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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup November 5, 2015:
Choice for choice sake: For 3rd year in a row, no PA
cyber achieved a passing score of 70 on SPP; most never made AYP
Contact
your legislator now! Demand your state
legislator and Governor Wolf take action to resolve the budget stalemate now
and provide adequate state funding to our public schools.
PA School Boards Association, PA Association of School Administrators,
PA Association of School Business Officials, PA Principals Association
Register for PSBA Budget
Action Day on Monday, Nov. 16 — Join us!
In Philly to back port
development, Wolf addresses hardships of budget stalemate
WHYY Newsworks BY AARON MOSELLE NOVEMBER 4, 2015
Experts say it could be weeks before a new spending plan is in place.
Sturla, Cutler share
optimism for state budget compromise
While Harrisburg
remains divided on a 128-day-late state budget, two party leaders say they're
optimistic. House Democratic Policy
Chairman Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster, and House Majority Whip Rep. Bryan
Cutler, R-Peach Bottom, are Lancaster
County
Timesd Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL
Published: November 5, 2015
Without a state budget, the Scranton
School District
At a special meeting Wednesday night, the school board approved
the $14.3 million tax anticipation note and voted to file a petition with the
court to take on as much as $32 million in unfunded debt to pay off that note,
as well as a tax anticipation note issued earlier in the year. The district is the latest in the region to borrow money to keep students
in the classroom. With the state in its fifth month without a budget, area
schools have not received state funding since June. But with Scranton one of only two districts in the
state operating on a calendar-year budget, the funding situation is even more
difficult. Not only will passing a
balanced 2016 budget be difficult next month, school districts are required to
pay off tax anticipation notes within the year they were incurred. At the
beginning of the year, the district borrowed $18.5 million to provide revenue
before cash flow began. Without state funding, the district has been unable to
pay the note back.
For Gov. Tom Wolf,
Tuesday's election was a tale of two Harrisburgs: Analysis
Penn Live By John L. Micek |
jmicek@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on November 04, 2015 at 4:11 PM, updated November 04, 2015 at 6:51 PM
These are some interesting times for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. Defying national trends that saw liberals get their hats handed to them from sea to shining,
etc. on Tuesday, Wolf's party romped to victory in a historic and insanely expensive state
Supreme Court contest whose results will have years-long implications. On the other hand, state Republicans flipped a key Senate seat in Pittsburgh's southern
and western suburbs, expanding their advantage to 31-19 in the 50-member
chamber, and putting them on a potential path to a 34-seat, veto-proof majority
heading into the 2016 campaign. Then
there's the small
matter of Pennsylvania's budget stalemate, which is now five months old --
though it really seems endless.
What does the changing Pa.
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN
MCCORRY NOVEMBER 4, 2015
The results of Tuesday's Pennsylvania Supreme Court election could have
wide-ranging implications for a number of high-profile cases related to
education issues in Pennsylvania .
Three Democrats swept the open seats on the state's highest court –
shifting the balance of power 5-to-2 in their favor when they assume the bench
in January. Superior Court Judge
Christine Donohue, 62, of Pittsburgh ;
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Kevin Dougherty, 53; and Superior
Court Judge David Wecht, 55, of Pittsburgh
edged out their Republican opponents and one independent. Traditional public education advocates
closely followed the race, anticipating that a shake-up in favor of the
Democrats could mean rulings favorable to their interests. The biggest education-related case the new
court is expected to hear will be one brought by the Education Law Center and
the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia that asserts that the
legislative and executive branches of state government have failed to deliver
"a thorough and efficient" education to all children, as promised in
Pennsylvania's Constitution.
Dougherty, Dems sweep Pa.
JOHN BAER, DAILY NEWS POLITICAL COLUMNIST November 4, 2015, 12:16 AM
AND SO from the ashes of yet another nobody knows/nobody cares statewide
judicial election come results open to interpretation about state politics and
the state's political future. Three
Democrats with strong union backing, including Philly Judge Kevin Dougherty,
swept three open seats on the state's highest (and sometimes highly
embarrassed) court. Their win in what
national court-watchers call the most expensive state Supreme Court race in
U.S. history, topping $15 million, gives Democrats majority control of the
seven-member court beginning in January. So, are Democrats and unions clawing
back? Is the stage now set for long-term
Democratic gains in Harrisburg ? Or is it simply that judicial politics, like
the rest of politics, is mostly about the money?
