K12 Inc.: Churn, baby churn…….

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1500 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, members of the press and a broad array of 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

K12 Inc.: Churn, baby churn…….

“Agora grew like a wildfire in the 2010 school year. A total of 7,578 students were signed up through the course of the school year, of whom 4,718 were in place in September. Throughout the year, a total of 2,688 dropped out for a student turnover, or churn rate, of 35.5%.”

“….the growth of the student bodies themselves are a clear testament to the popularity of the school choice and charter school movement, as well as K12’s comprehensive online marketing and enrollment advisory efforts.  Just as evident, however, is another reality: the fact that these cyber schools might as well have a turnstile as their logo for the volume of withdrawals they experience. “

K12: A Corporate Destiny Manifested

The Financial Investigator, February 27, 2012

An April 23, 2010 E-mail from Kevin Corcoran to a host of his colleagues is likely the sort that, in one form or another, millions of Americans deal with regularly during the work day.

Bluntly noting “We have not made the progress we need to in this area,” Corcoran adds, “More than $1[million] in funding” is in the balance.”

“Anyone who has not fulfilled their obligation in this area should not be surprised….when it’s time to discuss performance evaluations, bonuses and raises.”

The $1 million in question isn’t from a customer but represents tuition and fees from Pennsylvania’s various school districts to an online public charter school called Agora. In turn Agora pays Corcoran’s employer, K12 Inc. many millions of dollars annually to provide the curriculum and administer the school. There is a lot at stake in collecting this money since Agora and a sister school in Ohio, the Ohio Virtual Academy, represent about 26% of K12′s annual revenues.

http://www.thefinancialinvestigator.com/?p=649&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=k12-a-corporate-destiny-manifested

Related New York Times article:

Profits and Questions at Online Charter Schools, 12/12/11 by Stephanie Saul

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/education/online-schools-score-better-on-wall-street-than-in-classrooms.html?pagewanted=all

Originally Published: 5/24/2012  

Reading schools could cut up to 364 workers

Jobs in jeopardy in budget balancing act

David Mekeel Reading Eagle

The Reading School District is planning to lay off as many as 364 employees to balance its nearly $220 million 2012-13 budget, district officials announced Wednesday.

In a room filled with dozens of district employees - and even more listening from outside the board room in the district administration building - the Reading School Board voted 7-2 to pass a $219.6 million tentative budget. Members Harry P. Storch Jr. and Rebecca Acosta voted against the spending plan.

For the first time in nearly a decade, the budget would raise school property taxes in Reading. The tax rate would be hiked 2.8 percent to 16.92 mills, the maximum the district can raise taxes by state law. The tax rate would still be the lowest for Berks County school districts.

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=388342

“… there is no prohibition on EITC scholarships going to students already attending private schools; middle-class families are eligible to receive scholarships (the income limit for a family of four is $84,000); and there is no evidence that even this income limit is enforced. 

…The lack of definitive evidence on who receives scholarships under Pennsylvania's EITC program is consistent with the overall lack of accountability in the program, which has now cost Pennsylvania taxpayers more than a third of a billion dollars”

EDUCATIONAL TAX CREDITS ARE OFTEN A BAIT-AND-SWITCH

Third and State Blog Posted by Stephen Herzenberg on May 23, 2012 3:19 pm

A story in Monday's New York Times explores the use of state tax credit programs to pay for "scholarships" for students who attend private schools. The story suggests that many of the students who receive such scholarships already attend private school and are not low-income.

To the extent that this is true, the political marketing of these programs as alternatives (for a select few students) to public schools in distressed communities is a "bait and switch." Educational tax credits actually siphon taxpayer dollars to subsidize private schools, reducing state revenues available for public schools.

Is this how the scholarships to attend private schools work under Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program?

http://thirdandstate.org/2012/may/educational-tax-credits-are-often-bait-and-switch

New York Times Published: May 21, 2012

Comparing Major Tax-Credit Programs

A number of states have or are considering scholarship tax-credit programs to finance private school tuition. Some of these programs, which offer state tax credits to corporations and individuals who donate to nonprofit scholarship organizations, have been criticized for abuses. A comparison of tax-credit scholarship programs from Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona, which offers three separate programs.     Related NYT Article »

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/05/22/us/comparing-major-tax-credit-programs.html

Legislation in Harrisburg could help distressed schools

Published: Wednesday, May 23, 2012

By JOHN KOPP jkopp@delcotimes.com @DT_JohnKopp

The state Senate Education Committee approved Tuesday legislation designed to aid school districts in financial distress by providing a state bureaucrat to develop a financial recovery plan.

