Make a phone call today to improve special education for students with disabilities in Pennsylvania!

Call or e-mail your state senator before June 4 and ask for a vote in favor of Senate Bill 1115.  Even in this tough year, we are close to making historic progress for children with disabilities.

SB 1115 is our reform legislation for special education funding and accountability.  We have worked to enact these positive reforms for several years.  We are now getting close to final passage.

You can find the Harrisburg office phone number and e-mail address for your state senator here – http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/#address.  E-mail or call their Harrisburg office and leave a message.

Thank you for getting involved and making this happen for children with disabilities.

TALKING POINTS for calling the Harrisburg office of your local state senator:

•    “Please vote for Senate Bill 1115, the special education reform bill, when it comes up for a vote on June 4.”

•    “Senators Browne and Dinniman are the leads sponsors. The bill has 30 cosponsors and Senator Piccola, Chair of the Education Committee, is also supporting the bill.”

•    “I am asking you to support reform of the state funding and accountability system for special education.”

•    “This legislation was approved 173-25 by the full House of Representatives in 2010, and has now been re-introduced as SB 1115.  The bill does not call for any new funding in 2012-13″

•    “The current funding system is broken, is unfair, and does not provide enough resources for special education in the right places. The broken system sets the number of students eligible for state funding for special education at 16% regardless of whether the school district has fewer or more students receiving special education. It also does not focus the funding on strategies that have a track record for improving student performance.”

•    “The school districts you represent need support for special education, and must be held accountable for results.”

•    “I have personal experience with how this broken system hurts children with disabilities and all students.”  (Describe your experience.)

•    “Thank you for supporting this important issue and voting for SB 1115 when it comes up in March.”

(The bill numbers are House Bill 704 (yes, the same number as last year) and Senate Bill 1115.)