Citizens for Carlisle Schools

06/16/2026

You’ve probably seen the sensational headline about Carlisle’s proposed tax increase.

But you’re not getting the full story.

Let’s go beyond the click-bait headline and talk about the facts—because that’s what our community deserves.

🎯 First, what the article doesn’t tell you is that Carlisle Area School District remains underfunded by approximately $12.3 million every year under Pennsylvania’s own school funding formula. In 2023, the Commonwealth Court ruled that Pennsylvania’s school funding system violates our Constitution because it fails to adequately and equitably fund public schools.

That gap doesn’t disappear.

Carlisle is being asked to raise approximately $2.6 million through a tax increase while the state continues to underfund the district by roughly $12.3 million every year.

Think about that for a moment…

If Harrisburg simply paid what it owes under its own funding formula and constitutional obligation, we likely wouldn’t be having a conversation about a tax increase at all.

Instead, the state continues to shortchange local schools and shift more of the burden onto local taxpayers.

🎯 The other important fact missing from the conversation is that this budget isn’t balanced through taxes alone. The district is also making approximately $1.3 million in cuts, including teaching positions, support staff, and student services that affect thousands of students.

Let’s be clear: no one wants to raise taxes. No one wants to eliminate teaching positions, reduce support staff, or cut student services.

But school districts are required by law to pass balanced budgets.

🎯 At the same time, they are facing pressures largely beyond their control. Inflation has driven up the cost of transportation, health care, utilities, supplies, and nearly every service schools provide. Student needs are becoming more complex. Special education costs continue to rise. Unfunded mandates from Harrisburg continue to pile up. And Carlisle’s growing population requires additional resources to serve students effectively.

School leaders don’t control any of those realities. They are simply tasked with responding to them.

That leaves districts like Carlisle trying to balance two equally important responsibilities: providing students with the education and support they deserve while respecting taxpayers’ ability to pay.

Those aren’t easy choices. In many cases, they’re impossible ones.

If you’re looking for who’s responsible for forcing communities into higher taxes, staff cuts, and reduced services, don’t look to Carlisle—look to state lawmakers in Harrisburg.

Year after year, Harrisburg asks schools to do more while failing to provide the funding necessary to pay for it. The result is a system that shifts more and more of the burden onto local taxpayers while forcing districts to make cuts that nobody wants to make.

🎯 The real story isn’t that Carlisle is considering a tax increase—it’s that Harrisburg continues to underfund public schools while expecting local communities to make up the difference.

Carlisle taxpayers deserve relief.
Carlisle students deserve better.
And you, our community, deserves the full story.

06/16/2026

📣 Good news for Carlisle taxpayers and students!

According to district officials, the latest financing for the new Carlisle Middle School will save taxpayers approximately $2.3 million in principal and interest costs over the life of the bonds, while reducing next year’s debt service payment by an additional $125,000.

That’s on top of the more than $10 million in construction savings the district achieved when project bids came in well below estimates earlier this year.

The district also expects to generate roughly $1.2 million in investment earnings by strategically investing bond proceeds before they are needed for construction.

This is what smart, responsible fiscal management looks like.

Credit to the Carlisle Area School Board, district administration, and business office for their careful planning, strong financial oversight, and commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars while delivering much-needed investments in our schools.

When leaders focus on students, finances, and long-term planning instead of partisan bickering and culture-war distractions, good things happen. Our students benefit, taxpayers benefit, and our community can have confidence that its money is being managed wisely.

📰 Read more below: https://cumberlink.com/news/local/education/article_c12f5ed9-608c-4c7b-b1cd-38b744a81e00.html.

A better interest rate on a second round of financing means that the Carlisle Area School District can save $125,000 in the short-term and $2.3 million in the long-term.

06/15/2026

Here’s something you don’t see every day in Harrisburg:

A bill that would provide property tax relief to seniors, do so without cutting public school funding, and pass with overwhelming bipartisan support.

Yet Carlisle-area ❌PA State Rep. Barb Gleim, ❌ PA State Rep. Thomas Kutz, and ❌PA State Rep. Catherine Wallen all voted NO.

