Governor Mastriano’s Dismantled School System
“That’s why I supported legislation this year to prevent the governor’s administration from imposing regulations on charter schools that would hamstring their ability to serve more students.” Doug Mastriano, “Families Want Education, Not Indoctrination
In fact, the regulations were long overdue moves to impose accountability on charter schools, which generally have less diverse student bodies, less qualified teachers, lower graduation rates, and lower academic achievement.
“Most [public charters] serve underprivileged and minority students in urban areas”
Doug Mastriano, “Families Want Education, Not Indoctrination”
In fact, that’s a lie and Mastriano knows it:
Philadelphia’s traditional charter schools enroll a smaller share of the city’s most disadvantaged students – those from the most poverty-stricken families, those who have special needs, and English language learners – than District-run schools do. Roughly 30 percent have no English language learners at all. More than half of these charters are “hyper-segregated,” which is when more than two-thirds of a school’s students are from one racial group and less than 1 percent of them are white. Just 9 percent of District schools are hyper-segregated, the report found. The ELC report stated that traditional charter schools as a whole “disproportionately enroll more advantaged students” and that this demographic difference gives these charters a “significant edge” in presenting themselves as more successful than District schools in academics and sustainability.
But Mastriano doesn’t end with charters. His legislation calls not just for massive cuts in education funding, but he changes the entire premise of education funding from money that goes to school systems to money that goes to parents of school age children. Which they can spend any way they like: public schools, charter, or traveling to Disney World. Total funding if your kid goes to a Christian school.
This isn’t a small thing. Even without subsidies, there are A LOT of Christian schools. Just in three counties, each with a population of 45,000 (Huntingdon, Union, Mifflin)
Huntingdon, 45,000 people Calvary Christian Academy; Huntingdon Christian Academy; Meadow Green Mennonite School; Shavers Creek Christian school.
Mifflin, 46,000 Sacred Heart provides a private, Catholic education from kindergarten through fifth grade; Belleville Mennonite School, Beth-El Christian Day School, and Valley View Christian School provide Mennonite education through grade twelve. Mifflin County Christian Academy located in Decatur Township provides Christian education from kindergarten through grade twelve as well as day care. Several Old Order Amish schools provide education through grade eight.
Union, 45,000 Bridgeville Parochial School; Buffalo Creek Parochial School; Calvary Holiness Academy; County Line Amish School; East End Parochial School; Hartleton Mennonite School; Limestone Valley Parochial School; Morningstar Mennonite School; Mountain View Parochial School; Ridge View Parochial School; Shady Grove Christian School
Let me tell you about one Christian school. I had a student I was tutoring who one night asked if instead of a lesson, could he study for an exam. With the free time, I paged through his history and science books. The bible creation story, taught as science. Noah’s flood and the Tower of Babel, taught as literal history. Good guys doing God’s will; evil persons tools of Satan. Brave explorers (Cortez and the bunch) bringing God’s message to the primitive savages. Reagan and Bush, godly men doing the Lord’s work. Carter a fake Christian, punished by God with inflation and the Hostage Crisis. Clinton literally a tool of Satan.
If Mastriano wins, YOUR tax dollars will be flowing to those schools, and the new ones formed to partake of the largesse. And the public schools, who have fixed costs that can’t be reduced and special services (Special Ed, ESL, etc.) that they must provide, will spiral into insolvency.
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This series is written to promote political discussion and organizing. Permission is given to use this in fact sheets, talking points, letters to the editor, etc. We’d appreciate if you notified Gettysburg DFA (leonsreed@gmail.com) of any uses. Written by Leon Reed.