Count Me In

Getting Better Results in Education

2011-10-12T15:16:00.004-04:00

By Bill Hartman and Jane Conover

A wise but unnamed person once said “Vision is Seeing the Opportunity Inside the Challenge”. It is a good reminder that today’s challenges actually create an opportunity to act boldly to achieve significant results. Public education is one of those challenges that is debated in movies, news articles, in books and in the halls of government. The public discourse over school improvement is complex but also incredibly valuable because it keeps the education of young people front and center. More people than ever are willing to consider new ways to resolve problems, making collaboration among educators, parents and policy makers more viable.

With the recent release of the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s System of School Assessment (PSSA) data from York County schools, we learned that in the 2010-2011 academic year, every school district had some students that failed to meet the goals set by the No Child Left Behind Act. While some progress is being made, student test scores in the School District of the City of York still lag behind their counterparts in other districts by almost 20 percentage points in math, reading and science.

There are signs of hope. First, PSSA test scores overall are improving slightly throughout the County, including in the School District of the City of York. Secondly, there are many committed and competent education professionals and community members who are eager to dramatically improve these results. Dr. Wortham, the new Superintendent of the School District of the City of York, is leading the charge for a transformation in culture that will create the environment where children and teachers thrive. The Community Foundation has met with Dr. Wortham and her leadership team several times and they are committed and eager to work hard for the children they serve every day. We endorse Dr. Wortham’s priorities to ensure adequate teacher/student ratios, create safe schools, and give educators the tools and skills they need to support the development of the whole child.

While it would be nice if there was one magic solution to fix all of the problems with public education, Elaine Weiss, National Coordinator for Broader, Bolder Approach to Education reminded us at the April YorkCounts Summit to give up that fantasy. The reality is that children, families and schools need many things to succeed. YorkCounts and York County Community Foundation seek to bring all the stakeholders together to identify, research, evaluate and advocate for solutions. Fortunately, the ingredients of success are here…public awareness, competent leadership and community commitment to do better for our students.

Bill Hartman is the President of York County Community Foundation. Jane Conover is the Vice President of Community Investment at York County Community Foundation and is the lead staff for the YorkCounts Initiative. YorkCounts became an initiative of York County Community Foundation in May, 2011.

Business & Education Partner for a Strong Workforce

2011-09-14T17:00:00.021-04:00

On October 7th, the York County Economic Development Corporation (YCEDC) will host the first annual Business & Education Partnership Roundtable. The event will bring together the business and education communities to discuss how to better work together to ensure student’s preparedness for the workforce. Positive business-education partnerships can provide students with relevant classroom and out of school experiences to help them step into the careers available within our community.

In 2009, YCEDC’s Office of Workforce Development (OWD) kicked off their Career Pathways/STEM initiative with Superintendents and business leaders. A list of recommendations was created and a leadership team was established with representation from the business and education communities to prioritize and oversee the implementation of the recommendations. The Business & Education Partnership Roundtable addresses the following recommendation:

“The OWD will create a Business and School Collaboration Committee with a broad

stakeholder group of business and education leaders (secondary and

post secondary) to exchange information, establish needs, define expectations,

set goals, determine the measures of accountability, and support the

CareerPathways/STEM Model. The model will be flexible, respect local

control and allow for all levels of participation.”

The committee will meet annually in the fall for the Business & Education Partnership Roundtable. The information exchanged during the session will be tabulated and acted upon by the OWD and other relevant community partners. A mid-year status report will be presented at the Annual York County Workforce Development summit in May.

The 2011 Industry Cluster Analysis Update for York County will also be presented at the event. The analysis, updated every 5 years by YCEDC staff, identifies growth industries and is used as a planning tool. Context will be gained by framing the conversation of the Business & Education Partnership Roundtable around the cluster analysis, increasing the value of the discussions and its inevitable outcomes.

A highly skilled workforce is imperative for companies to remain competitive in today’s economy. This event will provide an opportunity for employers to work with educational leaders to impact the development of a high quality relevant workforce. We will be looking for creative ways for the employer community to support the schools and ultimately the students to build the future workforce for York County.

Those interested in attending the Business & Education Partnership Roundtable, on October 7, 2011 from 8:00AM-2:00PM at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center – York, should RSVP to Caitlyn Meyer at cmeyer@ycedc.org or (717) 846-8879 by September 23, 2011.

Caitlyn Meyer is the business development coordinator for the York County Economic Development Corp. She coordinates YCEDC activities related to the York County Economic Development Plan, seeks to work with local governments through the Municipal Outreach Program and works on business retention. Caitlyn earned her bachelor’s degree in history from York College of Pennsylvania in 2009 and has been with YCEDC since that time. Caitlyn lives and works in York City. She can be reached at cmeyer@ycedc.org or 717-846-8879, ext. 3053.

Affiliation Strengthens Pipeline of Workers

2011-08-05T10:53:00.000-04:00

By Caitlyn Meyer

July marked the one year anniversary of York County Alliance for Learning’s (YCAL) affiliation with the York County Economic Development Corporation Office of Workforce Development (OWD). YCAL works with businesses and schools to provide career education, relevant academic experiences and work-based experience for K-12 students in York County. The affiliation furthers the YorkCounts recommendation that the OWD sustain initiatives that would systematically build a pipeline of entry level workers and more directly affect the youth population.

While the mission of the OWD touches many populations/groups throughout York County, this recommendation directly affects the youth population. The affiliation connects YCAL’s strong relationships with the education community and YCEDC’s strong relationships in the business community together to improve the implementation of programs, ultimately improving the quality and quantity of opportunities for youth.

YCAL programs have had great success and touched many in York County over the past year. Since the affiliation, YCAL has impacted 8,272 students, 391 educators and 117 employers through its events and programming.
One such YCAL event was the Career Opportunities Day held at HACC-York Campus. At the event, 195 high school juniors and seniors learned about the knowledge and skills needed for careers in the 16 National Career Clusters. Another important program offered by YCAL is the student mentoring program with local companies. This past school year, YCAL held nine mentoring programs, impacting over 130 students. YCAL also hosted events offering continuing education credits for educators, such as the Career Education and Work Standards Symposium with over 170 York County educators in attendance.

To learn more about other events and programs offered by the York County Alliance for Learning, visit www.ycal.us.

Learning Through Real World Experiences

2011-06-22T16:46:00.000-04:00

By Dayna Lauer

In today’s system of education, we frequently hear the phrase, “Teaching to the test.” Unfortunately with the addition of the adoption of the Common Core Standards, many teachers around the county are tossing out any ideas of weaving together the standards, the test preparation, and solid classroom instruction. Many are, in fact, simply teaching to the test. It is a regrettable effect and one that can be reversed.

I propose that standardized test preparation and common standards can be combined in a classroom centered on authentic instruction. By this I mean, instruction that has a connection to the real world in which we all live, advocates for higher order thinking, encourages conversation, and promotes depth of knowledge for ALL students. These factors can also be enhanced by technology integration. Thus it is imperative for teachers to begin structuring lessons around authentic tasks.

Recently I spent time working with teachers who intended to structure a task for students that would integrate multiple classes, meet multiple standards, and give students the skills needed to perform well on the state standardized tests in the Spring. I was amazed at their product! While it would take me much longer than this blog to describe all of the elements that were involved, here is the summary: students will visit a local arboretum during which they will receive instruction on the flora and fauna of the arboretum. While there, students will be measuring slope and distances on their walk. They will also be calculating their heart rate as they walk at various speeds around the arboretum. The students will then be responsible for producing a local field guide to the arboretum that incorporates QR codes. Included in the field guide will be student produced digital pictures of the plants, as well as student created artwork of the species. Students will also work collaboratively to create a Google Map walking tour of the arboretum and create a website dedicated to the history of the arboretum.

This authentic, interdisciplinary unit took these teachers three solid days of planning to create and they are excited to implement it in the fall. I am sure the results will be equally exciting. It is important to note, that the summer is the perfect time for authentic planning to begin, because while teachers may not be in the classroom during the summer months, they certainly spend countless hours preparing for the students they will meet in the fall!

Dayna Laur is a 13-year veteran social studies teacher at Central York High School and is a National Faculty Member for the Buck Institute for Education. She has her National Board Certification, a bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia Tech, a Master of Arts degree in education in curriculum and instruction from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Master of Science degree in 21st-century teaching and learning from Wilkes University. Over the past four years, she has worked closely with the Classrooms for the Future initiative in Pennsylvania, presenting to teachers, instructional technology coaches, administrators, and higher education faculty members on ways in integrate project-based learning in a technology-rich classroom environment. She has been featured as the model teacher for Authentic Based Classroom Instruction as produced by the National Institute for Professional Practice and as a model teacher for the Schools that Work Series as produced by Edutopia.

No Question About It...Early Childhood Education Prepares Children for School

2011-06-20T14:38:00.000-04:00

By Christy Renjilian

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) released the outcomes for children attending Pre-K Counts, Keystone STAR 3 & 4 early childhood education programs, and state funded Head Start programs. The findings are very impressive.

For Pre-K Counts, a program for at-risk three and four year olds, 99%, of the children showed age-appropriate or emerging age appropriate language, math and social skills on a standardized assessment tool. These children are entering kindergarten with appropriate academic and social skills and ready to learn. Less than 25% of these same children entered the Pre-K Counts program with age-appropriate skills. Currently, 254 York County children, or 1%, attend Pre-K Counts programs. The programs are administered by Crispus Attucks, KinderCare, York Day Nursery, York JCC, York YWCA, and the York City School District/CPC.

Keystone STARS promotes quality improvement among child care programs through quality standards and increased requirements for ongoing professional development for teachers. Nearly all children enrolled in Keystone STAR 3 & 4 programs showed age-appropriate or emerging age-appropriate language, math and social skills. Less than one third of the preschoolers began the school year with age appropriate skills. In a 2010 survey of more than 7,000 parents whose children attend a Keystone STAR 3 or 4 site, approximately 96% reported that the program and teachers’ experience met their expectations. OCDEL monitors compliance with Keystone STAR program requirements through a system of reporting, site monitoring and classroom environmental ratings. Independent assessors evaluate individual classrooms using the nationally recognized Environmental Rating Scales. In York County, 31 programs are either a STAR 3 or STAR 4. From 2006 to 2011, the number of York County STAR 3 programs has increased from zero to fifteen. A listing of STAR 3 and STAR 4 programs can be found at http://www.pakeys.org/

Less than one in five preschoolers enrolled in state funded Head Start began the year with age-appropriate skills. By the end of the school year, nearly all showed age appropriate or emerging skills. Head Start is a comprehensive program serving low income children and their families. On average, these children are at a high risk of entering kindergarten developmentally behind and of failing in school. Approximately 0.4% of York County children are enrolled in state funded Head Start. The Community Progress Council (CPC) operates Head Start.

Area kindergarten teachers report that children who attend high quality early childhood education programs make a smoother transition to kindergarten and have the necessary language, math and social skills to be successful. In fact, one elementary principal noted that the curriculum has been revised to address the fact that children are entering with more skills.

The United Way of York County, through Focus On Our Future, provides training and technical assistance to help programs improve their quality, offers scholarships for early childhood educators pursuing higher education, and works with families to support their efforts to ensure that their children enter kindergarten ready to learn and succeed. Over the past 16 years, the United Way of York County has invested over $6 million dollars in high quality early childhood education. This investment is clearly paying off.

For more information go to:

http://www.pakeys.org/pages/get.aspx?page=home

http://www.pakeys.org/pages/get.aspx?page=Programs_PreKCounts

http://www.pakeys.org/pages/get.aspx?page=Programs_STARS

http://www.pakeys.org/pages/get.aspx?page=Programs_HeadStart

http://www.unitedway-york.org/index.html

Christy Renjilian is the Director of Focus On Our Future for the United Way of York County. She has a Masters degree in Social Policy Analysis from the University of Chicago. Christy has more than 20 years of experience administering early childhood education programs and has been with the United Way of York County for more than five years. She lives in Springettsbury Township with her husband and two children. Christy can be reached at renjilianc@unitedway-york.org or 717-771-3808.

Parenting in a Digital Age

2011-06-13T15:21:00.000-04:00

By Ben Smith and Jared Mader

Not too many weeks ago, following a weekend hiking and camping trip, my daughter was excitably searching the web for a Camelbak hydration pack -- just like the one that her friend had been drinking from over the last few days. At age seven, she is quite savvy with her devices, so, of course, I told her to Google “Dick’s” (Sporting Goods) as a good starting point...at that very moment, I realized that her literal interpretation of my instructions were filtered neither by experience or by digital awareness. Her innocence was not to blame, but rather the uncensored content that is just one click away. So, what could I have done differently -- that brings us to the scope of this post.

First, we as parents need to make sure that we’re having the conversations about the dangers of online activities at home. This cannot just be a message that is heard in school, but it must be a cultural understanding. Don’t know where to start, that’s okay, http://www.commonsensemedia.org/ has done a great job of posting the top ten things parents need to know when talking with their kids about Internet usage and safety. We cannot talk about cybersafety without addressing Facebook. Children can officially sign up for an account beginning at 13. Once the account is created students post information to their wall with any web enabled device. Parents can find guidance for their children at http://www.facebookforparents.org/.

Second, it’s time to arm yourself with all of the information that you need to know, from cell phone safety to web filtering and everything in between. CyberSmartParent is a Google Site committed to providing current information about how to keep your family safe in an increasingly more connected world. Simple things, although challenging to enforce, like requiring your kids to share all of their online passwords with you, checking their cell phone usage, and using web filters to monitor or regulate the times of day that they are online are all ways that you can show your kids that your are active and interested in their web presence. In our house, all of the computing devices remain in the common area. No web surfing gets done behind closed doors. We also talk about who you can tell your password to and how to handle emails soliciting information.

Third, it’s never too late, but preferably before your children ever begin to engage socially in the web, you need to become more aware of the dangers of cyberbullying, online predators, and the acronyms and language that they use to mask their real message. The Better Business Bureau has done a nice job of describing Cyberbullying, as well as has provided some of the most commonly used acronyms when translating these digital conversations.

Finally, and most importantly, you need to be vigilant. Our digital footprints are extending far beyond the walls of our homes -- protect them. Have regular conversations with your kids about the lasting effects of what they post and how they act, when working online. If they are using Facebook, create your own account and become friends with them so you can see their posts. Adding a filter to your computers is not enough, as we know that the filter will one day not be there, and the choices that your kids make will be the result of your vigilance along the way.

The web is an exciting place, filled with opportunity and new ideas. We just want to be sure that we are protecting our families from those elements that exist to do them harm. Hopefully, some of these tools will guide you and your children in this new journey that you will be embarking on with them.

Ben Smith is a physics teacher and science chairman at Red Lion Area High School, where he has worked for the past 22 years. He is also a partner in an educational technology consulting practice called EdTechInnovators (http://www.edtechinnovators.com/). His work with schools has taken him across the U.S. and overseas to work with the Singapore Ministry of Education. Ben serves on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Technology in Education, a nonprofit international organization. Ben lives with his wife Lottie in York Township with their two children – Caitlin, 14, and Ian, 10.

Jared Mader is the Director of Technology for the Red Lion Area School District. He has served in this position for four years, after teaching Chemistry for nine years. In that time, he has led technology integration professional development initiatives. He is a member of the Discovery Educator Network and has been identified as a PDE State Keystone Technology Integrator. He also serves as a partner in an educational technology consultancy, EdTechInnovators, providing professional development to districts across the United States and abroad. Jared lives in York with his wife Janell and 7-year-old daughter Emma. You can contact him at maderj@rlasd.k12.pa.us or jared@edtechinnovators.com.

Walking Into the Future of York County

2011-06-13T14:58:00.001-04:00

By Shanna Weist

There have been major changes in the economy and the housing market over the past few years. In some parts of the United States property values have dropped significantly, foreclosures are at record highs, and fluctuating gas prices have made long commutes more costly.

As a result of these economic forces, the preferences of what type of homes and communities people want to live in has changed as well. The National Association of REALTORS conducted the 2011 Community Preference Survey to explore how American’s preferences regarding communities and housing have changed over the last seven years.

The survey reveals that, ideally, most Americans would like to live in walkable communities where shops, restaurants, and local businesses are within an easy stroll from their homes and their jobs are a short commute away. According to the survey, when considering a home purchase, 77% of respondents said they would look for neighborhoods with abundant sidewalks and other pedestrian-friendly features.

However, 80% would prefer to live in single-family, detached houses over other types of housing such as townhouses, condominiums, or apartments. Ideally, Americans want both walkability and single-family homes. When asked if they can’t have their ideal situation, the majority of Americans would choose living in single-family homes over a walkable community.

The survey also revealed that while space is important to home buyers, many are willing to sacrifice square footage for less driving.

How can York County use this information?

York has not been immune to national economic trends. New Construction growth has slowed dramatically but our population continues to rise. What municipalities in York should do now while there is pause in new construction is to take the time to plan for the future. Directing growth into areas where the infrastructure exists with the creation or revitalization of walkable communities.

Currently York County has very few municipalities who have enacted ordinances for smart growth communities such as Traditional Neighborhood Developments or TNDs. Traditional Neighborhood Development is a type of land use that permits a compatible mixture of residential, commercial and civic uses integrated with open space to create a balanced community. TNDs typically have higher density in exchange for open space preservation. The concept of TND is not new. There are hundreds of TND communities across the United States - some as close as Lancaster County. The Community Preference Survey revealed that 56% of Americans want to live in smart growth communities such as TNDs.

The York/Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition developed a TND Handbook for municipalities. Now seems to be a ripe time for municipalities to study the idea of adopting a TND ordinance.

The Survey is good news for York City and our boroughs because it shows that people want to live in walkable communities convenient to businesses. However, when it comes time to consider redevelopment projects in our urban areas it may be wise to place greater emphasis on detached single-family home development. The results have shown that while Americans want walkability they are not willing to give up single family homes for it. Can we have them both? Yes, with the proper ordinances. Now is the time to enact them.

Shanna Wiest is the government affairs director for the Realtors Association of York & Adams Counties and has been with the association since 2005. In her position, she advocates for homeownership, economic development and smart growth planning. Shanna also serves as the secretary/treasurer for the York/Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition and the president of the Economics Club for the York County Chamber of Commerce. Shanna earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dickinson College and her Master’s of Public Administration from Penn State University. Shanna lives in Springettsbury Township with her fiancé Joe

Unleashing Creativity in Downtown York

2011-05-23T10:33:00.000-04:00

By Caitlyn Meyer

The York County Industrial Development Authority (YCIDA) is unleashing creativity in downtown York. In 2009, the YCIDA purchased the former Fraternal Order of Eagles building, located at 37 West Philadelphia Street, with plans to transform it into a downtown arts center. The building’s proximity to Central Market places it within the strategic downtown area targeted for development as a result of recommendations by Roger Brooks in response to the City’s desire to become a vibrant,

thriving downtown.

The building, known as the Eagles Art Center, will house gallery space, multipurpose assembly space, two residential apartments, an Arts Orientation Center, a commercial kitchen for caterer use for events and functions as well as multi-use artist space. York College of Pennsylvania recently signed a four year lease for space as the anchor tenant in the Eagles Art Center. One floor of the building is being specifically designed for York College’s senior painting students which will give them ample studio space, gallery space and the ability to interact and gain exposure to the business aspects of being a full-time artist.

The YCIDA is proud to work with the City of York to attract and retain creative businesses in downtown York, as it recognizes a robust and creative downtown is crucial to economic development, not only in the City of York but also throughout the entire County. The Authority also believes enhancing the quality of place will also aid in attracting a young, creative workforce to the area.

The Eagles Art Center is scheduled for completion in Fall 2011. Visit http://www.ycida.org/ for additional information on projects of the York County Industrial Development Authority.

Caitlyn Meyer is the business development coordinator for the York County Economic Development Corp. She coordinates YCEDC activities related to the York County Economic Development Plan, seeks to work with local governments through the Municipal Outreach Program and works on business retention. Caitlyn earned her bachelor’s degree in history from York College of Pennsylvania in 2009 and has been with YCEDC since that time. Caitlyn lives and works in York City. She can be reached at cmeyer@ycedc.org or 717-846-8879, ext. 3053.

Creating the “Village” Every Child Needs

2011-05-17T17:19:00.001-04:00

By Christy Renjilian

Can you imagine a community where every child grows up healthy and safe, one in which every child succeeds in school, graduates high school and has a career? What would attaining this goal mean for the social and economic health of York City? What would it take to make this vision a reality?

Approximately 35 people met at the United Way of York County to discuss a potential new initiative for York City to create this kind of community. The Promise Neighborhoods’ vision is that all children have access to effective schools and strong systems of family and community support that will prepare them to attain an excellent education and successfully transition to college and career. The purpose is to significantly improve the educational and developmental outcomes for children in distressed communities and to transform those communities. The initiative addresses academic, health, family support and community needs. Those at the meeting have agreed to work collaboratively to plan such a transformative project. The planning process will require early childhood educators, public, private and charter schools personnel to work together to meet the educational needs of the children. This federal grant draws from the work of Geoffrey Canada with the Harlem Children’s Zone. Many of you might have attended his April lecture in York.

“Beyond the Bell” is another new collaborative coalition that is addressing the needs of children and families in the York City school district. The purpose is to share limited resources and ensure that a variety of afterschool programs are available. This is especially critical due to the budget cuts in the York City School District. The YMCA of York and York County, Martin Library, 4-H, York City Health Bureau, the United Way of York County, and several other organizations are working together to provide programs. York City school teachers and administrators are working with community-based organizations to ensure that the programs align with school curriculum and address gaps created by the elimination of classes such as gym.

Families are already embracing the programs offered by these organizations. For example, approximately 45 families are participating in the United Way of York County’s Ready Freddy kindergarten readiness program at Goode Elementary School. The six week program is designed to prepare children and families for school. One father who is attending the sessions with his daughter said, “I am not here to prepare my child for kindergarten, I am here to prepare her to graduate high school”. This is exactly the commitment families need to make to help their child succeed in school and life.

Some may say the goal of every child succeeding is too lofty, unrealistic and unattainable. The people involved in these projects know all to well the roadblocks children and families face on the road to success. We also know that no one school district, community-based organization or program can meet the needs of all children and families. Only by working together, to stretch resources, eliminate duplication of services, and address gaps, will we succeed. The future health of our community demands no less than our collective best effort.

For more information on the programs mentioned go to:

http://www.unitedway-york.org/index.html

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/promiseneighborhoods/index.html

http://www.hcz.org/about-us/about-geoffrey-canada

http://www.yorklibraries.org/

http://www.yorkcoymca.org/

http://www.ycs.k12.pa.us/

http://yorkcity.org/health

http://4hyorkpa.org/

Work on second Pa. youth survey starting now

2011-05-10T11:08:00.001-04:00

By Leigh Dalton

The Communities That Care system is a way for members of a community to work together to promote positive youth development.

About 15 years ago, many York County school districts implemented CTC at the school district level. In the smaller geographic areas, it was hard to sustain, so only four of these district-wide CTCs remain: Central York, Dallastown, Hanover Area (both Hanover Public and South Western School Districts), and York Suburban.

York County Human Services and other stakeholders in York County implemented the first York County CTC in February 2010 and wrote a 2011Community Action Plan. The approach detailed in the action plan emphasizes evidence-based practices deployed throughout the entire county, an approach organizers believe will be more effective and sustainable.

