Education Update
April 10, 2017
Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators
Proud Leadership for Pennsylvania Schools
In State Budget News...
Only the House was in Harrisburg last week, and they spent much of their time moving the 2017-18
budget vehicle, HB 218, out of their chamber and to the Senate for further budget discussions. While
there are some similarities between the House Republican proposal and Governor Wolf’s proposal, the
House Republican budget proposal spends about $800 million less than Governor Wolf’s proposed 201718 budget and almost $250 million less than the current 2016-17 state budget.
The House Republican proposal requires about $1.6 billion in cost savings and/or revenue, and while
some of Governor Wolf’s proposed savings and efficiencies from consolidating state government are
included in the proposal, they have also indicated that there are revenue options on the table. These
revenue options include gaming expansion, video gaming terminals, expanded liquor privatization and
potentially a small reduction in available tax credits (not those provided in conjunction with the EITC or
OSTC program).
While the proposed House Republican budget spends less than the governor proposed, the budget does
retain some his proposed increases in a couple of key areas—namely $100 million in basic education
funding and $25 million in special education funding. However, the proposal does reduce the governor’s
proposed increase to early childhood education from $75 million to $25 million, and the House
Republicans have kept the governor’s $50 million cut to the transportation line item intact. The PSERS
line item has also been reduced by $20 million to reflect updated data from PSERS. (Click here to view
the proposed line-item appropriations in HB 218.)
So what does this mean for the final 2017-18 budget? It is important to understand that this House action
STARTS the process and is not necessarily reflective of what ultimately will be in the final budget. HB 218
is likely to change in many ways prior to final adoption (which hopefully occurs on or around June 30), so
we’re still at the beginning of the budget process. The Republicans and Democrats in both chambers,
along with the governor, will need to come together over the next several weeks to craft a proposal that
achieves a win or two for all parties involved. HB 218 eventually will be replaced with whatever
agreement is reached, but there is a long way to go before then.
In School Funding News…
Ongoing Financial Pain: Making Difficult Budget Cuts –
* Cutting Music, Art Programs: Music and arts programs in some local school districts could face cuts
as school boards and administrators look for ways to close the widening financial gap between state
contributions and the amount generated by local taxes. Jeannette, Mt. Pleasant Area and Norwin are
among the districts considering reductions in music and arts programs because of a drop in state aid
while costs increase for health care, charter- and cyber-school tuition and mandatory contributions for
employee pensions. Read the rest of the story: “Budget Gaps Imperil Arts, Music in Jeannette, Mt.
Pleasant, Norwin Schools” (from The Times-Tribune, 4/3/17).
* Furloughs, Closing Schools: After 30 years of nonstop property-tax increases, the superintendent of
the Quakertown Community School District says only one way is left to balance the books: Immediately
shut down an aging middle school, close an elementary school next year, end an expensive cyberlearning program, and furlough 50 teachers and other staff…. The fiscal strife in the district,
encompassing a mostly blue-collar community between Philadelphia and Allentown where more than a
quarter of the 5,240 public school students live in poverty, is a jarring example of what administrators
regionwide are facing: large structural budget gaps that aren’t going away, even as the overall economy
improves and headlines about a state education-funding crisis fade. “Many districts have still not
recovered from the Great Recession,” said Mark DiRocco, executive director of the Pennsylvania
Association of School Administrators (PASA).
Limiting Authority to Raise Local Taxes – In a recent editorial published in the Bucks County Courier
Times, the editors question legislation requiring a 2/3 school board vote on any tax increases.
