Gov. School Cancelled... What to do?

Risumaro
Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:00:30 +0000

Dear All,

It is with deep regret and sadness that we notify you that the 2009 PGSE programs have been canceled by the Department of Education. The program directors were notified of the state’s decision during a meeting in Harrisburg on Thursday, February 26. Applicants for summer 2009 will be receiving a letter of regret in the mail in the near future.

Over the past several weeks there has been a enormous and inspiring outpouring of support from PGSE alumni, faculty and everyday citizens who understand the importance of these programs. As it has been reported widely in the media, Pennsylvania and the entire country is in a recession of serious proportions, so difficult funding decisions have to be made. However, we believe firmly that PGSE is more than simply a worthwhile investment for our state; it is a necessary one.

Alice Sebold said it best: “How, in a nation that idolizes its infants and children, can we find it acceptable to abandon them on the cusp of making their dreams - dreams that will be greater and more important than our own - become realities?”

The members of this group do NOT find this acceptable.

For approximately $2.7 million dollars, maybe even less, all eight programs could continue to run. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial ‘Scandal for Schools: Why cut great programs for the best students?’ published on 2/7/08 notes, “America needs super-achievers to scale the heights as much as it needs underachievers to meet firm standards. Nothing is more important to a nation lagging in science and math and seeking to stay internationally competitive than to encourage a culture of high achievement among its youth.” It seems that the state is trying to send a firm message to its youth: Adequacy is our goal, and we cannot support those who achieve beyond the standards. What a bleak message in a bleak time.

What comes next? How do we make sure that the programs are re-instated in the future? We pose that question to you, the advocates who have inspired the unanimous show of support for these programs.

In the immediate:
Please contact the following people NOW and let them know how opposed you are to this cancellation. If you’ve already sent letters, send more, and make phone calls and in-person visits. We have to keep this on the table.

Dr. Gerald L. Zahorchak, D.Ed.
333 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
(717) 787-5820

Your representatives & senators:
[The Pennsylvania General Assembly](http://www.legis.state.pa.us/)
to find their contact information
(Out-of-state folks, find the contacts for where you use to live in PA, or places you used to work.)

Please keep the conversation going. Please continue to let legislators, the governor, the media, even the national government know how you feel about this cut. And please continue to share your ideas here, and make PGSE part of your daily conversations and initiatives. We see this group moving forward as a way to begin an alumni database, connect with each other about our initiatives and programs, and keep these programs on the table – because although the state government can cancel PGSE for '09, they can’t cancel your great ideas and insistence that it is reinstated in the future.

We love and respect every one of you for the great work you have done to date.

Regards,
-‘Save the Govies’ Admins-