­­­­­­The Pennsylvania affiliate of the Council on American Private Education (PACAPE) announced the finalists and winners of the inaugural Teacher and Administrator Recognition Awards at a ceremony at the state Capitol in Harrisburg May 7, 2014.The celebration was part of a special day in Harrisburg that included a rally in support of the successful Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs. These recognition awards were open to any private school teacher or administrator from across the Commonwealth.

PHOTO CAPTION: 2014 PA-CAPE Teacher and Administrator Award Winners – (front row, l to r) Barbara Shughart, West Shore Christian Academy, Shiremanstown, PA; Cathy Spory, Johnstown Christian School, Hollsopple, PA; Diane Hediger, Queen of Angels Regional Catholic School, Willow Grove, PA. (back row, l to r) Timothy Waxenfelter, Quigley Catholic High School, Baden, PA; Maureen Thiec, Delone Catholic High School, McSherrystown, PA; Besie Katz, Politz Hebrew Academy, Philadelphia, PA.

EITC/OSTC Support Rally May 7thIt is not too late for you to consider bringing a group to the Rally.  The Rally is on May 7th at noon on the front steps of the Capitol. This is a significant event that communicates a message to legislators that the EITC program is very important to us.  By not engaging in this event, we communicate a dispassionate interest on behalf of the program and a missed opportunity to honor legislators that have fought hard to advocate on behalf of this legislation.

This Senate vote was successful in continuing to assert that Child Care Certificate Programs are important for Religious and Private Providers! Thank you for your support.
The Senate is likely to vote TODAY (March 12) on bipartisan Amendment # 1819 by Sens. Tim Scott R-SC) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) to S. 1086, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act. The amendment would clarify that the CCDBG program continues to support the use of child care certificates for services in faith-based settings as well as other distinctive settings, such as Montessori programs and Waldorf programs. Please help generate phone calls and emails to senators on this bill.

Picking up the phone and calling your legislators may be the easiest and quickest way to share your opinion. Don’t hesitate to call. Remember that your legislator wants to represent the needs of his or her district. By conveying your interests to your legislator, he or she has a better understanding of how to serve the needs of their constituency. Calling your legislators is also the easiest way to schedule an appointment in their district office. For more information on how to call your representative and what to say, click here.

On Saturday, February 1, House Representative Paul I. Clymer was presented the PA School Choice Champion Award by PACape members. 

Representative Richard Saccone Provides In God We Trust Plaque to any Interested School    Any ACSI school that is interested in receiving an 'In God We Trust' Plaque for their school should contact Representative Saccone.

There are several legislative Issues that we are working on as a part of ACSIPA.  As of our January meeting of the ACSIPA leaders, we have identified four issues that PA Christian Schools should become educated about and be prepared to communicate with others:1.  Watch for updated information coming out as a part of the Child Protection Acts recently adopted by the legislature and signed by the Governor.2.  Become aware of, and begin to communicate opposition to HB300/ and SB 300 which is being promoted as tolerance protection.3.  Encourage the Legislature and Governor t

Dear ACSIPA Schools,I wanted to get this information to you from the national CAPE office as issued by the USDE today as a resource for schools in coping with the CT crisis.USDE Offers Resources Following Newtown ShootingsThe horrifying ending to the lives of innocent children in Connecticut last week has us all searching for ways to make sense of the senseless and bear the unbearable.The U.S. Department of Education today compiled a collection of resources to help school communities across the nation respond to the crisis and to help school children cope with the trauma.

  From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette It's time for school choiceWe long ago should have given parents more options  Tuesday, September 20, 2011By Ronald T. BowesShortly after doctors performed a high-risk heart-liver transplant on Pennsylvania Gov.