Bespoke Advocacy

We need to pay teachers and paraprofessionals more. Period.

Competitive compensation helps attract and retain qualified educators, reduces turnover, provide appropriate training and allows districts to raise expectations around experience, certification, training, and advanced degrees. Right now, many schools are struggling simply to keep classrooms staffed.

We also need far greater transparency about how school districts spend public funds. Communities should have clear access to information about staffing allocations, administrative costs, vacancies, turnover rates, contractor spending, and how educational dollars are being distributed and used.

Taxpayers, families, and educators all deserve to understand where that money is going. Transparency and accountability are essential to ensuring resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact: supporting students and the professionals who serve them.

Extended School Year (ESY) services trace back to the landmark 1979 case, Armstrong v. Kline. Pennsylvania limited publicly funded education to 180 days per year, but families of children with significant disabilities argued that long school breaks caused their children to lose critical skills, denying them a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). A federal court agreed, ruling that some students require educational services beyond the traditional school year to make meaningful educational progress. That decision helped establish the foundation for ESY services, which are now considered annually by every IEP team based on a student’s individual needs.

ESY (Extended School Year) is special education and related services provided beyond the regular school year—typically during summer breaks or other extended school vacations. It is not summer school, enrichment, or a way to help a student get ahead. ESY exists to help a student maintain critical skills and continue receiving a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

For some students with disabilities, a long break from school can result in significant loss of skills (called regression) and difficulty regaining those skills when school resumes (called recoupment). ESY services can help prevent that loss.

Summer can actually be one of the best times to:
• request evaluations
• gather documentation
• prepare for the next school year

Requests don’t take a summer break.

As your child gets older and demands increase, supports should evolve too. What worked for them in first grade may not work for them in 4th, and you’re allowed to make changes!