Corbett+Says+Cash-Strapped+Schools+Must+Consolidate

=By Mike Wereschagin= =//Published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review//= =//4/7/11//= = = = = =Ailing school districts such as Duquesne and Clairton, facing a drop in state aid and a withering tax base, need to consider consolidation, Gov. Tom Corbett said today.= = = ="Frankly, I think school districts around the state are going to have to start looking at can they continue to exist?" Corbett said after speaking to about 20 workers and executives at the Kurt J. Lesker Company in Clairton.= = = =Corbett said his dip in popularity -- recent polls show has an approval rating of around 35 percent -- is a reaction to the steep cuts in state spending he proposed to close a projected $4.2 billion deficit without any tax increases.= = = ="Nobody, including myself, wants to just go in there and cut. ... We didn't have any painless choices," Corbett said. "A lot of people don't understand how bad it is."= = = =Corbett's budget proposal cuts K-12 spending by about $1 billion, but he acknowledged that could change as the Legislature writes the state's 2011-12 spending plan.= = = ="The budget is going to be $27.3 billion," matching revenue projections for next year, Corbett said. "Where those dollars are may be moved around."= = = =Corbett cited Lesker, which manufactures vacuum parts, as an example of the region's transition from heavy manufacturing to more nimble, globally competitive industries.= = = ="This region's economy is global," Corbett said.= = = =Corbett said his administration is preparing for a possible shut down of the federal government, which could occur Friday if Democrats and Reopublicans can't reach a budget deal. Corbett doesn't anticipate any short-term effects should that happen.= = = =Corbett is attending the Pirates home opener this afternoon as a guest of the team.= = = = Read more: [|Corbett says cash-strapped school districts need to consolidate - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review] [] = = =

=Battleground Pittsburgh= =News= = = =home=