Governor Wolf is holding a statewide townhall.
In order to do that, he’s taking to Facebook to answer the questions citizens have about his first budget plan.
“I want to invite you to participate in a Facebook townhall that I’m having on my budget, tomorrow Tuesday, March 31st at 1:30 p.m.,” the Governor states in a video announcing the event.
“It’s gonna be live-streamed on my Facebook page and I’ll answer questions from Pennsylvanians about my budget’s three priorities 1. Jobs that pay 2. Schools that teach and 3. Government that works,” he continues.
Pennsylvanians can ask questions by liking Gov. Wolf’s Facebook page and then leaving a comment on the video’s thread.
The townhall is intended to build up support for the Governor’s proposal ahead of negotiations with the GOP-controlled legislature.
32 Responses
Governor Wolf, I urge you not to cut cyberschool funding. There are many students for whom cyberschools are their only realistic educational option. These include children who have health issues that would otherwise require them to miss school for extended periods; children with chronic health problems who need flexible schedules to accommodate medical appointments; children who have IEPs and are in school districts that cannot – or will not – comply with their IEP requirements; children with special needs that the traditional school classroom setting fails to meet; non-traditional students such as world class student-athletes and actors/actresses; students who are bullied; etc.
At 21st Century Cyber Charter School, students have access to teachers on school nights until 8pm. They can also get one-on-one attention and instruction in private virtual classrooms when the need arises. What public brick-and-mortar school can say the same?
Some or all of the cyberschools that will be affected by your proposed funding cuts are PUBLIC schools. They are not private for-profit schools. Parents of cyber school students pay the same public school taxes as their neighbors; yet your proposal would give their children’s public cyberschools substantially less funding than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. Is it appropriate to remove funding from schools that service some of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable students? Is it appropriate to discriminate in the funding earmarked for a child’s PUBLIC SCHOOL education solely based upon whether that public school is a cyber school or a brick-and-mortar building?
While a recent survey found problems with a number of cyberschools in Pennsylvania, how does cutting funding to those schools help to correct the problem? It doesn’t. What it does is remove the funding those schools could use to address the alleged problems that have been reported. Isn’t that the same approach that has led the Philadelphia School District down the path of ruin?
Moreover, while cyber charter schools are not perfect, neither are public schools. Go onto YouTube or Facebook and you can see hundreds of postings that show students sleeping on countertops during class; students playing video games during class; students watching Netflix during class; teachers sending personal emails during class. Talk to students and you hear stories of teachers in brick-and-mortar schools who “teach” classes by showing YouTube videos and old television programs like Happy Days and All in The Family. You hear students complain about teachers who feel compelled to discuss their dating lives with their high school classes. You hear complaints about teachers leaving their classes unattended for large periods of time without any explanation or any teacher coming into the room. In short, public schools have their own issues yet there is no effort to cut their funding in half.
Cyberschools are the wave of the future. Many colleges and universities utilize distance learning. Continuing legal education in Pennsylvania through cyber-learning is approved. States across the country are embracing the cyberschool model. A budget that removes funding from cyberschools sets Pennsylvania on a road back to the 1940s, rather than toward the future. Don’t become a governor that takes Pennsylvania backwards. Help us move forward.
i am writing to express my extreme disappointment about your budget that will affect many. Children and their families deserve school choice and your proposed changes are going to take that away. The public school system is not for everyone. You can’t fix all that broken mess and now we must sit back and worry. This is America. Give us freedom to choose our school and don’t take away so much $ from cyber schools. I am very disappointed in you.
My daughters attend PADISTANCE cyber school, they love it! Please don’t take our choices away by cutting funding. As tax payers for the school system we should be able to keep these exceptional schools for those for what ever reasons can’t excel in public schools
Governor Wolf, For the first time in generations of my family, I voted for you, a Democrat. I thought you’d be different. I am seriously regretting my vote.
My daughters are on the USA National Team and Junior National Team and USA Olympic hopefuls. One graduated last year from 21st Century Cyber Charter School, the other will in 2016. A PUBLIC school. Cierra now attends UC-Berkeley. Madison is being recruited to many strong D1 Universities. They have had the educational rigor and schedule that has allowed them to achieve the highest of academic and athletic goals. They would not have reached the level of athletic performance without having a flexible school schedule that has allowed them to train many hours daily. They’ve been accepted at the most prestigious of universities and Cierra has earned a 3.5 GPA. Her her cyber charter education prepared her well. Neither would have achieved these heights if they attended their area high school. With the taxes we pay in Chester County, we could not afford a private education. They’re benefitting from an alternative PUBLIC school that allows them to maximize their potential. They are safer, well-adjusted, happy, productive student-athletes.
