Save PA schools from privatization

They are at it again in Harrisburg.  Tomorrow, the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote on Senate Bill 6, the “Educational Accountability and Opportunity Act."  This legislation purports to focus on helping schools that are struggling the most, but is functionally a state takeover bill and a charter conversion bill all in one.

Neither state takeovers nor charter school conversions have yielded positive results in the past in Pennsylvania. There is simply no evidence that changing the governance of a school will increase student performance. Our lawmakers must oppose SB 6 and instead support legislation that will provide the right tools and mechanisms to deal with the issues that these schools face.

In addition to offering little promise of increasing student achievement, SB 6 proposes to strip local control from taxpayers and elected school boards by placing the bottom 1% of schools, as determined by scores on the flawed School Performance Profile, http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Rww%2Bk2hob1Bn%2FNV9%2BzdSznqbuerzz7pr and place them into a school district that is run by the state.

These schools could then be converted into charter schools without the approval of local taxpayers and without any right of appeal. Local taxpayers, who have no say in the conversion of these schools, would be responsible for paying the charter school tuition bills.

The problem the lowest performing schools in Pennsylvania face is poverty, and “accountability” is not the solution to poverty. 

In the 22 schools districts that have at least one of the eligible schools, the districts have an extraordinarily high poverty rate (an average of 68%), AND a higher than average tax rate (30% higher).  Those districts experienced combined funding cuts of $374 million, of which only about a third have been restored.

Helping Pennsylvania’s lowest performing schools is the single best pursuit of the legislature.  These schools have specific needs that include strengthening and expanding academic supports, including the need for extended learning time, tutoring, smaller class sizes, starting children in school earlier, enriched and individualized curriculum and the accompanying planning and development of instructional practice.

Please contact your state senator today and urge him or her to oppose the flawed SB 6, and instead work toward finding solutions that hold the real promise of improving Pennsylvania’s lowest performing schools.

Thank you for your support of public education.
Best regards,

Susan Gobreski, Executive Director, Education Voters of PA

Contact your senator to oppose SB 6 here:
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6041/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=11387
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