PARSS September Newsletter

   Index

Bob Cercone, pictured here, is one of two of the longest sitting superintendents of school, in one school district, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  He has been the Superintendent of Schools in the Freedom Area School District in Beaver County for over 29 years. Bob is a special favorite of those in PARSS, because of his early involvement in school funding and his stand on equity throughout the years.  He was the person who made the motion to get PARSS to go to court in the equity suit.

We celebrate Bob Cercone because his career is all about "getting things done" for the youngsters in his school district.  When there has been a problem in Beaver County, Bob Cercone has been the man to call.  He initiated legislation that provided funds for schools that were literally sinking because of mines under the ground.  He worked with local, state and federal officials to get funds to ameliorate the situation.
His approach to labor negotiations, "win-win" has provided a positive labor atmosphere within the district.  There has not been a strike in the district during his tenure, which also coincides with Act 195.  Above all, he is an advocate for the children in the school district, as well as children in the poor parts of the state.  His schools and  programs have won numerous state and national awards for their excellence. Bob Cercone is as active today, as he was the first day that he was on the job.  His boundless energy sets him apart from the ordinary, his care for those in tough circumstances makes him a special person. One day you may get a call from Bob saying, "I just want to ask you one question."  Congratulations Bob from all of us in the public schools of Pennsylvania.

On June 15, a representative group of PARSS staff and board members met to review the final report on the marketing study conducted by Bright Futures Unlimited.  The study, which entailed holding six focus groups around the State, attracted participation by 88 individuals representing 44 districts.  Most participants were superintendents or business managers, but board members, building principals, I.U. directors and I.U. staff were also represented.

After studying all focus group input on the needs of local districts and suggestions about how PARSS might meet those needs, the group evaluated suggested services in relation to the following criteria:

1. Was the service suggested frequently and does it address a universal need?
2. Is the service consistent with the mission of PARSS and within our area of expertise?

The following services were recommended to and approved by the PARSS board at their June 16, 2000 board meeting:

1. PARSS should support districts by developing a list of recommended grant writers and establishing a link to their services on the website.
2. PARSS should maintain a confidential registry of people considering other professional opportunities.
3. PARSS should become a provider of collaborative sessions and/or conferences offered for continuing education credit.
4. PARSS should direct Bright Futures Unlimited to establish a three year cycle where each region of the state has a turn hosting a focus group discussion entitled, "What can PARSS do for you"?

As the staff of PARSS (read Joe Bard and Arnold Hillman) implement these directives, information will be posted on the PARSS website - www.parss.org - and in this newsletter.

The Board of PARSS thanks everyone who participated in this marketing study and looks forward to continuing to meet the needs of all our member districts.
  

One of the most important parts of the service to school districts that PARSS can give is direct service on individual problems.  Since we are centered in Harrisburg, we have access to the Department of Education and all other government and associated bodies. 

Some of the examples of recent services to districts are in the areas of Plan-Con, Certification, Special Education, Title I, school subsidy payments, strategic plans and many others. What does this all mean?

PARSS can help you with some of the direct links that you need without you having to come down to Harrisburg.  We can also get answers to questions for you on most any educational question. We have state data on many subjects available to us on a quick turnaround.

We also work with districts on individual school district problems that require us to come to your district.  We have done financial analysis on school budgets, helped to identify organizational problems, looked at taxation, worked with individual school boards and communities, helped to write strategic plans, taught technology and many other things. Most of these things have come as a result of your dues to PARSS. Some of the longer term projects have required a fee. Check us out and give us a try. We are here for your benefit.

The first newsletter of a new school year seems a good time to ask this question, although, as many of you know, we ask it, of you and ourselves, constantly. An article in this issue tells you some of the services we provide. This information will also be available to you shortly in a new "Member Services" section on our website.

Speaking of the website: if you are not a regular visitor, you are missing out on a service because of the open nature of the Internet, is not available to members only.  We work hard on the quality and timeliness of www.parss.org, and employ a hard driving young firm to keep us, and you, on the cutting edge of cyberspace.

As part of this exclusive member services effort, we are asking all PARSS members to send us the e-mail address that the superintendent is most apt to access him or herself.  We can then assign you the log on and password necessary to enter, and use a message board, that we believe can help us be in closer communication with each other on matters of importance.

Coming in the near future will be a real time "chat room" that we can use to talk with you on selected topics at scheduled times.  As you can see, we are really pushing the importance of close communication, and shrinking the physical distance between us.  Isolation, and the lack of an opportunity to talk with those in the same allegorical boat has always been, in a state the size of Pennsylvania, one of the major constraints to political and social change, and thus one of the ways we are controlled by those at the center of the web.