The committee voted, 7-3, to endorse the provisions of Senate Bill 1450, sponsored by Chairman Jeffrey Piccola, R-15, of Dauphin County, as an amendment to House Bill 1307.

http://delcotimes.com/articles/2012/05/23/news/doc4fbc3cd4aafb8036911234.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Pa. eyes control in struggling school districts

By Marc Levy Associated Press 5/23/2012 3:33 AM

HARRISBURG - A Republican-penned bill that would pave the way for state takeovers of Pennsylvania school districts veering toward financial collapse has the support of Gov. Tom Corbett and began advancing in the Legislature Tuesday over the objections of Democrats.

The Senate Education Committee voted along partisan lines to send it to the full Senate in the hopes the bill will reach the governor's desk before the Legislature takes its traditional two-month summer break from Harrisburg.

The legislation is being spurred by fears of a wave of collapsing districts and is being fast-tracked so it can receive quicker consideration in the House if it passes in the Senate.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/region11/05-23-2012-PA-XGR-SchoolTakeovers

Posted: Thu, May. 24, 2012, 3:01 AM

Corbett to face GOP's 'tough love'

By Angela Couloumbis and Thomas Fitzgerald Inquirer Staff Writers

HARRISBURG - He is being picketed almost daily by demonstrators in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh - a tin man without a heart, they call him.  His Facebook page teems with complaints from angry Pennsylvanians. And his poll numbers have started to sag.

Enough, say top political advisers, supporters, and fund-raisers to Gov. Corbett.

Though they have anxiously watched for months as Corbett has fielded political hits on everything from policy to personality, they are now encouraging the governor to shake things up in hopes of shaking off what they think is turning into a growing image problem.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120524_Corbett_to_face_GOP_s__tough_love_.html?page=1&c=y

Music mogul and charter school founder Kenny Gamble: "I always look at the Democrats and the Republicans as sort of like the Crips and the Bloods," he said. "My interest is what is going to happen in education."

Posted: Thu, May. 24, 2012, 3:29 PM

Romney talks class size at W. Philly charter school

By Miriam Hill INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney brought his plan to improve the American educational system to a West Philadelphia charter school Thursday, and suggested class size mattered little to pupils' achievement.  Whereupon the teachers in the room immediately questioned his stance.

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20120524_Romney_gets_an_earful_at_W__Philly_charter_school.html

SAVE UPPER DARBY ARTS 2012

Published on May 21, 2012 by SaveUDArts

Sign the Petition http://ow.ly/b3rR2
This isn't just about the Upper Darby School District. All over Pennsylvania and in many other states as well, WAR has been declared on Public Education, on children.  Our children deserve the very best that we can give them, no matter what test scores say. Help us take a stand and stop school districts from being forced to cut programs which cultivate who our children become.
We will be in Harrisburg on June 6th, 2012 to gather support for the proper funding of education. All are welcome to join us!
Please visit www.saveudarts.org to learn more and join the fight.

Youtube video (runtime 7:32) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh8RNhMo4Ks&feature=plcp

STATEWIDE PRESS COVERAGE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGETS

Here are more than 700 articles since January 23^rd detailing budget cuts, program cuts, staffing cuts and tax increases being discussed by local school districts

The PA House Democratic Caucus has been tracking daily press coverage on school district budgets statewide:

http://www.pahouse.com/school_funding_2011cuts.asp?utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.pahouse.com%2fschool_funding_2011cuts.asp&utm_campaign=Crisis+in+Public+Education

Thousands take to streets to demonstrate against cuts to education in Pa.

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1500 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, members of the press and a broad array of 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

Thousands take to streets to demonstrate against cuts to education in Pa.

Published: Thursday, May 24, 2012

Delco Times By KATHY MATHESON, Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Thousands of demonstrators statewide took to the streets Wednesday to protest education cuts they say have decimated school districts across Pennsylvania, and they called for lawmakers to reject further reductions Gov. Tom Corbett proposes for next year.
A total of 25 people were arrested during massive demonstrations in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as they blocked traffic downtown in both cities, police said. Hundreds more demonstrated at the Capitol in Harrisburg, and organizers said similar rallies were scheduled in cities including Doylestown, Hollidaysburg, Bethlehem, Hazleton, and Greensburg.