Impact of Pa.
Penn Live By Wallace McKelvey
| WMckelvey@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on November 04, 2015 at 8:24 PM, updated November 04, 2015 at 10:55 PM
Tuesday's election of three Democrats to the Pennsylvania
Supreme Court could have far-reaching impacts on state policy, politics and
campaign fundraising. "You'll be
feeling the ramifications for the next 20 years," said Bob Asher, GOP
national committeeman and chair of a prominent political action committee. Elections in non-presidential years tend to
favor Republicans, but experts say the Democrats leveraged record fundraising
in order to upturn the political makeup of the Republican-controlled court. Of
$15.8 million raised by the seven candidates, nearly $9 million went to the
three Democrats. Why does it matter? As the state's highest appellate court,
Supreme Court decisions impact all residents and set precedents that ripple out
across the judicial system. It will likely play a key role, as it has for
decades, in the next redistricting process after the 2020 Census, which in turn
could shift the balance of power in the Legislature. "I'm not going to say the courts are
corrupt, but they tend to favor the like-minded party," said Asher, who
pointed to issues as diverse as government collection of union dues and school
funding formulas that could be decided by the new 5-2 majority.
Poll finds voters still
want new tax on gas drillers
State Impact BY MARIE CUSICK NOVEMBER 4, 2015 | 3:20 PM
F&M's public opinion polls show consistent public support for a gas
severance tax.
The latest public opinion poll from Franklin and Marshall College shows
solid public support for a new tax on the state’s natural gas
drillers. But the levy remains one of the hot topics that continue to
stall state budget negotiations in Harrisburg . As the budget impasse drags on into its fourth month,
F&M pollster Terry Madonna thinks enacting a new tax on the gas industry
would be a natural compromise between the Republican-led legislature and
Democratic Governor Tom Wolf to raise new revenue for the state. Madonna says in the three years he’s been
polling on the issue, it’s clear Pennsylvanians want a tax on drillers. His
latest survey shows 67 percent support. “I
would expect to a severance tax as part the [budget] final package,” he says.
“Maybe not a five percent tax, but something smaller. I would also expect to
see the impact fee kept, because of the monies that brings.”
"It may seem hard to believe, but
until fairly recently in our history, the main purpose of public education was
preparing the next generation for the responsibilities of citizenship. In fact,
initially citizenship was the entire point of a public education. When, in the
1740s, Ben Franklin first proposed the creation of public schools in Pennsylvania
Their view: Teach students
about citizenship
Centre Daily Times Opinion BY DAVID HUTCHINSON November 4, 2015
David
Hutchinson is a member of the State College Area school board and chairman of
the Public Issues Forum of Centre
County
It may seem hard to believe, but until fairly recently in our history,
the main purpose of public education was preparing the next generation for the
responsibilities of citizenship. In fact, initially citizenship was the entire
point of a public education. When, in the 1740s, Ben Franklin first proposed
the creation of public schools in Pennsylvania ,
it was to the end of “creating citizens who could make wise political
decisions.” For many years, citizenship
education was prominently acknowledged as a core part of the State College Area
School District
Schools see overall drop
in statewide performance scores
By Clarece Polke / Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette November 5, 2015 12:00 AM
School districts statewide saw a slight downward trend in School
Performance Profile scores released Wednesday.
But only high schools were included in the third year of the
state-mandated school assessments, with the focus shifting to end-of-course
Keystone exams for secondary students. Schools
that administered the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests for
students in grades 3-8 were excluded from the profile scores. This was the
first year the PSSA was administered with new, more stringent academic
standards, causing a significant drop in test scores for elementary and
intermediate students. As a result, the state Department of Education decided,
those schools were not given SPP scores.
The SPP scores, which grade individual schools on a scale of 100, are
largely based on student performance on standardized tests and the amount of
growth students showed during the 2014-15 school year. Other factors include graduation
rates, participation in Advanced Placement courses and attendance.
