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These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup November 25, 2015:
Staff will stay through Thanksgiving holiday to work
on #PABudget; Maybe next year we should just offer them free shrimp in June
What is a “community school” and will they help the
city’s students? Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane November 25
When to Listen: Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane can be heard over the airwaves from
10-11 a.m. and 11-noon Eastern time weekdays on 90.9 FM in the Delaware Valley,
and rebroadcast from 11-midnight as well. Radio Times is also
heard live on the Sirius - XM channel NPR Now 122, weekdays from 9 p.m. to 11
p.m. Eastern.
- See more at: http://whyy.org/cms/radiotimes/#sthash.YBd7f7QF.dpuf
How did your state senator vote on SB76 (amendment to
HB683)?
Pennsylvania State
Senate Roll Call Vote November 23, 2015
"But even if the bill
eventually clears the Senate and makes it through the House (which is, by no
means, assured. It's been defeated there in the past.), Gov. Tom Wolf also opposes the
legislation, as do a range of professional organizations, including the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry,
the NAACP and a number
of education-related advocacy groups.
That's because deep
structural problems, which no property tax bill has ever addressed (including
the one acted upon by the Senate Monday) still remain. Namely, how to reliably fill the $14 billion
revenue hole that would be created by eliminating local property taxes.
As Levy reported, the bill arrived
on the Senate floor without any independent analysis of how much the
bill's proposed tax shift would generate.
And it was not clear that the
91-page bill could raise the "precise amount of school property taxes to
be collected by districts next year, or even that it was required to raise that
amount before taking effect," Levy reported."
The Pa. Senate made the
right call on a bad property tax reform bill - here's why: Analysis
Penn Live By John L. Micek |
jmicek@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on
November 24, 2015 at 8:40 AM, updated November 24, 2015 at 9:06 AM
Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Effective property tax reform legislation, much like the Loch Ness Monster, the Yeti and consistently good professional baseball in Philadelphia, is one of our great political myths: Everyone swears they've seen it, yet there's no actual documentary evidence to support its existence. So it was no surprise Monday when the state Senate narrowly voted to shoot down legislation scrapping real estate taxes in favor of higher state sales and personal income taxes. Lt. Gov. Mike Stack, a Democrat, cast the tie-breaking vote that sent it down on a 25-24 vote. As our pal Marc Levy of The Associated Press reports, there's a chance the bill, which was opposed by the floor leaders of both parties, could yet resurface. One of its co-sponsors was absent Monday and a new Republican senator from Allegheny County is set to take office later this week.
Effective property tax reform legislation, much like the Loch Ness Monster, the Yeti and consistently good professional baseball in Philadelphia, is one of our great political myths: Everyone swears they've seen it, yet there's no actual documentary evidence to support its existence. So it was no surprise Monday when the state Senate narrowly voted to shoot down legislation scrapping real estate taxes in favor of higher state sales and personal income taxes. Lt. Gov. Mike Stack, a Democrat, cast the tie-breaking vote that sent it down on a 25-24 vote. As our pal Marc Levy of The Associated Press reports, there's a chance the bill, which was opposed by the floor leaders of both parties, could yet resurface. One of its co-sponsors was absent Monday and a new Republican senator from Allegheny County is set to take office later this week.
"In summation, divided
leaders not governing in the Keystone State seem suddenly energized to do so by
prospects of partying in the Empire State.
Maybe next year we should just offer them free shrimp in June."
Of budget deadlines, NYC
and (yes!) free shrimp
by John Baer, Daily News Political
Columnist Updated on NOVEMBER
25, 2015 — 3:01 AM EST
I'M SURE, like me,
you're shocked to find today's deadline for a new state budget is passing
without resolution. It is - like reason,
wisdom and political acumen in the capital city - absent without leave. Hard to believe since just last week Gov.
Wolf said he'd sign a new budget bill today.
That could have met projections by legislative leaders who agreed their
agreed-to "framework" for new spending and taxes would be law
Thanksgiving Day. Not happening.
