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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for June 5, 2015:
YES - YOU: Come to Harrisburg
COMMUNITY MEETING: PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING
IN BERKS COUNTY
Berks County IU June 23, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Come to Harrisburg on June 23rd for an All for
Education Day Rally!
Education Voters PA website June 1, 2015
Wolf said he wants to see an
effective state budget, even if it is not passed on time. "If the choice is between having an
on-time budget that really doesn't address the problems honestly, to a budget
that's a little late because it does address the real issues, I'll take a late
budget that addresses the substantive issues," he said.
Governor Wolf: "I'll Take a Late Budget"
WICU Erie By John Last Posted: Jun 04, 2015 5:36 PM Updated: Jun
04, 2015 6:19 PM
The deadline to pass
a state budget is June 30. So, Governor Tom Wolf is keeping busy
defending his budget proposals. The
governor sat down with for a satellite interview with 12News/SEE News. He
told reporter John Last that citizens are tired of the political games that are
usually played during the budget process. He says he was elected to bring
change. He wants the legislature to approve his ideas to impose a severance
tax on gas drillers to pay for public education. He also wants a boost in
the sales tax and income tax. He says that money would allow school
districts to lower property taxes.
"One way or the other, we have to invest in education. And,
one way or the other, we've got to make sure schools like Erie, like York, like
the schools in Tioga County, Perry County, work," Wolf said.
http://www.erietvnews.com/story/29243479/governor-wolf-ill-take-a-late-budget
http://www.erietvnews.com/story/29243479/governor-wolf-ill-take-a-late-budget
Turning up the budget heat
in Harrisburg
WHYY Newsworks BY PHIL GREGORY June JUNE 5, 2015
A Pennsylvania budget deadline looms at the
end of the month, but Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican lawmakers remain divided on
a spending plan. Entities that rely on
the state for funding have cautioned about the headaches caused by lengthy
budget standoffs. But Wolf has said he's not resigned to a late state budget. "I understand the problems that causes
for nonprofits, for social service agencies. I understand the problems it
causes for people looking for some predictability in terms of their job,"
Wolf said Thursday. Wolf and the
Republican-controlled Legislature remain divided over their various proposals
and priorities, including the governor's education spending increases, the
Senate's public pension reductions, and the House's property tax cuts.
EDITORIAL: Local schools
achieve zero-tax hike budgets despite state delay
No one wants to see
a higher tax bill, and property owners in at least three area school districts
and likely a fourth, are getting their wish this year. School boards in Pottstown ,
Daniel Boone Area and Phoenixville Area have already approved budget plans with
a zero tax increase, and Pottsgrove is so close it’s nearly a sure thing. The trend, if it can be called that, has not
gone unnoticed in other neighboring districts.
Boyertown Area School Board member John Landino said in voting for a
$106 million budget with a 2.49 percent tax hike that the districts which have
approved no tax increase are banking on an increase in school funding coming
from Harrisburg . Gov. Tom
Wolf’s proposed
budget restores cuts to basic education and increases the state’s
share of funding for public education to 50 percent with a commitment to invest
$2 billion in public education over the next four years. For Pottstown School District
"For the state's test
scores to draw sanction, more than 5 percent of all Pennsylvania Philadelphia Philadelphia Lower Merion
School District , a district
one-twentieth the size of Philadelphia Lower Merion 's
opt-out rate last year, something opt-out advocates view as a victory."
Sanctions or success:
Hundreds of Philly students opted-out of standardized tests this year
WHYY Newsworks BY LAURA BENSHOFF JUNE 4, 2015
This spring, Tonya
Bah sent a letter to parents with children at Wagner Middle School West Oak Lane ,
where her daughter Fulani is in the eighth grade. In the letter, she shared why she didn't
think standardized tests helped students at Wagner, and explained how to opt
them out using the School
District of Philadelphia
"State representatives
and senators have formed a work group “aimed at hammering out redistricting
reform legislation” that would help spread the power of Democracy. The impetus:
A recent Penn State
Capitol Ideas: Lawmakers fed up with Pennsylvania
Morning Call By Steve
Esack Call Harrisburg Bureau June 4, 2015
Ever need a good
laugh? Then check out some lawmakers’
legislative district maps on the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’
website. Some of the maps look like the political cartographers spent way too
much time watching Sid & Marty Krofft's children’s shows in the 1960s. Republican Rep. Martina White’s district
looks like a “Land of the Lost” dinosaur eating Northeast
Philadelphia . Democratic Rep. Mike Schlossberg’s Allentown
district resembles a giant crab muscling its way into Bethlehem . Republican Rep. Keith Greiner’s
district looks like sleestak eating Intercourse, Lancaster County Lake Erie .
