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Pitts­burgh students need more op­tions, not fewer

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Pitts­burgh students need more op­tions, not fewer

In the May 31 article, “Education Leaders Want More Pa. Funds for Schools,” Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-West View, and others call for more funds for students in district schools, but reduced funding for students in charter schools and students using tax-credit scholarships to attend private schools.

This divisive thinking perpetuates the educational inequities that plague Pittsburgh students. It’s unconscionable. For too long, we’ve funded systems instead of students, leaving students in struggling systems with no access to quality education.

Consider Westinghouse High School, located in Homewood. The median household income is around $36,000 and 10% of 6th- through 8th-graders are proficient at English, 50 percentage points below the state average.

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Charter schools and tax-credit scholarships give students in Homewood and Wilkinsburg hope. Research shows when there is competition, struggling districts rise to the challenge and improve, too.

Ms. Williams notes, “We all know that one of the best investments we can make as a commonwealth is in education. Our collective future depends on making sure that everyone has access to a quality education, from early childhood, to K though 12.”

I agree. The Educational Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs are doing that right now. In fiscal year 2017-2018, 5,000 tax-credit scholarships were issued to students in Allegheny County.

For Homewood students trapped in their zip-code assigned district schools, an EITC or OSTC scholarship may be their only path to a successful future. That’s why Ms. Williams should be pushing to expand, not cut, these programs.

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Marc LeBlond
Harrisburg
The writer is a senior policy analyst for the Commonwealth Foundation.

First Published: June 9, 2019, 4:00 a.m.

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