From Education Voters of Pennsylvania (http://www.educationvoterspa.org/):
Late on Friday afternoon, the Senate Education Committee published online that it will be meeting on Tuesday, December 12th at 10:30 am in Room 8E-A in the East Wing of the Harrisburg Capitol to consider Senate Bill 2, the education savings account/Betsy DeVos school voucher legislation.
Education savings accounts (ESAs) are a new and costly government entitlement program that will take taxpayer money out of public schools and give it to parents to spend on private school tuition and other educational expenses. Under SB 2, families whose children attend or have attended a low-performing school (the bottom 15% of performers on PSSA and Keystone exams) will receive an education savings account (ESA) filled with taxpayer money if they withdraw their child from public school. Funding for ESAs would be subtracted from the state funding a student’s school district receives and put into an ESA for that student’s family to spend.
Committee leaders appear to be trying slip this vote on SB 2 under the radar as we approach the holiday season.
Please go to https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-your-state-lawmakers-to-oppose-sb-2-legislation-that-would-bring-a-new-generation-of-betsy-devoss-school-vouchers-called-education-savings-accounts-esas-to-pa to send an email to your state lawmakers and tell them to oppose Senate Bill 2.
As many of you will recall, on October 24th, the Senate Education Committee voted on SB 2. At first, committee leaders reported that SB 2 had passed with a 6-5 vote. However, later in the day and after a public outcry, committee leaders acknowledged that Senator Tommy Tomlinson’s proxy had cast a NO vote that had not been recorded. The vote on SB 2 was then struck and the bill was moved back into the committee.
The senators below are the current members of the Senate Education Committee. If one of these men represents you, you can have an especially significant impact since lawmakers pay attention when their constituents call them.
Please pick up the phone and call your senator right now if he is on this list. If his office is closed, leave a message so he gets it when he comes in. If you have a Twitter account, Tweeting to him would also be very helpful.
Your message can be short: My name is X and I am a constituent of senator X. I am calling to tell him to vote NO on Senate Bill 2, the education savings account bill.
- Sen Ryan Aument 717-787-4420 Twitter: @ElectAument
- Sen Jim Brewster 717-787-5580 Twitter: @SenatorBrewster
- Sen Pat Browne 717-787-1349 Twitter: n/a
- Sen Andy Dinniman 717-787-5709 Twitter: @Senator Dinniman
- Sen John DiSanto 717-787-6801 Twitter: @SenatorDiSanto
- Sen John Eichelberger 717-787-5490 Twitter: n/a
- Sen Mike Folmer 717-787-5708 Twitter: @SenatorFolmer
- Sen Dan Laughlin (717) 787-8927 Twitter: @SenatorLaughlin
- Sen Daylin Leach 717-787-5544 Twitter: @daylinleach
- Sen Tommy Tomlinson 717-787-5072 @SenTomlinson
- Sen Tony Williams 717-787-5970 Twitter @SenTonyWilliams
We don’t know what has changed or will change on the education committee in order for this bill to have enough votes to pass. We will keep you updated on any extraordinary measures committee leaders may take in order to move SB 2 to the full Senate.
Thank you for your continued support of public education.
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