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/05/24/news/doc4fbd7a733970f705831189.txt?viewmode=fullstory

State Sen. Jeffrey Piccola discusses education funding crisis with Harrisburg students following morning rally

By ERIC VERONIKIS, The Patriot-News  Published: Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 4:38 PM  

More than 1,000 students, teachers, administrators and others from the community participated in the protest organized by the school district and the Parent Support Network to show state legislators and Corbett the faces of those affected by cuts to public education funding.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/05/state_sen_jeffrey_piccola_disc.html

11 arrested in Pittsburgh protesting Gov. Corbett's planned education cuts

May 23, 2012 6:37 pm

By Jon Schmitz / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Eleven people were arrested Downtown this morning after blocking traffic at Fifth Avenue and Wood Street while protesting proposed cuts to public education funding near Gov. Tom Corbett's Pittsburgh office.  The 11 were among a crowd of about 200 demonstrators protesting proposed cuts to education funding, first at the United Steelworkers Building on the Boulevard of the Allies and then peacefully on foot to Mr. Corbett's office on Fifth.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/11-arrested-in-pittsburgh-protesting-gov-corbetts-planned-education-cuts-637159/

Financial outlook for Pennsylvania schools in crisis stage, survey shows

Districts again plan to increase class sizes, drop electives, delay purchases.

By John L. Micek, Morning Call Harrisburg Bureau 11:03 p.m. EDT, May 22, 2012

HARRISBURG — Buffeted by the economy and declines in state and federal funding, the financial condition of Pennsylvania's public schools has reached a crisis stage with districts making ever deeper cuts to staff and programs to make ends meet, a new survey of districts by school administrators has found.

"These are, without question, challenging times for public education," Stacy Gober, business administrator of the Bethlehem Area School District, said Tuesday during a Capitol news conference unveiling the results of the third annual survey by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officers and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators.

http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-pa-impact-school-budget-cuts-20120522,0,2508487.story

Budget crisis in public schools

State funding cuts, stagnant local revenues and soaring costs precipitate financial storm for districts, new report warns

David Mekeel Reading Eagle Originally Published: 5/23/2012        

Despite the claims by some in Harrisburg that school districts are overstating their financial distress, the crisis of public school funding is very real and incredibly damaging, a new report says.  A report released Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators says public school districts are surviving financially through cuts unheard of since the Great Depression, and there doesn't appear to be much relief on the horizon.

The situation is so bad, the report says, that 3 percent of Pennsylvania school districts reported they're already in financial distress. Some are even on the verge of bankruptcy.

"I think it's a good report because it shows that the crisis is real," said Dr. Martin D. Handler, Brandywine Heights superintendent, adding that his district has already trimmed about as much as it can.

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=387970

The Education Policy and Leadership Center

EPLC Education Notebook – Monday, May 21, 2012

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012

Philadelphia Daily News Attytood Blog Posted by Will Bunch

How fracking fortunes are undermining public education in Pa.

The New York Times lifted up a large rock over Pennsylvania this morning, and the slime they found underneath was remarkable even by the low muck standards of the Keystone State. Under the headline " Public Money Finds Back Door to Private Schools," a remarkable expose by reporter Stephanie Saul (whom I worked with at Newsday many years ago) reveals a tangled web involving the Corbett administration, fracking money, and the ongoing crusade to favor private schools at the expense of public education.

The focus of the article is private-school scholarship programs now operated in Pennsylvania and seven other states (around these parts it is better known by the bureaucratically benign name of EITC, for Educational Improvement Tax Credit, launched here in 2001). Instead of the government providing direct help for parents to send kids to private or religious schools through vouchers, EITC provides tax credits to private donors for scholarship money that does essentially the same thing.

The Times article quotes experts calling this "a shell game" and it's not hard to understand why: The tax credits that finance the scholarships mean there's less revenue coming into to Pennsylvania's coffers -- at a time when the Corbett administration has been slashing spending for public schools.

