INVESTING WHERE IT COUNTS

INVESTING WHERE IT COUNTS
The McCord Plan for Making Smart Investments in
Early Education and K-12 Public Schools
P
ennsylvania is facing a public education crisis. Although the
state is home to exceptional public schools and exceptional,
committed teachers, the state’s children are at risk of falling
behind.
That’s because Governor Corbett’s $1 billion in classroom cuts have
threatened to wipe away promising improvements that were made prior
to him taking office. For example, after a decade of gains, Pennsylvania
students saw scores go down on crucial national 4th grade math and reading
exams even as most of the rest of the country saw scores increase.
It is becoming clear that, under Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania is not living up to
its constitutional promise of providing for a “thorough and efficient system of
public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.”
The McCord Approach
As an entrepreneur and business leader, Rob McCord understands that
success tomorrow requires smart investments today. Without investing in
public education, Pennsylvania is hurting not only its people, but also its
future chances at a thriving and competitive economy.
That’s why he wants to dramatically reform the way Pennsylvania approaches
and invests in public education.
The McCord Plan starts with greatly expanding early childhood learning
opportunities so students enter school ready to succeed. It also ensures
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that students in grades K-12 benefit from targeted investments in critically
important areas and in programs that work.
Investing Where It Counts
Rob McCord’s Plan for Public Education
$220 Million for Early Learning
To give more than 30,000 additional at-risk
three- and four-year olds from low-income
families access to quality early childhood
education
$1.1 Billion for K-12
To restore Tom Corbett’s draconian cuts;
create after school programs for at-risk youth;
reimburse districts for charter school costs;
invest in elementary science, technology, and
math education; and help high school students
earn college credits
McCord’s plan calls
for nearly $1.3 billion
in new investments
that will fully restore
Tom Corbett’s cuts and
give tens of thousands
of additional children
access to affordable,
voluntary, high-quality
early childhood
education programs that
will set them on the path
to a more promising
future.
Beyond providing
much needed financial
support, Rob McCord’s
education agenda includes much needed educational reforms, specifically
in the way Pennsylvania supports special education, funds charter and cyber
charter schools, and uses high-stakes standardized tests, which are costing
the state hundreds of millions of dollars with little to nothing in return.
Education is an Economic Issue
Rob McCord understands that a well-educated workforce is essential to
economic development. In fact, one recent survey of the heads of high
growth companies found that a skilled workforce base is the single most
important factor when a company is deciding where to locate – more
important, even, than infrastructure or tax rates.1 That’s why getting
education right across the state matters to all Pennsylvanians.
Unfortunately, under
The Importance of an Educated Workforce
Tom Corbett, the state is
clearly getting it wrong.
• 31% of founders of high growth companies
A recent study by the
cited access to talent as a factor in their
Pennsylvania Chamber
decision on where to launch a company.
found that a majority of
• 20% of entrepreneurs who cited access to
state employers have
talent specifically mentioned the availability
trouble finding the right
of technically skilled employees.
workers and that a
majority also expect the
difficulty to increase in the next five years.2
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McCord’s education plan aims to reverse these trends by targeting
investments in education programs that speak directly to the needs of
parents, students, workers, and employers alike.
Early Education: Getting the Right Start Pays Off in the Long Run
The evidence is clear: voluntary, high-quality early childhood education pays
dividends for many years, especially for lower income children.
Kids who have had access to high quality preschool and kindergarten
programs do better in reading and math throughout their lives, graduate
high school at higher rates, and require less remedial instruction during their
K-12 years, which has been found to save $3,700 per student in education
costs.3
In other words, investing in voluntary, high-quality early learning programs
is an effective way to improve the state’s K-12 system. Furthermore,
investments in voluntary, high-quality early childhood education programs
have been shown to yield a return on investment of 7%-10%, and can lead
to healthier lifestyles, lower crime rates, and lower overall social costs.4
All of this leads to lower spending on health care, lower spending on
incarceration, and a reduced need for public assistance. Additionally,
research shows every dollar in state spending on pre-K education is matched
by another $1.06 from other sources, doubling the economic impact for
the state. What’s more, these investments can lead to a better educated
workforce with higher earning capabilities5 – to the tune of $9.2 billion in
Pennsylvania alone if just one year’s worth of high school dropouts would
graduate instead.6
McCord’s plan would build on Pennsylvania’s Pre-K Counts Program by adding
an extra $220 million for a total appropriation of about $300 million, which
would give approximately 50,000 at-risk three- and four-year olds from lowincome families access to voluntary, high-quality early childhood education.