The most vital element of this process is receiving and analyzing the results from the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS), which is intended to discover risk factors and protective factors within communities. Data around behaviors of youth and programs that discourage those behaviors is gathered and used to create strategies for community improvement. With funding assistance from the York County District Attorney’s office, PAYS was administered in collaboration with 15 of York’s 16 school districts in fall 2009. Also participating in the survey were New Hope Academy Charter School and two of the Lincoln Intermediate Unit (LIU) Schools. All together, 11,923 students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 participated in the survey.

York County CTC is gearing up to administer the second round of PAYS in fall 2011. With new data from PAYS, CTC will take another look at our county’s risk and protective factors to better inform decision makers about investments to improve the quality of life for our youth. In order to make the best informed decisions, we need adequate representation from ALL the sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th graders in York County. School districts can use this data to better inform their own policies and practices, just as West York uses PAYS results.

2009 PAYS data was used to qualify for state funding to expand the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in York County.

Schools will receive the survey in late September and will have the month of October to administer it to their students. York County CTC prefers that schools offer the survey online, but paper versions will be available.

We are encouraging schools – public, private, parochial, alternative, charter and cyber – who did not participate, either because they were not contacted or because they were unsure of CTC’s purpose, to contact me at 717-854-8755 x209 or at leigh@yorkbar.com, to start the process to administer the PAYS this year.

Also: We’re looking for more mentors to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters. If you’re interested, let me know that, too.

Leigh Dalton is the director of the York County Truancy Prevention Initiative (www.yorktruancyprevention.org) and the community mobilizer for York County Communities That Care. After receiving her law degree from the University of Baltimore, School of Law, she managed a truancy intervention program called the Truancy Court Program. She is pursuing her doctorate in education policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She lives in Spring Garden Township with her husband, baby daughter and her two rescued dogs. She can be reached at leigh@yorkbar.com and 717-854-8755, ext. 209.

They would have the whole world in their hand...

2011-05-10T10:49:00.000-04:00

by Jared Mader

Imagine it: You’re dining out with friends, and the question comes up, “Who played the leading role in....” or “Who scored the winning goal when...” We’ve all been there. It’s like a mad dash to the finish line as dining parties rush to their devices and gadgets, just to see who can be first to the answer.

Now, fade to a new setting. Imagine yourself entering a typical American classroom. This time, it is the teacher that asks, “What is the most interesting current event in today’s news?” What do we see this time? Is it a mad dash, like in the scenario above, as students grab their cell phones to pull the top news stories from CNN mobile, Reuters, The Daily, and more? Doubtful, as in most of our educational environments, these types of devices are contraband, at best. Now, just to air our own dirty laundry, we are in the same boat here at Red Lion. Our policies and rules have not caught up with the culture to which we are trying to prepare our students. We need to make this change, however, as student’s mobile devices offer budgetary opportunities for schools to stay current with technology at less cost.

We are not unlike many other schools in that we are aware that we need to make change -- change that will allow students to use the powerful tools that they own. We need to devise our strategy for implementation that wouldn’t simply offer students carte blanche unsupervised access at any time. This is where educators can help to teach students that there is more to be done with those mobile devices than text and update Facebook.

Before we begin to allow the power of mobile and personal devices into our classrooms we must identify the goals for their use. First, they should include teaching students to be effective digital farmers, cultivating the information that is already on the web and growing products that demonstrate their higher order thinking. Second, they should be held to a high expectation with regards to the digital citizenship they model and follow.

So, where do we start? We, first, need to redesign our policies to allow teachers to permit effective and monitored instructional use of these devices in their classrooms. There, that was easy.

Next, we need to begin training our teachers to recognize and identify the tools that are available for these devices and how they can change their classrooms. Such tools may include apps for recording audio, measuring scientific variables, responding to class prompts and researching information. Training staff to recognize and address the conversations about digital citizenship is a necessary component of this professional development.

Finally, implementation, take our most eager and comfortable teachers and set them loose with their students' devices. By allowing teachers the professional freedom to make the decision regarding the appropriate application of these tools, our students will now be able see the responsible and ethical expectations under which these devices should be used and districts may be able to save in their technology budgets.

Jared Mader is the Director of Technology for the Red Lion Area School District. He has served in this position for four years, after teaching Chemistry for nine years. In that time, he has led technology integration professional development initiatives. He is a member of the Discovery Educator Network and has been identified as a PDE State Keystone Technology Integrator. He also serves as a partner in an educational technology consultancy, EdTechInnovators, providing professional development to districts across the United States and abroad. Jared lives in York with his wife Janell and 7-year-old daughter Emma. You can contact him at maderj@rlasd.k12.pa.us or jared@edtechinnovators.com.

Food sustainability means more money for the local economy

2011-05-09T15:31:00.002-04:00

by Deron Schriver

We’re facing a huge challenge as a society that, thankfully, more and more people each day are starting to realize. How can we maintain a strong global economy that provides for the entire population, while still protecting the planet and maintaining our precious and increasingly limited natural resources? When the focus is on the economy and jobs, we tend to think of production and consumption at any cost. As I mentioned in my previous post, the concept of sustainability sheds light on the effects of this thinking.

But wait. Don’t stop reading because you think this is just another piece about the environment or global warming. According to the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education, 99.5 percent of the $900 million spent on food by York County residents leaves the County! If that 0.5 percent share was increased to just 5 percent, that would amount to an additional $40 million retained in the local economy. It’s not difficult to make a local economic development case out of this issue.

If that’s not enough, consider this from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: “If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country’s oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil every week.”

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather support the York economy than that of Iran.

Sustainability, including food sustainability, should be something we all think about. The younger generation will hopefully grow up with more awareness of the issue. York College has even created a Sustainability and Environmental Studies minor to, among other things, help students understand how our actions as humans can prevent or mitigate negative impacts on the environment. We can expect great things from a program like that.

Sustainability is not a liberal or conservative issue. It’s about being more forward thinking and big picture-oriented, traits on which we already place a lot of value. We might not run out of food in our lifetimes, and we may or may not go bankrupt from skyrocketing healthcare costs in the next decade, but we are on an unsustainable path and we must set a new direction. In the next post, I will dive into the world of industrialized food and discuss ways we can all contribute to a more sustainable future.

Deron Schriver is the executive administrator for The Women's Healthcare Group and a member of the Guiding Committee for Healthy World Café. He has a particular interest in studying and participating in solutions to address health issues affecting our society. Deron earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's in business administration, both from York College. He lives in West Manchester Township with his wife, Lisa.

Honoring efforts to improve early childhood education

2011-05-05T10:47:00.002-04:00

High-quality early childhood education is crucial to student

achievement. That point was emphasized again at the recent

Week of the Young Child Recognition event in York.

By Christy Renjilian

April 14 was a big day for education in York County. Starting in the morning and lasting into the early afternoon, approximately 250 people attended the YorkCounts Education Summit. In the evening, 375 people attended the annual Week of the Young Child Recognition event for early childhood educators. The first event drew administrators, teachers, businesspeople and other community members interested in hearing about the current climate for public education. People attended the second event to celebrate the impact of high-quality early childhood on the children and families in York County.

This was the 40th annual Week of the Young Child, a national celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world’s largest early childhood education association, with nearly 100,000 members and a network of over 300 local, state and regional affiliates. Week of the Young Child focuses public attention on the needs of young children and their families and recognizes the early childhood education programs and services that meet those needs.

The annual recognition event is sponsored by Focus On Our Future, the early childhood education initiative of the United Way of York County, and the York Area Association for the Education of Young Children (YAAEYC). Nava Ghalili of Fox 43 News served as the master of ceremonies, and Kurt Kondrich was the keynote speaker. Mr. Kondrich is a retired police officer who now serves as the Chair of the Governor’s Advisory Council for Early Intervention. He is a passionate advocate for the importance of high quality early childhood education and early intervention programs. He is also a father of a child with Downs Syndrome who is reading on grade level and an active participant in her second grade class. So he knows first hand how quality programs support children and families.

This year, parents nominated approximately 100 early childhood educators for the Outstanding Provider Award, recognizing the teachers’ hard work and dedication to their children.

The event also celebrated the home-based and center-based programs that voluntarily participate in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s quality-improvement program, Keystone STARS. Approximately 130 York County providers are participating in this program. In the past five years the number of STAR 3 has increased from none to 13, and STAR 4, the highest level, has increased from 13 to 22. We also recognized York County’s Pre-K Counts, Head Start, and Early Head Start programs and those programs that have achieved national accreditation, the highest level of quality. York County has 13 accredited centers and 12 accredited home-based providers.

A Children’s Champion Award is presented to an individual in the community who does not work in the early childhood education field but is a strong advocate and partner in supporting families and young children. This year’s award was presented to George Eckenrode, chief executive officer of Family-Child Resources, for his efforts to support the mental health needs of young children and their families.

The event does more than celebrate accomplishments of early childhood educators and the programs they serve. It recognizes the importance of their work on the future educational success of the children, which, in turn, will improve the economic viability of York County. It also affirms the connections and the commitments the early childhood education community has with each other. Home-based and center-based programs and Head Start, EvenStart, Early Head Start, preschool and Pre-K Counts all work together to provide a variety of services to meet the needs of children and families. They share their knowledge and skills with each other working collaboratively on curriculum, professional development and classroom management issues. The early childhood education community, along with its partners Martin Library, public schools, early intervention, Lincoln Intermediate Unit #12 and community-based organizations, learned a long time ago that by working together, in partnership with families, they can improve quality and keep costs down.

Speakers at the YorkCounts education summit talked about the importance of school districts and the community working together, to provide joint professional development opportunities, share community resources and engage parents. One effective model of this is the early childhood education community in York County. Over the past 16 years, Focus On Our Future, YAAEYC and the early childhood education providers in York County have shown us that by working together collegially we can ensure a more successful future.

Christy Renjilian is the director of Focus on our Future for the United Way of York County. She has a Masters degree in Social Policy Analysis from the University of Chicago. Christy has more than 20 years of experience administering early childhood education programs and has been with the United Way of York County for more than five years. She lives in Springettsbury Township with her husband and two children. Christy can be reached at renjilianc@unitedway-york.org or 717-771-3808.

EDC’s Workforce Development Summit back for second year

2011-04-27T10:00:00.003-04:00

Image courtesy jscreationzs/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

By Caitlyn Meyer

The second annual Workforce Development Summit will be May 4 at the White Rose Room of the York Fairgrounds. One new wrinkle this year: It’s happening at the same time as the York County Chamber Business & Technology Expo. The York County Economic Development Corp.’s Office of Workforce Development presents the summit to inform and engage employers in the county’s workforce development system, so it made sense to link it to the Chamber Expo. Also, such forums are one of the strategies identified in the county’s economic development plan.

The 2011 Keynote Speaker is Daniel Kuba, acting director of Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Bureau of Workforce Development Partnership. The Summit will highlight state programs available to employers for their existing workforce and resources to assist in the hiring process. These presentations will provide businesses with information on how to increase their bottom line through their employees, get the most efficiency from their training processes, and improve the effectiveness of their training dollars.

There is no charge to attend the Summit, however registration is required. Participants should register at www.ycedc.org. Workforce Summit attendees are invited to visit the Chamber Expo free of charge.

YCEDC’s OWD arose from a YorkCounts call to develop a unified, countywide system of workforce development. The office was launched in 2008 with the mission to engage employers, educators and community partners to create a lifelong learning environment that will attract and retain strong businesses and a diverse and talented workforce critical for sustaining a vibrant community and a growing, innovative economy. The OWD affiliated with the York County Alliance for Learning (YCAL) in 2010 and implements YCAL youth programs with business community partners. Since 2008, OWD has become the facilitator for workforce development in York County by encouraging collaboration between businesses and training providers to better prepare our future workforce.

*

IF YOU GO

What: Workforce Development Summit
When: Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Where: The White Rose Room of the York Fairgrounds, 334 Carlisle Avenue, York
To register: Go to www.ycedc.org.
For details: Contact Katie Knepp, Workforce Development Coordinator, at cknepp@ycedc.org or 717-846-8879.
The day’s sechedule:
7:30-8 a.m.Registration
8-10:15 a.m.Program
10:15-11 a.m. VIP Reception
11 a.m.-5 p.m. Chamber Expo

Caitlyn Meyer is the business development coordinator for the York County Economic Development Corp. She coordinates YCEDC activities related to the York County Economic Development Plan, seeks to work with local governments through the Municipal Outreach Program and works on business retention. Caitlyn earned her bachelor’s degree in history from York College of Pennsylvania in 2009 and has been with YCEDC since that time. Caitlyn lives and works in York. She can be reached at cmeyer@ycedc.org or 717-846-8879, ext. 3053.

York County shows some gains in health care measures

2011-04-20T13:23:00.003-04:00

The health care picture of York County is improving,

according to a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson

Foundation. A local initiative, Aligning Forces for Quality

in South Central Pennsylvania, is working to improve

the quality of health care in the region.

The 2011 County Health Rankings report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute puts York County in the top 20 of all Pennsylvania counties in the report's broad health ratings categories - health outcomes and health factors.

York County ranked 14th in health factors, mainly due to ranking fourth in the state in access to clinical care. The county ranked 19th in health outcomes. Both positions are higher than the rankings in the 2010 data.

An York Dispatch article about the report published April 18 took a closer look at the numbers and what they say about the strength and weaknesses of the local health care system.

Ranking fourth in the clinical care category is probably the best number in the report. From the article, which featured comments from Chris Amy, project director of Aligning Forces for Quality in South Central Pennsylvania, a local initiative organized to improve the quality of health care in the region.:

(The category) measured York County's percentage of uninsured adults, primary care providers, preventable hospital stays, diabetic screening and mammography screenings. The high ranking indicates that patients have access to high-quality health care in York County.

The data also showed fewer people are dying before age 75 and fewer people are experiencing poor physical or mental health. The report also found the ratio of patients to primary care providers is 981 to 1, which is among the best in the state.

On the downside, the county has higher rates of obese people, smokers and teen mothers than the corresponding state rates. The challenge is to show adults and teens how to make better decisions about their bodies. Again from the article:

York could have the best health care system in the world, but if a person doesn't want to take his or her medicine or eat healthy and exercise, that will keep the county from achieving the best rankings across the board, said Amy.

Overall, the numbers are encouraging and show the local Aligning Forces for Quality group is on the right track in measuring to identify trends and using the data to develop appropriate responses.

- Dan Fink

Housing summit puts housing issues in spotlight

2011-04-20T13:23:00.002-04:00

by Shanna Wiest

courtesy woodleywonderworks

The York County Housing Summit is April 27 at the Holiday

Inn Conference Center of York, 2000 Loucks Road, York.

A home, whether you own or rent, is not just a roof over your head. It's the place where you live your life, where you raise your children and enjoy the company of friends and neighbors as a community. It’s where your dreams come to fruition. Most people take housing for granted. For many others owning a home or having a safe and affordable place to live is a dream.

Just as a place to call home is the bedrock of the family, it is also a core ingredient in a strong and prosperous community. Neighborhoods with a range of quality housing options have lower crime rates, better performing schools, stronger local economies, and a better overall quality of life.

Most people would agree with the statement that everyone should have access to safe, decent, affordable homes. It’s a great goal for a community but how we get there is a challenge.

Let’s take a look at a few of the challenges we are facing in York County.

Homeless: York’s Helping Hands estimates upwards of 500 people a day are homeless in York County, meaning there are that many people or families each day who don’t have a home or space to call their own. The numbers have increased from last year, according to a York County survey conducted in January.

Senior Housing: About 60,000 York Countians are over the age of 65, and it is expected that the largest number of baby boomers will retire in 2015. How can we prepare for older adults to live comfortably throughout their golden years?

Planning for growth/infrastructure: Despite the downturn in the economy and the decrease in the number of new homes being constructed, York County is still one of the fastest-growing communities in the Northeast. All signs lead to continued growth in the future. As a community, we need to develop opportunities for creative land use planning and revitalization of urban communities today.

Financing Affordable Housing: Both federal and state funding programs have been cut for affordable housing rehab and housing services, but the number of people on waiting lists in York County for affordable housing programs has grown. How can we create partnerships with the private sector and use existing tools and programs to meet our current and future housing needs?

Foreclosures, Mortgages and Appraisal Issues: The recession started as a housing crisis and York continues to be affected. The Realtors Association of York and Adams Counties reports that in the first two months of this year more than 30 percent of the homes sold were distressed sales, such as bank-owned or government-owned properties and short sales.

These issues and other challenges will be discussed at the York County Housing Summit on Wednesday, April 27. I encourage you to attend this event and become actively engaged with housing issues in our community.

Shanna Wiest is the government affairs director for the Realtors Association of York & Adams Counties and has been with the association since 2005. In her position, she advocates for homeownership, economic development and smart growth planning. Shanna also serves as the secretary/treasurer for the York/Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition and the president elect of the Economics Club for the York County Chamber of Commerce. Shanna earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dickinson College and her Master’s of Public Administration from Penn State University. Shanna lives in Springettsbury Township with her fiancé Joe.

Tax reform key to saving cities, but where's the leadership?

2011-04-18T10:30:00.000-04:00

By Eric Menzer

So here we are. Our city government is in the news regularly, faced with difficult decisions about facilities, overtime, taxes, infrastructure and goodness knows how many other vexing decisions on a daily basis. All local governments, including the city, continue to be beset by declining property values that are now being translated into assessment appeals and reductions. The economy is clearly brightening, but the state revenue picture is challenging, and it is pretty clear nobody in Harrisburg is in any mood to provide any new direct financial assistance to any local government. Even counting on past levels of economic development funding appears risky.

Courtesy Downtown Inc.

The first block of North Beaver Street in

York is one reason for optimisim about the

future of downtown York. But the state

needs tax reform that reduces the burden

of property taxes and allows cities

to thrive in today's climate of economic

development.

This grinding governmental fiscal crisis plays on like a weary symphony with different aspects coming periodically to the forefront against what is actually a pretty optimistic outlook for the city of York as a geographic place with a wonderful, authentic walkable urban environment. It is frustrating, to say the least, that 15 years (that’s right – 15 years!) after David Rusk presented some pretty obvious ideas about how to lift the oppressive financial burden that’s preventing the real estate market in the city from responding to this opportunity, we continue to ignore the elephant in the room. We continue to debate what amount to pennies when we need dollars, and the frustrating thing is that the dollars are there for the taking.

Many economists will tell you that over long distances, tax rates are a consideration but not a definitive factor in business location or investment decisions. But that’s not what the city faces. We all know that one can go less than a mile from Continental Square and enjoy most of the benefits of living or working downtown or in a city neighborhood at a lower cost. We all know that trying to draw increasing revenue from the city’s geographically-limited tax base is like trying to draw blood from the proverbial stone. And we all profess to agree that a healthy core city with amenities that can be enjoyed by all is good for the region as a whole.

So, why can’t we talk about tax reform – both in terms of how they tax burden is spread, and where we derive local government revenue? Why are none of our elected officials willing to say that we should have a regional sales tax add-on to fund public-safety services that truly transcend municipal boundaries? Why can’t we have a county-level local income tax redistributed to municipalities to fund the tax-exempt property they host (including all those wonderful county and state parks in suburban and rural areas)? Why won’t a single leader say that property taxes levied at the local municipal level should be replaced by a system that would remove the oppressive yoke of fiscal doom from around the city’s neck?

Until we can go back and re-read the Rusk Report and find some courageous leaders who will come up out of the fox holes and lead on this issue, I fear that we’ll continue with the Titanic deck-chair arranging exercise we’re currently in. It would be a damn shame.

Eric Menzer is president of the York Revolution professional baseball team and manages the Codo Development Group, a real estate development company working in downtown York. Eric is active in community affairs and civic leadership at both the local and state level. He chairs the York County Community Foundation and serves on the boards of Downtown Inc, Better York, YorkCounts and the Crispus Attucks Association. He just concluded several years as Chairman of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, a statewide policy-research and advocacy organization that promotes smart growth and urban revitalization, and he remains active on that board. Eric was previously the senior vice president of Wagman Construction in York. Prior to that, he served for eight years as York’s director of economic development and previously as the executive director of the York County Transportation Authority. He is a passionate baseball fan and lives in York with his wife and daughter.

Tomorrow is summit day

2011-04-13T15:39:00.001-04:00

Our education summit is finally here. YorkCounts will be at the Pullo Center all day Thursday hearing four morning presentations and an afternoon panel discussion talk about the current state of public education. The panel discussion will focus on fiscal matters, with particular attention to the looming pension crisis.

I wanted to take a minute today to review some of the great education posts we've had on the blog over the past six weeks. We had a chance to talk to Elaine Weiss, who will be our keynote speaker. Elaine's big thing is we can't fix schools in isolation from the surrounding community. Where there's poverty and crime and drugs and family issues at home, the community and the school have to work together.

We heard from Brian Jensen of the Pennsylvania Economy League, who made it plain that the pension obligations that school districts are facing will overwhelm many districts and be a burden on taxpayers for decades unless we figure something out quickly.

We heard from Dayna Laur, who said that districts should be doing more to collaborate and share costs on professional development - and, presumably, in other areas - in ways that would improve training and student outcomes AND save money.

And we heard several people argue for the need to reduce our reliance on property taxes as part of a fix to the way we fund education.

If you didn't register, don't worry. You will still be welcome tomorrow. And if you can't make it, read these posts to get caught up on some of the issues. And if you did register, thank you, and we hope the conversations are the beginning of a process for making York County schools the best they can be.

- Dan Fink

Momentum builds around sustainability

2011-04-13T08:52:00.002-04:00

Several different local organizations are working to expand

consumer access to locally grown produce, an effort

that should help central Pennsylvania farmers and put more

local fruit and vegetables on dinner tables.

By Deron Schriver

There’s a movement across the country based on the concept of sustainability. It is in response to our overly-consumptive and wasteful ways as a society. Sustainability can be applied to many aspects of life, with one of the most common being food sustainability. The American Public Health Association defines a sustainable food system as “one that provides healthy food to meet current food needs while maintaining healthy ecosystems that can also provide food for generations to come with minimal negative impact to the environment. A sustainable food system also encourages local production and distribution infrastructures and makes nutritious food available, accessible, and affordable to all. Further, it is humane and just, protecting farmers and other workers, consumers, and communities."

Momentum around food sustainability is starting to build in York County. Several organizations and initiatives have come together to share ideas and resources to make a bigger impact on food practices in this area. The Food Availability Task Force includes a diverse group of people with a goal “to increase consumption of fresh local produce through innovative partnerships with growers and distribution points.”

The York County chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local formed to make it easier for county consumers to “find, choose, and appreciate great local foods while supporting the farmers and lands that produce them.” Area businesses with a Buy Fresh Buy Local label demonstrate their commitment to featuring local foods and supporting local producers.

Healthy World Café, a restaurant coming soon to downtown York, is based on the concept of sustainability and has plans to serve meals made from only locally-grown or raised foods. Members of the Café’s Guiding Committee have ties with the Food Availability Task Force and other sustainability initiatives. The Café has plans to utilize a database such as the one provided by Local Harvest to identify food sources as part of its procurement efforts.

The bottom line is this: We waste a lot of food in this country, while many go hungry, more and more become obese, and increasing stress is put on our planet’s limited resources. It makes sense to look for ways to localize our food distribution system. In addition to preserving our future, it will enhance our economic development efforts by keeping more money in the local economy. And on top of all that, wouldn’t it be nice to know where your food came from?

Deron Schriver is the executive administrator for The Women's Healthcare Group and a member of the Guiding Committee for Healthy World Café. He has a particular interest in studying and participating in solutions to address health issues affecting our society. Deron earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's in business administration, both from York College. He lives in West Manchester Township with his wife, Lisa.