Why? 🤷🏻‍♂️

Last week, the Pennsylvania House passed HB 1678 by a decisive 139-63 vote, with support from Democrats and dozens of Republicans. The bill would generate revenue from digital advertising sold by some of the world’s largest technology companies—the same companies that bombard us with ads every time we open Facebook, search Google, watch YouTube, or browse the internet—and use those funds to expand Pennsylvania’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program.

In other words, instead of asking seniors, homeowners, and local school districts to shoulder more of the burden, the bill would have asked Big Tech to contribute a little more to help Pennsylvania seniors stay in their homes.

At a time when homeowners and seniors are struggling with rising costs, and when lawmakers regularly talk about the need for property tax relief, it’s difficult to understand why our local representatives opposed a proposal that would have provided additional relief while protecting public school funding.

Too often, Harrisburg treats property tax relief and strong public schools as competing priorities. They aren’t. Pennsylvanians deserve solutions that support both taxpayers and students.

The overwhelming bipartisan vote on HB 1678 shows that lawmakers from both parties recognized the need to do something. We would welcome an explanation from Reps. Gleim, Kutz, and Wallen about why they opposed this measure and what alternative proposals they support to provide meaningful property tax relief without shifting costs onto local taxpayers or public schools.

📰 Read the full story here:
https://www.pennlive.com/politics/2026/06/pa-house-oks-bill-to-tax-big-techs-digital-ads-to-help-seniors-with-property-taxes.html

ℹ️ Source: Pennsylvania House Roll Call #1126 (HB 1678 Final Passage), June 9, 2026.

06/14/2026

☠️ Lead poisoning is a serious public health threat that can cause lifelong developmental delays, learning disabilities, behavioral challenges, and other irreversible health consequences. An estimated 11,500 Pennsylvania children are affected by lead poisoning each year. Early detection saves children from harm and gives families the opportunity to intervene before permanent damage is done.

That’s why this week the Pennsylvania House passed House Bill 916 by an overwhelming bipartisan vote (157-44). The legislation strengthens lead screening requirements for young children, expands access to lead testing during pregnancy, and ensures that insurance companies cover the cost so families can access these critical screenings without worrying about whether they can afford them.

Yet, Carlisle’s PA State Rep. Barb Gleim voted NO. ❌

What possible justification could there be for opposing lead screening for children and pregnant women? What possible justification could there be for opposing insurance coverage so families are not burdened with the cost of these critical screenings?

There isn’t one. ❌

This wasn’t a culture-war issue. It wasn’t controversial. It wasn’t complicated. It was a vote to protect pregnant women and children from a known toxin that can permanently damage their health, development, and ability to learn.

The overwhelming majority of lawmakers understood that. ❌ Rep. Gleim did not.

Unfortunately, this vote fits a troubling pattern. Rep. Gleim has repeatedly found herself among a small fringe of legislators voting against broadly supported, bipartisan legislation designed to protect the health, safety, and well-being of children. Whether it’s ❌voting against seizure-response protections in schools, ❌voting against access to lifesaving asthma medication, or now ❌voting against expanded lead screening and insurance coverage, she continues to stand apart from the overwhelming majority of her colleagues on issues where children’s lives and futures are at stake.

At some point, constituents are justified in asking a simple question: ❓what political agenda is Rep. Gleim more committed to than the needs of the children and families she was elected to represent?

🎯 Gleim’s NO vote was unconscionable and dangerous. And it deserves to be called out for what it was: a failure to put the interests of children and families first.

The people of this community deserve an explanation. Until one is offered, this vote will stand as yet another example of Rep. Gleim choosing ideology over common sense, public health, and the well-being of Pennsylvania’s children.

🫵 Shame on Rep. Gleim — again.

📄 Read the bill and roll call vote for yourself:
https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb916.

06/13/2026

🚨 11 days left to vote!

🦬 Have you voted for Carlisle Area School District as Best School District in The Sentinel’s 2026 Best of Cumberland County contest?

🗳️ Vote now: https://thesentinel.secondstreetapp.com/og/06946b7a-4a2f-4b2c-ac5d-f41ff904fe2b/gallery/543452004

You can vote ONCE PER DAY through June 24. Then spread the word to your friends, family, neighbors, and fellow Bison supporters.

