Keystone State Education Coalition

Established in 2006, the Keystone State Education Coalition is a growing grass roots, non-partisan public education advocacy group of several hundred locally elected, volunteer school board members and administrators from school districts throughout Pennsylvania. Our mission is to evaluate, discuss and inform our boards, district constituents and legislators on legislative issues of common interest and to facilitate active engagement in public education advocacy.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for July 29, 2013: Districts waiting for state to pay up on building projects

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 2650 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, 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 and Twitter

These daily emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

The Keystone State Education Coalition is pleased to be listed among the friends and allies of The Network for Public Education. Are you a member?

PSBA is accepting applications from school directors to fill vacancies in NSBA's Federal Relations Network grassroots advocacy program.

Deadline to apply is Sept. 6.

http://www.psba.org/issues-advocacy/advocacy-services/frn.asp

Keystone State Education Coalition:

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for July 29, 2013:

Districts waiting for state to pay up on building projects

Philly lags other cities in school funding

thenotebook by Patrick Kerkstra on Jul 27 2013 Posted in Latest news

We’ve done our part. And then some. Now it’s somebody else’s turn.

That seems to be the prevailing view of Philadelphia’s City Council members on the school funding crisis. Two years ago, City Council swallowed hard and raised property taxes for the schools. A year later, Council did it again, while also upping the use and occupancy tax. And this spring, Council enacted (though Harrisburg failed to approve enabling legislation) a city cigarette tax to provide additional funding for the schools.

All these actions were taken as federal cash evaporated with the end of the stimulus and state funding for the state-run School District of Philadelphia plummeted.

http://thenotebook.org/blog/136238/among-city-leaders-little-movement-calls-school-aid-increase

The Charitable-Industrial Complex

New York Times Opinion by PETER BUFFETT Published: July 26, 2013

I HAD spent much of my life writing music for commercials, film and television and knew little about the world of philanthropy as practiced by the very wealthy until what I call the big bang happened in 2006. That year, my father, Warren Buffett, made good on his commitment to give nearly all of his accumulated wealth back to society. In addition to making several large donations, he added generously to the three foundations that my parents had created years earlier, one for each of their children to run.

Early on in our philanthropic journey, my wife and I became aware of something I started to call Philanthropic Colonialism. I noticed that a donor had the urge to “save the day” in some fashion. People (including me) who had very little knowledge of a particular place would think that they could solve a local problem. Whether it involved farming methods, education practices, job training or business development, over and over I would hear people discuss transplanting what worked in one setting directly into another with little regard for culture, geography or societal norms.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/27/opinion/the-charitable-industrial-complex.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1&

“The thing is, you don't have to look very far to see this poverty machine in action. If you live in Philadelphia, it's probably grinding down your neighborhood public school as we speak. After decades of mismanagement and starvation at the state and federal level, Philadelphia's beleaguered schools are turning to the likes of Bill and Melinda Gates or Los Angeles billionaire Eli Broad for any measure of salvation they can find.”
Attytood: Why philanthropy can't save Philly

Philly Daily News Attytood Blog by Will Bunch POSTED: Sunday, July 28, 2013, 7:41 PM
To paraphrase F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway at the same time, philanthropists are very different from you and me. They have more money. They also have more power. Maybe it’s time to re-think where we’re going with this. Week by week, more people are coming to grips with the reality that income inequality is the monster that is devouring the American dream. President Obama recognized this -- in word if not in deed -- over the weekend when he told the New York Times that the wealth disparity and its crippling effect on the middle class is "not a future we should accept."
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Why-philanthropy-cant-save-Philly.html#LB8BveIeDvyqQEQw.99

Districts waiting for state to pay up on building projects

Allentown Morning Call ‎- July 28, 2013

Pennsylvania Department of Education's system for public school construction and reimbursement is so backlogged 188 projects await

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-pa-plancon-school-construction-20130727,0,4908485.story

Western Pa. school districts get creative to put stop to summer ‘brain drain’
TribLive By Kate Wilcox Published: Sunday, July 28, 2013, 10:39 p.m.
Melissa O'Brien's 10-year-old daughter has plenty of fun activities such as sports camps lined up for the summer months. But the Greensburg Salem School District mom wants to ensure that when her daughter returns to school next month, she hasn't forgotten the reading and writing skills learned during the past academic year.

O'Brien's concerns are rooted in a well-documented educational phenomenon known as “summer slide” or “summer brain drain.”

