Wednesday, December 31, 2014

PA Ed Policy Roundup Dec 31: Beaver County Solicitor, linked to Federal Proceedings of Former PA Cyber Founder Trombetta, Resigning

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 3525 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition team members, Superintendents, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business 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, Twitter and LinkedIn

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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 EducationAre you a member?
The Keystone State Education Coalition is an endorsing member of The Campaign for Fair Education Funding


Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for December 31, 2014:
Beaver County Solicitor, linked to Federal Proceedings of Former PA Cyber Founder Trombetta, Resigning


Happy New Year!



Keep Up with the Campaign for Fair Education Funding
The Campaign for Fair Education Funding is sending out regular email notices about the activities of the Campaign and ways for supporters to get involved and connect with this growing movement.  Please sign-up here  to receive those updates, and encourage others - parents, teachers, students, civic leaders, business owners, etc. - to do the same.



York City School District ruling: what it means
Keystone Crossroads/Newsworks BY EMILY PREVITI, WITF DECEMBER 30, 2014
A judge has ruled the state can take over York City School District. The ruling comes after months of debate about the status of the district, and a couple days of hearings. WITF's Ben Allen discussed what the ruling means and what's next in the city of York with Keystone Crossroads reporter Emily Previti:

York City parents sign petition against charters
York Dispatch By ERIN JAMES 505-5439/@ydcity POSTED:   12/30/2014 10:39:26 PM EST
With one son in college and another on the same track, Carmelo Casiano said he's satisfied with the education his boys received through the York City School District.  A William Penn Senior High School graduate himself, Casiano said he's the type of father who considers it his duty to be involved.  "I think you'll get out of York City schools what you put into it," he said.  A proposal to convert the district's schools to charter schools operated by a for-profit company is "the worst idea," Casiano said.  "They're basically going to have a vanilla education," he said. "They're going to try to maximize the profits by taking away a lot of other things that schools offer."

"Trombetta was indicted on 11 charges, including mail fraud, theft or bribery concerning a federal program, tax conspiracy and filing a false tax return.  In November, the state Supreme Court’s disciplinary board received complaints about Askar's professional conduct. A recording played in court showed Askar once said to Trombetta, “I’m supposed to be representing the county, and I’m representing you.”  But the resignation didn’t have anything to do with the controversy, Amadio said."
Beaver County solicitor Askar resigning
Beaver County Times Onlline By David Taube dtaube@timesonline.com Posted: Tuesday, December 30, 2014 7:30 pm
BEAVER -- Beaver County solicitor Joe Askar submitted a resignation letter earlier this month, commissioners Chairman Tony Amadio confirmed Tuesday.  Askar said he submitted the letter more than a week ago so he could pursue work as a corporate lawyer. He said he believed his last day is Jan. 8, leaving him with 17 years of service with the county.
…..But also earlier this year, he was linked to the federal court proceedings of former Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School founder Nick Trombetta. Trombetta created a series of connected for-profit and not-for-profit entities to siphon taxpayer funds out of PA Cyber and to avoid federal income tax liabilities, a U.S. attorney said after a 2013 indictment.  Askar has represented the National Network of Digital Schools, a Rochester-based Trombetta offshoot. In his defense, Trombetta argued Askar also was representing him. And in October, Askar took the Fifth Amendment, refusing to testify.  But Askar said if there was any reason for him to resign under duress, it would have been from NNDS, a job he said he still holds. 

"But the cost isn't the main issue," Bedford Area School District Superintendent Allen Sell said. It's the quality of the charter schools where tax money is sent.  "Although our legislators are well-meaning ... they have been convinced by a very powerful corporate for-profit charter school lobby that charter schools are the answer to all of education's problems and that they are high-performing schools. This is just not the case."
Schools compare funding, success
Educators discuss if sharing money between charters, districts works
By Russ O’Reilly (roreilly@altoonamirror.com) , The Altoona Mirror December 28, 2014
Taxpayers fund two public education systems in Pennsylvania - the traditional public school system and the charter school system.  But are they getting their money's worth?
The way it works is public school districts receive a combination of local and state tax money, and charter schools take their per-student share from the school district where the student would otherwise attend.  The amount is about 70 percent of what the district would spend to educate the student.  Paying bills to charter schools can be a drain on districts, unless charters draw enough students for districts to cut back on major expenses including personnel. But that seldom happens. District officials say charters draw a student here and there, so while the bill adds up, the costs of educating students who remain in their schools doesn't get any lower.

Pa. may consider borrowing funds to help pay down pension debt
WHYY Newsworks BY MARY WILSON DECEMBER 30, 2014
Pennsylvania lawmakers are just in the early stages of negotiating with Gov.-elect Tom Wolf over how to deal with the state's spiking public pension payments.  But Senate Republican leaders say they are willing to consider a move conservatives have ruled out in the past.  Some have suggested borrowing a few billion dollars to help pay down part of that debt – a gamble that counts on favorable interest rates staying favorable.  While many conservatives say that's too risky, Drew Crompton, chief counsel and spokesman for Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati, said the Senate GOP is still considering it.  Any borrowing should be paired with changing pension benefits, he cautioned.

