NEWS
We’re hiring a project coordinator in the Cumberland/Adams/Perry County region
We are hiring a project coordinator who will be able to work approximately 20 hours/week in the Cumberland/Adams/Perry County region on an advocacy project to help support improving student mental health in public schools in this region. By uniting and...
No Appeal! The school funding decision is final!
We learned on Monday, July 24th, that legislative leaders will not appeal the PA school funding lawsuit decision to the PA Supreme Court. The school funding decision stands! Read the statement from the Education Law Center and Public Interest Law Center...
Budget impasse update, cyber charter bill details!
BUDGET IMPASSE UPDATE: Senate Republican leaders continue to refuse to bring the Senate back to Harrisburg before September 18th to finalize the budget bill their chamber supported, creating a state budget impasse. Senate Republicans are upset because Governor...
Cyber charter reform passes the House 🔥🔥Gov. Shapiro promises no vouchers
What is happening with the state budget is complicated, so let’s start with some of the great news and substantial wins you helped make happen. Cyber charter reform passes out of the PA House in a historic vote and will move to the Senate!! Thanks to years of advocacy...
🚨🚨 DeVos voucher bill is moving in Harrisburg!
UPDATE: On Friday, June 30th, the Senate moved their "PASS Scholarship" DeVos voucher bill to the House Rules Committee, where it was SOUNDLY REJECTED in a party-line vote of 18-15. On June 30th, the PA Senate also passed a budget bill that contains a $100 million...
Cyber reform passes first hurdle, vouchers still on the table
It was a busy day in Harrisburg. The great news is that yesterday morning, on June 27th, the House Education Committee passed the fabulous House Bill 1422 by a vote along partisan lines of 12-9. This bill was years in the making and is the...
Tell Governor Shapiro and PA Lawmakers to reject “Lifeline Scholarship” vouchers and fund public schools!
Senate Republicans in Harrisburg just announced that implementing a new school voucher program is their top priority in the 2023-2024 state budget. They are fast tracking a “Lifeline Scholarship” bill (Senate Bill 795) that would create a brand new voucher program IN...
Ask me how cyber charters waste property taxes!
We spent Tuesday in the Harrisburg Capitol talking to a lot of people about what we learned from Right to Know requests for cyber charter school expenditures on advertising and parties. Click HERE for a summary of what we learned. Common responses were disbelief and...
Right to Know requests reveal $16.8 million in cyber charter advertising in 2021-2022.
Right to Know requests reveal $16.8 million in cyber charter advertising in 2021-2022. CYBERS WASTED SCHOOL PROPERTY TAX DOLLARS ON BUS WRAPS, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TICKETS, TV AND RADIO ADS, BILLBOARDS, HIGH-END HOODIES, AND MUCH, MUCH, MORE! Tell your state...
Be an Ed Voters Public Education Champion!
We are delighted to announce our Education Voters Public Education Champion program opportunity for 2023-2024. This program was created for parents and community members who are interested in learning about school funding and policies that will support children and...
👀 👀 Charters spend $185 million in special ed funding on other things
PA's broken system for funding charter school special education creates an incentive for charters to game the system to reap a maximum profit off of payments for students with disabilities. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association found that in 2020-2021,...
How much funding are charter school tuition payments draining from YOUR school district?
Charter and cyber charter schools are privately-managed public schools. Pennsylvania law allows any student to apply to attend any charter or cyber charter school in the state. Students’ home school districts are mandated by state law to pay tuition to the charter...
Ed Voters’ Testimony for the PA House Democratic Policy Committee Hearing on Cyber Charter School Funding
Testimony of Susan Spicka, Executive Director, Education Voters of PA, House Democratic Policy Committee Hearing, May 8th , 2023, Hello and thank you for this opportunity to testify today. My name is Susan Spicka, and I am the executive director of Education...
What an Advocacy Day!!
On Wednesday, April 26th, Ed Voters teamed with partners in the PA Schools Work campaign to host an unprecedented advocacy day in the Capitol. We are building a powerful statewide movement that brings together advocates from tiny rural districts to large...
Join us in Harrisburg for Advocacy Day on April 26th!
On Wednesday, April 26th, Ed Voters will team up with our partners in the PA Schools Work campaign to host an advocacy day in Harrisburg. Public education advocates from throughout the commonwealth will come together in Harrisburg for meetings with their lawmakers and...
Our analysis of Gov. Shapiro’s proposed funding for education in the 2023-2024 state budget
In his budget address, Governor Shapiro acknowledged that the recent Commonwealth Court ruling recognized that education is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Pennsylvania Constitution to all children and that students in low-wealth districts are currently denied...
Our statement on Gov. Shapiro’s proposed education funding in the 2023-2024 state budget
Susan Spicka, executive director of Education Voters of PA, issued this statement in response to Governor Shapiro's proposed budget for education in the 2023-2024 state budget. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 7, 2023 Shapiro Budget Proposal for Education Moves the...
What will Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal mean for public school students? Join us and find out!
On Tuesday, March 7 at around 11:30 am, Governor Josh Shapiro will give his first budget address and set the stage for the 2023-2024 state budget. What will his budget proposal mean for Pennsylvania’s public school students? Join Ed Voters on Wednesday,...
From the Courts to the Classrooms: Let’s Rally to Fund Our Schools!
Commonwealth Court’s recent court decision declaring Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional is a historic victory for students! We need to celebrate this huge win AND we need to call on our state lawmakers to take the necessary steps NOW to fix...
The verdict is in: Public school students WIN!!!
In a historic victory for students, on February 7, 2023, Commonwealth Court ruled that Pennsylvania's current school funding system is unconstitutional. The judge issued a clear directive: "All witnesses agree that every child can learn. It is now the obligation of...