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…
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 MoreWhy 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
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 MoreNational Voter Registration Day
If you aren’t registered to vote yet, today is a better day than ever to do so! Here are some facts you may or may not know: If you’ve moved, even if just across town, you need to update your voter registration! Register if -1st time voting -Moved -Changed name -Haven’t voted recently -New citizen…
Read MoreThe 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…
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 MoreWhy I Love Clearview Elementary
Clearview Elementary has quality administrators and staff; teachers, custodial, cafeteria, paras, and the health staff have always been pleasant and professional. Principal Heather Bennett-Knerr is someone who is professional and personable with those in the community. My husband and I researched charter and private schools in the area. We chose Clearview because we wanted to…
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