Philadelphia teachers want schools to look elsewhere for financial relief
By Evan Grossman | Watchdog.org December 29, 2014 | By Eric Boehm
The Philadelphia teachers union says making teachers pay for part of their health benefits isn’t the way to plug the city’s hemorrhaging public school budget, and the district should look elsewhere for relief.  In October, the district terminated an expired contract with teachers after two years of failed negotiations and is asking them to pay part of their health insurance.
Philadelphia schools are facing an $80 million deficit if teachers don’t pay for part of their benefits.
“What the district was attempting to do was to save a lot of money on the backs of some employees,” Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan said.
Most Philadelphia teachers haven’t had to contribute to their benefits. Philadelphia, Ephrata and Warwick are the only three districts in Pennsylvania that don’t pay for health care.
On average, U.S. citizens are paying $328 per month for middle-tier plans under the Affordable Care Act, and the School Reform Commission, which governs the School District of Philadelphia, is asking teachers to pay a portion of their benefits as a way to save more than $200 million over the next five years.

Kansas School Funding Falls Short of Legal Standard, Court Rules
Education Week State Ed Watch Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on December 30, 2014 2:04 PM
A Kansas court has ruled that the state's current system for funding public schools does not meet the required legal standard.  In a decision released Dec. 30, a three-judge panel of the 3rd Judicial District Court in Shawnee County said that the system is "inadequate from any rational perspective."  It's the latest development in a long-running legal battle over state K-12 spending in Kansas, which is facing one of the more severe budget  crises in the country. (More on that later.)
In the ruling, the judges wrote that while they were not ordering the state to spend a specific per-pupil amount on education in order to comply with their decision, the state's funding system has deteriorated since 2009 to the point where it no longer complies with the Kansas Constitution. 

School Cash Insufficient in Kansas, Court Finds
New York Times By JOHN ELIGON DEC. 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A state court panel in Kansas ruled on Tuesday that public schools were being unconstitutionally underfunded, though it stopped short of ordering a specific increase in education dollars.  The ruling comes as the Republican-controlled Legislature, which championed deep tax cuts in recent years, now finds the state facing projected budget deficits of hundreds of millions of dollars. “K-12 school funding in Kansas is still proceeding by political choice to use otherwise available state financial resources elsewhere or not at all,” the decision said.
The court also ruled that a provision allowing localities to provide funding to equalize the gap between rich and poor districts was insufficient because it did not guarantee that the playing field would be leveled.  But the decision of the court, in Shawnee County, is unlikely to have an immediate impact because the state is expected to appeal to the Kansas Supreme Court.

Testing under fire

Republicans may consider slashing the number of federally required tests.
Republicans on the Hill are finding unusual common ground with teachers unions about an overthrow of the annual testing mandate embedded in No Child Left Behind.
Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee is making reauthorization of the law one of his biggest priorities — and testing is expected to take center stage. He plans to tackle the issue during a hearing early in the new year. Under serious consideration: slashing the number of federally required tests or even doing away with them all together.  This political alliance is part of a larger nationwide movement, buoyed by a grass-roots crusade led by parents and teachers who reject the testing regimes that they say have come to dominate public schools for the past decade.  “We are actively exploring the question of whether the federal mandate on annual tests is warranted,” one GOP aide said. The goal is to give states more flexibility in how they track student progress, report those results to the public and hold schools accountable for all kids.

Testing Resistance & Reform News: December 24 - 30, 2014
Fairtest website December 30, 2014 - 1:29pm
FairTest doesn't just report the assessment reform news -- we often help make it to support the movement. Check out this week's stories.  Please support an expansion of our crucial public education campaigns in 2015, FairTest's 30th Anniversary Year, with a contribution at http://www.fairtest.org/donate or by mailing a check to P.O. Box 300204, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.  With best wishes for a Happy New Year filled with testing resistance victories!

Education’s Newsmaker Of The Year: Charter School Scandals
Education Opportunity Network website December 2014
Since it’s the time of the year when newspapers, websites, and television talk shows scan their archives to pick the person, place, or thing that sums up the year in entertainment, business, sports, or every other venue, why not do that for education too?
In 2014 education news, lots of personalities came and went.
Michelle Rhee gave way to Campbell Brown as a torchbearer for “reform.” The comedian Louis C. K. had a turn at becoming an education wonk with his commentary on the Common Core standards. Numerous “Chiefs for Change” toppled from the ranks of chiefdom. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett went down in defeat due in part to his gutting of public schools, as Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker remained resilient while spreading the cancerous voucher program from Milwaukee to the rest of the state. New York Mayor Bill De Blasio rose to turn back the failed education reforms of ex-mayor Bloomberg, only to have his populist agenda blocked by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo who insisted on imposing policies favored by Wall Street. Progressives formed Democrats for Public Education to counter the neoliberal, big money clout of Democrats for Education Reform. And Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush emerged as rival voices in the ongoing debate about the Common Core among potential Republican presidential candidates.
But hogging the camera throughout the year was another notable character: charter school scandals.


January 23rd–25th, 2015 at The Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia
EduCon is both a conversation and a conference.
It is an innovation conference where we can come together, both in person and virtually, to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an opportunity to discuss and debate ideas — from the very practical to the big dreams.

