EDUCATION

POSITION IN BRIEF

Support equal access to quality public education, to be achieved by participation of government and citizens at all levels and by adequate financing based on an equitable and flexible tax system.

BACKGROUND

The original position was adopted in 1975, recognizing the interrelationship of LWVPA positions on education, equality of opportunity, and taxation. Since that time, language on school funding has reflected current positions on taxation and fiscal policy. The position was updated after a 1985-1986 review of teacher and other professional evaluations, preparation, certification, and tenure.

In 2003, the position was further updated, emphasizing the need for both adequate state funding and a system that distributes these funds in a manner that diminishes the dependence of school districts on the resources of local taxpayers, thereby decreasing the unacceptable disparities in resources between rich and poor districts.

As part of the 2003 update, the position was expanded to address implementation of the 1997 Charter School Law and the problems inherent in the system of state funding of local special education costs.

POSITION IN DETAIL

The League supports:

• The establishment of basic goals of education, minimum standards, and criteria for curriculum and teacher evaluation by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
• A realistic minimum level of expenditures for all districts, set by the state. Uniform expenditures across the state should not be required, and local districts should maintain control of spending by determining local priorities with citizen input.
• A combination of state and local funds to finance the public elementary and secondary schools of the Commonwealth, with the Commonwealth’s share being the greater.
• Allocation of state funds based on a specific dollar amount per pupil. Additional funding should be provided based on an evaluation of special conditions in a district, including density, adequacy of the tax base, and the number of students eligible for specific programs.
• Allocation of state funds for special education based on the actual number of students with mental or physical disabilities, the nature of the disability, and the costs of appropriate instructional programs and support services.

The LWV is firmly opposed to tuition vouchers for nonpublic schools. Our opposition is based on several beliefs and concerns.

1) We believe that Article III of the state Constitution clearly forbids use of public education funds for the support of religious schools. Furthermore, we believe such support violates Article 1 of our US Constitution, a treasured principle, often referred to as “separation of Church and State. The League believes that taxpayers must not be forced to support schools which are indoctrinating beliefs contrary to, and even anti-ethical to their own beliefs.

2) We feel that vouchers may encourage the separation of our society into ethnic and religious groups, which is the antithesis of the principles on which are country was founded.

3) Nonpublic schools are rightly called independent schools and in any of the voucher proposals thus far there is no process nor requirement for accountability either fiscal or financial, and no requirement for disclosure of admission policies, dismissal policies or rejection policies from the nonpublic schools which would receive taxpayer funds.

The sad unfairness of all the voucher plans to date is that they fail to address the real problem of poorly achieving school districts and that is their poverty. The state’s neglect extends across the state, inadequately funding the many poor rural, urban and suburban schools districts across the state. In a country where inequities abound, Pennsylvania has one of the greatest disparities between rich and poor districts reaching differences of more than $10,000 per pupil!

Whatever the final form of a voucher proposal, we do know that School Choice always means the school gets to choose! No voucher plan ever guarantees admission to any non-public school. Nor does it prevent the disenrollment of a child if the school decides that the child is not satisfactory in some way. Proponents of vouchers for non-public schools say that they want to let parents decide how their money is spent to educate their children. Of course, parents have always had that right .It is whether they have the right to take the money of other taxpayers and spend it in non-public settings that is the question! But more important, there is an obligation of the state to educate all of its children and not just those with a caregiver able, alert and sophisticated enough to seek out special opportunities. Those children are already advantaged. Helping a fortunate few at the neglect of the most needy is not only unjust but also poor public policy.

Do children who attend private and parochial school do better academically? This question is among the most difficult to answer because private and parochial schools are not required to divulge this information.

Setting Goals

The local school board should be responsible for setting local educational goals, in addition to the minimum goals set by the PA State Board of Education and administered by the PA Department of Education. Administrators, teachers, students, and citizens should have a meaningful role in helping the local school board set local goals.

The administration of the local school district should:

• Be responsible for implementing the curriculum standards set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
• Be responsible for adding additional courses to the basic curriculum, with the final decision up to the local board.
• Encourage student, teacher, and citizen participation in the curriculum-making process.

Innovative Programs

The Pennsylvania Department of Education should exercise leadership in generating interest and providing funds to encourage experimenting with alternative schools, innovative programs, and community use of school facilities. Innovative programs should be continually evaluated for their effectiveness.

Charter Schools

Because of the impact of charter schools on the districts from which they draw their students, LWVPA believes that Pennsylvania law should provide:

• Accountability measures for program and achievement that hold charter schools, including cyber-charter schools, to the same standards applied to district schools.
• Clearly defined Charter Appeals Board criteria and a written rationale for upholding or overturning a school district decision.
• Greater financial support from the state for districts that are funding charter schools, including full state funding of cyber-charter schools.

Supervision and Evaluation of Educational Professionals

The goal of supervision and evaluation systems should be to increase the effectiveness of education personnel, including district superintendents and assistant superintendents and all individuals identified as “professional employees” by the Pennsylvania Public School Code.

A local school district should be responsible for establishing a system to supervise and evaluate all professionals that it employs. The system should be consistent with law and regulation.

Note: The detailed consensus statement on Supervision and Evaluation of Educational Professionals is on file in the LWVPA office

Updated 10/04

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