The REACH Alliance issues a statement today regarding the status of school choice legislation in Pennsylvania. “With the passage of the state budget, time has run out for school vouchers this session. While we are understandably disappointed that a school voucher bill did not pass, we
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
The Diocese of Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and the REACH Alliance hosted a news conference about school choice at Resurrection Catholic School in Lancaster, PA. The PCC is part of a coalition of concerned groups who support school choice legislation to increase th
This is part 5 of our 5-part series on commonly asked school choice questions. Read part 1, part 2 , part 3 and part 4 here. 5. Won’t school choice cost the state a lot of money in a time when the budget is already being cut? With school choice, parents have more options. Most will re
This is part 4 of our 5-part series on commonly asked school choice questions. Read part 1, part 2 and part 3 here. 4. If Catholic schools accept voucher students, will they be able to maintain their Catholic identity? Will they have different admissions standards? Nothing in SB 1 lim
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
Pennsylvanians have been discussing school choice and Senate Bill 1 for months now, but misinformation and questions still enter the debate. Over the next week, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference will answer the top five questions we receive about Senate Bill 1. 1. Who qualifies for
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