The campaign to marginalize public school choice is advancing in the state House! This Monday, the House Education Committee will hold hearings on proposals that threaten to slash funding for cyber schools. And cyber schools already receive only 81 percent of what traditional districts receive per student! These drastic cuts will make it difficult—if not impossible—for [...] More »
Ask your Member of Congress to Support More Federal Funding for Public Charter Schools! Four public charter school champions in the U.S. House of Representatives are seeking support for an increase in federal funds for the federal Charter Schools Program (CSP). Reps. Jared Polis (D-CO), Tom Petri (R-WI), Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Duncan Hunter (R-CA) [...] More »
Representative James Roebuck recently introduced HB 934. This bill would have devastating effects to both cyber charter and brick and mortar charter schools. Tomorrow, PCPCS President Lawrence Jones, Jr. and Rep. Roebuck will appear on the PCN program “Call In” at 7:00 pm to debate Rep. Roebuck’s legislation. Please tune in to watch and also call [...] More »
On March 14,2013, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued revised invoicing instructions that prohibited charter schools from including enrollment for future months in any request for redirection. More specifically, the instructions stated that “The Department will not process any withholding request that includes payments due to a charter school for future months, and will return [...] More »
The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools (PCPCS) is incredibly disappointed that the House of Representatives has chosen to bow to special interest groups over the well being of the children of this state. In failing to pass SB 1115, the House rejected three years of work by people who have been sincerely and passionately dedicated to crafting legislation that increases accountability for charter schools and provides better quality educational options for our children. More »
Now is the time to act on legislation which embodies national best practices designed to create and nurture high quality charter schools. The following tenants are encompassed in SB 1115 and need to be in the final legislation. More »
The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools would like to congratulate the newly elected 2012 Leadership Council. The Leadership Council were nominated and voted on by their peers to represent the diverse geographic regions of Pennsylvania More »
Convening for the first time in three years, the Pennsylvania Charter School Annual Conference is the only statewide gathering of the entire Pennsylvania charter school community. Between 500 and 1,000 charter school teachers, administrators, board members, policy makers, advocates and suppliers will gather to learn, share, and network for the improvement of charter schools throughout [...] More »
PCPCS is excited to announce that 20th Century Fox in conjunction with Walden Media will be releasing a feature film about a group of Pennsylvania parents and teachers who work together against the odds and opposition to create a neighborhood charter school. About the film: Once in a great while, a film is made that combines honest, [...] More »
The Heinz Endowments has awarded the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools (PCPCS) a $300,000 two-year grant for the purpose of expanding efforts to drive quality and accountability in Pennsylvania charter schools. “Due to its proven commitment and demonstrated influence in increasing quality, accountability and transparency in Pennsylvania charter schools, the Endowments is pleased to [...] More »
Funding will help drive quality and accountability in Pennsylvania charter schools The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools (PCPCS) announced today that it has received a $1.14 million grant from the Walton Family Foundation. The three-year grant was made with the goal of expanding efforts to drive quality and accountability in Pennsylvania charter schools, and [...] More »
Joined by Philadelphia education, business and philanthropic leaders, Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced today that he and other education leaders have signed a historic agreement to increase the number of high-performing schools in the City. The Philadelphia Great Schools Compact unites the mayor, school district and charter school leaders in a bold, collaborative plan to focus [...] More »
The results are in: The majority of PA residents support public school choice. The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools in partnership with Susquehanna Polling and Research recently conducted a statewide survey to determine how taxpayers view charter and cyber charter schools. The survey results indicate that residents across the Commonwealth recognize the value of [...] More »
West Chester, PA — The Pa Senate Education Committee voted today to include into a key education bill (SB 1) much of what was in charter school reform bill SB 904, and to move SB 1 to the full Senate for consideration. SB 1 previously contained proposals focusing only on Opportunity Scholarships and Educational Investment [...] More »
The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools applauds Governor Tom Corbett for addressing the Commonwealth’s need for public education reform. The Governor has made it clear that providing Pennsylvania K-12 students with public school choice is one of his top priorities. The reforms supported by Governor Corbett, which reflect companion bills in the Pennsylvania Senate [...] More »
The following is a transcript of the testimony of Lawrence F. Jones, President of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Public Charter Schools, given to the the PA House Education Committee in Philadelphia on Thursday July 28th. Good afternoon Chairman Clymer, Chairman Roebuck, members of the Education Committee, members of the legislature, and audience members. My name is Lawrence F. [...] More »
The leaders of the charter school movement in Pennsylvania identified the need for a single new statewide organization with a clear, unambiguous mission and a more effective governance structure. By early summer, they had developed a new strategic plan, merged two organizations into one, re-written the By-Laws, and defined a streamlined and more diverse leadership [...] More »