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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 16, 2016 01:29 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Anthony H. Williams |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Parent Trigger for Persistently Failing Schools |
| In the near future, I will be reintroducing SB 47 to address persistently failing schools in our Commonwealth. This legislation would empower parents with the ability to force a habitually underperforming school to reform. If 51% of parents or guardians of school students sign a petition, the school would be required to institute one of four approved intervention models: (1) school closure; (2) restart model; (3) turnaround model; or (4) transformation model. Under the school closure model, students may attend another school in the district, a school in another school district, a charter school, cyber charter school, or a private school that accepts tuition from the school district. The restart model allows the school to restart as a charter school. The turnaround model provides for hiring a new principal and 50% of the teaching staff. Finally, the transformation model is similar in that it would require that the school hire a new principal and 50% of the teaching staff. In addition, this model identifies and rewards school staff members who have increased student achievement, and requires that the school comply with a list of other required strategies to improve the school. Previous co-sponsors of this legislation include Senators FOLMER, AUMENT, WAGNER and RAFFERTY. Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions, please contact my office at 717-787-5970. |