For Immediate Release
Contact: Sharon Cherubin, 717.413.3973, armygirllt@gmail.com
Don Adams, 215.620.3055, getsmarty@hotmail.com
Tea Party Coalition Tells Reps SB1 Should Wither on the Vine;
Says Commonwealth Roses and SB1 Will Not End School Violence
Harrisburg, PA (, 2011) -- In response to the Commonwealth Foundation's delivery of 17 roses to each member of the PA House, the Grassroots Coalition for Real School Choice sent a letter (below) to every Republican House member saying that SB1 should 'whither on the vine.'
"Yes, every 17 seconds an act of violence is committed in a public school. Violence is endemic throughout the system, especially in the 'persistently failing schools,'" said Sharon Cherubin, Co-Founder of the Coalition and Executive Diector of UNITEPA.
"Unfortunately, SB1 will do nothing to stop the violence and save our children.
"However, Rep. Curt Schroder's Failing Schools Student Rescue Act, HB 1678, would provide a $5000 voucher to every child attending the Commonwealth's 143 persistently failing public schools regardless of family income--and if most of these students take advantage of the voucher, it has the potential to close many failing schools," said Ms. Cherubin.
"We are on record strongly supporting HB1678 and HB1330."
According to a recent Pulse Opinion Research Poll, most Pennsylvanians agree with our position. A clear 78% prefer a school choice program available to all students--not soley low income students.
"And the Coalition does support the Educational Improvement Tax Credit component of the bill, otherwise known as HB1330, which provide
scholarships for middle and low income students," said Don Adams,
Co-founder of the Coalition and the Independence Hall Tea Party.
"We believe that the EITC, Charter School, and Teacher Assessment provisions of SB1 should be considered in separate legislation."
To view the published results of the Pulse Opinion Research poll, please visit www.UNITEPA.org.
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The Grassroots Coalition for Real School Choice is an association of twenty-two Tea Party and conservative organizations throughout Pennsylvania.