PSBA Master School Board Director Recognition: Applications begin in January
PSBA website December 23, 2014
The Master School Board Director (MSBD) Recognition is for individuals who have demonstrated significant contributions as members of their governance teams. It is one way PSBA salutes your hard work and exceptional dedication to ethics and standards, student success and achievement, professional development, community engagement, communications, stewardship of resources, and advocacy for public education.
School directors who are consistently dedicated to the aforementioned characteristics should apply or be encouraged to apply by fellow school directors. The MSBD Recognition demonstrates your commitment to excellence and serves to encourage best practices by all school directors.
The application will be posted Jan. 15, 2015, with a deadline to apply of June 30. Recipients will be notified by the MSBD Recognition Committee by Aug. 31 and will be honored at the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference in October.
If you are interested in learning more about the MSBD Recognition, contact Janel Biery, conference/events coordinator, at (800) 932-0588, ext. 3332.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

PA Ed Policy Roundup Dec 30: A study done in Philadelphia found a total of 33 books in a community of 10,000 children

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 3525 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition team members, Superintendents, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business 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, Twitter and LinkedIn

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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 EducationAre you a member?
The Keystone State Education Coalition is an endorsing member of The Campaign for Fair Education Funding


Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for December 30, 2014:
A study done in Philadelphia found a total of 33 books in a community of 10,000 children.



Keep Up with the Campaign for Fair Education Funding
The Campaign for Fair Education Funding is sending out regular email notices about the activities of the Campaign and ways for supporters to get involved and connect with this growing movement.  Please sign-up here  to receive those updates, and encourage others - parents, teachers, students, civic leaders, business owners, etc. - to do the same.




Appeal stalls state takeover of York City schools
ERIN JAMES / The York Dispatch 505-5439 / @ydcity POSTED: 2/29/2014 07:46:55 PM EST
A judge's ruling last week gave David Meckley nearly all authority over the York City School District.  But the Spring Garden Township man said Monday that he will wait until an appeal of the ruling is settled in Commonwealth Court before taking any decisive actions as the district's receiver.  For example, Meckley said he's not entirely sure what might occur at the next school board meeting on Monday, Jan. 12.  "My understanding, until there's a clear path, we would have business as usual," he said.  Margie Orr, president of the district's school board, said she's been told Meckley is "receiver in name only" until the appeal is resolved.  "We're told that that appeal has to be settled before he can move in as receiver," she said. "I don't know how it works. We'll find out more, I'm hoping, in the near future."

"The community clearly opposes the plan. Yet while they have no say in the matter, city property owners' tax dollars now will be used not only for education but to boost the profits of Charter Schools USA.  Since the district is struggling financially, how can anyone justify diverting even a penny away from the students?"
EDITORIAL: York City schools fight isn't over
York Dispatch Editorial POSTED:   12/29/2014 01:02:34 PM EST
York is now in uncharted territory after Judge Stephen P. Linebaugh's ruling Friday granted a state petition for receivership of the city's school district.  The ruling hands almost complete control — all but taxing authority — of the city's struggling schools to state-appointed chief recovery officer (and now receiver) David Meckley.  Meckley, a Spring Garden Township businessman who has led the district's financial recovery process for two years now, intends to convert all eight schools to charters operated by a for-profit company, Charter Schools USA.
Such a conversion has never been tried in Pennsylvania, and the company's plan for York City appears half-baked.  For instance, in response to questions submitted by The York Dispatch, a company representative showed limited knowledge of the district's student population and couldn't even describe plans for the 21 percent of students with special needs.

"The possibility of turning the 7,500-student district over to a charter operator also raises the question of whether it could serve as a model for other districts in receivership, including the Duquesne City and Chester Upland school districts."
York charter school ruling might impact Duquesne’s recovery plan
By Mary Niederberger / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette December 30, 2014 12:00 AM
York County President Judge Stephen Linebaugh’s decision to appoint a receiver in the York City School District could pave the way for the district, which has struggled academically and financially, to be the first in the state to have a charter school organization operate it.
It’s a scenario that has raised a multitude of legal, educational and political issues, including whether an appointee of the administration of outgoing Gov. Tom Corbett could, or should, make the change before Gov.-elect Tom Wolf takes office Jan. 20.  “Governor-elect Wolf has made it very clear that he wants this process to wait until he is governor so he can analyze the issue,” said Mr. Wolf’s spokesman Jeff Sheridan.  Officials with the state Department of Education maintain that David Meckley, who was appointed receiver on Friday, is free to move forward if he so chooses unless a court stay is ordered.  “Mr. Meckley can now implement the much-needed financial recovery plan that will improve the district’s educational programs, increase student achievement and restore financial stability to the district,” said acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq in a statement.

NPR: First Book Gets Reading Material Into The Hands Of Low-Income Students
NPR Morning Edition by LYNN NEARY DECEMBER 29, 2014 5:06 AM ET
A study done in Philadelphia found a total of 33 books in a community of 10,000 children. A group is solving that problem by partnering with the publishing industry to get books to kids in need.

