Public Schools to Suffer Under House Budget, State Lawmaker Says

Newtown’s state Representative says public education will suffer if a $28.3 billion budget approved Wednesday in the House is signed by the governor later this month.

While the budget passed by the House would increase basic education funding by $100 million—$10 million more than was proposed by Governor Tom Corbett—it does not come close to restoring it to pre-2011 funding, Representative Steve Santarsiero said. 

“We can do better,” said Santarsiero, who represents the state's 31st District, which includes Newtown Township, Newtown Borough, Lower Makefield Township, Yardley Borough and parts of Upper Makefield Township.

In 2011, facing a budget crisis, Pennsylvania lawmakers cut funding for education by about $1 billion. If the state passes the budget proposed by the House, Council Rock will get $710,000 less this year than in 2010-2011, Santarsiero explained.

Santarsiero voted against the budget. It passed by a 108-92 vote taken after five hours of debate, philly.com reported.

While the budget proposal increases basic education funding over last year, there are other streams of funding that public school districts like Council Rock count on, like Accountability Block Grants and School Improvement Grants, Santarsiero explained.

“If you’re one of these school districts and you’re trying to balance your budget, you’re left with the choice of cutting programs or raising taxes,” Santarsiero said.

Council Rock School District Superintendent Mark Klein did not immediately return a request seeking comment.

“I’m fully aware that there is no one in the House of Representatives who wants to hurt school kids,” Santarsiero said, adding the House has to come to a bipartisan approach to improve public school funding.  He suggested taxing Marcellus Shale drillers or ending the “double dipping” for charter school pension reimbursements. 

Representative Scott Petri, who represents the state’s 178th District, which includes Council Rock municipalities Wrightstown, Northampton and parts of Upper Makefield, voted in favor of the budget. 

"There is no more money to spend in this budget," Petri was quoted in an Associated Press report. 

Republican House leadership said the budget was “fiscally responsible” and a “blueprint for good governance,” according to the philly.com report.

However, the director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, a nonpartisan statewide research project, said in a statement she was “disappointed” with the House budget.

“It reflects the wrong priorities for Pennsylvania. It chooses tax cuts for profitable corporations over funding for public schools and makes permanent almost 85 percent of the cuts enacted two years ago,” said Director Sharon Ward.

The budget will now go to the Senate. The deadline for a budget to pass in Harrisburg is June 30.