State+Sen.+Kim+Ward+(R-Westmoreland)

= = = = =The T.E.A.C.H. Committee met with State Sen. Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) and Tom Aikens, her Communications Director, on 6/2/11 at 3 p.m. at 12591 Route 30 in North Huntingdon.=

=During the meeting, Ward said the State Senate is probably going to amend House Bill 1485 budget proposal that cuts education by $1.2 billion. Admittedly, HB 1485 is an improvement over Gov. Corbett's original plan to cut education by $1.5 billion. Ward wants to go one further and increase funding to basic education and hospitals beyond HB 1485. She does not think the senate would increase funding to higher education nor is she in favor of doing so.= = =

=To accomplish this, she is in favor of tapping $300 million in projected surplus revenues. However, this would not, alone, increase funding to what it was last year. At most it would bring the cuts to $900 million.= = =

= She is in favor of tapping the $2 billion Liberty Loan fund, but somewhat vague on what would happen to that money. She did say that the over $300 million Gov. Corbett had taken from the Tobacco Settlement for this fund should be returned to what it was originally set aside for (healthcare). We, at the T.E.A.C.H. Committee still assert that this is the governor's private WAM (Walking Around Money) fund, and applaud Sen. Ward and her senate colleagues who are in favor of deleting it.=

= Ward will not, however, consider tapping increased prison spending of $2.68 billion because she asserted we have increased the number of people we have incarcerated over the last year to such an extent that we need that money to keep them in prison. She is, however, in favor of prison reform to reduce the number of inmates and find alternative ways for some of the least harmful to serve their debt to society and thus reduce prison spending long term.=

= = = We wonder if Pennsylvania's prison population has increased in just one year to justify almost $3 billion in additional spending. = = =

= She is a bit vague on her stance on a tax for Marcellus shale. She is in favor of an impact fee but not a tax. However, she wants this money to go to the counties that have shale drilling and would be most impacted.= = =

=If the remaining more than $900 million could not be found, we pushed Ward to consider reallocating the funding that is being put to education. During the last two years, Pennsylvania reduced its state spending on education making up the difference with federal stimulus money. Now that that money is gone, the state is proposing to slightly increase over all education spending beyond what it was before the stimulus, but it is allocating that money completely differently. For example, the Accountabilty Block Grant - used to fund programs such as all-day kindergarten - is still reduced by 70% in HB 1485. Instead, funds that had previously been used for such programs to help all the children of Pennsylvania have been set aside for charter schools and vouchers.= = =

= We asked Ward that if she would support allocating education funding in the same manner it was pre-stimulus. She agreed. = = =

= "We're looking at reallocation from one line item to another," she said. "I support changing allocation. I don't want my Jeannette to suffer." = = =

=She is referring to Jeannette City Schools, a district receiving a cut of $915 per student - the largest per pupil cut in Westmoreland County. The district is in her coverage area.= = =

=However, instead of putting funds back into Accountability Block Grants, Charter School Reimbursements, etc., she is in favor of putting it all in a lump sum in Basic Education. This would allow more flexibility to schools in how to spend that money, she said.= = =

=We are dubious that all of the funding would be returned as it was pre-stimulus under such a scenario.=

= "We don't want a bait and switch," said Steven Singer, TEACH Web Organizer.= = =

="You're a radical!" she replied with a smile.= = =

= Sen. Ward was also outspoken in her opposition to Senate Bill 1 (school vouchers). However, like her colleague Rep. George Dunbar, she opposes the bill for purely economic reasons. She thinks it costs too much and doesn't hold schools who receive vouchers accountable.= = =

=While we at the TEACH Committee agree on both counts, we also oppose SB 1 because it is not educationally sound. In places where it has been tried such as Washington, D.C., and Milwaukee, it has been a failure.= = Do School Vouchers Really Improve Student Achievement? = = Top 10 Reasons Why PA Senate Bill 1 is a Terrible Idea = = Public Opinion Polls Show Pennsylvanians Opposed to School Vouchers = =Vouchers are a Scam=

=Ward was perhaps most taken aback by statistics provided by the Pennsylvania Black Caucus asserting that HB 1485 might be considered racist. After all, under the plan the average Hispanic student will be cut 103 percent more and the average African-American student will be cut 164 percent more than the average white student. = = =

="That's combative and accusatory!" she said.= = =

= We would like to clarify that we are not calling Ward a racist. She has not voted on this budget proposal yet. However, if she and her colleagues in the senate do not come through for all the children of Pennsylvania, name calling will be the least of their worries. = = =

=Ward noted that over the Memorial Day weekend, an East Allegheny teacher approached her while the senator marched in a parade and demanded she vote to restore education funding. "That was unprofessional," she said.= = =

="If you attack our kids, you can expect people to be angry," Singer said.= = =

=Hopefully Ward and her colleagues in the senate will amend HB 1485 to eradicate education budget cuts and/or reallocate funding to pre-stimulous levels. Hopefully, they will not enact harmful legislation such as SB 1.= = =

=If not, perhaps they shouldn't expect warm welcomes from the public whose children they would be dooming to a second rate education while they starve the beast.= = = = = = Download the Powerpoint Presentation we used to explain the situation to Ward here. =

=Kim Ward represents:[| City of Greensburg,][|City of Jeannette][|, City of Latrobe][|, Derry Township][|, East Huntingdon Township][|, Hempfield Township][|, Mount Pleasant Township][|, North Huntingdon Township][|, Penn Township][|,Sewickley Township][|,South Huntingdon Township][|, Unity Township][|, Adamsburg Borough][|, Arona Borough][|, Derry Borough][|, Hunker Borough][|, Irwin Borough][|, Madison Borough][|, Manor Borough][|, Mount Pleasant Borough][|, New Alexandria Borough][|, New Stanton Borough][|, North Belle Vernon Borough][|, North Irwin Borough][|,Penn Borough][|,Rostraver Borough][|, Smithton Borough][|, South Greensburg Borough][|,Southwest Greensburg Borough][|, Sutersville Borough][|, West Newton Borough][|, Youngstown Borough][|, Youngwood Borough]=

=She is a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 612 (allowing districts to furlough staff for economic reasons).=

=If you live in Westmoreland County, (or if you just want to pay her a visit), please contact me.=

=Contact Kim Ward=

=**//Kim L. Ward (R)//**= =**//[|Represents the 39th District]//**= =Harrisburg, PA 17120-3039= || =Suite 101= =Greensburg, PA 15601= =(724) 600-7002= ||
 * =ADDRESS:= || =Senate Box 203039=
 * =ROOM:= || =168 Main Capitol= ||
 * =TELEPHONE:= || =(717) 787-6063= ||
 * =D.O. ADDRESS:= || =766 East Pittsburgh Street=
 * =E-MAIL ADDRESS:= || =kward@pasen.gov= ||
 * =INDIVIDUAL HOMEPAGE:= || =//**[|http://senatorward.com]**//= ||

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