Cut entitlements or those who are neither working nor performing. Do not cut what provides for those who are productive and excelling. Do not throw more money into failing systems and pull money from those that are! Is that how you would save a business?
I taught in the Downingtown Area School District in Pennsylvania for 10 years. I believe in educational choice. I believe in schools that specialize and produce young adults who are maximizing individual potential, that are financially savvy, and have faculty who excel in the creative art of producing results in students. I believe in fairness, not equality. I still believe we are a Republic…
JUST SAY NO TO CYBER SCHOOL FUNDING CUTS!!!!!
I’am a student a PAdistance learning cyber school. What you want to do to cyber schools is not right. Are parent have the right to put us in a school that we are learning in. If you say the test scores is what you are going on that is wrong most of the kids in cyber schools like me has fell behind in school because of public schools because the teacher didn’t care and that there is to much bull crap that happens there. So the teachers at my school now care they work hard to catch me up to speed.Maybe that is why test number are low because the teachers have to fix us kids that didn’t learn how to do something in public school. You guys are so worried about test numbers and not us the future of the world. If you take cyber school from me I will be a dropout there is no way I would go to West Pocono Mountain High school have you checked the rating on that school. So I guess I would be one of those people that live off your State and has no goals for myself. I guess you are like Obama. You have the power to take away something that don’t work for you. That is sad that you would do something that hurts your state people and to take way from the children of you state.If you take the funds from my school you can add me to you welfare payroll. You will be the down fall of my life.The reason why because I can’t learn in public school.To much goes on and I just don’t care. I always get told think before I do something. I believe you are the gover and you are doing something that doesn’t work for many people. So think about what you are doing to the kids that go to cyber school we are there for a reason.
I go to Padistance learning cyber school.Please don’t take my school away from me. Iam learning so much there. Teachers are very nice and help me understand.I did like getting A’s and not do anything in public school.But its better learning and working for my grades. That is what the teachers there do for me. THEY TEACH US!!!! I was looking on your facebook pages Wolf you went to public schools how about us nothing with cyber school kids. Talk to us and are teachers.
This is my son’s 6th year with PA Distance Learning Charter School. He is 13 years old. He makes the honor roll every semester. His cyber school is amazing and the teachers do TEACH. He would not get straight A’s and B’s if he attended our local school district. I voted for you Mr. Wolf and now after this, you trying to impose all these cuts to cyber schools I’m regretting that decision. My son’s cyber school is a huge part of our lives. Please think about all the children this is going to affect in a negative way.
I would like to say something about the fund cuts on cyber schools. I have a first grader, seventh grader and a sophomore that goes to PAdistance learning cyber school. I will start with the youngest. She had finished kindergarten she had a gradutation late year and we moved to P.A. The school told me that she has to do kindergarten over because she was not 7 on September 1st. Her birthday is September 7th 6 days. They said they can give her a test in Nov. or Dec. to see if she know all kindergarten work. After the test they will put her in first grade. That is not putting her behind in school. That is what I got from the public school in Pocono Mountain school district. To put my child behind.
My Seventh grade has a learning disability. In public school she can get any teacher to give her the answers to anything she was getting A’s. In padistance the teachers are there to help her learn what she is learning. She has to work for her grades. The teachers will call her on the phone or have google hangout. They will reword question for her, to help her under stand something. They care about her learning unlike the public school teachers.Now my child get the grades that she works for B’s and C’s. Not just pushing her thought school like the public schools have done for her.
My sophomore he has had a hard time in public schools. He has been bullied by teachers and students for many years. He is a short heavy set child with pale sink with freckles with red hair. So he was a target to be picked on.I can say that he hated.He had no goals. He had no friends didn’t what to learn he would just to the minimum work to get a D so he can pass each grade.Grade I would have a child that is going to work at McDonalds. Now in Padistance he is working on his school work he is learning
something that is a good felling for me. Now he is looking at going to do the duel enrollment at NCC. Taking computer networking and security.Even though there is no financial aid for the duel enrollment because that was cut to padistance cyber school was going to pay for one class for him to go. Now I don’t see that happening because you are cutting funds.
So my Question to you is how you can cut something that works for my children and other children. Are children are in cyber schools for reasons. The teacher in cyber school are the ones that care about are children they are the ones that are working with every child that they have in there class. Before you cut cyber schools you need to come to are homes talk to are children before you take it away from them. Do the foot work, that is what the teacher do for are kids at padistance. I fell you need to do the same. Don’t make it easy to push are children away like public school teachers.
