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EPLC Education Notebook

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

In this issue
PLEASE DONATE TO SUPPORT "Education Notebook"
PENNSYLVANIA POLICYMAKERS
House of Representatives
Senate
Special Education Funding Commission
Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
EPLC NEWS
DATEBOOK

 

The EPLC Education Notebook (current and past editions) also is available by visiting the EPLC website at www.eplc.org/publications_wpn.shtml.

 

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PENNSYLVANIA POLICYMAKERS

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives reconvened in voting session on Monday, December 16 and will complete its work for 2013 this week. The House is scheduled for a nonvoting session day on Tuesday, January 7 at 11:00 AM. They will return for voting session on Monday, January 13 at 1:00 PM. The 2014 House session calendar has been announced and is available here.

The Pennsylvania Senate has finished its business for the 2013 calendar year. The Senate will reconvene in voting session on Tuesday, January 7 at 12:00 PM. The 2014 Senate session calendar has been announced and is available here.
 
House of Representatives
  • During the week of December 9, the House of Representatives passed the following legislation:

Senate Bill 34 (Sen. Lloyd Smucker, R-13) would amend the Professional Educator Discipline Act. Key components of the bill would expand jurisdiction of the Professional Standards and Practices Commission; expand grounds for discipline; make changes regarding reporting, confidentiality, and discipline requirements; and establish the Professional Educator Discipline Account within the General Fund. SB 34 passed unanimously in the House on December 9. 
 
The Senate on December 11 unanimously approved SB 34 on concurrence with House amendments. The bill will now be sent to Governor Corbett for final consideration.
 
House Bill 803 (Rep. Richard Stevenson, R-8) would establish a new section in the Public School Code to permit a school entity to authorize a trained school employee to administer an epinephrine auto-injector to any student believed to be having an anaphylactic reaction, and to maintain a supply of epinephrine auto-injectors prescribed by a physician in the name of the school entity. The bill provides for storage of the injectors, designation and training of responsible individuals, and notification of parents. HB 803 was unanimously approved on December 10.
 
House Bill 810 (Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-32) would amend the Public School Code to require all prospective school employees in direct contact with children to submit testing for controlled substances subsequent to the offer of employment and prior to the actual hiring date of the applicant. The legislation excludes independent contractors who have no direct contact with children, and school bus drivers who are already subject to testing pursuant to other regulations. The State Board of Education would be required to promulgate regulations providing for provisions necessary to carry out the legislation. HB 810 passed on December 10 by a vote of 182-12.    
  • On December 10, the House Education Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 1506 (Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125), which would push back implementation of the additional Keystone Exams.  

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is required under current law to develop and implement Keystone Exams in the areas of algebra I, literature, biology, English composition, and civics and government. In the future, PDE is required to develop for voluntary use additional Keystones in the areas of algebra II, geometry, United States history, chemistry, and world history. The Algebra I, Literature, and Biology Keystones have been implemented, and the English Composition and Civics and Government Keystones are underway.

 

HB 1506 would prohibit the development and implementation of the additional five Keystones prior to the 2022-2023 school year. In 2022-2023 or later, PDE would be allowed to develop the tests subject to annual appropriations. The State Board of Education shall promulgate or amend regulations accordingly.

 

Testimony was provided by:

  • Joan Benso, President and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children

  • Dr. Kelly Austin, Chancellor, Penn State University, Schuylkill Campus

  • John Powers, CEO, Ash/Tech, Inc.

  • David Patti, President and CEO, Pennsylvania Business Council

  • Dr. Andrew Smarkanic, Superintendent, North Schuylkill School District

  • Tiffany Reedy, Principal, Pottsville Area High School

  • Dr. Michelle Guers, Guidance Counselor, Blue Mountain School District

  • Larry Wittig, Chairman of the State Board of Education and President of the Tamaqua Area School Board

Click here to download the video of the hearing.

  • The House Labor and Industry Committee on December 10 unanimously reported as amended House Bill 1725 (Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, D-134), which would establish the CareerBound Act. The Act would establish within the Department of Labor and Industry a CareerBound Pilot Program. The Program would be administered by the Department and participating agencies, defined as the Department of Education and the Department of Community and Economic Development. The Act provides for up to seven school-to-work pilot programs, as well as tax credits to businesses who participate. Each program would expire at the end of the fourth school year of operation. Within six months of the expiration of the program, the Department and participating agencies shall jointly submit a report to the Governor, Auditor General, and chairman and minority chairman of both chambers' Appropriations, Labor and Industry, and Education Committees.

