This petition has been put into effect because the people of St.Louis City deserve to have an influence in their children's education. As of June 15, 2007, the State Board of Education has disenfranchised the elected Board and the St.Louis School district is currently governed by three political appointees, collectively known as the Special Administrative Board (SAB). The Special Administrative Board has made no improvements regarding educational outcomes for students in St.Louis Public Schools. There is also no evidence that an appointed board running a school district is more effective than a board elected by residents.

Support HB4197 by calling your lawmakers and the governors office to express your support of the bill that fully restores child care funding for FY16.

As the conference committee starts its work to adopt a comprehensive budget package, we would like to voice our enthusiastic support of the following items proposed by legislature: Increase in Reimbursement Rates: Increases in funding helps provide resources and training for staff in early education programs to ensure the highest quality education and school readiness to children and families. • Support the Assembly’s recommendation to increase the Standard Reimbursement Rate by 20%. • Support the Assembly’s recommendation to increase the Regional Market Rate to 85th percentile of the 2014 survey with a 10% deficit factor. • Support the Assembly’s recommendation to increase the adjustment factor for Infants and Toddlers. • Support the Assembly’s recommendation to adjust the Full Day Plus rate to 9 hours instead of 10.5 hours. Increase in Access: During the recession, many child care spaces at publicly funded programs were lost. A restoration of these spaces is needed to provide access for all families needing early education programs. There is an unmet need and insufficient slots to serve all eligible children on waiting lists. • Support the Assembly recommendation to increase the State Median Income (SMI) to 100% of the current SMI. • Support the Assembly’s recommendation to provide 10,500 full-day preschool slot • Support the Senate’s recommendation to provide 13,500 Alternative Payment slots. Infrastructure Support: Core Client and Support Services are those delivered by APP staff to the families that they serve. • Support the Assembly’s proposal to restore the Alternative Payment administration and core support rate to 20%. We thank you for your leadership and support of early education programs.

A recent audit revealed that 17 of the 20 government-subsidized childcare centers in Pennsylvania were found to have serious health and safety violations--including concealment of criminal charges against operators. Of the failing sites, only two have been shut down and under state law the audit manager noted that they were not able to investigate more broadly.

Cheyney University has been the bridge to success for thousands of students. Because of its historic background, for many minority families, it is still the first higher education choice of first-time college-going students. Sadly, over the past 20 years, this university has suffered due to a lack of adequate state support; weak, state imposed leadership; and the systematic dismantling of its signature programs. It is time for the Commonwealth to acknowledge and respect the essential contributions to the general welfare and commercial strength of Pennsylvania and the United States that emanate from this historic, landmark institution; and to preserve, sustain, and revitalize this great institution.

The Wisconsin budget proposes a $300 million cut to the University of Wisconsin System. This cut will hurt communities across the state. Tell your state senator to stop the $300 million cut to the UW System.

I am a professor and see the huge amount of waste firsthand.

I'm Deaf/hoh. I support all childrens access to language access!

We are Portland residents who care deeply about our children's education and value the opportunities and benefits of our community-based, walkable, neighborhood schools. The proposed idea to close Longfellow and Hall Schools and combine the two districts into a large, consolidated school at an undisclosed location is in direct opposition to the School District’s previous goal of creating the best small “urban” school district by 2017.

Our tenth grade son was subjected to faulty curricular planning by his history teacher as she was allowed to present a movie with nudity and sexual content without the knowledge of my wife and I. Local public school boards, Principals, and Site Based Management Teams should never agree to allow the showing of cinematic media that is inclusive of content that goes against the discretion of parents, especially when the psychological and emotional welfare of minors are at stake. Parents should always be given notice well in advance, which inquires and requires their permission.

My son will not have the chance to go to Pre-K for free because we are told that we make too much money. I am a social worker and his father is a satellite technician. We are not rich and just one pay check behind like most Americans. My son is 2 years old as of this past January and will not be able to start free public school until he is 5. We will be paying for a private school for almost 2 years before my son is able to start Kindergarten. That's an average of $10,000 per year. Why is it that my son is not able to go to public school? I feel like we are being punished for making the mere $40,000 a year that I make (his father and I are not married yet so this is based off of one income) Hope this makes sense. Thanks.

Both of my children were in Lynda DiJulio and Sharon Lupinski's classroom in third grade at Brandywine Springs School and thrived in their team-taught classroom environment. After 28 years of continually strengthening and building their curriculum together, DiJulio and Lupinski have been told they cannot co-teach in the 2015-2016 school year. Taking away this classroom opportunity would strip BSS of one of its greatest assets.