My children are getting a fine education in the Pittsburgh city schools

Post Gazette Letter to Editor by Tim Tuinstra July 29, 2013 12:12 am

Thank you to Nina Esposito-Visgitis for standing up for the students and teachers succeeding every day in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Her Perspectives piece on July 24 ("Stop Slamming City Schools") rebutted recent attacks on their accomplishments and educational quality.

As a parent of three students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, I assure readers that our kids receive outstanding education.

“By fueling charter expansion, TFA is undermining public schools
You wouldn’t know it from the heat of the debate but Teach for America has largely abandoned plans to expand into urban districts in any significant way. Instead, TFA increasingly serves as the designated labor force for urban charters. In Chicago, for example, where charter expansion is the real driver of public school closures and teacher layoffs, TFA has functioned as a placement agency for the fast-growing and politically connected UNO charter chain since 2010. In Philadelphia, where 23 schools were closed this spring and thousands of teachers and support staff laid off, TFA supplies hundreds of new teachers for charters in the city. Of the 257 corps members teaching in Philly in 2012, just 21 were in district schools.”

The Fight Ahead

EduShyster.com Posted on July 26, 2013

What we should be talking about when we talk about Teach for America

Teachers and students protest the closure of 50 public schools in Chicago. Teach for America increasingly drives the policies behind such school closures.

Unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ve no doubt noticed that the debate about Teach for America has ratcheted up considerably in recent weeks. Here’s the quick and dirty version: urban districts are closing dozens of schools and laying off teachers, even as they’re bringing in new Teach for America recruits. When news began to spread that a popular Chicago teacher had been laid off (the news delivered by his mother, no less), the back-and-forth reached a boiling point. How was it right for the Chicago Public Schools to axe a well-regarded teacher, one of 2000 let go, while expanding the number of TFA corps members, who’ll be entering the city’s schools this fall after just five weeks of training?

It’s a heated and emotional discussion but it also misses the larger point. TFA’s threat to urban teachers isn’t in these new corps members but in the policy of rampant urban charter expansion that TFA is driving. What’s more, the rancorous tone of the debate threatens to push away the growing number of alumni who have begun to question TFA’s mission and orientation. So what should we be talking about? Here’s a look:

http://edushyster.com/?p=2985

K12’s $6.8M Deal Closes Book On Investor Class Action

Law360, By Kat Greene New York (July 26, 2013, 10:29 PM ET) –

A Virginia federal judge gave final approval to online educator K12 Inc.’s $6.8 million settlement with stockholders Thursday, ending a row over whether the company misled investors about its enrollment and student performance, according to a filing in Virginia federal court. Investors led by the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System said K12 lied about students’ performance on tests and student enrollment, leading investors to believe the company was doing very well.

http://www.law360.com/articles/460533/k12-s-6-8m-deal-closes-book-on-investor-class-action

‘State-Led’ Common Core Pushed by Federally Funded Nonprofit

The Heartland Institute by JOY PULLMANN April 24, 2013

A central defense of the new national education standards, now generating spirited public debates, is that the federal government did not mandate or create them.

“The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort that established a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English language arts and mathematics,” the official Common Core websitestates. In 2009, two nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations called the National Governors Association (NGA) and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), convened government officials and dozens of consultants to write, rewrite, and, in June 2010, finally publish Common Core.

http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2013/04/24/state-led-common-core-pushed-federally-funded-nonprofit#.UfXSuT6yNpJ.twitter

Perseid meteor shower set to put on a great show before dawn August 12

You can expect to see up to 100 “shooting stars” per hour when 2013’s best meteor shower peaks before dawn August 12.

Astronomy By Richard Talcott — Published: May 27, 2013

http://www.astronomy.com/~/link.aspx?_id=45514932-7cc0-4aa0-b97b-c7cf1d725d4c

Yinzers - Save the Date: Diane Ravitch will be speaking in Pittsburgh on September 16^th at 6:00 pm. Location and details to come.

Save the Date: Diane Ravitch will be speaking in Philly at the Main Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library on September 17 at 7:30 pm. Details to come.

Join the National School Boards Action Center Friends of Public Education

Participate in a voluntary network to urge your U.S. Representatives and Senators to support federal legislation on Capitol Hill that is critical to providing high quality education to

America

’s schoolchildren

http://nsbac.org/?page_id=1873

Know Your Child’s Rights! 2013-2014 Special Education Seminars

Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia July 9, 2013

The Law Center’s year-long Know Your Child’s Rights! seminar series on special education law continues in 2013-2014 with day and evening trainings focused on securing special education rights and services. These seminars are intended for parents, special education advocates, educators, attorneys, and others who are in a position to help children with disabilities receive an appropriate education. Every session focuses on a different legal topic, service or disability and is co-led by a Law Center staff attorney and a guest speaker.