Education Summit preview: James Testerman

2011-04-11T14:39:00.001-04:00

We asked participants in "State of the Schools: A Countywide Education Summit" to respond to three questions about our schools, and we've been sharing their responses on Mondays for the past six weeks. These are the questions we posed:

What’s the biggest challenge confronting public education in York County today?
What can the community in York County realistically expect to achieve to deal with that challenge?
What would your first priority for action be?

Today, in the final installment, we hear from James Testerman, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

York County is a wonderful, diverse region with strong rural, suburban and urban communities. These communities support schools that are performing very well. For instance, in my school district, Central York, 87 percent of the students who took the PSSA in math in 2010 scored proficient or above on the test. Only 4.6 percent scored below basic. Students had similar results in reading—over 82 percent scored proficient or advanced.

Southern York, York Suburban and other York County districts had similar results. Students in these districts also successfully completed college credits while in high school; performed in music programs and competed in sports; learned world languages; earned certificates to pursue a technical career; and were admitted to college.

For the past decade, Pennsylvania has invested in programs that have proven to work for our students. The results are clear: No states have statistically significant higher 8th grade reading scores than Pennsylvania on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Only six states have significantly higher 4th grade reading scores. On the NAEP math tests, only seven states have significantly higher 8th grade math scores than Pennsylvania and only four are significantly higher on 4th grade math scores.

The Center for Education Policy cited Pennsylvania in 2010 for recording gains in all academic categories from 2002-2008.

Pennsylvania’s performance ranks above the U.S. average and the averages of 36 of 48 countries in math. It ranked below only that of five Asian jurisdictions (Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Japan). More Pennsylvania students than ever (7 out of 10) are going on to higher education.

Translating this locally, even our most challenged schools have shown remarkable improvements in student achievement over the past seven years. In York City, the percent of students scoring advanced or proficient on state tests increased from 31.5 percent in 2003 to 51.1 percent in 2010 in math, and from 33.2 percent to 41.9 percent in reading. The number of students in York County schools that score below basic in math and reading has dropped significantly. This will make a remarkable difference in these young people’s lives, and in the life of this community.

However, Gov. Corbett recently unveiled his 2011-12 state budget, and it proposes an unprecedented $1.2 billion in funding cuts to public school classrooms. Public education funding cuts for York County school districts total $33.7 million in the governor’s budget proposal.

The proposed cuts would reverse years of significant academic gains, and local property taxpayers and students will be the ones who suffer the consequences. School boards will be forced to raise property taxes, eliminate programs that have contributed to our students’ outstanding academic achievements, and slash teaching jobs. That means that students will ultimately pay the price.

The challenge is whether we can hold the ground we have gained and to accelerate the pace of student progress in York City and throughout the county.

This requires concentrating what funding we have in those areas with the greatest education need. It requires a shared commitment from families and the public and private agencies that support young people’s growth, including parents and school professionals; school boards and state agencies; employers and taxpayers.

If we continue our funding commitment to public education and implement proven programs that work, like small class size, full-day kindergarten and pre-kindergarten, students in York will continue to progress.

James P. Testerman is president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. He taught science and biology in the Central York School District for 16 before taking leave to work for PSEA. He lives in York County.

An obituary for public education

2011-04-07T16:38:00.003-04:00

Robert Frick delivered the following remarks Jan. 12 at "Public Schools in Crisis," a community forum in Lancaster presented by the Hourglass Foundation.

*

I have been asked to share my perspective on the condition of public education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Frankly, I was asked by the Hourglass Foundation to share my views primarily because I am retiring as Superintendent of the Lampeter-Strasburg School District on June 30, 2011, and it was felt by some that I would be able to speak my mind without fear of reprisals from my Board, legislators, PSEA, PSBA, or any other interested parties. Little did they know that I would have been willing to speak my mind even if I had 10 more years in the profession of education. Over my 45 years in the field I have been blessed to work for and with persons who encouraged me to share my beliefs and opinions.

It is my belief that, progressing the way that we are, public education as we know it will cease to exist in the near future; thus, today I present to you an obituary for public education.

*

OBITUARY

January 12, 2020

Dearly beloved, we gather today to celebrate the life of our dear departed friend, Public Education. Born in 1834 with the passage of the Free School Act of Pennsylvania, Public Education was created and sustained through the combined parenting efforts of Thomas Henry Burrowes and Thaddeus Stevens. Those who knew him in his early years were inspired by the opportunities that Public Education provided to all persons, regardless of their wealth or social class. Countless immigrants from many nations benefited from his egalitarian influences. At that time, of course, America was viewed as the “Great Melting Pot,” and Public Education was the vehicle that could enable the person of the most humble means to achieve the loftiest of dreams. In his later years, America was viewed more as a “salad bowl,” where each human ingredient wished to maintain its distinct and ethnically diverse identity.

Originally, Public Education drew its instructors from a similar pool as the clergy—people who saw themselves as being “called” to their respective professions. At that time even though wages were meager and accompanying fringe benefits were non-existent, those who delivered instruction were respected and looked up to by those in the community in which they served. Their dedication to the children that they served was beyond question.

First housed in basic brick structures, Public Education in rural America functioned in one-room buildings including all eight grades, while his citified cousin operated in multi-room, egg-crate style edifices, most often having one room per grade level. Whether in the rural or urban format, Public Education, as believed and touted by Thomas Jefferson, was a fundamental requirement for the establishment and the maintenance of a democracy. The mainstays of the curriculum were to be reading, writing, arithmetic, and history. Unfortunately for Public Education, reformers such as Horace Mann moved to use schools for a system of social control, an effort that is still in effect today. Schools changed from an organization to promote learning to one that was assigned to repair all social maladies.

Public Education’s demise is attributable to a number of causes, and in his later years would have been unrecognizable to his parents. He actually died in increments. The first affliction that he suffered was Change in Focus: Following World War II and the economic recovery that the United States experienced following the Great Depression of the previous decade, the states began to make major upgrades to their respective educational systems. Consolidations were required, and new buildings were built. Hot lunch programs, student transportation systems, and extracurricular programs were incorporated into almost all school systems. Moreover, schools became a place where physical examinations and dental examinations were given and polio and other vaccinations were administered. Like Horace Mann’s hopes, the main directive of school morphed from the educating of children to focusing on molding and improving society. Reformers viewed it as an excellent place to inculcate socially desirable practices like giving to the Red Cross, starting a savings account, buying/selling Christmas seals, or contributing to find a cure for tuberculosis. Since the young people of the American Society were a captive audience and since a very high percentage of our citizens of tomorrow attended public schools, it seemed a great plan. Public Education, however, was now unable to focus totally on his initial directive, the education of children.

The second affliction that he suffered was the Involvement of the Federal Government. In 1957, an event occurred which caused the federal government to get involved with Public Education for the first time in our nation’s history. According to the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1791, “all powers not granted to the federal government nor prohibited to the states by the Constitution of the United States are reserved to the states or the people.” Historically, this meant that Public Education was the sole responsibility of the individual states, giving the federal government no role in the process.

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, into orbit, and America panicked. The National Defense Education Act was passed less than a year later, and money was made available to the schools for the improvement of the teaching of mathematics and science. Just as form follows function in the world of art, control follows money in just about everything else. Seven years later in 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed during President Lyndon Johnson’s Administration, and with it the federal government became fully involved in what was formerly a responsibility of the states. This was the equivalent of assigning Public Education’s power of attorney to the federal government.

The third affliction that he suffered was Turning Public Education into a Business. In 1969, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 195, which granted collective bargaining rights to educators in the Commonwealth, and over the next 10 to 15 years, the pendulum of control swung from Boards of Education to teachers’ unions. Strikes for higher salaries, better benefits, and the very control of school systems ensued. Under Act 195, Boards were and are required to sit down with representatives from teachers’ unions and negotiate salaries, fringe benefits, and working conditions, a process that is confrontational at best and hostile at its most aggressive degree.

As a result, teachers have become very well paid and have benefits that make many in the private sector envious. The pension program provided for public school educators in Pennsylvania is one of the best in the nation, but that benefit does not come without a significant cost, which has been mentioned as one of the problems we face today. With Act 195, the welfare of Public Education became dependent upon the degree of cooperation between PSEA and over 500 local school boards, and entering the teaching profession as “a calling” gradually disappeared.

The fourth affliction he suffered was the Rise of Special Education. In 1975, the 94th Congress passed its 142nd piece of legislation that became known as the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA). Originally passed with the stipulation that any district wishing to receive federal funding needed to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), the accompanying mandates made adherence to the requirements of IDEA far from voluntary.

The portion of a school district’s budget that goes toward meeting the requirements of IDEA continues to grow. At one time, the General Assembly of Pennsylvania reimbursed districts for all additional costs to serve special education students, but that has long since ceased. So in addition to being ill, Public Education was having difficulty meeting financial obligations for his own care.

The fifth affliction that he suffered was Pandering to the Vocal. In recent years, Public Education has been expected to be everything to everyone. If a small, vocal group of parents want a sport or an activity that their district does not provide, pressure, accompanied by the reminder that they are “taxpayers,” is placed on the Board to initiate it. Bowing to political pressure from their constituents or wishing to do what is politically correct, state legislators pass new laws that significantly hinder the abilities of districts to carry out their primary mission — the educating of their respective students. The federal government, in its attempt to fix the social problems in urban areas, pass laws that negatively affect even the most rural districts. Transporting private school students 10 miles beyond the district border, attempting to implement non-funded mandates, requiring prevailing wage regulations in school construction, and the recently launched provisions around Race to the Top are but four examples.

The sixth affliction that he suffered was the Politicizing of Public Education. How Public Education has been politicized is most demonstratively illustrated by the regulations surrounding cyber charter education. Since the passage of the Free School Act of 1834, parents in the Commonwealth have always had the right to choose to send their children to private school. Obviously, this was at the parents’ expense. Some parents choose to home school their children — also at their own expense. Public schools exist to educate the children whose parents choose that option.

Currently, school districts are responsible to pay the tuition for parents who choose to enroll their children in charter or cyber charter schools, costing even small districts a substantial piece of their budget for a private education. Charter schools and cyber charter schools are nothing more than a thinly veiled voucher plan or public choice plan that some legislators have attempted to initiate for the last 20years. Each time in the past, common sense won the day, and the effort was defeated. This time, the attempt was better choreographed, better cloaked, and more insidious.

In 2010, Public Education was put on life support. The only question that remained was whether he would pass away before his detractors, those responsible for his care, pulled the plug. Unfortunately, over the next few years with the Commonwealth’s paying a decreasing percentage of the cost of Public Education’s care, he was forced to slip away peacefully. Rest in peace, faithful friend. You will be missed by all, even by those whose actions—or lack of actions—have led to your demise.

Robert Frick is superintendent of schools for Lampeter-Strasburg School District.

YorkCounts makes education focus of April summit

2011-04-04T12:23:00.000-04:00

By James DeBord

Entering my sixth year of having the pleasure of serving as the director of YorkCounts, I have heard my fair share of opinions about YorkCounts and our broad portfolio of work across York County. Needless to say, those opinions vary depending on the issue and with whom I’m speaking. Sometimes people are convinced that what YorkCounts volunteers are doing is the right thing and sometimes there are those who believe that what we are doing is the wrong thing. That’s never surprising, as many of our YorkCounts volunteers are fond of saying, “If we’re not taking on the tough issues that draw a strong response from the community, then we’re not doing our job.”

James DeBord

Since 2002, when the York County Commissioners first convened the YorkCounts Commission, YorkCounts has been dedicated to measuring the quality of life across York County through our Community Indicators reports. But more importantly, in the years since, YorkCounts has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for every person who lives, works or comes to York County to enjoy its great beauty and remarkable people.

In my time with YorkCounts few issues have elicited a greater response than when we have taken on education-related matters and its many complex facets. Those issues include student outcomes in terms of test scores, graduation rates, workforce readiness and of course perhaps none more controversial than how we pay for our educational system in our 16 public school districts.

On April 14th, the YorkCounts Board of Directors would like to invite the community to join us at the Pullo Family Performing Arts Center on the campus of Penn State York for the YorkCounts Annual Community Summit. This year, YorkCounts has decided to turn our annual summit into an education event that we are calling: "State of the Schools - A Countywide Education Summit."

Right after the first of the year when YorkCounts made the decision to hold this education-focused event, we began reaching out to the community - to educators, business people, national experts and various interest groups to a play a role in this important dialogue about how we might work to improve our schools in York County. Almost immediately we began hearing the good, the bad and the ugly in reply not only from within York County, but from across Pennsylvania and beyond. Of course there were those who asked, “Who are you to be talking about education?” There were others who said, “If you invite that group to participate, we won’t come!” But, just like with so many of the tough issues that YorkCounts has addressed over the years, the vast majority of people have said, “We think it’s great that you are doing this. Thank you for fostering a dialogue on such an important issue.”

I was reminded again of that voice of reason and hope for a better educational future for all of our children, when someone had asked for my opinion about the York Academy Regional Charter School which grew out of the work of YorkCounts’ Metro-York Project going back to 2007. With the school slated to open its doors in downtown York this coming August, many people have asked me if I think it will be a panacea for curing some of the educational ills in our community.

I am not naive enough to believe that one school alone, no matter how spectacular, will change the face of our educational landscape in York County. Nor am I naive enough to believe that by holding an education summit on April 14 will we solve the many challenges faced by our public school systems. But I do believe that people in this community want the best possible public education system for the collective good of the community. I believe that most people – from parents, educators and employers to the vast majority of students – have a strong desire to see our schools be the best they can be.

If you have that same desire and you’re willing to hear and discuss a wide array of opinions from local and national experts who we hope can work together to make our schools and our children’s futures even stronger – then please join us April 14 at the YorkCounts Education Summit. To learn more and register for this important community event, please visit YorkCounts.org or send an email directly to events@yorkcounts.org.

James DeBord has served as the Director of YorkCounts since 2006.

*

IF YOU GO

What: "State of the Schools: A Countywide Education Summit"
When: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 14
Where: Pullo Center at Penn State York, 1031 Edgecomb Ave., York
How much: Admission is free, but advance registration is requested.
More information: In the morning, there will be presentations on national, state and local issues. In the afternoon, we'll have a panel discussion on the current fiscal environment and the pension crisis, featuring local school officials, members of the General Assembly in Harrisburg, and state education policy experts.
For details: Contact Dan Fink at YorkCounts at 717-650-1460 or at dfink@yorkcounts.org. To register, send an e-mail with your name, school district and phone number to events@yorkcounts.org.

Leadership for Diverse Schools celebrates fifth anniversary

2011-04-01T10:51:00.004-04:00

Janifer Nolte, left, Tom Nesbitt, and Kristi Miller work together

during their Leadership for Diverse Schools fall retreat. The

three are part of the program's Class of 2011.

by Randy Freedman

The Central Penn Business Journal recently reported on the discussions that could produce a merger between the York County Economic Development Corp. and the York County Chamber of Commerce. In another issue of the Business Journal, Bill Hartman from the York County Community Foundation, writing in an op-ed, applauded the merger talks and said the foundation had stepped up its efforts to encourage nonprofits with similar missions to seek alliances or collaborations.

Everywhere you turn in the York community, particularly among nonprofits, merger is the message. Thomas McLaughlin, a guru on nonprofit mergers and alliances, spoke this past year in York. Agencies are meeting to discuss varied opportunities. And Leadership York is conducting a March “Lunch on Board” on the subject of successful alliances and partnerships. Some of these discussions and opportunities are more “public” than others. All of them are necessary to assure York County resources are used effectively.

The York JCC can claim part of a successful nonprofit collaboration. In response to a YorkCounts call for more tolerance and cultural sensitivity, the York JCC and Leadership York formed a partnership to develop Leadership for Diverse Schools.

This Leadership York program celebrates its fifth anniversary this year as it graduates the 2011 class. More than 150 educators from across York County have been through the program, and they are working to make York County schools a more accepting and bias-free environment thanks to the vision created by Leadership York and the York JCC.

Through the years, participants have gained knowledge and the leadership skills to bring an increased acceptance of differences back to their school through this interactive and experiential course. They have initiated and implemented action plans that are helping transform our county’s classrooms, schools and districts into a more culturally competent community.

Leadership York staff wrote the leadership content, and the York JCC staff wrote the diversity education content, allowing each agency to contribute content in an exciting and wonderfully effective way. Neither agency needed to reinvent the wheel. Each brought to the project what it knows so well how to do and magically (OK, not so magically as it was hard work) LDS was born. The two agencies continue to collaborate on leading the program and working with the participants to assure the highest level of content and experience.

How perfect is it that a leadership and diversity program can serve as a model for our community? Discussions regarding mergers, alliances and collaborations require exactly those special qualities: leadership and acceptance of difference. As the Maya Angelou quote on Leadership York’s Web site puts it: "We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value..."

York County is a better place thanks to Leadership for Diverse Schools. Participants continue to let us know the impact they are having in their schools. York County can be a better place also as others in the community follow the model to come together and provide programs and services in a more collaborative and effective way.

Randy Freedman is executive director of the York Jewish Community Center. She joined the JCC staff in 1991 and founded the Diversity Education department in 1994. She was a member of the original YorkCounts Commission currently serves on the YorkCounts board. As a member of one of the YorkCounts education/diversity focused committees, she was one of several who were instrumental in creating the vision and design of what is now the Leadership for Diverse Schools program that Leadership York offers in collaboration with the JCC. Randy holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology/archaeology from Cornell University and an MBA in Human Resource Management from University of Colorado. She has two grown sons, both now living out of the area, and resides with her husband, Howard, in Spring Garden Township.

York Academy update on WHP-TV

2011-03-31T11:42:00.000-04:00

WHP-TV, the CBS affiliate in Harrisburg, reported March 30 on the latest news about the York Academy Regional Charter School. WHP Reporter Christina Butler interviewed Dennis Baughman, the president of the charter school's Board of Trustees. The public charter school, which will offer an International Baccalaureate program of study, emerged from work done by YorkCounts' Metro-York Educational Opportunities Committee from 2007 to 2009. Baughman, a former school administrator in Northeastern and York City school districts, co-chaired the committee, along with community volunteer Sue Krebs.

The school was chartered by York City, York Suburban and Central York School Districts. It is hoped that the school will improve educational outcomes for city students by breaking up the concentrated poverty that proves such a challenge to urban schools. The school could also prove to have appeal for families with children looking for a high-quality education options in the city.

Baughman will provide a lengthier update to the community on April 14 as part of YorkCounts' "State of the Schools: A Countywide Education Summit." Click here for details on the summit.

Watch the WHP clip below.

We need new thinking on technology in the classroom

2011-03-30T10:25:00.003-04:00

by Jared Mader

Unlike many other specific instructional programs, educational technology is not at all about the technology. Quite honestly, it is about how our efforts in the classroom can make the technology invisible, centering more on relevant and authentic learning experiences. The focus should remain on what we want students to be able to know and do rather than the technology. Founded in the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (the NETS-S), our students need to be provided digital-age learning experiences that allow them to create, collaborate and solve problems. Our system of education, too often, asks skilled educators to dilute their talents by assuming the role of an information disseminator.

A mission that focuses on global preparedness is one without the baggage of viewing technology as another thing to “cover.” While there are technology skills that must be a part of the curriculum, such as using productivity software or learning keyboard touch-typing, the technology must be a tool for instruction that allows students to either work more efficiently or at higher levels of learning. This requires a curriculum make-over, and this will cost money. We need to pay it forward, and in the economic times that we are all facing, we have to ask ourselves, “Can we afford to not do this?”

No longer can the use of technology in classroom instruction be limited to those teachers who are comfortable with it or have been able to see its benefits. This is among the greatest of inequities that we see in today’s schools. We still see a digital divide among students who have access to tools at home and those who do not.

However, the divide that must be addressed urgently is the large number of students who can go through an entire school year and never once be exposed to higher-order thinking using powerful technology tools. That divide is not one of socioeconomic status but of the systemic failure to support all teachers in their efforts to foster environments for students to develop and use digital-age skills.

Critics would argue that this is not sustainable. Even with the introduction of low-cost netbooks, iPads and iPods, and thin client-computing devices, the expense is still too much to bear if schools are expected to provide these tools for teachers to change.

But who says that schools must provide these tools? We must grow tired of the conflicting environment created by our budgets and our policies. While we say that our budgets cannot support the purchase of these tools, our policies tell our staff and students that students are not able to use the tools they have. Imagine the audacity of telling a student they couldn’t use their own calculator or pencil or notebook, yet we do that every day when our policies restrict cell phones, personal laptops and other powerful tools of connectivity.

Networks still must be secured – agreed. But it’s not about adding more strain onto our budgets; it’s about repurposing some of the monies that we use for the replacement of computers for the purpose of improving infrastructures that allow for this personal connectivity. Our district has worked over the past year to install a wireless network across all buildings that has this ability.

So, what do our educators need to learn to be effective in integrating technology?

First, there must be a compelling argument for the need to change our system. Next, we need take a grassroots approach to train teachers to integrate the tools that will engage students. This is not about specific technology tools, software, or web-based products, but rather it is about what types of tools are available to elicit specific types of digital-age skills. Once teachers begin to see how their lessons are revolutionized by the systemic introduction of digital-age learning experiences, they will be able to see how programmatic change can occur through a complete curriculum revision process.

Our leaders must recognize that technology is not a thing, it is an evolution. Our hope is that technology, as a tool for teaching and learning, will one day be no more regarded than the ball-point-pen or colored pencils. Instead, the change to digital-age learning, as described by the NETS, will be the highly regarded focus and change agent that will help us to guide educational reform in the 21st century.

Jared Mader is the Director of Technology for the Red Lion Area School District. He has served in this position for four years, after teaching Chemistry for nine years. In that time, he has led technology integration professional development initiatives. He is a member of the Discovery Educator Network and has been identified as a PDE State Keystone Technology Integrator. He also serves as a partner in an educational technology consultancy, EdTechInnovators, providing professional development to districts across the United States and abroad. Jared lives in York with his wife Janell and 7-year-old daughter Emma. You can contact him at maderj@rlasd.k12.pa.us or jared@edtechinnovators.com.

Education Summit preview: Dayna Laur

2011-03-28T13:01:00.005-04:00

We asked participants in "State of the Schools: A Countywide Education Summit" to respond to three questions about our schools, and we're sharing their responses on Mondays through the week of the summit on April 14. These are the questions we posed:

What’s the biggest challenge confronting public education in York County today?
What can the community in York County realistically expect to achieve to deal with that challenge?
What would your first priority for action be?

Today, we hear from Dayna Laur, an award-winning and nationally recognized teacher at Central York High School.

When I entered the teaching profession 13 years ago, realizing the impact I would have on the lives of students was both exciting and challenging. The same holds true today. However, the way in which I educate students has changed.

Dayna Laur, a teacher at Central York and
an authority on technology in the classroom,
says districts should collaborate on professional
development to share costs, generate savings
and reach more teachers.

While the teaching methodologies I employed in the classroom more than a decade ago were adequate and are still relevant today, the students themselves require something more. The rapid pace at which technology is shifting and becoming an ever-increasing presence in our daily lives requires a classroom that reflects this fact. Engaging students, creating authentic learning environments and providing technology-infused opportunities for students to learn, design, and collaborate are paramount to education today.

Unfortunately, with these needs also comes a high price tag in order to equip a staff of teachers well trained to provide these prospects to students. In an economy suffering from the effects of a recession, it has become increasingly difficult to provide teachers with these opportunities. It is imperative that districts work together in order to find viable solutions to this stark reality.

