Mifflin County SD
|
$449,239.26
|
|
Mount Union Area SD
|
$410,764.19
|
|
Penns Valley Area SD
|
$237,235.29
|
|
Philipsburg-Osceola Area SD
|
$697,580.57
|
|
State College Area SD
|
$578,985.29
|
|
Tyrone Area SD
|
$345,128.97
|
|
$6,328,457.24
|
Has your state
senator cosponsored bipartisan SB34?
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2019&sind=0&body=S&type=B&bn=34
Is your state
representative one of the over 70 bipartisan cosponsors of HB526?
To listen to this show live on WHYY radio at 10:00 am
this morning, go to https://whyy.org/ and
click on the play button (white triangle) in the upper left hand corner of the
website. To listen to this show after it airs go to https://whyy.org/programs/radio-times/
WHYY Radio Times: Cyber charter schools
Air Date: Friday June 21, 2019 10:00 am
Guests: Margaret Raymond, Susan Spicka, David Hardy
A new study shows
that many students enrolled in Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools are not getting
a quality education. A quarter of Pennsylvania’s charter school students use
these virtual learning programs as an alternative to attending brick-and-mortar
schools. Today, we’ll hear about the damning report, the pros and cons of
digital classrooms, and what the future holds for these types of programs.
Joining us will be MARGARET RAYMOND, founding director of the organization, CREDO, that released the report,
as well as SUSAN SPICKA of
Education Voters of PA, and DAVID HARDY, executive director of Excellent Schools Pa, a school choice advocacy
organization.
“Cyber charter schools are barely a blip in some
states. But in Pennsylvania, they educate about a quarter of all students who
attend charter schools. CREDO’s analysis suggests they don’t educate these
students well. The average student at a cyber charter in Pennsylvania lost 106
days of learning in reading and 118 days in math compared to their “twins” in
traditional public schools. Cyber school skeptics say these results prove that
the virtual classroom isn’t working for Pennsylvania students, and that the
roughly half a billion dollars cyber charters collect each year from taxpayers
is a bad investment.”
Cyber charters in Pa. are wildly ineffective, and 3 other
takeaways from new Stanford (CREDO) study
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent June 5, 2019
Pennsylvania’s
charter school debate attracts a lot of heated rhetoric.
But this week, the
conversation got some cold, hard numbers.
The Center for
Research on Education Outcomes, a group based at Stanford University, released
a deep dive into Pennsylvania’s charter schools, which now serve roughly
140,000 students. Debates about the quality of the growing sector can be
especially fraught because comparing schools is rarely an apples-to-apples
exercise. A charter school serving many low-income students might not post top
results on state tests, but may actually do a better job serving disadvantaged
students than a nearby traditional public school. On the flip side, some
studies show charters sidestep the toughest-to-serve students, like those with
extreme special needs or those who are learning English. These skeptics worry
that traditional public schools end up with these cast-aside students, and
thus, lower test scores. CREDO’s analysis is an attempt to control for these
variables.
“On average, online charter students achieved each
year the equivalent of 180 fewer days of learning in math and 72 fewer days of
learning in reading than similar students in district-run brick-and-mortar
schools.”
Reprise October 2015: Cyber Charters
Have 'Overwhelming Negative Impact,' CREDO Study Finds
Education Week
Digital Education By Benjamin Herold on October 27, 2015 12:00
PM
Students who
take classes over the Internet through online charter schools make
dramatically less academic progress than their counterparts in traditional
schools, according to a sweeping new series of reports released today.
The National Study of Online Charter Schools represents the first
comprehensive national look at the roughly 200 schools in the publicly funded,
independently managed cyber-charter sector. Such schools enroll about
200,000 full-time students across 26 states. Reports jointly released by
the Center
for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University, the Center
on Reinventing Public Education, and Mathematica
Policy Research found that:
·
More than
two-thirds of online charter schools had weaker overall academic
growth than similar brick-and-mortar schools. In math, 88 percent of
online charters had weaker academic growth than their comparison schools.
·
As a group,
online charters are characterized by high student-to-teacher ratios, low
student engagement, and high student mobility.