PSEA: Proposed pension overhaul a 'disaster' for
teacher recruiting
By Sam Janesch /
Post-Gazette Harrisburg
Bureau June 4, 2015 5:12 PM
Speaking at a House
committee hearing Thursday, Mike Crossey, president of the Pennsylvania State
Education Association, said the overhaul represented “intergenerational theft,”
because future public school teachers and state workers would be paying some of
the state debt through the changes proposed to the pension plans. “It will be a disaster trying to recruit new
highly qualified employees into the system,” Mr. Crossey said. The PSEA is the
state’s largest teachers union. Pension
restructuring legislation quickly passed the Senate last month and would
require state and school employees hired before a 2010 pensions law to choose
between paying a higher contribution to their retirement, or having their
benefits accrue at a lower rate.
Montgomery News By Jarreau Freeman jfreeman@montgomerynews.com @JarreauFreeman
on Twitter Published: Thursday, June 04, 2015
FRANCONIA >> Souderton Area School District Pennsylvania . “This board stands behind … this resolution
100 percent,” board President Scott Jelinski said. “This board has been tasked
with getting more involved with the laws that are in Harrisburg . We really need to keep a tighter
eye on what’s going on and that’s our goal. As a board, I really think we are
pushing through.” Montgomery County
Intermediate Unit Legislative Services and Grants Development Director Tina
Viletto, who spoke at a North Penn School Board meeting in April, said that at
this time there is no “clear, consistent determination as to how a school
district receives its funds [from the state].”
Souderton is joining North Penn, who passed a similar resolution last
month, encouraging legislators to consider a fair funding formula. The North
Penn School Board also expressed support of the Circuit Riders — a group that
is campaigning for fair education funding in the state by promoting the
Campaign for Fair Education Funding. The campaign is an initiative spearheaded
by approximately 50 educational, religious and business organizations working
to develop their own funding formula proposal to be submitted to legislators
for future consideration.
School districts dispute AIU figures on overdue
billings
By Mary Niederberger
/ Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette June 5, 2015 12:00 AM
The state of
finances in the special education department of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit
appears to be getting murkier a week after the agency eliminated 20 positions
and executive director Linda Hippert said there was $6 million in overdue
billings from school districts.
Dan Matsook, acting
superintendent of the Wilkinsburg
School District
"The contract will be
funded, in part, by taxpayer increases in alignment with Act 1 under the
assumption of an index of about 1.9 percent annually. The district also
anticipates revenue increases generated by new commercial development.
Contract terms call for
teachers to have an increase in their healthcare premium, starting with an 8
percent contribution in the first year, and increasing to a 13 percent
contribution by year five, as well as modifications in their prescription plan.
The prescription plan changes require teachers to use CVS pharmacies and follow
guidelines regarding generic drugs, allowing the district to see $850,000 in
savings over the five years of the contract.
The contract also includes
language that protects the district from incurring the 40 percent additional
costs resulting from and Affordable Care Act provision expected to go into
effect in 2018."
Garnet Valley School
Board, teachers ink five-year deal
Delco Times By Susan L. Serbin, Times Correspondent POSTED: 06/04/15, 11:36 PM EDT
CONCORD >> The
Garnet Valley School Board and Garnet Valley Education Association have
approved a five-year contract after 18 months of negotiations. The board voted
Thursday night with unanimous support. On
June 3, the education association, which has a membership of 389, ratified the
contract with a “healthy majority,” said association President Kathleen
Petrini. The contract is
retroactive to July 1, 2014, ending June 30, 2019. The agreement includes a 3.8
percent average salary increase over the five years of the contract, aligning Garnet Valley
Conneaut wants to avoid
tax hike though it faces more than $1M shortfall
LINESVILLE —
Conneaut School Board is determined to pass the district’s 2015-16 budget
without a tax increase. And even while the board doesn’t plan to increase
taxes, it is also still looking for ways to trim a more than $1 million
deficit. Business Manager Kara Onorato
informed the board the $1.6 million budget deficit had been trimmed by about
$340,000 due to retirements and transportation savings. The district’s current
$1.3 million deficit is roughly $640,000 less than the $1.94 million deficit
Onorato originally showed the board in March.
