For the first time in nine years, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed the state budget before the June 30 constitutional deadline. The $27.15 billion spending plan holds the line on taxes and represents a 4 percent cut in spending over last year. Governor Tom Corbett signed the b

Headlines across the state this morning suggest that a deal could be in the works to pass school choice before the General Assembly breaks for the summer. Time is of the essence. A big push is needed to convince legislators that they should act now! Legislators need to hear from their

Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Senators Jeffrey Piccola (R-Dauphin) and Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia), has been the subject of the school choice debate for many months. Titled the Opportunity Scholarship and Educational Improvement Tax Credit Act, the bill proposes an increase in fun

This is part 3 of our 5-part series on commonly asked school choice questions. Read part one and part two here (links). 3. Is there any benefit to school choice for those of us who do not have school-aged children? Providing a quality education for our children is the most critical in

This is part 2 of our 5-part series on commonly asked school choice questions. Read part one here. 2. How does school choice benefit Catholic schools? Not every qualified student will choose a Catholic school, but it is likely that many will. Catholic educators can already attest how

That’s what the difference was for one EITC scholarship recipient, Junior Courtney Scheingraber, after she used school choice scholarships to transfer to Lancaster Catholic. Scheingraber was one of the speakers at a recent press conference in support of Senate Bill 1 at Resurrection C

News for Advocates for Catholic Education in Pennsylvania May 13, 2011   School Choice Update: Senate Bill 1 – Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Your hard work is paying off.  Senate Bill 1 is positioned to run in the next few weeks, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be do

In a new Pennsylvania poll, conducted by national polling and research firm Public Opinion Strategies (POS), by a 15% margin (54%-39%) respondents favored pending legislation known as Senate Bill 1. The survey was conducted April 13-14, and included 600 likely voters throughout Pennsy

Senate Bill 1 – the Opportunity Scholarship and Educational Improvement Tax Credit Act successfully passed the Senate Appropriations Committee with a 15-11 vote. Say thanks to the Senators who supported it.

 News for Advocates for Catholic Education in Pennsylvania School Choice Rally on the Capitol Steps On Tuesday, April 12, 2011, beginning around 12 pm, Students First and the entire nonpublic school community in Pennsylvania will be hosting a Senate Bill 1 Rally for all supporters of