·
Online charters
frequently offer limited opportunities for live contact with teachers and a
relative paucity of supports for families, despite high expectations for
parental involvement.
·
From funding to
enrollment to oversight, states are failing to keep up with the unique policy
challenges that online charters present.
Just about any
way the data were sliced—by racial and ethnic subgroups, for students in
poverty, by instructional and management model, compared to
brick-and-mortar charters—the story of weak academic growth in
online charters was largely the same.
“If supporters feel so strongly about helping low
income families, maybe they should consider expanding a better EITC
program: the Earned Income Tax Credit. That’s a federal tax break proven to
have impact on helping low income families and improving the poverty rate. EITC
was created to reward work. Working families, especially those with children,
receive on average $2488 refund.”
A tax credit program that can actually make a difference
| Editorial
The Inquirer Editorial Board | opinion@inquirer.com Updated: June 20, 2019 - 6:20 AM
This week, Governor
Wolf thankfully vetoed a bill
that would have expanded tax credits that corporations use to help underwrite
private and religious school tuitions. The Educational
Improvement Tax Credit program
currently allows $110 million in tax revenues to be diverted to a program that
gives families tuition help for parochial or private school education. But the
EITC’s lack of transparency and accountability is very problematic. The program
is administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development– not
the state Department of Education -- and is not allowed to release any data
that would show how many children use the program, what the educational
outcomes are, or details about participants, including the incomes of the
families who participate. That last is key, because the way the program is
structured, the salary threshold for eligibility is a family income of $85,000
a year. That belies the major argument supporters make defending the program --
claiming it’s to help low income families have more choice for educating for
their children. House Speaker Mike Turzai
(R-Allegheny) championed the expansion bill, which was approved and sent to Wolf’s desk last month. It would
have essentially doubled the number of tax credits available, increasing the
total by $100 million, expanding eligibility to families making $95,000, and
opening the door to continual expansion of the program. In his veto of the
bill, Wolf rightly pointed out that the state is struggling to find enough
money for public schools. And make no mistake: tax credits diverts money from
other things. Supporters vow to keep fighting for it.
Blogger note: the Commonwealth
Foundation has been a long time proponent of vouchers, education savings
accounts and tax credit programs.
Guest Column: Gov.
Wolf missed boat with veto on scholarships
Delco Times Opinion
By Charles Mitchell
Times Guest Columnist June 21,
2019
Charles
Mitchell is president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation.
Gov. Wolf surprised
no one this week when he vetoed a sorely needed expansion of Pennsylvania’s
scholarship program, the Educational Improvement Tax Credit. But he
disappointed thousands. While the governor has repeatedly voiced support for
freeing students from zip code-assigned schools that aren’t meeting their
needs, he disparaged this scholarship program and questioned its legitimacy.
Thankfully, lawmakers are poised to fix Wolf’s mistake. Tax credit
scholarships help primarily low-income families afford a better education in a private
school. The scholarships are funded by private donations from community-minded
businesses and individuals. In return, donors receive a state tax credit of 75
or 90 percent of their donation. About 50,000
scholarships were awarded last year. But caps on available tax credits mean
nearly as many scholarships are denied as are approved. Demand far outstrips
supply, leaving tens of thousands of students seeking an escape hatch from
underperforming schools out in the cold.
Pa’s public schools
need our help. Gov. Tom Wolf was right to veto private school tax credit bill |
Opinion
By Susan Spicka Capital-Star Op-Ed Contributor June 20,
2019
It’s budget season
in Harrisburg. At a time of year when we should be talking about funding to
meet public schools’ needs, instead we’ve been hearing more about massive
giveaways of taxpayer dollars to well-off families who send their children to
private schools. The Pennsylvania House and Senate passed legislation sponsored
by House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, allowing for a
massive expansion, from $110 million to $210 million, of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit. The two-decade-old
program provides tax credits to businesses and other organizations that fund
scholarship aid for religious and private schools. A built-in,10 percent annual
increase in EITC funding in Turzai’s bill would have brought the total annual
funding for the EITC program to an eye-popping $544 million in just 10 years. Gov.