This year’s topics include Tips for Going Back to School; Psychological Testing, IEEs and Evaluations; School Records; Children with Autism; Transition Services; Children with Emotional Needs; Discipline and Bullying; Charter Schools; Children with Dyslexia; Extended School Year; Assistive Technology; Discrimination and Compensatory Education; and, Settlements. See below for descriptions and schedules of each session.

http://www.pilcop.org/know-your-childs-rights-2013-2014-special-education-seminars-in-progress/

PSBA is accepting applications to fill vacancies in NSBA's grassroots advocacy program. Deadline to apply is Sept. 6.

PSBA members: Influence public education policy at the federal level; join NSBA's Federal Relations Network

The National School Boards Association is seeking school directors interested in filling vacancies for the remainder of the 2013-14 term of the Federal Relations Network. The FRN is NSBA's grassroots advocacy program that provides the opportunity for school board members from every congressional district in the country who are committed to public education to get involved in federal advocacy. For more than 40 years, school board members have been lobbying for public education on Capitol Hill as one unified voice through this program. If you are a school director and willing to carry the public education message to Washington, D.C., FRN membership is a good place to start!

More info: http://www.psba.org/issues-advocacy/advocacy-services/frn.asp

PSBA members will elect officers electronically for the first time in 2013

PSBA 7/8/2013

Beginning in 2013, PSBA members will follow a completely new election process which will be done electronically during the month of September. The changes will have several benefits, including greater membership engagement and no more absentee ballot process.

Below is a quick Q&A related to the voting process this year, with more details to come in future issues of School Leader News and at www.psba.org. More information on the overall governance changes can be found in the February 2013 issue of the PSBA Bulletin:

http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=5787

2014 PSBA Officer Slate of Candidates

PSBA website 7/24/2013

The 2014 PSBA Slate of Candidates is being officially published to the members of the association. More details on each candidate, including bios, statements, photos and video will be available soon online.

See more at: http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=5861#sthash.uyC3nC24.dpuf

PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference
October 15-18, 2013 | Hershey Lodge & Convention Center

Important change this year: Delegate Assembly (replaces the Legislative Policy Council) will be Tuesday Oct. 15 from 1 – 4:30 p.m.

The PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference is the largest gathering of elected officials in Pennsylvania and offers an impressive collection of professional development opportunities for school board members and other education leaders.

See Annual School Leadership Conference links for all program details.

Registration: https://www.psba.org/workshops/?workshop=17

PAESSP State Conference October 27-29, 2013

The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA

The state conference is PAESSP’s premier professional development event for principals, assistant principals and other educational leaders. Attending will enable you to connect with fellow educators while learning from speakers and presenters who are respected experts in educational leadership.

Featuring Keynote Speakers: Charlotte Danielson, Dr. Todd Whitaker, Will Richardson & David Andrews, Esq. (Legal Update).

Click Here To Register Now!

Click Here To View and Print the Conference Registration Brochure.

EPLC Education Policy Fellowship Program – Apply Now

Applications are available now for the 2013-2014 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 350 graduates in its first fourteen 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 12-13, 2013 and continues to graduation in June 2014.

Application: http://www.eplc.org/notebook2013/2013-2014%20EPFP%20Application.pdf

http://www.eplc.org/leadership-programs/education-policy-fellowship-program/about-the-program/

Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School FAST FACTS

Quakertown Community School District March 2013

http://www.markbmiller.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Pennsylvania-Cyber-Charter-School-FAST-FACTS-1.pdf

"They don't feel they should be subject to this law, or, candidly, subject to you," Mutchler told senators on the state government committee, which is considering legislation to amend the five-year-old law. "They are a cancer on the otherwise healthy right-to- know-law."

Pa. official: Charter schools flout public-records law

By Amy Worden, Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau POSTED: May 15, 2013

HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania's 180 charter schools routinely ignore the state's Right-To-Know Law even though as publicly funded institutions they are bound to comply with it, the chief of the state's Office of Open Records told a Senate committee on Monday. Executive director Terry Mutchler said her office had received 239 appeals in cases in which charter schools either rejected or failed to answer requests from the public for information such as budgets, payrolls, or student rosters. She said her office ruled in favor of the schools on just six of those appeals.

http://articles.philly.com/2013-05-15/news/39258122_1_open-records-public-charter-schools-ken-kilpatrick

PA Charter Schools: $4 billion taxpayer dollars with no real oversight

Keystone State Education Coalition Prior Posting

Charter schools - public funding without public scrutiny

http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2012/05/pa-charter-schools-4-billion-taxpayer.html

>Charter schools - public funding without public scrutiny

http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2012/05/pa-charter-schools-4-billion-taxpayer.html

Lawrence A. Feinberg

Keystone State Education Coalition

Visit us online at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition.org

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

Are you a member of the Network for Public Education?

