On June 1, we had the pleasure of welcoming Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf to J.P. McCaskey High School. He and others spoke on the importance of reforming our state’s outdated […]
Category Archives: Advocacy
The impact of federal and state funding on our budget
In December, we informed the school board that the School District of Lancaster is facing a structural deficit over the next several years that will progressively strain our ability to […]
Op-Ed: Going through the obstacles
This post was originally published as a joint op-ed in LNP | LancasterOnline signed by me, school board president Dr. Edith Gallagher and Lancaster Education Association president Mr. Jason Molloy, […]
Let local school boards decide what to do about taxes
The state Legislature recently considered an amended bill that would freeze local real estate taxes for the upcoming year in response to the COVID-19 emergency. We join PSBA, PASBO and […]
Our equity work is necessary and meaningful
On Saturday, February 29, about 150 of my colleagues at SDoL gathered for the second day of training to improve equity, inclusion and excellence in our schools. I shared some […]
Our School Board calls for charter school reform
On February 19, our school directors unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the General Assembly to enact meaningful charter school funding reform. As I have written before, our biggest financial […]
State budget update
The first piece of our budget puzzle has fallen into place. Gov. Wolf unveiled his proposed state budget on Tuesday, including his proposals for education funding. For the School District […]
Fair Funding and SDoL
Last month, I updated our High School Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) on our school district’s legal case against the PA Department of Education and the idea of fair funding. We […]
Congress can help low-income students succeed after high school
The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate this week passed amended versions of the FUTURE Act, which simplifies the FAFSA process for student financial aid. It also permanently reauthorizes funding […]
A call to action
On Thursday, I joined with colleagues from nearly 20 urban schools across Pennsylvania to advocate for our students, teachers, staff and families. Specifically, we called on our leaders in Harrisburg […]