"Anytime
the private sector sees a large pot of public money, it wants to get its hands
on it," says Tim Potts, a liberal activist who heads the grassroots
Democracy Rising. "Why isn't the Corbett administration trying to fix
public schools that are broken? Because they want failure so they can better
make a case for turning schools over to the private sector . . . it's all about
the money. If there wasn't any money, they wouldn't be doing this."
Matt
Brouillette, a conservative voucher-backer who runs the free-market think tank
Commonwealth Foundation, also says it's about money, different money: "The
800-pound gorilla is the PSEA [the state teachers' union], one of the biggest
campaign contributors. Many lawmakers are either on board with them or afraid
of an opponent who is . . . remember, vouchers are going mostly to schools with
teachers who don't pay union dues."
Posted on Mon, Oct. 17, 2011
John Baer: Vouchers a fundraising
opportunity for pols
By John Baer, Philadelphia
THE POLITICS OF vouchers or, as Gov. Corbett insists on
calling them, "opportunity scholarships," is a mess.
It's a tug-of-war among ideological and regional teams. Its
issues are tied to unions, the Catholic Church, race, geography and, above all,
money.
“The
governor's voucher plan is not as extensive as some recent legislative
proposals, but it shares the same flaws: Funneling tax dollars to religious
schools violates the state constitution and schools accepting vouchers won't be
required to take any student who applies, a luxury that is not available to
public schools.”
Corbett's choice: His funding shift will squeeze public
schools
Gov. Tom Corbett says his
education agenda comes down to this: "It needs to be: child, parent,
teacher ... and just in that order."
His initiatives, which he
outlined during a visit to York
'Spin' game already
begun on Corbett's education agenda
By Evan Brandt ebrandt@pottsmerc.com
To be certain, it is the
state legislators who will have to decide what to keep and what to change from
the education reform agenda released this week by Gov. Tom Corbett that
features tax-funded vouchers to pay for non-traditional public schools as its
centerpiece.
But two distinct sides of the debate released timely studies this week that not only support their position on these issues, but seem to be an attempt to influence that legislative debate by influencing public opinion.
But two distinct sides of the debate released timely studies this week that not only support their position on these issues, but seem to be an attempt to influence that legislative debate by influencing public opinion.
Corbett's plan fair approach
Allowing families to choose the
education that's best for their children should not be limited by a ZIP code or
family income. So Gov. Tom Corbett's plan to extend school choice to low-income
families whose children are stuck in failing schools should be celebrated by
the entire society.
The governor outlined his
school-choice initiative Tuesday without key details, including overall cost.
But the concept is good enough for the Legislature, including Democrats, to
embrace.
Legislators balk at voucher plan
Hazelton Standard
Speaker BY JIM DINO (STAFF WRITER)
Published: October 14, 2011
Several local legislators
believe a proposed school voucher system is unconstitutional and unaffordable
to Pennsylvania
One answer to saving 144
failing schools in the state may be reorganizing the struggling public schools
to make them more responsive to today's student, some say.
PA bishops support Gov.
Corbett's tax program
Published: October 15, 2011
Pennsylvania Catholic bishops
are applauding Gov. Tom Corbett's plan to create a school voucher program and
increase the state's tax credit program.
The governor's plan, which was
unveiled this week, will "ensure that ideal educational opportunities are
accessible and available to all," the bishops said in a statement released
Friday.
Pa. Governor Offers Plan for Vouchers, New
Teacher Evaluation
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is making the case
this week for his education agenda, one that includes core
conservative ideas—namely, the promotion of vouchers—as well as concepts that
have drawn bipartisan support in other states, such as charter expansion and
new approaches to evaluating teachers.
PO
EDITORIAL: School vouchers plan lacks much in way of detail
According to Associated Press,
Gov. Tom Corbett on Tuesday cited high dropout rates at some individual schools
to justify creation of a new entitlement program to shift low-income children
to private and better-performing public schools on the taxpayer's dime.
But do we really have a problem
with dropout rates in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
OK, so the actual statewide
need -- given Corbett's emphasis on the dropout rate -- seems murky. What about
details?
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