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for July 27, 2013: Citing $33 million in available funds, Hite partially restores Philly secretaries, music, sports

These daily emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

The Keystone State Education Coalition is pleased to be listed among the friends and allies of The Network for Public Education. Are you a member?

Keystone State Education Coalition:

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for July 27, 2013:

Citing $33 million in available funds, Hite partially restores Philly secretaries, music, sports

Hearing points to challenges in special ed funding

NBC News By Gary Weckselblatt Staff Writer PhillyBurbs.com July 26, 2013

President John F. Kennedy gave himself nearly a decade to send an astronaut to the moon. A state commission has until Nov. 30 to put together a new funding formula for special education — and its task might be more challenging.

That 15-member panel held a hearing in Doylestown on Thursday, looking for a way to “drive money to districts based on need, not on disability,” said state Rep. Bernie O’Neill.

O’Neill, a Warminster Republican, and Sen. Pat Browne, a Lehigh County Republican, are co-chairs of the commission seeking input on how to fairly distribute tax dollars for an expensive problem that continues to grow.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/52585242/#.UfJj_dLOuiE

Citing $33 million in available funds, Hite partially restores Philly secretaries, music, sports

by thenotebook on Jul 26 2013 Posted in Latest news

by Dale Mezzacappa for the Notebook and Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks

With new money for Philadelphia schools coming in at a trickle, even though schools are just six weeks from opening under a doomsday scenario, Superintendent William Hite said Friday that he believes the District has enough funds on hand to restore the positions of 220 secretaries for the upcoming school year -- one for each school -- as well as fall sports and 66 itinerant music teachers through January.

At a contentious four-hour School Reform Commission meeting that started at 8 a.m., Hite and his Chief Financial Officer Matthew Stanski said they were confident that they could increase by $33 million their bare-bones budget. The budget resulted in 3,800 layoffs and stripped schools of nearly everything but a principal and a core of teachers. But the District leaders said that, as of now, they can only count on just $17 million in additional funds from the city and state.

http://thenotebook.org/blog/136237/33-million-additional-funds-hite-restores-secretaries-music-sports

SRC restores sports, rehires music teachers, secretaries

Martha Woodall, Inquirer Staff Writer POSTED: Friday, July 26, 2013, 6:34 PM

The Philadelphia School District will use $33 million in savings and new funding to recall laid-off music teachers and school secretaries and restore fall sports programs that were axed. "Now we plan to use the revenue that we believe is available to get schools ready" for opening Sept. 9, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said during a special School Reform Commission meeting Friday.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20130726_SRC_rehires_music_teachers__secretaries__restores_sports.html#YZ8omOXC1y8TM25m.99

Legislators give $30.3M to 21 school districts behind closed doors

Lancaster gets $2.4 million surprise but cash-strapped Columbia doesn't get a dime

Lancaster Sunday News By JEFF HAWKES Staff Writer Jul 21, 2013 12:52

Twenty-one of Pennsylvania's 500 school districts got a nice surprise in the state's new budget: extra cash for these tough times.
Districts large, small and in-between benefited, including the Allentown schools, with nearly 19,000 students, the School District of Lancaster, with 11,200, and a rural Potter County district, with only 184 pupils.

Inquirer Editorial: Leave this bill behind

POSTED: Friday, July 26, 2013, 1:08 AM The House last week passed a bill that would gut the landmark No Child Left Behind law, returning most school oversight to states and districts. While there is plenty in the law that requires fixing, the House legislation would be a major setback for public education.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20130726_Inquirer_Editorial__Leave_this_bill_behind.html#LYOGBejkF380fKGh.99

Teachers Lead Philly Summer Newsletter July 2013

Summer is a great time to reflect, recharge, and set goals for the new year. This year, Teachers Lead Philly will be offering a variety of opportunities for teachers to connect, develop, and lead. Are you interested in exploring web design, videography, book groups, grant writing, blogging, professional development, or advocacy? Do you have some ideas about how to impact education in Philly? Teachers Lead Philly wants you!

http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=1b265d893b554cf0e4fdee196&id=5bc6e03036&e=eb5cbb9cf8

