The Notebook's latest news posts.
Rising cyber-charter costs fuel push for statewide reform
Submitted by thenotebook on Thu, 05/23/2013 - 13:34 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
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by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news partner
Even as funding for Pennsylvania public schools has dwindled, the cost of sending students to independent, online charter schools has risen in more than three-quarters of Pennsylvania's 500 traditional school districts.
In many of those districts, the mounting financial impact of these "cyber charters" has been dramatic over the last four years. This had led to calls for the state legislature to rethink the rules for such schools.
Update: What's going on with the District's closings plan?
Submitted by Wendy Harris on Thu, 05/23/2013 - 11:56 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
In June, the District will close 24 schools for good, displacing about 14,000 students. Since the School Reform Commission voted in March in favor of the closings, many parents and students have been concerned about whether transition plans will go smoothly.
The Notebook asked the District’s Chief of Student Services Karyn Lynch, by email, for an update about the closings process regarding safety plans, teacher placement, student placement, and the preparation at receiving schools.
South Philadelphia High School principal Otis Hackney also gave his perspective about the safety concerns that some have expressed regarding Southern as the receiving school for Bok Technical, which is closing.
National report outlines problems with Philadelphia's policies on teachers
Submitted by Dale Mezzacappa on Wed, 05/22/2013 - 21:28 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
[Updated, 5/23 with additional reaction]
A report by a national nonprofit studying Philadelphia has concluded that the District does a poor job of hiring and assigning teachers, fails to effectively evaluate or support them, and overrelies on seniority to govern placement and layoffs.
The report, from the National Council on Teacher Quality, also said that Philadelphia pays salaries competitive with surrounding districts and most charter schools for the first 10 years, but then rapidly falls behind -- largely because the only way to get a raise after that, besides a negotiated percentage increase, is for a teacher to accumulate more graduate credits.
Phil Goldsmith pushes for additional school funding sources
Submitted by David Limm on Wed, 05/22/2013 - 13:34 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
Former interim superintendent Phil Goldsmith warned members of City Council last week against taking the silver-bullet approach to fixing public schools. He also offered some of his own thoughts on what additional sources of revenue could be tapped to help the cash-poor School District.
Nutter, state Republicans to join forces on school funding?
Submitted by thenotebook on Wed, 05/22/2013 - 10:21 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks
Philadelphia's Mayor Nutter wants to raise money for the cash-strapped School District, mostly through tax increases on alcohol and cigarettes. But he needs Harrisburg to pass legislation to make that a reality.
Musicians' plea to District: Don't take away our collective soul
Submitted by thenotebook on Tue, 05/21/2013 - 15:54 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
Members of the Philadelphia Orchestra know the vital role music can play in a young person's development. At the School Reform Commission meeting on May 15, Don Liuzzi, speaking on behalf of the Philadelphia Orchestra, where he is a timpanist, submitted a petition imploring the SRC not to let budget cuts deprive schools of the music and art programs that are essential to the development of students' self-expression and creativity as well as the future of the city's musical community.
Roxborough community rallies against proposed school cuts
Submitted by thenotebook on Tue, 05/21/2013 - 14:59 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
by Matthew Grady for NewsWorks
Standing before hundreds of parents and students gathered in the Roxborough High School auditorium, Timothy Boyle, a math teacher at AMY Northwest, asked the audience about the basic tasks of school personnel.
"Who is going to meet with students to review their high school options for next year?" he asked.
"Counselors," the audience replied, also responding to questions regarding secretarial duties, lunch monitoring, and in-school discipline.
Mastery charter graduates revel in their college choices
Submitted by thenotebook on Tue, 05/21/2013 - 12:17 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
by Aaron Moselle and Zack Seward for NewsWorks
Cheering fans, cheerleaders, and mascots filled Temple University's Liacouras Center on Monday afternoon.
None of them was there for a game.
Instead, thousands of students, staff members and parents traveled to the North Philadelphia arena for Mastery Charter Schools' first-ever College Signing Day, an event patterned after National Signing Day for high school athletes.
Slideshow: Philly students walk out and rally against school budget cuts
Submitted by thenotebook on Mon, 05/20/2013 - 13:14 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
Why Bill Cosby thinks Germantown High should close
Submitted by thenotebook on Mon, 05/20/2013 - 12:18 Posted in Latest news | Permalink
by Brian Hickey for NewsWorks
As the final day of Germantown High School's 99-year history approaches — the Class of '13 will don caps and gowns on June 19 — NewsWorks will present a series of stories including interviews with grads and former students.
To launch the GHS series, NewsWorks is sharing excerpts from an interview with Bill Cosby, the actor and comedian who attended the school and failed out in the 10th grade, taking a shoe-repair job rather than repeat the year.
During a 20-minute phone interview in early May, Cosby made it perfectly clear why you didn't hear him get involved in the school-closing protests.
Notes from the news
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