Governor’s Announcement Does Not Solve the Philadelphia School District’s Financial Crisis

In just seven days, the Philadelphia School District will decide whether to lay off 1,300 teachers and staff and if schools can open on September 8th. Earlier this week, the Governor announced that the state will advance $265 million in funding to the district. This advance doesn’t change the bottom line for the district since it is money that was appropriated by the legislature in early July and already counted on by the district. The School District has a budget gap of slightly more than $80 million and the increase in a local cigarette tax would help close that deficit. The advance sounds like good news, but it actually does nothing to fill the district’s budget hole because it puts no new money on the table.

The Governor’s announcement came one day after dozens of Philadelphia public school students, parents, teachers and advocates rallied in Harrisburg to call on the State Legislature to return from their summer vacation to pass legislation that would give Philadelphia the permission to raise local taxes for the schools. They were joined at a press conference by Senator Stack and Representatives Cohen, Daley, Dean, DeLissio, Hannah, Kinsey, O’Brien, Parker, and six other legislators who submitted statements calling for the legislature to return to work and complete the vote for Philadelphia school funding.

House leaders canceled the vote in a surprise move that was made to protect their leadership positions at the expense of Philadelphia school children. The abject failure of leadership by the Governor and the House and Senate leadership to take the action necessary to give Philadelphians the wherewithal to fund their own schools is abhorrent. Philadelphia School District Superintendent Dr. William Hite underscored the feelings of parents and students by saying “I am at a loss to explain how or why our students are caught in a political tug of war.” It’s long past due for the Governor and the legislature to step up to the plate and do their part to ensure Philadelphia’s schools open on time.

Urgent: Take Action Now!

Click here to send a letter to the Governor and your local lawmakers to tell them to approve the cigarette tax before the start of the school year.

High Quality Pre-K Remains a Struggle for Many Pennsylvania Families

Gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf and Governor Tom Corbett are battling it out in their TV ads that, more often than not, fail to speak to the real issues that families are facing in Pennsylvania. Hard working families with young children across the state are struggling to make ends meet while doing all they can to get their children ready for school. State funding for high-quality pre-kindergarten programs has not kept up with demand. As a result, high-quality pre-K remains out of reach for many Pennsylvania families, including Kevin from West Chester whose son is starting school and is struggling to fit in. Kevin says “My son is now 6 years old and in kindergarten. I regret that we did not have the opportunity to send him to pre-K, because it was just too expensive for our family to afford. As a kindergartner, he has had problems socializing with his peers

and getting used to a regular classroom routine.” Many families who send their children to pre-k struggle to pay the bills. Walter from Pittsburgh, who has a daughter attending a high-quality pre-kindergarten program, said that because there is too little subsidized pre-K in his area, “we had to put her in a private pre-school, which costs us $500 per month. Although we did get financial aid, it has been a struggle to pay this amount every month.”

Kevin’s and Walter’s stories reflect the struggles many families face with trying to make sure their children begin school ready to learn. In Pennsylvania, 70% of three-and four-year-olds cannot enroll in high-quality pre-K because it is too expensive and good programs are in short supply. That’s why the Pre-K for PA campaign is encouraging voters to press the candidates to pledge to create enough affordable, high quality pre-K for every three-and four-year-old in the state by 2018.

Click here to join the campaign.

Already signed up? Click here for action you can take from home to support Pre-K for PA.