South Fayette School Board passes resolution to oppose voucher bill
South Fayette High School
Provided by Lena Hannah
Pennsylvania School Boards Association resolution
SF board passes resolution to oppose voucher bill
{child_byline}By Jacob Calvin Meyer
Staff writer
jmeyer@thealmanac.net
{/child_byline}
The South Fayette School Board passed a resolution Jan. 23 to oppose Senate Bill 2, a Pennsylvania bill that would transfer taxpayer dollars from public school districts to private schools.
Through education savings account (ESA) voucher programs, Senate Bill 2 – if passed – would allow families with children in bottom 15 percent performing school districts to use the child’s per-student tax money for private school or other educational services. The bill has been in the Senate Education Committee since October, and South Fayette is one of several school districts to recently pass the resolution.
Proponents of the bill say it creates more choice for students in low-performing school districts. Opponents, like Lena Hannah, a South Fayette board member, say it siphons money from public schools to private schools and would hurt already struggling schools.
“These districts are already struggling for lots of different reasons,” Hannah said after the meeting. “Every district I go to I see the great things happening in those districts because there are great things happening.”
As one of the top-performing school districts in the state, South Fayette would not be directly affected by SB 2, but Hannah said the resolution acts as condemnation against the bill.
“It’s not just about us,” she said. “It’s about public education.”
The resolution that was unanimously passed by the board, with Hannah abstaining, was provided by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, of which Hannah is one of six advocacy ambassadors in the state.
“Education Savings Account (ESA) voucher programs such as those under Senate Bill 2 undermine Pennsylvania’s responsibility to ensure every student in every community has equal access to public education,” reads part of the resolution. “And schools targeted under Senate Bill 2 are already in under-resourced districts.”
The resolution then states that private schools don’t have to adhere to the same “strict accountability standards that measure student achievement and academic progress” as public schools.
Hannah said she understands families who want to be able to use the money for private school, but she disagrees with the notion that SB 2 is beneficial for education as a whole.
“I would tell them personally that I can sympathize with that,” Hannah said. “Obviously, as a parent, you want to do what’s best for your kids, but it goes back to how it affects the funding of those public schools.”
Hannah said small changes could still be made to the resolution to make it “South Fayette appropriate,” but Hannah emphasized her distaste for the bill.
“Districts like South Fayette are passing this resolution to say this is not OK,” Hanna said.
Also during the meeting, Joe Brennan, PJ Dick construction manager, presented a high school construction update. Brennan discussed a list of items to the board, including replacing doors, relocating name plates and fixing a dust collector, among other minor jobs.
After the presentation, board president Alan Vezzi urged Brennan to finish the construction project, which has been completing punch list items since the school year started.
“I’m going to keep pushing these guys to get these issues done,” Brennan said.
“It would be appreciated to have that list 100 percent complete by the next board meeting,” Vezzi said.
“It would have been appreciated to have it today,” Brennan replied.