But it gets better. Frankly, this looks like the Iran-Contra of the Corbett administration -- one unifying theory that ties together our governor's ridiculously close ties to the fracking industry with his jihad against public schools while benefiting people with close ties to his administration.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/How-fracking-money-is-undermining-public-education-in-Pa.html

“Here's what oil taxes do for Alaska: Residents pay neither state sales nor state income tax, and in 2010 each and every resident got a $1,305 check from the state. In its 2011 budget, the Alaska legislature forward-funded K-12 education for 2012 to the tune of $1.2 billion.”

PO GUEST ESSAY: School funds available, given correct priorities

Chambersburg Public Opinion Online By MIKE BRESLIN SR. May 23, 2012

In a May 22 letter to the editor responding to Public Opinion's May 21 editorial, Tim Eller, press secretary for the state Department of Education, tells us, "Make no mistake about it, the economy is flailing."  Really? Flailing? And he goes on, "It's incumbent for both state and local governments to tighten their belts and live within available revenues.

http://www.publicopiniononline.com/opinion/ci_20681810/po-guest-essay-school-funds-available-given-correct

Early childhood education pays off: 21st-century skills must start to be instilled in the first years of school

May 24, 2012 12:20 am

Post Gazette Opinion By Audrey Russo

Audrey Russo is president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council 

Even in times of economic hardship, Pennsylvania should support early childhood education and plan for growth. This is the time to close gaps in early learning to save money in the long term and assure businesses a steady stream of employees ready to meet the increasingly complex demands of the 21st-century workplace.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/perspectives/early-childhood-education-pays-off-21st-century-skills-must-start-to-be-instilled-in-the-first-years-of-school-637270/

SAVE UPPER DARBY ARTS 2012

Published on May 21, 2012 by SaveUDArts

Sign the Petition http://ow.ly/b3rR2
This isn't just about the Upper Darby School District. All over Pennsylvania and in many other states as well, WAR has been declared on Public Education, on children.  Our children deserve the very best that we can give them, no matter what test scores say. Help us take a stand and stop school districts from being forced to cut programs which cultivate who our children become.
We will be in Harrisburg on June 6th, 2012 to gather support for the proper funding of education. All are welcome to join us!
Please visit www.saveudarts.org to learn more and join the fight.

Youtube video (runtime 7:32) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh8RNhMo4Ks&feature=plcp

Romney Considering Big School Choice Expansion

Education Week By Alyson Klein on May 22, 2012 10:10 PM

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney has been mulling some big changes to federal K-12 policy if elected, including allowing federal funding to follow students—even if they want to attend private schools—according to a campaign documentobtained by Politics K-12.

Disadvantaged families and parents of students in special education could choose to spend federal funds at any district or charter public school, tutoring provider, or online course, according to the document circulated over the weekend. It outlines a series of ideas that have been considered by Romney and his advisers, which could be announced as early as this week. Under the proposal, students could also federal money at a private school, as long as that was consistent with state guidelines.

According to the document, states would also be encouraged to adopt open enrollment policies, and to eliminate caps on charter and online schools. The document also indicates that Romney may seek to expand the DC Opportunity Scholarship program, a federally funded program in the District of Columbia that supporters fear has been put on thin budget ice by the Obama administration.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/05/romney.html

Romney Calls for Using Title I, IDEA Funds for School Choice

Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on May 23, 2012 12:27 PM

WASHINGTON—Presumptive GOP nominee Gov. Mitt Romney called today for making federal funding for special education and disadvantaged students portable—meaning the money would follow students to any school their parents choose, including a private school.

Under his proposal, parents could also choose to use the funds under Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at charter schools, for online courses, or for tutoring. Title I is funded at $14.5 billion this year, and IDEA is funded at $11.6 billion, and any proposal to radically shift the use of that money would be almost certain to face a host of administrative, budgetary, and political hurdles from the Congress and statehouses on down.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/05/romney_to_call_for_using_title.html

“The challenge for Mr. Romney is that many of the ideas he touched on — increasing the number of charter schools, holding teachers more accountable for student success — have already been adopted by the Obama administration, whose education policies have all but co-opted traditional Republican positions.”

