School Choices Forum in Pittsburgh
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Holiday Inn Pittsburgh University Center – Pittsburgh, PA
Agenda:
Introduction – EPLC’s PA School Choices Project
Ron Cowell, President, The Education Policy and Leadership Center
Panel Discussion: Vision for School Choices in Pennsylvania
Stanley W. Thompson, Director of The Heinz Endowments’ Education
Program
Jeremy Resnick, Executive Director and Founder, Propel Schools
Ron Cowell, President, The Education Policy and Leadership Center
Panel Discussion: Public School Choices in Pennsylvania
Jennifer R. Beagan, Senior Program Director, Educational Services, Allegheny
Intermediate Unit
Robert Fayfich, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools
Dr. Lawrence C. Korchnak, Superintendent, Baldwin-Whitehall School District
Marianne LeDonne, Director, Regional Choice Initiative, Beaver Valley
Intermediate Unit
Dr. Patrick O’Toole, Superintendent, Upper St. Clair School District
Panel Discussion: What Parents Want to Know About School Choices in Pennsylvania?
Bonita Allen, Former Chair, Title I State Parent Advisory Council
Tara Purcell, Legislation and Advocacy Chair, Pennsylvania PTA
Mark Conner, Former Director of Family and Community Engagement, Pittsburgh Public Schools
Cindy Duch, Director of Parent Advising, PEAL Center
EPLC’s School Choices Forum – Harrisburg Area – November 29, 2011
The School Choices Forum was held on Tuesday, November 29, 2011. The program included the following presentations:
Introduction – EPLC’s PA School Choices Project
Ron Cowell, President, The Education Policy and Leadership Center
Panel Discussion: Vision for School Choices in Pennsylvania
Senator Jeffrey Piccola, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee
Ron Cowell, President, The Education Policy and Leadership Center
Panel Discussion: Public School Choices in Pennsylvania
Marianne LeDonne, Director, Regional Choice Initiative, Beaver County Intermediate Unit
Brian Griffith, Director of Curriculum Services, Capital Area Intermediate Unit
Mark D. DiRocco, Superintendent, Lewisburg Area School District
Oscar Rossum, Sr., Past President and Co-Founder, Lincoln Charter School (York County) and CEO of Full Circle Inc. (Charter School Management Company)
Martin J. Hudacs, Superintendent, Solanco School District
Panel Discussion: What Parents Want to Know About School Choices in Pennsylvania?
Bonita Allen, Former Chair, Title I State Parent Advisory Council
Quibila Divine, Former Director, Parent and Family Engagement, The School District of Philadelphia; and President and Founder,The Educational Advocates Reaching Today’s Hardworking Students
Tara Purcell, Legislation and Advocacy Chair, Pennsylvania PTA
Annie Clark, Chairperson, Parent Advisory Committee, Lincoln Charter School
2011 Pennsylvania Education Finance Symposium
The 2011 Pennsylvania Education Finance Symposium was held on Thursday, November 17, 2011. The program included the following presentations:
“Promoting Student Achievement in Tough Budget Times” – Allan Odden, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, School of Education at University of Wisconsin; Co-Director, Consortium for Policy Research in Education at Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin; Co-Director at Strategic Management of Human Capital
Panel Discussion – “Effects of 2011-2012 State Budget”
Jim Buckheit, Executive Director, Pennsylvania School Boards Association
Jim Estep, Superintendent, Mifflin County School District
Wayne McCullough, Director of Administrative Services, Southern York County School District
“A National Perspective: Education Finance in the States and the National Equity and Excellence Commission” – Michael Rebell, Professor and Executive Director of The Campaign for Educational Equity, at Teachers College, Columbia University
Legislative Panel: “Significant Education Funding Issues Looking Forward to the 2012-2013 State Budget”
Jeffrey Miller, Budget Analyst (R), House Appropriations Committee, Office of Representative Adolph
Debbie Reeves, Senior Budget Analyst (D), House Appropriations Committee, Office of
The 2011 Education Finance Symposium was supported by grants from William Penn Foundation, Falk Foundation, and the Fulfilling the Dream Fund.
2010 Pennsylvania Education Finance Symposium
EPLC’s annual Education Finance Symposium was held on November 18, 2010 at Wildwood Conference Center on the campus of Harrisburg Area Community College. Please see below for agenda information, and presenter names and links to their PowerPoint presentations.
Pennsylvania Update: Status Report on PA K-12 Funding Reform; Impact of 2010-11 State Budget; and Fiscal Forecasting for 2011-12 Budget
Ron Cowell, President, The Education Policy and Leadership Center
Sharon Ward, Executive Director, PA Budget and Policy Center
National Perspective: “Is School Funding Fair: A National Report Card” from the Education Law Center (New Jersey)
David G. Sciarra, Esq., Executive Director, Education Law Center (New Jersey)
Panel Discussion: Building on Recent Progress: Where Can We Go with K-12 Funding Issues in Context of New PA Political Fiscal Conditions?
Jay D. Himes, CAE, Executive Director, PA Association of School Business Officials
Susan Gobreski, Executive Director, Education Voters PA
The Old and the New: Remarks by Governors’ Policy Leaders
Donna Cooper, Former PA Secretary of Policy and Planning, Office of Governor Rendell
Dr. Paula Hess, Senior Advisor to the Republican Leader, PA House of Representatives
Panel Discussion: A Broader View of the “Education” Budget – Let’s Not Forget Early Education, Higher Education, Libraries, Arts, Museums, and more
Dr. Winston Cleland, Policy Analyst, PA Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development
Barbara Franco, Executive Director, PA Historical and Museum Commission
Carol Obando-Derstine, Executive Director, Children’s Coalition of the Lehigh Valley
Rep. Steve Samuelson, Chairman, PA House of Representatives Committee on Aging and Older Adult Services, Subcommittee on Care and Services and Vice Chairman, Committee on Children and Youth
Carrie Wissler-Thomas, President, Art Association of Harrisburg
Past EPLC Conferences:
