By State Rep. Mike Sturla
SUNDAY NEWS … Truth is, the Republican budget still cuts basic education by $900 million. Whether it’s fuzzy math or faulty word choice, the majority of Pennsylvanians believe that calling a $900 million cut a “restoration” is disingenuous at best.
Further, Gov. Corbett slashed basic education subsidies in such a way that wealthy districts were cut considerably less per student than low-income, struggling districts. The distortion was unmistakable. For example: Wealthy Radnor Township School District received a cut of $76 per student, compared to Chester Upland (only a few miles away and one of the poorest districts in the state), which was cut by more than $2,500 per student…
The sad part is that most of these cuts could have been avoided. The House Republican majority has continued to ignore the voices of residents across the state on issues like a fair tax on the out-of-state Marcellus drilling companies that would generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually and, instead, introduced a plan as flawed as Gov. Corbett’s. But ignoring the voices of the people seems to be the Republicans’ chosen leadership style… (more)
