RA Welcomes U.S. and PA Legislators
Phoenixville, PA – On Thursday, January 30, 2020, Renaissance Academy (RA) was visited by legislators and representatives from the US Senate, US House of Representatives, and the PA House of Representatives.
Earlier this school year, the RA Administration and Board of Trustees invited all State Reps/State Senators, Congressional Representatives and County Commissioners from Montgomery County and Chester County as well as Education Committee Members in all four caucuses to attend a Legislative Breakfast. Regarding the purpose of the event, Dr. Gina Guarino Buli, RA CEO, said, “We wanted to open our doors to the key decision-makers in Harrisburg in an effort to be transparent with our practices and increase the overall educational opportunities for students throughout the Commonwealth.”
Attending the event was:
- PA State Representative Melissa Shusterman;
- PA State Representative Tim Briggs;
- PA State Representative Joe Ciresi (with his Chief of Staff, Alex Teplyakov);
- PA State Representative Matt Bradford’s Legislative Assistant, Matthew McCarry;
- PA State Representative Joe Webster’s Communication Specialist, Chloe Woodrow;
- US Congresswoman Madeleine Dean’s Field Representative & Veteran Affairs Liaison, Dave Corrigan; and
- US Senator Pat Toomey’s Field Representative, Amber Little-Turner.
Along with a comprehensive presentation during the event, there were student-led school tours, band and vocal performances, as well as parent and teacher testimonials.
The morning concluded with an open dialog session about RA and Charter Schools in general between the legislators and the RA group which included Gina Guarino Buli, Ed.D, CEO; David Cosme, Achievement Director; Carol Schaeffer, Business Manager; along with RA Board of Trustees members Janel Work (Vice President), Elizabeth Falcone, Mark Grenier and Greg Queen. The discussions involved topics such as school funding, education law reform, and education equality.
Dr. Guarino Buli said that she truly appreciated the attendees using their legislative break time to visit the school. “It was clear that the main objective of everyone in the room was to secure the educational success for all children. My hope is that the legislators walk away with a heightened awareness of how charters schools, like RA, operate and how they are making a difference in the lives of their students."