PA Education Jobs Surpass other Public Sector Jobs

Pennsylvania's public education sector, including teachers, administrators and ancillary school staff, grew by 24% over the past decade, according to the conservative think tank the Allegheny Institute. Senior Policy Analyst Eric Montarti says they based their findings on 2010 census data. "If you look at all the other categories of local government employment - and that's everything from city managers, to police officers, to sanitation workers, to health and welfare - those groups grew roughly 3%, which is the same amount as the state's population grew." He says they also found that employment at Pittsburgh Public School's central offices greatly increased over the past decade. Montarti says former governor Ed Rendell's focus on education, which included hiring specialized educators like reading and math coaches, a big boost to the state's education budget, and federal stimulus dollars all contributed to the growth in employment. But with a new governor in office, a state deficit and the popularity of "school choice," Montarti says he expects that trend to reverse as school districts begin to trim their budgets. The report can be found at http://www.alleghenyinstitute.org/.

Nonprofit Criticizes School Vouchers Bill

A state think-tank says even with recent changes, a Senate proposal for a new school voucher program is “deeply flawed.”

Despite revisions that would cap some of the bill’s costs, the Keystone Research Center says the Republican school vouchers proposal would still divert hundreds of millions of dollars from public schools to private institutes.

During its first year, the voucher program would give tuition assistance for low-income students in poorly performing public schools. Eventually, any family earning up to 350% of the federal poverty line would be eligible, including some students already enrolled in private schools.

KRC Executive Director Stephen Herzenberg says he has three main problems with the Senate Republicans’ proposal.

“First of all, it’s going to be expensive; second, it’s investing in a direction where there’s no evidence that you get better educational outcomes; and third, there’s no accountability built into the plan,” says Herzenberg.

The Senate’s recent changes to the bill include an accountability measure that would require private schools to report on student achievement. However, Herzenberg says this is “faux accountability,” because the choice of eight different achievement tests would make it difficult to directly compare results.

Herzenberg says private schools aren’t proven to improve education; he says investing into early childhood education and tutoring programs would be better.

Adjustments to Vouchers Measure

Pennsylvania Senate Republicans and Governor Tom Corbett have agreed on a framework for a school vouchers bill. The understanding, reached earlier this week, puts the GOP priority back on track for a spring vote.

The Senate had been ready to vote for the vouchers bill in early April, but Republican leaders pulled the measure after Corbett Administration officials raised concerns over its long-term cost. At the time, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi said the measure would be “tweaked,” not overhauled.

That appears to be the case: the vouchers program would still be rolled out over a three year period, gradually expanding from low-income students in failing schools to low-income students across Pennsylvania. In year four, middle class families making up to 350 percent of the federal poverty line would be eligible for vouchers.

The main changes: the program’s start would be delayed until 2012, and costs could be capped to three percent of the previous year’s state education spending. That works out to a cap of about $163 million in 2014, if state spending stays on its current track. “The changes have more to do with the timing and the method of expression of the cap on spending in some of the out years,” said Pileggi. “But the basic structure of the bill remains intact. It is a bill that’s designed to help poor kids trapped in persistently failing schools.”

Pileggi and other Senate GOP leaders are now focused on working out differences with their House counterparts. “Now that we have the governor’s specific, strong endorsement of this particular bill, we need to work with the House. And if they need minor changes, if they need amendments to the bill, we’d like to try and incorporate them and accelerate the process,” he said. “Those discussions are ongoing. And hopefully by next week we’re all on the same page in trying to get this bill enacted and have this bill pass through the Senate and House, and on to the governor’s desk.”

Corbett Suggests Drilling at State Schools

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett says some Pennsylvania universities should consider drilling for natural gas below their campuses to help solve financial problems. The idea was offered up as the governor spoke to the Pennsylvania Association of Councils of Trustees, which was meeting at Edinboro University.

The idea comes as institutions of higher education see state funding about to be cut. Corbett's proposed budget for the next fiscal year would reduce aid to colleges and universities by 50 percent.

Corbett says six of the 14 campuses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education are located on the Marcellus Shale formation.

Charter School Okayed

The Pittsburgh School Board has voted in favor of the charter application for Propel Charter School - Northside after the District Charter Review Team recommended approval for the new charter school.

“We acknowledge the success of existing Propel schools and support schools that provide quality options for Pittsburgh families,” said Superintendent Linda Lane, Ed.D.

The Board originally rejected the proposal in February but Lane says Propel's renewed application shows a comprehensive curriculum and plan to meet the needs of all students.
The new charter, which will serve students in grades K-8, is scheduled to open this fall with grades K-4.