State
releases School Performance Profiles.
the notebook By David
Limm on Nov 4, 2015 05:06 PM
High schools received their grades Wednesday as the Pennsylvania
Department of Education (PDE) released the School Performance
Profile scores that it uses to rate schools, along with results on the
Keystone Exams. The state's school
accountability system provides a snapshot of student achievement and growth
that takes into account numerous measures, with most of the weight going to
standardized test scores. Statewide,
proficiency rates on the math and English Keystones remained flat from last
year. But overall school ratings dipped across the state, said Matt Stem,
deputy secretary for elementary and secondary education. “The overall trend is slightly
downward," he said. "There are a number of schools that improved
their SPP scores year after year.” But a larger number had decreases, he said. Only those schools with an 11th grade -- the
year students' Keystone results are counted -- received scores for the
2014-15 school year. Schools that only administered the PSSAs, which are given
in elementary and middle grades, did not receive an SPP score.
More than half of Beaver
County
"No cyber school reached 70. At the
top of the list, 21st Century Cyber scored a 69.2, an improvement of 3.2
points. Esperanza Cyber's score of 31.7, a 16-point drop, ranked lowest among
13 schools that took the high school-level Keystone exam."
Montco school No. 1 inPa.
Montco school No. 1 in
KATHY BOCCELLA AND
DYLAN PURCELL, INQUIRER STAFF
WRITERS LAST UPDATED: Thursday, November 5, 2015, 1:08 AM Wednesday,
November 4, 2015, 6:22 PM
James Crisfield knew that Wissahickon
High School scored very well on the
latest School Performance Profile, but on Wednesday, the superintendent was
surprised to learn that the school was No. 1 in Pennsylvania . While Crisfield called it "a nice
honor," he said the 101.8 SPP score, weighted heavily by standardized
tests, isn't necessarily the best indicator of student achievement. Lynne Blair, principal at the Montgomery County
York Daily Record by Angie Mason, amason@ydr.com6:30 p.m. EST November 4, 2015
Most York County
Performance scores decline
in most Lancaster
County
Only a handful of local high schools will be celebrating the state
ratings they received this week. The state Department of Education on Wednesday released 2014-2015
performance scores for all Pennsylvania
high schools. In Lancaster
County
Report card for state's
high schools show overall decline
Penn Live By Jan Murphy |
jmurphy@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on
November 04, 2015 at 6:02 PM, updated November 04, 2015 at 6:03 PM
The report cards for Pennsylvania
school buildings with 11th grade were released on Wednesday and
provided many schools across the state with no reason to throw a celebratory
pizza party. Overall, department officials the academic performance scores for 2014-15
went down, but were not readily able to say by how much. But looking just at the eight midstate
counties, that trend bore out. More than half of the 58 schools with 11th grade
saw their academic score decline, while only 15 saw improvement. Statewide, 53 percent of schools with 11th grade
achieved an academic score of 70 or better, which the former Gov. Tom Corbett administration considered as representing a
passing score.
School report cards have
some benefit for school districts, though they are far from perfect
Penn Live By Rachel Bunn |
rbunn@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on November 04, 2015 at 4:29 PM, updated November 04, 2015 at 6:49 PM
When it comes to the Pennsylvania
School Performance Profiles, local schools that saw grades improve are few
and far between, though school officials were divided over the grading system
itself.
In Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin,Lebanon, Lancaster, Perry and York counties, 15 high schools saw scores improve in the
2014-2015 school year over the previous year.
But for the nearly 60 other high schools in the area, the profile scores
saw either a decline or little to no change in the letter grades.