York County school districts have been afforded top-quality teachers. However, veteran teachers and those newest to the profession require ongoing professional development in order to provide our students with the best opportunities for enhancing their 21st-century skills. As the technology changes and opens a wide variety of prospects for student and teacher collaboration on a global scale, teachers must be made aware of how to employ these innovative and engaging techniques in the curriculum.

In order to make this professional development economically feasible and equitable across districts, it is time for all districts across the county to work collaboratively to provide professional development opportunities. Sharing the costs and resources will offer districts the ability to grant teachers continuing education in a “train-the-trainer” model. Each district would provide several teachers for a countywide training and, in turn, the teachers would return to their respective districts to provide on-site training for their staffs. In doing so, costs would be diminished and trainings would be extended to reach more teachers across York County.

While it may be impossible to overcome the disparity in local tax dollars that are allotted to each district, through the use of this model, districts would be in a position to decrease professional development expenditures, while increasing professional development opportunities.

Dayna Laur is a 13-year veteran social studies teacher at Central York High School and is a National Faculty Member for the Buck Institute for Education. She has her National Board Certification, a bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia Tech, a Master of Arts degree in education in curriculum and instruction from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Master of Science degree in 21st-century teaching and learning from Wilkes University.Over the past four years, she has worked closely with the Classrooms for the Future initiative in Pennsylvania, presenting to teachers, instructional technology coaches, administrators, and higher education faculty members on ways in integrate project-based learning in a technology-rich classroom environment. She has been featured as the model teacher for Authentic Based Classroom Instruction as produced by the National Institute for Professional Practice and as a model teacher for the Schools that Work Series as produced by Edutopia.

Geoffrey Canada: Inspiration for difficult times

2011-03-28T13:01:00.004-04:00

by Isiah Anderson

We are at a crucial crossroads when it comes to education. The governor has proposed devastating cuts. The York City School District is struggling with a staggering deficit. As a community and as a state, we are failing our students.

Yet amidst this turmoil, I still believe that York and other communities possess the ingenuity and passion to pull ourselves out of this educational quagmire and create an environment that supports the success of all of its young people.

Recently on this blog, Dan Fink wrote about a theme that is consistent with what we do at 3Cord Inc. Dan wrote about the need for alignment of services among York County organizations to generate collective impact and success in areas of education and human services. This is an idea that we champion. We have the resources here in York County, but we need to work together to leverage existing dollars and align our services so that our children do not fall through the cracks.

Geoffrey Canada, center, surrounded

by students from the Harlem Children's

Zone, the organization he founded

in New York City. Canada will visit

York April 2 to talk about his work

and to offer lessons for York County's

efforts to improve educational

outcomes in the city.

Geoffrey Canada, the founder and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, has created this kind of network in his community. HCZ covers a 97-block area in Harlem that provides services from birth through college to more than 10,000 children. Mr. Canada has worked tirelessly to ensure that children receive the services they need consistently throughout their youth by providing programs for each stage of development including parenting classes, early childhood education, charter schools, health services and college tutoring.

Here is a true hero. Someone who saw a problem, came up with a solution, and pledged to do whatever it takes to ensure that kids are successful. When I began my company and applied for our first charter here in York City, I was charged to research programs that were working and find out how they could be replicated in York. HCZ was one of my first stops. I realized that the same was possible in York, but we do not have access to the same kind of dollars that HCZ does considering their proximity to Wall Street.

Instead, I knew we would need to be creative, that we would need to forge innovative partnerships because we already have many similar services; they are just not connected in a way that reaches all of the youth we serve. We can not only learn from Geoffrey Canada and HCZ, but we can improve upon their model.

I believe in this program so much that 3Cord Inc. has partnered with the YWCA to bring Geoffrey Canada to York on April 2. It is my hope that York’s brightest minds will be in attendance to learn from Mr. Canada and reflect on how we can transform York the way he has changed Harlem. We can do it; in fact, we have to do it. There needs to be a sense of urgency in this town when it comes to education, and I know that we can harness our passion, do the hard work, and make York a place where children not only survive, but thrive.

*

Today is the last day to buy tickets for the April 2 event. Please visit http://www.uicfund.org/legacy-series or call Rijelle Kraft at 717-845-4046, ext. 1405, for details.

Isiah Anderson is the founder and managing officer of 3Cord Inc., an education management organization in York. Founded in 2005, 3Cord’s mission is three-fold: to create and manage charter, alternative-education and private schools that serve urban youth; to deliver cutting-edge solutions to the urban attitude problem rampant in today’s hip-hop culture; and to train professionals to effectively relate to and educate this generation of students. 3Cord oversees three schools in York: New Hope Academy, Challenge Academy, and Impact Academy.

Little-known PEDYC about to unleash Creativity

2011-03-25T15:00:00.004-04:00

The Creativity Unleashed logo.

by Caitlyn Meyer

Big change is coming to a little-known arm of the York County Economic Development Corp. The Partnership for Economic Development of York County, or PEDYC, recently reorganized to broaden its focus. Part of this reorganization places PEDYC as the implementing body for the York County Economic Development Plan. And that means it will be tasked with, among other things, getting the Creativity Unleashed branding effort into high gear.

The Creativity Unleashed committee, originally set up under the direction of Downtown Inc., signed a Memorandum of Understanding in February with PEDYC to bring the branding effort under PEDYC oversight in order to help spread the brand countywide. The Creativity Unleashed tagline was recommended by consultant Roger Brooks, who suggested branding York as America’s Industrial Art and Design Capital to capitalize on the success of many innovative and creative York County companies. PEDYC will provide administrative support to and work closely with the Creativity Unleashed committee.

PEDYC will also be in charge of the Municipal Outreach Program, a collaborative effort between the EDC and the York County Planning Commission. The program provides economic development and planning services to local municipalities. Many services can be accessed by York County municipalities for no or low cost, including municipal profiles, site evaluation, economic impact analysis, plan reviews, funding information, and other services based on community requests.

By working with local communities and organizations, PEDYC recognized an opportunity as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to serve as a fiscal sponsor to community and economic development projects across the county. Organizations without nonprofit status can save time and money by using PEDYC for fiscal sponsorship. Groups interested in fiscal sponsorship must submit an application to PEDYC and relate their project to the York County Economic Development Plan’s goals and strategies.

The Partnership for Economic Development of York County seeks to act as a public tool to facilitate industrial and economic development throughout our communities. For more information about PEDYC activities, please contact Wilda Alessi, Manager, Business Development at the EDC (walessi@ycedc.org).

Caitlyn Meyer is the business development coordinator for the York County Economic Development Corp. She coordinates YCEDC activities related to the York County Economic Development Plan, seeks to work with local governments through the Municipal Outreach Program and works on business retention. Caitlyn earned her bachelor’s degree in history from York College of Pennsylvania in 2009 and has been with YCEDC since that time. Caitlyn lives and works in York City. She can be reached at cmeyer@ycedc.org or 717-846-8879, ext. 3053.

“Ready Freddy” helps kids, families prepare for kindergarten

2011-03-24T09:25:00.001-04:00

by Christy Renjilian

For the past two weeks, nearly 50 children and their parents have filled the cafeteria at Conewago Elementary School in Northeastern School District. As they arrive, the children greet old friends, shyly reach out to new ones and take their first steps on the path to kindergarten. After a story about the first day of school, and an activity with their parents, they go off with their new friends and an early childhood education teacher. For some this is an exciting time, for others, they aren’t so sure they want to leave the comfort of Mom and Dad. And truth be told, some parents aren’t quite certain they are ready for them to spread their wings.

These families are participating in the “Ready Freddy” school readiness program, sponsored by the United Way of York County with funds from the Rehmeyer Trust and the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning. The six-week curriculum was developed by Ken Smythe Leistico from the Office of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh. The purpose of the program is to help children and families feel comfortable with the transition to kindergarten.

The sessions are led by kindergarten and early childhood education teachers with the support of Northeastern principals and United Way staff. Families have a chance to learn about the expectations and procedures of the district, ask questions, tour the facilities and meet school personnel and other parents. The children get an opportunity to meet new friends, learn how to function in a group of their peers and see first hand what a great place kindergarten is. The curriculum is broken into six sessions that cover topics including identifying your child’s strengths, social skills, literacy and numeracy skills. Each week, every child gets a free book, corresponding to the weekly topic, to take home and keep. Families also have home activities to extend the skills they learned while at “Ready Freddy.” The kindergarten teachers have seen amazing progress in the children’s skills and comfort level over the course of the six-week program.

This is the second year the United Way has offered “Ready Freddy” to area school districts. Last year, it served approximately 180 families in Dover, Eastern, Red Lion, Spring Grove and York City. This year, the program will be held at Eastern, Northeastern and York City. Officials in some of the school districts that participated in last year’s program said it was so beneficial they are offering it again this year with district funding. The goal over the next several years is to offer it at every district in York County.

School staff said the children and families who participated in the program last year were better prepared to handle the first day of school. They also pointed out that families are better connected to the school, participate in more activities, and are involved and active partners in their child’s learning.

So what can you do to help your child prepare for kindergarten?

The best thing you can do is free – get a library card and read to your child every day. Research shows there is nothing more important than reading with your child. You don’t need to purchase expensive educational toys. Children can learn colors by sorting laundry, picking out produce at the grocery store, and looking at the world around them. Math skills can be learned by counting every day items. Point out letters, numbers, and shapes as you are driving. Encourage your child to develop self-help skills. Provide opportunities for them to interact with children their own age. Remember children learn best when they are playing – through active, hands-on experiences with the world around them. All of this will help lay the foundation for success in school and life. Parents are a child’s first teacher, and children’s brains are growing at an astonishing rate during the first five years of life. Don’t wait till they get to kindergarten to begin their education.

As the families left Conewago Elementary School after their first night of “Ready Freddy,” there was a sense of excitement and accomplishment. The children had a great time at school and with the teachers. The parents appreciated the warmth and expertise of the staff. Questions had been answered. Partnerships between families and school personnel are forming. Northeastern School District’s class of 2024 is well on its way to a successful future.

If your child will enter kindergarten next fall in Eastern or York City and you would like to enroll in the program please go to http://www.unitedway-york.org/ and click on “Register for Ready Freddy.” If you are not in these districts, but would like more information about how to prepare your child for school, contact Christy Renjilian at the United Way of York County.

Christy Renjilian is the director of Focus on our Future for the United Way of York County. She has a Masters degree in Social Policy Analysis from the University of Chicago. Christy has more than 20 years of experience administering early childhood education programs and has been with the United Way of York County for more than five years. She lives in Springettsbury Township with her husband and two children. Christy can be reached at renjilianc@unitedway-york.org or 717-771-3808.

Assorted thoughts on education

2011-03-22T14:05:00.017-04:00

A few things have popped up on my screen in the past couple days that I thought were worth passing along. All of them tie into education. And don't forget: 23 days until State of the Schools 2011.

Forum takes stock of Corbett's proposed education budget: I'll be sitting in on a Pennsylvania Education Policy Forum tomorrow morning in Harrisburg. These forums are organized by the Education Policy and Leadership Center, an advocacy organization that provides training and research on education issues. (Full disclosure: I'm participating in the EPLC's 2011 fellows program).

Tomorrow's session will provide an analysis of Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed education budget. Ron Cowell of EPLC will provide an overview of the proposed budget, and Sharon Ward from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center will provide some of the fiscal context that shaped this year's state budget decisions. After that, there will be a panel discussion of the impact of the governor's proposals and the key issues that will be considered during budget talks.

It should be an informative morning, and I plan to do some live Tweeting throughout.

Thoughts on 'collective impact': A colleague passed along an opinion piece from the New York Times on a concept termed "collective impact."

From the article:

The idea is to create a network that links numerous organizations — including those in government, civil society and the business sector — and helps them to systematically align and coordinate their efforts around a clearly defined goal, like improving education, combating childhood obesity, or cleaning up a river.

York County, which has many organization doing lots of great work, has sometimes struggled to get its efforts aligned and coordinated. YorkCounts has tried to help with that, by spotlighting different issues and bringing people together to work on those issues collaboratively, as we did during the Metro-York process. The York County Community Foundation has taken similar steps recently, through its work in facilitating strategic mergers of nonprofits and more recently in putting more resources into community action.

These are worthwhile efforts, but the article suggests we have a ways to go to do the kind of high-level work that produces measurable change.

What distinguishes collective impact from run-of-the-mill collaboration is the quality of the partnership and the nature of the problem being addressed. Mark Kramer and John Kania, managing directors of a nonprofit consulting organization called FSG, which coined the term “collective impact,” identified five conditions for “collective success” in a recent essay in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Above all, they say, partners must come together and agree not just on common goals, but shared ways to measure success towards those goals. They must communicate on a regular basis. And there must be a “backbone” organization that is focused full-time on managing the partnership.

Read the whole article, and then think about how we might achieve "collective success" in efforts to reduce obesity or poverty or keep more kids in school.

Building a Grad Nation - the report and the summit: A new report says the number of so-called "dropout factories" in the U.S. declined between 2008 and 2009. The report was released March 22, in conjunction with the Building a Grad Nation Summit, running through March 23 in Washington, D.C. This post from Caralee Adams at Education Week's College Bound blog offers some details on the report and live blogging from the summit

The report, an update of a multi-year report first released in November, offers national and regional data on low-performing schools, the "dropout factories" that show large numbers of dropouts and low graduation rates. The report also includes federal policy recommendations "to help ensure that the national goal of a 90 perecent high school graduation rate by the class of 2020 is met," Adams wrote.

Those recommendations include, from the blog:

Develop high standards to graduate all students college- or career-ready.
Focus investment on the lowest-performing middle and high schools though expansion of federal School Improvement Grants and greater emphasis on secondary schools in existing federal programs.
Hold states, districts, and schools accountable for graduating all students from high school.
Shift away from a one-size-fits-all school improvement system to one with flexibility and data-driven decisionmaking.
Address the factors that influence student achievement with wraparound services.
Provide federal support for district, community, and statewide efforts to raise high school graduation rates.
Strengthen schools by funding national-service efforts, such as the Education Corps.

Click here to read the entire report, and here to see a state-by-state breakdown of progress and challenges.

- Dan Fink

Education Summit preview: Joel Sears

2011-03-21T11:38:00.002-04:00

What’s the biggest challenge confronting public education in York County today?
What can the community in York County realistically expect to achieve to deal with that challenge?
What would your first priority for action be?

Today, we hear from Joel Sears, president of the York County Taxpayers Council.

Joel Sears

What's the biggest challenge confronting public education in York County today?

In a word: Financing. Pennsylvania’s system of public education financing is an unconstitutional mishmash that reinforces the disparity among districts and significantly limits choices and opportunity for parents, students and teachers alike. The basic allocation formula still depends heavily on enrollment during the 1990-91 school year in the face of dramatically shifting population and enrollment trends.

As a result, districts such as Pittsburgh receive more state aid today, in constant dollars, than they did 20 years ago when their enrollment was 10,000 students greater than it is today. Most York County districts, on the other hand, have experienced enrollment growth unmatched by increases in their state subsidies, forcing school boards to balance budgets with property tax increases two to three times the rate of inflation with a significantly higher share coming from the residential sector.

For a homeowner with a reasonably structured 30-year mortgage, school property taxes add between 30 and 80 cents to every dollar spent on principle and interest – and it never ends.

The Band-aid provided by Act 1 of 2006 places a cap on tax increases with no consideration for the consequences to either the district or the taxpayer. It completely sidesteps the constitutional requirements for: (1) a state-provided “thorough and efficient system of public education” and (2) taxes that must be “uniform, upon the same class of subjects, within the territorial limits of the authority levying the tax.” The “tax relief” provided by Act 1 averages $200 or so per homestead/farmstead in the face of taxes that average $3,500 per year.

This year, virtually every district in York County is scrambling to balance its budget after years of unchallenged spending and tax increases. By artificially limiting tax increases, Act 1 has exposed administrators and school boards to unprecedented criticism from taxpayers for their wasteful spending, from teachers at war with their colleagues over pay freezes versus furloughs, and from parents faced with cuts to cherished programs, such as foreign languages in middle school and free transportation to day care centers.

What can the community in York County realistically expect to achieve to deal with that challenge, and what would your first priority for action be?

In the long term (3-5 years), our goal should be to completely overhaul the K-12 funding system. Dollars from broad-based taxes, such as sales and income taxes, should be pooled into a statewide educational operating fund and allocated to schools based primarily on their current enrollment and demographic challenges. Public funds should be used to pay for the constitutionally-mandated thorough and efficient system of public education and no more. Taxpayers should be protected from unnecessary construction projects, “investments” in unproven curricula and technology, and increases in staff cost that far outstrip inflation.

In the short term, our first priority should be consolidation and formalized cost sharing in some form. There are millions of dollars spent every year on redundant services that could be provided as well or better by regional or countywide entities, including transportation, food service, and curriculum development.

Ideally, we should continue to explore academic consolidation as well to provide real choice within the existing framework. The growing patchwork of charter schools only serves to create more islands of education while adding to the total cost of education.

Joel Sears has been president of the York County Taxpayers Council since 2007 and this year filed papers to run for school board in York Suburban School District.

*

REGISTER FOR THE COUNTYWIDE EDUCATION SUMMITWhat: "State of the Schools: A Countywide Education Summit"

When: 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. April 14
Where: Pullo Center at Penn State York, 1031 Edgecomb Ave., York
How much: Admission is free, but advance registration is requested and box lunches will be available for $5. With your registration, please indicate your preference from the lunch wrap choices: turkey, ham, chicken salad, tuna salad or veggie.
The morning session: Elaine Weiss, the national coordinator for Broader, Bolder Approach to Education, will provide the national context, and Brian Jensen from the Pennsylvania Economy League will discuss the state’s looming pension crisis. Other morning speakers include Dennis Baughman, who will provide an update on the York Academy Regional Charter School; and Dayna Laur, an award-winning and nationally recognized Central York teacher, who will talk about new ways districts can collaborate and share resources.
The afternoon session: A panel discussion will focus on school district budgets and the looming pension crisis. Panelists include:

Thomas Gentzel, executive director for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association
James Testerman, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association
Republican State Sen. Lloyd Smucker, who represents parts of York and Lancaster counties and serves on the Senate Education and Appropriations committees
Republican State Rep. Ron Miller, who represents southwestern York County, including York, Springfield, Shrewsbury, Codorus, Manheim and West Manheim townships
Democratic State Rep. Eugene DePasquale, who represents York and parts of Spring Garden and West Manchester townships
Robert Krantz, superintendent from Dover Area School District
George Ioannidis, business manager from Spring Grove Area School District
Judith Higgins, school board member from Eastern York School District and board president of Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12
Joel Sears, president of the York County Taxpayers Council
Stephen Herzenberg, executive director of the Keystone Research Center

To register: Send an e-mail with your name, school district and phone number to events@yorkcounts.org, and if you plan to purchase one of the $5 box lunches, please indicate your lunch preference from these wrap choices: turkey, ham, chicken salad, tuna salad or veggie.
For details: Contact Dan Fink at YorkCounts at 717-650-1460 or at dfink@yorkcounts.org.

New charter school could be a game-changer for York

2011-03-18T09:44:00.003-04:00

When the York Academy Regional Charter School opens

in August, it will make living in downtown a more appealing

residential choice for families with children. The school sits

between Central Market and Sovereign Bank Stadium in the

heart of the Northwest Triangle redevelopment project.

By Eric Menzer

Last week the news hit the City of York like a ton of bricks – Governor Corbett’s proposed education cuts could add another $10 million on top of the $15 million deficit that the York City School District was already facing. And while every school district in York County faces financial challenges to one degree or another, there is no question that the city district is in the deepest hole. Whether your perspective is one of taxpayer, parent or simply concerned citizen, it is hard to fathom what we do next when it seemed the situation was already so dire both financially and in terms of outcomes for city kids.

We also heard news recently that only three candidates had filed for five city school board seats. These used to be hotly-contested races – campaigns got almost bitter at times. Do three candidates for five seats mean that city residents are so dispirited when it comes to our school district that they can’t even fight anymore? There’s an old saying – “the night is always darkest just before the dawn.” Let’s hope that dawn is around the corner on this one, because it’s hard to imagine a darker night.

In my last few posts I have been hopeful. I have written about the cultural and demographic forces that are creating the best market and most positive outlook for cities in 50 years. So how do we square that hopefulness with the grim outlook for our school district?

In the short run, it seems hard. But there are a couple things we need to keep in mind that are more subtle than a simple “gloom versus optimism” formula.

First, there are enormous numbers of potential city residents at any given time who are not consumers of our school system – both singles and couples without kids, and those whose children are done with their primary school years. At any given time, something along the lines of 75 percent of the U.S. population does not have kids in school.

Second, the charter school movement – regardless of your political philosophy or issues of funding or achievement – has matured enough in our city to offer real alternatives for those who do have kids in school. And while many of the charter schools we’ve seen open to this point draw most of their population from their local service area, a new one will open next fall that could be a real game-changer for the city in the long run.

The York Academy Regional Charter School will offer the International Baccalaureate curriculum not only to city residents, but to those of York Suburban and Central York school districts and possibly other suburban districts. Enough has been written about how remarkable it is that these three districts came together to create this school. Less has been written about how this school can take the experience of “walkable urbanity” to a whole new level.

Imagine that you are already attracted to the lifestyle provided by downtown or city neighborhood living. Now imagine from that home, you can walk or ride a bicycle to the most unique school in all of York County – one that offers not only the social, economic and racial diversity that many of us value in our city, but a world-class education, as well. Game on for competitiveness for the city of York as a viable residential option for parents with choices about where to live.

Eric Menzer is president of the York Revolution professional baseball team and manages the Codo Development Group, a real estate development company working in downtown York. Eric is active in community affairs and civic leadership at both the local and state level. He chairs the York County Community Foundation and serves on the boards of Downtown Inc, Better York, YorkCounts and the Crispus Attucks Association. He just concluded several years as Chairman of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, a statewide policy-research and advocacy organization that promotes smart growth and urban revitalization, and he remains active on that board. Eric was previously the senior vice president of Wagman Construction in York. Prior to that, he served for eight years as York’s director of economic development and previously as the executive director of the York County Transportation Authority. He is a passionate baseball fan and lives in York with his wife and daughter.

REGISTER FOR THE COUNTYWIDE EDUCATION SUMMIT

Part of the program for the YorkCounts 2011 countywide education summit will include an update on the York Academy Regional Charter School. Here's more information on the summit.

What: "State of the Schools: A Countywide Education Summit"
When: 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. April 14
Where: Pullo Center at Penn State York, 1031 Edgecomb Ave., York
How much: Admission is free, but advance registration is requested and box lunches will be available for $5. With your registration, please indicate your preference from the lunch wrap choices: turkey, ham, chicken salad, tuna salad or veggie.
The morning session: Elaine Weiss, the national coordinator for Broader, Bolder Approach to Education, will provide the national context, and Brian Jensen from the Pennsylvania Economy League will discuss the state’s looming pension crisis. Other morning speakers include Dennis Baughman, who will provide an update on the York Academy Regional Charter School; and Dayna Laur, an award-winning and nationally recognized Central York teacher, who will talk about new ways districts can collaborate and share resources.
The afternoon session: A panel discussion will focus on school district budgets and the looming pension crisis. Panelists include:

Thomas Gentzel, executive director for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association
James Testerman, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association
Republican State Sen. Lloyd Smucker, who represents parts of York and Lancaster counties and serves on the Senate Education and Appropriations committees
Republican State Rep. Ron Miller, who represents southwestern York County, including York, Springfield, Shrewsbury, Codorus, Manheim and West Manheim townships
Democratic State Rep. Eugene DePasquale, who represents York and parts of Spring Garden and West Manchester townships
Robert Krantz, superintendent from Dover Area School District
George Ioannidis, business manager from Spring Grove Area School District
Judith Higgins, school board member from Eastern York School District and board president of Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12
Joel Sears, president of the York County Taxpayers Council
Stephen Herzenberg, executive director of the Keystone Research Center

For details: Contact Dan Fink at YorkCounts at 717-650-1460 or at dfink@yorkcounts.org.

