Proposed School Funding Formula Poses Two Big QuestionsThe Basic Education Funding Commission released a proposed school funding formula that strongly aligns with research that finds that educating low-income children and those who don’t speak English requires additional investment. Now the legislature must make two big decisions that could have a major impact on school districts across the state. Will they first invest $400 million to restore the cuts made to districts over the last four years and will they put forward sufficient funds to close the state’s school funding deficit which is estimated to be $3.6 billion? Click here to read our full analysis. Join PCCY and others in Harrisburg to advocate for fair funding for our schools:
“The timing is ripe, in fact it’s long overdue, for state lawmakers to come together around a solution.” Click here to read more from former State Senator Joe Conti in today’s Bucks County Courier Times. Time to Close the Health Insurance Gap for ChildrenA staggering 85% of parents of undocumented children had to delay or forgo care for their child due to a lack of health insurance, according to a new report released this week by PCCY. This sad situation affects as many as 24,000 children across the state. PCCY’s most recent report, “Fulfilling Pennsylvania’s Promise to Cover All Kids” points out the harsh reality for parents of undocumented children in Pennsylvania. One Bucks County parent said “All the year my son is sick and I am feeling so terrible because we can’t afford a specialist. I know something is wrong with my son and I know his health is important, but what can I do? There is only so much money we have. If only he had insurance, I could get him to the right place.” Expanding CHIP to cover all children is good public policy. It also makes good fiscal sense. Pennsylvania spends an average of $2,568 per child enrolled in CHIP. Meanwhile a leading pediatric hospital spends an average of $4,600 per child per year in uncompensated emergency care costs- costs that are largely filled with state funds. Pennsylvania law bars undocumented children from enrolling in CHIP. Click here to tell State Legislators to remove this ban on undocumented children. City Council Increases Local Funding for SchoolsCity Council once again stepped up to the plate to increase local funding to support Philadelphia public and charter schools. This week, Council passed ordinances that guarantee at least $45 million of the District’s $105 million request. This is all good news. However, more work lies ahead for City Council to ensure the District can avoid deep budget cuts for the upcoming school year. Click here for details. We Need Champions for Children in Washington!Nearly 20% of kids in Pennsylvania live in poverty. For far too many of these children, school breakfast and lunch are the only healthy meals they receive. With school out for the summer, many of these children depend on summer meals programs for food. Unfortunately these programs reach only a small share of hungry children. That’s why some members of the U.S. Congress are rallying behind The Summer Meals Act of 2015 and The Stop Child Summer Hunger Act of 2015. These two bills will expand the reach of summer feeding programs, provide three meals a day to children and make it easier for families to purchase food during the summer months. Click here to tell your U.S. Congress members to sponsor these two bills on behalf of Pennsylvania’s families. Bucks-Montgomery County Senator features Pre-K and Pledges SupportSenator Stewart Greenleaf of Bucks and Montgomery Counties gets kudos for devoting his spring newsletter to educating constituents about the proven benefits of high quality Pre-K. The Senator referenced the “life-long impact” for children and the fact that these programs “strengthen society with significant reductions in rates of crime and poverty,” and, if fully funded, have the potential to cut “one quarter of Pennsylvania’s Corrections Budget.” If you’re a constituent of Senator Greenleaf, please call him at (717) 787-6599 or click here to send him an email to thank him for his leadership. |
