Statewide reactions to Corbett Education Plan

Posted on Thu, Oct. 13, 2011

Obstacles in path of Corbett's new school voucher plan for Pennsylvania

By Amy Worden, Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG - The votes are there. The support is strong in both chambers.

That was probably the message Gov. Corbett wanted to send Tuesday when he stepped to the microphone - a dozen legislators on bleachers behind him - to present his plan for education reform at a charter school in York.

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20111013_Obstacles_in_path_of_Corbett_s_new_school_voucher_plan_for_Pennsylvania.html

School leaders say no to vouchers

BY JUSTIN STRAWSER AND ROB WHEARY (STAFF WRITERS)

Shamokin News Item, Published: October 13, 2011

Local public school administrators are clear in their reaction to Gov. Tom Corbett's education reform proposal, particularly as it applies to vouchers: They don't like it.

Shamokin Area Superintendent James Zach said he read that 65 percent of Pennsylvanians don't support using public money for private school tuition, which the voucher program - or, in the governor's words, "opportunity scholarships" - would allow.

Read more: http://newsitem.com/news/school-leaders-say-no-to-vouchers-1.1217325#ixzz1afFpFKQ4

Voucher plan panned locally

Hazelton Standard Speaker BY MIA LIGHT (STAFF WRITER)

Published: October 13, 2011

There are too many unexamined details and too many unanswered questions for the state to move forward quickly with Gov. Tom Corbett's public education reform proposal, a top Hazleton Area administrator said Wednesday.
Read more: http://standardspeaker.com/news/voucher-plan-panned-locally-1.1217401#ixzz1afHm1qk7

“At the heart of the debate, most people do not want to see the school system that we've built and invested in for generations, dismantled willy-nilly when the evidence shows that the large majority of schools, teachers and students are meeting or exceeding our goals.”

Schools meet targets, but Corbett's aim is off

Courier Express Wednesday, October 12, 2011

A little more than a week ago, the Pennsylvania Department of Education released the results of last spring's Pennsylvania System of School Assessments (PSSA) exams that are administered to more than 2.6 million students in this commonwealth.
Although we've never been a fan of standardized tests and the teaching-to-the-test approach that results, we are proud to say that local students performed well on those exams. In fact, overall as a state, students across Pennsylvania showed a marked improvement in 2011 over the test scores from the previous year.

http://www.thecourierexpress.com/leadervindicatorlvouropinion/935750-349/schools-meet-targets-but-corbetts-aim-is.html

PA Chamber applauds Gov. Tom Corbett for making education reform a priority
Says change from status quo will benefit Pennsylvania students
PA Chamber of Business and Industry Newswire October 13th
HARRISBURG, PA, Oct. 13, 2011 -- The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry said the education reform plan unveiled by Gov. Tom Corbett and embraced by many state lawmakers is a welcome change of pace from the philosophy that merely spending more will equate to better outcomes, and one that will ensure a quality public education system for all students.

http://enews.pachamber.org/q/qxd5D39r13uehhFlFkuacSOa-2thW86zNukbamk_kI7gjaEQe9YvmzLVY

Corbett education plan has foes, allies

Public schools oppose it, private schools favor it

Lancaster Online, Oct. 12^th By BRIAN WALLACE , Staff Writer

Private school advocates lauded Gov. Tom Corbett's education agenda, while public school officials and supporters of public education criticized the plan for relying on taxpayer-funded vouchers and charter schools to improve student achievement.

http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/477781_Corbett-education-plan-has-foes--allies.html