Municipal cooperation a no-brainer

2011-03-15T22:48:00.006-04:00

By Shanna Wiest

Who doesn’t think that it’s a good idea for multiple municipalities to work together to achieve cost savings, improved services, better efficiencies and better land use planning? Due to our multiplicity of municipalities in Pennsylvania (72 in York County alone!), it’s a concept frequently discussed and it seems to be a no-brainer that such cooperation is a good practice for York County. The York/Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition advocates for it and YorkCounts made regional municipal land-use planning one of its 30 Ready Solutions.

There is, however, a perception in our community that our municipalities are not cooperating. I have heard time and again from citizens who either write letters to the editor or ask in casual conversation why municipalities are not working with one another and can’t they do more to save tax payer dollars.

As part of the Smart Growth Coalition’s advocacy efforts for regional planning, we held town hall discussions across York County with our elected municipal officials. One item that became very clear from all of our municipal representatives is municipalities are cooperating with one another in many ways that most taxpayers do not see. For every high-profile collaboration, like the merger between fire departments in Spring Garden and Springettsbury townships to create the York Area United Fire and Rescue, many go unnoticed. Here are some of the other success stories of municipal cooperation in our community:

Red Lion, Yoe and Dallastown Boroughs began the process of developing a tri-borough joint comprehensive plan in the spring of 2010.
Windsor Township and Windsor Borough have also recently completed a joint comprehensive plan.
Lower Windsor Township and Windsor Township’s highway department help each other out with road work in the summer. They both have small crews so when there is a big job they work with one another to save the costs of hiring additional employees.
Dover Township and Dover Borough have a joint comprehensive plan, bulk sale of water, cooperative street sweeping, joint recreational programming and joint paving and materials bidding with Dover Area School District.
Springettsbury Township is taking the lead this year on a large consortium of municipalities for line painting bids.
North Codorus Township, Jackson Township, Manheim Township, Penn Township and New Freedom Borough have a verbal agreement to share equipment and manpower. For example, Manheim Township owns a paver, North Codorus Township owns the trailer to pull the paver to different job sites.

The list has grown so much I had to place additional examples of municipal cooperation on our Web site. Is there more our municipalities can do?

Absolutely.

But what was clear in the feedback I received from municipalities is they are always looking for new and creative ways to work with one another.

That’s where you come in. You need to be actively involved in your community by attending municipal meetings. Have an idea? Share it with your municipal officials. If we all work together and brainstorm new concepts we can have a win-win situation. While you sharing those thoughts, take the time to thank your municipalities for what they are already doing for the betterment of our communities.

And here's a video of York Area United Fire Chairman Bill Schenck talking about the merger.

YAUFR Chairman William Schenck as the Keynote Speaker from YAUFR on Vimeo.

Shanna Wiest is the government affairs director for the Realtors Association of York & Adams Counties and has been with the association since 2005. In her position, she advocates for homeownership, economic development and smart growth planning. Shanna also serves as the secretary/treasurer for the York/Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition and the president elect of the Economics Club for the York County Chamber of Commerce. Shanna earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dickinson College and her Master’s of Public Administration from Penn State University. Shanna lives in Springettsbury Township with her fiancé Joe.

Education Summit preview: Brian Jensen

2011-03-14T05:32:00.007-04:00

What’s the biggest challenge confronting public education in York County today?
What can the community in York County realistically expect to achieve to deal with that challenge?
What would your first priority for action be?

Today, we hear from Brian Jensen, senior vice president at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the executive director for the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

By Brian Jensen

I have spent the last 23 years of my life in the Pittsburgh region, and while no expert on the state of public education specifically in York County, I would venture to say that school districts across the Commonwealth face the same basic set of challenges.

School district healthcare and other benefit costs continue to rise. Pension contributions, in particular, will escalate for decades to come (see chart above). In the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the local share of public school pension contributions were $277 million. In the 2035-2036 fiscal year, they are projected to reach $3.8 billion.

My daughter, now in fifth grade, will be nearing middle age before pension obligations begin to decline, and it is likely that her children will be starting to put their own children through school by the time the unfunded accrued obligations of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System are made whole.

I wonder how we would feel about our great grandparents if they had left such legacy costs for us to pay. How can we Pennsylvanians in 2011 continue to justify such generational theft?

Is there a way to at least lessen the burden on our great grandchildren?

We shouldn’t expect much financial help from the Commonwealth: Its share of school district pension costs will mirror those of the local districts. At the same time, the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System is also severely underfunded and will need to be restored. And it doesn’t appear likely that general state support for public education will increase any time soon. With increased state support unlikely and local sources in the form of property taxes nearing the tipping point or already tapped out, revenue solutions are at best limited.

It seems clear that benefits will need to be restructured. A law passed late last year took some rather modest steps in this direction. Much more aggressive action, such as implementation of defined contribution or hybrid systems, will need to be taken, if Pennsylvania is to continue to prepare its young people to compete in the global marketplace.

It is too late to protect our children from this pernicious fate. We need to demand prompt and fearless action from our state government if we are to protect our grand children and great grandchildren from the mistakes of their ancestors.

Brian Jensen is a senior vice president at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the executive director for the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania. He manages the civic policy portion of the competitiveness program. One of his primary responsibilities over the past several years has been to develop a strategy in support of municipal pension reform and service sharing between the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Brian led PEL’s participation in the joint efforts that resulted in the 2008 passage of legislation to consolidate earned income tax collection and in the 2010 passage of legislation to make municipal merger and consolidation more straightforward.

Municipal government issues have been a theme of Brian’s 24-year career with PEL. He played a major role in the development of ComPAC 21, the process that led to the reengineering Allegheny County government. He facilitated the extensive multi-year effort to implement the ComPAC 21 recommendations, including drafting enabling legislation to expedite Allegheny County home rule, coordinating the home rule charter drafting process, drafting the county administrative and ethics codes, training the new County Council, and staffing transition committees. Brian has a Ph.D . in History and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia in the mid-1980s. He lives in the borough of Ben Avon and is active in the Community Presbyterian Church of Ben Avon as an elder, deacon and a tenor in the chancel choir.

IF YOU GO

What: "State of the Schools: A Countywide Education Summit"
When: 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. April 14
Where: Pullo Center at Penn State York, 1031 Edgecomb Ave., York
How much: Admission is free, but advance registration is requested and box lunches will be available for $5.
Confirmed participants: Elaine Weiss, the national coordinator for Broader, Bolder Approach to Education, will provide the national context. An afternoon panel discussion will focus on school district budgets and the looming pension crisis. Presenters and panel discussion participants include:

Brian Jensen, executive director of the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern PA and senior vice president of civic policy for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development;
Dennis Baughman, president of the Board of Trustees for the York Academy Regional Charter School;
Thomas Gentzel, executive director for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association;
James Testerman, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association;
Republican State Sen. Lloyd Smucker, who represents parts of York and Lancaster counties and serves on the Senate Education and Appropriations committees
Republican State Rep. Ron Miller, who represents southwestern York County, including York, Springfield, Shrewsbury, Codorus, Manheim and West Manheim townships;
Republican State Rep. Will Tallman, who represents York and Adams counties and serves on the House Education Committee;
Democratic State Rep. Eugene DePasquale, who represents York and parts of Spring Garden and West Manchester townships;
Dayna Laur, award-winning and nationally recognized teacher from Central York School District;
Stephen Herzenberg, executive director of the Keystone Research Center;
Joel Sears, president of the York County Taxpayers Council.

Truancy group's goals: Define truancy, build common policies

2011-03-11T07:54:00.006-05:00

By Leigh Dalton

The York County Truancy Prevention Initiative stakeholders and partners hosted a Truancy Summit in the fall of 2010. More than 200 people attended the Summit. More than 40 were York City School District employees, and at least 20 students and their parents attended. Many legal firms were represented, and a handful of judges were present. And more than half of the school districts were represented by their superintendent.

Using input from that event, the Truancy Prevention Initiative engaged in strategic planning at the end of November 2010. The Truancy Prevention Initiative’s Executive Board matched community and school district input with the five recommendations from the Pennsylvania State Roundtable Truancy Workgroup’s report, “Truancy: A Call to Action.”

One of the most important tasks the York County Truancy Prevention Initiative must undertake in the next year is to work with all the York County school districts to establish one consistent, operational definition of truancy. As a parent it must be confusing. If you move to another school district, many of the rules and attendance policies may change. Not knowing of the change, a parent may follow the protocol from their child’s previous district, and find himself or herself receiving a citation to go to court.

As a doctor, it must be confusing. You serve families and children from multiple school districts. Some school districts require a doctor’s note after five days absence, some require such a note after 10. How are you to keep it straight?

As a judge who sees families and children from multiple school districts, it again must be hard to keep it all straight – one district cites families after three days’ of absence; another district cites after four, another may cite after five.

Wouldn’t it be nice if York County had one policy? Outreach and education about these laws and policies could be countywide. Families, district judges and doctors would know what to expect – and we would all expect the same thing – 100 percent attendance from 100 percent of our students. And that isn’t to say that we don’t expect 100 percent attendance now, but wouldn’t it be so much easier to do this together?

If we had one policy, we could track programs to see if they are working. The York County Truancy Prevention Initiative has a few interventions now and intends to implement a few more in the future. For instance, right now we have a Check and Connect pilot program in three school districts – Northeastern, South Western, and York City. We are collecting data and are trying to learn how to make the program better for each district, but it is hard to compare progress across districts. Comparison across districts matter because we want to learn how the program works in each district, make it as effective as it can be, and then use that data to leverage resources that will expand this program across the county. If there were one operational definition of truancy, with countywide, consistently implemented protocols, the possibilities of how we could improve attendance and increase graduation rates are endless.

Not only do we want to track the efficacy of interventions, but we want to know how the overall Truancy Prevention Initiative is working. It is near impossible to really get a handle on our progress if each school district speaks a slightly different dialect of the same language. In order to assess progress and success of the Truancy Prevention Initiative, all the schools in the county must be collecting the same data and using the same metrics.

To address this issue, an advocacy committee and a data collection committee are being created. The advocacy committee will present to school boards to ask that all the school boards in York County adhere to one operational definition of truancy. The data collection committee will establish progress benchmarks to assess the percentage of districts that approve the protocol, reductions in citations filed, reductions in recidivism, and other vital data points that are necessary to assess progress.

The York County Truancy Prevention Initiative’s strategic plan also addresses outreach to the community, education of and partnership with various stakeholders such as parents, doctors and businesses, and sustainability.

We continue to hold Truancy Task Force meetings, the fourth Thursday every other month, with representatives from schools, courts, the community, service agencies, government agencies, the District Attorney’s Office, York County Office of Children, Youth and Families, Juvenile Probation Office, nonprofits and businesses. About 30 people typically attend, but he meetings are open to the general public – noon to 1:30 p.m. at the York County Judicial Center, Hearing Rooms 1 and 2, Fourth Floor.

Leigh Dalton is the director of the York County Truancy Prevention Initiative (www.yorktruancyprevention.org) and the community mobilizer for York County Communities That Care. After receiving her law degree from the University of Baltimore, School of Law, she managed a truancy intervention program called the Truancy Court Program. She is pursuing her doctorate in education policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She lives in Spring Garden Township with her husband, baby daughter and her two rescued dogs. She can be reached at leigh@yorkbar.com and 717-854-8755, ext. 209.

*

REMINDER:
SIGN UP FOR THE YORKCOUNTS ANNUAL SUMMIT

What: "State of the Schools: A Countywide Education Summit"
When: 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. April 14
Where: Pullo Center at Penn State York, 1031 Edgecomb Ave., York
How much: Admission is free, but advance registration is requested and box lunches will be available for $5.
Confirmed participants: Elaine Weiss, the national coordinator for Broader, Bolder Approach to Education, will provide the national context. An afternoon panel discussion will focus on school district budgets and the looming pension crisis. Presenters and panel discussion participants include:

Brian Jensen, executive director of the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern PA and senior vice president of civic policy for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development;
Dennis Baughman, president of the Board of Trustees for the York Academy Regional Charter School;
Thomas Gentzel, executive director for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association;
James Testerman, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association;
Republican State Sen. Lloyd Smucker, who represents parts of York and Lancaster counties and serves on the Senate Education and Appropriations committees
Republican State Rep. Ron Miller, who represents southwestern York County, including York, Springfield, Shrewsbury, Codorus, Manheim and West Manheim townships;
Republican State Rep. Will Tallman, who represents York and Adams counties and serves on the House Education Committee;
Democratic State Rep. Eugene DePasquale, who represents York and parts of Spring Garden and West Manchester townships;
Dayna Laur, award-winning and nationally recognized teacher from Central York School District;
Joel Sears, president of the York County Taxpayers Council.

For details: Contact Dan Fink at YorkCounts at 717-650-1460 or at dfink@yorkcounts.org.

One way to attack health care costs: 'Hot spotting'

2011-03-09T09:22:00.001-05:00

Innovators are using population data to identify areas
with particularly high health care spending per capita,
known as medical 'hot spots,' to allocate health care
resources more efficiently and bring costs down.

By Deron Schriver

I remember a time when my mother would take me to the doctor as a kid. Dr. Herrold would spend a lot of time with us, and you could see his diagnostic “wheels” turning. At the end of the visit, my mother would always ask how much we owed him. He would quote an amount, she would hand him the cash and off we went.

A lot has changed with the health care system since that time. We’ve been facing cost increases that will not be sustainable forever. Our elected officials have passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to address the issue. Whether you agree or disagree with the contents of the bill, I think we can all agree that doing nothing is not an option.

In his New Yorker article “The Hot Spotters,” Atul Gawande discusses what a New Jersey physician and others like him are doing to address the issue of skyrocketing health care costs. The approach involves more intense outpatient management of the small subset of patients that make up a disproportionate share of health care spending. Dr. Gawande illustrates how these innovators are using population data from a variety of sources to identify medical “hot spots,” or areas with particularly high health care spending per capita.

Here’s one excerpt:

If (Dr. Jeffrey Brenner) could find the people whose use of medical care was highest, he figured, he could do something to help them. If he helped them, he would also be lowering their health care costs. And, if the stats approach to crime was right, targeting those with the highest health care costs would help lower the entire city’s healthcare costs. His calculations revealed that just 1 percent of the hundred thousand people who made use of Camden’s medical facilities accounted for 30 per cent of its costs. That’s only a thousand people—about half the size of a typical family physician’s panel of patients.

And the potential benefit?

(Brenner) and his team appear to be having a major impact. The Camden Coalition has been able to measure its long-term effect on its first 36 super-utilizers. They averaged 62 hospital and E.R. visits per month before joining the program and 37 visits after—a 40 percent reduction. Their hospital bills averaged $1.2 million per month before and just over $500,000 after—a 56 percent reduction.

These results don’t take into account Brenner’s personnel costs, or the costs of the medications the patients are now taking as prescribed, or the fact that some of the patients might have improved on their own (or died, reducing their costs permanently). The net savings are undoubtedly lower, but they remain, almost certainly, revolutionary. Brenner and his team are out there on the boulevards of Camden demonstrating the possibilities of a strange new approach to health care: to look for the most expensive patients in the system and then direct resources and brainpower toward helping them.

With chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension making up 75 percent of total health care spending, it makes sense to direct resources to that area. The Pennsylvania Chronic Care Management, Reimbursement and Cost Reduction Commission was created to redesign how care is delivered to better address chronic conditions. This is an important step, since 50 percent of the population has at least one chronic condition, and our current system was designed to treat more acute illnesses. Here in South Central Pennsylvania, Aligning Forces for Quality is working with health care providers and patients to improve care and management of chronic diseases. To achieve its mission of improving health care quality at the local level, the program includes goals of increasing public reporting of quality data and improving health literacy throughout the community. Through greater awareness, AF4Q will be in a better position to improve health care quality.

As an industry insider, I can confidently say that we have the resources in York to make great strides in improving how health care is delivered. I challenge the local health care community, from the largest health system to the solo practitioner, to come together with unprecedented levels of teamwork. I challenge each citizen in our community to commit to leading a healthier lifestyle. In the health care system of the future, providers and patients will have a responsibility to prevent illness as opposed to waiting until it arrives and addressing it reactively. The doctor-patient relationship used to be the center of the health care universe, and it will be in our best interest to get back to that.

Deron Schriver is the executive administrator for The Women's Healthcare Group and a member of the Guiding Committee for Healthy World Café. He has a particular interest in studying and participating in solutions to address health issues affecting our society. Deron earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's in business administration, both from York College. He lives in West Manchester Township with his wife, Lisa.

County Communities That Care group unveils action plan

2011-03-08T15:29:00.003-05:00

The York County Communities That Care (CTC) recently presented its 2011 Community Action Plan to the public, and YorkCounts was pleased to play a small role in analyzing the 2009 Pennsylvania Youth Survey responses and to draft a report that made up a piece of the final action plan.

Nearly 12,000 students from 15 of York County's 16 school districts participated in the first countywide CTC PAYS survey. Students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 participated, and the next survey will be circulated later this year.

The survey serves as a way to measure student attitudes on an array of issues and to use their responses to identify priorities for community action. As a result of the 2009 survey, York County's CTC has decided to focus the community's attention on a couple of areas.

The data assessment workgroup that I served on identifed two factors that put kids at risk for problems and two factors that protect kids from problems:

Risk factors

Parental attitudes favorable toward anti-social behavior
Family conflict

Protective factors

Community opportunities for pro-social involvement
Community rewards for pro-social involvement

The data assessment group also identified three problem behaviors that should be addressed:

Attacking someone with intent to harm
Being drunk or high at school
Depression and anxiety

In response, CTC leaders developed a coordinated plan to address these risk and protective factors and problem behaviors. This is really the crux of the action plan, and the work will happen mainly through three organizations: Big Brothers Big Sisters of York County, the Strengthening Families Program, and John Hopkins' Adolescent Depression Awareness Program.

Here's a video about ADAP.

You can find the entire action plan and the results of the 2009 York County PAYS survey on our Web site. This is absolutely some of the most important work happening in York County today, and I'd encourage you to take a look at both documents.

- Dan Fink

Education Summit preview: Interview with Elaine Weiss

2011-03-07T09:28:00.002-05:00

Elaine Weiss

On Mondays between now and the YorkCounts York County Education Summit on April 14, we'll take a look at some of the issues surrounding public education today. Most of the posts will be written by participants in the summit. Today, we'll start out with an interview with Elaine Weiss, the national coordinator for Broader, Bolder Approach to Education. At the summit, Elaine will talk about the state of American education from the national perspective. Here's an edited version of the phone interview we did recently.

DAN FINK: Tell me about your background and how you ended up at Broader, Bolder Approach.

ELAINE WEISS: Well, I used to be a lawyer. I went into law school wanting to do good stuff. And I was always interested in poverty and finding remedies that worked to get people out of poverty. After I was in it for awhile, I realized that law might not be the best way for me to accomplish that. So I went back to school to get a degree in public policy. I studied urban policy at George Washington for my doctorate. I wanted to find out: What does the evidence say about what helps people out of poverty? And it seemed to all go back to education. K-12 reforms weren’t working, and a lot of problems opened up earlier than that, which is how I got interested in early education.

DF: Here in York County, people have done work around improving early education as a way to avoid later problems like truancy and dropping out, and we've had some blog posts about that recently. So where did that take you?

EW: I focused my doctorate on early education, and that's how I ended up at Pew (Charitable Trust). While I was there, I learned a lot about education and policy reform. I began to see that American education tends to go through these cycles, where people decide, "This reform will work," and then a few years later, "Oh, wait, this reform will work." In the course of doing all this reading, I came across Richard Rothstein's book "Class and Schools." It's a wonderful book that brings together all these factors - early education and poverty and reform. I can remember thinking if this comprehensive approach to education policy ever becomes a campaign, I want to be part of it. (Editor's note: Richard Rothstein is one of the original founders of BBA and a member of the BBA National Advisory Council.) (The book) is not at all an apology for schools, as some would paint it, but it points out all the factors that interfere with a teacher's ability to teach and a student's ability to focus and learn, which are pretty obvious to anyone who has taught or who has been in a poor neighborhood or, frankly, has been a parent. Schools are only part of a child's education experience, and reform traditionally didn't incorporate non-school issues that kids face.

DF: What do you mean by non-school issues?

EW: One example is mobility. In urban schools, families move a lot, for reasons usually associated with financial instability, so the kids are constantly having to adjust to new classrooms, new teachers, and schools and districts spend money trying to deal with administrative hurdles that don't exist in less mobile areas. In Flint, Mich., they looked at this mobility issue, and they decided to offer rent subsidies. If the problem is parents don't have enough money for the rent, let's give them money for that, and the kids won't have that disruption to their learning. And they had a dramatic improvement. In York, if you have an instability problem, find a pot of money to help keep these kids in one place and one school, and you can make a difference.

DF: Talk a little bit about No Child Left Behind and the role the federal government should play in education reform. There's a pretty broad range of views, from President Obama's plan for reauthorizing NCLB, to doing away with the Department of Education.

EW: Dismantling the Education Department would do away with many critical programs. But I think (those that promote that) are right the federal government does not belong in state and local education policy to the extent they have come to be. The idea (among federal policy makers) is that states and localities will mess up and the federal government will not. But we have seen that the federal government standards have not really brought about student improvement, they have not provided realistic mandates, they haven't given the state governments and localities the flexibility they need to make the changes required to improve student performance. We need to get back to broad accountability, not the narrow mandates that are required in these tests. Use the National Assessment of Educational Progress. It's not gamed by the system; it shows good results; and it can be used across states very well. It allows states to disaggregate data to show who is and who isn’t doing well compared to other states and would allow more policy comparisons across states.

DF: Here in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, there's a lot of talk about choice and vouchers. What do you think about free-market competition as a way to improve the performance of public schools?

EW: The Broader, Bolder Approach doesn’t have a specific position on charter schools and vouchers, because the issues facing schools are not, as many suggest today, based on lack of competition. The market is a very important thing, but it's not the right model for every one of our institutions, and it has serious flaws, as recent years have shown us. Schools, like families, work well when they’re collaborative - when teachers work together, when they work with principals and parents, and with students, and when they collaborate with one another. It doesn’t make sense to have a market model where you have “winners” and “losers.”

DF: How we fund public education will come up in policy discussions here and in other states. Talk about the connection between adequate, equitable funding and reducing the achievement gap.

EW: States vary greatly in the way they redistribute funding across districts to make sure schools have the resources they need. Decades of research suggest that what happens within the school walls – classroom, administration, peer effect – accounts for somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of student outcomes by the time they are done with school. If we had total equity and schools were being run perfectly, we’d still only to be able to close about a third of the achievement gap. We definitely need more equity in funding, but it’s the resources outside of school that account for the majority of the gaps we see. Where the community and the people are connected to the school, you will get good outcomes. Some people will say: "You’re giving teachers excuses; you’re letting them off the hook." That’s not what we’re saying. We’re saying, "We know there are things that are outside your control, things that happen outside the schools, and we will support that to help you do your job." That is empowering.

