I have always made education a top priority, especially early childhood education; and I have often said that if you can make a difference in a child’s life between kindergarten and third grade, the following years largely take care of themselves. Therefore, I strongly support Governor Rendell’s efforts to provide universal access to pre-school for all of Pennsylvania’s children.
In addition, I previously introduced legislation that increases the money available for tutoring programs and raising the eligible age from 9th grade to 12th grade. More recently, I tied together my interests in education and the environment with the introduction of Senate Bill 399, which would make it easier for school districts to spend money to make schools LEED Compliant. LEED compliant schools are more environmentally friendly and energy efficient. They cost a little more to build but can save a great deal of money over the years in reduced energy costs.
The battle to provide a quality public education to every child in Pennsylvania is an ongoing one. Especially as we now find ourselves in difficult economic times, preserving a quality education is proving to be a fight. Fortunately, we now have a governor who has shown strong support for public schools and legislators like myself who stands by their commitment to education.
