Public education found support in an unusual place on September 28, when more than 500 citizens convened at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Norristown for the first public forum of the Southeastern Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project. Governor Rendell, a dozen Republican and Democratic state legislators and two county commissioners were in attendance as a bi-partisan panel of local leaders unveiled an agenda for change, including continuance of the new school funding formula that prioritizes state assistance to financially burdened and underfunded school districts.
 
Vince Gordon, an Upper Darby School Board member, said that staying the course on the new school funding formula is imperative not only for the benefit of children, but also to revitalize his community. "If we fail to adequately fund our schools, we risk driving out the middle income families who are the backbone of our community," said Gordon. But if Upper Darby raises what are already disproportionately high property taxes in comparison to its wealthier neighboring districts, it also risks driving out the middle income families and becoming an increasingly poor community that struggles to maintain basic services. In addition to education finance reform, local leaders called for:

The public forum was the result of 18 months of work - including discussions with hundreds of suburban leaders, legislative meetings and issues conventions - to come to a consensus agenda designed to revitalize communities and restore prosperity to the region. Read the news coverage of the event or visit the First Suburbs Project's website for more information.

Education policy took center stage recently at a public forum for candidates seeking retiring state Sen. Gib Armstrong's 13th district seat. Hosted by Good Schools Pennsylvania and the Lancaster Foundation for Educational Enrichment, the debate featured Democrat Jose Urdeneta, Republican Lloyd Smucker and write-in candidate Bill Neff. The candidates were asked to respond to a series of questions about their views on education policy in Pennsylvania. Audience members, including representatives from each of the 10 school districts that lie within the 13th senatorial district, were in attendance to learn more about the candidates' plans for preserving and funding the new school funding formula, ensuring that all students have what they need to learn and succeed, and guaranteeing that every school has adequate resources and qualified teachers. Read this news article for more information on the event and the candidates' platforms.

Pennsylvanians lost a friend, advocate and tireless champion of public education on Saturday, October 18 when state Sen. James Rhoades died as a result of a car accident. Rhoades, the six-term senator from Schuylkill County, was the majority chairman of the Senate Education Committee and demonstrated a life-long commitment to public education and the revitalization of Pennsylvania communities. As a former teacher, football coach and principal in Schuylkill County, Sen. Rhoades left the profession in 1980 to take his cause and commitment to public education to Harrisburg. In his 26 years in the state Senate, he dedicated his life's work to benefit students both in his home district and those all across Pennsylvania. The public education community in Pennsylvania will miss Sen. Rhoades' passion, dedication, commitment and leadership.

Good Schools Pennsylvania, the Education Policy and Leadership Center and the Education Law Center took a moment to celebrate our successful partnership at an awards ceremony hosted by EPLC on October 22 in Harrisburg. The Partnership Award was bestowed by EPLC in recognition of several years of formal collaboration that worked to impact education policy in Pennsylvania and successfully advocate for a new system of financing public education. 

 

Our collaborative's role in the public policy victory was also recognized recently at an awards ceremony hosted by the Washington D.C.-based Schott Foundation. In addition, the Schott Foundation recognized the important work of a newer collaboration of organizing groups in southeastern Pennsylvania, which includes the Eastern Pennsylvania Organizing Project, ACORN, Youth United for Change, Philadelphia Student Union, Philadelphia Public School Notebook, Research for Action, Good Schools Pennsylvania and the Education Law Center.

Our website is updated frequently with news, opportunities and links to keep you informed about our work to change public education funding in Pennsylvania. Be sure to add the Good Schools Pennsylvania homepage to your favorites and check back often.

 

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Good Schools Pennsylvania is a statewide network of citizens who are informed and mobilized in support of public education. We believe that we can improve our schools when we join together in calling for adequate funds that are equitably distributed, proven educational practices to meet a standard of excellence, and effective accountability measures. Visit our website.