- Dan Fink

*

IF YOU GO

What: "State of the Schools: A Countywide Education Summit"
When: 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. April 14
Where: Pullo Center at Penn State York, 1031 Edgecomb Ave., York
How much: Admission is free, but advance registration is requested and box lunches will be available for $5.
Confirmed participants: Elaine Weiss, the national coordinator for Broader, Bolder Approach to Education, will provide the national context. Other presenters and panel discussion participants include:

Brian Jensen, executive director of the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern PA and senior vice president of civic policy for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development;
Dennis Baughman, president of the Board of Trustees for the York Academy Regional Charter School;
Thomas Gentzel, executive director for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association;
James Testerman, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association;
Republican State Rep. Ron Miller, who represents southwestern York County, including York, Springfield, Shrewsbury, Codorus, Manheim and West Manheim townships;
Republican State Rep. Will Tallman, who represents York and Adams counties and serves on the House Education Committee;
Democratic State Rep. Eugene DePasquale, who represents York and parts of Spring Garden and West Manchester townships;
Joel Sears, president of the York County Taxpayers Council

For details: Contact Dan Fink at YorkCounts at 717-650-1460 or at dfink@yorkcounts.org.

Child abuse prevention collaboration makes progress

2011-03-04T16:01:00.001-05:00

During the child abuse summit that YorkCounts organized last summer, one of the things stakeholders promised to do was continue meeting to develop a strategy to be more effective at preventing abuse. Those meetings are happening, with some real progress to report.

Three accomplishments are worth noting. First, the Child Abuse Prevention/Outreach Committee, which has taken the lead on bringing stakeholders back to the table, worked with the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance to bring the Painting for Prevention Murals Project to York for 2011. The Murals Project is one of the Alliance's key efforts to raise awareness of child abuse. In York, mural day is April 9 at Central Market, and the public will be invited to come and help create the mural while learning about child abuse prevention. April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month.

Second, YorkCounts, the York County Council of Churches, the Logos Academy and York City are partnering for an event on March 21 that will bring together county pastors to hear a pitch that they all take one Sunday in April to preach on child abuse prevention. The goal for a Child Abuse Prevention Sunday would be to continue raising awareness of the issue across the county and to urge pastors and their congregations to take action to support families.

Finally, the stakeholders have agreed to work together for another public event on child abuse in June. They would use the event to focus on the broad network of agencies that exist now, to showcase the work they do and to highlight the expanded outreach that will help agencies better connect with the families that need the help. This June event is still in the early stages of planning, so there aren't many details pinned down, yet. But they will be coming soon.

What are your ideas for ways the child abuse prevention community can better reach out to families?

- Dan Fink

Performance kitchen nearly ready for show time

2011-03-03T16:07:00.000-05:00

Courtesy York County Economic Development Corp.

This artist rendering of the Rojahn Performance Kitchen
at Central Market shows the retro look.

By Caitlyn Meyer

Construction of the Rojahn Performance Kitchen at Central Market, part of the Shared Kitchen Incubator of York (YorKitchen), is almost complete. The project is being developed by NutriCore NorthEast Inc., which is an initiative of the York County Economic Development Corp. YorKitchen has partnered with Rojahn Custom Cabinetry of Dallastown to produce a show kitchen that will compliment the commercial shared kitchen.

Jack LeCesa, president of Rojahn Custom Cabinetry, coordinated the efforts to produce the performance kitchen in celebration of the company’s 50th anniversary in York County. More than a dozen other companies donated to the project, including Appliance Distributors Unlimited, W Metalworks, Blum, Chemical Coatings Inc., Conestoga Wood Specialities, Eastern Surfaces, Glen Gery Brick, Lafferty Lumber, Rojahn Company, Russell Plywood, Thos. Summerville, Topknobs, and Wecker’s Carpet.

The retro-style design of the show kitchen will compliment the décor of Central Market. Seating as well as professional lighting and audio equipment will accompany the space.

The performance kitchen will be open to the public on market days from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. People may also rent the performance kitchen during off hours for classes, demonstrations, and private parties. Classes will be led by local chefs, professionals and restaurant owners.

Nutrition education seminars will also be held in the performance kitchen. Topics will include eating healthy on a budget, eating fresh foods throughout the year (canning and blanching techniques), and how to read nutrition labels. Programming will touch all walks of life and provide much-needed education about the importance of our local agricultural economy.

The Rojahn Performance Kitchen will be an asset to the revitalization of Central Market and help attract people to downtown York. Individuals and/or parties interested in hosting an event or reserving time in YorKitchen should visit http://www.yorkitchen.com/. Watch a video about YorKitchen and the performance kitchen here.

Would you consider booking an event at the kitchen?

Caitlyn Meyer is the business development coordinator for the York County Economic Development Corp. She coordinates YCEDC activities related to the York County Economic Development Plan, seeks to work with local governments through the Municipal Outreach Program and works on business retention. Caitlyn earned her bachelor’s degree in history from York College of Pennsylvania in 2009 and has been with YCEDC since that time. Caitlyn lives and works in York City. She can be reached at cmeyer@ycedc.org or 717-846-8879, ext. 3053.

Understanding school surpluses and budgets

2011-02-28T15:00:00.001-05:00

York Dispatch reporter Andy Shaw offers some good reporting here on the issues school districts are facing as they deal with 2011-2012 budget planning.

The story takes a look at the surpluses that districts around the county maintain and asks two reasonable questions: Why have a multi-million dollar surplus? And how much is enough?

For those complaining that taxes are too high, several district business managers offer legitimate reasons for keeping healthy surpluses. Those reasons include wanting to maintain a strong credit rating, which keeps borrowing costs down for major capital projects, and softening the blow of off years to avoid big tax increases or major cuts.

Spring Grove Business Manager George Ioannidis offered a more detailed explanation in the story:

---Many districts have been saving for what was expected to be a major pension funding crisis in two years; the crisis now seems to be lessened, although not greatly.

---Business managers are usually of the belief it's better to have incremental tax increases, rather than no increase for a few years and then a major hike. That means a tax hike -- and excess revenue -- could happen in a year when it might not be fully necessary.

---That leads to Act 1. With a cap each year on taxes, some business managers believe a district should consider raising what it can through tax revenue in that budget year, within reason, in case the cap is below expectations the following year.

"What you're doing is front-loading," Ioannidis said. "It gives you room to make budget cuts in less of a reactive way. You can ease your way into those cuts."

That first reason, related to the pension funding crisis, was the one we were most interested in. That was the only mention of it in the story, which was a little surprising after what we heard in January during a school funding town hall in Lancaster. We'll have a vigorous discussion of that very issue during the countywide education summit we're hosting April 14.

What do you think? Are districts being prudent fiscal managers? Or could they reduce the surpluses and give taxpayers a little relief?

- Dan Fink

Avoid early ed cuts at school budget time

2011-02-25T09:20:00.000-05:00

Photo by Anissa Thompson

Pre-schoolers who participate in quality

early childhood programs nearly

always start kindergarten prepared

for school. Studies show that such

programs also help at-risk students

start school even with their peers and

avoid an array of later problems such as

school failure, remediation and truancy.

By Christy Renjilian

There’s a lot of talk right now about education. What to do about unbalanced school district budgets, falling test scores and failing schools. The talk centers on education from kindergarten through 12th grade. But what happens to a child before they enter kindergarten? The best way to make certain no child gets left behind is to ensure an even start for all. That’s where high-quality early childhood education comes in.

York County has 13 National Association for the Education of Young Children accredited centers. The centers must meet more than 425 standards, conduct family surveys and self assessments, and have an on-site review. Nationally, only 7 percent of all child care programs are NAEYC accredited; in York County 14 percent are. Other high quality early childhood education programs include the Keystone STAR 3 or STAR 4 providers, Pre-K Counts grantees, EvenStart, Head Start and Early Head Start. So there are quality programs available, there just aren’t enough of them. Only 18 percent of York County children under age 5 have access to high-quality early childhood education programs.

This past year, 97 percent of the pre-kindergarten children enrolled in the seven NAEYC accredited programs administered by United Way of York County’s partner agencies met developmental goals and were on track for success in life. These benchmarks are set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and measured through a standardized tool. Pennsylvania is one of a handful of states that have aligned their learning standards from infancy through high school. Each age and grade has specific standards in language, science, math, and so on. The goals in each subject area build on one another. The standards serve as a guide for the school districts to ensure success not only on standardized tests but on “life’s tests” of post-secondary education and success in the workplace.

Early childhood education programs are incorporating these standards and the results of child assessments into their curriculum. Teachers are developing lesson plans based on what the state indicates a 3 year-old should know and be able to do. Those children who are having trouble with a particular skill, as identified by teacher observations and screenings, receive extra support. All of this is done in a developmentally appropriate child friendly setting. Young children do not learn through worksheets and memorization. Young children learn best through active experiences with peers, caring adults and the world around them.

And all this effort to improve the quality of early childhood education is paying off. Children, even those deemed at-risk of school failure, are meeting the Pennsylvania standards for a typical 4 year-old. As a result, York County school districts are revamping their kindergarten curricula because the children enrolled in high-quality early childhood education programs are entering school with more knowledge and better social skills. It’s a good problem to have: children who exceed your expectations.

So why should people concerned with their school district’s budget care about early childhood education? Because pre-K and other early childhood programs are outside of what districts are required to provide, under their mandates from the state. Which means budget cuts could reduce spending on early ed. And that’s a bad idea, because research by top economists and educators prove that for every $1 we spend on high-quality early childhood education, we can save $7 in costs associated with special education, remediation programs, school failure and dropouts.

Pay a dollar now to prevent problems or pay $7 later to fix problems. I know which one I would choose.

Christy Renjilian is the Director of Community Initiatives for the United Way of York County. She has a Masters degree in Social Policy Analysis from the University of Chicago. Christy has more than 20 years of experience administering early childhood education programs and has been with the United Way of York County for more than five years. Christy also drafted the 2009 Stay in School report on dropout prevention for the United Way of York County and YorkCounts. She lives in Springettsbury Township with her husband and two children. Christy can be reached at renjilianc@unitedway-york.org or 717-771-3808.

International Ed Tech Conference coming to Pa. in June

2011-02-22T11:28:00.001-05:00

ISTE 2011, an international conference on technology
in education, will be in Philadelphia in June. Attendees
can learn more effective classroom uses of the Internet,
iPads, blogs and other technologies.

By Ben Smith

There is an international educational technology conference heading to Philadelphia this summer. The conference is called ISTE 2011 and expects to draw 13,000 participants from around the globe. Last year, the conference was held in Denver and included people from 63 countries. The sponsoring organization is the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). ISTE advances excellence in learning and teaching through innovative and effective uses of technology. It is a global organization representing 89 countries. However, the conversation at the conference is about more than just technology. ISTE has developed the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Students, Teachers and Administrators. While most educational standards, including those in Pennsylvania, describe what students should know, these standards describe what students should be able to do in a global environment. Examining the student standards reveals that students need to be creative and innovative. They should be able to communicate and collaborate. They should work towards solving problems and making decisions and demonstrate information fluency.

There are also standards for teachers and administrators to explore.

The conference runs June 25–29 with a theme of “Unlocking Potential.” The conference is not just for teachers. Administrators, policymakers, business people, technology industry reps, vendors, professional developers and others interested in student learning and success are expected to attend. If you go, bring a laptop, smart phone, or iPad. And to walk through than 125,000 square feet of exhibits, you’ll want a pair of comfortable shoes. Although not required, there will be a number of opportunities to engage directly in sessions, and many people will do so from their mobile device. I have been going to the conference for a number of years, and I guarantee that if you go you will find it to be engaging, interesting and chock full of great learning opportunities for yourself.

There will be sessions on how to use specific technologies such as iPads or interactive white boards. Other sessions provide descriptions and uses for software such as Wikispaces, a collaborative online workspace, or tips for bringing blogs into the classroom. The vendor area contains hundreds of exhibitors demonstrating the latest technology tools available.

Perhaps more importantly, you can find educators from across the globe engaging in discussions about student learning. There are many informal playgrounds, workspaces, and lounges for like-minded educators to share ideas. Last year, I worked in a session lead by Karen Cator, the director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology. The session examined student workspace and its affect on learning, and educators from Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia joined me in my group.

So mark you calendars: June 25-29 in Philadelphia, ISTE 2011.

Any York County educators planning to attend?

Ben Smith is a physics teacher and science chairman at Red Lion Area High School, where he has worked for the past 22 years. He is also a partner in an educational technology consulting practice called EdTechInnovators (www.edtechinnovators.com). His work with schools has taken him across the U.S. and overseas to work with the Singapore Ministry of Education. Ben serves on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Technology in Education, a nonprofit international organization. Ben lives with his wife Lottie in York Township with their two children – Caitlin, 14, and Ian, 10.

Plenty to love in York - and Pittsburgh - right now

2011-02-18T07:32:00.000-05:00

By Eric Menzer

The historic Capitol Theater serves as a gathering place for
CapLive events, film screenings and community meetings.
It's an important part of what makes York special.

Sitting in the audience for the screening of “My Tale of Two Cities” on Wednesday night, I watched and listened as Carl Kurlander explored what made Pittsburgh special to him. Despite municipal bankruptcy and despite being in the heart of one of the only metro areas its size that is actually declining in population, Carl presented many of the wonderful attributes that led Pittsburgh to be named one of America’s Most Liveable Cities by Forbes magazine in 2009. And, if you were there at the Capitol Theater on Wednesday night, you heard Carl marvel at what he had seen in York in a short time that afternoon.

Then, I read the coverage of the Building York Summit and the thread of “reader feedback” comments in response to the online version of the Daily Record’s story.

What a contrast in perspectives!

In both the article and online, the writers reflected a sense that the City of York was some sort of basket case that had miles to go to reach simple respectability. Nothing could be further from the truth.

And ironically, many of the warts that people cite as almost insurmountable obstacles are present in spades in Pittsburgh. Whether it’s crumbling infrastructure, dilapidated housing, crime, financial challenges or ornery public-employee unions, Pittsburgh’s got ‘em all! And guess what? Forbes is right anyway!

Because Pittsburgh also has the other things Pittsburgh has are marvelous performing arts, world-class medical centers, cool historic buildings, rivers and bike paths, classic neighborhoods, interesting shops, championship sports teams, committed foundations, and museums ranging from the sciences to the avant-garde arts. And the city is full of researchers, university students, artists, environmentalists, and entrepreneurs – and also of bureaucrats, desk clerks, convenience-store clerks, prison guards, bus drivers – all the people who actually make a city work day-in and day-out.

See, this imagined perfect – perhaps almost pristine – physical, social or fiscal environment people seem to want in York is not only unnecessary for success, it’s not even desirable.

If you want a sanitized environment, go live at the York Galleria.

If you want a real environment, move into Newton Square, the Avenues, Fireside, South York, or downtown. Put your company downtown, and shop at Central Market with your neighbors. Come to ball games at Sovereign Bank Stadium and concerts at the Strand. And yes, encounter the occasional panhandler, trip over the occasional broken curb, grit your teeth while you bounce through the ruts of South George Street, and mutter in occasional frustration over the latest city financial issue.

And while you’re doing it, remind yourself that notwithstanding any of those things, in the last four years, through the worst recession any of us have ever encountered, downtown York has added businesses, apartments, concerts, restaurants, ball games, and jobs. Remind yourself that perhaps the very last building in downtown that has gone untouched since Hurricane Agnes – at 22 South George – is being renovated right now. Remind yourself that Central Market has an energized Board of Directors and is adding cool, new stands for the first time in years. While you’re at it, remind yourself that our Central Market now has a student-run bakery, a grass-fed beef stand, and soon a microbrewery.

Still feeling sorry for yourself?

Remind yourself that York College is bringing fine arts students downtown. Remind yourself that our Mayor and City Council debate issues civilly and reach compromises for the good of our city, that our crime rate is going down, and that 250 people care enough about our town to respond so enthusiastically to the Building York summit that they created a waiting list!

You see, “My Tale of Two Cities” was not about Pittsburgh as a piece of geography. Rather, it was about Pittsburgh as an attitude. It was about why Carl was drawn back to it warts and all. It was about the paradox – that a place can be beset by all sorts of afflictions, and still be wonderful. Look at this recent opinion piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The city is grabbing a higher percentage of college grads. All of which should prove to us that we need not – in fact should not – use any of our own so-called “warts” as an excuse. A city need not be perfect to be great.

And anyone who is still sitting around waiting for some imagined better day for York should recognize that our day is here right now.

Eric Menzer is president of the York Revolution professional baseball team and manages the Codo Development Group, a real estate development company working in downtown York. Eric is active in community affairs and civic leadership at both the local and state level. He chairs the York County Community Foundation and serves on the boards of Downtown Inc, Better York, YorkCounts and the Crispus Attucks Association. He just concluded several years as Chairman of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, a statewide policy-research and advocacy organization that promotes smart growth and urban revitalization, and he remains active on that board. Eric was previously the senior vice president of Wagman Construction in York. Prior to that, he served for eight years as York’s director of economic development and previously as the executive director of the York County Transportation Authority. He is a passionate baseball fan and lives in York with his wife and daughter.

YorIT submissions - the full list

2011-02-17T20:13:00.002-05:00

Jane Conover, the York County Community Foundation's vice president of community investment and an advisor for the group organizing the YorIT Social Venture Challenge, noticed I had mentioned two of the challenge's video submissions earlier this week. She thought it would only be fair to mention all of them, and she provided me with the links, so here you go, all seven submissions:

Business Owners Trade Alliance: An idea that would connect businesses in York and provide pooled resources in the form of a barter exchange program.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXH4dZco918

Healthy World Cafe: A proposal to develop a new downtown restaurant based on a "pay what you can afford" model that emphasizes locally grown ingredients.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfoVaClZDuA

Children's Museum of York: A proposal to bring a children's museum to the city that would emphasize hands-on, interactive displays, with an emphasis on developing an interest in science and creativity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIJ2Jft_sI4

Y-Fi: An idea to expand an existing effort to bring free Wi-Fi access points to more businesses and gathering places in the city.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBobmock#p/u/0/0y2mcWzJZB0

A music studio: A proposal to establish a music facility where people could come to play, learn and share music.
www.youtube.com/fileundervalued

Downtown delivery service using bicycles: An idea to offer delivery services for downtown businesses and residents that would use delivery people riding bikes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP9LXLArMBs

Housing: A call to create a nonprofit dedicated to converting blighted properties and neighborhoods into new, mixed-income communities.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLRb5awjgOg

YorIT is in the process of narrowing this list down to a few finalists, and the winner will be selected April 8 following group presentations by the finalists the same day. To read more about the challenge, go to http://yorit.org/.

Note: The original version of this post contained the incorrect date for the finalists presentations. The correct dates is April 8.
- Dan Fink

Another entry in YorIT: the Children's Museum of York

2011-02-14T14:26:00.004-05:00

Here's the YorIt submission for the Children's Museum of York, from the group working on developing a children's museum.

Their idea involves bringing a hands-on kids museum to the city to help inspire creativity and an interest in science, and to give families a destination in downtown York. It's modeled after museums such as the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg, the Hands-On House in Lancaster and Port Discovery in Baltimore.

Full disclosure: My wife came up with the idea and is one of the leaders of the effort.

More on Healthy World Cafe

2011-02-14T13:33:00.002-05:00

Last week, Deron Schriver wrote about the status of The Healthy World Cafe. A group is working to bring the restaurant to downtown York, with a pay-what-you-can-afford business model.

Organizers submitted a video proposal to YorIT's Social Venture Challenge, an attempt by the York County Community Foundation to generate philanthropic support for an idea intended to enhance revitalization efforts in downtown York. You can watch Healthy World's video below.

In March, YorIT Challenge organizers will announce the finalists from all the entries. Finalists will make their presentations to YorIT and other potential funders in April, with a winner to be selected the night of the presentations.

York Co.'s housing market: The good, the bad, and the unknown

2011-02-13T15:05:00.003-05:00

Home sales data offered mixed news for 2010, and most
economists believe it will be a buyers market in 2011.

by Shanna Wiest

Anyone who pays attention to news about the housing market hears a lot of gloom and doom. As we look ahead to 2011, let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the unknown in the housing recovery.

The Realtors Association of York and Adams Counties recently released its annual market report, which looks in detail at home sale activity and new construction by school district. According to the report, 3,771 homes were sold in York County, a 7 percent decrease from 2009. The bad news is this was a 10-year low in the number of homes sold.

The median home sale price was $153,000 in 2010. This reflects a 4 percent decrease from 2009, a 10 percent decrease from 2006, and an increase of 39 percent from 2001. According to the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, homebuyers stay in their home an average of 10 years. The good news is, in spite of the recent declines, real estate continues to be a stable long-term investment.

During the first half of 2010, the home buyer tax credit encouraged sales and led to moderate increases in home sale prices. However, when the tax credit expired in April, home sales and prices dropped during the latter half of the year.

Distressed sales such as foreclosures and short sales also hurt the market throughout 2010. According to the York County Prothonotary’s office, there were 2,080 foreclosure filings in 2010. The good news is this is a 2 percent decrease from 2009 and a small step in the right direction for York County.

The state Realtors group also commissioned a survey on foreclosures in the Commonwealth and found the top two factors leading into foreclosures were job loss and medical bills. As long as people are without jobs or fear losing their livelihoods, they are unlikely to buy homes. The silver lining: York County had baby-step improvements in the job market in 2010. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the county unemployment rate fell to 8.8 percent in November after reaching 9.3 percent in October. The county also gained 100 jobs in November. The potential upward trend in the job market has led to optimism in local economic recovery.

A bright spot in the housing market is that affordability conditions are high. With more choices in inventory and historically low interest rates, homebuyers are in a great position to get more home for their dollar in York County.

It is anticipated that the housing market will continue its recovery next year. Most economists expect housing will remain affordable in 2011, but that’s not a sure bet. One thing is certain: Steady improvements in the economy, including local job growth, will be necessary to bring buyers into the market.

Shanna Wiest is the government affairs director for the Realtors Association of York & Adams Counties and has been with the association since 2005. In her position, she advocates for homeownership, economic development and smart growth planning. Shanna also serves as the secretary/treasurer for the York/Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition and the president elect of the Economics Club for the York County Chamber of Commerce. Shanna earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dickinson College and her Master’s of Public Administration from Penn State University. Shanna lives in Springettsbury Township with her fiancé Joe.

Want to change your school? Know your school board

2011-02-09T09:43:00.001-05:00

by Leigh Dalton

During a political debate with my husband (then boyfriend) about eight years ago, I learned that he – 27 years old at the time – had never voted.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because it doesn’t matter,” he replied.

I then told him that I would not discuss politics with him until he registered and practiced his right to vote. “It is the right only of those who vote,” I told him, “to weigh in on what is working and what is not in our government. If you don’t vote, keep your mouth shut.”

I sometimes feel that way about parents and their involvement in their children’s schools. I have worked in communities around school issues for about nine years. When I am in schools I hear a lot of parents complaining about how things should be done, but see very little action from the parents to help make changes.

One of the ever-emerging discussions among teachers and school administrators is the need for increased parent involvement. Actually, in one of the first speeches by then President-elect Obama in 2008, he called parents to the plate, reminding them that they need to be involved in their children’s education. And rather than complaining to one another while waiting for school to dismiss, a very effective way to be involved includes attending school board meetings.

I was once told that if you want to make the biggest impact on a child’s life, sit on a school board. And it is true. Who decides at what age your child can enroll in school? Who votes on the curriculum? Who hires and holds accountable the superintendents, who then hire and supervise the teachers? Who passes the budget – a budget that affects class size, building maintenance, after-school programming, elective classes, and availability of social workers and guidance counselors in a school? Who approves attendance and discipline policies?