Report: Gap Widens Between Rich, Poor Pa. Schools
In fact, the disparity doubled during Tom Corbett’s administration.
Philadelphia Magazine BY JOEL MATHIS  |  DECEMBER 29, 2014 AT 7:13 AM
AP reports that the funding gap between the state’s richest and poorest schools is widening — and in fact has doubled during the Corbett Administration.  This school year, districts in the top half of average resident income are budgeted to spend nearly $1,800 more per student than the poorest half of districts. That’s a 140 percent increase in the size of the gap, or about $1,060 more per student, since the 2010-11 school year, according to the AP’s analysis.
Districts in the top 20 percent of average resident income are budgeted to spend slightly more than $4,000 more per student this year than the poorest 20 percent of districts. That's a 130 percent increase, or about $2,300 more per student, in the past four years.
Incoming Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed imposing a tax on gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale and using the funds to increase ed funding; the Pennsylvania Legislature is waiting to hear the report of a Basic Education Funding Commission it put to work earlier this year. Its report is due in 2015.

"This report fortifies the perception of a flawed state education system that has “one of the smallest roles in school funding of any state, leaving poorer school districts too reliant on an inadequate and often-shrinking local tax bases,” as one critic put it."
Report: Education Spending Gap “Exploded” Under Corbett’s Tenure
PoliticsPA Written by Eddie deSciora, Contributing Writer December 29, 2014
Recent analysis of education funding shows a large disparity in funds budgeted to spend per student in the wealthiest and poorest districts.  Figures released by the Associated Press on state spending, income and attendance has yielded a stark and growing disparity.
“Districts in the top 20 percent of average resident income are budgeted to spend slightly more than $4,000 more per student this year than the poorest 20 percent of districts,” according to the analysis. “That’s a 130 percent increase, or about $2,300 more per student, in the past four years.”  Jim Buckheit of The Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators noted that less privileged districts “can’t make up the difference” from tax revenues. “As these cuts went into place, the only options the (poorer) districts had was to cut.”

Walter Palmer charter closes leaving hundreds of Philly students in the lurch
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN MCCORRY DECEMBER 29, 2014
This year brought the Walter Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School to the end of its rope.  In April, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission voted to revoke Palmers' charter based on the schools' subpar academic output and worrisome fiscal health.   
In October, facing an insurmountable budget crunch, Palmer shuttered its 286-student high school campus in Wissinoming and held a lottery to whittle the enrollment of another 250 students at its elementary schools there and in Northern Liberties.  Last week, in a move that's making some parents furious, Palmer's school board voted to permanently close the financially embattled school on New Year's Eve.  Parents were notified in a letter dated Dec. 26.

Shuttered charter school leaves students, staff scrambling
MARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER  LAST UPDATED: Tuesday, December 30, 2014, 1:08 AM  POSTED: Monday, December 29, 2014, 6:53 PM
The fallout from the abrupt closing of the Walter D. Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School is spreading.  Teachers say they fear they won't be paid for working in December. And amid rumors that the charter's flagship building in Northern Liberties would be liquidated to pay creditors, several teachers decided to retrieve personal items Monday - but were initially thwarted by security.

Palmer Charter parents make last-ditch plea to state
SOLOMON LEACH, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER LEACHS@PHILLYNEWS.COM, 215-854-5903 POSTED: Tuesday, December 30, 2014, 3:01 AM
FRUSTRATED PARENTS and guardians from Walter D. Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School said they have asked the state for an emergency charter to keep the K-8 school open just days after the founder announced it would close tomorrow.
Huddled outside the school's Northern Liberties campus last night, about 10 adults said they were baffled by the short notice of the closing - families received a letter on Friday - and skeptical about the Philadelphia School District's transition process for the roughly 600 displaced pupils.

"Bottom line? Mary chooses to pay for union politics by choosing to be a union member. Unless she lives her life in a cave and is blind to what PSEA are doing, it means she chooses to pay for lobbyists to oppose a Right to Work law and to oppose strike-free education for children. Therefore she's no victim. If she doesn't like the union's politics she should quit the union. And the promoters of "Mary's Law" should quit insulting the intelligence of the public by hoisting a fake martyr onto us."
So-called 'Mary's Law' is deceptive marketing that hurts the cause: Simon Campbell
PennLive Op-Ed  By Simon Campbell on December 29, 2014 at 10:05 AM
Conservatives shoot themselves in the foot when they promote legislation using deceptive marketing practices. Case in point: legislation known as "Paycheck Protection" now being promoted as "Mary's Law" after a PSEA teacher union member was unhappy with a political campaign mailer sent by the teachers' union.  We're supposed to feel sorry for Mary because she doesn't support the union's political activity. She's being set up as some kind of a martyr. Only you won't find an ounce of sympathy for her from Pennsylvanians for Union Reform and we're not exactly fans of the teachers' union.   The truth is that Mary is being used by our friends at the Commonwealth Foundation and by legislators as part of a dishonest marketing strategy.

Most kids no longer live in 'traditional' family, Pew says
Deseret News Compiled by Lois M. Collins Sunday, December 28, 2014
Pew Research Center says 46 percent of kids live in a traditional, two-parent household with their parents, who are in their first marriage. The majority live in other types of family structures.
As Christopher Ingraham writes for The Washington Post, "For the majority of U.S. children, the traditional nuclear family is an ideal that doesn't reflect reality."  He also noted some of the challenges that come to children raised in different situations. "Researchers are in general agreement that children of unmarried parents tend to have a tougher time in life: more poverty, more instability, and more problems at school, among other things. But it's less clear what type of policy measures we might take to address these issues."