This investment will be enough to subsidize a high-quality pre-K program
for about 80% of all 3- and 4-year-olds in households that are at 100% of
the federal poverty level. By 2020, McCord’s goal is to help all families at or
below 300% of the federal poverty level – the income eligibility limit for Pre-K
Counts and the level at which early childhood education programs may be
the second or third greatest household expense – enroll their children in
programs that will give them a better shot at competing in the economy,
gaining employment, and contributing to their communities.
Equipping Students to Succeed in Pennsylvania’s K-12 Classrooms
Tom Corbett’s $1 billion in cuts to public classrooms have taken a toll on
Pennsylvania’s students. As the graph titled “Impact of Corbett’s Cuts on
PSSA Scores” (see next page) shows, Corbett’s cuts to education have
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coincided with a decrease in the percentage of students scoring “advanced”
or “proficient” on PSSA tests.
Conversely, prior to Corbett, PSSA scores were trending upward as education
funding increased. The increase in funding coincided with Pennsylvania’s
work to implement a better funding formula so schools had a better shot
of receiving a fair and equitable portion of state dollars. Tom Corbett
abandoned the funding formula in his first budget and children have been
paying the price ever since in the form of 20,000 fewer teachers, more
crowded classrooms, less—if any—tutoring and access to libraries, fewer
counselors and support professionals, and fewer classes in the arts or
chances to participate in athletic activities.
As governor, Rob McCord’s first priority will be to restore the funding cut from
to Pennsylvania’s K-12 public classrooms, targeting these new resources to
programs that benefit all children and that position the state’s students on a
path for promising futures. In particular, and in addition to the early learning
investments mentioned earlier, McCord’s plan will direct new funds to:
• The Basic Education Subsidy. This budget line item represents the
largest share of funding to Pennsylvania’s public school districts.
To ensure public dollars are allocated properly and fairly, McCord will
also push to enact a data-driven funding formula that calculates the
resources children and schools need to achieve success. The formula
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will take into account enrollment, academic needs, learning challenges
(number of students with special education needs and English
language learners), and the tax effort of each district, so residents of
lower-income districts are not made to shoulder a heavier burden than
residents of wealthier districts.
With more resources, public school districts – regardless of their
wealth or ZIP code – will be able to hire more teachers and support
professionals to give students more individualized instruction and less
crowded classrooms. Reducing class sizes can have an enormous
benefit on a child’s performance. That is especially true for elementaryage students, for minorities, and for students from low-income families.
• Full-day Kindergarten.
While McCord’s new
investments in early
childhood learning
can go a long way to
improving academic
performance for young
students, the state risks
allowing these children
to backslide without
full-day kindergarten
programs.
Tom Corbett repeatedly
tried to eliminate the
Accountability Block Grant Program, which many districts used to fund
full-day kindergarten programs. The legislature successfully restored
funding, but only to $100 million, or slightly more than a third of the
total amount appropriated in fiscal year 2008-2009. McCord will invest
new money to restore full-day kindergarten, particularly in low- to
moderate-income districts that could not otherwise support such a
program with their limited tax bases.
• The Dual Enrollment Program, which helps students earn college
credits while still in high school. Gov. Corbett eliminated funding for the
program in his first budget,7 forcing many students to pay for collegelevel courses out of their own pocket or forcing schools to divert basic
education funding away from the classroom toward reimbursements
for dual enrollment students.