Romney Calls Education ‘Civil Rights Issue of Our Era’ and Urges Shift

New York Times By TRIP GABRIEL Published: May 23, 2012

Lamenting that millions of American children receive “a third world education,” Mitt Romney on Wednesday called for poor and disabled students to be able to use federal funds to attend any public, private or online school they choose.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/24/us/politics/romney-calls-failing-schools-civil-rights-issue-of-our-era.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=education&adxnnlx=1337852639-WlA15u/RpkwLw4NPy2o3Gw

Posted at 12:48 PM ET, 05/23/2012

Romney’s education speech — text

Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss

Here is the full text of Mitt Romney’s remarks on education reform as prepared for delivery on Wednesday at The Latino Coalition’s Annual Economic Summit in Washington, D.C.:

Mitt Romney Speech As Prepared for Delivery to Latino Coalition

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/romneys-education-speech--text/2012/05/23/gJQAUAtpkU_blog.html

Wall Street's Investment in School Reform

Education Week Bridging Differences Blog By Diane Ravitch on May 22, 2012

Dear Deborah,

You and I used to have lively debates about standards, curriculum, pedagogy, and a lot of other matters where we disagreed. Now those debates seem antique compared with the current uncertainty about the future of public education.

The question today is whether a democratic society needs public schools subject to democratic governance. Why not turn public dollars over to private corporations to run schools as they see fit? Isn't the private sector better and smarter than the public sector?

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences/2012/05/how_wall_street_invested_in_sc.html

STATEWIDE PRESS COVERAGE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGETS

Here are more than 700 articles since January 23^rd detailing budget cuts, program cuts, staffing cuts and tax increases being discussed by local school districts

The PA House Democratic Caucus has been tracking daily press coverage on school district budgets statewide:

http://www.pahouse.com/school_funding_2011cuts.asp?utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.pahouse.com%2fschool_funding_2011cuts.asp&utm_campaign=Crisis+in+Public+Education

Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign Education Funding Advocacy Week May 21-25

Education Funding Advocacy Week is not a single event but a series of activities sponsored by individuals and organizations that oppose the Governor’s proposed Budget for 2012-2013 because it reduces learning opportunities for students in Pennsylvania.  

·         The Media Area NAACP and CU Keystone Honors Program is hosting 2012 Conference on the State of Education in Pennsylvania “Calling for a Trauma-Informed Education System” on Friday, May 25.  Click here for registration details.

More info at: http://www.paschoolfunding.org/

NYT - EITC: Public Money Finds Back Door to Private Schools; appear(s) to benefit all involved — donors with business before the legislature, lawmakers and lobbyists.

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1500 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, members of the press and a broad array of 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

Reminder: Today is Statewide “Call” to Action for Public Education – Wednesday, May 23rd!

Please take 5 minutes to join parents and community members across the Commonwealth in calling their legislators and Governor Corbett on Wednesday and urge them to change the direction we are heading and INVEST IN PUBLIC EDUCATION! 

Tell them to support the following additional improvements to funding for school districts:

·          Restore an additional $50 million to the Senate-approved funding for Accountability Block Grants, restoring the line item to this year’s level of $100 million (still $150 million below the 2010-2011 budget level).

·          Add at least $50 million for Charter School reimbursement to school districts to begin to restore the cut of $224 million made last summer.

·          Provide at least a cost-of-living increase to the Basic Subsidy and Special Education line items, which will help to mitigate the seriously negative effects of last summer’s huge cut in state funding for school districts.

Use our Call to Action Guide for all the information you'll need to participate.  It's that easy!

Spread the word.  Forward this email to your friends, post on Facebook and Twitter or do what others are doing, encourage parents and neighbors by passing out flyers.

Posted: Tue, May. 22, 2012, 6:08 AM

Survey: Pa. schools in dire financial straits

By Dan Hardy INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

A survey of Pennsylvania school districts to be made public Tuesday shows many headed toward insolvency in the next few years, and to avoid it they are weighing cuts to music, art, physical education, and electives while increasing class size and raising taxes.

Two hundred and eighty-one of the state’s 500 districts — 56 percent — participated in the late April survey by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) and the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO).

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20120522_Survey__Pa__schools_in_dire_financial_straits.html

PASA/PASBO Survey Press Release May 22, 2012 2:30 PM

Student Learning Opportunities Slashed Across State

As Financial Condition of School Districts Continues to Deteriorate

New survey provides insight on impact of state education policy choices

HARRISBURG, PA—(May 22, 2012)—A new survey indicates that, for a second

consecutive year, school districts’ are again forced to consider  cuts  to instructional

programs and school personnel actions as they anticipate continued worsening of their

financial condition, unless state and local funding improves. Having already made cuts

this fiscal year as a result of steep state budget cuts and declining local revenues, school

districts will be forced to implement even deeper cuts, further limiting students’

opportunities to learn.

