Letter to Auditor General Timothy DeFoor
On January 25th, 2024, we filed a Right-to-Know request with Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA) seeking information about fleet vehicles, marketing staff, Family Fun Fests, food trucks, theme parties, and employee engagement activities that were specifically referenced in a CCA job advertisement. CCA denied these Right-to-Know requests stating that the organization had no records responsive to the request.…
Read MoreWhy 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 MoreKnow Your School Board Candidates – Cindy O’Brien
Cindy O’Brien’s Response BASD Proud Parents sent out a brief questionnaire to all of the candidates running for school board so you may get a chance to know a little about them before you vote! Please tell us your name and a little about yourself. My name is Cindy O’Brien. I am a school director candidate…
Read MoreKnow Your School Board Candidates – M. Rayah Levy
M. Rayah Levy’s Response BASD Proud Parents sent out a brief questionnaire to all of the candidates running for school board so you may get a chance to know a little about them before you vote! Please tell us your name and a little about yourself. M. Rayah Levy has been a librarian for 18 years…
Read MoreKnow Your School Board Candidates – Michael Recchiuti
Michael Recchiuti’s Response BASD Proud Parents sent out a brief questionnaire to all of the candidates running for school board so you may get a chance to know a little about them before you vote! Please tell us your name and a little about yourself. My name is Michael Recchiuti. I am a proud product of…
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