Staff will stay through the
Thanksgiving holiday to work on legislation that can be run that week. Details on what remains of the budget
framework announced two weeks ago were scant Tuesday night as legislative
leaders tried to keep mum on specifics about what lies ahead as the budget
situation became as intense as ever in the nearly five-month long budget
stalemate.
Pre-Thanksgiving flurry
leads to more negotiations on to-be agreed to budget framework
The PLS Reporter Author: Jason Gottesman/Tuesday, November
24, 2015/
After the Senate
unexpectedly announced Tuesday evening they would return to session that night
and try to override Gov. Tom Wolf’s stopgap budget veto, a flurry of activity
between the four legislative caucuses and the governor’s office left
Republicans and Democrats to try and negotiate a full-year spending plan that
can be passed sometime after the Thanksgiving holiday. Legislators have yet
to decide on when they will reconvene, but all seemed to agree that there will
be no voting session held until the week of November 30th.
Penn Live By Charles Thompson |
cthompson@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on
November 24, 2015 at 9:52 PM, updated November 25, 2015 at 12:40 AM
The
"framework" is back on.
After a significant
bump in the road that led to short-lived threats of a veto override attempt
Tuesday afternoon, Republican legislative leaders emerged from a meeting with
Gov. Tom Wolf with fresh commitments to strive toward a final, negotiated state
budget agreement. The broad parameters
of the deal remain:
* A
significant, well-above-inflation-rate increase in state aid to
public schools.
* Some new,
still-to-be-determined tax increases to help balance the approximately $30.7
billion spending plan.
* Significant
changes to the current state-owned monopoly on liquor sales.
* Implementation
of a new pension plan for future state and public school hires that
adds a 401(k)-style defined contribution component.
An expanded school property tax relief program that was scrapped last
weekend apparently remains off the table.
Details of the still somewhat fragile plan were scarce Tuesday night, in
part because many of them have yet to be locked down. But there was initial
relief that it didn't collapse over a pension formula issue that could be the
first of many speed bumps between here and the finish line.
Is Pa.
Delco Times By Marc Levy, The Associated Press POSTED: 11/25/15, 5:34 AM EST
HARRISBURG, Pa.
>> A two-day whirlwind of accusations, counter-accusations and a threat
to override Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto of a short-term spending bill yielded no firm
assurances Tuesday night that Pennsylvania’s five-month budget stalemate would
end soon. Wolf’s office on Tuesday night
said Republicans were guilty of “theatrics” in calling back the Senate into
session and threatening to override the Democrat’s Sept. 29 veto of a
four-month spending bill. It reiterated
his call for a budget by Dec. 4, but made no mention of a deal to replace one
that had collapsed in recent days. “Talks
continued with Republican leaders tonight and will take place in the coming
days,” Wolf’s office said in a brief statement.
Earlier Tuesday, Wolf hammered Republicans, saying leaders of the
commanding House and Senate GOP majorities could not secure enough rank-and-file
support for a sales tax increase they had proposed because their ranks include
too many “who just want to blow things up.”
State Senate backs off plan to attempt veto override
on budget
By Karen Langley /
Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau November 24, 2015 11:01 PM
HARRISBURG —
Pennsylvania state budget negotiations seemed to fall apart and come back
together in hours Tuesday as Senate Republicans planned a vote to override Gov.
Tom Wolf's veto of a short-term spending bill but called it off after a meeting
in his office. “These things go back and
forth all the time,” Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, said as he
left the governor’s office Tuesday evening. “Things go up and down. People get
excited.” Mr. Corman said a budget
framework is in place and that staff will work through the weekend so members
can begin voting next week. “We’re very
comfortable and optimistic that we can have this done in short order next
week,” he said. Mr. Corman’s office had
said in the afternoon that the Senate would reconvene Tuesday night to attempt
to override Mr. Wolf’s veto of a bill that would have provided four months of
state funding. The budget framework in
place would make investments in education and include changes to the
No-compromise budget
stance is damaging Pa.
