Representatives from the PTOs
of 12 school districts gave nine state legislators an earful over Gov. Tom
Corbett’s proposed state budget that eliminates an estimated $1.1 billion
dollars from education for next year.

While state Sen. Andrew
Dinniman, D-West Chester, agreed with the criticism levied against the
governor, several representatives said the budget is not final, that there will
be changes made before the legislature votes.

The session was held in the auditorium at West Chester East
High School on May 5.

Lisa Joyce, from the Kennett
Consolidated School District, called the proposed cuts an “attack” on
education. She said people would not have voted for Corbett or any of the
legislators supporting him had they known what the budget proposal would be.
She included state Rep. Chris Ross, who was sitting at the table with other
legislators, in her no vote comment.

“You don’t have a mandate to
dismantle our education,” Joyce said.

The cuts are more than double
what Kennett expected, she said. KCSD must now pick up all charter school costs
and, she said, the increased contribution to PSERS— Pennsylvania School
Employees Retirement System—from the district is simply wrong.

“The state created the pension
problem and it’s not fair that districts have to pick up the bill,” she said.

Kathy Do, representing the
Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, said a loud and strong voice from the
public can put an end to spending cuts for education.

She cited the killing of Osama
bin Laden, then related another news story about retired generals arguing with
state and federal governments that reduced spending on education was dangerous.

“They referred to these cuts in
states like Washington, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as a ‘national security
threat,’” Do said. “According to these military leaders, if we continue to
decimate education budgets, not only will we fail to raise students to be the
best of the best, we will not even have enough men and women qualified for
military service at all.”

Do called the governor’s budget
“stunning in its shortsightedness.”

“It represents a three-pronged
attack that may well result in an entire generation of children ill-prepared to
compete for the jobs of the future,” Do said.

She said the governor wants to
eliminate the $260 million accountability block grant program that helps fund
pre-school programs and full-day kindergarten, that the $1.1 billion cut would
mean districts will have to layoff teachers, discontinue transportation and
stop programs aimed to benefit at-risk students. The third prong, she said, is
the plan to cut state aid to colleges by more than half.

“Mr. Corbett proudly claims
that his budget will help bolster the state’s economy in 2011. The question
that you [the legislators] must consider is what will happen to our economy in
20 years when these under educated children enter the workforce,” she said.

Each of the PTO representatives
mentioned the loss of programs and teachers and the increase in district
contributions for PSERS and for charter schools. Many of them suggested taxes
on Marcellus shale and increased corporate and gasoline taxes.

Yet, Unionville-Chadds Ford’s
Superintendent Sharon Parker raised another issue prior to the start of the
program.

“[There is] a timeline
disconnect between school budget mandates and the development of the budget on
the state level,” she said in a brief interview.

The school boards must have
their budgets in place by the end of June, but the state budget isn’t
necessarily final by then so the districts are basing their budgets without
knowing what they can get from Harrisburg.

“We all want to serve the same
good,” Parker said, “but we’ve got to find a way to communicate more
effectively with these two entities, the local and the state level.”

She said U-CF is now looking at
cutting programs and paring back on personnel.

Dinniman was the first
legislator to speak after the PTO representatives, and he agreed with their
criticisms.

“There is a hostile environment
created by Gov. Corbett about public education…through active neglect of public
schools,” Dinniman said.

He added that the burden on
districts is backwards, that the poorer districts face the larger cuts.

State Rep. Chris Ross, R-158,
of East Marlborough, said the $1.1 billion dollar cut for education in the
budget proposal coincides with the equal amount the state is not getting from
the federal government. However, he said the budget is not yet final and there
will be changes.

“Governors’ budgets are never
adopted in exactly the same form that they’re originally presented, so we’re
looking at a variety of different kinds of elements that we might be able to
deal with, but the fact is that the federal assistance in excess of $1 billion
expired with last year’s budget, so that $1.1 billion is gone,” he said. “We’re
working to see what amount of that we might be able to find through other cuts
elsewhere in the budget.”

State Rep. Tom Hennessey, R-26,
said the legislators have “gotten the message…and a lot of what we’ve heard
we’ve already discussed…The final budget will be significantly different, but
it will still be austere.

Comments from other school district representatives

Avon Grove: The district faces
highest tax increase in 6 years and students face higher user fees; may have to
cut support staff by 45 percent

Coatesville: The district
stands to lose $8.5 million in three areas of state funding; class sizes are
growing, called that “unacceptable.” “The state has to balance the dollar
amount and children’s education.”

Downingtown: Losing $4 million,
loss of teachers and aids, increased activity fees. The mandated contribution
to PSERS will go from $5 million to $25 million, the representative said.

Octorara: Sports programs cut,
PSERS and charter school funding too great a burden. Offered recommendations on
high performing, low spending districts: full day every day kindergarten,
tutoring for all students who need it, extended day and summer school programs,
development programs for teachers and staff, reduce classroom size.

Owen J. Roberts: Not affected
as severely as other districts, but will lose $10 million over three years. She
noted that the legislators have not volunteered to take pay cuts to help
balance the budget. “If we have to tighten our belts, you guys can too.” Also noted
that the budget calls for increased education programs for prisoners.

Phoenixville: PSERS up, funding
down, teachers are paying for supplies out of their own pockets. District may
cut AP and gifted programs. Shifting the financial burden from the state to the
districts is not fiscally responsible, he said.

Tredyffrin-Easttown- Shifting
the “unsustainable” pension to the districts is wrong. Money spent on pensions
is money not spent in the classroom. The district is cutting language and
computer classes. “We’re not cutting fat, we’re cutting bone.”