The Senate Education committee held a public hearing today on the implementation and compliance with criminal history provisions in Act 24 of 2011.  Chairman Jeffrey Piccola (R-Dauphin) commented that the purpose of the hearing was to examine the position of certain educational organizations in regards to reporting requirements contained in Act 24 of 2011 which was passed as part of a school safety legislative package he introduced in 2005. The specific requirements in question pertain to incumbent teachers who must report any arrests or conviction by December 27th, 2011. Look for the full story in the Capitol Toolbox later this afternoon.

The Senate Education Committee held a public hearing on teacher evaluation and effectiveness. The committee heard from Teach for America, StudentsFirst and the Department of Education on the issue. Check out the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today to read the full story.

The Senate Education Committee held a voting meeting today and reported out 17 bills related to providing school districts mandate relief. Check out the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today to read the full story.

The Senate Education Committee held an informational meeting today with the Department of Education to get a status update on the Keystone Exams, PVASS and the four year cohort graduation rate. Check out the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today to read the full story.

The Senate Education Committee unanimously reported the nomination of Ronald Tomalis as Secretary of the Department of Education. Tomalis fielded questions on a variety of education topics including school vouchers, PVASS and the Costing Out study. Check out the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.

The Senate Education Committee reported out SB 1 as amended with Senator Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery) and Senator Jim Ferlo voting in the negative. Chairman Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin) affirmed that it would provide school choice for parents and students by “providing opportunity scholarships” and expanding the EITC tax credit program. Senator Ferlo said the legislation is unconstitutional and weakens the state’s commitment to public schools. Check out the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today to read the full story.

The Senate Education Committee held a public hearing this morning to discuss the Department of Education’s efforts to gather student data from colleges and universities in Pennsylvania  through the Pennsylvania Informational Management System (PIMS). Several testifiers questioned the legitimacy and value of the data being collected  which includes birth, race, counseling incidents and tutoring incidents of individual students. Minority Chairman Andrew Dinniman (D-Chester) also expressed concern that the Department of Education has yet to tell universities what the Department will do with the data and why it is collecting it. Sandy Edmunds, Deputy Secretary of Higher Education defended the data collection and said it is a way for the Department to analyze trends and improve student achievement but conceded that the Department does not have the statutory authority to conduct the data collection. Chairman Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin) called the Department’s actions “outrageous” and said the level of data being collected is “absolutely scary.” Check out the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today to read the full story.

The Senate Education Committee heard a presentation today from the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Superintendents and PFT Local Presidents on recently completed teachers contracts. Chairman Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin) lauded the  superintendents and union leaders for their cooperation in crafting the contracts that was mutually beneficial to teachers and students. “At the core of our collective bargaining efforts was a commitment to improving student outcomes,” Mark Roosevelt, Superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools stated. “This was mission-based collective bargaining grounded in what we collectively wanted to do for our kids instead of the traditional compliance work of discussing wages, hour, health care and other standard issues.” Check out the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today to read the full story.

The Senate Education Committee reported out four bills this morning: SB 1248 and SB 1297 were reported as amended and SB 1314 and SB 1318 were reported as committed. Chairman Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin), prime sponsor of SB 1314, stated that the legislation would “strengthen oversight and accountability of charter schools and cyber charter schools” and emphasized that the bill is necessary in light of the activities of several charter schools in Philadelphia. Minority Chairman Andrew Dinniman (D-Chester) emphasized that the legislation is “not anti-choice” and stated “we’re going to help the charter school movement help itself.” The committee also got a briefing by the State Board of Education on regulations on student nutrition and wellness and on Common Core Academic Standards. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today to read the full story.