From Education Voters of Pennsylvania (http://www.educationvoterspa.org/):
State Representative Mike Turzai recently introduced a school voucher bill (House Bill 1800) that would create a costly school voucher experiment in the Harrisburg School District, just when the district is beginning to recover from years of financial crisis.
We expect the state House Education Committee to take up HB 1800 on Monday, November 18. It could see a full House vote later in the week.
If HB 1800 passes, this expensive voucher program would drain up to $8.5 million out of the Harrisburg School District. The bill is also written in a way to expand vouchers to other school districts in Pennsylvania in the future.
Go to https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stop-hb-1800-the-school-voucher-bill to contact your state representative and ask him or her to OPPOSE House Bill 1800. Alternatively, you can contact them directly—find contact information at http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/index.cfm#address.
Rep. Turzai’s HB 1800 would provide tuition vouchers worth up to $8,200 to students in the Harrisburg School District, including students who are already enrolled in a private school and can afford to pay tuition without a taxpayer-funded subsidy.
Like other voucher bills, HB 1800 gives “choice” to private/religious schools, not to families. Nothing in Turzai’s voucher bill prevents religious or private schools from refusing to admit students for almost any reason, including because they have a disability.
In fact, the bill specifically states that private schools do not have “to accept or retain a student if the nonpublic school does not offer programs or is not structured or equipped with the necessary facilities to meet the special needs of the student or does not offer a particular program requested.” (see HB 1800, pg 4, lines 19-23).
Turzai’s voucher proposal would weaken the rights of students with disabilities because private and non-public schools are not subject to federal special education law and can deny services to students.
In public schools, parents are required to be part of the team developing a student’s individualized education program. If they are dissatisfied, they can go to a hearing. They have protections related to discipline and mandated help for behavioral issues.
None of these protections are applicable to parentally-placed private school students. Students with disabilities and their families must waive hard-won legal protections by enrolling in anything other than a public school.
Additionally, public schools have strict guidelines for special education teachers, whereas private and non-public schools can use different hiring standards.
Voucher programs undermine Pennsylvania’s ability to ensure every student in every community has equal access to public education. They allow for taxpayer-funded discrimination against vulnerable students and provide taxpayer-funded private school tuition subsidies to families that are already paying for their children’s private education on their own.
Our local schools are the cornerstone of our communities and the only real option for most families. Public school districts accept and educate all children who come to their doors, as opposed to private and religious schools that can and do reject students for any number of reasons.
Please contact your state representative today and tell him or her to vote “NO” on HB 1800.
Thank you for your continued support of public education.
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