Last year we went out across the state and met with dozens of people in PARSS communities . Our purpose was to ask the question posed in the title.  We received as many different responses as there were people in the focus groups, but a number of them turned up with a frequency that led the board to authorize the development of programs to address them (see article in this issue).

The leading repeat response was "keep doing this". There is a great awareness of the need, and a hunger, for more chances to meet face to face and share information and feelings. So we will continue to hold meetings, lunches or dinners in your area, at least once a school year for that purpose.

Another was the request for assistance in helping rural school administrators learn their job, and do it better.  This has led us to begin planning for the provision of learning opportunities that would meet that need, and also help those educators earn the credits required for continued certification.

Public educators today understand that the distance between their schools and the corporate and commercial world is nonexistent.  It is our board's policy to take advantage of this state of affairs when it can be done to the advantage of the membership, and the organization.  This led us into, what we hope will continue to be, an excellent relationship with Zions Bank. Other such relationships will be examined, and entered into, if they can meet the board's dual standard, and exhibit the required integrity. 

Last, but far from least: every year in April, PARSS puts on a two day conference in State College, that is designed for 100 to 150 attendees. With what I think is justifiable pride, it is one of the finest such experiences I know of, both in the quality of the event itself, and in the quality of the social and professional interactions (read, we have a good time). This is also the opinion of many of the conferees, presenters and exhibitors, as taken from their evaluations. Come join us this April.

• Between 1991 and 1998 enrollment in rural schools increased by 3.9%.
• Dean Koontz, noted horror/mystery writer, comes from Everett, Bedford County.
• Anne Marie Winston, romance novelist, is a former teacher and native of Waynesboro, in Adams County.
• There are 40 locations for the REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) program in Pennsylvania.

A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of teachers, parents, and taxpayers from each of ten (10) districts that have been listed on the Empowerment List. This suit has been filed in Commonwealth Court on July 31, 2000.

There are two parts to the lawsuit. First, a challenge to the constitutionality of the Act on the following bases:

1. Equal Protection Claim as to Teachers - Plaintiffs content that the Act violates the equal protection clauses of both the PA and U.S. Constitutions in that it establishes two classes of teachers: (1) Teachers in empowerment districts, who lose statutory job security rights; and (2) other teachers in the Commonwealth who retain their rights.  The basis for the establishment of the two classifications - i.e. the PSSA test scores - is an irrational basis, as the PSSA test was never validated as a measure of teacher performance or as a basis for diminished teacher employment rights.
      
2. Equal Protection Claim as to Parents - The Act also establishes two classes of parents: (1) Empowerment parents, who lose the right to approve the conversion of existing schools to charter schools; and (2) other parents in the Commonwealth, who retain those rights. Again, the basis for the establishment of the two classifications - i.e. the PSSA test scores - is an irrational basis, as the test was never validated to measure charter school performance and parental involvement, or as a basis for diminished parental control. Moreover, the test reflects socio-economic factors, such that poor districts have received lower test scores.
     
3. Equal Protection Claims as to Taxpayers - The Act establishes two classes of taxpayers: (1) Empowerment taxpayers, who lose their right to influence their elected school board members in approval of charter schools established in the district; and (2) other taxpayers in the Commonwealth who retain that right. Again, the basis for establishing this distinction of class - the PSSA test - is an irrational basis.
      
4. Impairment of Contracts - Pennsylvania case law has held that the Teacher Tenure Law and its grant of job security rights to professional employees establishes a contract between the state and professional employees. As such, plaintiffs contend that the Act violates the Contract clauses of both the U.S. and PA Constitutions, as the Act substantially impairs the contractual job security rights for professional employees in empowerment districts by diminishing those tenure rights.
      
5. Taxation without Representation - Plaintiffs further contend that the Act violates a provision of the Pennsylvania Constitution that prohibits assigning tasks to a special commission. With the Act, there is the potential for a Board of Control to be in power that would have the final say on school improvement. The school board would have to levy taxes to implement school initiatives directed by the unelected Board of Control. Such would be taxation without representation.
      
6. Stealth Legislation - The Act was passed within a 24-hour period and violated all of the provisions in the Pennsylvania Constitution that require legislation to have three considerations by the House of Representatives and Senate, as well as to be published on distinct occasions.

If plaintiffs are successful on any of the above arguments, the Act would be stricken as unconstitutional.  Additionally, plaintiffs have also challenged the Department of Education's application of the Act on the following bases:

• That the only PSSA test scores that the Department has currently are scores from a PSSA that includes only a math and reading component. The PSSA test, as defined in the Act, is a test that includes a math, reading, and science component. If plaintiffs are successful with this argument, we would ask that the Education Empowerment Act be applied prospectively only. Stated another way, the Act could only be applied once the Department has revised the PSSA test in accordance with the Act. The Department would then use the revised test scores for two years to determine empowered districts.
     
