NORRISTOWN, September 2, 2009 – State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Delaware/ Montgomery) today stood with Gov. Rendell and other southeastern lawmakers to call for adequate education funding in this year’s budget.
During the press conference at Eisenhower Middle School in Norristown, the lawmakers cautioned against making cuts to education programs, and noted that nearly $196 million in state funding is at stake for southeastern Pennsylvania school districts.
“We’ve been having protracted budget conversations for months, and still we are at an impasse,” Leach said. “We are at an impasse because we refuse to settle for cuts to our education system in Pennsylvania, and we refuse to place the burden of paying for these programs on Pennsylvanians. Our priority must be finding a way to adequately support our schools, students and teachers.”
Rendell noted that the Senate Republicans’ plan – which cuts state basic education funding by $729 million - simply shifts the tax burden from the state level to the local level, and would result in slashed programs and higher property taxes. He warned that funding would be even harder to come by once the federal stimulus money runs out in two years.
“School districts will be left with the need for massive property tax hikes or program cuts, or, most likely, both," Rendell said. "In Norristown, that puts $1.3 million at risk when the stimulus funding goes away. Across Montgomery County, the total is $15 million; and throughout the five-county southeastern region, it reaches $196 million."
Rendell also cited a recent announcement by the Center on Education Policy that Pennsylvania was the only state in the nation to make progress in reading and math at the elementary, middle and high school levels from 2002 to 2008.
Leach said, “We can’t let our students fall by the wayside, and we can’t let their outstanding progress slow. Though these are not easy decisions, one thing is certain: we must continue to fight for education funding.”
Joining Leach and Gov. Rendell were state Reps. Paul Drucker (D-Chester/Montgomery) and Matthew Bradford (D-Montgomery), Norristown Area School District Superintendent Dr. Janet Samuels, and school board President Janice Pearce.
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