Tom Wolf vetoed the legislation, and he was correct to do this. The EITC
program, and its partner, the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC)
program, are intentionally designed to provide taxpayer-funded
private/religious school tuition vouchers to well-off families that are already
comfortably paying their children’s private school tuition.
Poll: Should Pennsylvania increase its tax-credit support
for private schools?
By Jim Flagg | For lehighvalleylive.com Posted Jun 19, 2019
A Republican-backed
bill to increase taxpayer support for private and religious schools in
Pennsylvania was vetoed
by Gov. Tom Wolf, who said
he opposes any such move while public schools are underfunded by the state. The
bill, HB 800, would have hiked the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program
from $110 million to $210 million a year, and provided for increases in
subsequent years if most of the tax credits were used up. Under the program,
businesses and other donors can underwrite scholarships for students at private
and religious schools and receive a credit on their state tax bills. GOP
majorities in both houses adopted the bill with little Democratic support.
Legislative leaders could try to salvage the measure by overriding Wolf’s veto.
They also could propose a smaller tax-credit increase as a bargaining chip with
the governor, to get a state budget passed
by the June 30 deadline.
Gov. Wolf talks education, marijuana, and gun violence
during live interview
By WHYY Staff June 20, 2019
Keystone Crossroads
hosted a live interview with Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf (Joanne Cassaro/WITF)
During our
hour-long discussion, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf answered questions on a
variety of topics including public education, recreational marijuana, gun
control and his proposed minimum wage increase. You can stream the whole conversation above.
York Supt.'s parting words: City kids – my kids – aren't
the problem. They're the solution
York Daily Record Opinion by Eric B. Holmes Published
11:39 a.m. ET June 20, 2019
York City
School Superintendent Eric Holmes wants to see a change in the funding model
for schools in Pennsylvania
Life isn’t fair.
Every child’s
natural contempt for injustice is eventually confronted with these three words,
usually uttered by a well-meaning but frustrated parent or teacher. Life isn’t
fair. Accept it. Life isn’t fair. Get over it. These are worthwhile lessons for
children to learn if they are going to be resilient adults capable of
navigating a world where unfairness lurks around every corner. In my final act
as superintendent of the School District of the City of York, I want to send
this message to the children of York City and every other child whose
circumstances of birth have deprived them of access to equitably funded public
education: The
American education system is unfair not because of some existential, insurmountable obstacle. It is
unfair because our society chooses to tolerate a political system that ties the
quality of a child’s education to the relative wealth of their parents,
neighborhood and community. It doesn’t have to be this way, and the proof is
right here in the City of York.
Lead contamination in school drinking water | PennLive
letters
PennLive Letters to the Editor by Justin
Snyder Posted Jun 20, 6:29 PM
Justin Snyder is an intern with
PennEnvironment, Philadelphia, a statewide citizens environmental advocacy
group.
A new threat to our
children’s safety is in a place many would not expect. Recently, schools have
come under scrutiny over concerns of lead contaminating school drinking water.
As many cities across the state deal with aging infrastructure, a federal
survey showed that Pennsylvania has topped the list of elevated levels of lead
in school drinking water. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects
of lead absorption, which are almost irreversible. The American Academy of
Pediatrics confirmed that high levels of leads can lead to negative cognitive
effects and behavioral problems. Currently most schools statewide are not even
required to test their water. Many legislators have responded to this call to
action by cosponsoring House Bill 930, which would require schools to test
their water for lead, and set one of the strongest limits on lead in the
country. By cosponsoring this bill, these legislators have showed they care
about our youth, and are invested in the safety of our children. We thank Rep.
Patty Kim for supporting this bill, and hope many more will respond to this
call to action in assuring our children’s safety.
