advocate
Why school vouchers are a (really!) bad idea for PA.
Dear Brian, We are gearing up for a big fight in Harrisburg to keep Governor Josh Shapiro and state lawmakers from expanding school vouchers in the 2024-2025 state budget. The proposed PASS/ESA private school voucher proposals would give tax dollars directly to families whose children attend private schools and would be the first step toward a…
Read MoreACTION ALERT: Prioritize Adequate and Equitable Funding for Pennsylvania’s Public Schools
The 2023 Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC), a 15-member group consisting of three members from each legislative caucus and three appointees of the Shapiro Administration, is wrapping up its work after a series of hearings this fall where it gathered testimony from educators and education policy experts about the need to close the vast education…
Read MoreAction Requested: Governor Shapiro Needs to Hear from BASD by Friday
Click HERE to submit a public comment to the Basic Education Funding Commission. We invite you to join an important effort to help ensure that the Pennsylvania legislature and Governor Shapiro take action to develop a school funding system in the commonwealth in accordance with the Commonwealth Court’s decision that current public education funding in…
Read MoreACTION ALERT: Release Level Up Funds for Underfunded School Districts
We are reaching out to you today with an urgent request to support the release of Level Up funds for Pennsylvania’s most underfunded schools. As you may already know, the Level Up supplement has been crucial in providing critical resources to school districts in need across the Commonwealth. It has garnered bipartisan support and has…
Read MoreUPDATE: House Dems vote down DeVos voucher bill in the Rules Committee
UPDATE: Today, the Senate moved their “PASS Scholarship” DeVos voucher bill to the House Rules Committee, where it was SOUNDLY REJECTED in a party-line vote of 18-15. House Democrats have stood firm in their support of public education and their unequivocal opposition to a new school voucher program in the commonwealth that would funnel precious education dollars…
Read MoreALERT: Reject “Lifeline Scholarships,” Fund Public Schools
From our friends at Education Voters of PA Senate Republicans in Harrisburg just announced that implementing a new school voucher program is their top priority in the 2023-2024 state budget. They are fast tracking a “Lifeline Scholarship” bill (Senate Bill 795) that would create a brand new voucher program IN ADDITION TO the current $340 million/year…
Read MoreWEBINAR: New School District Fact Sheets — What Do the Numbers Say About Your School District?
WEBINAR: RELEASE OF 2023 PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL DISTRICT FACT SHEETS Join PA Schools Work for our next Lunch & Learn webinar on Tuesday, April 4 at noon where the campaign will release its newest school district fact sheets. Advocates and school funding experts will break down what the new numbers mean for your school district and for PA’s public schools…
Read MoreNPE PRESENTS: HOW TO ADVOCATE EFFECTIVELY FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS: FEBRUARY 28: 7:00 PM EST
From our friends at The Network for Public Education NPE PRESENTS: HOW TO ADVOCATE EFFECTIVELY FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS: FEBRUARY 28: 7:00 PM EST Leticia Mederos is a lobbyist and strong public education advocate with over 20 years of experience working effectively with the House and Senate. She served as…
Read MoreA Zero-Hour State Budget-Related Request
I said the last request was the final one…but this budget season is stretching a little longer – and that’s because the Governor is demanding increases in public education funding! To get these increases passed, it’s essential to reach out yet another time to our local PA Senators, Browne and Scavello, to stress how important these increases are for…
Read MoreHelping the Governor stand strong during budget negotiations
One final request as budget season winds down. We’re hearing rumors that the majority leaders in Harrisburg are lowballing the Governor on the education budget and there are real concerns that the Governor might be willing to cave to their demands. Please contact Governor Wolf’s office to share your interactions with legislators and strongly urge him to hold firm…
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