NEWS
HB 97 on hold, more taxpayer $ for private schools on deck, and lawmakers have left the building
Here is a rundown of what is happening in Harrisburg and DC that may impact public school students in PA. HB 97, the charter expansion bill It appears the PA House has decided to put HB 97 on hold until the fall. Great, great work making calls and sending emails to...
PA Senate passes charter school expansion bill, disregards needs of students and taxpayers
Susan Spicka, Executive Director of Education Voters of PA made the following statement about the PA Senate’s passage of HB 97: It is very disappointing that 26 members of the PA Senate voted to disregard the very real needs of the students and taxpayers they were...
UPDATE: PA Budget and HB 97, the charter expansion bill
It’s going to be a busy weekend in Harrisburg. On Friday, June 30th, the PA legislature passed the spending half of the 2017-2018 state budget agreement and sent it to Governor Wolf. Lawmakers have until Monday, July 10th, to get the revenue half of the agreement to...
PA Senate approves guns in classrooms, HB 97 on tap
By a vote of 28 to 22, the PA Senate approved SB 383, a bill that allows teachers and other school employees to carry concealed, loaded firearms in public schools. Click HERE to see how your senator voted. Each school board will decide if it will allow teachers and...
Can you spare 5 minutes on Monday?
Legislative leaders have begun holding closed-door meetings to hash out a 2017-2018 state budget. On Monday, June 19th, state lawmakers will return to Harrisburg, where they will have less than two weeks to pass a balanced budget by the June 30th deadline. The...
The next 26 days
Decisions PA legislators make in the upcoming weeks will have a lasting impact on PA's public school students. From now until June 30th, when the state budget is due, lawmakers will be passing legislation and cutting deals as they determine how much state funding our...
The State of Education Funding in PA
Fixing PA’s Charter School Law
School District Spending on Charter School Tuition
Charters Should Not Profit Off Students with Disabilities
What if PA Legislature provided $55M in new Basic Education Funding?
Mythbusting PA’s EITC/OSTC Programs
http://educationvoterspa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2018-2019-Myth-busting-PAs-EITC2FOSTC-Programs.pdf
PA lawmakers to consider Betsy DeVos Vouchers on Steroids
On Wednesday, May 24 at 9:00 am, the PA House and Senate Education Committees will be holding a joint public hearing about "education savings accounts" or ESAs. Education Savings Accounts are Betsy DeVos vouchers on steroids. They are an underhanded attempt to...
Trumpcare savages funding for students with disabilities
Yesterday 217 Republicans in the US House of Representatives voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act and the protections it offers to millions of Americans. In order to pay for tax cuts for households earning over $250,000/year, these Congressmen (including 9 from...
Did your rep. support the charter school lobby’s wish list?
On Tuesday, April 25th, the PA House passed HB 97 by a vote of 108-84. Click HERE to learn if your state representative supported or opposed HB 97. Ten Republicans and 74 Democrats voted against the bill. If your lawmaker opposed HB 97, please take a minute to make a...
PA House Poised to Ram Through Horrible Charter Bill
We need your help to stop HB 97. The PA House may vote on this deeply flawed charter school legislation next week, as early as Monday, April 24th. We had hoped that the PA House would work toward charter reform that would protect taxpayers and students and improve...
Tell your PA lawmakers to keep guns out of our public schools
UPDATE: SB 383 passed out of the Senate Education Committee and is scheduled for a vote in the full Senate on Tuesday, June 28th. On Wednesday, April 19th at 9:30 am, the PA Senate Education Committee will meet in Harrisburg. They will not be discussing how to...
HB 97: Charter Reform that is Not Worth the 20-Year Wait
UPDATE: On April 25th, the PA House passed HB 97 by a vote of 108-84. It has been 20 years since the law that established charter schools in PA was enacted. Significant flaws in this charter school law have surfaced over the past two decades and legislators are now...
A stunning priority in the PA House budget
Advancing the Betsy DeVos school privatization agenda has emerged as a top budget priority for PA House members, even though this will provide very little or no benefit to the communities many rural lawmakers represent. On a near party-line vote of 114-84, the PA...
A budget that puts students last
President Trump's recently proposed budget slashes $9 billion, or 14%, from the Department of Education, while increasing funding for “school choice,” by $1.4 billion. It comes as no surprise that Trump’s proposed cuts fall hardest on programs that benefit low-income...