public education
A Call to Action from Pennsylvania’s Urban School Superintendents
“Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, one thing is clear: For Pennsylvania to prosper, its largest cities must thrive.” Read this great Op-Ed from lehighvalleylive.com co-authored by 12 school superintendents, including Dr. Joseph Roy of Bethlehem and Thomas Parker of Allentown. You can read it here: A Call to Action from Pennsylvania’s Urban School Superintendents…
Read MoreYet Another Reason for Adequate Funding for Public Schools
Neighborhood schools strengthen communities and our state’s current education funding schemes play a role in that, for better or for worse. Here is a great article on delcotimes.com on a new report released Friday enforcing the notion that property values are contingent on student achievement in local schools. You can read the entire article here: Report: Good schools…
Read MoreICYMI–PETITION–End Tom Corbett’s influence over education in PA
From our good friends at Education Voters of Pennsylvania http://educationvoterspa.org/: Tom Corbett was voted out of office more than four years ago, yet his appointees continue to control the Charter School Appeal Board (CAB), a powerful body that can overturn school board decisions to deny charter school applications and strip communities of control over their…
Read MoreCyber Charter Funding Reform Needed Now
Recently, our friends at Education Voters of PA issued a report that examines Pennsylvania’s flawed cyber school funding system and provides recommendations for a new system that will more closely match the funding sent to cyber charter schools with the actual cost of providing students with an online education. This proposal would help control property tax…
Read MoreGetting Involved – Advocating for Fair Funding 101
Pennsylvania currently ranks 46th in the country in state contributions to local school funding. The US average is around 47% while Bethlehem’s current state share of basic education is around 20% resulting in the BASD being underfunded by around $45 million dollars! The State’s failure to fully fund our local schools pushes this burden of…
Read MoreBackpack Full of Cash Screening
You Are Invited to A Free Screening presented by BASD Proud Parents and the Bethlehem Area School District MARCH 21, 6:30pm – 8:00pm NITSCHMANN MIDDLE SCHOOL Discussion to Follow “BACKPACK FULL OF CASH” DOCUMENTARY – Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor, Matt Damon, BACKPACK explores the real cost of privatizing America’s public schools. Before the 2016…
Read MoreWhy Millions Of Kids Can’t Read, And What Better Teaching Can Do About It
A great article in NPR highlighting the advances the BASD is making in reading https://www.npr.org/2019/01/02/677722959/why-millions-of-kids-cant-read-and-what-better-teaching-can-do-about-it
Read MoreActive Issues Our Schools Are Facing
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) is the voice for public education and the work of strong local school boards in the halls of the Capitol. They are committed to supporting an effective child-centered public education that is adequately and equitably funded. Pennsylvania public schools are the driving force behind our state’s economy. PSBA works…
Read MoreThe Story Behind the Success of a Community School
Testimony presented by Rick Amato, principal, Broughal Middle School, Bethlehem Area School District Good morning. My name is Rick Amato, and I have the honor of serving as the Principal of Broughal Middle in the Bethlehem Area School District. Today, I am here to share the story of how a small urban middle school in…
Read MoreFair Funding on the Decline
Last week petitioners in Pennsylvania’s school funding lawsuit filed a brief and affidavits refuting the claim made by the Republican leader of the PA Senate, Joe Scarnati, that the lawsuit was rendered moot because the state adopted a school funding formula in 2016. The brief details how state funding increases have not kept pace with rising…
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