Massachusetts: Boston to Extend School Day
New York Times By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DEC. 26, 2014
Mayor Martin Walsh of Boston said that public school officials and teachers’ union leaders had agreed to add 40 minutes to the school day. The agreement announced Friday would affect nearly 23,000 elementary and middle school students. Mr. Walsh said students have a better chance at success with more learning time. The teachers’ union president said the proposal would benefit art, music, drama, foreign language and other underserved subject areas. The proposal still requires approval by the union’s full membership and the city school committee. Elementary students currently have six hours of class time in Boston public schools, while middle school students have six hours and 10 minutes of class time.

Yinzercation: Top 10 Education Justice Wins of 2014
Yinzercation Blog December 29, 2014
It’s almost the New Year and time for making lists. As we say goodbye to 2014, here is our list of the top ten education justice victories of the year:

Before Accepting the Portfolio Model, Shouldn’t We Check to See if It Works?
EducareNow Blog by Bill Boyle Posted on December 28, 2014 | 2 Comments
It is commonly expected that Michigan’s governor, Rick Snyder, will be announcing that some version of the “portfolio model” will be put in place somewhere in Michigan.  It likely that this model will be imposed on our most marginalized communities, because that’s essentially how colonialism tends to spread.  Before accepting this model, it would have been really nice if Snyder and friends would check into the evidence that shows whether or not the portfolio model does indeed work.  Part of this assumes, of course, that we know what we mean by saying something “works.” And within this assumed understanding are obscured questions: How does a system function?  Who does the system benefit? Who is hurt? Who are the winners? And who are the losers?  In this particular case, when determining whether or not it works, the question becomes, how does the portfolio model function as a system?
And, if we look at the portfolio model in this way, we find that it does work!
It works to dispossess communities from their commonly held social capital.  It works to provide much profit for those that own charters, publishing companies and those that produce educational software.  It works to benefit those who already hold power and are looking to extend that power.  So yes, it works.  However, there is little to no evidence that it works to benefit the students it purportedly is designed to benefit.


January 23rd–25th, 2015 at The Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia
EduCon is both a conversation and a conference.
It is an innovation conference where we can come together, both in person and virtually, to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an opportunity to discuss and debate ideas — from the very practical to the big dreams.

PSBA Master School Board Director Recognition: Applications begin in January
PSBA website December 23, 2014
The Master School Board Director (MSBD) Recognition is for individuals who have demonstrated significant contributions as members of their governance teams. It is one way PSBA salutes your hard work and exceptional dedication to ethics and standards, student success and achievement, professional development, community engagement, communications, stewardship of resources, and advocacy for public education.
School directors who are consistently dedicated to the aforementioned characteristics should apply or be encouraged to apply by fellow school directors. The MSBD Recognition demonstrates your commitment to excellence and serves to encourage best practices by all school directors.
The application will be posted Jan. 15, 2015, with a deadline to apply of June 30. Recipients will be notified by the MSBD Recognition Committee by Aug. 31 and will be honored at the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference in October.
If you are interested in learning more about the MSBD Recognition, contact Janel Biery, conference/events coordinator, at (800) 932-0588, ext. 3332.

Monday, December 29, 2014

PA Ed Policy Roundup Dec 29: AP: Gap between rich, poor schools in PA doubled in 4 years

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 3525 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition team members, Superintendents, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business 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, Twitter and LinkedIn

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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 EducationAre you a member?
The Keystone State Education Coalition is an endorsing member of The Campaign for Fair Education Funding


Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for December 29, 2014:
AP: Gap between rich, poor schools in PA doubled in 4 years



Keep Up with the Campaign for Fair Education Funding
The Campaign for Fair Education Funding is sending out regular email notices about the activities of the Campaign and ways for supporters to get involved and connect with this growing movement.  Please sign-up here  to receive those updates, and encourage others - parents, teachers, students, civic leaders, business owners, etc. - to do the same.



York NAACP releases statement on York City School District receivership
York Dispatch STAFF REPORTS POSTED:   12/27/2014 10:37:35 AM EST 
In light of Friday's decision to grant the state receivership of the York City School District, the York NAACP has issued the following statement admonishing the move:
"On behalf of the students, parents, graduates, and property owners of the School District for the City of York who do not want to be forced into a Charter School, on behalf of those who do not want public funds to be used to profit private companies, and on behalf of those who want a voice in who educates their children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, York NAACP expresses dissatisfaction with the decision to grant Receivership and to appoint David Meckley the Receiver.
York NAACP has already filed an appeal of the Court's decision to deny its Petition to Intervene. Contrary to prior reports, it was not the appeal that was rejected by the Commonwealth Court, it was the "emergency request to stay proceedings pending the appeal" that was denied. As such, we will continue with the appeal now that a final decision has been made.