The amendment offered by Representative Mackenzie and unanimously adopted allows contributing businesses to designate which program their contributions would support; allows Pennsylvania institutions of higher education to participate as program partners; includes "soft skills" in curriculum requirements; and gives priority to programs targeting middle school and early high school students. The amendment also makes several changes clarifying the duties of the program partners, and duties of the Department of Labor and Industry and participating agencies.
  • The House Education Committee on December 11 reported the following legislation:

House Bill 1738 (Rep. Bernie O'Neill, R-29) would amend the Public School Code to establish a Basic Education Funding Commission. The Commission shall develop a proposed basic education funding formula and identify factors that may be used to determine the distribution of basic education funding. The Commission would be required to gather public input and hold a series of public hearings across the state. It must issue a report of its findings and recommendations no later than one year after the effective date of this legislation. Any formula developed by the Commission would not go into effect unless enacted by the General Assembly. The Commission would consist of fifteen members, and shall be reconstituted every five years to review the operation of the funding provisions.
 
HB 1738 was unanimously reported as amended. The amendment (Rep. James Roebuck, D-188) that was unanimously adopted broadens the factors the Commission may consider to include level of poverty, number of students identified as limited English proficient, and scarce or dense population in relation to the district size.
 
House Bill 1816 (Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125) would amend the continuing professional development section of the Public School Code to allow educators to receive credit towards their continuing education requirements by participating in a site visit to a manufacturing location for orientation and demonstrations designed to give educators a greater understanding of job opportunities in manufacturing or vocational fields for students. HB 1816 was unanimously reported as committed.  
  • On December 11, immediately following the voting meeting, the House Education Committee held an informational briefing on House Bill 1701 (Rep. Martin Causer, R-67), which would amend the Public School Code by adding an Article that would provide for a rural regional community college pilot program for underserved counties


    Representative Causer explained that the pilot program would establish a regional community college in an 11-county rural area in northwestern Pennsylvania that currently has no community colleges.

    Dr. Richard McDowell, former president of the University at Pittsburgh Bradford, testified before the Committee. McDowell also chairs the Upper Allegheny Education Consortium, which is designated in the legislation as the nonprofit assigned to work with the Secretary in developing the plan for the establishment and operation of the regional school. He highlighted several findings from the 2011 Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) report The Need for Public Community College Programs in Pennsylvania:

    • No community college exists in 25 of the 26 rural counties in PA.
    • In PA, the medium income of working adults with associate degrees is 50% higher than high school graduates, yet non-rural adults hold 91-93% of the associate degrees.
    • Rural areas have limited offerings in technology, health care, and business related programs.
    • Higher education offerings in rural PA are generally three to five times more expensive than in-district community college rates.
    • In 2010, PA community colleges enrolled only 1% of its total enrollment from rural counties.

According to Representative Causer, HB 1701 was introduced in response to the aforementioned LBFC report.   

 

Click here to watch the video of the informational briefing.

HB 1701 and Senate Bill 1000 (Sen. Joseph Scarnati, R-25) were introduced as identical bills. See the Senate summary for more information about SB 1000, which on December 11 was reported as amended from the Senate Education Committee.

 
Senate
  • The Senate Appropriations Committee on December 9 unanimously reported as amended House Bill 1424 (Rep. Paul Clymer, R-145). HB 1424 would amend the Public School Code to require each school entity, beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, to offer instruction on the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights violations within social studies and language arts courses or other appropriate courses of study. This language is different from the original language in that it would make the Holocaust curriculum mandatory for each school entity, as per an amendment (Sen. John Rafferty, R-44) that changes the original language from "may" to "shall." The amendment was adopted with three Republican members (Senators Pat Vance, Jake Corman, and John Gordner) voting in the negative.

    Under HB 1424, the Department of Education (PDE) must establish curriculum guidelines no later than 12 months from when this legislation is enacted. Each school entity would be required to provide in-service training programs that shall be made available through PDE. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions in the legislation.

    The fiscal impact to implement HB 1424 is estimated by the Department of Education to cost $7,000. Costs would be related to developing curriculum and in-service programs, aligning standards, and reviewing already established educational materials it would utilize. 

  • On December 10, the Senate Republican Policy and Democratic Policy Committees held a joint hearing about property tax relief, specifically Senate Bill 76 (Sen. David Argall, R-29), which proposes to eliminate property taxes. The panel of legislators heard from a variety of testifiers with a range of opinions about the bill.

    Proponents of property tax elimination argued that the current system is archaic and a burden to property owners. The organizations who spoke in support of SB 76 included the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau; Pennsylvania Association of Realtors; and Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations.

    The organizations that testified in opposition of the bill noted the substantial shortfall in education funding if property taxes were completely eliminated, and the burden it would place on families and businesses. Those organizations included the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association; Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center; Pennsylvania School Boards Association; National Federation of Independent Business; and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.

    The complete list of testifiers, all submitted written testimony, and a video recording of the hearing can be found here. 

