Gov. visits charter school
PHILADELPHIA — Gov. Tom Corbett visited a Philadelphia charter school Wednesday to rally support for his education reform initiative, which includes vouchers for students at the state’s worst-performing schools and a new teacher evaluation system.
Speaking to several hundred students and teachers at First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School, Corbett said Pennsylvania needs to improve its public schools through competition while increasing achievement and reducing dropout rates.
“It doesn’t take necessarily additional money,” he said. “It takes doing something differently. It takes doing it differently than the way we’ve been doing it for the last 50 years.”
The state Senate last month passed legislation that would create vouchers for students at Pennsylvania’s 143 worst-performing schools. The vouchers would help those students pay for private or parochial school tuition, or allow them to transfer to another public school district.
Separate bills pending in the House and Senate seek to establish a new teacher evaluation system focusing on student performance and classroom practice.
It’s unclear how the package of reforms will fare in the House. Republicans say they will attempt to vote on an education bill that includes vouchers by the end of the year, but they aren’t saying what the voucher proposal will look like, or how close it will be to the Senate proposal.
Opponents criticize vouchers for using public money to support religious schools, and say they siphon badly needed funds from struggling districts. Also, critics say the legislation does not hold private and parochial schools accountable for students’ performance.
Corbett, a Republican, also supports competition through the growth of charter schools, which are publicly funded but operate independently from local school districts. The autonomy is designed to encourage innovation.
Since its founding in 2002, First Philadelphia Prep has grown from renting space at three locations to serving more than 700 children in kindergarten through eighth grade at its own building in northeast Philadelphia.
“It is important to allow more schools like this across the state,” Corbett said at the rally.
The school — along with Tacony Academy Charter School, whose students and staff also attended the rally — is operated by Philadelphia-based American Paradigm Schools.
American Paradigm wants to open two charter schools in Harrisburg, and the company is presenting its proposals to district officials there this week, CEO Stacey Cruise said Wednesday.
A similar rally supporting the education reform bills took place on Tuesday at the state Capitol.
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