Let’s show Cumberland County what it means to be ! 💚🦬

06/12/2026

Teachers are doing one of the most important jobs in our society. Yet across America, too many are struggling just to afford housing, groceries, childcare, healthcare, and other basic necessities. Recent research found that more than 1 in 5 teachers report having difficulty getting by on their household income, and nearly 71% work a second job.

Think about that for a moment.

We ask teachers to educate our children, mentor students, support families, attend evening events, complete endless paperwork, and often spend their own money on classroom supplies. Then we wonder why fewer people are entering the profession and why schools across the country face staffing shortages.

The reality is simple: if we want great schools, we need to make teaching a career that talented people can afford to choose and afford to stay in.

Here in Carlisle, we are fortunate to have dedicated teachers and staff who show up every day for our students. They deserve our respect, our appreciation, and policies that recognize the value of their work and allows them to build a life in the communities they serve.

🎥 Watch the report below and let us know your thoughts. 🔗 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GY7aEhYT1/?mibextid=wwXIfr.

06/12/2026

🍎 Need a little extra help with groceries this summer?

When school is out, many children lose access to the free and reduced-price breakfasts and lunches they receive during the school year. Pennsylvania’s SUN Bucks program can help fill that gap.

SUN Bucks provides eligible households with a one-time grocery benefit of $120 per child to help purchase food during the summer months. Benefits can be used at participating grocery stores and retailers throughout Pennsylvania.

Many families will receive SUN Bucks automatically, while others may need to apply. Benefits will be added to an existing SNAP or TANF EBT card or issued on a new Summer EBT card.

If your family could benefit from this program, we encourage you to learn more and check your eligibility today.

🔗 Learn more and apply: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/summer-ebt

📣 Please help us spread the word by sharing this post so more local families can access this valuable resource.

06/11/2026

🎪 Enough already.

Pennsylvania lawmakers are once again turning a common-sense student safety bill into a partisan food fight.

This week, the House Education Committee advanced HB 2602, the Cyber Student Safety Act, a bill that would require cyber charter schools to establish clear procedures for monitoring student attendance, conducting wellness checks, reporting concerns, and responding when there are signs that a child may be in danger. The bill was introduced after several heartbreaking cases in which children suffered severe abuse, neglect, and even death after disappearing from the view of adults who could have intervened.

This should not be controversial.

Yet instead of discussing how to better protect children, some lawmakers immediately turned the debate into political attacks, conspiracy theories, and accusations about hidden agendas. Carlisle’s PA State Rep. Barb Gleim even suggested that efforts to hold cyber charters accountable for student safety were somehow an attack on school choice.

Let’s be clear: making sure children are safe is not an attack on school choice.

It’s called responsibility. 🎯

What makes this especially frustrating is the hypocrisy.

Some of the same politicians who spend years criticizing public schools, demanding accountability, transparency, attendance enforcement, academic performance measures, and government oversight suddenly want none of those things when it comes to cyber charter schools.

The facts are staring us in the face.

According to data reported by the cyber charter schools themselves, 8 of Pennsylvania’s 14 cyber charters report chronic absenteeism rates ranging from roughly one-quarter to nearly one-half of their students. These are not numbers made up by public school advocates. They are the charter schools’ own numbers.

Academic performance and graduation outcomes at many cyber charters continue to lag behind state averages by as much as 20-50%. Yet whenever anyone suggests additional accountability or oversight, charter school lobbyists and their political allies cry foul.

We’re constantly told that “one-size-fits-all” approaches don’t work. Fair enough.

But then why are Rep. Gleim and some lawmakers insisting that cyber schools should be treated exactly the same as traditional public schools when it comes to attendance and student welfare monitoring?

Public schools see students in person every day. Teachers, counselors, nurses, coaches, and staff interact with children face-to-face. They notice injuries. They notice sudden weight loss. They notice signs of abuse, neglect, self-harm, or mental health crises. Public school employees are mandated reporters required by law to act when they suspect a child is in danger.

Cyber schools, by their own nature and admission, do not have that same daily in-person contact.

That doesn’t make cyber education bad.

It simply means cyber schools need different tools, different procedures, and stronger safeguards to ensure students are actually attending class and are safe while doing so.