  • The Senate Education Committee on December 11 reported the following legislation:

    Senate Bill 873 (Sen. Sean Wiley, D-49) would amend the Public School Code to establish the Dyslexia Screening Pilot Program. The Program would provide evidence-based early screening and evidence-based intervention services for children with risk factors for dyslexia. The Department of Education shall determine at least three school districts that meet the criteria outlined in the legislation to participate in the pilot. The Program would operate in those districts for three full school years to evaluate the effectiveness of evidence-based early reading assistance programs for children with risk factors for dyslexia, and whether those programs can reduce future special education costs. The Secretary of Education must submit an evaluation of the Program to the General Assembly no later than December 31 of the third year of the pilot, and recommend whether to continue, expand, or make changes to the pilot. SB 873 was unanimously reported as amended.

    The amendment (Sen. Mike Folmer, R-48) that was unanimously adopted expands the pilot into a Dyslexia and Early Reading Intervention Pilot Program. It also streamlines how the pilot program would work, clarifies the role of the Department, limits the screening to just kindergarten students, and eliminates the reporting to the General Assembly by requiring the Department to place the evaluation on its website.

    SB 873 and House Bill 198 (Rep. Ed Neilson, D-169) were introduced in June as identical bills. HB 198 was amended in the legislative process and was unanimously approved by the House on September 24. It is currently in the Senate Education Committee.

    Senate Bill 1000 (Sen. Joseph Scarnati, R-25), before being amended in committee, would amend the Public School Code to establish a rural regional community college pilot program for underserved counties. The legislation provides for the powers and duties of the Secretary of Education, designates the established nonprofit organization and appointed board of trustees that will work with the Secretary, as well as details the requirements of the proposed plan to be submitted by the board of trustees and approved by the Secretary. SB 1000 was unanimously reported as amended.

    The amendment offered by Senator Scarnati and unanimously adopted removes the reference to the pilot program; removes the designation of certain counties and a certain nonprofit, providing the Secretary of Education authority to designate the region and the nonprofit to help with duties; requires the board of trustees to establish an advisory committee and outlines the composition of such a committee; requires the board of trustees to partner initially with the an accredited institution of higher education to develop coursework; and provides for a separate tuition and fee schedule for students inside and outside of the region being served.

    SB 1000 and House Bill 1701 (Rep. Martin Causer, R-67) were introduced as identical bills. HB 1701 is in the House Education Committee.

    Senate Bill 1205 (Sen. Mike Folmer, R-48) would amend the Public School Code to simplify the process a college must follow in order to become a university. A college that is authorized to confer bachelor's degrees may be designated a university if the institution submits a notarized affidavit to the Department of Education. SB 1205 provides for the contents and submission of the affidavit, and the review process for the Department. SB 1205 was unanimously reported as committed.

    House Bill 1559 (Rep. Frank Farina, D-115) would amend the Public School Code to require each school entity's professional development plan to include four hours of training in youth suicide awareness and prevention every five years for educators in buildings serving students grades 6-12. The Department of Education in consultation with the Department of Health shall develop recommended training guidelines and materials. HB 1559 was unanimously reported as amended.

    The amendment (Sen. Mike Folmer, R-48) that was unanimously adopted requires school entities to adopt a suicide awareness and prevention policy.

 

Special Education Funding Commission
 
On December 11, the Special Education Funding Commission voted unanimously to release its final report and recommendations.

The report provides the context of special education and the funding issue the Commission was charged to study pursuant to Act 3 of 2013, along with summaries of the testimony received throughout the process.

Within the guidelines and limitations of Act 3, the Commission sought to recommend a funding formula that would consider the core principles of meeting the needs of students and schools, providing accuracy, considering changing conditions, achieving sustainability and workability, and protecting against over-identification and other unintended consequences.

The Commission makes the following recommendations related to a funding formula and distribution mechanisms:
  • Special education should remain an independent line item in the state budget with its own formula.
  • The formula should include factors reflecting the cost and ability of local education agencies (LEAs) to provide services to students with disabilities. The factors should include market value/personal income aid ratio and equalized millage rates. The average daily membership (ADM) for small, rural LEAs should be adjusted to reflect the LEA's ADM relative to the statewide ADM. The values associated with each LEA will be the average for the three most recent years for which data is available.
  • The formula should include three cost categories ranging from least intensive to most intensive range of services. Each LEA must have a student count for each of the three categories. The weights assigned to each of the three cost categories are as follows:
    • Category 1 - 1.51 low
    • Category 2 - 3.77 moderate
    • Category 3 - 7.46 high
  • The same principles should be applied for all LEAs, including school districts, charter schools, and cyber charter schools. The change for charter and cyber charter schools should be phased in over three years.
  • The Contingency Fund should be named the "Extraordinary Cost Fund" to better reflect its purpose. The current Contingency Fund and the Category 3 Fund should be combined as its own line item (as the newly named Extraordinary Cost Fund) in the annual education budget. 
The Commission also recommends that:
  • Changes be made to alleviate the challenges Approved Private Schools are facing by having their formula be tied to the consistently flat-funded special education line item;
  • The Department of Education (PDE) develops options for strengthening the state and LEA capacity to provide improved annual data; and
  • The General Assembly funds the voluntary competitive grant program established by Act 3 for LEAs meeting academic inclusion and achievement criteria.
In addition, the report provides observations about additional improvements worth considering that were not within the Commission's duties to recommend. These issues include local cost of living adjustments; hold harmless and minimum increase practices; transportation costs; long term cost projections; other programs for students with special needs that receive neither state nor federal funding; and student transience.

