There's a proposal on the state budget negotiation table that would speed the state’s most underfunded school districts along the slow road toward adequacy. Let's push them over the finish line! Lawmakers are considering corporate tax cuts during our...
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Education
What is the legislature thinking? – Jun 17, 2022
Public Schools are Pinching Pennies while Cyber Charters are Rolling in Cash While the General Assembly was busy passing a bill this week to protect charter school interests, the PA Charter Performance Center released a report showing that cyber charters have...
REPORT: Cyber Charter Surpluses – June 2022
Cyber charter surpluses are substantial, growing, and unregulated. This issue matters to school districts that are responsible for paying public cyber charter tuition and taxpayers who ultimately foot the bill. State law already prevents school districts from...
Lower Property Taxes by Reforming Charter Schools – Jun 3, 2022
Montgomery County superintendents, school board members, and a bipartisan group of state legislators came together to demand charter school reform at a Children First press conference this week. Charter school payments by school districts drive up property...
Teach our children to be well and do good – May 20, 2022
Teach Our Children Well Our hearts break for the Buffalo families who are burdened with unspeakable grief. The sickening sadness of witnessing a teenager driven to a murderous rage by racism adds another level of grief altogether. "I need a village to help me...
No Better Investment than Kids – May 13, 2022
PA's Budget Surplus Can Be a Game-Changer for Kids For years we’ve been told that the money just isn’t there to meet the needs of schools, child care programs, or children’s health. Routinely, state lawmakers would metaphorically pull out their empty pockets...
TESTIMONY: Philadelphia City Council: School District Budget – May 4, 2022
School District of Philadelphia Budget Hearing at City Council Children First Testimony May 4, 2022 Good afternoon. My name is Tomea Sippio-Smith. I am the K-12 Education Policy Director at Children First. Clearly, this has been a rough two years for Philadelphia’s...
TESTIMONY: Elimination of the Bureau of School Audits – May 4, 2022
Children First Testimony May 4, 2022 Presented to the PA House Democratic Policy Committee Regarding Attorney General DeFoor’s Elimination of the Bureau of School Audits Thank you for the opportunity to testify regarding the Auditor General’s surprise elimination of...
TESTIMONY: Philadelphia School Board on the budget – Apr 21, 2022
School District of Philadelphia Budget Hearing Children First Testimony April 21, 2022 Good afternoon. My name is Tomea Sippio-Smith. I am the K-12 Education Policy Director at Children First. Clearly, this has been a rough two years for our students. They have...
It’s Gonna Take A Miracle To Stop This – Apr 29, 2022
It's No Joke A priest, a hedge fund millionaire, and a right- wing think tank director walk into a bar. The priest says to the hedge fund guy, "I know you’ve faltered in your now ten-year effort to destroy public education. I have a way for you to finally get...