Locals react to judge granting state takeover of York City schools
York Daily Record By Angie Mason amason@ydr.com @angiemason1 on Twitter  12/27/2014 02:21:12 PM
State groups, legislators, students and others have weighted in since York County Judge Stephen Linebaugh granted the state education department's petition for a receiver in York City School District on Friday.  The judge's decision names David Meckley as receiver, giving him all of the school board's powers except for taxing. His job is to implement the district's financial recovery plan. That plan calls for converting district schools into charter schools, run by an outside operator, if internal reform isn't working.  Meckley said Friday that the plan still has two tracks and he'd be talking to all district stakeholders. But in November, he'd directed the board to approve an agreement to turn district schools into charters run by Charter Schools USA, saying it was warranted because employee contracts reflecting the recovery plan hadn't been worked out and because the district wasn't making required academic progress.
Here's a look at what people were saying after the judge's decision:

"I do not want to be involved in a for-profit charter. I don't think that they're in it for the students. I think they're in it for the money, and I don't want to be a part of that."  She is not alone.

York City teachers stressed over charter conversion

By ERIN JAMES 505-5439/@ydcity POSTED:   12/28/2014 09:55:38 PM EST
The York City School District will, quite possibly, lose one of its three speech-language pathologists next year.  As much as she loves the students, Jessica Hoover said she cannot compromise her values to work for a charter-school company that pockets a profit.
"I will be looking for a new job," Hoover said Sunday. "I do not want to be involved in a for-profit charter. I don't think that they're in it for the students. I think they're in it for the money, and I don't want to be a part of that."  She is not alone. A York County judge's ruling Friday paves the way for a state appointee to follow through with his plan, unveiled in November, to convert the district to charter schools operated by a for-profit company called Charter Schools USA.
An appeal by district attorneys, also filed Friday, could slow that process. But for district employees and teachers like Kimberly Bolt, the clock is ticking louder and louder.

Did you catch our weekend postings? Coverage and reactions to state takeover of York City schools.
PA Ed Policy Roundup Dec 27: Grinch steals Democracy in York PA

Unchartered Territory: Charter conversion in York City and New Orleans
Research for Action by Mark Duffy and John Sludden  December 18, 2014
In less than a week, York County Judge Linebaugh will issue his ruling on whether the Department of Education-appointed receiver for the York City School District will have the authority to convert all of the community’s traditional public schools to charters. Such a conversion is without precedent in Pennsylvania, and nationally. Receivership transfers nearly all functions of an elected school board, other than setting the tax rate, to a single appointed official.
The receiver’s plan for York is to immediately transfer all district schools to a single charter operator. Such a move has drawn comparisons to New Orleans, which has transitioned the great majority of its public schools to charters as the city has worked to recover from Hurricane Katrina

"Choice? There will be no “choice” for the families of York City. Their children will have to attend a charter school whose headquarters are in Florida. Yes, it is the death of local control and democracy in York City."
York City, Pennsylvania, Outrage!
Diane Ravitch's Blog By dianeravitch December 27, 2014 //
Last Friday, a judge cleared the way to put the York City schools into receivership, meaning under state control. The Pennsylvania Department of Education previously announced its intention to hand over the entire school district to the for-profit charter chain Charter Schools of America.
Be it noted that today’s education “reformers” don’t much care for democracy. They would rather turn public schools over to a for-profit corporation that siphons off 20% in management fees and pays itself outlandish rental fees rather than trust parents and local citizens to do what’s best for their children.

Gap between rich, poor schools doubled in 4 years
Luzerne County Citizen's Voice By MARC LEVY, Associated Press Dec. 28, 2014 8:57 AM ET
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The gap between what wealthy districts and poor districts spend to educate children has widened dramatically in the four years since GOP Gov. Tom Corbett took office, amid deep budget-balancing cuts in state aid under Republican-controlled Harrisburg and long-delayed pension obligation payments coming due.  Gaps that existed when Corbett took office have now more than doubled, according to an Associated Press analysis of state data on spending, income and attendance.  The growing disparity that Corbett's successor, Democrat Tom Wolf, will inherit has helped Pennsylvania earn the label in one study as being among the worst states in educational disparity.  The perception of a damaged educational system under Corbett helped drive his loss in the Nov. 4 election, as Corbett defended his stance on education funding by saying it is more important how money is spent rather than how much is spent.

How PA public school district spending has changed
Williamsport SunGazette by Associated Press December 28, 2014
A look at how Pennsylvania public school spending is changing, overall and by district income levels, over the last four years. The figures are based on an Associated Press analysis of state Department of Education data on Pennsylvania's 500 school districts.

Wolf's education transition team has Philly connections
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN MCCORRY DECEMBER 28, 2014
With inauguration day less than a month away, Pennsylvania Gov.-elect Tom Wolf has been busy coming up to speed on a host of the commonwealth's most pressing issues.
After a running a campaign centered on increasing education equity, Wolf has appointed an education transition team with half of its membership connected to Philadelphia.

GOP draws lines as Wolf focuses on huge deficit
Philly.com by MARC LEVY, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Saturday, December 27, 2014, 3:09 PM
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - With Democratic Gov.-elect Tom Wolf touring Pennsylvania to drum out his message about state government's massive structural deficit, the leaders of the big Republican legislative majorities are sending their own message to him: Me first.
So far, Republican leaders say their ideas must come first before they will consider any tax increase, including on natural gas drilling. However, they are staking out positions that Wolf opposed during his campaign and that stalled under Republican Gov. Tom Corbett amid solid opposition by Democratic lawmakers.