The Real Bloodbath

Yinzercation Blog July 26, 2013

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for our public schools, and they’re not even in session. In the heat of the summer Pittsburgh schools – and our teachers – have come under attack.

http://yinzercation.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/the-real-bloodbath/

First public school seized by parents set to open

Politico By STEPHANIE SIMON | 7/26/13 2:20 PM EDT

A grand experiment in letting parents seize control of their neighborhood schools is unfolding in an impoverished Mojave Desert town — and lawmakers as far away as Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan are watching, and pondering the implications for troubled schools in their own states. Desert Trails Preparatory Academy in Adelanto, Calif., will open for the academic year on Monday as the first school in the nation to have been remade under a law that gives parents the power to take over a low-performing public school and fire the principal, dismiss teachers or bring in private management.

"Parents Can Only Listen"

My Education Next Posted by Rita M. Solnet on July 26, 2013 at 4:18pm

I attended a conference call today initiated and led by Ben Austin, Executive Director of Parent Revolution, to honor "National Parents Day." The call from start to finish focused on the complexity of the parent trigger law, the controversy, the process, and the status of California schools. Although the call's password was "Parents," parents couldn't ask questions - only reporters could. Perhaps Parent Revolution should consider a name change or a re-branding.

I'm confused.

http://myednext.org/profiles/blogs/parents-can-only-listen

When Bad Things Happen to Good NAEP Data

Education Week By Stephen Sawchuk Published Online: July 24, 2013

Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is widely viewed as the most accurate and reliable yardstick of U.S. students’ academic knowledge. But when it comes to many of the ways the exam’s data are used, researchers have gotten used to gritting their teeth.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/07/24/37naep.h32.html?tkn=YNLFsSlw%2BiZN684PdPSw3%2FzxWvEA52dCBa7E&cmp=clp-edweek

Yinzers - Save the Date: Diane Ravitch will be speaking in Pittsburgh on September 16^th at 6:00 pm. Location and details to come.

Save the Date: Diane Ravitch will be speaking in Philly at the Main Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library on September 17 at 7:30 pm. Details to come.

Join the National School Boards Action Center Friends of Public Education

Participate in a voluntary network to urge your U.S. Representatives and Senators to support federal legislation on Capitol Hill that is critical to providing high quality education to

America

’s schoolchildren

http://nsbac.org/?page_id=1873

Know Your Child’s Rights! 2013-2014 Special Education Seminars

Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia July 9, 2013

http://www.pilcop.org/know-your-childs-rights-2013-2014-special-education-seminars-in-progress/

PSBA is accepting applications to fill vacancies in NSBA's grassroots advocacy program. Deadline to apply is Sept. 6.

PSBA members: Influence public education policy at the federal level; join NSBA's Federal Relations Network

More info: http://www.psba.org/issues-advocacy/advocacy-services/frn.asp

PSBA members will elect officers electronically for the first time in 2013

PSBA 7/8/2013

http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=5787

2014 PSBA Officer Slate of Candidates

PSBA website 7/24/2013

See more at: http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=5861#sthash.uyC3nC24.dpuf

PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference
October 15-18, 2013 | Hershey Lodge & Convention Center

Important change this year: Delegate Assembly (replaces the Legislative Policy Council) will be Tuesday Oct. 15 from 1 – 4:30 p.m.

See Annual School Leadership Conference links for all program details.

Registration: https://www.psba.org/workshops/?workshop=17

PAESSP State Conference October 27-29, 2013

The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA

Featuring Keynote Speakers: Charlotte Danielson, Dr. Todd Whitaker, Will Richardson & David Andrews, Esq. (Legal Update).

Click Here To Register Now!

Click Here To View and Print the Conference Registration Brochure.

EPLC Education Policy Fellowship Program – Apply Now

The Fellowship Program begins with a two-day retreat on September 12-13, 2013 and continues to graduation in June 2014.

Application: http://www.eplc.org/notebook2013/2013-2014%20EPFP%20Application.pdf

http://www.eplc.org/leadership-programs/education-policy-fellowship-program/about-the-program/

Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School FAST FACTS

Quakertown Community School District March 2013

http://www.markbmiller.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Pennsylvania-Cyber-Charter-School-FAST-FACTS-1.pdf

Pa. official: Charter schools flout public-records law

By Amy Worden, Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau POSTED: May 15, 2013

http://articles.philly.com/2013-05-15/news/39258122_1_open-records-public-charter-schools-ken-kilpatrick

PA Charter Schools: $4 billion taxpayer dollars with no real oversight

Keystone State Education Coalition Prior Posting

Charter schools - public funding without public scrutiny

http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2012/05/pa-charter-schools-4-billion-taxpayer.html

Friday, July 26, 2013

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for July 26, 2013: PNC Chairman James E. Rohr: We must invest in early childhood education

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 2250 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, 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 and Twitter

These daily emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

The Keystone State Education Coalition is pleased to be listed among the friends and allies of The Network for Public Education. Are you a member?