The race to ‘fix’ schools has ignored emotional learning
| Opinion
Opinion by Harry Vincenzi, for the Inquirer Updated: June 20, 2019 - 11:07 AM
Philadelphians
constantly hear that our city schools are failing academically. One step toward
resolving that problem: developing a skills-based emotional education program. Many institutions, such as Kaiser Permanente and UCLA (Mental Health in Schools), support
the view that programs to improve students’ emotional health are necessary to
cope with today’s problems and eventually improve test scores. Philadelphia has
made large investments to improve literacy and math. Strategies that focus on
instructional approaches to improve test scores have been going on for decades
— but they are not enough. The National Assessment of Education Progress
(2017) found that Philadelphia test scores declined since 2015 and those scores were
significantly lower than in other big cities. Combined with mixed Pennsylvania
System of School Assessment 2018 results, they indicate a new approach is needed. Recent national surveys
have found that many students suffer from loneliness, low self-esteem,
depression, and trauma. And these problems are surging as 32% of teens have an anxiety disorder, reported
loneliness has increased to 39%, and suicide rates for girls have doubled since 2007.
2.3 Percent Tax Hike Coming With 2019-2020 LMSD Budget
The Lower Merion School District board of
directors approved next year's budget, and your taxes are going up because of
it.
By Max Bennett, Patch Staff Jun 20, 2019 10:51 am ET | Updated Jun 20, 2019 10:53 am ET
LOWER MERION
TOWNSHIP, PA — With a new school year comes a new budget, and with this new
budget comes another tax increase. The Lower Merion School District Board of
Directors voted recently to approve its 2019-2020 budget. In the budget, which
stands at $280,076,847, a 2.3 percent tax increase is included. The new millage
rate is 29.4088, reflecting an increase of .6611 mills. According to the
district, roughly 85 percent of the budget's revenue comes from local sources. State
funding makes up about 14 percent of the district's revenue and just about 1
percent of revenue is made of federal dollars, the district said. Salaries and
benefits account for 76 percent of expenditures.
The deadline to
submit a cover letter, resume and application is August 19,
2019.
Become a 2019-2020 PSBA Advocacy Ambassador
PSBA is seeking
applications for two open Advocacy Ambassador positions. Candidates
should have experience in day-to-day functions of a school district,
on the school board, or in a school leadership position. The purpose of the
PSBA Advocacy Ambassador program is to facilitate the education and engagement
of local school directors and public education stakeholders through the
advocacy leadership of the ambassadors. Each Advocacy Ambassador will
be responsible for assisting PSBA in achieving its advocacy goals. To
achieve their mission, ambassadors will be kept up to date on current
legislation and PSBA positions on legislation. The current open positions will
cover PSBA Sections 3 and 4, and Section 7.
PSBA Advocacy
Ambassadors are independent contractors representing PSBA and serve
as liaisons between PSBA and their local elected officials. Advocacy
Ambassadors also commit to building strong relationships with PSBA members with
the purpose of engaging the designated members to be active and committed
grassroots advocates for PSBA’s legislative priorities.
PSBA: Nominations for The Allwein Society are open!
This award program
recognizes school directors who are outstanding leaders & advocates on
behalf of public schools & students. Nominations are accepted year-round
with selections announced early fall: http://ow.ly/CchG50uDoxq
EPLC is accepting
applications for the 2019-20 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program
Education Policy & Leadership Center
PA's premier education policy leadership program for education, policy
& community leaders with 582 alumni since 1999. Application with program
schedule & agenda are at http://www.eplc.org
2019 PASA-PSBA School
Leadership Conference Oct. 16-18, 2019
WHERE: Hershey Lodge and
Convention Center 325 University Drive, Hershey, PA
WHEN: Wednesday, October
16 to Friday, October 18, 201
Registration is now open!
Growth from knowledge acquired. Vision inspired by innovation. Impact
created by a synergized leadership community. You are called upon to be the
drivers of a thriving public education system. It’s a complex and challenging
role. Expand your skillset and give yourself the tools needed for the
challenge. Packed into two and a half daysꟷꟷgain access to top-notch education
and insights, dynamic speakers, peer learning opportunities and the latest
product and service innovations. Come to the PASA-PSBA School Leadership
Conference to grow!
NPE Action National
Conference - Save the Date - March 28-29, 2020 in Philadelphia, PA.
The window is now open for workshop proposals for the Network for Public
Education conference, March 28-29, 2020, in Philadelphia. I hope you all sign
on to present on a panel and certainly we want all to attend. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NBCNDKK
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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