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For February
6, 2013 : Statewide Coverage and Reactions to Governor Corbett’s
Budget Address
PDE Press Release February 05, 2013
Governor Corbett Calls for Four-Year, $1 Billion Investment in Schools
2013-14 Education Budget Increases Funding $338 Million; Invests in Rigorous, Student-Focused Initiatives
Governor Corbett Calls for Four-Year, $1 Billion Investment in Schools
2013-14 Education Budget Increases Funding $338 Million; Invests in Rigorous, Student-Focused Initiatives
“Governor Corbett has proposed to invest a historic level of funding into
public education to ensure that students are offered high-quality academic
programs,” Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis said. “Since education is the foundation of the
state’s economy, Pennsylvania ’s
students deserve to have access to quality programs that will ensure their
success in the future. The appropriate skills and academic credentials will
afford our students the opportunity to remain competitive in a global economy.” Read
more
Text of Gov. Corbett's 2013-14
budget address
Gov. Tom Corbett's office provided this "as prepared for
delivery" text of the 2013-14 budget speech, which was delivered in Harrisburg on Tuesday.
To see how much state taxpayer
funding would be provided to your school district, select the district's name
in the drop down menu below.
PDE’s website February
5, 2013
Governor’s Corbett’s proposed 2013-14 budget would provide Pennsylvania ’s school districts with more than $9.83
billion in taxpayer assistance, representing the largest amount of state
funding in Pennsylvania
history.
“If the pension overhaul doesn’t
happen, Corbett has promised to cut $175 million in overall state spending, an
amount that if taken primarily out of basic education subsidies would wipe out
the proposed $90 million increase. And as in the last five years, there is no
increase in state support of special education.”
Corbett's budget might boost school
funding
Increases hinge on
pension fix, state store privatization.
By Scott Kraus, Of The Morning Call 9:44 p.m. EST, February 5, 2013
After two years of austerity that brought howls of protest from the
education community, Gov. Tom Corbett on Tuesday offered local school
districts a glimmer of optimism in his 2013-14 state budget. The spending plan would increase school
districts’ main state subsidy by 1.7 percent, adding $90 million in state
support to boost basic education funding to $5.5 billion. The increase is
nearly double last year’s hike.
And unlike previous years, Corbett is not threatening to eliminate $100
million in accountability grants. He’s adding a $200 million grant program,
tied to liquor privatization, that would fund early education, individualized
learning, school safety and math, technology and science programs.
But it all comes with a big “if” for school districts that are cobbling
together their own 2013-14 budgets.
“"I think the best
news is that the cutting has stopped for K-12 and higher education," said
Ron Cowell, president of the Education Policy and Leadership Center . "Beyond that, the small increases that
are suggested for K-12 -- and it is only a $90 million increase -- don't begin
to get school districts and programs and services for students back to where
they were two years ago."”
Education basic subsidy up, but some
say levels are too low
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette February
6, 2013 12:23 am
Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed state education budget for 2013-14 contains
enough ideas to spark a lively debate for months. First, there's the money. After school
districts lost about $1 billion largely in federal funds in each of the last
two years, the proposed budget provides $90 million additional for basic
education funding, which the governor's materials described as "the first
increase [in basic education subsidy] in two years." That would bring the basic education subsidy
for K-12 schools to $5.49 billion, a 1.67 percent increase.
“Rep. Bill Adolph,
R-Delaware and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, noted the change
from Mr. Corbett's earlier budgets. "I
certainly was pleased compared to the last two years," he said. "We
don't have the decrease in higher education. We're starting at a much better
place this year."”
Governor loosening purse strings
Funding up for schools, welfare; pension overhaul key to his plan
By Karen Langley and Laura Olson / Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau February 6, 2013 12:26 am
HARRISBURG -- After two years of stringent budget proposals, Gov. Tom
Corbett on Tuesday asserted that Pennsylvania has turned a fiscal corner as he
put forth a plan that increases state spending -- so long as legislators act to
limit employer pension contributions next year.
In his third annual budget address, Mr. Corbett, a Republican, laid out a
$28.4 billion spending plan, an increase of $679 million from the current
fiscal year, that would boost funding for public schools and welfare and
maintain appropriations for higher education.
“Legislature Democrats, union
leaders and some education advocates said the new spending plan would not undo
the damage done by previous cuts - nearly $1 billion two years ago. Some
accused the governor of using education to try to unload the state store system
and get pension reform.”
Corbett budget would boost education
funding
Rita Giordano, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
POSTED: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 , 6:11
PM
The proposed state budget unveiled by Gov. Corbett would allow for some
increase in basic education aid, more funding for early childhood education and
a new block grant program that hinges on privatizing alcohol sales. "My budget works to provide our public
schools with enrichment funding to help them achieve academic excellence at all
grade levels," Corbett said in his public address.