By Express-Times
opinion staff on November 25, 2015 at 6:00 AM,
That sound coming
from Harrisburg
Monday was the "thud-thud-thud" of a shaky, pyramidal budget deal
losing its foundation and collapsing upon itself. The tentative
accord that had been reached by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and
Republican legislative leaders — an
additional 1.25 percent in sales tax to generate $2 billion in property tax
cuts and beef up school funding — was
all but declared dead. And just to
pile on the uncertainty, the state Senate deadlocked
Monday on Senate Bill 76, the diversionary tactic that would abolish
the school property tax. Lt. Gov. Mike Stack cast a tie-breaking vote, but
Republicans vowed to recruit absent votes to keep the illusory tax-killing plan
on the front burner. That would be a mistake.
Things are so grim in this five-month budget standoff that counties are
preparing to sue the state. Nonprofit
social service agencies are struggling. Some school districts are
discussing shutdown plans.
BLOG: Funding Our Schools Is Good For Everyone
By: PA Deputy
Secretary of Policy and Planning Sarah Galbally November 24, 2015
As the details of
the state budget are ironed out, Governor Wolf is continuing to fight for
historic increases to basic and special education funding, along with pre-k. He
understands the plight of school districts that have struggled to make ends
meet while they await crucial state funding, and that it is time to end this
five-month budget impasse. He understands the importance of compromise, offering
several concessions over the last few months to issues like pensions and
liquor, but throughout this entire process, he has stayed true to his most
important goal: funding our schools. Restoring the devastating cuts made to our
schools over the last four years is Governor Wolf’s number one priority. The
additional funding will allow Pennsylvania to turn the page on an ugly chapter
of history that expanded class sizes, cut vital programs, and caused massive
teacher furloughs and layoffs. Pennsylvania’s children have been paying a hefty
price ever since.
Blogger note: Education Plus
Academy
Education Plus cyber
charter closes its learning centers
by Martha Woodall, Inquirer Staff Writer Updated on NOVEMBER 24, 2015 —
2:21 PM EST
Hundreds of parents
and students enrolled at Education
Plus Academy
Cyber Charter
School Philadelphia
area, who have been receiving online instruction in classrooms at the centers. The change, he said, will have no impact on
the other 130 students across the state, who have been receiving their
instruction at home via the Internet.
Community Schools: City officials share
community-based plan for city schools
BY HAYDEN MITMAN PhillyVoice Staff NOVEMBER 23, 2015
City officials
gathered at Tanner G. Duckrey Elementary School in North Philadelphia, on Monday
morning, to discuss lessons they have learned from a recent trip to Cincinnati , Ohio
Staffing woes plague Philly
District schools this year
A
breakdown in providing substitutes, on top of a surge in teacher vacancies, has
left some students doing busywork.
the notebook by Dale Mezzacappa on Nov
24, 2015 03:28 PM
For Djervin Uylimos,
the beginning of his high school career has not been what he expected.
Not at all. In September, the Northeast High School
freshman was signed up for seven classes – English, world history, algebra,
physical science, Spanish, health, and gym.
A typical roster. What is not typical is that for much of the semester
so far, he has had no teacher in four of these classes. So he has spent hours in the classroom with
whatever staff member can fill in – doing busywork or turning to his
smartphone. “Some of the classes, they
don’t even bring any teachers,” he said. “Sometimes they bring a teacher, but
they don’t teach us because they don’t know the course.” It has been a bewildering, scary experience
for the 15-year-old, who immigrated from the Philippines six years ago.
Does Philly need a
citizens' commission to better engage the public?
the notebook By Catherine Offord on
Nov 24, 2015 02:50 PM
Education Voters of
Pennsylvania has proposed a Citizens’ Commission for Education to provide a
formal platform for public participation in the District. The commission’s structure is undetermined,
but a petition to City Council requesting the establishment of a commission as
a “mechanism” for participation has so far received more than 300 signatures.
