We have to lean on the Repansycans NOW, kiddies. They control both houses of the legislature and the governor's mansion. Next year they'll be running for reelection and won't do anything "controversial".
Call. Write. E-mail.
Click here to send a message to your legislators in support of school choice.
We have lost too many generations to the government indoctrination system.
From the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference:
Governor Corbett Introduces School Choice Plan to Benefit Students, Community
Speaking at a press conference at Lincoln Charter School in York, Governor Tom Corbett today introduced an education reform package that includes two of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference’s main priorities: a pilot voucher program and an increase to the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) scholarship program.
Governor Corbett, a former teacher, said the focus in education reform needs to be “child, parent, teacher…and just in that order.” He was accompanied by several state senators and representatives as well as Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis.
Click here to send a message to your legislators in support of school choice.
“I believe you need to crawl before you can walk, walk before you run,” said Corbett, who believes this education reform proposal provides “common ground” from which Pennsylvanians can improve.
In a statement released on September 28, the Catholic bishops of Pennsylvania said that school choice “could herald a new, more just era for education in Pennsylvania – an era in which we focus on the ideal educational environment for each student, not on a mandatory system in which students are assigned to a school based solely on geographic location. The current treatment of these children, particularly children from low-income families, is unjust and inequitable. Families are often prevented from accessing the educational options that would be best for them because of economic or social barriers.”
In addition to Governor Corbett, House Majority Leader Michael Turzai and Senate Majority Whip Pat Browne also spoke at the press conference. Representative Turzai (R-Allegheny) said that the reforms discussed today are a start, “we have to have the reforms, particularly in failing school districts, that can make a difference so that we can expand the programs.”
Senator Browne (R-Allentown, Lehigh, Northampton) said that education reform is “about one thing, it is about providing opportunities for our children…we need to try different approaches and let those approaches compete.”
The specifics of the increase to the EITC program, which is currently funded at $75 million, have yet to be announced. An increase to the EITC will provide more low and middle income families with the tuition assistance they need to create options in education. The suggested pilot program for vouchers includes full opportunity scholarships to students in the bottom five percent of failing elementary and high schools whose family income is at 130% or less of the federal poverty rate. That translates to a family of four earning $29,000 each year. Further, students whose families earn 185% of the federal poverty level, or $41,000 each year, get 75% of the opportunity scholarships.
Corbett’s plan also includes a reform of Pennsylvania’s charter school law and teacher evaluations. A vehicle for the education reform proposal has not been determined; visit www.pacatholic.org for updates.
Click here to send a message to your legislators in support of school choice.
More from FreedomWorks:
Since January, FreedomWorks has been fighting for school choice in Pennsylvania, but the next few weeks are the most important yet. The outcome of this fall's legislative session will determine whether Pennsylvania schools serve students and parents or continue catering to unions and bureaucrats.
Governor Tom Corbett has proposed an aggressive plan to put parents back in charge of education that FreedomWorks and our allies around the state are proud to support. The governor's four-point plan calls for expanding the earned income tax credit, setting up "opportunity scholarships" for students trapped in failing schools, creating a commission to approve charter schools and implementing a new teacher evaluation system.
In addition, by lobbying individual legislators to support his plan, Governor Corbett is demonstrating the kind of leadership on this issue that will make school choice a reality in Pennsylvania.
Please Take Action below and help FreedomWorks stand with the governor by contacting your representatives and asking them to back his four-point plan.
We're already off to a strong start. Delegations of activists, l ed by FreedomWorks and our coalition partners, have been conducting grassroots lobbying visits in Harrisburg ever since legislators reconvened there in September. If you or your group would like to join these efforts, please email grassroots@freedomworks.org.
FreedomWorks also hosted a school choice panel in Lebanon this week where attendees heard from state leaders including Rep. Jim Christiana, a key advocate for educational freedom in the House of Delegates.
And please plan to join us in Harrisburg on November 15th for a rally to remind Pennsylvania legislators that school choice remains as important to voters today as it was the day they elected Tom Corbett. More details on that event to follow.
Together, we've been fighting all year to achieve school choice in Pennsylvania, and we need your help now more than ever. I hope you'll join us, our coalition partners and Governor Corbett to finally achieve school choice this fall.
We owe it to Pennsylvania's students and parents to finish this fight.
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