USC School Directors Adopt Resolution Opposing Vouchers

The Upper St. Clair School Board is making their opinion public and clear—they are opposed to the tuition voucher program being considered by the state legislature.

The board passed the resolution on Monday night in a 7-1 vote. Outgoing School Director Louis Piconi voted no. School Director Bruce Kerman was absent.

Tuition vouchers would help poor Pennsylvania residents take their children out of failing schools and send them to private ones. The private school tuition would be funded with money that would otherwise to go Pennsylvania public schools, such as .

The voucher program is part of Gov. Tom Corbett's education reform plan .

"Some students are consigned to failure because of their ZIP codes. They live in the shadow of failing public schools they must attend because their
families lack the resources or ability to enroll them elsewhere. Opportunity
scholarships provide additional choices for Pennsylvania students," Corbett stated last month.

The Upper St. Clair School Board is against the legislation because it takes money away from public education, because private and charter schools are not held to strict accountablity standards like public schools are, and because "there is no consistent evidence to demonstrate that students who utilize vouchers make any better academic progress," their resolution states.

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association is also against the voucher legislation.

"Tuition vouchers could undermine vital support for the public schools attended by nearly 90 percent of the state’s school children," the PSBA released in a statement in October.

Board President Harry Kunselman will pass the resolution on to Gov. Tom Corbett, state Sen. John Pippy and state Rep. John Maher.

In addition, the school board is urging community members to voice their opinion regarding the voucher legislation to their Pennsylvania legislators.

Upper St. Clair Patch reached out to Gov. Tom Corbett, state Sen. John Pippy and state Rep. John Maher regarding the resolution. Phone calls were not immediately returned.

The full resolution adopted is located under the photo above in PDF format.

What is your take on the voucher proposal? Do agree with the district's opposal? Tell us in the comments.