Monthly Archives: May 2011

Special Education Reform Reintroduced—Take Action

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Sandy Strauss

From the Education Law Center (http://www.elc-pa.org):   Last year major reform legislation aimed at fixing the state’s flawed system of special education funding made it halfway through the General Assembly.  It is now being re-introduced (with a soon-to-be-determined number). Under … Continue reading →

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Homeless Children Education Toolkit

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Sandy Strauss

From the Education Law Center (http://www.elc-pa.org):   The Education Law Center, in partnership with the Homeless Children’s Education Fund, has published a Toolkit designed to help one of the most educationally at-risk student populations – children who are homeless. “School Success … Continue reading →

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Education Budget Plans Miss the Mark—Sign a Petition to Stop the Billion Dollar Cut

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Sandy Strauss

From the Education Law Center (http://www.elc-pa.org):   The Pennsylvania House Republicans’ recent budget proposal (http://www.scribd.com/doc/55178076/PA-House-GOP-Budget-Spreadsheet-2011) does little to improve Gov. Corbett’s original proposal, which cuts more than $1 billion from education. The House plan cuts approximately $900 million — at … Continue reading →

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New Charter School Bill Would Hurt Public Schools

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Sandy Strauss

From the Education Law Center (http://www.elc-pa.org):   Senate Bill 904 (http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2011&sind=0&body=S&type=B&BN=0904),  a new charter school bill before the General Assembly, would repeal Pennsylvania’s current charter school/cyber charter school law in its entirety, and replace it with new legislation that would … Continue reading →

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Pennsylvania: Voucher Ground Zero

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Sandy Strauss

By WILL BUNCH Philadelphia Daily News bunchw@phillynews.com  215-854-2957 http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20110523_Pennsylvania__Voucher_Ground_Zero.html   FOR WEEKS, deep-pocketed advocates for school vouchers – tax dollars to help students attend private or religious schools – in Pennsylvania sold their scheme as the only way for poor … Continue reading →

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Sign an End Mercury Poisoning Pledge

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Sandy Strauss

From the Evangelical Environmental Network (http://www.creationcare.org):   The Evangelical Environmental Network has launched a new initiative to help end the mercury poisoning of the unborn! 1 in 6 children, that’s 700,000 a year, are born with harmful levels of mercury … Continue reading →

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Thank Your PA Senator and Representative for Rejecting Large Cuts to Unemployment Compensation

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Sandy Strauss

From the Philadelphia Unemployment Project (http://www.philaup.org/):   Thanks to all of you who called your legislators and a strong push by organized labor HB 916 (http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2011&sind=0&body=H&type=B&BN=0916), which contained large scale, permanent cuts in Unemployment Compensation, was defeated by a vote … Continue reading →

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Most Americans Oppose GOP Plan to Cut Medicaid

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Sandy Strauss

Shared by Faith in Public Life (http://www.faithinpubliclife.org):   By Phil Galewitz – Kaiser Health News May 25, 2011   Most Americans oppose the House Republicans’ plan to overhaul and slash funding of Medicaid, the state-federal program that covers 56 million … Continue reading →

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Livingston: People are Created in God’s Image and Poverty is Wrong from a Faith Perspective

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Sandy Strauss

From the National Council of Churches (http://www.ncccusa.org):   By Nancy Kirsch   Providence, R.I.,  May 25, 2011 — The Rev. Michael Livingston, director of the National Council of Churches poverty initiative, told 150 persons at the third annual Rhode Island … Continue reading →

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