Organizers hope the move will jump-start a discussion about increasing civic
engagement in District decision-making. “What we currently
have is inadequate,” said Susan Gobreski, executive director of Education
Voters of Pennsylvania, also known as Ed Voters PA. “People need a better way to look at and
discuss what’s happening in the School District of Philadelphia,” she said. Gobreski said the proposal arose from the
lack of opportunities for the public to get formally involved in Philadelphia’s
education system. The petition stresses the need for “a better mechanism for
authentic public participation” and asks City Council to convene a “formal
representative body, such as a Citizens’ Commission.”
Blogger Rant: PA's "Supervoucher"
EITC and OSTC programs divert millions of tax dollars to private and religious
schools without fiscal or academic performance accountability.
In Philly rally, dozens
call on Wolf to fast-track scholarship process
WHYY Newsworks BY SARA HOOVER NOVEMBER 24, 2015
Many Pennsylvania
schools and organizations that rely on state money have been suffering as the
budget impasse has cut off funding. Now,
some scholarships for low-income students are at risk of disappearing because
of a holdup in tax credit approvals. A
crowd of about a hundred parents, students and educators held up signs and
chanted, "Scholarships, not politics," outside Gov. Tom Wolf's
Philadelphia office yesterday to make that point. They demanded the scholarship process -- held
up by the budget impasse -- move ahead. Businesses
fund K-12 scholarships for low-income students and earn tax credits. The Educational Improvement Tax Credit allows
schools to raise general scholarship money and also funds innovative
educational improvement programs for public schools through business tax
credits. The Opportunity Scholarship Tax
Credit provides scholarships to students residing within the boundaries of the
state's lowest-achieving schools to transfer to other higher performing public
or private schools.
Nonprofits urge tax credit
action
York Daily Record by Angie Mason, amason@ydr.com3:04 p.m. EST
November 24, 2015
They
say millions in donations could be lost if businesses aren't approved for tax
credits
Nonprofits around
Pennsylvania, including some in York, are raising the alarm that millions
of dollars businesses donate in exchange for tax credits could be
lost if the state doesn't soon approve them, something the governor's
office says is being held up by the budget impasse. What's at issue? The Educational Improvement and Opportunity
Scholarship tax credit programs allow businesses to donate to nonprofits
that offer education services and scholarships to low-income children in
exchange for tax credits. The businesses have to get approval from the state
Department of Community and Economic Development first.
Congress to vote on No Child Left Behind rewrite in
early December
Congress is close to
a vote to rewrite the No Child Left Behind education law.
The compromise bill
would reduce the federal government’s role in education policy, while still
requiring students to be tested in reading and math in grades 3 through 8, and
once in high school, according to the Associated Press. The full text of the legislation won’t be
available until Nov. 30, according to Education Week, which reported the law would
be known as the “Every Student Succeeds Act.” The House will vote on the bill the first week of December
followed days later by a vote in the Senate, according to the Associated Press.
"And according to two
people involved in making state education policy, Mr. Cuomo has been quietly
pushing for a reduction, even to zero. That would represent an about-face from
January, when the governor called for test scores to determine 50 percent of a
teacher’s evaluation."
Cuomo,
in Shift, Is Said to Back Reducing Test Scores’ Role in Teacher Reviews
New York Times By KATE TAYLOR NOV. 25, 2015
Less than a year
ago, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New
York proclaimed that the key to transforming the state’s education system
was tougher
evaluations for teachers, and he pushed
through changes that increased the weight of student test scores in
teachers’ ratings. Now, facing a
parents’ revolt against testing, the state is poised to change course and
reduce the role of test scores in evaluations. And according to two people
involved in making state education policy, Mr. Cuomo has been quietly pushing
for a reduction, even to zero. That would represent an about-face from January,
when the governor called for test scores to determine 50 percent of a teacher’s
evaluation.