Teacher Contracts Available in Online Database

The Education Action Group has compiled a database of teacher contracts of 481 school districts in the state of Pennsylvania. These contracts, gathered through public record and Freedom of Information Act requests, outline the provisions included in collectively-bargained teacher contracts.

Kyle Olsen, CEO of the Education Action Group, says the organization brought together these contracts into one place so taxpayers could see how oftentimes more than 80 percent of public education funding goes to labor costs.

To Olsen, the database is an important resource as taxpayers consider ways to close Pennsylvania’s $4 billion budget gap.

“We’re trying to peel back the layers of public school spending to show taxpayers exactly where their dollars are going because the reality is 80 to 85 percent of every dollar that is spent in public schools is contained in that contract,” he says. “So what we’re urging people to do is take a look at those and start asking questions to figure where their dollars are going.”

Olsen stresses that things like annual raise for teachers regardless of performance, lavish health insurance, and an uncapped amount of sick days are all “wasteful provisions” in contracts that could dramatically reduce the cost if eliminated. Olsen says he doesn’t want to label teachers as the bad guys.

“We’re not making an assertion that teachers are paid to much. All we’re saying is these are the ways teachers are being paid and as school districts are looking to make cuts and asking for concessions and scaling back and all of those types of things, would it make sense to look at those different types of provisions that have zero impact on student learning?”

The group hopes to gather the remaining 72 contracts of the state’s 500 school districts and post them along with the others. The contracts are available online.

Group Wants Students to Graduate High School

A local non-profit wants students to graduate high school. Communities in Schools which focuses on schools in Allegheny County had a meeting in Oakland on Thursday where educators discussed plans to help students graduate.

The national drop-out rate is between 30 to 50 percent. The numbers are reflected in Pittsburgh schools. "In other school districts in Allegheny County the numbers vary widely- some have 1 to 2 percent dropout rate but mostly it hovers around 18 to 20 percent," said Nicole Molinaro, Executive Director of Communities in Schools, quoting a 2006 RAND Corporation study.

After their giant brainstorming session last year, they came up with a plan to help students graduate which consists of immediate intervention, to help students who are on the verge of graduating but are missing a few credits or have had to take some time off. "Oftentimes they need some adult guidance, but the schools are so overburdened that the guidance doesn't happen," said Molinaro. They are specifically working with about 70 students at different local high schools. They are also employing peer mentors, working on policy development issues and working on early intervention.

"Dropping out is a long process, it doesn't just happen overnight," said Molinaro, "Oftentimes if a student can't read by 3rd grade, they start the disengagement process, because reading is such a part of everything, not just English but math and science as well."

Molinaro says that if a student dropped out of school 40 years ago they would be able to find decent work at a factory or a steel mill. This is no longer the case. There is a dearth of well-paying jobs that require minimal education.


"We believe that the numbers have remained about steady over the years but what has changed is the world. So the world 40 years ago is much different than it is today. So the same number of kids dropped out of high school then it wouldn't have been as big as a deal. But now its a huge deal," said Molinaro.

Education Sec Defends Budget Cuts

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett’s top education official argues his boss was right to not replace expiring stimulus money with state dollars in his budget.

Corbett’s budget cuts about $1 billion from basic education spending. Acting Education Secretary Ronald Tomalis told the House Appropriations Committee Tuesday the administration didn’t have a choice. “He inherited a four billion dollar hole. We can think to make that whole bigger and bigger and bigger, which will end up on the backs of the taxpayer and the economy and the commonwealth.” The other option, Tomalis said, was to not replace expiring stimulus money, which he argued was irresponsibly utilized by Governor Rendell. “If you were told again and again that this was a funding cliff coming in two years, and you were advised not to make an expenditure that’s going to lock you in for five, ten years down the road, it does matter.”

Disappearing federal funds account for the proposed $550 million dollar reduction in the subsidy the state sends to school districts.

Tomalis also defended eliminating the $260 million Accountability Block Grant program, which many schools use to fund early childhood education. “I looked at the Accountability Block Grant program. My first question was, where’s the accountability in the Accountability Block Grant program? The school districts are allowed to use 16 different things – do 16 different things – with the Accountability Block Grant programs. It is a block grant program. So then the question is, why wasn’t it folded directly into the Basic Ed Formula?” He said doing away with the program helped minimize the basic education subsidy’s reduction.

Community Colleges Oppose Cuts

CCAC President Alex Johnson and other community college leaders will appear before the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee in Harrisburg on Wednesday, March 30 to avert a 10% funding cut in Governor Tom Corbett’s proposed budget--$23 million statewide and $3.6 million for CCAC. Dr. Johnson says although it's a small portion of CCAC's overall $116 million annual budget, there would be an impact on direct instruction and on support services necessary to help students be successful. He says community colleges actually need more funding because of increasing enrollment and the commonwealth’s need for a skilled labor force.

