House+GOP+Budget+Plan+Restores+SOME+Cuts+to+Education

=By Patrick Cloonan= =//Published in the McKeesport Daily News//= =//5/12/11//= = = = = =Some funding would be restored to area school districts under the latest version of the 2011-12 state budget as proposed by House Republicans.= =An area Democratic lawmaker said Wednesday the proposal still is "draconian and simply unacceptable," but the head of the state's largest teachers union said it is "a step in the right direction."= =Still, Pennsylvania State Education Association president James P. Testerman said, "School districts will still be forced to increase class sizes, cut programs that work for our students, raise property taxes, or do all three."= =On a party-line 20-13 vote Wednesday, the House GOP proposal House Bill 1485 was approved by the House Appropriations Committee.= =Among those voting yes was committee Chairman William F. Adolph Jr., R-Springfield, the prime sponsor of the bill.= ="We are committed to easing what we believe was an unfair burden placed on local school districts, colleges and universities," Adolph said.= =The plan stays within the $27.3 million ceiling set by Gov. Tom Corbett while restoring $100 million of what Corbett wanted to cut from the state education subsidy, as well as $100 million in Accountability Block Grant funding often used in full-day kindergarten, pre-K and tutoring programs.= =Among those voting no were committee Minority Chairman Joseph F. Markosek, D-Monroeville, and Rep. Paul Costa, D-Wilkins Township, the two Mon-Yough representatives on the panel.= =State Rep. Bill Kortz, D-Dravosburg, said the plan endorses a $976 million cut to basic education from the 2010-11 budget.= =Kortz has been on the warpath against the Corbett budget, attending municipal and school meetings throughout his 38th District in a bid to drum up the opposition.= ="These cuts ... will still result in school program cuts, layoffs, increased property taxes and increased tuitions," Kortz said.= =Figures provided by Adolph for the governor's budget proposal are different from those that have been released by the PSEA and used by opponents of the Corbett plan.= =For McKeesport Area, for instance, PSEA said actual state budget funding in 2010-11 totaled nearly $26.4 million, but for 2011-12 would drop $4.47 million under the Corbett plan to just more than $21.9 million.= =PSEA took into consideration basic education funding, Accountability Block Grants, charter school reimbursement and other public education programs.= =Adolph released figures that took into consideration the basic subsidy, ABGs and charter school reimbursement, as well as the Educational Assistance Program, school employees' Social Security, School Improvement Grants, basic education formula enhancement and dual enrollment programs.= =By that standard, McKeesport Area received $27.6 million in 2010-11 and Corbett is proposing nearly $23.3 million, or a reduction of just more than $4.3 million.= = = = Read more: [|House GOP budget plan restores some funds for education - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review] [] = = =

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