• Elementary Education in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics). Educating students at a young age in these fields
is critically important to maintain their interest and encourage them to
further their studies in high school and post-secondary education.8 To
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further underscore this point, 65% of scientists reported that exposure
to and education in science while they were in grade school led them
to their careers. It is clear that this kind of early science learning will
give students a leg up when thinking about careers later in life.9
An important component of the new STEM initiative will be for schools
to establish learning collaborations and partnerships with the state’s
employers and research institutions so students can learn directly from
experts in the field. Schools could arrange field trips to companies or
laboratories where research and development work is taking place,
or they could engage in virtual field trips where students interact with
these professionals online. Connecting students with these industries
directly will help to enhance their understanding of the practical
implications for STEM disciplines and increase their level of interest in
these areas as a possible career.
• After School Programs. These
programs can be immensely
beneficial to students, especially
when the instruction is aligned to
classroom curricula. Studies have
found quality after school programs
can improve achievement and test
scores, reduce absenteeism and
dropout rates, and improve social
and behavioral problems. Aside
from the academic rationale, after
school programs can be incredibly
important to keeping kids out of
trouble, as the period from 3 p.m. to
6 p.m. is the peak time for juveniles
to be involved in criminal activity,
be the victims of crime, or for teenage drivers, to be involved in an
accident.10
McCord’s plan would target state funding to low-achieving school
districts and those with high rates of behavioral or criminal problems
among students. The programs would be administered by the school
district to better align instruction to in-class lessons, give students
the ability to continue learning from trained educators, and minimize
transportation costs. All programs would need to be developed in
cooperation local school boards, administrators, teachers and parents.
• Governor’s Schools for Excellence. Prior to the recession, the
commonwealth supported a number of programs across the state
that offered promising high school students the opportunity to engage
in intensive five-week study programs a Pennsylvania universities
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in programs like science, business, agriculture and the arts among
others. While a small number of the schools have been reestablished
largely with private funds, McCord’s plan would again add state
support to leverage additional private funds for programs in STEM
fields, business and entrepreneurship, energy and the environment,
agriculture, civics, and the arts.
• Charter School Reimbursement. In the 2011-12 school year, alone,
payments to charter schools diverted more than $1 billion from public
schools, along with tens of millions of dollars more in state and federal
subsidies.11 With enrollment in these alternative schools increasing,
Tom Corbett made the problem worse in 2011 when he cut the $236
million line item that reimbursed public school districts for a portion
of the funds they paid to charter schools. Rob McCord will restore
funding to help maintain the quality of education in public schools.
Additionally, McCord will fight to correct Pennsylvania’s flawed charter
and cyber school funding formulas, which have resulted in higher
costs to school districts for learning environments where students too
often have failed to thrive or meet expectations. McCord will advocate
for a funding commission to “right size” charter school funding, but he
will fight against the short-sighted provisions of current bills such as
S.B. 1085 and H.B. 618, which seem to favor the charter industry and
would severely diminish the authority of local school districts to oversee
charter schools and hold them accountable.
• Teacher
Professional
Development.
Having highly
qualified and well
trained teachers
in the classroom
is essential
to ensuring
students have
the opportunity
to learn from
exceptional
educators.
Unfortunately, support for teacher development in the state budget
is down nearly 85% since fiscal year 2009-10. With McCord’s plan,
teachers will have additional resources to improve their skills and
school districts will be encouraged to allow teachers release time to
engage in these development programs outside the classroom working
with their peers in collaborative settings. The state will also monitor and
evaluate the effectiveness of training and development programs to
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ensure resources are targeted in a way to generate the best results for
students.
A portion of the funding for teacher development will be dedicated to
training and certifying professionals to teach early childhood education
programs, an important component in order to ensure qualified
teachers are available to meet the increased demand as a result of
McCord’s early childhood education plan.
McCord will also support the development of a new formula for special
education funding in keeping with the recommendations of the Special
Education Funding Commission’s December 2013 report.12 With additional
resources, McCord will target funding to special education programs that
help the more than one quarter of a million Pennsylvania students with
learning disabilities. The special education line item in the budget endured a
number of years of flat funding.