Along with seeking to restore the funding, CCAC will also look at raising additional revenue from Allegheny County, foundations and corporations and may even have to turn to students, which Johnson says he and the trustees have not wanted to do.

On April 5th at least fifteen CCAC students will help Johnson convey the importance of community colleges in meetings with legislators in Harrisburg. Johnson says the Western Pennsylvania legislative delegation has traditionally supported community colleges, but this year they have to deal with proposed cuts of many great programs at all levels.

PA Students Protest Planned Education Cuts

Students from state-owned and state-related universities across Pennsylvania hopped on buses this morning to attend a rally at the Capitol to protest Governor Tom Corbett's budget proposal that would cut state funding for higher education by 50%. Hundreds of sign-waving students stoop on the steps of the Capitol while leaders of some of the universities testified before the House Appropriations Committee.

Representative Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny County), is a trustee of the University of Pittsburgh, and told the students that lawmakers will not them down....


"Governor Corbett emphasized the concept of 'shared sacrifice' in his budget address. Apparently, he meant 'shared sacrifice' from students, their families, faculty, staff and the communities that rely and thrive on the economic vitality generated by your schools. "He clearly does not believe that Big Oil and gas companies who extract our natural resources have to share in the sacrifice. He clearly does not believe that tobacco companies who produce smokeless tobacco products and cigars have to share in our sacrifice."

Representative Mike Hanna of Clinton and Centre Counties says the governor's priorities are wrong, and asked why Corbett is choosing incarceration over education. The Department of Corrections is one of the few that is scheduled to receive a funding increase in the governor's budget.

Importance of Reading to Kids Touted

Education scholars and practitioners gathered at Duquesne University today to explore ways to combat illiteracy. Dr. Julia Williams, coordinator of the event and assistant professor Duquesne's Department of Instruction and Leadership in Education says the symposium the event is all about collaboration not competition. “We're all in this together. We have different philosophies, yes..." says Williams, "but we all have one charge: to have a safe, healthy, educational, stimulating environment for young children."

Many researchers believe that the key to education success is early literacy. "We're focusing in on infants, toddlers, pre-k children, so that they can be better prepared to work in their classrooms. Not only looking at the issue of literacy for the children but also recognizing the importance of the teachers, the community, and the families all working together to make an impact on the lives of children,” says Williams.

According to national studies, two-thirds of the nation’s fourth graders are not reading at proficient levels. Williams suggests that parents go to the library, read, and tell stories to their children to boost their vocabulary. She says it is also important to encourage interaction about those trips and stories in the classroom.

School Voucher Legislation Discussed

The House Democratic Policy Committee held a hearing today on the Pitt Campus to hear from supporters and opponents of Senate Bill 1, which would provide vouchers to some low income children now attending 144 Pennsylvania schools designated as failing. A private, religious, charter or a different public school would get the state portion of an accepted student’s funding.

Data from voucher programs in other parts of the country are used by both sides to prove their points. Matthew Brouillette of the Commonwealth Foundation says nine out of ten studies show benefits both to the children who use vouchers AND the schools they leave. John Tarka, President of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, says studies show promised benefits are not there. Tarka says while the governor’s budget is cutting funds for preschool and after school programs known to help disadvantaged kids, it’s a terrible time to institute a billion dollar voucher program.

Sean McAleer says Catholic schools are eager to provide a good education to students in low-performing schools. He says the vouchers would be more than current tuition.

Ira Weiss, Solicitor for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, says the district is already addressing problems with teacher effectiveness programs and other initiatives funded by the Gates Foundation.

Dawn Chavous is Executive Director of Students First. She says vouchers could help parents with unequal opportunities to secure the best education for their children.

Matthew Brouillette says the public school system is a monopoly in which the customers, parents, have no choice, and the providers, schools, have no competition. He sees no conflict with the federal or state constitutions because vouchers are funding children, not schools. He expects the Pennsylvania house to take up the legislation after it passes in the Senate--perhaps in a month.

Sandra Zelno of the Education Law Center says the legislation is a ruse that would not really help disadvantaged children in failing schools, who would be only a small percentage of those using vouchers once they are available to low-income private school students in the second year and low-income students from any school in the third year. She says there is no accountability for teacher qualification or meeting students' needs in the schools where vouchers might be used.