Keystone State Education Coalition:

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for July 26, 2013:

PNC Chairman James E. Rohr: We must invest in early childhood education

Charter schools: “a cancer on the otherwise healthy right-to- know-law."

PA Office of Open Records Executive Director Terry Mutchler said her office had received 239 appeals in cases in which charter schools either rejected or failed to answer requests from the public for information such as budgets, payrolls, or student rosters. She said her office ruled in favor of the schools on just six of those appeals.

http://articles.philly.com/2013-05-15/news/39258122_1_open-records-public-charter-schools-ken-kilpatrick

“The next opportunity to enhance early childhood education rests with legislation drafted by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. It would provide all children access to high-quality early learning programs and is expected to contain major elements of President Barack Obama's early education plan. We are encouraged to see a renewed focus on school readiness on the state and national levels.”
PNC Chairman James E. Rohr / We must invest in early childhood education

Early childhood education pays off for individuals and society

Post-Gazette Opinion By James E. Rohr July 23, 2013 12:07 am

James E. Rohr is executive chairman of The PNC Financial Services Group.
Fundamental to the American experience is the belief that our children, regardless of the circumstances of their birth, have the opportunity to reach whatever heights to which they aspire. The surest, most effective way to provide children with the opportunity to reach their full potential is to create a pathway to success through early childhood education.

Gov. Tom Corbett's recently passed budget increased support for early education by $11.4 million, which included $5 million more for Early Intervention, $4.5 million more for Pre-K Counts and $1.9 million more for Head Start Supplemental Assistance. We thank the governor for pledging increased resources on behalf of the commonwealth's youngest learners and doing so in a difficult budget environment. For every dollar spent on a quality pre-k education, there is as much as a $16 return to society, and an investment in school readiness can help ensure that more disadvantaged children have the tools they need to succeed in school and life.

Early Childhood Education Proposal Expected in Senate

NAESP Submitted by advocacy@naesp.org on Thu, 2013-06-27 17:29

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman, made a push for legislation expanding access to universal pre-K. Murray spoke of legislation she is drafting with Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Robert Casey (D-PA.), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI). The legislation is said to mirror the Administration’sPreschool for All proposal, unveiled earlier this year, which would support a federal expansion of early learning opportunities for families whose incomes are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line.

http://www.naesp.org/blog/early-childhood-education-proposal-expected-senate

“How were representatives from the corporate community, neither elected by nor accountable to anyone but their own members and stockholders, allowed to take on the mantle of education advocates? Perhaps most shockingly, the Philadelphia School Partnership's executive director, Mark Gleason, was actually lobbying the state not to fund schools.”
Who is behind Philly schools' nonrescue rescue?

Philly Daily News Opinion by Lisa Haver Friday, July 26, 2013, 12:18 AM

Lisa Haver is a retired teacher and co-founder of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools.
EARLIER THIS month, a "rescue package" for Philadelphia schools was delivered by Gov. Corbett. After digging through all of the bubble wrap, unfortunately, there wasn't much in there to get excited about:
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20130726_Who_is_behind_schools__nonrescue_rescue_.html#HltzDyO7ZFkfYVfq.99

Update on Philadelphia School District Funding Crisis: $138 Million Response to $180 Million Request

Some Dollars from the State, Most Dollars from Philadelphia

Senator Vincent Hughes, Democratic Appropriations Chair, July 25, 2013

http://www.icontact-archive.com/W_uIa0D3NNPLE61v_YjdzuBNQEiDcb24?w=1

Knox plan: Put health clinics in schools

Tom Avril, Inquirer Staff Writer POSTED: Thursday, July 25, 2013, 1:08 AM

City schools have not replaced more than 100 school nurses who retired or were laid off in recent years, and the district's financial state remains perilous. Politician and insurance-industry veteran Tom Knox has a proposal to address both problems: Have the school system get into the health-care business. Knox envisions that each of the more than 290 district and charter schools would house a walk-in clinic staffed by a nurse-practitioner or physician assistant, who would bill the child's insurance provider $60 per visit. Each clinic also would be staffed by one of the remaining 194 traditional school nurses or by a lower-paid health technician.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20130725_Knox_plan__Put_health_clinics_in_schools.html#J2iH3J30KBfVS5o1.99

Here are a few more posts on community schools, which reform public schools by integrating in supports and resources from the community.