With all of those issues at hand, why is it that I most often hear parents resolve to go to a school board meeting to demand changes in school calendars and school policies around snow days and two-hour delays? While I understand the need for safe transportation is preferred over crazy attempts to shovel out, spin tires in the snow, and peep over mounds of snow, the frequency of snow days/delays and their impact on a child’s actual educational experience pale in comparison to more important issues such as curriculum, budget concerns, discipline and attendance policies.

I am a new parent; my daughter is 10 months old. But knowing what I know about school boards’ power, I will likely attend at least half of the school board meetings that take place in any given school year. The impact school boards have is amazing. Please consider attending the school board meeting for your child’s school. Not only will you learn about budget items, personnel decisions and curriculum changes; not only can you challenge decisions about school buildings being built or torn down; but you can see and meet the people who make daily decisions affecting your children. If you talk to a teacher, he or she will say their hands are tied, talk to the principal. The principal, most likely, will indicate that she follows orders from the superintendent. And who does the superintendent report to?

The school board.

Please consider issues larger than the school calendar. Think about discipline codes, attendance issues or even bullying situations. Go to the school; talk. Go to the school board meetings; learn.

And the best part? Your child will watch you, learn from you, see that you value his or her education and learn to do the same.

Leigh Dalton is the director of the York County Truancy Prevention Initiative and the community mobilizer for York County Communities That Care. After receiving her law degree from the University of Baltimore, School of Law, she managed a truancy intervention program called the Truancy Court Program. She is pursuing her doctorate in education policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She lives in Spring Garden Township with her husband, baby daughter and her two rescued dogs. She can be reached at leigh@yorkbar.com and 717-854-8755, ext. 209.

Healthy World Cafe offers unusual business model

2011-02-06T22:27:00.013-05:00

Healthy World Cafe hopes to provide
pay-what-you-think-is-fair
meals made with food from local producers.

by Deron Schriver

The United States Department of Agriculture estimated in 2008 that 49.1 million people were living in food insecure households, meaning those people reported insufficient access to food necessary to lead an active, healthy life. At the same time, many studies estimate that 40-50 percent of all food available for harvest is wasted. Obesity is considered by many to be the top public health crisis of the 21st century, with almost a third of the population meeting that classification.

What if one not-for-profit organization was created to address all of those issues and more, at the local level? Good news is on the horizon.

Healthy World Café is a not-for-profit restaurant developed by a group of dedicated community members coming to York in the near future. The business model includes allowing patrons to choose their portion size and pay what they feel is fair (although there will be suggested prices to be used as a guide). Those that cannot afford to pay will be given the opportunity to volunteer an hour of their time in exchange for a healthy meal. The Café will serve only healthy meals, and part of the Café’s mission will be to rely heavily on food obtained from local producers. It will strive to be a gathering place for people of all backgrounds, and it hopes to partner with other local efforts aimed at improving the future of the York community.

Healthy World Café is modeled after similar restaurant projects in other cities, including Denver; Spokane, Wash.; and Salt Lake City.

The organization’s Guiding Committee is finalizing the business plan and is seeking community input. A prime site in downtown York has been identified, but it will require funding before any commitments can be made. Please visit http://www.healthyworldcafe.org/ or follow us on Twitter and Facebook to learn more or contact us at healthyworldcafe@gmail.com. You won’t find a better return on the investment of your tax-deductible donation or your volunteer time.

Deron Schriver is the executive administrator for The Women's Healthcare Group and a member of the Guiding Committee for Healthy World Café. He has a particular interest in studying and participating in solutions to address health issues affecting our society. Deron earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's in business administration, both from York College. He lives in West Manchester Township with his wife, Lisa.

More on Chris Leinberger, Building York Summit

2011-02-03T09:47:00.005-05:00

There's still time to register for next week's two-day Building York summit. On Feb. 9, there's a kick-off event with a VIP dessert reception and a screening of the film "My Tale of Two Cities." On Feb. 10, there will be a couple of breakout sessions in the morning, a lunch keynote from Chris Leinberger and an afternoon roundtable discussion.

Read Eric Menzer's blog post on Chris here, and watch this video to get a feel for where Chris will go with his message:

- Dan Fink

Grim fiscal picture requires action now

2011-02-01T20:48:00.003-05:00

by Dan Fink

YorkCounts will use its annual meeting April 14 at Penn State
York's Pullo Center to begin identifying ways to confront
a grim fiscal outlook while improving student achievement.

YorkCounts staff and several board members attended an event in Lancaster last month called Public Schools in Crisis. For several hours, those of us in the audience listened as one presenter after another painted a grim picture of the outlook for Lancaster County's public school districts.

How grim, you ask?

The most affluent districts are three years - three years - away from burning through their reserves and sinking into bankruptcy. The less affluent will face that situation sooner.

The phrase that stuck out was "unprecedented fiscal environment." The end of federal stimulus money. The prospect of no increases - and possible cuts - in state education funding. Caps on property tax increases. Rising costs for employee pensions and health insurance.

A conservative estimate puts Lancaster County's total deficit at $225 million over the next three years. To cover the shortfall, districts would be faced with enormously painful choices. Should they cut 500 teaching positions over that time frame, or increase taxes 13 percent a year each year?

Or should they do a little of both and start slashing budgets? But what to cut? They'll start with offerings not mandated by the state. One Lancaster presenter, the superintendent of Hempfield School District, went through a laundry list of possible cuts: kindergarten and foreign languages; art, music and phys ed; guidance counselors, school psychologists and schools nurses. They could close schools, increase class size and reduce bus service. They could ask for wage freezes and early retirements. None of it sounded appealing.

The biggest shock, of course, was knowing that these exact issues challenge York County schools now, too. From York City to York Suburban, every district is having the same difficult conversations. Take a look at this recent story by the York Daily Record/Sunday News. Their reporting shows budget deficits ranging from $350,000 in Southern York to $15 million in York City, with most clustered in the $2 million-$5 million range.

All of which brings me to the YorkCounts annual meeting set for April 14 at Penn State York's Pullo Center. Our board had already started the process for focusing on education in 2011. Last summer, we had some preliminary conversations with the York campus of Harrisburg Area Community College to partner on an education-focused event for later this year. More recently, the board concluded that driving real change in our Indicators data could be accomplished most efficiently if we work to improve student achievement across the entire county.

All of this was in our minds as we listened to the Lancaster presentations, and afterward there was no doubt that our annual meeting needed to focus on the same education issues spotlighted at the Lancaster event.

We want to come away from the summit with a few specific recommendations that will form the basis of future action by YorkCounts and our community partners. Our April event will focus on the fiscal crisis, for sure. We also hope it becomes the start of a process for future conversations about other public education issues of interest to the entire county, issues such as:

What do we do about public employee pensions?
Are there ways for all county districts to work together - meaningful ways that have not been explored to date - to provide services at lower cost?
How do we reduce truancy and keep more kids in school?
How do we better link public school courses and programs with workforce needs?

They are tough questions. And the conversations will be difficult, as they were during the Metro-York education task force meetings back in 2006. But there's no choice. These problems have to be dealt with now.

Check our Web site, this blog and our Twitter and Facebook updates for details on the summit as we add speakers and flesh out other details.

Your only homework for this? Be ready to talk about solutions.

YorKitchen offers opportunity for food entrepreneurs

2011-01-28T10:40:00.003-05:00

It's a work in progress, but starting this spring Central Market's
YorKitchen expects to attract aspiring restaurant owners
interested in learning how to open a business.

by Caitlyn Meyer

Since the York County Economic Development Plan was adopted by the York County Commissioners in 2009, the York County Economic Development Corp. and the York County Planning Commission have been working closely to implement the 122 strategies outlined in the Action Plan.

One strategy for nurturing rural area economic development in York County was to start a community kitchen project.

The shared kitchen incubator project, known as YorKitchen, is a NutriCore NorthEast Inc. initiative. Construction of YorKitchen began this month and should be finished by late February. The project is supported by a $99,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Enterprise Grant and a $4 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant.

In downtown York’s Central Market, YorKitchen will provide a service unique to the York area. The modern commercial kitchen will be available for rent to food producers and for nutrition educational training. YorKitchen’s developers hope that it stimulates small business growth in the region, and that effort will be supported by entrepreneurial incubator services provided by the Entrepreneurial Support Alliance.

YorKitchen, together with the numerous community organizations that provide assistance to low-income residents, will provide extensive educational programs covering topics of nutrition and healthy food options. The kitchen will also provide workforce training opportunities and opportunities for entrepreneurs to begin their own enterprise at low cost. And it will also host ticketed events such as cooking classes.

The YorKitchen incubator will provide significant benefits to food manufacturing entrepreneurs and agricultural producers. Many food producers do not have the resources to build and equip their own certified facility. This prevents potential businesses from entering the market while others are illegally producing food items in unlicensed home kitchens. A kitchen incubator can help solve these problems by lowering operating costs, including lease payments, overhead and equipment costs for food producers. The kitchen incubator will also meet federal and state laws and regulations.

For more information about YorKitchen, please contact info@yorkitchen.com.

Caitlyn Meyer is the business development coordinator for the York County Economic Development Corp. She coordinates YCEDC activities related to the York County Economic Development Plan, seeks to work with local governments through the Municipal Outreach Program and works on business retention. Caitlyn earned her bachelor’s degree in history from York College of Pennsylvania in 2009 and has been with YCEDC since that time. Caitlyn lives and works in York City. She can be reached at cmeyer@ycedc.org or 717-846-8879, ext. 3053.

Chris Leinberger to speak at Building York summit

2011-01-24T15:47:00.003-05:00

The Codo building on North George Street in York is an example of the kind of residential development that appeals to the growing consumer market of Generation Y, which prefers living in walkable communities. Chris Leinberger will talk about this and other urban development trends when he comes to York Feb. 10.

By Eric Menzer

Yorkers are in for a treat on Feb. 10 when Chris Leinberger is the keynote speaker at the city’s Building York summit. Chris is a real estate developer and professor, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, and an author who has dissected how national real estate market models conspire to make it tough on small, older cities and more recently popularized the term “walkable urbanity.”

Chris’ articles in the 1990s helped me understand the investment dynamics of the city of York and why it was so hard to attract financing for high-quality, enduring development. Chris moved well beyond the obvious old tropes of crime, schools and taxes to show how real estate development and finance had become a commoditized, national business, and how small markets like York would never attract the top rank of developers who would actually build something worth having in our downtown (and if you want evidence of what the national, commoditized real estate investment model did bring to York, pay a visit to any of the disposable strip shopping centers that ring our city).

More recently, Chris’ model for an alternative form of investment and his identification of an emerging new consumer market for our city was the basis of the formation of the Codo Development Group. Chris has put his finger on how the preferences of the emerging “Generation Y” (which, by the way, is now numerically bigger than the much-touted baby-boom generation) will influence housing development in America for the next 20 years, and most importantly what a great opportunity that provides for cities.

I, for one, am tired of hearing the crime, schools and taxes formulation used as an excuse by both the public and private sector for not focusing on the real market opportunity we have to develop what the new consumer wants. We already have a darn good – on some days great – walkable urban environment in York. We need to take make it unequivocally great, and then give the people what they want in residential choices.

Come hear Chris on Feb. 10 and you won’t be disappointed. To learn more about Chris before his visit, go to http://www.cleinberger.com/.

*

IF YOU GO

What: Building York summit
When: 6-8 p.m. Feb. 9, 8 a.m. to noon Feb. 10
Where: Feb. 9, Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center; Feb. 10, Yorktowne Hotel
What it's about: Building York will call to action an assembly of elected officials, stakeholders, policy makers, investors, developers and residents to identify the economic and community development opportunities and challenges facing the Metro-York area and to encourage new theories of investment that spur redevelopment in our urban core.
Program: Day 1 will feature a screening of and a panel discussion about the documentary "My Tale of Two Cities." Filmmaker Carl Kurlander examines his hometown of Pittsburgh as the former industrial giant tries to reinvent itself in the 21st century. Day 2 will feature breakout sessions, panel discussions and Chris Leinberger's keynote remarks.
How much: $10 for Day 1; $30 for morning sessions and keynote lunch; $20 for keynote lunch only.
For details: To purchase tickets for the film or register for Day 2, go to http://yorkcityevents.squarespace.com/registration/. For questions, contact Inside Out Creative at 717-848-9339 or info@iocreative.net.

Eric Menzer is president of the York Revolution professional baseball team and manages the Codo Development Group, a real estate development company working in downtown York. Eric is active in community affairs and civic leadership at both the local and state level. He chairs the York County Community Foundation and serves on the boards of Downtown Inc, Better York, YorkCounts and the Crispus Attucks Association. He just concluded several years as Chairman of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, a statewide policy-research and advocacy organization that promotes smart growth and urban revitalization, and he remains active on that board. Eric was previously the senior vice president of Wagman Construction in York. Prior to that, he served for eight years as York’s director of economic development and previously as the executive director of the York County Transportation Authority. He is a passionate baseball fan and lives in York with his wife and daughter.

High-quality early childhood ed linked to future success

2011-01-21T11:05:00.002-05:00

by Christy Renjilian
Director of Community Initiatives
United Way of York County

For 15 years, the United Way of York County has been committed to improving the quality of early childhood education in York County, through the work of Focus On Our Future. The initiative began as a collaboration with Penn State York, Child Care Consultants and the York County Community Foundation. Today, many more organizations, businesses and community leaders are involved in promoting high-quality early childhood education.

When we began our work, one York County child-care center was nationally accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Today, 13 providers carry that certification.

Child care allows parents to work and employs thousands of York County residents. More importantly, it is the foundation for future learning. We know that the best way to ensure that a child will succeed in school, graduate from high school and become a productive member of society is to start them out on the right path.

The research of Dr. James Heckman, Nobel Laureate economist from the University of Chicago, concluded that the greatest return on investment is from programs that are targeted to young children. The 40-year High Scope Preschool study found for every $1 invested in high-quality early childhood education we can save $7 on costs associated with special education, teen pregnancy, high school dropouts, juvenile delinquency, welfare dependency and prison.

Dr. Craig Ramey of Georgetown University found that for every 50 kindergarten children who experience difficulty in learning pre-reading skills, 44 of them will not be reading on grade level in third grade. School performance in third grade can predict, with 90 percent accuracy, which children will go on to drop out of school. Therefore, it is imperative that we ensure that every child enters kindergarten with the skills necessary to succeed.

Focus On Our Future has helped to improve the quality of early childhood education in York County. In 2010, 140 providers were enrolled in Keystone STARS, Pennsylvania’s voluntary quality-improvement program for child care providers. Additional programs funded by the state Office of Child Development and Early Learning include Pre-K Counts, a program targeted to at-risk 4-year-olds. In the 2009-2010 school year, more than 98 percent of the at-risk children enrolled in this program were developmentally on track for school. The program serves 250 children. Head Start is another high-quality program serving 643 at-risk children and their families throughout York County.

Focus On Our Future also supports professional development for early childhood educators. In 2010, nearly 250 early childhood educators were enrolled in higher-education programs, and Focus On Our Future provided approximately $45,000 in scholarships. Over the past 10 years, 50 early childhood educators have enrolled in the Masters program at Penn State York, and 85 percent of them are still working in the field, helping children and the next generation of child care professionals every day. We are committed to providing the same high level of professional development and training to early childhood educators as the public school teachers receive.

Focus On Our Future works to build collaborations between the early childhood education programs and the public schools. Last year, we partnered with Dover, Eastern, Red Lion, Spring Grove and York City school districts to provide the Ready Freddy kindergarten readiness program for 180 children and families. This free program paired early childhood educators and kindergarten teachers with incoming kindergarten children and their families to make certain they had the skills they need to be successful in school and life.

While the United Way of York County is proud of the accomplishments made by the early childhood education community, there is more work to be done. Only 18 percent of York County children under age 5 have access to high-quality early childhood education programs. Only 27 percent of families that qualify for subsidized child care receive it. We continue to work with community partners, such as the Lincoln Intermediate Unit #12, to provide additional support for children with developmental delays, severe behavior problems and disabilities.

Over the next several months, I will be blogging about the importance of high-quality early childhood education, why it matters for the economic health of York County and how you can help to ensure that every child starts school on track and ready to succeed in life. And I'd love to hear your thoughts on what more we could be doing to make that happen.

Christy Renjilian is the Director of Community Initiatives for the United Way of York County. She has a Masters degree in Social Policy Analysis from the University of Chicago. Christy has more than 20 years of experience administering early childhood education programs and has been with the United Way of York County for more than five years. Christy also drafted the 2009 Stay in School report on dropout prevention for the United Way of York County and YorkCounts. She lives in Springettsbury Township with her husband and two children. Christy can be reached at renjilianc@unitedway-york.org or 717-771-3808.

School vouchers - let the debate begin again

2011-01-19T11:42:00.001-05:00

Legislators in Harrisburg kicked off the new legislative session by introducing Senate Bill 1, the Williams-Piccola Opportunity Scholarship Plan. The plan brings back to Pennsylvania the debate over school vouchers.

Details of the bill were announced Jan. 11, according to an e-mail from the Education Policy Leadership Center, an education policy think thank in Harrisburg. The legislation is co-sponsored by State Senators Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) and Jeffrey Piccola (R-Dauphin) and targets Pennsylvania's worst schools and poorest families. Quoting from the EPLC e-mail:

The plan would allow the parents of a needy child to take the state subsidy that would have been directed to their home school district and apply it to the public, private or parochial school of their choice. For the Harrisburg School District, for example, that amount would equal approximately $9,000, based upon information from the state Department of Education website (2008-09 year). The amount would vary from district to district and be significantly less in wealthier school districts that receive less state funding.

The Williams-Piccola plan would give scholarships to families meeting certain income limits for either public or private schools. The bill also includes an increase of $25 million in the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program, bringing the total tax credits available under EITC to $100 million next year.

The plan calls for a three-year phase-in. In the first year, only low-income students currently attending persistently failing schools would be eligible for a grant. In the second year, low-income students residing within the attendance boundary of those schools, but currently attending private schools, would be eligible; and in the third year, all low-income students regardless of school district would be eligible.

Tom Ridge tried to do vouchers when he was governor, and he couldn't get it done. Gov. Tom Corbett is on the record with his support for vouchers and school choice, and this legislature appears with this bill to be more inclined to go along.

Historically, vouchers have been offered with the intention that poor families with children stuck in under-performing schools could send them to private schools of their choice, and Republicans tend to favor this as a way to bring free-market competition to K-12 education. Note that this bill seems to make money available to families wishing to send their kids to a different school - public, private or parochial. For more information, here are two recent essays from Florida, where experiments in public education have already begun. One essay is pro vouchers, one is con. Both essays appeared on http://www.tampabay.com/.

How do you feel about school vouchers?

Update, Nov. 21: The York Dispatch reported today that low-income York City School District students would be among the first to be eligible for the vouchers. But the president of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association has concerns with the bill.

- Dan Fink

Pittsburgh scholarship program offers 'Promise'

2011-01-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

Last week, new guest blogger Leigh Dalton wrote about the importance of helping at-risk teens stay on a path to graduation. Around the same time, I came across this article in USA Today about Pittsburgh Promise, a program in Pittsburgh that offers a scholarship worth up to $40,000 over four years to city school students who stay in school and earn good grades.

The program was modeled after the Kalamazoo Promise in Michigan, a program the YorkCounts' Educational Opportunities Committee considered before deciding to pursue what will open in August as the York Academy Regional Charter School.

The twist with the Pittsburgh effort is in how the fundraising was set up. From the article:

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the region's largest employer, provided $10 million upfront, and said it would match donations up to $90 million over nine years toward a $250 million permanent endowment.

And the kicker - an incentive for the community to join the fundraising:

For every $3 citizens raised, the center said it would chip in $2.

Which led to this:

Residents sprang into action. A group participating in the Pittsburgh Marathon raised about $20,000. Students are planning a springtime Promise Week, including fundraisers and service projects. A letter-writing campaign by parents brought in $5,800. Other parents sponsored a luncheon last year, raising more than $5,000.

Anybody think York couldn't mobilize a community fundraising effort like that to help keep kids in school and send them to college?

Update, Feb. 16: Pittsburgh Public Schools announced the Promise Program would double its scholarship, from $20,000 to $40,000 per student. Here's Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's reaction, in a statement, as reported by the Web site Urban Media Today.
- Dan Fink

Pennsylvania’s Pollution Diet

2011-01-10T12:10:00.004-05:00

by Shanna Wiest
Board member
York/Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition

As 2011 is upon us, Pennsylvania is embarking on our own New Year’s Resolution: a “Pollution Diet” in order to save the national treasure of the Chesapeake Bay. Pennsylvania is responsible for half of the fresh water entering the bay. Our state reportedly contributes 106.4 million pounds of nitrogen and 3.96 million pounds of phosphorous to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed each year, along with another 1.28 million tons of sediment. The nitrogen and phosphorous affect the chemical balance of the bay, making it harder for crabs and clams to survive. A report from the Chespeake Bay Foundation, released in late December, found the Bay improving but still out of balance. Read news coverage of the report here and here.

On Dec. 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the new federal standards establishing how much nutrient and sediment pollution each state is allowed to contribute to the bay watershed by 2025. Draft total maximum daily load, or TMDL, limits released in the summer of 2010 indicated Pennsylvania needed to reduce current annual nitrogen discharges by 28 percent; phosphorous discharges by 31 percent; and sediment by 17 percent. Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection has been developing a Watershed Improvement Plan to help Pennsylvania attain these TMDL levels. DEP submitted its revised plan to the EPA in November.

John Hines, DEP’s Deputy Secretary for Water Management, said in a recent public presentation to Lancaster dairy farmers, “This is not just an ag issue or wastewater treatment issue or storm water management issue. This is a Pennsylvania issue. Like Ben Franklin said, ‘If we hang, we better hang together or we will most assuredly hang separately.’”

To meet the 2025 goals, Pennsylvania’s plan is based on three elements:

Establish challenging yet attainable 2-year milestones and improve the state’s ability to track its progress on pollution reduction measures.
Implement advanced farm conservation technologies and nutrient trading.
Expand and continue common sense compliance efforts, particularly for nonpoint sources such as agriculture and storm water runoff from development.

As with any diet, it’s not going to be easy. New healthier habits must be formed with a long-term commitment. The TMDL will have an impact on our municipal authorities, agriculture and future construction in York and Adams counties. John Hines will discuss the local impact of the plan during a presentation to the York/Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12. The event is being held at the Realtors Association of York & Adams Counties, 901 Smile Way, York. The event is free but registration is required by emailing shanna@yorkadamssmartgrowth.org.

- Shanna Wiest

Shanna Wiest is the government affairs director for the Realtors Association of York & Adams Counties and has been with the association since 2005. In her position, she advocates for homeownership, economic development and smart growth planning. Shanna also serves as the secretary/treasurer for the York/Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition and the president elect of the Economics Club for the York County Chamber of Commerce. Shanna earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dickinson College and her Master’s of Public Administration from Penn State University. Shanna lives in Springettsbury Township with her fiancé Joe.

Don’t forget the ‘Right Now’ kids

2011-01-07T08:53:00.002-05:00

by Leigh Dalton
Director
York County Truancy Prevention Initiative

My job has me working on two parallel paths: one to address student risk factors identified in the Pennsylvania Youth Survey; the other to reduce truancy and improve graduation rates. I’ve been doing this for about a year now, and I’ve had a lot of conversations about education policy and community support programs. What works and what doesn’t? What does York County need? What age group should be our focus?

