Pennsylvanians Opposed to Vouchers Website/ Budget Cuts

 Pennsylvanians Opposed to Vouchers is a broad coalition of statewide organizations. 

Click here to see POV's new website and to email your legislators regarding SB1:

http://www.paopposedtovouchers.org/

Education secretary: School districts have to deal with cuts

Published: Wednesday, April 06, 2011; Last Updated: Wed. Apr 6, 2011, 3:46pm

By Eric Boehm, PA Independent

HARRISBURG — Budget cuts and a difficult economy will put more pressure on school districts to solve funding problems, and the Pennsylvania's secretary of education says that's exactly the way it should be.
http://pottsmerc.com/articles/2011/04/06/news/srv0000011291161.txt?viewmode=fullstory

BUDGET CUTS: TAKE ACTION TODAY

Click here for links to quickly and easily contact 7 key legislative leaders and your own state legislators on the budget

Parkland to eliminate 60 positions

By Devon Lash, OF THE MORNING CALL

10:52 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2011

The Parkland School District, which has prided itself as a beacon of fiscal stability, is being forced to make unprecedented budget decisions that will shave $6.4 million from its 2011-12 budget.

Parkland will eliminate 60 full- and part-time positions next school year, some of which will be layoffs, Superintendent Louise Donohue said

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/parkland/mc-parkland-budget-cuts-20110406,0,738260.story

School board uses 'Idol' approach to budget cuts

But Northwestern's superintendent says programs 'voted off' won't disappear; it was just a learning opportunity.

By Devon Lash and Sarah Fulton, OF THE MORNING CALL

10:48 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2011

Faced with a $2 million budget shortfall, Northwestern Lehigh School District on Tuesday took an "American Idol" approach to budget cuts, asking an auditorium full of 600 people to vote with their cellphones on which program should go to avoid a tax hike.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-northwestern-lehigh-budget-cuts-20110406,0,1366052.story

Bloggers Challenge President on Standardized Testing

New York Times By TRIP GABRIEL, Published: April 6, 2011

Does President Obama believe standardized testing has gone too far?

Mr. Obama criticized "high-stakes" tests last week at a town-hall-style meeting, contrasting them with less-pressured tests his daughters took in their Washington private school. Those remarks, which did not receive wide coverage at the time, have since prompted close followers of education policy to wonder whether the president opposes his own Education Department.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/education/07education.html?_r=1&ref=education