Greater Johnstown School District has starring role in play about education funding – The Tribune Democrat – April 11, 2015

The producers of a play intended to highlight the crisis caused by school funding cuts didn’t want the audience to mistakenly believe this problem is confined to Philadelphia.

So, they spent three days interviewing people in Johnstown. Subjects include schools Superintendent Gerald Zahorchak, who laughed when acknowledging that the finished product features a character modeled after him.

“I think they cast that guy who plays ‘Batman’ for the role,” he joked.

While the idea of seeing himself represented onstage made Zahorchak chuckle, the message of the production and many of its heartwrenching stories are painfully serious.

The play grew from an event two years ago when 20 parents traveled from Philadelphia to Harrisburg to present 4,000 letters from students pleading for more money for their schools, said Donna Cooper, executive director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, the advocacy group putting on the play.

The parents left dismayed that their protest didn’t resonate.

Playwright Arden Kass was in the group and resolved to use her talents to convey the crisis caused by the state’s funding cuts.

It’s a tactic that dates to the days of ancient Greece. A more recent model for such topical plays may be the “Laramie Project,” based on community interviews following the murder of Matthew Shepherd, a gay student at the University of Wyoming.

Kass interviewed more than 100 people in 30 communities across the state.

She hopes her finished work, titled “School Play,” will galvanize Pennsylvanians and spark conversation about school funding.

It’s certainly no accident that the group latched onto Johnstown.

The district leans heavily on state aid, so the school funding cuts hit harder than in most other districts.

Johnstown is also one of six school systems suing the state for failing to provide the funding to meet tougher academic standards.

Zahorchak, a former state education secretary, is frank about the challenges his district faces while trying to find ways to help students from all social and income backgrounds.

“We don’t sit around admiring our problems,” he said.

Zahorchak said he listened to some of the playwright’s interviews with Johnstown students and, at times, found himself emotional.

“There were times I walked away gasping,” he said.

But, the stories were also inspiring, he said. A few cases involve exceptional students determined to use the school system to improve their lives.

And the stories come with an important political context, he said.

“Most nations do the opposite of what we do,” Zahorchak said. “We allow the poorest schools to struggle with the least amount of help. You’re on your own.”

Cooper’s group is part of the Campaign for Fair Education Funding, a coalition that wants more school spending and a clearer method of dividing up education dollars.

The Philadelphia production of “School Play” took place over two nights last week. The script is available online at childrenfirstpa.org, and Cooper’s group hopes that like-minded people across the state will use the play to initiate discussions about school funding.

Their goal is to see 20 such productions take place by the time the state government passes its budget at the end of June.

With a new governor who was elected largely based on public support for a plan to boost school spending, there will likely be plenty of opportunity to talk about the subject.


The Tribune-Democrat – April 11, 2015 – Read article online