One more thing don’t force my children to go back to a unsafe school that there is bullying and teachers don’t care. School closing because there are shooter on the loose.They are safe and they are learning being in my home. So My children were learning when the cop shooter was on the run in the poconos.
Please keep supporting charter schools. It helped my son so much. He been in charter school now for 4 years.
Governor please don’t cut funding for cyber schools. It has literally been a life saver for our daughter. She was bullied and picked on for several years at our districts brick and mortar school. She became seriously depressed. We talked with the school and tried some interventions to no avail. Nothing changed. So WE CHANGED to a cyber charter school and it HAS BEEN GREaT!! Our daughter is back happy and bright and studies very hard. She just made National Honor Society! Please DONT take this option away from her!! Thank you.
I have been attending cyber schools for 6 years now. I am a straight A-B student. This would never have happened in traditional schools. Cyber schools are more one on one teachings that benefit us students. Common brick and morter schools house too much drama which takes away from learning. In a cyber school that is not the case because bullying can be monitored so the topic stays on learning. I believe brick and morter schools are so bad that if I my school is closed and I cannot find another cyber school I will be a dropout. I wonder how many more students will do the same if you cut our funding to learn.
Is it just me or do the last bunch of pro cyber charter school posts seem like cut and paste messages that are meant to be sent to state legislators or the governor? Holy schilling Batman!
I heard you want to cut funding for cyber school. My granddaughter has health and anxiety problems that would prevent her from getting the attention she needs in school. I have talked to friends that have children with some similar problems and their school district takes almost all year to decide how to teach the child. They remove the child from the classroom, when they disturb the other students. He sits alone at lunch and barely eats anything until he gets home.
We turned to PA Distance Learning Cyber School because we are included in helping teach my granddaughter, with the help of good teachers. We have live classes online with teachers as well as other students in the classroom. Daily assignments are planned out along with worksheets, tests, and all the materials we need.
I think this type of schooling is god sent. I had home schooled my son several years, when he had learning problems. They were put to the side from the school district. I was told then, from the school district, I had to pay $800.00 to have him tested. When I decided to do homeschooling, with the help of my mother. We were on our own, having to plan everything.
I hope you re-consider your opinion and have empathy for all the children that would not be able to cope with the norm.
Let’s rename Pa. Taxavania with no requirement by the people we allegedly ‘elect’ to provide the Residents of ‘TAXAVANIA’ aka Pennsylvania with an clear, precise, honest report of Pa Government spending. Neither Democrat or Republican party act responsible.
Question Governor. Where does all the lease vehicle tax money go that is paid by the people who are leasing a vehicle. Why is Westmoreland county paying 3.5 million a year to keep up an EMPTY prison? Where is all this TAX money going to?
I heard you want to cut funding for cyber school. My granddaughter has health and anxiety problems that would prevent her from getting the attention she needs in school. I have talked to friends that have children with some similar problems and their school district takes almost all year to decide how to teach the child. They remove the child from the classroom when they disturb the other students. He sits alone at lunch and barely eats anything till he gets home.
We turned to PA Distance cyber school because we are included in helping teach her with the help of good teachers. We have a live class online with teacher’s as well as other students. classes online as well as at home.
I am going to send a letter to all of our government officials, in PA. I am also thinking about taking an ad in local papers. You say our cyber schools don’t teach/ Well you are wrong. You need to reevaluate your findings. You are mislead and are misleading others. Please reexamine your facts before cutting our funds.
Misty Doran
“Schools that teach.”
It confuses and saddens me to hear of your DRASTIC funding cuts to public cyber charter schools. You are cutting funds [almost] in half for each student, denying them of the education they deserve.
What do you have against this type of schooling? Do you honestly believe these schools do not provide a worthy education to those in need?
Let me point out that families depend on and even transfer to cyber schools from brick-and-mortar schools for several reasons. Maybe their education is not reaching full potential at their brick-and-mortar, maybe they do not have means of reliable transportation to get to school, maybe cyber school provides comfort [for personal reasons] to the student and/or family…whatever it may be, you are depriving individuals of the education they deserve.
Please think again about your plans to cut funding. Without this funding, surely several schools will have to close, and several educations will be lost. Jobs that pay – you’re shutting down. Schools that teach – you’re shutting down. Government that works – doesn’t sound like it.
John-
The rare success of a charter school does not make the case for charter schools in general, which do not out perform public schools.
This country was built with a solid, well-funded public school system that is being dismantled by people who want to privatize it (and make profits).