• That the Department, in identifying empowered districts, performed a calculation of test scores that is consistent with the Act.  That is, plaintiffs contend that the Act requires a district to have had 50% or more in the bottom quartile in reading and math for each of the two most recent years for which PSSA test scores are available. What the Department is doing, however, is averaging the scores over two years.  For example, if a district has 60% of its students scoring in the bottom quartile during the 1997-98 year and 40% in the bottom quartile of the 1998-99 year, the district is on the list, even though the test scores improved, as the average of the two years is 50%. What we are saying is that there must be 50% in the bottom quartile for both the 1997-98 and 1998-99 years.  If plaintiffs are successful with this argument, six (6) districts would not have 50% or more of their students scoring in the bottom quartile for either the 1997-98 or 1998-99 schools years and should, therefore, be taken off the empowerment list: 
  • Aliquippa School District
  • Clairton School District
  • Lancaster School District
  • Steelton-Highspire School District
  • Sto-Rox School District
  • York City School District.

  The complaint has been filed in the Court's original jurisdiction. Essentially, what that means is that plaintiffs will have an opportunity to have a hearing, where they can put on expert testimony exposing the flaws of the PSSA test and the Act's reliance upon it.

Senator James J. Rhoades, Chairman of t he Senate Education Committee has been holding hearings across the state to get input on school funding and his proposed SB 1283.  Hearings have taken place in Harrisburg, Schuylkill County, Pittsburgh, Erie County, Williamsport on July 18th and Wilkes Barre on July 19th.  Additional hearings will also take place in Lehigh County and Delaware County at the beginning of September.  A summary of all of the testimony will appear on the PARSS website shortly.

The General Assembly's "lame-duck" session occurs in the twilight - in the few weeks between election day and November 30 when the Constitution requires the biennial legislative session to end.  In the twilight of past lame-duck sessions, strange things like tax increases have coalesced from the vapors of smoke-filled rooms. One of this year's strange things could be vouchers.

To let legislators know that people want them to do better by our children, PARSS and the Pennsylvania School Reform Network (PSRN) are urging school districts to adopt the week of November 13 as "Fair School Funding Week."

According to PSRN Director Tim Potts, the idea is simple. "Legislators know that Pennsylvania has one of the most unfair systems of funding public education in the nation.  What they do not know is how many people want them to fix the system, so that communities can cut property and nuisance taxes and improve schools. During Fair School Funding Week, people across Pennsylvania will tell their legislators to forget about vouchers that would benefit few and instead create a new funding system that will benefit all," Potts said.

The goal of Fair School Funding Week is simply to encourage all citizens, sometime during the week, to call, e-mail, fax, write, or visit their legislators with a simple message: "Give us a school funding system that is fair to children and taxpayers everywhere."

While PARSS and PSRN don't expect immediate passage of a new system in November - although there are bills in both the House and Senate that could be passed - the point is to create momentum so that fair school funding becomes the state's top priority when the General Assembly re-convenes in January.

There are several ways that schools can support Fair School Funding Week:

• Adopt school board resolutions declaring the week of Nov. 13 Fair School Funding Week.
• Place articles about Fair School Funding Week in newsletters that go to parents.
• Provide parents and taxpayers with information about how a new funding system could cut local taxes and improve the quality of schools.
• Publish ads for Fair School Funding Week in programs for school events such as football games and theatre productions.
• Provide parents and taxpayers with the names and contact information for their state Representatives and Senators.
• Ask community organizations to support Fair School Funding Week.
• Have students create posters that teachers and administrators can ask local merchants to put in their windows.
• Work with local radio stations to produce and air public service annoucements asking people to contact their legislators during Fair School Funding Week.
• Ask for editorial support from your local newspapers.
• Submit an "op ed" to your newspapers making the case for a better system and asking citizens to contact their legislators during Fair School Funding Week.
• Encourage teachers in appropriate classes to discuss school funding issues with their students.

PARSS Executive Director Joe Bard is urging PARSS members and all other school districts to plan now for a successful Fair School Funding Week.

"The stakes are high for the children we educate and the taxpayers we represent," Bard said.

"Because if we don't speak up now, legislators will think that people don't care, and we will lose ground in the battle for high quality public schools for each and every child."

A few years ago, PARSS began to put several sets of data on its website www.parss.org.  The most popular of these sets of numbers are the average personal income of each school district in the Commonwealth and the average tax per real estate parcel in each of our school districts.  The expenditure data will also be on shortly.  All of these numbers come from state sources. An update on the Rhoades proposal for school funding will be on shortly.

For those of you who e-mailed PARSS and guessed that the picture in the last issue was Arnold Hillman, you were not far from wrong.  The picture was of Israel Bernstein, 1878-1950, his grandfather.