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Support Governor Wolf’s Executive Order to Clean Up Charter Schools
Straight from Network for Public Education Action, take a moment to thank Governor Wolf for his recent initiatives to tackle charter reform. https://npeaction.org/urgent-support-pa-governors-fight-to-reform-charter-schools/
Read MoreICYMI: PA’s 2019-2020 state budget is a wrap. Here is what is in it for public schools
A summary from our allies at Education Voters of PA The state budget is done and a last-ditch effort made by anti-public education lawmakers to include harmful charter school legislation in the school code bill was defeated. Governor Wolf stood strong with our public schools and House Bill 357, which would have stripped control from…
Read MoreICYMI – PA Republicans pass massive charter school & school voucher expansion
Form our friends at Education Voters of PA: Last week in the House, Republicans passed four charter school bills. One bill in the package, HB 357, is the Holy Grail expansion bill that the charter industry has been seeking for years. If HB 357 becomes law, charter school expansion will be turbocharged throughout the commonwealth.…
Read MoreICYMI- New report shows overwhelmingly negative results for PA’s cyber charter students
From Education Voters of PA: MEMO To: Interested Parties From: Susan Spicka, Executive Director, Education Voters of PA Date: June 4, 2019 Re: CREDO’s Charter School Performance in Pennsylvania (2019) report finds overwhelmingly negative results for students in cyber charter schools and mixed results for brick-and-mortar charter schools. Read the full report here. A recent study released…
Read MoreCALL TO ACTION – Act now to push for necessary change to the Charter Appeals Board (CAB)!
Act now to push for necessary change to the Charter Appeals Board (CAB)! As BASD Proud Parents recently posted, of the Pennsylvania Charter Appeals Board’s 5 active members… ALL are serving long past the end-date of their initial term, and NONE are directly affiliated with or bringing the perspective of traditional public schools to CAB…
Read MoreFYI – 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…
Read MoreICYMI – Stop the Charter School Expansion Bills!
From Our good friends at Education Voters of PA! Last week Republican members of the House Education Committee advanced two charter school expansion bills that deliver the charter school industry’s wish list. We anticipate that the House will vote on these bills in early June. Click HERE to send a letter to your state representative telling…
Read More$100 million more for PA’s “secret school tax”
From our friends at Education Voters of PA: The PA House Education Committee passed what appears to be a top education priority for many lawmakers this year: a massive increase in taxpayer-funded school vouchers that benefit wealthy families. These lawmakers are not prioritizing an additional $100 million to help schools meet extensive safety needs. They are…
Read MoreA 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…
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