That’s not an attack or punishment.
That’s common sense.

If a school receives taxpayer dollars to educate children, it should also have a meaningful plan to ensure those children are safe and accounted for. Period.

That’s not be a Republican issue or a Democratic issue.
It’s not a charter school versus public school issue.
It should be a child safety issue.

🎯 Pennsylvania’s children deserve better than this constant and tiresome political theater. They deserve lawmakers willing to put facts ahead of ideology and students ahead of partisan talking points.

Enough is enough. 🛑 Stop the circus. 🤡

📰 Read the full story and tell us what you think in the comments below 👇
🔗 https://penncapital-star.com/education/house-education-committee-passes-cyber-student-safety-bill-after-heated-debate/.

The measure would require cyber charter school students to appear on camera at all times during live online instruction or be marked absent.

06/11/2026

Imagine voting against training school nurses and employees to recognize when a child is having a seizure and provide basic emergency first aid.

That’s exactly what PA State Rep. Barb Gleim (HD 199) and PA State Rep. Catherine Wallen (HD 193) did when they voted against HB 1045.

The bill passed the PA House 130-71 with overwhelming bipartisan support because most legislators understood a simple truth: when a child is experiencing a medical emergency, the adults around them should know what to do.

But Gleim and Wallen voted NO. ❌

🎯 Carlisle parents deserve an explanation for that vote. Our students deserve better.

When seconds count and a child’s health is on the line, common sense should come before politics.

📣 Shame on them.

👀 Read the bill and view the roll call vote for yourself 📄HB 1045: https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1045

06/11/2026

🚨 YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK? 🚨

While school districts like Carlisle are cutting positions, reducing services, and considering tax increases just to balance their budgets, Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools are spending taxpayer dollars on something that has nothing to do with educating students:

Advertising and marketing. 🤨

New financial disclosures required under Act 55 reveal that the average Pennsylvania public school district spent just $6,898 on advertising and sponsorships during the 2024-25 school year.

By contrast, the average cyber charter school spent more than $1.6 million. 💰

Let that sink in. 😳

Local school districts spend taxpayer dollars on teachers, classrooms, transportation, special education services, school safety, and student programs. Cyber charters are spending millions on television commercials, social media advertising, marketing firms, sponsorships, promotional campaigns, and other recruitment efforts designed to attract more students—and more taxpayer dollars.

What’s perhaps most outrageous is that taxpayers almost never would have known about any of this.

For years, our friends at Education Voters PA fought to uncover these expenditures through Right-to-Know requests. Cyber charter operators fought disclosure, heavily redacted records, and resisted transparency every step of the way. It took years of watchdog work—and ultimately a change in state law through Act 55—before taxpayers could see where their money was really going.

Now that the data is finally public, Pennsylvanians can see exactly what Education Voters PA had been warning about for years.

Here in Carlisle, our district is facing a budget gap of more than $4.5 million and is being forced to consider a tax increase and difficult spending reductions. At the same time, Carlisle taxpayers will be required to send more than $6.5 million to charter schools next year.

To put these new numbers in perspective, the average cyber charter school’s advertising budget alone is roughly equal to one-quarter of Carlisle’s entire annual charter school bill.

❌Not on teachers.
❌Not on student services.
❌Not on helping students learn.

📺 On marketing.

That should outrage every taxpayer. 😡

Meanwhile, the same cyber charter industry continues to fight efforts to bring tuition payments in line with the actual cost of educating students.

That’s why Citizens for Carlisle Schools supports the proposed $75 million in additional cyber charter tuition reforms currently being considered as part of the 2026-27 state budget. Taxpayer dollars should be funding student learning—not television commercials, Facebook ads, professional marketing campaigns, sports sponsorships, and promotional swag.

And the next time your local school taxes go up, ask yourself:

👍 Should your education tax dollars be paying for teachers and student services?

👎 Or television commercials, social media ads, sponsorship deals, and marketing campaigns?

That’s not educational spending.
That’s marketing.
And taxpayers are paying for it.

❓What do you think? Should charter schools be required to comply with the same financial disclosures as public schools and limit what they can spend on non-education-related expenses? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 👇