House Republican Budget Proposal Halts Progress of PA Schools

Hurts kids by turning back the clock on school funding

Contrary to claims of education funding increases, the budget proposal released today by House Republicans would impose deep and extreme cuts in state funding for public schools and would force school districts to choose between property tax cuts or devastating cuts to classroom programs.

“The budget released today by House Republicans would use a shell game to cut state funds for public schools, walking away from the state’s Constitutional obligation to providing a quality education and putting our future at risk,” said PSEA President James P. Testerman. “Budget tricks that use federal reinvestment stimulus dollars to turn back the clock to 2005-06 levels of state funding will have a devastating impact on our schools. Their budget proposal passes the buck to local school districts, whose only choice will be to cut programs and services for children and raise property taxes in their communities.”

Testerman noted that Congress intended the designated state stabilization funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve education and prevent job losses, not to make up state deficits. Ignoring that guidance, Senate and House Republicans have mislabeled federal Title I and IDEA stimulus funds as increased funding regardless of the fact that substantial federal restrictions apply to the use of these funds and they can only be used for certain students, in certain programs, in certain buildings, in certain districts. Many students will see no benefit at all from these funds.

 “Under the House Republicans’ proposal, school districts would have no choice but to increase class sizes and reduce or eliminate programs like early childhood education, and professional development for teachers,” Testerman said. “Public education is the key to economic recovery, and lawmakers should keep their commitment to children.”

PSEA calls on lawmakers to do the right thing: sit down and find a way to keep the state’s commitment to fund public schools and balance the state budget.