Legislation Aimed at Reducing Mandates for School Districts

Republicans and Democrats have put 18 new bills before the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee, and Republican chair Jeff Piccola says they’ll be debated and voted on in the coming weeks. “We will allow the committee to sort through these various cost-drivers and suggestions for savings designed to provide more flexibility at the local level,” he said at a Tuesday Capitol press conference. “And we will allow the Democratic legislative process to work.”

One bill would eliminate requirements for districts on the state border to bus students to private schools in other states. Another suspends continuing education and professional development programs for two years. “I hate to paint with a broad brush – but many of my opponents paint with a broad brush – but so much so-called professional development is coming in at the beginning of the school year or the in-service days and listening to speakers or watching a movie,” said Piccola.

Democratic chair Andy Dinniman has questions about professional development programs, too.

"I’ve, like Senator Piccola, have visited a number of schools, both public and charter schools, where the professional development is part of the day. Certain teacher periods when the teachers come together – it might only be for 15 minutes – and they discuss the students that they jointly have, and figure out approaches."

Other measures give schools more flexibility in hiring nurses and superintendents, and change seniority rights for teachers.

Governor Corbett wants to cut more than a billion dollars in state education spending. Critics of his budget say that will lead to district-level property tax hikes, but Piccola argues these bills are one way to negate that impact.

Rallies Against Ed Funding Cuts

State System of Higher Education schools will protest Governor Corbett’s budget today, and send students to lobby lawmakers in Harrisburg next month.
Rallies at the 14 state system schools are being organized by the union representing the institutions’ faculty members.
Administrators have warned of mass layoffs, tuition hikes and cancelled courses if the 50 percent reductions go through.
Roger Bruszewski, a Millersville vice president, says cutting 20 million dollars out of his school’s 106 million dollar budget would hurt the area around the university, too.

"That’s a heck of an economic force in our local community. So there’s an economic engine here that helps fuel the economy of this county and this area. And with 20 million dollars less, what does that do to the economy of the area? What does that do to the local businessman? "

In addition to tomorrow’s rallies, state system students plan on lobbying lawmakers in Harrisburg in early April.
Last week, the presidents and chancellors of state-related universities made their case for restored funds in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Corbett Unfazed by Reaction to Education Funding Cuts

Voters can be a fickle bunch. Tom Corbett ran his 2010 Pennsylvania gubernatorial campaign on a platform of slashing state spending, and won by nine points. But now that he’s released his budget, nearly 80 percent of voters oppose his spending reductions for school districts, and nearly 70 percent are against cuts for colleges and universities. That’s from a new Franklin and Marshall College survey.

In a brief state Capitol interview, Governor Corbett said he doesn’t pay attention to polls. “This is very early on. We’ve got to see what the final budget is. We’re not going to worry about the polls,” he said. “If I start worrying about the polls right now, I’ll never govern the right way. The people elected me to cut spending, to get the budget in control, and we’re going to get it there.” Corbett added he’ll continue to travel the state, making his argument for the $27.3 billion spending plan. “There’s an education process here. We’ve been out there. We’ve been talking to people. There is a process where some people, they want you to cut, but they don’t want you to cut their project. Who’s ox is being gored, to a certain extent.”

Pollster Terry Madonna thinks voters feel like education takes a disproportionate hit in Corbett’s budget, which cuts more than $500 million from both basic education subsidies to school districts, and support for state-related universities and the State System of Higher Education. “It’s not that the voters are opposed to cuts. In fact, they would support reductions in personnel in state government. But I think it was the size of the cuts that stunned Pennsylvanians.”

The political scientist summed up the mood shift this way: “What residents of Pennsylvania told us was, number one: we don’t want taxes. Do some cuts. But oh, by the way, depending on what you cut we’re not going to be happy with the results.” Corbett’s final take: “This is a long-term process. We’ll see what they think about what I’ve done four years from now.”

Corbett, Union Disagree Over Master's Degrees

Governor Tom Corbett wants to end automatic pay bumps for teachers in Pennsylvania with Master’s Degrees.
The governor also wants to get rid of state subsidies for educators working toward MA's. The changes were announced in Corbett’s budget address, and would reportedly save $200 million a year. Corbett’s budget secretary, Charles Zogby, argued advanced degrees don’t automatically make someone a better teacher. “Not that it might not improve the individual. Not that more learning isn’t a good thing for educators. But I think what we’re looking at is investments that make a difference for kids in the classroom, in terms of their learning,” he said.

Corbett is also urging public school employees to take a one-year pay freeze. The Pennsylvania State Education Association is urging union members to “seriously consider” the freeze, but doesn’t like ending salary bumps for MA's. Spokesman Wythe Keever said “teachers should be rewarded…for continued learning,” adding, “This whole notion that we try to encourage students to continue their learning. But it seems kind of out of place to say to teachers, you shouldn’t continue your learning.”

