Editor’s note: This article appeared Tuesday on The Center Square.
A Pennsylvania state senator is proposing a new school-choice program for students who live in the commonwealth’s poorest-performing public school districts.
Sen. Judy Ward, R-Hollidaysburg, penned a memorandum to her colleague, soliciting co-sponsors for legislation to create new Lifeline Scholarships for students struggling in the commonwealth’s lowest-achieving school districts.
“Under this legislation, parents with children in grades 1-12 who reside within the attendance area of a district school in the bottom 15% of performance metrics based on state testing would be eligible to receive a scholarship,” Ward wrote Monday. “This scholarship will offset costs associated with choosing an alternative academic setting that meets their child’s individual learning needs.”
The Lifeline Scholarships would allow parents to use state funds for qualified expenses that would include tuition at alternative schools, textbooks, curriculum, tutoring or services for students with special needs.
“The accounts would be administered by the Pennsylvania Treasurer, much like the existing Pennsylvania 529 Plan that allows parents to save for college,” according to the memo.
To continue reading, click here.
Leave our children alone, it is up to the school to make sure, each and every child has the best education there is, no matter who they are, there should not be any school, that is below teaching the best of their knowledge knowledge to each child, ask yourself what about the child, that things come harder to them to learn? Will you just leave them out and make them feel worse? Quit dividing.
I agree that it is up to the school, each and EVERY school, to provide our children an optimum level of education, across the board. But the fact is that they DON’T. Moreover, they have no accountability to do so. As a parent, that can reasonably leave you quite frustrated. I mean if I pay my taxes just like other parents, why can’t my child or the children of X school district have the same educational opportunity? And if their “state scores” (which is the state’s legalistic means of quantifying performance) reflect that they’re, in fact, not meeting the bar, as set by other schools, what are my choices in order to improve educational opportunity for my child? Should all of the families in poorly performing districts sell their holes and buy homes in districts that perform appropriately? I’m not seeking to be antagonistic. I’m being as sincere as I can be. I simply don’t see how this is divisive. TIA for your thoughts.