Corbett rallies Senate GOP on vouchers

Posted on Wed, Apr. 13, 2011

Corbett rallies Senate GOP on vouchers

By Angela Couloumbis and Adrienne Lu, Inquirer Staff Writers

HARRISBURG - Gov. Corbett made an unusual and unexpected appearance Tuesday afternoon at a closed-door meeting of Senate Republicans to shore up support for a school-voucher bill to help low-income students attend the schools of their choice.

The governor carved out time to meet with the GOP legislators after it became clear that the voucher legislation was running into trouble. The Republican-controlled Senate was expected to approve it Tuesday but instead put off the vote to iron out differences.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20110413_Corbett_rallies_Senate_GOP_on_vouchers.html

Corbett pushes school vouchers

By Brad Bumsted and Jodi Weigland
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, April 13, 2011

HARRISBURG -- Republican Gov. Tom Corbett on Tuesday took the unusual step of appearing before the Senate GOP closed-door caucus to argue for passage of school choice, but a vote on the bill was postponed until April 26 at the earliest.

Read more: Corbett pushes school vouchers - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_732003.html#ixzz1JOWe2N5Z

Deep pockets behind school choice

Supporters, organization and cash drive Corbett-backed push for vouchers.

By John L. Micek, MORNING CALL HARRISBURG BUREAU

10:48 p.m. EDT, April 12, 2011

HARRISBURG—

— There were T-shirts, lunches and posters with clever slogans for the hundreds of people who gathered on the Capitol steps Tuesday to rally for legislation allowing children from struggling schools to use taxpayer-funded vouchers to attend private and religious schools.

http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-pa-school-vouchers-20110412,0,5260178.story

Here's a perspective from the other side from the Commonwealth Foundation, strong supporter of school choice:

APRIL 12, 2011 | News Release by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

Millions Funneled to Lobbyists by Public Schools

Harrisburg, PA - The Commonwealth Foundation announced today preliminary results from extensive Open Records Requests that found more than $59 million dollars of taxpayer money is being funneled through taxpayer-funded public school districts directly to organizations frequently involved in lobbying against the interests of taxpayers and underserved children.

http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/research/detail/millions-funneled-to-lobbyists-by-public-schools

Vouchers Make a Comeback, But Why?

Washington Post Bridging Differences Blog, By Diane Ravitch on April 12, 2011 9:44 AM

Vouchers are back in the news. Several conservative governors are pushing them, and Republican members of Congress—in a showdown with President Barack Obama—have succeeded in restoring funding for the District of Columbia's voucher program, which was cut by the previous Democratic-controlled Congress.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences/2011/04/vouchers_make_a_comeback_but_w.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BridgingDifferences+%28Education+Week+Blog%3A+Bridging+Differences%29

 

Pennsylvanians Opposed to Vouchers is a broad coalition of statewide organizations. Click here to for a link to email your legislators regarding the voucher bill SB1:

http://www.paopposedtovouchers.org/

Public Education in PA is Clearly Under Attack – Make More Noise

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