Two hundred and eighty-one, or 56 percent, of the state’s 500 districts participated in

the third annual school budget survey conducted in late April by the PA Association of

School Administrators (PASA) and the PA Association of School Business Officials

(PASBO). The survey asked school districts to answer questions related to their financial

health and the impact of the enacted FY 2011-12 and proposed  FY 2012-13  state

budgets.

• Class sizes will increase in about 60 percent of the districts surveyed.
• Students in 58 percent of districts will face reduced instruction in art and music, reduced physical education classes, and fewer elective and advanced placement course offerings.
• Nearly half of the districts are delaying textbook purchases.
• Forty-six percent are trimming or eliminating field trips and extra-curricular programs, including sports.
• Thirty-seven percent are cutting tutoring programs and 34 percent are eliminating summer school.
• Research-proven early childhood education programs such as full-day kindergarten will be reduced or eliminated in 19 percent of responding districts.

Read more: http://www.pasbo.org/PressReleaseReportSurvey_FINAL.pdf

Easton Area School Board adopts final budget with 102 job cuts

District raises property taxes 2.2 percent under $133.4 million spending plan.

By Adam Clark, Of The Morning Call 11:04 p.m. EDT, May 22, 2012

Easton Area School Board approved its second major staff cut in three years Tuesday night, adopting a final budget that eliminates 102 jobs, including 49 teaching positions.
The number of cuts was higher than originally presented because it includes a number of part-time positions that the district had combined when it initially released details about the budget, Chief Operating Officer Mike Simonetta said. In all, the district will cut 49 teachers, a security guard, 31 full-time support positions and 21 part-time support positions.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/easton/mc-easton-school-teacher-cuts-20120522,0,5360187.story

SAVE UPPER DARBY ARTS 2012

Published on May 21, 2012 by SaveUDArts

Sign the Petition http://ow.ly/b3rR2
This isn't just about the Upper Darby School District. All over Pennsylvania and in many other states as well, WAR has been declared on Public Education, on children.  Our children deserve the very best that we can give them, no matter what test scores say. Help us take a stand and stop school districts from being forced to cut programs which cultivate who our children become.
We will be in Harrisburg on June 6th, 2012 to gather support for the proper funding of education. All are welcome to join us!
Please visit www.saveudarts.org to learn more and join the fight.

Youtube video (runtime 7:32) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh8RNhMo4Ks&feature=plcp

Help me out with a reality check here , folks; can anyone cite any evidence of any state takeovers actually (a) improving student achievement or (b) straightening out distressed district’s finances?

House Bill 1307 Senate Education Committee Roll Call Vote May 22, 2012

House Bill 1307 Text (77 pages)

“Under the proposal, a state-appointed receiver ultimately would have the power to undo labor contracts and convert schools into charters.”

Pennsylvania advances bill (HB1307) that paves way for state takeovers of struggling school districts

Patriot News By The Associated Press Published: Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 1:58 PM

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Republican-penned bill that would pave the way for state takeovers of Pennsylvania school districts veering toward financial collapse has the support of Gov. Tom Corbett and is advancing in the Legislature.  The Senate Education Committee voted Tuesday to send it to the full Senate. The legislation is spurred by fears of a wave of collapsing districts and is being fast-tracked so it can receive quicker consideration in the House if it passes in the Senate.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/05/pennsylvania_advances_bill_tha.html

Pa. Senate panel offers recovery plan for troubled school districts

May 23, 2012 5:18 am

By Karen Langley / Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG -- Duquesne City and other financially distressed school districts could see charter schools opened, students sent to other districts and collective bargaining agreements revamped under a proposal approved by a Senate panel on Tuesday.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, R-Dauphin, chairman of the Education Committee, borrows from laws addressing distressed municipalities and the Philadelphia schools to lay out a process intended to help districts right their finances. As written, it would apply to Duquesne, which state officials have said cannot continue in its current form after years of financial and academic struggles, as well as the Chester Upland, York and Harrisburg districts.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/education/pa-senate-plan-would-offer-oversight-recovery-for-troubled-school-districts-637078/?p=0

Press Release Senate Education Committee Chairman Jeff Piccola, May 22, 2012

Senate Panel Approves Legislation to Assist Fiscally Distressed Schools

Providing a Lifeline & Recovery Process for Struggling Districts

HARRISBURG --- The Senate Education Committee endorsed today legislation sponsored by Chairman Jeffrey Piccola (R-15) that will provide a lifeline to Pennsylvania school districts in financial distress and require their adoption of a state recovery plan to ensure long-term fiscal stability.

