News & Brews October 11, 2023
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Top senator to call hearing on Shapiro’s handling of Vereb sexual harassment allegations
Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (Westmoreland County) plans to call a hearing to look into how Gov. Shapiro’s former secretary of legislative affairs, Mike Vereb, remained in his role for months after he was accused of sexual harassment by a former staff member. The Post-Gazette reports that the hearing will “explore what procedures were in place to protect the victim, how the internal investigation was carried out, and why months elapsed from the time of the alleged incidents until Mr. Vereb resigned.” Republican women lawmakers have been angered not only by the time lapse but also by Shapiro’s “demeaning” of women when he is asked questions he doesn’t wish to answer.
Staffer for Philly Dem lawmaker backs Hamas terrorists
In the wake of the largest mass murder of Jews on any day since the Holocaust, groups such as the Democrat Socialists of America and Black Lives Matter have displayed their antisemitism by publicly backing the massacres. George Donnelly, the chief of staff for progressive Democrat state Sen. Nikil Saval of Philadelphia, joined the pro-terrorist voices by sharing a number of social media posts supporting the attack on Israel. He has since removed all of them. Broad + Liberty reports that when asked about the posts, Sen. Saval condemned “the murder of innocent civilians” but offered no denouncement of his staffer’s posts.
Pa. Supreme Court race could impact the country
USA Today has a story on how the upcoming Pennsylvania Supreme Court race between Republican Judge Carolyn Carluccio (whom we have endorsed) and Democrat Dan McCaffery could have national implications. One observer in academia said, “Carluccio’s election in 2024 would signal an immediate red shift in Purple Pennsylvania. It might also shift future elections in a red-leaning direction. And both of those things might be signs of more changes to come.”
National map: More teachers and fewer students
We often hear about the ‘teacher shortage crisis’… but what about the reality that there are actually more teachers and fewer students? The 74 notes, “Public schools are on the cusp of hitting all-time lows in the number of students per teacher.” The 74 has produced a nationwide interactive map of school staffing vs. enrollment.
Watch today’s Ed Funding Commission meeting
The Basic Education Funding Commission will continue its hearings today, with a 10:00 a.m. meeting in Pittsburgh. Click here for the agenda, and click here to watch the live stream at 10:00 a.m.