ACTION NEEDED: Contact State Senator Pileggi re House Bill 704 (Special Education Funding and Accountability Reforms)

ACTION NEEDED: Contact State Senator Pileggi re House Bill 704 (Special Education Funding and Accountability Reforms)

ACTION NEEDED FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES.
Please forward.

What: Contact state Senator Pileggi, Majority Leader, and ask him to allow a vote on House Bill 704 for special education funding and accountability reforms.

Who: All students, parents, advocates, and concerned citizens from ALL parts of Pennsylvania. (Especially, but not only, folks in Chester and Delaware Counties.)

When: Right now. The official legislative session will end in a couple of weeks, so we could run out of time for this year if things are delayed.

How: Call Senator Pileggi's Harrisburg office at (717) 787-4712 and leave a detailed message. Also, send him a polite and personal e-mail to [email protected].

Why: On September 21 the Senate Education Committee held a hearing about HB 704. The Committee indicated that they will only vote for HB 704 if Senator Pileggi, as the Senate Majority Leader, first gives his approval for a vote both in Committee and on the Senate floor. We have met with most senators and know that we can win these votes if Senator Pileggi allows them to happen during the next couple of weeks.

More details and background information at www.ReformSpecialEdFunding.org. A "Summary of HB 704" is linked in the right margin.

Talking Points
These talking points will work for Senator Pileggi (contact him first even if you live outside Chester or Delaware Counties) or any other state senator.

1. Please support House Bill 704 in the Senate Education Committee and on the Senate floor. HB 704 deserves your support and a vote before the end of the year.
2. I am asking you to support reform of the state funding and accountability system for special education.
3. HB 704 has 66 bipartisan cosponsors. It was approved 173-25 by the full House of Representatives in June.
4. The current funding system is broken, is unfair, and does not provide enough resources for special education in the right places. It sets the number of students eligible for state funding for special education at 16% regardless of whether the district has fewer or more students receiving special education. It also does not focus the funding on strategies that have a track record for improving student performance.
5. The school districts you represent need additional resources and support from the state, and must be held accountable for results.
6. I have personal experience with how this broken system hurts children with disabilities and all students. (Describe your experience.)
7. Thank you for supporting this important issue and voting for HB 704.

Thank you. Your hard work has brought us so close to a huge victory. Let me know what else we can do to support your efforts to put us over the top.

Baruch

Baruch Kintisch
Director of Policy Advocacy
EducationLaw Center
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19107-4798
www.elc-pa.org
215-238-6970, ext. 320
FAX: 215-772-3125
[email protected]

Adjust text size: A | A | A

Search