Listen: Marketplace Series on Community School in Cincinnati – The Community’s Plan

Attention fans of public radio: there’s a community school getting attention at a station near you.

It’s the Oyler School in Cincinnati, one of the city’s many community learning centers – and it’s the subject of an ongoing series from Marketplace, the popular radio program from American Public Media.

“Instead of just relying on education to help kids get out of poverty, the Oyler School is trying to improve their environment as well,” says Kai Ryssdal in the opening to one of the episodes of “One Year, One School,” a year-long series which debuted in September 2012. In the series, education correspondent Amy Scott periodically checks in at Oyler and reports on the work being done in that school to overcome barriers to student success.

http://www.ourcity-ourschools.org/listen-marketplace-series-community-school-cincinnati-communitys-plan

Forum Stirs Enthusiasm for Community Schools in Philly

Our City Our Schools June 18, 2013

While Philadelphia schools continue to grapple with a budget in crisis, advocates came together on Saturday to show that they are not ready to stop dreaming big for the city’s education system.

More than 75 parents, students, teachers, and community members came together on Saturday for a forum on community schools, a model for public school reform that is gaining enthusiasm in Philadelphia. The forum, held at Kensington High School for Creative and Performing Arts, was intended both to educate about community schools and to lay the groundwork for a grassroots campaign to support and sustain the model.

http://www.ourcity-ourschools.org/forum-stirs-enthusiasm-community-schools-philly

National Center for Community Schools

http://nationalcenterforcommunityschools.childrensaidsociety.org/

Despite claims, state budget still shortchanges public schools: Susan Spicka

By Patriot-News Op-Ed By Susan Spicka on July 25, 2013 at 11:15 AM

Susan Spicka writes from Shippensburg. She is a co-founder of the activist group Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley.

The day after he signed the 2013-14 state budget into law, Gov. Tom Corbett and his political allies practically dislocated their shoulders as they patted themselves on the back for providing Pennsylvania's public schools with what they described as increases in state funding.

They even proudly proclaimed that Pennsylvania is providing more state funding to our public schools than ever before. If only their press releases and newsletters contained something more than political spin and accounting gimmicks.

http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/07/despite_claims_state_budget_still_shortchanges_public_schools_susan_spicka.html#incart_river

Former education secretary Tomalis now a candidate for the highest-paid ($327,500-a-year) job in state government

By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com on July 25, 2013 at 7:06 PM

A recently departed Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education board member is in the running to become the system’s next chancellor.

Former state education secretary Ronald Tomalis, 51, of Camp Hill, is among the trio of candidates who made it to the chancellor search’s final stage, according to four sources familiar with the situation.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/07/former_education_secretary_is.html

Big GOP contributor must cough up charter schools' financial records

The Columbus Dispatch - By: Catherine Candisky July 24, 2013 4:07 PM

The Ohio Supreme Court today announced it would let stand two lower court rulings demanding that White Hat Management, one of Ohio's largest charter-school management companies, open its financial books. In 2010, 10 boards of schools operated by White Hat sued to get details about how the state funding they turned over to the company had been spent. White Hat refused, arguing that as a private company it was not required to disclose the information.

- See more at: http://dispatchpolitics.dispatch.com/content/blogs/the-daily-briefing/2013/07/72413.html#sthash.aD4Emd6h.dpuf

NSBA expresses concerns on House K-12 budget proposal

NSBA School Board News Today by Joetta Sack-Min July 25, 2013

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is disappointed in the House of Representatives’ proposed fiscal 2014 budget for K-12 programs and is calling on House members to restore funding. The budget would create “devastating” cuts to many education programs, including $4.5 billion cuts to Title I and the main federal special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, according to NSBA. The measure was approved by the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies earlier this month.

http://schoolboardnews.nsba.org/2013/07/nsba-expresses-concerns-on-house-k-12-budget-proposal/

Common Core Could Be Disrupted As States Drop Out Of PARCC

NPR by CORY TURNER and ROBERT SIEGEL July 25, 2013 5:12 PM

Listen to the Story All Things Considered 3 min 51 sec

In addition to Georgia, a handful of other states — Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, and Alabama — have dropped out of or scaled back their participation in the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness in College and Career (PARCC) consortium. Florida's education commissioner is mulling a similar decision. We discuss what it could mean for the success of the standards.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=205548327&ft=1&f=1013

“The grade-by-grade analysis of time and money invested in standardized testing found that test prep and testing absorbed 19 full school days in one district and a month and a half in the other in heavily tested grades. The Midwestern district spent $600 or more for standardized testing per pupil in grades 3-8; about $200 per student for grades K-2; from $400 to $600 per student for grades 9-11. The Eastern district spent more than $1,100 annually on testing per student in grades 6-11; around $400 per student in grades 1-2; between $700 and $800 per student for grades 3-5.”

