BASD Proud Parents

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

HOT TOPICS - STAY INFORMED

CURRENT LEGISLATION - STAY INFORMED

ESA Voucher Bill Set for Vote Tuesday, May 22
Tell your Senator to vote NO on ESA vouchers…Again! Yes, they are trying one more time. The Senate Education Committee has just announced its intention to vote on Senate Bill 2 (Sen. DiSanto, R-Dauphin) this coming Tuesday, May 22. This bill establishes Education Savings Accounts (ESA) vouchers, a program that takes tax money out of your neighborhood public schools […]
Equity First – Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton School Districts are underfunded by $108.2 MILLION under the Basic Education and Special Education Funding Laws. According to the formulas, Bethlehem Area SD is underfunded by nearly $23 Million in this year’s budget. The whole Lehigh Valley is underfunded by $127.4 MILLION. If half of these funds were invested in the […]
Op-Ed on SB2 Submitted to the Morning Call
We had two of our BASD Proud Parents write an Opinion and send it to the morning call. Julie and Karen did an incredible job and we share their sentiment. Please see below for their words, there is a lot of specific budget information that they present that helps to really show how harmful SB2 […]
Vote No: Setting the Record Straight on ESA Vouchers and Senate Bill 2
A plan introduced as Senate Bill 2 by Senator John DiSanto (R-Dauphin) establishes Education Savings Accounts (ESA) vouchers, a program that takes tax money out of your neighborhood public schools to be used for private schools and vendors. ESA proposals have been introduced in various states and have been dubbed by the National Conference of […]
Act Now – House Bill 1213
ACTION ALERT: Please call your member of the State House immediately!! ASK: VOTE NO on HB 1213 WHY: The legislation will tie school districts’ hands to challenge under assessed property taxes. When large property owners pay less than their fair share, homeowners end up paying more than their fair share. Thank you!! Sincerely, BASD Proud Parents House Bill […]
SB 1095: Alternative Pathways to Graduation
PASA Supports Senate Bill 1095: Alternative Pathways to Graduation Today PASA announced support for new legislation introduced by Senators Thomas McGarrigle (R-Chester/Delaware) and Thomas Killion (R-Chester/Delaware) that provides for a comprehensive and rigorous approach for students to demonstrate readiness for high school graduation. Senate Bill 1095 is a result of the senators working with several education organizations, […]
SB 2 – Education Savings Accounts (vouchers)
A letter from The Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) SB 2 remains a high priority in the Senate. Under the bill, parents of students in low-achieving schools can receive funds in the form of Education Savings Accounts (ESA) to attend a participating nonpublic school and for other expenses. “Low-achieving” is defined as the lowest […]
House Bill 1213
ACTION ALERT: Please call your member of the State House immediately! ASK: VOTE NO on House Bill 1213 which is being rushed to the floor for a vote WHY: The legislation would tie school districts’ hands to challenge under assessed property taxes. When large property owners pay less than their fair share – homeowners end up […]
SB2 – Voucher Vote Delayed, Senate Ed Committee Changed
An October Morning Call article had this to say: According to calculations by the PSEA, Allentown, Bethlehem Area and Easton Area school districts would stand to lose nearly $50 million annually. Allentown would have seen almost $27 million go into the education savings account if the bill had been law in 2015-16 and a third of […]
SB2 Senate Bill 2
Say No to Next Generation School Vouchers in PA Tell your senator to vote NO on Senate Bill 2 Under the bill, parents of students in low-achieving schools can receive funds in the form of Education Savings Accounts (ESA) to attend a participating nonpublic school and for other expenses. Low-achieving is defined as the lowest […]
House Bill 1082
PSBA raises concerns with expansion of workplace mandates. This week PSBA told the House Labor and Industry Committee that the provisions under House Bill 1082 (Rep. Harkins, D-Erie) regarding workplace safety would add a layer of unnecessary and expensive mandates for school districts. During a public hearing to discuss the bill, PSBA Senior Director of Legal Services […]
How Your Elected Officials Vote
Are you unsure about how your elected officials and legislators have or are voting? There is a great site called Vote Smart that lets you do just that. All you need to do is search for your elected official’s name. When their profile comes up, select whatever issue you are inquiring about from the drop-down […]

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of BASD Proud Parents is to educate parents and our community about issues that impact
our public schools and to empower parents, students and neighbors to make our voices heard.

BASD Proud Parents is a group of pro-public education parents who’ve come together to educate and empower ourselves so that we can effectively participate in policy discussions that shape our schools. We follow legislation that is currently being debated in Harrisburg; we meet with our legislators to build relationships and ensure that parents’ voices are effectively heard in policy discussions; we help shine a light on the innumerable ways our schools are working for our children and our communities.