46 laid off at Inquirer,
Daily News, Philly.com
WHYY Newsworks DAVE DAVIES OFF MIC A
BLOG BY DAVE DAVIES
NOVEMBER 4, 2015
Nearly 50 journalists at the Philadelphia Daily News, Inquirer and
Philly.com got pink slips today, as the company downsizes to save money. Dana DiFilippo, a 16-year veteran of the
Daily News who's done breaking news, investigative stories, and won awards, was
stunned when she was summoned to editor Michael Days' office and told she's
gone. "I didn't even stay to sign
off my computer," DiFilippo said. "I just left. It's really not fun
to have to have to hug people that you've worked together so long with
goodbye." Howard Gensler, president
of the Newspaper Guild Local 10, said the 46 layoffs aren't apportioned equally
among the companies properties. The Inquirer, which has the biggest staff, is losing 12 jobs, while 17
are gone from the Daily News, and another 17 from Philly.com.
"What is the secret sauce? There are
many elements: deliberately designed, coherent coursework linked to classroom
practice; a dedicated faculty who model strong pedagogical practices; and
committed cooperating teachers and university supervisors. But what may be the
most critical element is the engagement of candidates in a full year of student
teaching consisting of a summer school led by expert teachers and continued
mentoring through the full academic year. The cooperating educators who work
with student teachers—like many well-prepared and experienced professionals in
Bay Area schools, have made a commitment to teach all students equitably and
well."
The secret
sauce: the right way to teach the teachers
Teacher preparation has become one of
the most contentious areas in the modern school reform area, with traditional
schools of education under attack (in some cases, for good reason), and
alternative programs becoming popular with school reformers (in some cases,
with inadequate instruction). Here’s a piece on the right way to teach the teachers,
by the renowned education expert Linda Darling-Hammond, who knows as much about
the subject as anyone. Darling-Hammond is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor
of Education at Stanford
University
Study: Most states link
student learning to teacher reviews
Inquirer by JENNIFER
C. KERR, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS POSTED: Wednesday,
November 4, 2015, 4:29 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) - The vast majority of states now require that teachers
be evaluated, at least in part, on student test scores - up sharply from six
years ago. And in many states, those performance reviews could lead to a pink
slip. The comprehensive state-by-state
analysis released Wednesday by the National Council on Teacher Quality shows 42
states and the District of Columbia
have policies on the books requiring that student growth and achievement be
considered in evaluations for public school teachers. In 2009, only 15 states
linked scores to teacher reviews. In 28
states, teachers with "ineffective ratings are eligible for
dismissal," said the report by the Washington-based think tank. A majority of states adopted
performance-based teacher evaluations as part of the Obama administration's
Race to the Top initiative, which has awarded $4 billion in grant money to
states that promised reforms such as linking test scores to teacher reviews and
adopting higher academic standards such as Common Core.
"Mr. Schleicher doesn’t quite agree.
Comparing the United States
School
vs. Society in America’s Failing Students
New York Times by Eduardo Porter NOV. 3, 2015
Here’s the good news: American schools may not be as bad as we have been
led to believe.
Ah, but here’s the bad news: The rest of American society is failing its
disadvantaged citizens even more than we realize. The question is, Should
educators be responsible for fixing this? The perennial debate about the state of public education starts with a
single, seemingly unassailable fact. American students sorely lag their peers
in other rich nations and even measure up poorly compared with students in some
less advanced countries.
Key Spending Provision in
House ESEA Bill's Cross Hairs
'Maintenance of effort' a facet of law from
start
Education Week By Andrew
Ujifusa Published Online: November 3, 2015
Ever since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act into law in 1965, education funding advocates have
relied on a highly technical provision they see as a safeguard for ensuring
money earmarked for the nation's most disadvantaged students is used as
originally intended. As congressional
lawmakers continue to negotiate a final bill for the latest reauthorization of
the ESEA, those advocates now have cause to be nervous. What's known as the "maintenance of
effort" provision requires that districts spend in their current fiscal
year at least 90 percent of what they spent in state and district funds in the
previous fiscal year, in order to get at least that much money again under
various federal programs, including Title I grant money for low-income
students. Otherwise, their federal funding for those programs is reduced
proportionately. But under the bill to
reauthorize ESEA approved by the House of Representatives earlier this year,
that maintenance-of-effort requirement would be eliminated.
Register for PSBA Budget Action Day on Monday, Nov. 16
— Join us!
For more than four months Pennsylvanians have gone without a state budget,
and school districts are feeling the pain.
