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Politics & Government

EITC, Cyber & Charter School Reform and School Vouchers

Sen. Wayne Fontana weighs in on charter school reform and tax credits for educational improvement.

This past week, Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) was put before the full Senate for a vote.  It passed on Oct. 26, by a vote of 27-22.  I voted no.

SB 1, as amended, contains three main components – an increase in the Educational Improvement Tax Credit, reforms to cyber and charter school provisions and the creation of a school voucher program. I have been a supporter of EITC since my election and am in favor of that portion of the bill. I also believe that the reforms to cyber and charter schools are a step in the right direction and that there are further steps that will be taken to address the funding issue of these schools.

It is the creation of the school voucher program that I could not support. In its simplest form, the provisions impact only a very small number of children in this Commonwealth. While those students would have options, the bill does nothing to address the children left behind or the struggling schools.

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As I have said many times before, our conversation around reform should focus on finding ways to improve education for all children. I also believe that there should be uniform accountability for all schools, have concerns with the cost of the bill and believe that there are constitutional issues with this proposal. 

I represent all 260,000 residents of my district and the majority of those who contacted me on this issue are opposed to SB 1. On the day of the vote, I had received 922 communications from constituents in the district – e-mails, faxes, phone calls, letters and visits. Of those, only 265, or 28 percent, asked me to vote in favor of this legislation. The majority of those individuals are teachers or administrators in parochial schools, or are parents of students who attend parochial schools.

Of the 82 percent who opposed the bill, the biggest issue was that they do not want their tax dollars being used to support private and parochial schools. They also expressed concern with the inability of the state to address real education reform. Please understand, all parents now have a choice to send their children to charter schools or cyber schools, and can even choose home schooling without additional costs. All parents also have a choice to send their children to Catholic school if they are in a financial position to pay the tuition out of their pockets. For those who are unable to pay tuition, there is further opportunity for scholarships through the EITC program.

The legislation now goes to the House for consideration. It will need to be referred to committee and considered there before going to the full House for a vote. The indication at this point is that the House does not agree with SB 1 as it is coming to them and will likely amend if they do consider it. This conversation is far from over.

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As you may be aware, Governor Corbett released his education reform proposals on Oct. 11, but nothing has been formally introduced as legislation. That same week, the PA State Education Association also released a proposal calling for investments in early education, professional development programs focused on parental involvement, additional learning time for students, and comprehensive career and technical education – to name just a few.

The PA School Boards Association also weighed in with its vision that all children are provided an equitable and excellent education that prepares them for college, career and life. Frankly, that vision is one we can all share and it is the commonalities that we should build upon and use as our impetus to work together to create real reforms. Working together, we can emphasize best practices and determine how best to provide for accountability. We can find innovative programs that have proven results. And we need to continue to invest in our children’s education and spend our state resources wisely to provide that every child has opportunities available to them.

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