A Closer Look series

A Closer Look: A better approach to high school graduation — Senate Bill 1095 revises Pennsylvania’s one-size-fits-all mandate to pass three Keystone Exams to receive a high school diploma by establishing multiple path-ways to determine student readiness. A Closer Look: ESA vouchers give public money to private schools — Education Savings Accounts (ESA) are vouchers that take state tax money out of neighborhood public schools for use at private schools. Closer Look: PA Supreme Court addresses main concern of HB 1213 — Last summer, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a very important decision related to school district initiated property assessment appeals, commonly referred to as reverse appeals. A Closer Look: Proposed constitutional amendment — A Closer Look: Proposed constitutional amendment, Joint Resolution 1, would enable future tax reform legislation (August 2017) A Closer Look: PA’s School-Based ACCESS Program is jeopardized under proposed federal cuts to Medicaid (March 2017) — Pennsylvania public schools are currently at risk of losing millions of dollars in federal funding to help pay for mandated services for students with special needs. A Closer Look: Property tax elimination plan doesn’t work for taxpayers or schools (January 2017) — The elimination of of the property tax merely serves to create additional, higher tax burdens for other taxpayers and destabilize funding for public education. A Closer Look: School truancy, dropout concerns call for legislative, policy changes (February 2016) — PSBA urges the General Assembly to make significant changes to clarify, improve current truancy law