As the budget stalemate continues, many school districts across the
state are depleting savings or borrowing to meet expenses. In addition to loan
interest payments and fees, schools are taking many other steps to curtail
spending and keep school doors open.
PSBA is asking you to join us at the Harrisburg Capitol on Monday, Nov.
16 to take action. Let our legislators know that a state budget is critical to
the education of our public school children in Pennsylvania . Budget Action Day, Capitol
Building , Harrisburg , PA
WESA Public Forum:
Equitable Education Funding Nov. 9, 7 pm
Pittsburgh
WESA By EBAISLEY • October
27, 2015
Governor Tom Wolfe
has proposed spending 6.1 billion dollars on basic education, yet Pennsylvania is one of
just three states that does not use a formula to distribute funding to local
school districts. What is the best and most equitable way to allocate state
education funding? How can educators and lawmakers ensure a fair education for
all students?
90.5 WESA will convene a "Life of
Learning" community forum November 9 at the Community Broadcast Center on
the south side. to discuss the Basic Education Funding Commission’s
proposed funding formula as well as strategies used in the state’s
history. Doors open at 6:30; forum starts at 7. It will be recorded for later broadcast. The
event is free, but space is limited; registration is recommended.Register online to attend.
Panelists include State Senator Jay Costa, member of the Basic Education Funding
Commission; Ron Cowell, President of the Education Policy and Leadership
Center; Linda Croushore, Executive Director of the Consortium for Public
Education; and Eric Montarti, Senior Policy Analyst for the Allegheny
Institute for Public Policy; and Linda Lane, superintendent of Pittsburgh
Public Schools. 90.5 WESA’s Larkin Page-Jacobs will moderate.
WHAT: Community Forum on Equitable Education
Funding
WHEN: November 9, 2015, 7 PM
WHERE: Community Broadcast Center, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh PA 15203
COST: Free. Register to attend.
WHEN: November 9, 2015, 7 PM
WHERE: Community Broadcast Center, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh PA 15203
COST: Free. Register to attend.
Register now for the
2015 PASCD 65th Annual Conference, Leading and Achieving in an Interconnected World, to be
held November 15-17, 2015 at Pittsburgh Monroeville Convention
Center.
The Conference
will Feature Keynote Speakers: Meenoo Rami – Teacher and Author
“Thrive: 5 Ways to (Re)Invigorate Your Teaching,” Mr. Pedro Rivera,
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, Heidi Hayes-Jacobs – Founder and President
of Curriculum Design, Inc. and David Griffith – ASCD Senior Director of Public
Policy. This annual conference features small group sessions focused on:
Curriculum and Supervision, Personalized and Individualized Learning,
Innovation, and Blended and Online Learning. The PASCD Conference is
a great opportunity to stay connected to the latest approaches for innovative
change in your school or district. Join us forPASCD 2015!
Online registration is available by visiting www.pascd.org <http://www.pascd.org/>
NSBA Advocacy
Institute 2016; January 24 - 26 in Washington ,
D.C.
Housing and meeting registration is open for Advocacy Institute 2016. The theme, “Election Year Politics & Public Schools,” celebrates the exciting year ahead for school board advocacy. Strong legislative programming will be paramount at this year’s conference in January. Visit www.nsba.org/advocacyinstitute for more information.
Housing and meeting registration is open for Advocacy Institute 2016. The theme, “Election Year Politics & Public Schools,” celebrates the exciting year ahead for school board advocacy. Strong legislative programming will be paramount at this year’s conference in January. Visit www.nsba.org/advocacyinstitute for more information.
PASBO 61st Annual
Conference and Exhibits March 8 - 11, 2016
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Interested in letting our
elected leadership know your thoughts on education funding, a severance tax,
property taxes and the budget?
Governor Tom Wolf,
(717) 787-2500
Speaker of the
House Rep. Mike Turzai, (717) 772-9943
House Majority Leader Rep. Dave Reed, (717) 705-7173
Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Joe Scarnati, (717) 787-7084
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jake Corman, (717) 787-1377
House Majority Leader Rep. Dave Reed, (717) 705-7173
Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Joe Scarnati, (717) 787-7084
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jake Corman, (717) 787-1377
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