Corbett: Overhaul pensions — or else
Angela Couloumbis, INQUIRER HARRISBURG
BUREAU
POSTED: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 , 11:52
AM
“Corbett has warned that he
might have to cut aid for crucial programs, such as public schools, unless his
plan to change public pensions is adopted. The changes would allow him to spend
hundreds of millions of dollars on other programs in his budget plan, but it's
a tactic that is already being questioned by top Republicans who control the
Legislature, and public employee unions have threatened a lawsuit.”
Corbett eyes 3 percent hike in
spending; issues warning over pension crisis
Delco Times By Marc Levy Associated Press Published: Tuesday, February 05, 2013
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — An ambitious budget proposal released Tuesday by
Gov. Tom Corbett would boost Pennsylvania's core state government spending by
nearly 3 percent while increasing support for public schools, cutting business
taxes and counting on the Legislature to adopt long-term changes to public
pensions.
Very cool Word Cloud view of Governor’s Budget Address…..
WATCHBLOG: Corbett’s budget,
word-for-word
By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent February 5, 2013
Of course, that is largely typical for a speech of this momentum – the
budget address doubles as a “State of the State” address that some governors in
other states give. It kicks off the budget season that must wrap up by June
30 – and gives the governor a chance to lay out his agenda.
Much will be said about Corbett’s proposal in the coming months as
lawmakers and issue advocates pour over the line items, praising and cursing
the decisions the governor has made. But can anyone consider Corbett’s
priorities by looking at the very words in the speech?
Probably not, but we’re going to try anyway.
When we put Corbett’s speech into visualization generator Many Eyes, we found out that the
favorite word in his budget address was, not too surprisingly, “Pennsylvania ,” and its
counterpart, “Pennsylvanians.”
Lawmakers give muted response to
Corbett budget
By Robert
J. Vickers | rvickers@pennlive.com
onFebruary 05,
2013 at 5:55 PM ,
updated February 05, 2013 at 6:26
PM
on
The only thing missing from lawmakers' underwhelming reaction to Gov.
Tom Corbett's proposed $28.4 billion budget Tuesday was the sound of
crickets chirping during strategic pauses in his annual budget address. “The room itself seemed to lack energy all
the way around,” said Dave Patti, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania
Business Council, and a staunch Corbett ally.
At key points in the speech, Patti acknowledged, “You could hear a pin
drop.”
PSBA Special Report: Gov.
Corbett’s 2013-14 State Budget Proposal
Join PSBA on Thursday, Feb. 14, at noon
for a complimentary web conference to discuss the impact of the governor’s
proposed 2013-14 state budget, as well as provide updates on pension and
charter school reform issues. Details are at the end of this report.
Today Gov. Tom Corbett presented a $28.4 billion state spending plan for
2013-14, which is a 2.4% increase over 2012-13. The budget provides $9.55
billion for K-12 education. Funding for the Basic Education Subsidy would
receive a modest $90 million, or 1.7%, increase, bringing the total to $5.5
billion. The largest increase in the education budget once again is allocated
to pensions. The budget includes $1.08 billion, an increase of $223.9
million, or 26.2%, for school employees’ retirement costs.
Other specific education items under the governor’s plan are:
Reactions to Corbett's education
budget
by thenotebook on Feb 05 2013 Posted in Latest news
Here are some reactions, so far, to Governor Corbett's newly
unveiled education
budget, which calls for a $90 million increase in basic education
funding.
“By mid-afternoon Tuesday, two senior Senate Republicans were already
pushing back.
In a briefing with reporters, Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi and
Appropriations Committee Chairman Jake Corman, said Zogby and the administration
was entitled to his opinion that any cash lost by the failure to enact pension
reform should come out of school spending.”
Published: Tuesday, February 05, 2013 , 3:51 By John L. Micek |
jmicek@pennlive.com
Gov. Tom Corbett did something artful in the budget proposal he rolled out to a joint session of the state House and Senate on Tuesday.
Gov. Tom Corbett did something artful in the budget proposal he rolled out to a joint session of the state House and Senate on Tuesday.
He tied legislative authorization of two of his key priorities – pension
reform and liquor store divestiture – to education funding, thus making
majority Republicans in the House and Senate an offer they’ll have a hard time
finding a way to refuse.
Public schools have become a politically sensitive subject in Harrisburg over the last
two years. And there’s an argument to be made that the state Senate GOP lost
legislative ground in 2012 because of its support for cuts to school funding.
Senate Majority Leader Pileggi and
Senate Corman (Chairman of Appropriations Committee) discuss Governor’s Budget
Mp3 runtime: 25:25
About PABudgetNews
PA House Republicans on the 2012-13 Pennsylvania state
budget process.