Gov. Wolf and legislators, take heed; there's popular support for strong action on many fronts: Editorial
Penn Live By PennLive Editorial Board on December 26, 2014 at 1:21 PM, updated December 26, 2014 at 3:14 PM
For Pennsylvania, 2014 was the year a lot of things didn't happen, despite widespread popular support for change.  Legislators remain free to accept unlimited amounts of gifts from lobbyists and special interests. Despite taped evidence of Philadelphia colleagues taking cash from a lobbyist, legislators didn't even pass a law banning cash "gifts" once and for all.
Pennsylvanians who are gay won the right to get married, but in most parts of the state, they can be fired from their jobs or evicted from their homes just for being gay.
Pensions for state workers and teachers are still dangerously underfunded, despite painfully large and growing make-up contributions that drain money from current services and fuel resentment from taxpayers.  Many Pennsylvania schools have to jam students into bigger classes and scale back non-core courses that help give students a well-rounded education.  State money for schools is still skewed by ad hoc political deals that favor some places, rather than following a rational formula that applies evenhandedly across the state. 

Editorial: Gov.-elect Wolf must articulate a positive vision for Pennsylvania
Lancaster Online by The LNP Editorial Board Posted: Sunday, December 28, 2014 6:00 am | Updated: 1:42 pm, Sun Dec 28, 2014.
The Issue: Tom Wolf will be sworn in as Pennsylvania’s 47th governor on Jan. 20. He was elected by a wide margin in November, even as Republicans won big, increasing their party’s majorities in both houses of Pennsylvania’s General Assembly, winning control of the U.S. Senate, and picking up governorships in other states.  Gov.-elect Wolf beat Gov. Tom Corbett in a landslide after coasting through the Democratic primary.  He won so easily by coming out early in the campaign with positive TV ads that introduced him to the state’s voters as a likable, pragmatic, can-do leader. And his decisive victory gave him a mandate to reform education, bring some fairness to the tax system, and impose a severance tax on Marcellus Shale drilling.

Troubled Philly Palmer charter school says it's closing
JEREMY ROEBUCK, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Saturday, December 27, 2014, 11:28 PM
A cash-strapped charter school with two Philadelphia campuses has notified parents it plans to close for good this week. But officials from the School District of Philadelphia said Saturday night the decision was news to them.  In a notice posted on the school's website, administrators at the Walter D. Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School said its board had voted to permanently close the school Wednesday after months of financial turmoil. The words permanently close were in red. A letter dated Friday was sent out to parents with information about reenrolling their children at other schools.  But as of late Saturday, charter administrators had not yet notified the district of their plans, district spokesman Fernando Gallard said.

Phila. schools to immediately take students from closing Palmer charter elementary
ERIN ARVEDLUND, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Monday, December 29, 2014, 1:08 AM POSTED: Sunday, December 28, 2014, 7:02 PM
The Philadelphia School District said Sunday it would immediately accept transfer students from the abruptly shuttered William D. Palmer charter elementary school.   Students can start taking classes in the new year - even without transcripts, said Fernando Gallard, school district spokesman. Classes resume Jan. 3.  "What we're planning to do is accept students immediately without transcripts. The thing we have to be aware of is students with special needs," Gallard said.  Gallard said Sunday the charter administrators had notified the district of the imminent closure over the weekend.
"We are working on finalizing a transition plan for Palmer students. What that means basically is to get access to their records. It's very important. We have already had this issue where the parents have had trouble getting records when the Palmer high school closed."

Can positive student-teacher relations improve math scores?
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette December 29, 2014 12:00 AM
If a teacher goes to a student’s basketball game, will that help the student do better in math?
It might.  With a National Science Foundation grant, Pittsburgh Public Schools has embarked on an effort to develop positive student-teacher relationships to help every student learn math. The goal is to reduce the gap in student achievement, sometimes called the racial achievement gap or the opportunity gap.  The project is called DEbT-M, which stands for Designing for Equity by Thinking in and about Mathematics. It is funded by a nearly $8 million, five-year NSF grant. The project lead is the nonprofit Education Development Center, based in Waltham, Mass. Also participating are the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. Duquesne University serves as the outside evaluator. Teachers are paid $30 an hour, up to 220 hours a year, for extra work.

"At least part of one of those goals will be met within the first month of 2015, Heimel said. Austin Area School Superintendent Jerry Sasala will speak about the inequities before the Pennsylvania Basic Education Funding Commission — a group made up of 12 senators and representatives and three members of the governor’s cabinet."
Tax fairness coalition sets tough goals for 2015
Bradford Era By ALEX DAVIS Era Reporter a.davis@bradfordera.com Sunday, December 28, 2014 8:42 pm
Area leaders plan to continue into the new year their mission of getting money filtered back to rural areas that have significant amounts of state-owned land and oil, gas and timber industries.
The effort has been ongoing for several months, and now the State Land Tax Fairness Coalition has set strategies for 2015. In the end, the group wants two new laws: one that includes an increase in-lieu-of-taxes payments to school districts, counties and municipalities for state-owned lands, and the other for state-collected revenue from future gas and oil leases and timber sales on state-owned land to be shared with school districts, counties and municipalities.
“Political insiders describe this mission as an uphill battle, especially in an era when the state’s revenue projections have come up short by upwards of $2 billion in the current fiscal year,” said Potter County Commissioner Paul Heimel, who is one of the leaders of the State Land Tax Fairness Coalition. “They say that any new legislation that requires additional state expenditures will have to clear some very high hurdles.”  But, individuals who serve on the State Land Tax Fairness Coalition aren’t giving up.  Heimel laid out a six-point strategic plan at the most-recent meeting of the Potter County Board of Commissioners. That includes introducing new legislation; preparing professional maps, charts and other data to show the impact of high proportions of tax-exempt property on local tax bases; scheduling one-on-one meetings with individual senators and representatives to discuss the mission; and giving testimony before state committees.