“Montgomery County state Sen. John Rafferty, R-44, has come up with a plan designed to make it harder
for school boards to raise taxes,” they write. “Under Rafferty's Senate Bill 406, which the Education
Committee unanimously advanced last week, a tax increase would require a two-thirds majority vote (six)
of school directors. The measure would put an end to tax increases passed by a 5-4 vote, such as the
one in Council Rock last June. (Six votes would be necessary even if fewer than all nine school board
members voted.) It's true enough that taxing real estate is an archaic mechanism for raising revenue that
frequently ignores one's ability to pay. At the same time, the property tax provides the lion's share of
support for public education because that's the system the Legislature has allowed to remain in place. For
those same Harrisburg lawmakers to dictate how school boards have to vote in order to raise the money
they need strikes a number of local school officials as meddling where they don't belong.” Read the rest
of the editorial: “A Good Idea or Meddling?” (4/4/17).
In Legislative News…
Legislative Schedule – Both the House and Senate stand in recess this week for the Easter holiday.
Both chambers will return to session on April 18.
LAST WEEK AT THE CAPITOL
Statute of Limitations and Liability: Child Sex-Abuse Cases – In a move that could doom the
measure, a key state House committee last Tuesday broadened a child sex-abuse bill to allow victims
who sue to pursue potentially limitless damages from private and governmental institutions, including
school districts. Under the amended bill (SB 261), which sparked some debate among members,
government entities [including school districts] would lose elements of sovereign immunity, exposing them
to large liability awards. It is attached to a new version of a controversial bill that died last year amid
battles waged by victim advocates, the Catholic Church, and the insurance lobby. Tuesday's vote to lift
caps on the amount of money sex-abuse litigants can collect in lawsuits against governmental entities
was viewed by some supporters of expanding child sex-abuse victims’ rights as a “poison pill.” Read the
rest of the story: “Pa. House Panel Adds 'Poison Pill' to Child Sex-Abuse
Bill” (from philly.com, 4/4/17).
In House Committee Action:
* Response to Audit: HB 453; approved by the House State Government Committee. The bill
requires public entities (including school districts) to respond to an Auditor General’s audit within 120
days or face withholding of state funding
In House Floor Action – The House passed the following bills:
* Tax Collection Fraud Prevention: HB 16. The bill amends the Local Tax Collection Law to require a
tax collector’s account to include his or her title and the name of the municipality and to require tax
notices to include the name of the account to which taxes must be paid.
* Use of School Facilities: HB 397. The bill requires school districts to provide their facilities to the
Game Commission for hunter education courses that occur after school hours, on weekends or any other
time school is not in session and requiring the Game Commission to reimburse the district for actual costs
incurred. The bill was considered but not given final approval last session.
* Property Tax Abatement: HB 758. The bill creates a program for tax abatement for deteriorated
properties in certain areas of the commonwealth for a period of ten years during which the properties
must be updated, improved and developed into mixed-use properties.
In State News…
Equity and Inclusion Toolkit – The Department of Education (PDE) has released a new resource to
help Pennsylvania schools prevent and respond to racially charged and bias-related incidents in their
communities. “To perform their best, students must feel safe in school,” Governor Wolf said. “A healthy
and safe environment can help our students thrive, and every student regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, or gender identity or expression should be provided the opportunity to learn free from
discrimination, fear, or harassment. My administration is dedicated to improving education in
Pennsylvania and we’ll continue working to ensure every student has the opportunity to excel.” The
newly-released Equity and Inclusion Toolkit is one of a series of resources PDE began providing to the
commonwealth’s schools following high-visibility incidents in several schools after November’s election.
When those incidents occurred, the Administration acted quickly to condemn them as acts of bigotry and
intolerance, and released a 60-second PSA to share a message of diversity and inclusion. “The toolkit
released today will advance existing efforts at the state and local levels to create and maintain supportive
settings that celebrate diversity and teach students the importance of respect for self and others,”
Education Secretary Pedro Rivera said. “This resource was developed in collaboration with other state
agencies, organizations, and partners, and focuses on strategies and actions that schools can take to
address bias and discrimination in a proactive and effective manner.” (from a press release, 4/6/17)
Recognition of Talented Educators – Last week the PDE asked school administrators to complete a
recommendation form to identify educators who are of great value to the school community and state and
who may also ultimately receive prestigious recognition. From this “talent pool” list, the PDE could identify
individuals for membership on advisory boards and task forces, as well as for special recognition
programs.