There will be five teacher retirements, but the district is filling only
three of those sports, Superintendent Jarrin Sperry said. That represents
$257,000 in savings to the district. Moving
the emotional support classroom from Conneaut
Valley Middle
School to Conneaut
Lake Middle
School
Philly Council introduces
framework of school funding strategy
WHYY Newsworks BY TOM MACDONALD JUNE 4, 2015
Philadelphia Mayor
Michael Nutter's plan to raise $105 million in recurring revenue for the city
schools by hiking property taxes nearly 10 percent has hit a brick wall in City
Council.
Council members have
spent much of the spring looking for an alternative to fill the school
district's budget hole. A
compromise is evolving, though it is far from final. City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, a
champion of education, said she can't stomach the thought of a $105 million
property tax hike. "I've been
against real estate taxes," she said Thursday. "I'm always against
real estate taxes, I hate a real estate tax." Among other things, the compromise City
Council is considering calls for raising about $50 million from real
estate taxes and increasing the city's use and occupancy tax about $10 million.
Phila. schools set to
outsource teacher substitutes
KRISTEN A.
GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST
UPDATED: Thursday, June 4, 2015, 5:42 PM POSTED: Thursday, June 4,
2015, 5:22 PM
The Philadelphia School District
is poised to pay a Cherry Hill firm up to $34
million to provide substitute teachers for its classrooms over two school
years. Expected to be enacted later this
month, the move to privatize 1,324 jobs will save the school system $10 million
annually and mean fewer lost learning opportunities for students, officials
said. But the action has already ignited
controversy. Outraged over the
outsourcing of substitute spots and other positions now held by its members,
the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has planned informational pickets for
Friday. All per-diem and long-term substitutes are now unionized.
Over Soup Dinner, Philadelphia
Education Week Teacher By Ross
Brenneman Published Online:
June 3, 2015
School Vouchers for All? Nevada
Education Week
Charters and Choice Blog By Arianna Prothero on June 4, 2015
9:19 AM
Sweeping.
Groundbreaking. Historic.
Those are the words
school choice advocates are using to describe a new Nevada law that will give public school
parents near total control over the way state education dollars are spent on
their children. Why? Because the level
of school choice this law will permit in Nevada
is unprecedented: All parents of public school students will be allowed to use
state funding earmarked for their child toward tuition or other expenses
related to a nonpublic education. That includes
religious private schools and even home schooling. By comparison, in the handful of other states
that offer similar-styled programs, they're reserved for certain small
populations—mostly students with disabilities. Those states also have caps on
how many students can participate, while Nevada
does not. Under Nevada 's new law, which was passed by the
legislature last week and signed by Gov. Brian Sandoval on
Tuesday, the only stipulation for eligibility is that a student must have
been enrolled in a public school for 100 consecutive days. That means 93
percent of students in the state will be eligible for the new program,
according to the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.
"Windsor Locks Public
Schools, which adopted the Core standards two years ago, is now pushing the
educational envelope even further by seeking to have their students earn
diplomas on the basis of competency alone."
Student-centered learning is based on competency,
rather than seat-time
Student-centered
learning puts the focus on the student
While a good portion
of the country is still debating the merits of the Common Core standards, a
local school district is moving beyond the controversy. By implementing new
strategies under which education professionals will marry Common Core and
"student-centered learning," Windsor Locks Public Schools, which
adopted the Core standards two years ago, is now pushing the educational
envelope even further by seeking to have their students earn diplomas on the
basis of competency alone. Student-centered
learning is a philosophy of education which takes the spotlight off of the test
and the teacher and puts it on the student. There is a strong focus on students
making a healthy connection with caring adults from very early on in the
education process. They are directed to demonstrate competency in a subject,
rather than finishing the requisite number of hours allotted for a subject, and
ultimately, be awarded a diploma based on mastery of knowledge and skills.
Come to Harrisburg
Education Voters PA website June 1, 2015
On June 23 at the Capitol in Harrisburg, Education Voters will be
joining together with more than 50 organizations to send a clear message to
state lawmakers that we expect them to fund our schools in this year’s
budget. Click
HERE for more information and to register for the June 23 All for Education Day
in Harrisburg. Join us as we speak up for the importance of
funding our schools fairly and at sufficient levels, so that every student in
PA has an opportunity to learn. Community,
parent, education advocacy, faith, and labor organizations will join together with
school, municipal, and community officials to hold a press conference and rally
at 12:00 in the main rotunda and to make arrangements to meet with legislators
before and after the rally. We must send
a strong message to state lawmakers that we are watching them and expect them
to pass a state budget that will fund our schools this year. Please come to
Harrisburg on June 23 to show broad support for a fair budget for education
this year.
