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EPLC Education Notebook Friday, April 23, 2010
Content in this edition: EPLC News Pennsylvania Policymakers - State Senate - State House Announcements Datebook The EPLC Education Notebook (current and past editions) also is available by visiting the EPLC website at www.eplc.org/ednotebook.html.
SECRETARY ZAHORCHAK RESIGNS Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Gerald Zahorchak has resigned his post effective May 7 to become the new superintendent of the Allentown School District. Zahorchak will take the helm in Allentown on July 1. Zahorchak served as superintendent in the Greater Johnstown School District prior to joining the Rendell administration as Deputy Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education in 2003. He later was promoted to the Secretary’s post, where he has served for the past five years.
EPLC NEWS EPLC will hold a Community Forum on Education Issues in the Harrisburg region on Thursday evening, May 6. This is an opportunity to join other concerned citizens in the region to discuss key education issues and to develop policy recommendations to be delivered to state and local policymakers. The Forum is co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania PTA and Capital Area Intermediate Unit 15. For details about the event and to register online, see www.eplc.org/communityforums.html.
PENNSYLVANIA POLICYMAKERS State Senate On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee approved Senate Bill 1192, which would take the place of the existing Education Empowerment Act that is set to expire on June 30, 2010. The bill would establish greater state oversight of schools that are not meeting state academic performance targets and would require schools and school districts to implement different improvement strategies depending on their accountability level. As amended in Committee, the bill would establish various accountability levels for schools and districts failing to meet state academic performance targets. Schools or districts that fail to make academic performance targets for one year would be put on “warning” status. Schools or districts that miss academic performance targets for two to three consecutive years would be placed in Accountability Level 1 status. Schools or districts that fail to meet targets for four to eight consecutive years would be placed in Accountability Level 2 status. Schools or districts missing performance targets for nine or more years would be placed in Accountability Level 3. The legislation includes several measures intended to assist struggling schools. For instance school boards in a district that is identified as in warning, Accountability Level 1, 2 or 3 would be required to complete an instructional course designed or approved by PDE that consists of no fewer than 30 hours of instruction. In addition, schools would be required to conduct a data-driven examination of deficiencies in academic performance, school climate and safety. Schools and school districts in Accountability levels 1 and 2 would be required to establish school improvement teams that may include teachers, administrators, board members, parents, intermediate unit staff, college or university faculty and business and community leaders. These teams would be required to design, modify, implement and report on a school improvement plan. An analysis of the school’s or district’s academic achievement and the effectiveness of current practices in curriculum, teaching techniques, climate and leadership would be considered when constructing the plan. Improvement plans must include a program that would allow a student that is attending a school in Accountability levels 1, 2 or 3 to transfer to another school in the same district (upon parental request) that is not designated in such an Accountability status. Such transfers must be consistent with the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The bill also includes provisions that would allow some designated schools (Accountability Level 2 & 3) to demote or terminate principals and teachers, convert to a charter school, contract with education management organizations, negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the current collective bargaining agreement, implement performance-based compensation, and petition PDE to allow uncertified individuals to fill teacher shortages. School districts, charters schools, cyber charter schools and vocational technical schools in Accountability level 3 would be governed by a three-member statewide accountability board appointed by PDE. This three-member panel would be responsible for developing the district’s improvement plan, approving the annual budget, employing and terminating school administrators and approving collective bargaining agreements. If a school in Accountability Level 3 fails to comply with the directives of the statewide accountability board, it would forfeit $5,000 per day for the first violation and $10,000 per day for the second or subsequent violation. Under SB 1192, teacher strikes would be prohibited in districts in Accountability Level 3 until the school district has met its academic performance targets for two consecutive years. Additionally, the bill was amended to remove the exemption from the Prevailing Wage Act, the Separations Act and the Steel Procurement Act from charter schools established under the proposal. SB 1192 awaits further action by the full Senate. State House
ANNOUNCEMENTS State Representative Mario Civera (R-Delaware) announced his retirement this week, which will take effective on April 30. Civera was elected to Delaware County Council in the November 2009 Municipal Election but has served both his local and state posts since that time. A date for a special election to replace Civera has not been established yet; a special election to fill a vacant House seat cannot be held until 60 days after the member leaves office. Civera was elected to the House in 1980 and most recently served as Republican Chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
DATEBOOK Next week… For information on these and other upcoming events, see www.eplc.org/calendar.html. The EPLC Education Notebook (current and past editions) also is available by visiting the EPLC website at www.eplc.org/ednotebook.html.
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