YouTube video runtime 1:59 Published on Feb 5, 2013
Pa. House Democratic Leaders say that after two years of putting the
burden on working Pennsylvanians it's time for Gov. Corbett's budget to make
common sense investments in schools, road & bridge repairs and a plan to
help working families and the middle class.
House Education Committee Minority
Chairman Roebuck: Corbett budget would take 10 years to restore education
funding - Also points out smaller percentage increases for low-income schools
"The governor's proposed 1.7 percent increase for basic education
would only represent flat funding, due to inflation – and to add insult to
injury, wealthier school districts would get larger percentage increases than
lower-income districts."
House Democratic Policy Committee
Chairman Sturla: governor’s budget proposal places privatization over
Pennsylvanians
“In the preceding weeks, Governor Corbett traveled the state hinting at
the bold policy initiatives he’d be introducing as part of this year’s budget
proposal, but today all we were left with were timid approaches to Pennsylvania ’s biggest
challenges that are Band-Aids at best and wholly inadequate at worst,” Sturla
said. “Pennsylvanians believe our problems are surmountable, but they require
real leadership from the governor that is sorely lacking.
“The governor’s budget proposal favors selling off state assets to large,
multinational corporations at the expense of our children’s education, senior
programs and locally and family-owned businesses. His liquor and lottery
privatization plans have failed to even appeal to members of his own party,
because they provide one-time only injections of cash rather than the recurring
$550 million our liquor industry pays into state coffers every year and the
$1.06 billion our lottery generates annually for our seniors.
PBPC Statement: Governor's Budget
Relies on Speculative Funding, Does Little to Restore Cuts of Last Two Years
PA Budget and Policy
Center
HARRISBURG, PA (February 5, 2013) – Sharon Ward, director of the
Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, issued the following statement on Gov.
Corbett’s 2013-14 budget proposal:
“The governor’s budget does little to reduce the trend of disinvestment
in Pennsylvania
schools and communities. It relies heavily on speculative and one-time sources
of funding, and proposes expensive new corporate tax breaks that will continue
to shift costs to local taxpayers. The budget fails to provide sustainable
funding to reduce class sizes in public schools, keep college affordable for
middle-class students, and ensure working families can obtain basic health
care.”
K-12 EDUCATION
“The governor’s budget will add only 1.7 percent to the basic education
subsidy, doing little to reverse $840 million in education cuts 2 years ago. A
new block grant, called "Passport for Learning," is entirely
speculative, relying on liquor privatization that has failed to pass the
General Assembly twice. The governor has an obligation to today's students to
restore cuts that affect their lives and livelihoods. Progress on education
funding should not be dependent on the outcome of other political debates.
"Many education funding increases are also conditioned on pension
savings and, therefore, are in jeopardy. Lawmakers did not respond with
applause to the governor’s pension plan during his budget address, suggesting
those savings may be hard to come by."
Infographic: Education Funding in
2013-14 Budget
PA Budget and Policy
Center website February 5, 2013
Total Pre-K through 12 education funding in Pennsylvania will reach $10 billion under
the Governor's proposed 2013-14 budget. Classroom funding inched up slightly
from 2012-13 but remains well below 2010-11 funding levels.
Education Voters PA Response to
Governor Corbett’s Budget Address
Statement from Executive Director Susan Gobreski:
Over the past two years, Gov. Corbett has led the effort to cut
nearly $2 billion in investments in the education of our
children, causing program cuts, increases in class sizes and reductions in
services like tutoring, library access and more. Along with the loss of
dollars, under this administration we have lost significant ground on fixing a
broken system for how schools are funded. Nearly all of the progress that
was made to fix that has been lost. There are still terrible disparities
from one community to the next and a ridiculous over-reliance on property
taxes.
PP4C: Gov. Corbett's 2013-14 Budget
Begins to Make Pennsylvania 's
Children a Priority
PA
Partnerships for Children Lauds Investments in Education, Health Care
Pennsylvania
Partnerships for Children President and CEO Joan Benso today made the following
comments on Gov. Tom Corbett's 2013-14 budget proposal:
"Governor
Corbett's spending plan begins to move Pennsylvania
in the right direction when it comes to common-sense investments in our
children, who are without question Pennsylvania 's
greatest resource.
"Budgets
are ultimately about priorities, and with this budget, the governor rightfully
recognizes that Pennsylvania 's
2.7 million children must be a priority," Benso said. "He wants to
invest more in programs ranging from pre-kindergarten to health coverage to
K-12 education that will build our commonwealth's human capital. When it comes
to economic development, that's the smartest investment we can make."
PSBA's Federal Relations Network
members attend 2013 NSBA conference, meet with Congress members
PSBA’s website 2/5/2013
With federal cuts to education looming, school board members from across Pennsylvania and the nation attended the FRN conference
Jan. 27-29, 2013, in Washington ,
D.C. , and met with their members
of Congress on Capitol Hill.
