News & Brews March 12, 2021
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How much will your school district receive from $1.9T stimulus?
PA is slated to get more than $13 billion of the latest $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package. PennLive has a searchable database to help you look up the estimated amount your school district or charter school will receive. Speaking of databases, the Commonwealth Foundation has a good one showing the fiscal health of school districts(spoiler alert: despite many districts claiming they’re desperate for funds, account balances tell a different story).
Op-Ed: Unionization not the answer for HACC faculty
Our friend David Osborne, CEO of Americans for Fair Treatment, has an op-ed in PennLive cautioning full-time faculty and adjuncts at Harrisburg Area Community College about the true nature of unionization, as the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) is hoping to secure their vote to unionize.
Op-Ed: The COVID-19 data that never existed
Gov. Wolf is fond of hiding information, and it’s little wonder considering the evidence doesn’t support his orders. The latest case in point is a new revelation that Wolf’s travel restrictions were unsupported by data. Broad + Liberty ran an op-ed by yours truly explaining the latest non-data.
Ortitay considers gubernatorial run
State Rep. Jason Ortitay (Allegheny and Washington counties) is mulling a bid for governor, either in 2022 or “sometime in the future.” Politics PA reports, “Chatter about a possible candidacy began late on Wednesday night when the Twitter account @CATargetBot noted that ‘ortitayforgovernor.com’ was registered as a website.”
Editorial: ‘Fair wording needed for state ballot questions’
The Williamsport Sun-Gazette takes the Wolf administration to task for misleadingly wording two ballot questions that would restore checks and balances during an emergency. The Editorial Board writes, “It seems to fit a pattern of this governor not being able to properly manage anything related to amending the state’s Constitution…. We think the answer to both [ballot questions] is yes because our government’s system of checks and balances is important. We hope a majority of Pennsylvania voters, despite the governor’s misleading questions, will feel the same way.”
Election changes take center stage at hearing
Yesterday, Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid told lawmakers the state should allow counties more time to process mail-in ballots. Her testimony comes as both the House and Senate are holding hearings to evaluate last year’s election with the aim of improving the process.
Editorial: Vaccinated teachers ‘honor-bound’ to return to classroom
The Pittsburgh Post Editorial Board laments that teachers unions were able to strong-arm Gov. Wolf into moving their members–including young, healthy ones–to the front of the COVID vaccine line. But the Ed Board says “what’s done is done.” Now, however, “any district that moves to the front of the line for vaccinations is honor-bound to throw open its doors for students and return to in-person learning.”