You people who shout, “No tax hikes!” are ignoring reality. First off, the “user fee” on natural gas is a sham. We should close that loophole by enacting a straight 5 percent severance — making it illegal to take that tax out of landowners’ royalties, but making the company that owns the gas pay it. Second, we should completely close the “Delaware loophole.” Third, we should reduce the corporate net income tax, but remove all exemptions. THEN, when we have somewhat fairer tax laws, we should say, “No tax HIKES.”
David Diano look up The Preparatory Charter School of Mathematics, Science, Technology and Careers located at 1928 Point Breeze Ave. Phila. Pa. 19145
The school is listed on PDE’s web site. You’ll be enlightened !
John
Matt Brouillette of the Commonwealth Foundation had these questions about conflict of interest and the unions.
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Please explain how your taking over $2.6 million in campaign contributions from government employee unions—unions with whom you are currently negotiating over billions of taxpayer dollars—is not a violation of both the letter and spirit of your very first Executive Order to ban gifts from those who have financial interests or relations with the Commonwealth.
It appears to be quite hypocritical to deny one of your cabinet secretaries so much as a cup of coffee at a speaking engagement while you took millions in campaign contributions from Harrisburg’s biggest special interests (AFSCME, SEIU, UFCW, PSEA, et al). You will more than likely continue to receive millions from those special interests for your re-election, and you will likely have the taxpayers continue to serve as the collection agents of those campaign contributions (something you could refuse to do in the upcoming collective bargaining agreements).
Please explain:
1) How this is not a conflict of interest, and a clear violation of your very first Executive Order,
2) Whether or not you will continue to take campaign contributions from government unions that have direct financial relations with the Commonwealth, and
3) If you will continue to have taxpayer-funded payroll systems collect, process, and remit campaign contributions for your largest campaign contributors.
Gov. Wolf before you eliminate cyber charter schools in PA, I would encourage you to visit 21st Century Cyber Charter School. When I go into work each day, I see educators who are working hard for their students day in and day out. We are an innovative, creative, collaborative, and passionate group who serve a unique population of students in PA. Do not jump to conclusions about what cyber charters are capable of before you have seen the best one in the state. Our kids deserve a choice in their education, and we are more than happy to provide them with an excellent educational alternative to traditional brick and mortar schools.
God! Read a book!
Additionally….
dianeravitch.net/2014/04/23/pennsylvania-1-of-every-6-charters-succeeds-cyber-charters-are-low-performing/
This report from a year ago points out: 1 out of every 6 charter school succeeds and none of the cybers do.
The few successful charter schools were smaller and tended to be mostly elementary kids. But, the also didn’t have a lot of special education kids (which artificially would raise their overall scores):
“These charter schools also serve significantly fewer special education students than traditional students. Only two of these 28 high performing charter schools have a special education student population greater than the 15% average of traditional public schools. Further, as noted in the 2013 Special Education Funding Commission report, charter school enroll significantly less special education students with severe disabilities than traditional public schools.”
John-
Charter schools aren’t out-performing public schools, and cyber-charter schools are frauds on the public. The military operates at deficit. The difference is that schools/education are underfunded and the military is over-funded with unnecessary/outdated weapons systems (and profiteering by defense contractors).
vamboozled.com/charter-v-public-school-students-naep-2013-performance/
“Otherwise, public school students outperformed charter school students in the other three states (i.e., Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) with consistent and significant score differences across the board. Maryland was one of two states to be ranked lower than Alaska for the “best” charter laws overall (i.e., 42nd of 43), and Ohio and Pennsylvania ranked in the middle of the pack (27th and 19th of 43 respectively). Each of these states demonstrated charter school student performance that lagged behind public school students by an average of 23 points.”
When HB/SB76 passes will you sign it into law or veto the bill?
Gov. Wolf, why are you not supporting Charter schools when they are constantly out performing Public schools in every category! Academic achievement, fiscal responsibility, parental involvement, and sensitivity to student concerns. Charter schools are NOT permitted to operate in a deficit as your Public schools do: look at the Philadelphia Public School system: over 300 million in debt- what a disgrace! And your proposal intends to give a Charter schools’ surplus to them? Who’s responsible for that insanity? I’m very sorry I voted for you- you are not the governor I expected. I hope you change your direction and policies.
Where were you all at when Corbett imposed “fees” on Pennsylvania? The old saying is silence is golden when it’s a Republican, but help us all if the Governor is a Democrat, they can do no right.
What we don’t need
1) Jobs that pollute
2) Schools run by profiteers
3) Government that works for the big corporate donors
No tax hikes of any kind!! Not on income, natural gas, property, ANYTHING!!! Stop the spending increase madness!!
No more tax hikes!