School Choice
Mayor Cherelle Parker said Monday she will be introducing a new intergovernmental committee to advise the school district during its difficult school “rightsizing” process.
Nearly 15,000 Philadelphia students are enrolled in cyber charter schools. Families say they feel safer and prefer the schedule flexibility of online learning. But public education advocates point out some cyber charters have serious issues.
The district introduced a revised lottery system in 2022 to make the process more equitable, but students and educators have sharply criticized it.
Shapiro spoke in favor of private school vouchers but then vetoed a proposal to establish them. He’s also signed public school funding increases and universal school breakfasts into law.
The Pennsylvania governor could join the Democratic presidential ticket, yet his embrace of vouchers is out of step with many in his party.
Deciding how much money to spend on K-12 education remains an obstacle to closing a budget deal in Harrisburg.
A spokesperson for Team Roc, the philanthropic arm of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation orgnaization, says their public education campaign about a pending school voucher bill does not constitute lobbying. The state’s definition of lobbying may suggest otherwise.
The bill revives a voucher program called the PASS scholarship, which would give students in the lowest-performing school districts up to $10,000 to use at private schools.
Their place in the city’s education landscape has taken on new importance as the share of English learners has also increased.
The Renaissance initiative was supposed to turn around 10% of Philadelphia’s low-performing district schools by ceding them to charter organizations. After 14 years, the program has faded into the background.
Ending a monthslong budget impasse, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed several code bills that create a student teacher stipend, add money for school choice programs, and send millions to community colleges and libraries.
Pennsylvania House Democrats’ refusal to pass a budget bill with a school voucher program halted negotiations but Shapiro vowed to line-item veto the voucher program when a budget bill hits his desk.
School board rejects applications for charter schools