The governor and legislature have been deadlocked for months over the state budget. The schools will run out of money in a few weeks or months.
Mark Miller, president of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and board member of the Network for Public Education, sent the following message:
“PA’s budget crisis has reached a new low. PSBA surveyed 500 school districts. 192 responded and 52 of those (more than 25%) provided dates ranging from March 1st to May 26th as the date they would need to suspend operations.”
How can it be possible that the leaders of the state would allow schools to close their doors in the middle of the semester?
Go to this link to learn more: http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org/
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Pennsylvania has an over $2 billion dollar deficit. They have had to borrow and pay hefty interest on loans. All of this fiscal problems are the result of former Governor Tom Corbett’s administration. The current governor, Tom Wolf, has been trying to restore funding to schools, but the legislature is obstructing any change and is determined to force more slash and burn policies on the citizens while refusing any tax increases.
LikeLike
And not a peep from Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg (to the rescue)?
LikeLike
and what about Oregon?
LikeLike
Illinois Universities are now sending out layoff notices to their entire staff. Some may not finish this semester, some are doubtful about their summer session.
LikeLike
We are seeing refugees flock to nearby Ohio universities. Still not without problems and mostly the wealthy, but not as bad as closing down entire major universities.
LikeLike
When did we stop valuing children?
LikeLike
The blatant product placement in this US Dept of Ed press release is appalling:
http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-recognizes-13-states-and-40-districts-committing-goopen-educational-resources
They’re becoming a publicly-funded advertising outlet for ed tech providers and platforms. There are no boundaries or lines at all between the commercial providers and the US Dept of Education. There’s no recognition at all that there might be ethical issues involved in the US Department of Education endorsing and promoting commercial products, not to mention that they lose all credibility as honest brokers or advisers to public schools.
LikeLike
Wow.
Very important info in the whole gestalt here. Needs to be talked about more.
LikeLike
Are RttT “winners” having a harder time than other states? Is there a situation here like in NC where progressive leadership pushed for RtTT and then a crazy conservative leadership (elected as a reaction against earlier progressive leadership) came in and added insult to injury?
Which states are doing ok with their public schooling? Were they RTTT states? Do they have predominantly progressive leadership?
I think I’ve read that Nebraska is doing ok. No RttT. Never has had progressive leadership.
So are the problems we are seeing in public schooling in other states more a result of crossfire? Rather than any one particular action?
LikeLike
There isn’t a privatization scheme or school de-funding strategy that the Georgia legislature hasn’t already implemented or isn’t currently contemplating. Next on the docket are a state takeover district (definite), a new funding formula designed to enshrine the state’s dismal contribution as the gold standard (highly probable), along with merit pay and a new state reimbursement formula to districts that will permanently stagnate the salaries of experienced teachers while referring to said plan as a pay increase (TBD).
The two rays of hope in the doom and gloom is that several Republican members of the state house and senate are actually listening to teachers about the merit pay proposal and also on testing and evaluation. It likely helps that one of them is a former teacher and principal, though that’s made no difference with our crooked governor who is married to a former teacher and is the son and son-in-law of teachers as well. It’s going to be a tough battle but there is at least some small chance that the governor doesn’t get his way on teacher pay.
The Senate Majority Leader is currently strongly and publicly opposed to the merit pay plan. The Gov has taken off the table for this year. It will undoubtedly be back next year. We’ll have to see what happens.
There are three house members who have bills pending to significantly reduce the role of test scores from their current 50% for teachers and 70% for principals. Strangely the proposal that would reduce them most, down to just 10%, is from a Tea Party wingnut and his bill includes opt-out provisions. That same wingnut is also taking on the issue of technology and student privacy. He’s a loon, but he’s a powerful and useful loon at the moment.
LikeLike
Montana is doing alright with their education system. They refused to rate teachers with test scores, refused to be part of RrrT, and found that administering federal funds cost them more than the funding itself. When threatened with loss of funds they still refused the federal mandates.
LikeLike
thank you for that info. Good to know.
LikeLike
It’s all part of the ed reform movement/legislature-let them run out of money and in swoop the charters who will rescue the day along with the legislature and their injection of cash which will magically appears-politics 101 at its finest.
LikeLike