FROM CRAWLING TO WALKING
Ranking States on Birth–3rd
Grade Policies That Build Strong Readers
POLICY
PAPER | NOVEMBER 23, 2015 by Aaron Loewenberg, Abbie Lieberman,
Laura Bornfreund,
Shayna Cook
Right now only about
one-third of all children attending school in the United States can read
proficiently by fourth grade. The numbers are even more dismaying for our most
vulnerable students. How can state policymakers lessen the achievement gap and
improve literacy outcomes for all children? A new report from New America’s
Education Policy Program examined the state of early education policy in all 50
states and Washington, DC and offers a framework for moving forward. From
Crawling to Walking: Ranking States on Birth- 3rd Grade Policies that Support
Strong Readers, ranks states on 65 indicators in seven policy areas.
The report found that most states are not taking a comprehensive approach when
it comes to developing children’s literacy skills. Accompanying the research
are interactive maps of state progress displayed via New America’s data
visualization and policy analysis tool, Atlas.
Accountability and the
ESEA reauthorization deal: Your cheat sheet
the notebook By Alyson Klein for Education
Week on Nov 24, 2015 01:53 PM
The newest proposed
version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act—dubbed the Every Student
Succeeds Act—is almost over the congressional finish line, with votes in both
chambers of Congress imminent. So how
would accountability work under the ESSA, if approved? And how does it compare
to the No Child Left Behind Act, Classic Edition, and the Obama
administration's waivers? Your cheat
sheet here. Top-line stuff on accountability first, then some early
reaction. Scroll down further if you want the nitty-gritty details on
accountability. And scroll down even
further if you want more details on other aspects of the deal (an update of
past Politics K-12 cheat sheets, including some new information on which
programs made it into the agreement and which are on the chopping block, thanks
to thishelpful
fact sheet from the Committee for Education Funding).
Truth For America
Blog Posting by Julian Vasquez Heilig Nov 24, 2015
I received
an open letter to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) from a
Teach For America alum. She was assigned to teach special education in
California for 2014. Teach For America has about 80 new TFA teachers in LAUSD.
TFA recently received mid-year LAUSD board approval for a 31% increase in
the size of their corps specifically to "teach" special education.
TFA spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on their marketing and recruitment.
They have also expertly placed their alums (who are everywhere but
the classroom) in positions of power to convince you that sending untrained
teachers to teach our most vulnerable students is an acceptable— even brilliant
idea. However, do you really want to know how unprepared Teach America's
teachers are? Read and watch the testimonials from Sonya and Rebecca about
teaching special education as #TeachForAmerica corps members...
Privateers and Profiteers: How and Why are they
Undermining Public Education?
Living in Dialogue
Blog by Anthony Cody November 24, 2015
As we near the end
of the Obama administration, it is a good time to take a closr look at what has
happened to public education over the past seven years. Some very powerful people have used money and
the political influence that money buys to undermine and set the stage for the
elimination of public education as we have known it for the past 100 years. To be sure public education has always been
flawed, but there was an aspiration in what the Washington state supreme court recently
called “common schools,” that we should have schools funded and governed by
citizens, that serve all members of our communities. That social compact is in
the process of being ripped up by people who believe that in the absence of a
profit motive, public institutions are incapable of innovation. How is this being done?
Testing Resistance & Reform News: November 18 -
24, 2015
FairTest Submitted
by fairtest on November 24, 2015 - 2:18pm
The pending
Congressional overhaul of "No Child Left Behind" will not in any way
undermine the national, grassroots high-stakes testing resistance. Instead, it
provides additional incentives for parents, students, teachers, administrators
and community leaders leaders to press for even more meaningful assessment
reforms at the national, state and local levels. This week's stories of
progress come from 22 states as well as the college admissions arena.
Happy Thanksgiving
to all!
"So Einstein went back
to the blackboard. And on Nov. 25, 1915, he set down the equation that rules the universe. As
compact and mysterious as a Viking rune, it describes space-time as a kind of
sagging mattress where matter and energy, like a heavy sleeper, distort the
geometry of the cosmos to produce the effect we call gravity, obliging light
beams as well as marbles and falling apples to follow curved paths through
space."