Specifically, the PDE is seeking secondary educators (Grades 6-12 teachers and principals) with a
minimum of five years of experience in education and who are likely to remain in education for the next
20-25 years. Talent pool candidates should be building-level personnel and are typically classroom
teachers, but a principal or specialist may be considered. Specific criteria should include:
* exceptional educational talent as evidenced by effective instructional practices and student learning
results in the classroom and school
* exemplary educational accomplishments beyond the classroom that provide models of excellence for
the profession
* individuals whose contributions to education are largely unheralded yet worthy of the spotlight
* early to mid-career educators who offer strong, long-range potential for professional and policy
leadership
* engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues and the community
If you have a candidate to submit, please click here. All submissions should be mailed and postmarked
no later than May 19, 2017. Information provided is confidential and should not be shared with the
individual nominated. Questions can be directed to Karl Streckewald by phone (717-346-4369) or by
email at [email protected].
Across the Nation…
Learning How Government Works – Should U.S. high school students know at least as much about the
Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Federalist papers as immigrants passing a
citizenship test? In a growing number of school systems, having such a basic knowledge is now a
graduation requirement. But states are taking different approaches to combating what's seen as a
widespread lack of knowledge about how government works. Kentucky last week and Arkansas on March
16 became the latest of more than a dozen states since 2015 that have required the high school social
studies curriculum to include material covered by the 100 questions asked on the naturalization exam.
Lawmakers in other states, including Minnesota, are hoping to foster even deeper understanding of the
fundamentals of American democracy by adding a full course to study its most important
documents. Read the rest of the story: “We The Pupils: More States Teaching Founding US
Documents” (from lancasteronline.com, 4/4/17).
New Jersey: State Plan for ESSA – New Jersey's new plan for grading its schools for the federal
government places less weight on passing state exams and extra importance on other factors, such as
the performance of students learning to speak English and academic progress among students who don't
pass standardized tests. The state Monday filed its federal accountability plan under the Every Student
Succeeds Act (ESSA), the new federal education law that replaced No Child Left Behind. All states are
required to file a plan to the federal government. The ESSA plan calls for decreasing the importance of
standardized test scores in rating schools and giving states more flexibility to decide how to intervene in
struggling school districts. Read the rest of the story: “Here's How N.J. Wants To Grade Schools for
the Feds” (from nj.com, 4/4/17).
Tennessee: Principal Certification Exam – New research has found essentially no positive correlation
between how would-be principals perform on a widely used licensure exam and their success as school
leaders. The study, which looked at principals’ performance on the School Leaders Licensure
Assessment (SLLA) and on-the-job evaluations, student achievement, and teacher surveys, over a 10year period in Tennessee, also found that non-white candidates were about three times less likely than
white candidates to pass the exam. The researchers found that candidates with higher passing scores
were more likely to be hired as principals. And because Tennessee has the lowest cut score among the
states that use the SLLA, disparities in passing rates for white and non-white candidates could be greater
in states that set higher cut scores, said Jason A. Grissom, the lead researcher and an associate
professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. Read the rest of the
story: “Principals' Test Not Predictive of Success on the Job” (from Education Week, 4/4/17).
On the Calendar…
April 14 – PASA office closed
April 20 – Resolutions Committee meeting (PASA office)
April 20-21 – Board of Governors’ meetings (PASA office)
April 27 – Webcast: Education Technology Case-Law Update
April 30 – May 2 – Women’s Caucus Annual Conference (Hershey)
May 2 – Leadership for Learning Module 3 (I.U. 4)
May 5 – Leadership for Learning Module 3 (I.U. 13)
May 29 – PASA office closednference (Hershey)