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Education Voters Pennsylvania Statement on 2010-2011 Budget Proposal
Education Voters of Pennsylvania was pleased to see that the proposed 2010-2011 budget provides a continued investment in education and continued effort to reform the financial structure for education funding.
Pennsylvania has seen immediate results from changing the approach to how schools are funded, most importantly in dramatic gains in student achievement, but also in smarter tax policy, relieving pressure at the local level, where the over-dependency on property taxes for school funding has challenged communities. There was a problem before, but no one had to address it when the economy was booming. This economy has shown that we can not defer doing what is right – we need a long view about investment and we need to fix outdated systems.
This proposal marks the third year in a multi-year effort to modernize education funding levels, following a finding that Pennsylvania’s funding system was not keeping up with the requirements and needs of the educational system.
The accomplishments Pennsylvania has achieved are the result of a strong bi-partisan commitment to education issues which must continue in order for Pennsylvania to truly set itself apart. We applaud Governor Rendell for focusing on education. While other states have struggled to cover bare bones necessities for their schools, or decided that educational reform will have to wait for better days, our leaders in Harrisburg have worked together to advance an education agenda that is forward thinking and good for families, kids and communities. The public gets it, this is an issue that has strong public support, and people don’t want to see petty politics getting in the way of finding solutions for Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvania has made a significant amount of progress on education issues not only because Governor Rendell has been a strong advocate but also because legislators on both sides of the aisle recognize how important education is to our Commonwealth and its future,” said Susan Gobreski, executive director of Education Voters of Pennsylvania. “It has taken a collective effort to move education funding reform forward and it will take the same to ensure education funding is increased this year. Good policy is good politics.”
Pennsylvania’s lawmakers have an opportunity to put the public interest before self interest and do what is best for the Commonwealth’s future. The right thing to do is to invest in our students and communities to ensure a bright economic future for the Commonwealth.
Education Voters Pennsylvania works to ensure political leaders adopt and implement a pro public education agenda by advocating for sound policy, educating the public and creating voter engagement strategies that generate real action from elected officials.