Register Now – PAESSP
State Conference – Oct. 18-20 – State College, PA
Registration is now
open for PAESSP's State Conference to be held October 18-20 at The
Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College, PA! This year's
theme is @EVERYLEADER and features three nationally-known keynote
speakers (Dr. James Stronge, Justin Baeder and Dr. Mike Schmoker), professional
breakout sessions, a legal update, exhibits, Tech Learning Labs and many
opportunities to network with your colleagues (Monday evening event with Jay
Paterno). Once again, in conjunction
with its conference, PAESSP will offer two 30-hour Act 45 PIL-approved
programs, Linking Student Learning to Teacher Supervision and Evaluation
(pre-conference offering on 10/17/15); and Improving Student Learning
Through Research-Based Practices: The Power of an Effective Principal (held
during the conference, 10/18/15 -10/20/15). Register for either or both PIL
programs when you register for the Full Conference!
REGISTER TODAY for
the Conference and Act 45 PIL program/s at:
Apply
now for EPLC’s 2015-2016 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program
Applications are
available now for the 2015-2016
Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).
The Education Policy Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania by The
Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC).
With more than 400 graduates in its first sixteen years, this
Program is a premier professional development opportunity for educators, state
and local policymakers, advocates, and community leaders. State Board of
Accountancy (SBA) credits are available to certified public accountants. Past participants include state policymakers,
district superintendents and principals, charter school leaders, school
business officers, school board members, education deans/chairs, statewide
association leaders, parent leaders, education advocates, and other education
and community leaders. Fellows are typically sponsored by their employer
or another organization. The Fellowship
Program begins with a two-day retreat on September 17-18, 2015 and
continues to graduation in June 2016.
Click here to read about the Education Policy Fellowship
Program.
Sign up here to receive a weekly
email update on the status of efforts to have Pennsylvania adopt an adequate,
equitable, predictable and sustainable Basic Education Funding Formula by 2016
Sign up to support fair funding »
Campaign for Fair
Education Funding website
Our goal is to
ensure that every student has access to a quality education no matter where
they live. To make that happen, we need to fundamentally change how public
schools are funded. The current system is not fair to students or taxpayers and
our campaign partners – more than 50 organizations from across Pennsylvania -
agree that it has to be changed now. Student performance is stagnating. School
districts are in crisis. Lawmakers have the ability to change this formula but
they need to hear from you. You
can make a difference »
COMMUNITY MEETING: PUBLIC
SCHOOL FUNDING IN BERKS COUNTY
Berks County IU June 23,
7:00 - 8:30 pm
Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 Time:7:00 – 8:30 p.m. | Registration begins
at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Berks County Intermediate Unit, 1111 Commons Boulevard,
Reading, PA 19605
Local school district leaders will discuss how state funding issues are
impacting our children’s education opportunities, our local taxes, and our
communities. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn how you
can support fair and adequate state funding for public schools in Berks County. State lawmakers who represent Berks County
have been invited to attend to learn about challenges facing area schools.
PILCOP: Adequately and
Fairly Funding Pennsylvania Schools: What are the Needs and Where Does the
Money Come From? (Live Webinar)
June 8, 2015, 12:00 — 2:00 P.M.
June 8, 2015, 12:00 — 2:00 P.M.
Acting Secretary of
Education Pedro Rivera and Wolf administration Budget Director Sharon Ward will
speak about What Schools Need and Where the Money Can Come From in a webinar on
June 8th. Other presenters will include PILCOP attorney Michael
Churchill and ELC interim executive director Deborah Gordon Klehr. Click here to register.
Governor Wolf has
proposed $500 million in new funding for public schools starting this July. He
has proposed as shale extraction tax and increases in personal income and sales
taxes to pay for this. This Philadelphia
Bar Association Education Law Section and PBI are hosting a webinar that will
focus on how much public schools need and differing proposals on how state
funds should be distributed this year and in the future. Other focuses will
include the current local tax burdens for public schools and issues concerning
how the state should raise revenues to pay for these programs. The program will also provide information
about the components of a good funding formula and look at the work of the
Basic Education Funding Commission and the state-wide Campaign for Fair
Education Funding, of which we are a leading member.
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