How much time do school districts spend on standardized testing? This much.

Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss, Published: July 25 at 11:30 am

Exactly how much standardized testing are school districts subjecting students to these days? A nearly staggering amount, according to a new analysis.

“Testing More, Teaching Less: What America’s Obsession with Student Testing Costs in Money and Lost Instructional Time,” released by the American Federation of Teachers, looks closely at two unnamed medium-sized school districts — one in the Midwest and one in the East — through the prism of their standardized testing calendars.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/07/25/how-much-time-do-school-districts-spend-on-standardized-testing-this-much/

“We are saying that we want to not have to test children repeatedly in those even-numbered grades, because basically we are wasting their time,” Mr. Huberty said. Texas Education Agency data indicated that students who scored above a certain threshold on tests one year had a 97 percent likelihood of doing so the following year, he said.

Texas’ Bid to Ease Mandatory Exams for Public School Students

New York Times/Texas Tribune By MORGAN SMITH Published: July 25, 2013

Despite sharply reducing state testing requirements for Texas high school students, the 83rd Legislature brought only conditional relief from high-stakes exams for students in lower grades, who take a total of 17 state tests before going to high school.

For parents and educators who want less time spent on state exams in elementary and middle school, hopes are pinned on the new legislation, but with a big caveat: it is likely that Texas must first obtain a No Child Left Behind Act waiver from the federal Department of Education.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/26/us/texas-bid-to-ease-mandatory-exams-for-public-school-students.html?ref=education

Hucksters, Campaign Donors, Scam Artists: Open a Charter School in New Jersey!

Diane Ravitch’s Blog By dianerav July 25, 2013

The New Jersey Department of Education has approved six new charter schools to open this fall, and what a motley lot they are!

Jersey Jazzman, with his habitual research skills, has assembled the cast of characters, and it is alarming, even by New Jersey’s low standards for charter authorizing.

One, as described in a post by Mother Crusader, will be run by a man who was a major participant in a spectacular charter failure in Missouri. Another will be owned by a man who was the biggest campaign contributor to the governor of Pennsylvania and whose charter bankrupted its host district. Another has enrolled more Asian students than all other schools in the district combined. Another is a Gulen school.

http://dianeravitch.net/2013/07/25/hucksters-campaign-donors-scam-artists-open-a-charter-school-in-new-jersey/

Diane Ravitch’s new book - Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools

Amazon.com book description; release date September 17, 2013

From one of the foremost authorities on education in the United States, former U.S. assistant secretary of education, “whistle-blower extraordinaire” (The Wall Street Journal), author of the best-selling The Death and Life of the Great American School System (“Important and riveting”—Library Journal), The Language Police (“Impassioned . . . Fiercely argued . . . Every bit as alarming as it is illuminating”—The New York Times), and other notable books on education history and policy—an incisive, comprehensive look at today’s American school system that argues against those who claim it is broken and beyond repair; an impassioned but reasoned call to stop the privatization movement that is draining students and funding from our public schools.
In Reign of Error, Diane Ravitch argues that the crisis in American education is not a crisis of academic achievement but a concerted effort to destroy public schools in this country. She makes clear that, contrary to the claims being made, public school test scores and graduation rates are the highest they’ve ever been, and dropout rates are at their lowest point.

http://www.amazon.com/Reign-Error-Privatization-Movement-Americas/dp/0385350880/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1374733759&sr=8-3&keywords=diane+ravitch

Yinzers - Save the Date: Diane Ravitch will be speaking in Pittsburgh on September 16^th at 6:00 pm. Location and details to come.

Save the Date: Diane Ravitch will be speaking in Philly at the Main Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library on September 17 at 7:30 pm. Details to come.

Join the National School Boards Action Center Friends of Public Education

Participate in a voluntary network to urge your U.S. Representatives and Senators to support federal legislation on Capitol Hill that is critical to providing high quality education to

America

’s schoolchildren

http://nsbac.org/?page_id=1873

Know Your Child’s Rights! 2013-2014 Special Education Seminars

Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia July 9, 2013