Teachers Union Leader Says Pay Freeze Should Be Considered

Reacting to criticism of his deep cuts in state funding for education in his budget proposal, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett has suggested teachers accept a one-year pay freeze to help school districts trim costs. Now, James Testerman, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, says he's urging teachers to consider doing just that. Testerman told WDUQ that he has sent a letter to all of the PSEA locals...
"I encouraged them to enter into discussions with their school boards about a pay freeze and other cost-saving measures to maintain class size and academic programs."

Testerman says the union has serious concerns with some of the governor's proposals but they want to ensure that students' education does not suffer so teachers should consider measures including paying more into their insurance or taking furloughs.

Testerman said he wants to have conversations with lawmakers concerning cuts and ways to make up the deficit such as taxing the Marcellus Shale industry, taxing smokeless tobacco and eliminating state income tax loopholes for corporations.

He said the cuts would be a blow to the educational system and a turn in the wrong direction.

"Well you can't cut 1.2 billion dollars from public education and not understand that there will be fewer people and fewer programs for kids," he said.

School Vouchers Debated

Pennsylvania’s Senate Education Committee is in the midst of a day-long hearing on a high-profile school vouchers bill.
The measure would divert state education money to private school vouchers for low-income students in failing school districts.
Republican sponsor Jeff Piccola has aggressively challenged opponents of the measure, at times comparing them to supporters of communism. Democrat Anthony Williams co-authored the bill and defended the rhetoric he’s used comparing public education to Jim Crow-style segregation.

"Those who chastise me by injecting the civil rights comments that I do on occasion: separate but unequal is what we have. And it’s not simply urban schools. Rural schools. This country is in crisis, when it comes to delivery of education. or segregation."

Early in the hearing, Democrat Daylin Leach pushed back, saying he and others have legitimate concerns about the voucher system.

"That we’re creating a huge new entitlement. A government entitlement in a time of recession. We’re taking money from the poorest schools, and leaving those still there with even fewer resources to try and make their education a little better."

Governor Corbett’s nominee for Education Secretary, Ronald Tomalis, testified in favor of a vouchers program, though he stayed away from wading into the specifics of Piccola’s measure.
The legislation, labeled Senate Bill 1, would gradually expand the voucher program over a three-year period.

Promise Scholarships Going Up

The Board of Directors of The Pittsburgh Promise has approved doubling the potential dollar amount of scholarships from the current maximum of $20,000 per student over 4 years to a maximum of $40,000 beginning with the class of 2012.
Promise Executive Director Saleem Ghubril says they committed four years ago to the doubling of the maximum amount...
"We stipulated that the additional 20 thousand would be given to those who provide evidence of...this if the language of the agreement...'mastery of subject matter.' So, we're ready now to say alright folks show us the proof of mastery."

To qualify for the first $20,000, the student must be a resident of Pittsburgh, graduate a city high school with at least a 2.5GPA and have a 90% attendance record.
To receive the second $20,000, the student must score "advanced" on the PSSA reading, math and writing tests. Ghubril says if they don't score "advanced," the students can still qualify for the addition scholarship money by scoring 600's on their SAT's in reading, math and writing.

Ghubril says in the first 3 years of The Pittsburgh Promise, they've given scholarships to more than 2,400 students who are "performing at (delightfully) high levels."

Community Group Evaluates Board of Education

The Pittsburgh Public School Board received an overall ‘B’ report card from A+ Schools Board Watch. The program uses volunteers who have observed public school board meetings for the past year to issue grades in areas such as transparency, role clarity, conduct, focus and mission.

The Board Watch began two years ago and this year issued Pittsburgh Public Schools their best overall grade yet.

A+ Schools Executive Director Carey Harris says the most recognizable result of the school boards growth is the increased public turnout for meetings.

“We’ve seen that we’ve probably pulled out over 300 people coming to school board meetings over the last two years that otherwise wouldn’t have been there so more people in the public and the community are paying attention to the school board governance and realize how important it is for outcomes of the children and the district as a whole,” Harris says.

She said she was excited for the improvement in the school boards organization and transparency but believes the group could do a better job recognizing role clarity.

"It's really about serving their role as policy makers; setting and monitoring policies that improve the district's outcomes. They always are responding to packets with 60 to 70 agenda items that are basically transactional, and we'd like them to spend less time doing that and more time on the big picture for the district."

The school board received its first A- in Transparency, a C+ in Role Clarity, a B- in focus and mission, a B in conduct, and a B- in competency. The overall grade rose from a B- in 2009 to a B in 2010.