For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Lawrence A. Feinberg, director
Keystone Center for Charter Change at PSBA
Larry.Feinberg@PSBA.org

Harrisburg, PA (July 1, 2021) – The director of the Keystone Center for Charter Change (KCCC), Lawrence A. Feinberg released a statement today.

We look forward to continuing our work with out legislators, superintendents and school directors and are determined to get charter reform across the finish line. The Keystone Center for Charter Change at PSBA is disappointed that once again, the Pennsylvania legislature was not able to enact reasonable charter funding reforms, kicking the can down the road at the expense of our students, our schools and our taxpayers.

Our volunteer school directors are elected by the same constituents who elect the members of our State Legislature. Four hundred and seven of our five hundred locally-elected school boards, accountable for taxing and spending decisions concerning their neighbors’ tax dollars, have now passed resolutions calling for responsible charter reform. We are encouraged by that statewide momentum.

We are also encouraged that Rep. Ciresi’s charter reform legislation, HB272, continues to gather support and now has over seventy bipartisan cosponsors.

Moving forward, we will build on that momentum and continue our advocacy efforts to garner additional support for the development and enactment of legislation that would provide responsible regulatory and funding changes to Pennsylvania’s 24-year-old Charter School Law.

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The mission of the Keystone Center for Charter Change at PSBA (Pennsylvania School Boards Association) is to build support for the development and enactment of legislation that would provide regulatory and funding changes to Pennsylvania’s 23-year-old Charter School Law. We advocate for fiscal and regulatory reforms that level the playing field and treat all public schools fairly.

The center is managed by a dedicated director and guided by the input of an advisory board and participants of the center’s residency program. The center is operated by PSBA and funded through a grant from the Pennsylvania Public Education Foundation (PaPEF).