News & Brews January 30, 2025
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Trump signs school choice executive order
On the heels of an administration that prioritized catering to unions over supporting kids, President Trump changed his predecessor’s course yesterday, signing an executive order “expanding educational freedom and opportunity for families.” The order states, in part, “Parents want and deserve the best education for their children. But too many children do not thrive in their assigned, government-run K-12 school. … It is the policy of my Administration to support parents in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children.” Since Gov. Shapiro said on the campaign trail that he supports school choice, and since he’s also said he’s “ready to work” with Trump on issues where there’s alignment, we expect Shapiro to keep his word and work with the president to expand school choice in Pennsylvania. Shapiro’s Tuesday budget address will be a perfect opportunity for him to fulfill his promises.
New test scores ‘dash hopes of post-COVID learning recovery’
The 74 reports that “[h]opes for a post-COVID academic recovery were dashed Wednesday morning with the publication of new federal testing data for elementary and middle schoolers.” The scores “show that both fourth and eighth graders have lost ground in reading — not just compared with the status quo of 2019, but also the most recent round of the exam, which was conducted during the heart of the pandemic.” The Inquirer reports that Pennsylvania “largely mirrored the national trend, with no measurable changes in proficiency scores from 2022. … [M]ore students achieved proficiency on the NAEP tests than the nation as a whole, though fewer students are scoring proficient than in 2019.” The moral of the story is that closing schools was a terrible idea—and families need school choice. Now.
Updates to Pa.’s voter registration system are behind schedule
Spotlight PA reports, “More than a year after the Pennsylvania Department of State canceled a contract to upgrade the state’s voter registration system, there’s still no replacement contract in place.” The Shapiro administration “had hoped to have a replacement contract for the upgrade in place months ago, but have not said what is holding it up.” And although the Pa. Department of State “did release its request for proposals in late May, and bids were due in August … it hasn’t yet announced the new vendor or finalized a contract.”
Effort to block antisemitic initiative advances in Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh City Council yesterday gave preliminary approval to two referenda that “are intended to block efforts by a local activist organization to bar the city from contracting with firms tied to Israel.” The referenda are in response to efforts by the anti-Israel group to push its own ballot questions aimed at boycotting Israel. WESA reports, “Council took a preliminary vote on both ballot questions Wednesday. The first received unanimous preliminary approval, while the second was approved with 6 votes,” with three members abstaining.
Hearing today on stopping new energy taxes
This morning at 10:00 a.m., the Pa. House Republican Policy Committee, chaired by Rep. David Rowe (Snyder, Union, Mifflin, and Juniata counties) will hold a hearing “to analyze unfavorable energy policies and how they negatively impact consumers and businesses, and drive investments outside of Pennsylvania.” The hearing, which will take place in Ligonier, is part of a series of hearings on stopping new energy taxes in Pa. Click here to watch the live stream at 10:00 a.m.