House Bill 1307, as amended today to include the provisions of Senate Bill 1450 which I introduced, creates a program for monitoring and assisting school districts showing signs of financial distress.  Under the bill, a district could enter financial recovery status upon declaration by the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education if it meets certain criteria, such as receiving an advance on state funding or entering litigation against the Commonwealth seeking financial assistance to allow the school district to continue operating.  A Chief Recovery Officer would be named to develop and implement a financial recovery plan, which could include renegotiation of contracts or the conversion to a charter school.  Districts adopting and implementing a financial recovery plan would also be eligible for a long-term interest-free loan.

http://piccola.org/press/2012/0512/052212.htm

Dueling Rallies

Yinzercation Blog — MAY 22, 2012

Oh the irony. It just so happens that when our public education advocates get off their buses in Harrisburg this morning, they will be greeted by another group rallying at the capitol for cyber charter schools. While our colleagues are meeting with legislators today urging them to restore public funding for public schools, the PA Families for Public Cyber Schools group will be meeting with legislators asking them to instead send more public money to largely private corporations.

http://yinzercation.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/dueling-rallies/

Pennsylvania’s “successful” EITC program is featured prominently several times in this article.  .In addition to diverting $75 million per year in forfeited tax revenue to private and religious schools, the New York Times reports that our EITC program “ appear(s) to benefit all involved — donors with business before the legislature, lawmakers and lobbyists.”

EITC: Public Money Finds Back Door to Private Schools

New York Times By STEPHANIE SAUL Published: May 21, 2012

Spreading at a time of deep cutbacks in public schools, the programs are operating in eight states and represent one of the fastest-growing components of the school choice movement. This school year alone, the programs redirected nearly $350 million that would have gone into public budgets to pay for private school scholarships for 129,000 students, according to the Alliance for School Choice, an advocacy organization. Legislators in at least nine other states are considering the programs.

….Some of the programs have also become enmeshed in politics, including in Pennsylvania, where more than 200 organizations distribute more than $40 million a year donated by corporations. Two of the state’s largest scholarship organizations are controlled by lobbyists, and they frequently ask lawmakers to help decide which schools get the money, according to interviews. The arrangement provides a potential opportunity for corporate donors seeking to influence legislators and also gives the lobbying firms access to both lawmakers and potential new clients….. Pennsylvania’s program lets them get scholarships and also lets scholarship organizations retain up to 20 percent in administrative fees.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/education/scholarship-funds-meant-for-needy-benefit-private-schools.html

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012

Philadelphia Daily News Attyttod Blog Posted by Will Bunch

How fracking fortunes are undermining public education in Pa.

The New York Times lifted up a large rock over Pennsylvania this morning, and the slime they found underneath was remarkable even by the low muck standards of the Keystone State. Under the headline "Public Money Finds Backdoor to Private Schools," a remarkable expose by reporter Stephanie Saul (whom I worked with at Newsday many years ago) reveals a tangled web involving the Corbett administration, fracking money, and the ongoing crusade to favor private schools at the expense of public education.

The focus of the article is private-school scholarship programs now operated in Pennsylvania and seven other states (around these parts it is better known by the bureaucratically benign name of EITC, for Educational Improvement Tax Credit, launched here in 2001). Instead of the government providing direct help for parents to send kids to private or religious schools through vouchers, EITC provides tax credits to private donors for scholarship money that does essentially the same thing.

The Times article quotes experts calling this "a shell game" and it's not hard to understand why: The tax credits that finance the scholarships mean there's less revenue coming into to Pennsylvania's coffers -- at a time when the Corbett administration has been slashing spending for public schools.

But it gets better. Frankly, this looks like the Iran-Contra of the Corbett administration -- one unifying theory that ties together our governor's ridiculously close ties to the fracking industry with his jihad against public schools while benefiting people with close ties to his administration.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/How-fracking-money-is-undermining-public-education-in-Pa.html

What is Pennsylvania's EITC program and which organizations received contributions through this tax credit program for FY 2011?

Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC)

Department of Community and Economic Development

General program information and FAQ's on Pennsylvania's EITC program

http://www.newpa.com/find-and-apply-for-funding/funding-and-program-finder/educational-improvement-tax-credit-program-eitc

 

Top 100 EITC Contributions Received by DCED for FY 2011

For the full list alphabetically by recipient organization name see these 3 links:

EITC Contributions Received by DCED for FY 2011 Part 1 of 3

EITC Contributions Received by DCED for FY 2011 Part 2 of 3

EITC Contributions Received by DCED for FY 2011 Part 3 of 3

 

EITC  -  No Accountability: Pennsylvania's Track Record Using Taxpayer Dollars to Pay for Private and Religious School Tuition

Keystone Research Center, Author  Stephen Herzenberg, Publication Date:  April 7, 2011

This briefing paper reviews the experience of the EITC program, including its size and growth over time, the areas of the state it primarily serves, and the accountability mechanisms that oversee schools that receive taxpayer dollars to educate Pennsylvania school children under the EITC. 

http://keystoneresearch.org/EITC-accountability

East Penn issues call to action over education funding

Allentown Morning Call 1:51 p.m. EDT, May 21, 2012

East Penn School District is asking voters to join a Call-To-Action for Public Education telephone campaign on Wednesday, May 23.  Education Voters is organizing the campaign in the wake of the loss of $900 million in public education funding.

As part of the campaign, voters are being asked to call the governor's office, as well as local state representatives and senators on Wednesday, May 23, to urge legislators not to allow more cuts to public education.  Across the state, funding cuts have led to larger class sizes, shuttered school buildings, reduction and elimination of programs, including full day kindergarten and tutoring sessions, and job losses, including instructional and support staff.

Government links and phone numbers are available at http://www.educationvoterspa.org

Do Our Public Schools Threaten National Security?

New York Review of Books by Diane Ravitch JUNE 7, 2012

US Education Reform and National Security
by Joel I. Klein, Condoleezza Rice, and others
Council on Foreign Relations, 103 pp., available at www.cfr.org

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/jun/07/do-our-public-schools-threaten-national-security/

Duncan’s “March to the Sea” continues……

Rules on Way for District Race to Top Contest

Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on May 22, 2012 6:00 AM

School districts that want a slice of the latest, nearly $400 million in Race to the Top competitive grants will have to put a major focus on helping schools tailor instruction to the needs of individual students—and agree to evaluate school board members and superintendents—under draft regulations slated to be released by the U.S. Department of Education today.

The department anticipates giving out about 15 to 20 four-year grants, of up to $25 million each. Districts will be able to apply for the funds individually, or as part of consortia with other districts, even those in other states. And charter schools—as well as other organizations that are defined as a "local education agency" by their states—can compete, too.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/05/department_announces_game_plan.html

Now if we could just get President Obama to name some education advisors……

Romney Names Education Policy Advisers

Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Michele McNeil on May 22, 2012 12:53 PM

From guest blogger Christina A. Samuels
Presumed GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's campaign has released a list of people who are advising the campaign on education issues, including a former U.S. Secretary of Education and a current state schools chief.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/05/from_guest_blogger_christina_a.html

STATEWIDE PRESS COVERAGE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGETS

Here are more than 700 articles since January 23^rd detailing budget cuts, program cuts, staffing cuts and tax increases being discussed by local school districts

The PA House Democratic Caucus has been tracking daily press coverage on school district budgets statewide:

http://www.pahouse.com/school_funding_2011cuts.asp?utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.pahouse.com%2fschool_funding_2011cuts.asp&utm_campaign=Crisis+in+Public+Education

Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign Education Funding Advocacy Week May 21-25

Education Funding Advocacy Week is not a single event but a series of activities sponsored by individuals and organizations that oppose the Governor’s proposed Budget for 2012-2013 because it reduces learning opportunities for students in Pennsylvania.  

·         Education Voters of PA “Call to Action for Public Education” Day  on May 23rd.  Get involved! Learn how, click here.

·         Harrisburg public school supporters will hold a rally for increased state funding for public schools at the State Capitol on May 23 at 10:00 AM.

·         The Media Area NAACP and CU Keystone Honors Program is hosting 2012 Conference on the State of Education in Pennsylvania “Calling for a Trauma-Informed Education System” on Friday, May 25.  Click here for registration details.

More info at: http://www.paschoolfunding.org/