PA Gov. Wolf Fires Charter School Appeals Board. Every. Single. Member.

Earlier this month, Governor Wolf removed all of the long past due members of the PA Charter Appeals Board, putting pressure on Senate Republicans to be forced to vote on his new nominees as there are over 9 new cases waiting to be heard. The new nominees include: Jodi Schwartz, a school board member from…

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The Charter Appeals Board and Why It Matters

“In Pennsylvania, school districts don’t have the final say over the fates of the charter schools that they are tasked with regulating. That belongs instead to the Pennsylvania Charter Appeals Board — one of only two such boards in the nation, according to the National Association of Charter School Authorizers. Created shortly after Pennsylvania passed…

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FYI – This is Not How Democracy Should Work – The Underlying Problem with the Charter Appeals Board

from a recent post on Diane Ravitch’s blog: Recently, the elected School Board of Pittsburgh unanimously rejected a charter school called Catalyst Academy because of concern about its proposed disciplinary policy and its ability to meet the needs of students with disabilities. The School Board’s decision was overturned by the state’s Charter Appeals Board, which was appointed…

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