April 20, 2011

State Rep. Chris Ross, R-158, of East Marlborough, said there was no negotiation about the state budget total expenditures, but that this was a good time to relax regulations so that schools could get the best use of reduced funding this year.

The Liaison and Communication Committee, chaired by Douglas B. Stirling, invited Ross to talk with Kennett Consolidated School District board members about the impact of state reductions on local districts. Unionville Chadds Ford Board members were invited to the meeting, but none were in attendance.

Gov. Tom Corbett’s pledge for no new taxes remains constant as the state struggles to produce a balanced budget. Ross said the cuts everywhere particularly in higher education were dramatic, but the only way to reduce the cuts is to find other programs to cut. House legislators are looking at ways to save money in the welfare system.

One regulation being considered in Harrisburg is changing the formula for state funding to school districts. The “hold harmless” formulation used now does not reduce funding when student populations decrease. A formula that more directly reflects the number of students in a district is being considered, Ross said.

Ross said he believes that the right to strike should not be at the negotiating table. He would like to “fix arbitration” moving toward a more effective “assisted mediation.”

Another problematic regulation is the Right-to-know which costs the district $50,000. Ross believes that administrative costs should be fully recoverable with fees to the person making the request.

To the question of economic furlough, Ross said that “Permanent tenure is wrong.” What is needed is a way to have staffing be flexible and fair. Ross said the need for performance evaluation and continuing relevant education. Many present expressed difficulty in moving forward with those initiatives with declining funds.

Kennett School Superintendent Barry Thomasetti said that the diversity in KCSD, such as English as a second lanquage, costs money. Ross noted that the impact of budget cuts on the school districts varies in his legislative district, and that those costs such as ESL are considered in apportioning funding. UCFSD is affected by cuts less than KCSD. The Coatesville Area School District is affected more than KCSD.

Ross is concerned that charter schools don’t have accountability. He thinks that Cyber Charter Schools might be best be regulated at the state level.

Stirling asked about the Senate Bill 1 and vouchers for student in failed schools. Ross is against vouchers and said that the effort should be in fixing the failed schools. Again, accountability is an issue of tax dollars going out in vouchers, he said.

When asked about getting money from Marcellus Shale, Ross said that new taxes are off the table for the moment. He added that if there were some kind of fee levied, the funds would probably go to support infrastructure and remediation in the areas with the shale.

Director of Business Administration, Mark Tracy, asked that the budget cycles from the state be moved earlier so that the district has time to make adjustments in its own budget.

Assessing the prospects for future years, Ross said “Revenues have stabilized and are starting to come back.” Once this year’s budget is finalized, more work must be done on the pension fund.