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Category Archive: public education

Cyber 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 […]

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Getting 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 […]

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Backpack 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 […]

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Why 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

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Active 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 […]

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The 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 […]

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Fair 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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Joseph J. Roy: ‘Citizens’ recognize importance of education to community

In case you missed this op-ed piece in the morning call from our BASD superintendent Joseph Roy: No one ever calls my office and asks to speak with me because they are a “citizen.” Callers always ask to speak to me because they are “taxpayers.” I have recently begun to wonder why. Pennsylvania is 47th […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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CURRENT LEGISLATION

  • 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 […]

  • Recently, Governor Wolf gave his budget address and proposed the following increases in K-12 funding in the 2019-2020 state budget: $10 million for career and technical education funding $50 million for special education funding $168 million for Basic Education Funding that will be distributed to school districts through the formula* $45 million in grant funding […]

  • House Education Chair:  Representative Curt Sonney Democratic Chair:  Representative James Roebuck Majority members:                                       Minority members: ◾ Brown, Rosemary M.                                   ◾ Gainey, Ed ◾ Gaydos, Valerie S.                                        ◾ Hill-Evans, Carol ◾ Gillen, Mark M.                                            ◾ Isaacson, MaryLouise ◾ Gleim, Barbara                                             ◾ Kim, Patty ◾ Hickernell, David S.                                     ◾ Madden, Maureen E. ◾ Jones, Mike                                                  ◾ McCarter, Stephen ◾ Kail, Joshua D.                                             ◾ Miller, Dan L. ◾ Knowles, Jerry                                              ◾ Mullery, Gerald J. ◾ Ortitay, Jason                                               ◾ Solomon, Jared G. ◾ Puskaric, Michael […]

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