FRN members advocated for the protection of federal education programs
from across-the-board budget cuts that are scheduled to occur under the
sequestration provisions of the Budget Control Act, if Congress does not
intervene before March
1, 2013 . NSBA is reporting that budget cuts would be around 5.1% in
fiscal year 2013-14, if the sequester is not averted, which amounts to $51,000
for every $1 million a school district receives in federal aid. In addition,
these funding cuts would continue until the year 2021. School directors
conveyed to their lawmakers how critical it is that the federal government
fully funds federal programs and that sequestration is averted to ensure that
all Pennsylvania
students have the resources to thrive academically.
Obama to Congress: Halt Automatic Cuts to
Federal Education Spending
President Barack Obama is calling on Congress to
temporarily delay a series of automatic, across-the-board cuts set to hit
federal K-12 education spending—as well as defense, criminal justice, and a
whole host of other programs—on March 1.
Obama is putting forward a package of tax
changes and spending cuts intended to buy some time so that lawmakers can come
up with a broader agreement on spending. But he wasn't specific in a short
speech Tuesday about just how long he was seeking to postpone the
cuts—published reports say a few months—or exactly how he would pay for the
delay.
The looming automatic budget cuts, known in
Inside-the-Beltway-Speak as the "sequester," were intended as a way
to prod Congress and the administration to come up with a long-term plan to reduce
the federal deficit. Obama has long singled out the education cuts as
particularly onerous, and Tuesday's speech was no exception:
Education Week District Dossier Blog By Jackie Zubrzycki on February
5, 2013 9:51 AM
A group of students in Portland ,
Ore. is organizing a boycott
of the state's standardized tests, reports OregonLive. Students from the
Portland Public Schools student union are leading the charge, which is
capitalizing on momentum from the national attention paid to Seattle
teachers who announced last month that they would not administer the MAP test (that's
short for Measures of Academic Progress).
Though the Garfield High School teachers in Seattle have stated that
they take issue with the MAP test in particular, not standardized tests in
general, their protest sparked comments and statements of solidarity
from national teachers' groups, from those
who say standardized tests are overused, and even from the Seattle
chapter of the NAACP. A Garfield
studentrecently wrote suggesting that her classmates refuse to take the MAP
test, a computer-based formative assessment.
Yinzercation Blog January 28, 2013
Come RALLY FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION on Sunday,
February 10, 2013 . 3PM at
the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East
Liberty (5941 Penn
Avenue , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15206 ). This
is about equity, social justice, and a great public education for all our
children.
SAVE THE DATE: 2013 Pennsylvania
Budget Summit Feb.
21st
Many Pennsylvanians have
sent a clear message to Harrisburg
in recent months: The state budget cuts of the past two years were too deep. It
is time to once again invest in classrooms and communities. Next month, Governor Tom Corbett will unveil
his 2013-14 budget proposal. Join the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
for an in-depth look at the Governor's proposal and an update on the federal budget
-- and what they mean for communities and families across Pennsylvania .
2013 Pennsylvania
Budget Summit
Thursday, February 21, 2013 ,
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
HiltonHarrisburg , 1 North Second Street, Harrisburg , PA
Hilton
EPLC 2013 REGIONAL WORKSHOPS
FOR SCHOOL
BOARD CANDIDATES
The Education Policy and Leadership Center, with the Cooperation
of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) and Pennsylvania
Association of School Business Officials (PASBO), will conduct A Series of Regional Full-Day
Workshops for 2013
Pennsylvania School Board Candidates. Registration is $45 and includes
coffee/donuts, lunch, and materials.
Harrisburg Region Saturday, February 9,
2013– 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania School Boards Association Headquarters, 400 Bent Creek Boulevard, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Pennsylvania School Boards Association Headquarters, 400 Bent Creek Boulevard, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Pittsburgh Region Saturday, February 23, 2013 – 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh/Monroeville, 101 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh/Monroeville, 101 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
2013 PSBA Leadership Symposium on
Advocacy and Issues
April 6, 2013 The Penn Stater Convention Center Hotel; State College, PA
Strategic leadership, school budgeting and advocacy are key issues facing today's school district leaders. For your school district to truly thrive, leaders must maintain a solid understanding of these three functions. Attend the 2013 PSBA Leadership Symposium on Advocacy and Issues to ensure you have the skills you need to take your district to the next level.
April 6, 2013 The Penn Stater Convention Center Hotel; State College, PA
Strategic leadership, school budgeting and advocacy are key issues facing today's school district leaders. For your school district to truly thrive, leaders must maintain a solid understanding of these three functions. Attend the 2013 PSBA Leadership Symposium on Advocacy and Issues to ensure you have the skills you need to take your district to the next level.
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