Stay Informed
ICYMI–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 MorePA Schools Work – Communications and Advocacy “Lunch and Learn”
On Tuesday, February 26 at noon, Education Voters and their partners from the PA Schools Work coalition will be unpacking the Governor’s budget proposal and sharing tips on how to be an effective advocate for our public schools and students. Click HERE to register for the webinar. During this webinar, which should last for an hour or less,…
Read MoreHow Much Would Your School District Receive in Gov. Wolf’s Proposal?
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…
Read MoreKnow Your House and Senate Education Committee Members
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…
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 MoreResolution No. 2019 – in Support of Fair Funding Formula for Pennsylvania Schools
How bad is Pennsylvania in the area of equitable education funding? A 2015 Washington Post study found that Pennsylvania’s state and local per-pupil spending in its poorest school districts is 33 percent lower than per-pupil spending in the state’s most affluent school districts, nearly double that of the next worse state and the highest differential…
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 MoreICYMI – School Voucher Tax Shelter
Did you know that some Pennsylvania businesses can turn a tidy profit when they make contributions to school voucher programs? It’s true. When businesses contribute to scholarship/private school voucher organizations through Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (EITC/OSTC) programs they receive a double dip of tax giveaways that can be worth more than the amount…
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…
Read More