A Century Ago, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity Changed
Everything
New York Times By DENNIS OVERBYE NOV. 24, 2015
And why not? Cheered
on, to his disgust, by most of his Berlin colleagues, Germany had started a
ruinous world war. He had split up with his wife, and she had decamped to
Switzerland with his sons. He was living
alone. A friend, Janos Plesch, once said, “He sleeps until he is awakened; he
stays awake until he is told to go to bed; he will go hungry until he is given
something to eat; and then he eats until he is stopped.” Worse, he had discovered a fatal flaw in his
new theory of gravity, propounded with great fanfare only a couple of years
before. And now he no longer had the field to himself. The German
mathematician David Hilbert was breathing down his
neck.
PSBA New School Director
Training
School boards who will welcome new directors after the election should
plan to attend PSBA training to help everyone feel more confident right from
the start. This one-day event is targeted to help members learn the basics of
their new roles and responsibilities. Meet the friendly, knowledgeable PSBA
team and bring everyone on your “team of 10” to get on the same page fast.
- $150 per
registrant (No charge if your district has a LEARN Pass. Note: All-Access
members also have LEARN Pass.)
- One-hour lunch
on your own — bring your lunch, go to lunch, or we’ll bring a box lunch to
you; coffee/tea provided all day
- Course
materials available online or we’ll bring a printed copy to you for an
additional $25
- Registrants
receive one month of 100-level online courses for each registrant, after
the live class
Nine locations
for your convenience:
- Philadelphia
area — Nov. 21 William Tennent HS, Warminster (note: location changed from
IU23 Norristown)
- Pittsburgh
area — Dec. 5 Allegheny IU3, Homestead
- South Central
PA and Erie areas (joint program)— Dec. 12 Northwest Tri-County IU5,
Edinboro and PSBA, Mechanicsburg
- Butler area —
Jan. 9 Midwestern IU 4, Grove City (note: location changed from Penn State
New Kensington)
- Allentown area
— Jan. 16 Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, Schnecksville
- Central PA —
Jan. 30 Nittany Lion Inn, State College
- Scranton area
— Feb. 6 Abington Heights SD, Clarks Summit
- North Central
area —Feb. 13 Mansfield University, Mansfield
Register here: https://www.psba.org/2015/09/new-school-director-training/
NSBA Advocacy
Institute 2016; January 24 - 26 in Washington ,
D.C.
Housing and meeting registration is open for Advocacy Institute 2016. The theme, “Election Year Politics & Public Schools,” celebrates the exciting year ahead for school board advocacy. Strong legislative programming will be paramount at this year’s conference in January. Visit www.nsba.org/advocacyinstitute for more information.
Housing and meeting registration is open for Advocacy Institute 2016. The theme, “Election Year Politics & Public Schools,” celebrates the exciting year ahead for school board advocacy. Strong legislative programming will be paramount at this year’s conference in January. Visit www.nsba.org/advocacyinstitute for more information.
PASBO 61st Annual
Conference and Exhibits March 8 - 11, 2016
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
The Network for Public Education 3rd
Annual National Conference April 16-17, 2016 Raleigh , North Carolina
The
Network for Public Education is thrilled to announce the location for our 3rd
Annual National Conference. On April 16 and 17, 2016 public education advocates
from across the country will gather in Raleigh, North Carolina. We chose Raleigh to highlight the tremendous
activist movement that is flourishing in North Carolina. No one exemplifies
that movement better than the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, who will be the
conference keynote speaker. Rev. Barber is the current president of
the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, the National NAACP chair of
the Legislative Political Action Committee, and the founder of Moral Mondays.
Interested in letting our
elected leadership know your thoughts on education funding, a severance tax,
property taxes and the budget?
Governor Tom Wolf,
(717) 787-2500
Speaker of the
House Rep. Mike Turzai, (717) 772-9943
House Majority Leader Rep. Dave Reed, (717) 705-7173
Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Joe Scarnati, (717) 787-7084
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jake Corman, (717) 787-1377
House Majority Leader Rep. Dave Reed, (717) 705-7173
Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Joe Scarnati, (717) 787-7084
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jake Corman, (717) 787-1377
