REACH ALLIANCE & FOUNDATION APPLAUDS GOV. CORBETT’S EDUCATION REFORM PLAN
Plan would provide Opportunity Scholarships & expand EITC without raising taxes
(Harrisburg, PA – October 11, 2011) The REACH Alliance & Foundation applauds Governor Tom Corbett for his leadership in education reform. The Governor, a former teacher, earlier today introduced his ambitious education reform plan, which will expand school choice in the state via opportunity scholarships, expand the popular Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program, establish standards and enforcements for charter schools and peg student achievement to teacher evaluations – all without raising state taxes. The Governor wants the plan in place by the 2012-13 school year.
“Governor Corbett’s education reform plan will revolutionize education in Pennsylvania, making our children the education system’s first priority,” says Otto V. Banks, executive director of REACH Alliance & Foundation. “Our system has failed children throughout the state for far too long, and it’s time that we upend the status quo. A family’s ZIP code should not determine the quality of their children’s education.”
The plan vastly expands school choice opportunities in PA by creating an Opportunity Scholarship Program, which would provide tuition assistance for eligible students to attend a public or non-public school of their choice. Opportunity scholarships (commonly referred to as vouchers) would be based on income and residence within the attendance zones of the lowest-performing 5% of schools across the state.
The EITC program would also be expanded under the proposal, providing additional scholarships for schoolchildren by expanding the tax credits available to businesses. More than 40,000 PA children currently participate in the EITC program each year. The figure for EITC expansion will be decided upon by the Governor and the Legislature. House Bill 1330, a bill sponsored by Rep. Tom Quigley that would increase the EITC program to $200 million, passed the House with 190 votes earlier this year.
With opportunities for school choice expanding, charter schools will most likely grow in the state. The Corbett education plan calls for a state commission to oversee and authorize new charter schools, and the creation of a committee that will examine the financing of charter and cyber charter schools. Currently, PA school districts hold that authority.
Teacher evaluations are also a part of the education reform package, expanding upon the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s existing pilot program that ties teacher evaluation to student achievement.
“REACH strongly supports the Governor’s education reform plan. We look forward to working together with students, families, educators, advocates and legislators to make this plan a reality in Pennsylvania,” says Banks.
School choice supporters are urged to visit the REACH Alliance & Foundation’s website to learn more about school choice and what they can do to help the movement in Pennsylvania.
What is the REACH Alliance? Founded in 1991, REACH is Pennsylvania’s grassroots coalition for school choice. For more information on the REACH Alliance & Foundation, visit www.paschoolchoice.org.
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