Mark Gleason Turns 'Dump the Losers' Into a Pseudoscience
Defend Public Education Blog By Ken Derstine December 16, 2014
Mark Gleason, the Executive Director of the Philadelphia School Partnership, made national headlines in the spring of 2014 when, while participating on an education panel, he described the portfolio method of school reform of his organization as being based on a “dump the losers” philosophy. (See A Glimpse Behind the Curtain | Defend Public Education ) He wasn’t talking about a factory making consumer products; he was talking about public schools that are charged with educating the next generation.   In a new document released by the Philadelphia School Advocacy Partners, the new lobbying arm of the PSP set up by Mark Gleason and PSP, they double-down on “dump the losers”. Their first document One City, Two Systems of Schools gives the appearance of a scientifically researched document which justifies this “dump the losers” philosophy as the solution to the problems that plague Philadelphia’s public schools. 
This ten-page document is released just as the School Reform Commission, the entity set up after the state takeover of the School District in 2001, is holding hearings on forty applications for new chartersin Philadelphia. Today, Philadelphia has 89 charters with 67,000 students. PSP is campaigning to have many of the District’s 214 public schools turned into charters.

NYT Opinion: Rage Against the Common Core
New York Times Sunday Review Opinion By DAVID L. KIRP DEC. 27, 2014
STARTING in the mid-1990s, education advocates began making a simple argument: National education standards will level the playing field, assuring that all high school graduates are prepared for first-year college classes or rigorous career training.  While there are reasons to doubt that claim — it’s hard to see how Utah, which spends less than one-third as much per student as New York, can offer a comparable education — the movement took off in 2008, when the nation’s governors and education commissioners drove a huge effort to devise “world-class standards,” now known as the Common Core.  Although the Obama administration didn’t craft the standards, it weighed in heavily, using some of the $4.35 billion from the Race to the Top program to encourage states to adopt not only the Common Core (in itself, a good thing) but also frequent, high-stakes testing (which is deeply unpopular). The mishandled rollout turned a conversation about pedagogy into an ideological and partisan debate over high-stakes testing. The misconception that standards and testing are identical has become widespread.  At least four states that adopted the Common Core have opted out. Republican governors who initially backed the standards condemn them as “shameless government overreach.”

"That omission puts Duncan pretty much in line with the majority of education insiders surveyed by Whiteboard Advisors, a government-relations organization in Washington. On the most recent poll conducted by the group, just 40 percent of insiders expected to see NCLB renewal in 2015."
Arne Duncan's Edu-Predictions for 2015
Education Week By Alyson Klein on December 24, 2014 10:32 AM
We've got just a few more days before it's time to put on the New Year's Eve dancing shoes and break open the champagne. So what's U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan predicting for next year?
·         More than 60,000 additional children will enroll in high-quality early learning. (I think he's hoping for good results from the administration's new Preschool Development Grant program and other initiatives.)
·         Six hundred new commitments by colleges, organizations, and companies will help thousands more students prepare for and graduate from college. (Sounds like he's putting a lot of stock in the White House's recent higher education summit.)
·         Ten million more students will have high-speed Internet access (That would mean a great success for the Obama administration's E-rate initiative.)
·         America's  high school graduation rate will set a record—again. (Graduation rates were, indeed, at an all-time high this year, but it's noteworthy that big achievement gaps remain. What's more, the metric in question has only been required since 2008, and only uniformly used since 2012. Plus, grad rates went from 79 percent to 80 percent, hardly a dramatic jump. Still, a record's a record.)
Not on Duncan's list? A reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, a top priority for both U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., the chairman of the House education committee, and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the incoming chairman of the Senate education panel.


January 23rd–25th, 2015 at The Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia
EduCon is both a conversation and a conference.
It is an innovation conference where we can come together, both in person and virtually, to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an opportunity to discuss and debate ideas — from the very practical to the big dreams.

PSBA Master School Board Director Recognition: Applications begin in January
PSBA website December 23, 2014
The Master School Board Director (MSBD) Recognition is for individuals who have demonstrated significant contributions as members of their governance teams. It is one way PSBA salutes your hard work and exceptional dedication to ethics and standards, student success and achievement, professional development, community engagement, communications, stewardship of resources, and advocacy for public education.
School directors who are consistently dedicated to the aforementioned characteristics should apply or be encouraged to apply by fellow school directors. The MSBD Recognition demonstrates your commitment to excellence and serves to encourage best practices by all school directors.
The application will be posted Jan. 15, 2015, with a deadline to apply of June 30. Recipients will be notified by the MSBD Recognition Committee by Aug. 31 and will be honored at the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference in October.
If you are interested in learning more about the MSBD Recognition, contact Janel Biery, conference/events coordinator, at (800) 932-0588, ext. 3332.