It appears that the school vouchers bill (PA Senate Bill SB1), may be coming up for a vote today in the PA Senate. I think it's a flawed and unfair bill that has a good chance of leaving even more children behind. The excerpt below that I found on-line from a Cedar Grove Christian Academy's 6/17/11 newsletter illustrates a fundamental problem I have with the bill. It uses public tax dollars to benefit parents who choose to send their children to private religious institutions. Oh, and these private institutions, religious or otherwise, can use whatever enrollment criteria they want to pick and choose which students they'll accept.
SCHOOL VOUCHER BILL: The PA Senate Education Committee has given Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) to the full PA Senate to vote on. This bill is about school vouchers and will benefit many families who want to enroll and/or keep their children in Christian schools in Pa.
1. Please contact your legislators and show your support for Senate Bill 1 (SB1). You can do this very easily at
http://www.reachaheadpa.org/ or http://www.acsipa.org/ where letters are already prepared for you.
2. Visit your senator’s and representative’s local office and just tell him/her that you want to encourage them to support and vote for SB1.
3. Use an open prayer line to pray for the passage of this bill. Call in to pray or listen to the prayers of others.
The line is available each weeknight from 9 pm to 10 pm. 605-475-4825 (access code 103251#).
Please make these contacts as soon as possible for the passage of this very-worthwhile bill. Remember, this would provide a way for many Christian families to enroll and/or keep their children in a Christian school.
9 comments:
...very interesting,
since a recent Holy Trinity bulletin contained a similar request
This isn't a knock on religion. It's a knock on public tax dollars being diverted to it, especially in this unequal playing field way.
The fact that right-wing billionaires are behind this voucher effort doesn't exactly inspire comfort.
http://www.k12newsnetwork.com/2011/04/from-guest-blogger-rachel-tabachnick-talk-to-action-voucher-advocate-betsy-devos-right-wing-think-tanks-behind-koch-style-attack-on-pa-public-schools-section-1/
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/right-wingers-unite-vouchers-and-agai
What's the school board doing about this?
The school board is doing just as the Republican overlords have wanted for years. Trample the lower and middle class to enrich the upper class.
I don't know. Superintendent Bill Ferrara says he 100% supports a voucher program if it's fair, but this one isn't fair, but he 100% supports a voucher program if it's fair, but this one isn't fair, but ... (repeat circular argument until head hurts and confusion reigns).
I know Ron Stout publicly expressed support for vouchers before he began his award-winning campaign for school board. If I get motivated, I'll find and post the relevant excerpt from the board meeting minutes.
Feb. 28, 2007. Wow, and he advocated selling public school properties to a private school too!
Ron Stout, 129 S. Delmor Ave.
Have you tried to sell the properties to a private school; you’d get a lot more for it. Give all the kids in town vouchers and let them choose where they want to go.
Speaking of Republican overlords and trampling the lower and middle classes ...
"But our school district’s loss of nearly $700,000, or more than one-half million dollars, in state revenue this year was a “body blow” of enormous proportions."
- Bill Hellmann, CPA
What's the Vegas over/under on how many of the 9 board members voted for Gov. Tom "Body Blow" Corbett? I'm guessing about 7.
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