Today's Call to Action: call for Kindergarten, smaller class size, arts... and so much more!

Today is the day!  Thousands of people across the state will participate in our Call to Action for Public Education!  Take 5 minutes to call the Governor and your state legislators and tell them to stop the cuts and support public schools!  

Click HERE for all of the information you'll need to participate, here are the 3 main points you should make:

1.  The proposed cuts to education are drastic and unacceptable; cutting public education is the worst thing we could do for our economy and the future of our state.

2.  We need to restore funding to get us closer to fully funding the cost of a quality education for every child.

3.  This is my top priority as a taxpayer and voter and I will be closely following this issue as budget negotiations continue.

You can look up your legislators' contact information here.

Governor's Office: (717) 787-2500

Some people have already started contacting the Governor's office and we're starting to get an idea of some of the myths you might come up against.  Here are a few helpful tips on what to expect and how to fight back with the TRUTH!

You may hear...

1.  MYTH:  education is actually getting an increase. 

FACT: the administration has played some number games with the budget to be able to say this (such as lumping together some previously separate line items and including costs that have nothing to do with in-the-classroom instruction); the fact remains that over half of the school districts in the state, especially the poorest ones, have said that they will be forced to make significant cuts if this budget passes.  The Governor has even said himself: "We reduced education funding if you look at it as a whole."  (Capitolwire; 2/9/2012)

2.  MYTH:  there is no money to invest.

FACT: there are actually hundreds of millions of dollars in the state's revenue surplus that are not being utilized (conversely, the Governor has chastised school districts for not using their funding reserves).  There are also a number of commonsense revenue proposals, like ending corporate tax break and closing loopholes, that have not been pursued.

3.  MYTH:  there have been funding increases for education over the past several years and it's time for schools to take a cut.

FACT: although education funding has been increased during the previous administration, that was because of substantial, historic underfunding.  When support increased, student achievement increased.  This year's massive cuts have effectively wiped out all of the progress that was made with school funding, and now the Governor has proposed even more cuts!

It's okay to keep your message simple, but we wanted to give you a sense of what we are hearing so far and how you might counter some of the Governor's talking points.  Other information on the Call to Action is below.  This is our chance to make a real impact, so get out there and make those calls and remember that there are thousands of Pennsylvanians out there who are with you!

Sincerely,

Susan Gobreski

Executive Director

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REMINDER - This Wednesday is our Call to Action for Public Education!

Budget negotiations between the House and Senate are about to begin and it's so important that they, and the Governor, know that investing in public education is a priority to us!  Join other Pennsylvanians on Wednesday, May 23 and take 5 minutes to call your state legislators and Governor Corbett.  

We made the process as easy as 1, 2, 3.  Click HERE for our Call to Action Guide.

This event is more impactful the more people participate. HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

• CLICK HERE to send an email to your friends, family and neighbors asking them to participate.
• DOWNLOAD a flyer and share it with your network. Share our CALL GUIDE and show people how EASY it is to participate.
• POST about the call in day on FACEBOOK and TWITTER (use hashtag: #educationpa).
  
• TALK about it and send people to our website to learn more.