After nine months of feuding over the state budget, the Pennsylvania legislature–dominated by Republicans–and Democratic Governor Tom Wolf finally reached a deal. Wolf wanted a $400 million increase for education, mostly targeted to help the beleaguered cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The final deal included only half that amount. Pennsylvania will remain the state with the most inequitable funding for the foreseeable future.
Pennsylvania has a long way to go to make up for the heavy cuts that former Governor Tom Corbett imposed on the schools.
To keep up with the news from Pennsylvania, read the Keystone State Education Coalition’s daily briefings.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It saddens me to find Pennsylvania in such a position as Philly is my hometown. Wolf has been trying to cobble together support for public schools, but the legislature, in a move similar to the that of the Tea Party in Washington, has Wolf agreeing to sell off more of Philly’s public schools to the charter industry in order to get funds for the budget. These are not “high seats” charters; these are the make money fast charters that have robbed taxpayers for years. Even with research in hand showing that charters have added nothing of value to Pennsylvania, they continue their forced expansion. There is no easy resolution here unless voters get the vultures out of Harrisburg. I feel sorry for my cousin’s granddaughter, that just got her music education degree, is full of promise, but has little hope of landing a decent a job.
Boy this is an absolute recipe for rip-offs:
“The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes a new provision championed by Chiefs for Change that will provide SEAs and LEAs with the resources to support direct student services (DSS). Through a 3 percent discretionary state reservation of Title I funding, states will be allowed to work with districts to rethink the use of a portion of Title I funds. The hope is that this will generate innovative approaches to bringing value and service to educators, families, students, and taxpayers. This new authority follows initiatives that Chiefs for Change members have taken in recent years to expand parental choice options as a means of improving student academic achievement. If all states take advantage of the new provision, over $425 million annually would be available to involve families in choosing personalized, outcomes-driven services for their children. These funds are made available in addition to the 7 percent set-aside for school improvement activities.
States opting into the program can develop grant processes to award the funds. The $425 million will be available annually for school districts to develop new, innovative ways to provide students in struggling schools a range of additional academic opportunities that aren’t presently available.
DSS programs can change the whole dynamic of a school system, giving students in our highest-need schools more access to more opportunities.
The provision could allow parents to choose from a wide variety of services for their children, such as access to otherwise-unavailable online courses, credit recovery programs for at-risk students, school choice, and programs that focus on personalized learning. To access the funding, states (in consultation with local school districts) will likely develop a competitive process for districts to submit plans for innovative DSS programs.”
Remember Tutors with Computers? The massive, decade-long rip-off Texas fell for?
Multiply that by 50 states. This is like millions of unaccountable dollars falling from the sky for edu-contractors.
http://edexcellence.net/articles/essas-hidden-treasure
This is a “rip off” plain and simple! The goal is to entice schools to waste valuable Title 1 funds on some unproven toy or gimmick. It is an incentive to buy some type of magical, “innovative” product rather than pay for direct service, which is what my district paid for with Title 1. No gadgets or gimmicks, just staff and materials for the neediest students in the school. That’s an effective use of Title 1!
My grandson is in kindergarten in Texas in a school with many poor students. The district “invested” in Chromebooks. The class is large with no assitant so my daughter has volunteered to help out. While the teacher is busy with a group, my tech savvy acts as the tech assistant because most of the other kids can’t figure out how to get started. My daughter is happy that her son can be helpful, but he is a struggling reader who needs to focus on reading.
Retired teacher,
What a sign of the times to see a kindergartener described as “a struggling reader.” Thirty years ago, an early childhood educator would have seen him as a five-year-old boy. If he lived in Finland now, he wouldn’t be attending school yet.
Check out Illinois for inequity. It’s HUGE!
If you are from Illinois, look up SB 231 that has just been passed by the Senate and is on its way to the House. It turns special education money into a block grant which can be used for anything. Dedicated funding for special ed teachers is eliminated and all programs are endangered. Read about it and contact your representative: https://preaprez.wordpress.com/2016/05/11/manar-bill-passes-senate-threatens-special-ed-funding-call-your-representative/
Well, my state senator in Philly was just indicted for bribery….he replaced a guy who went to jail for corruption, who had replaced another guy who went to jail for corruption…so is it any wonder that our fine politicians don’t really care about the public interest?
Sounds like Illinois!
But at least the schools will be able to display their trust in God: https://waynegersen.com/2016/05/10/districts-in-pa-may-trust-in-god-but-not-in-the-legislatures-ability-to-fund-their-schools/
Arne Duncan’s former employee (who now works for Zuckerberg) delivers a glowing review of Arne Duncan (who now works for another billionaire ed reformer) at an ed reform convention.
Everyone applauds.
Complete echo chamber. They go from the US Department of Ed where they push the priorities of the foundations straight to the billionaire Foundations, where they can then lobby their former colleagues in the US Department of Education – it’s seamless. A circle. Public schools are completely excluded from this exclusive club.
https://twitter.com/arneduncan