Lastly, with respect to Pennsylvania’s K-12 schools, McCord believes we
need to rethink the way the state uses standardized tests. These high-stakes
exams, which are not only financially draining to the tune of hundreds of
millions of dollars,13 but also detrimental to instruction, are overemphasized
and should not be used in a punitive way.
Instead, these tests should be used to provide teachers with feedback to
help them better meet the needs of individual students. The way tests are
used to punish teachers and schools, unfortunately, drives school districts to
place too much emphasis on filling in bubble sheets and not enough time or
emphasis on actual reading, writing, and learning.
Once in office, McCord will call for a special commission to study the
development and use of standardized tests to assess whether these exams
are properly aligned to current standards, accurately measure achievement,
and ultimately, serve the best interests of students.
As necessary, based on the findings, this commission will be tasked with
developing recommendations to reform the system.
Investments are Not Handouts
Providing a decent basic education has always been the way to ensure equal
opportunity for every child, regardless of the circumstances into which they
happen to be born. But that is not the only reason funding quality education
is so important.
The definition of an investment is putting resources into something now in
expectation of receiving a return later. Rob McCord has made a career of
investing, and his education plan builds on that expertise. His education
agenda is intended to produce returns not only for the individuals receiving
better educations, but also for the taxpayers providing the resources.
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“What Do the Best Entrepreneurs Want in a City: Lessons from the Founders of America’s Fastest-Growing Companies,” a report from
Endeavor Insight, http://www.endeavor.org/blog/endeavor-insight-report-reveals-the-top-qualities-that-entrepreneurs-look-for-in-a-city/
1
“Best Practices: Workforce Development,” Pennsylvania Chamber Foundation, 2013: http://www.pachamber.org/advocacy/studies_reports/
pdf/13_Workforce_Development_White_Paper.pdf
2
Belfield, C.R., and Schwartz, H. (2006). The Economic Consequences of Early Childhood Education on the School System. Available at
http://nieer.org/resources/research/economic-consequences.pdf
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4
Heckman, J.J. (2008). The Economics of Inequality: The Value of Early Childhood Education. Retrieved from www.TheHeckmanEquation.org
America’s Edge (2011). Strengthening Pennsylvania Business through Investments in Early Care and Education: How Investments in Early
Learning Increase Sales from Local Businesses, Create Jobs and Grow the Economy. Available at http://www.pakeys.org/uploadedContent/
Docs/ELinPA/2011_PA_economic_analysis.pdf
5
Heckman, J.J. (n.d). Invest in early childhood development. Reduce deficits, strengthen Pennsylvania’s economy. Available at http://
heckmanequation.org/content/resource/invest-early-childhood-development-means-deficit-reduction-pennsylvania
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McGill, A. (2011, March 11). College credit for high-schoolers in peril. Allentown Morning Call. Available at http://articles.mcall.com/201103-11/news/mc-schools-dual-enrollment-cut-20110311_1_dual-enrollment-college-courses-college-credit
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Murphy, T. (2011). STEM Education--It’s Elementary. Available at http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/08/29/stem-education--itselementary
8
“Eyeballs in the Fridge: Sources of Early Interest in Science,” Adam Maltese and Robert Tai, International Journal of Science Education, Vol.
32, No. 5, March 15, 2010.
9
Harvard Family Research Project. (2008). After School Programs in the 21st Century: Their Potential and What it Takes to Achieve it.
Available at http://www.hfrp.org/content/download/2916/84011/file/OSTissuebrief10.pdf.
10
Daniels, M. (2013, Nov. 4). Pa. lawmakers to scrutinize charters’ cost to taxpayers. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Available at http://triblive.
com/news/education/4982093-74/charter-schools-district#axzz2wBYXHC4S.
11
Available at http://senatorbrowne.pasenategop.com/special-education-funding-commission/Special-Education-Funding-CommissionReport-121113.pdf.
12
Millions Spent, No Results. (2014, March 12). Yinzercation. Available at http://yinzercation.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/millions-spent-noresults/
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