Click here to read the final report.

The Commission will meet once more for a public hearing to discuss legislation proposals directed by the Commission's report.

Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

On December 10, the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) unanimously approved and released its report, The Status of Special Education for Gifted Students in the Commonwealth, which was conducted pursuant to House Resolution 139 (Rep. Ryan Aument, R-41).

Among the recommendations were the following to the Department of Education (PDE):
  • Consider encouraging the development of a Program Endorsement Certificate in gifted education.
  • Consider limiting educators working in gifted education to those who hold instructional certificates in core subject areas.
  • Explore options to facilitate online professional development for gifted educators.
  • Consider granting waivers to school districts whose curriculum offerings are sufficient to meet the needs of gifted students.
Click here to read the full report, which includes all of the Committee's findings and recommendations. Click here for the highlights.

PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq announced on December 11 the School Performance Profile (SPP) website, paschoolperformance.org, is updated with complete data from the 2012-2013 school year. The SPP now includes scores for the more than 620 schools that had their information suppressed in October.

According to the Department of Education (PDE) press release, the SPP indicates that 2,181, or nearly 73%, of public schools received a score of 70 or higher.

Dumaresq highlighted resources and initiatives from PDE aimed at raising student achievement and providing school improvement strategies, such as the Standards Aligned System (SAS) portal, with a Classroom Diagnostic Tool for educators, the Academic Recovery Liaisons designated to "Priority" schools, and First Lady Susan Corbett's Opening Doors Early Warning System to identify students at risk for dropping out of school.

Click here to read the PDE press release.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Governor Corbett announced on December 9 the 2014 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year is Anthony Grisillo, a teacher in the Rose Tree Media School District in Delaware County. He is an instructor for the Academically Gifted Program and serves as the elementary science coordinator for curriculum and development. During his 15 years with the district he has presented at numerous conferences and received the Acme Teacher of the Month award in December 2012, the Boeing Space Camp for Educators Right Stuff Award in 2000, and was a Discovery Educator Network STAR Educator from 2009 to 2013.

Pennsylvania's Teacher of the Year program is co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National State Teacher of the Year, which was founded in 1995. Grisillo will be Pennsylvania's nominee for the 2014 National Teacher of the Year award, to be presented in April.
 
EPLC NEWS
  • New episodes of EPLC's "Focus on Education" TV series on PCN in 2014 will discuss the state education budget, early education, post-secondary education, and much more!

    Meanwhile, all 2013 episodes can be viewed online here. Topics covered this past year have been school violence, student testing, the work of school boards, how schools are funded, the dropout crisis, parents as advocates, arts education, and special education.

    EPLC welcomes comments about past shows and suggestions for topics for future shows. Send comments and suggestions to Ron Cowell at cowell@eplc.org.

    "Focus on Education" is a monthly, hour long program produced in partnership with the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). To learn more, visit PCN's "Focus on Education" web page. Information about sponsorships available for the show can be obtained by contacting Ron Cowell at 717-260-9900 or at cowell@eplc.org.  

  • COMING SOON. Early in 2014 EPLC will again conduct a series of regional workshops on education issues for Legislative Candidates and other interested citizens. Look for more information in future editions of the Notebook.

 

DATEBOOK
  • The State Board of Education will meet in Harrisburg January 8 - 9.

 

For information on upcoming events, please visit www.eplc.org and click on "Events Calendar".
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EPLC Education Notebook is published by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC).  Permission to reprint or electronically redistribute the Notebook in whole or in part is granted provided attribution to EPLC is provided.  The Education Policy and Leadership Center is an independent, non-partisan and not-for-profit organization.  The Mission of the Education Policy and Leadership Center is to encourage and support the development and implementation of effective state-level education policies to improve student learning in grades P-12, increase the effective operation of schools, and enhance educational opportunities for citizens of all ages.