Many new strategies in Pennsylvania and York County focus resources at the early years, from birth to third grade. But we also have to remember the 15- and 16-year-olds who are getting ready to become adults. Many of these youth live a life that has already made them adults at 15, if not earlier. So though it might make sense to write about the newest, best intervention or strategy that steers that largest segment of youngsters back on the right path, I am compelled to remind people not to ignore the kids who need help right now – our teens.

The York County Truancy Prevention Initiative is finalizing its five-year strategic plan, incorporating feedback from the Truancy Summit held in September. And while, as a prevention initiative, it is vital that we focus on the early years, I remind folks that we want our youth to graduate and become productive, happy citizens of our community. To make sure the graduating class of 2011 achieves this, we must intervene now and prevent some of these students from dropping out.

The York County Truancy Prevention Initiative understands that the most successful factor in keeping a child in school emanates from a consistent relationship with a caring adult. If those of us attending the summit didn’t know beforehand, certainly we learned that relationships matter; all of our youth panelists echoed this reality. Another common trait among the youth on the summit panel was the use of their own talents to help others.

The Truancy Prevention Initiative is considering – among many other intervention strategies – starting a York County Youth Court to serve as an alternative to the traditional district court system that oversees truancy proceedings. Youth Court will empower youth and communities to take an active role in addressing truancy. Youth Courts function using a peer-operated sentencing mechanism that constructively allows the truant to take responsibility, be held accountable and make restitution. In addition, Youth Court offers young people in the community the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process for dealing with truancy, while gaining hands-on knowledge of the legal system.

While all this is happening, the York County Communities That Care Community Board is developing data-driven priorities to address risk factors affecting our youth. The risk factors are identified in the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS), taken every other year by students in 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grades. York County Communities That Care is implementing the CTC process to achieve the county’s goal of promoting a healthy community with responsible, respectful, resilient youth. The CTC Community Board is writing the Community Action Plan and will be releasing it soon. The payoff on the CTC process will take awhile. In five or 10 years, as we continue to administer the PAYS, we should begin to see improved results for measures such as the number of kids doing drugs or experiencing painful family conflict.

Until then, we can’t forget the “Right Now” kids. Let’s make sure they have the mentors, the career training, the resources, and whatever else they need to keep them on a path to graduation and prepare them for their adult lives. If you would like to know how you can be involved, please contact me. We have plenty of opportunities. And soon you’ll be able to keep up with our work online: the nearly completed York County Truancy Prevention Web site will be up and running at http://www.yorktruancyprevention.org/.

- Leigh Dalton

Leigh Dalton is the director of the York County Truancy Prevention Initiative and the community mobilizer for York County Communities That Care. After receiving her law degree from the University of Baltimore, School of Law, she managed a truancy intervention program called the Truancy Court Program. She is pursuing her doctorate in education policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She lives in Spring Garden Township with her husband, baby daughter and her two rescued dogs. She can be reached at leigh@yorkbar.com and 717-854-8755, ext. 209.

Count Me In: New year, new look, new content

2011-01-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to Count Me In for 2011. You prbably can see we've tinkered with the appearance a bit. We hope you like it.

And we really hope you like the new content we have coming your way, starting this week. We'll be turning the blog over to some guest bloggers from time to time as a way to provide more information about our community and to hopefully provoke more thoughtful discussion.

And who are these guest bloggers? Some you might know, others you might not. But they all know what they're talking about, and they all are involved in work that is making York County a better place.

We'll have Eric Menzer, president and GM of the York Revolution, former YorkCounts board chairman and a fixture in York's civic life for close to 20 years. Eric will talk about his work in York and around the state related to reviving downtowns. We'll have Shanna Wiest, government affairs director for the Realtors Association of York & Adams Counties and a board member of the York Adams Smart Growth Coalition, talking about issues related to smart growth and suburban sprawl. We'll introduce others as we get into the year, talking about diversity, early childhood education and economic development, among other topics.

But first up among our guest bloggers is Leigh Dalton. Leigh is the director of the York County Truancy Prevention Initiative and the community mobilizer for the new York County Communities That Care. On Friday, she'll write about finding the right balance between creating a stronger support system for young kids over the long term and helping teens stay on track to graduate and become productive citizens right now.

We're excited about all of this, and we hope you find it useful enough to share with friends and co-workers. And, as always, feel free to comment and continue the conversation.

- Dan Fink

Charter school makes first hire

2010-12-17T14:03:00.004-05:00

The York Academy Regional Charter School, a new charter school in York that will bring city and suburban students together starting in September 2011, hired its first staff person. Kathleen Eshbach was approved Dec. 13 as the school's first chief academic officer. She is assistant principal at Spring Grove Elementary School in Spring Grove School District. She will assume her new position Feb. 1. A York Daily Record story this week provided more details.

The hiring marked another significant milestone for the school, which emerged from YorkCounts' Metro-York process as a way to deal with the education challenges posed by concentrated poverty in the city. The public charter school came about through the collaboration of the three chartering school districts - York City, York Suburban and Central York.

School officials are also preparing for the effort to enroll the first group of students. The school will open with three grades - three classes each for kindergarten, first and second - with a total of around 225 students. To fill those slots, the school will soon begin the process of distributing brochures to families in the three chartering districts. Brochures and applications will also be mailed to families that had expressed an interest in the school earlier this year. Parents that want to enroll their kids in the school will be able to do so early in 2011.

Around the same time, the school will begin advertising for the first teaching positions. About 50 staff members will eventually be employed by the school, which is located in the heart of the Northwest Triangle project a short walk from Central Market, the Strand-Capitol and Sovereign Bank Stadium.

Finally, the school continues to add more information to its Web site, http://www.yorkarcs.org/. Go there and get a sense of the mission and vision of the school, see the backgrounds of the people running it, or learn about the admission process. You can also download a copy of the student application.

- Dan Fink

Mayor Bracey: Another way to protect civil rights in York

2010-12-07T16:09:00.000-05:00

York Mayor Kim Bracey, writing in an op-ed in today's York Daily Record, defends her recent position in the discussion of York's 2011 budget calling for changes to the funding of the city's human relation commission.

She points out the enormous budget difficulties that all Pennsylvania cities have, with soaring costs related to public safety, health care and pensions, while at the same time seeing the tax base continue to erode. At a recent city council meeting, as reported by Lacaster Online, she wondered if city residents could be adequately served by the state Human Relations Commission and urged a community discussion of the question.

But in the op-ed, she took a couple of more forceful positions. First, she called out the newspapers:

"Our local print media has called for the continuation of funding. It has been suggested the specific allocation of tax dollars to the York City Human Relations Commission should continued if for no other reason than based upon the ongoing strained race relations in this geographic area. Meanwhile, the same newspaper rarely depicts stories of the lives of people of color as being part of something other than criminal mischief in the greater York area."

Then she said it was simply unfair for the city alone to have to carry the burden of civil rights protection for the community.

"In an ideal world, either the state Human Relations Commission or a county-wide commission would take on the tasks our city commission admirably has done through the years. Instead of the poorest residents in our county subsidizing the county's only human relations commission, a countywide human relations commission would more effectively serve all citizens in one of the fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania.

Our county has grown to now over 410,000 people, becoming more racially, culturally and socially diverse each year. On a per 100,000 population basis, York County, according to a 2006 study, ranks second in the entire state for reported bias-related incidents. That is in a state of 67 counties."

Finally, she proposes a fourth way - not the state HRC, not a city commission, not a county commission, because she understands the political and fiscal realities. She offers an idea that would bring together a coalition made up of groups that could all have an interest in reducing discrimination in York County.

I extend an open hand to the county, the bar association, our faith community, and the private sector to collaborate on a fully functioning county-wide commission in the future.

Can we build on what we have to make our commission more effective without burdening our county's most economically challenged citizens? Can, for instance, the fact-finding or discovery work of the commission be handled by local attorneys doing pro bono work on behalf of civil and human rights?

Since Sunday morning often is the most segregated time of the week, is there a collaborative role for the York County Council of Churches, their member churches, and church youth groups? Can we work on a Metro York pilot program where costs are shared by a foundation, federal grants, the city and the county?

YorkCounts spent considerable time over several years working to establish a countywide human relations commission through York County government; it was a recommendation in the 2004 YorkCounts Action Plan. The commissioners ultimately decided they didn't have the money to pay for it.

But Mayor Bracey raises some intriguing questions. And YorkCounts would be happy to play whatever role might foster the community conversation that the mayor is looking for.

How about it York? Is it time to talk about this?

- Dan Fink

Public pension primer from Brookings

2010-12-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

OK, so the workings of public pensions isn't exactly a sexy topic for holiday party conversation. But I've Tweeted about them a few times recently, noting that state and local governments across the country are dealing with growing shortfalls in their pension funds - meaning that government money going into the pension fund isn't keeping up with the amount of money that's due to be paid out.

And because the problem isn't going away anytime soon - unless there's a miraculous boom in the stock market - you can expect to hear about more strained government budgets and more calls for public pension reform in the coming months.

To help make sense of the rhetoric around what can be a hard-to-understand topic, the Brookings Institution published a primer on public pension funding deficits - how big is the problem, what caused it and how it can be solved.

The first few pages are full of some pretty dense explanations of how pension obligations are calculated. The basic point is that there is a wide range of estimates on the total shortfall of all U.S. state and local pension funds, and no matter which one you pick, the problem is serious and getting worse.

Starting on page 10, the report explores the causes of the problem, identifying several factors:

Bad accounting. The actual liability, meaning the forecast of what will be needed to pay all future claims, has been underestated, which has led to more generout benefits packages and lower funding.
Risky investments. If pension funds invest too heavily in higher-interest products like stocks, the returns could be higher, but you run the risk of weak stock markets wiping out pension funds. That's what happened across the country during this recession.
Short-term political horizons. "Pension deficits can be easy for politicians to hide or ignore for their four- or eight-year term in office, which was likely a factor in the growth of the problem over many years," the report states. Some states even made the deliberate choice of skipping minimum contributions, either because the fund had plenty of money (in good times) or because budgets were tight (in bad times).

Possible solutions include:

Cutting benefits or raising employee contributions for new workers
Reducing inflation indexing for existing benefits
Switching to a defined-benefit plan, like a 401(k)
Raising taxes and increase contributions
Cutting general government services and use the money for increased contributions
Seeking a federal bailout

Read the entire report and this York Daily Record story from November on Pennsylvania's pension shortfall, and you'll be able to offer some informed opinions on public pension deficits that might actually turn some heads at the next holiday party.

- Dan Fink

Have you found the Clear Blue Sky blog?

2010-11-29T12:09:00.000-05:00

The blogger at Clear Blue Sky has started offering up some passionate, optimistic posts about the future of downtown York. The most recent post argues, with a long list of points, that York has reached a kind of tipping point, with momentum building toward what might be "a renaissance":

"Something exciting is going on in York -- something bigger than all the small stories put together. It's adding up to an authentic renaissance and a real success story in a central Pennsylvania town in the middle of one of the worst national economies in 70 years. ... Despite all the challenges, York is on a serious roll.

What's the difference today as compared to two years ago? Two words: outside money. The out-of-town residents, business owners, investors, artists and hipsters are starting to discover this gem. And the great part is that they can buy property relatively cheap because some local owners don't realize their town is hitting the tipping point. This is the free market working it's magic. This is the perfect storm."

Another post stresses the urgency of inspiring every child in York County - black and white, rich and poor - to seek their full potential.

Clear Blue Sky's love of community jumps off the page. Check it out.

- Dan Fink

YorIT issues challenge

2010-11-22T16:43:00.004-05:00

So you think you have good idea for downtown retail, but you're not sure how to find funding? The folks at YorIT might have an answer.

YorIT, a program of the York County Community Foundation, has launched the YorIT Social Venture Challenge to provide funding to the "next big idea." On Dec. 14, the public is invited to the former Futer Brothers building on Continental Square to hear a presentation on the challenge and to promote philanthropy and the YorIT program. The building was picked specifically as a place to have a conversation about the potential of downtown York. The Futer Brothers building, recently rehabbed and looking for tenants, is one of several key vacant downtown buildings that downtown supporters would like to see occupied.

Proposals are due Feb. 11. YorIT has about $18,000 available for worthwhile restaurant or retail proposals.

Click here to read a York Dispatch story about the venture challenge. Visit www.yorit.org/challenge or follow @YorITChallenge on Twitter for updates.

Update, 10:30 a.m. Nov. 24: Mandy Arnold, one of the co-chairs of the challenge, e-mailed me to clarify that the approximately $18,000 "will be available for ideas that can be a catalyst for retaining and attracting retail and restaurants" in York. She added: "While we may consider funding an actual restaurant/retail space, (applicants) need to make the case that it will foster continued growth of other retail and restaurants."

- Dan Fink

The squeeze is on

2010-11-18T14:35:00.001-05:00

It's budget time for local governments, the time when elected officials look at the numbers to see what it will take to balance their budgets without a property tax increase.

And rest assured, nobody wants to raise taxes.

Two stories this week show the difficult financial situations that municipalities across the county are facing.

In Seven Valleys, borough council is considering a proposed budget that would double the property tax from 0.6 mills to 1.2 mills, according to a story in the York Dispatch. The increase is needed to pay for a road maintenance project from two years ago:

The borough contracted York-based Stewart & Tate for milling and paving work on South and Maple Streets in 2008. The project cost about $255,000. The borough received about $115,000 in federal grants to help pay for the project. To cover the remaining expense, it took out a $140,000 bank loan from Peoples Bank.

Over the past two years, the borough has been paying back the 10-year loan by pulling money out of its general fund reserve, Bahn said. By the end of this year, Bahn said the borough will have about $90,000 remaining in the fund.The borough has eight annual payments -- about $17,500 each -- remaining on the loan.

And if it continues to pay for the loan by pulling money out of the fund each year, Bahn said, the borough will "go broke."

And a bit further south, New Freedom officials are seeing if they can get a better deal on police service, according to the York Daily Record. The borough pays about $500,000 a year for contracted service from Southern Regional Police Department. The department also provides service to Glen Rock, Railroad, Shrewsbury and the Southern York School district. The story suggests that if New Freedom leaves, the whole arrangement could be in jeopardy:

New Freedom gave notice during the summer that it would be looking to price options with other departments, officials said. It has been talking with Southwestern and York Area regional police departments. Some people have not been happy with Southern Regional's service, New Freedom Mayor Jeff Joy said, but he thinks they should give the new chief, James Boddington, a chance to fix problems.

Meanwhile, Glen Rock continues to annually review its options because of budget constraints and now, in light of New Freedom's move, Shrewsbury will weigh its options as well.

New Freedom could save several thousand dollars a year by switching to Southwestern Regional or York Area Regional departments. But they'll continue to have the same decision to make every year, depending on what their budget situation is. YorkCounts supports exploring whether a dedicated funding source - like a "police" tax that would be comparable to the current 911 tax on phone bills for emergency services - would provide a more stable financial model for regional departments.

But that discussion requires nuanced thinking. And that doesn't fit well in the current environment, where politicians just won elections by tapping into the "No tax increasses" mantra. Unfortunately, bumper-sticker thinking won't solve most of these problems. Local elected officials have some difficult choices to make. And if they do their homework and try to do the right thing, they should be applauded, not attacked.

Update, Nov. 19: Add Dallastown School District to the mix. The district held a community forum this week, and residents showed up simmering about property taxes and staff pay. Read the York Dispatch story here. Seems like there might be growing political support (that is, voter support) for new approaches to education - how we fund it, how we organize it.

- Dan Fink

Live blogging from Gifts That Give Hope

2010-11-07T11:24:00.003-05:00

We're at Gifts That Give Hope York, and more than 20 York County nonprofits have their displays set up and are ready to tell folks what they do. It's an unusual fundraising opportunity, organized by the Women's Giving Circle. Stop in and see if there's a special holiday gift for a friend or relative that will also support a local community improvement. We're all on the second floor. YorkCounts is in a corner room with Kevin from YorkArts, Julie from York Little Theatre, Joan from the York Junior Symphony and Trisha from the YWCA. Stop in and say hello.

Update, noon: Folks are beginning to trickle in after church and lunch. I spoke with a man who said he was interested in buying a gift of tickets to a York Symphony concert because his family supported the symphony when he was growing up in Iowa. That's the kind of personal connection this gift fair can generate.

Update 2, 3 p.m.: Mary Lou Alsentzer, the woman who put this together, said both local newspapers and a TV station have been in to cover the fair. So look for stories about the fair tonight and tomorrow on TV, in print and online.

Update 3, 11 a.m. Nov. 10: The first report from Mary Lou indicates more than $8,000 was raised at the event Sunday, with gifts averaging around $200. Remember: You can help increase that total through the holidays by buying gifts online at www.giftsthatgivehope.org/york/.

- Dan Fink

Mark you calendars

2010-10-29T15:09:00.000-04:00

I wanted to mention a couple of community events coming up that are worth your attention.

7:45 a.m. Nov. 5: Family Issues Roundtable meeting will feature York County Truancy Coordinator Leigh Dalton talking about "Truancy in York County: Issues, Players and Solutions." The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, 2000 Loucks Road, near the West Manchester Mall. Cost is $15, and pre-registration is due by Nov. 1. For details, contact Alan Vandersloot, United Way of York County, at 771-3806 or vandersloota@unitedway-york.org.

11 a.m. Nov. 7: Gifts That Give Hope, a holiday gift fair, will offer a Web site and a live event to help raise money for more than 20 York County nonprofit organizations. The gift fair, sponsored and organized by the Women’s Giving Circle of the York County Community Foundation, will allow holiday shoppers the chance to buy gifts to support the community-building work of nonprofits, including YorkCounts. People who cannot attend the fair in person can shop online through the end of the year at www.giftsthatgivehope.org/york. For more information, call Mary Lou Alsentzer at 683-3929.

6 p.m. Nov. 9: The York County delegation of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives will host a free energy fair to help consumers deal with expiring caps on electricity rates and to offer information how to make homes and businesses more energy efficient. Speakers scheduled to appear include John Hanger, secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection; Sonny Popowsky, Consumer Advocate of Pennsylvania; and Marcus Sheffer, energy consultant. For details on the fair, contact the office of Rep. Eugene DePasquale at 848-9595.

7 p.m. Nov. 17: Building One Pennsylvania is hosting a screening of "The New Metropolis," a two-part documentary that explores the challenges faced by older suburban communities and points toward solutions for their revitalization. The film will be accompanied by small-group discussions and a panel discussion. Building One PA is an emerging coalition of community leaders from across the state working to stabilize and revitalize their communities through the direct engagement and mobilization of their fellow citizens. Register in advance by sending an e-mail to events@yorkcounts.org. For details, call YorkCounts at 650-1460.

- Dan Fink

YorkCounts part of Gifts That Give Hope

2010-10-19T11:13:00.000-04:00

Gifts That Give Hope, a holiday gift fair, will offer a Web site and a live event to help raise money for more than 20 York County nonprofit organizations. The gift fair, sponsored and organized by the Women’s Giving Circle of the York County Community Foundation, will allow holiday shoppers the chance to buy gifts to support the community-building work of nonprofits, including YorkCounts. The live event starts at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center. Our gift options include:

$25 to help us provide savings bonds for students who perform outstanding community service;
$50 to help us make our Web site more interactive and user friendly;
$100 to help us enhance our Indicators Report research.

Details on the gift fair and a full list of participating organizations can be found at www.giftsthatgivehope.org/york. Shopping in person at the Strand allows you to browse among the nonprofit displays and learn about all the great work being done in the community. If you can't make it, the Web site went live starting Oct. 5, so you can browse and buy gifts online using PayPal. The site will remain up through Dec. 31. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

- Dan Fink

Talking York City School District

2010-10-15T11:49:00.000-04:00

The York City School District has been in the news recently, and, generally, not for positive reasons. First came reports that all but one of the district's schools failed to meet the state's AYP requirements. Then came news that the school board fired Superintendent Sharon Miller, a firing that came with a $700,000 price tag (due to a provision in her contract). This all adds to the community-wide view that the city school district is overwhelmed with problems - vast numbers of poor students and disengaged parents; low staff morale; and tension between administration and the board and even among board members.

Warren Bulette, head of the York County Taxpayers Council and a high-profile critic of several different York County school districts, has thrown open the door on an idea that has been quietly discussed for years: merging the city school district with neighboring districts.

Bulette, in a letter to the editor to the York Daily Record/Sunday News, wrote the city school district has tried for years to reverse declining student performance with little success. He identified this as a countywide problem because all those students who don't graduate or who graduate ill-equipped for a decent job are more likely to drain government resources rather than add to them as a working, tax-paying citizen.

"The city is not going to prosper, nor is York County, unless York city students are better educated," he wrote. "The time has also come for the rest of the school districts to step up to the plate and actually help instead of making it look like they are concerned."

Consider consolidation, he pleaded.

"If the new consolidated organization is organized properly, overall student achievement will improve and the beleaguered taxpayer will benefit — a real win-win."

The Daily Record responded with an editorial - and it agreed.

"The district is just not working - and hasn't been for some time," stated the editorial that ran in the Sept. 28 paper. "... Just bringing in a new superintendent probably won't be the solution. No, we need something more dramatic and systemic."

The editorial called for York Suburban, Central York and West York to divide up the city district. The editorial acknowledged the idea might not be popular - in the city or the suburbs. (Can you say "understatement"?) It offered up - and shot down - some of the expected excuses that opponents might advance to claim consolidation "wouldn't work." It also suggested that consolidation would increase the already growing diversity of the suburban schools, and that would be a good thing.

It concluded: "Yes, Mr. Bullette, you're right. Suburbanites should step in and help the city. They should stop ridiculing and demeaning a struggling district, power up their smart boards and do something to improve the situation."

How long should a struggling school district be given to right itself? Can we as a community make an intentional decision to allow some kids to fail year after year? Is this not an option that should at least be discussed, constructively and sensitively?

- Dan Fink

Doing something about poverty

2010-09-27T14:59:00.000-04:00

David Rusk, in his original report to the community back in 1996, listed the concentrated poverty in York as one of the main threats to the health of the entire county.

Fifteen years later, we have made little progress to reduce poverty. It remains an acute problem in the city, and the nation's economic recession has made poverty more widespread across the rest of the county. But there might be reason for hope.

Three major community organizations - Lutheran Social Services of South Central Pennsylvania, the United Way of York County and Community Progress Council - are collaborating on an effort that could finally make a difference. The effort is called York County Circles, and it connects community leaders with a national poverty-fighting organization called Move the Mountain. Scott Miller, CEO of Move the Mountain Leadership Center, came to York about a year ago to introduce the Circles Campaign.

The Circles model works like this: Families living in poverty are matched up with a handful of volunteers who serve as a sounding board. The volunteers, known as family allies, provide a mix of financial advice, career counseling and emotional support. The idea is that poor people have an array of complex issues that need to be dealt with if they are going to successfully pull themselves out of poverty.

York County Circles will hold a community meeting tomorrow night, Sept. 28, at the Salvation Army Community Room, 50 E. King St., York. "What It's Like in York County: A Community Discussion on Resources for Low-Income Families" will give an overview of the effort and seek more volunteers to act as family allies. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. with dinner, followed by the presentation and discussion.

This effort has enormous potential. Move the Mountain has had success bringing Circles to other communities. Scott Miller has spent more than 20 years developing strategies to end poverty. The three organizations leading this locally have been serving York County's poor for years.

You want to know how you can help? Come to the meeting.

- Dan Fink