TEACH+makes+case+to+5+GOP+legislators

=By Stacy Lee= =//Published in the McKeesport Daily News//= =//6/10/11//= = = = = =The Tell Everyone All Cuts Hurt group went on their own field trip to the offices of five area state Republican legislators to talk about education cuts in the state budget.= =The teachers and their supporters began their Thursday mission at Sen. Elder Vogel Jr.`s Rochester office.= ="We wanted to make an argument on how what`s taking place is wrong and why education funding needs to be increased — not just a little, but a lot," TEACH organizer Steve Singer said.= =The trip continued to the joint Moon Township office of state Sen. John Pippy and state Rep. Mark Mustio, then state Sen. Jane Orie`s Pittsburgh office and finally state Rep. Eli Evankovich`s Export office.= =The group of more than 40 people had chants such as "What do we want? Education Funding. When do we want it? NOW!"= ="We had a big yellow school bus," Singer said. "We had cars following us. We had a lot of little kids with us. They had homemade TEACH shirts that said things like ‘Don`t Leave Me Behind.`"= =He said none of the Republican legislators were available to talk to them for various reasons, according to their aides.= ="In most places the aides were friendly," TEACH chairwoman Jill Fleming-Salopek said. "They took everything down in writing or on a computer. We told them who we were and what we stood for."= =She said she met some resistance in Pippy`s office with aides not willing to take notes.= =Fleming-Salopek said all of the lawmakers` office staff were very surprised to see the TEACH group.= ="We would start chanting and waving our signs before we sent anyone in," she said. "It was a peaceful protest. None of us had to be removed. We had a clear message and solutions on other ways to balance the budget."= =Steel Valley School District is set to lose $2.4 million if Gov. Tom Corbett`s state budget is passed. House Bill 1485 would add approximately $530,000 more, Singer said.= ="There`s been a lot of talk about increasing the education budget even further when it comes to the Senate," he said. "My fear is that it will increase somewhat more, but not enough."= =Several Duquesne City School District teachers also were with the TEACH group, which is mostly made up of Steel Valley teachers.= =State Rep. Marc Gergely, D-White Oak, donated $500 to TEACH and that made the bus rental for the trip possible.= =More on TEACH can be found at [|www.svteach.wikispaces.com].= = Read more: [|TEACH makes case to 5 GOP legislators - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review] [] = = = = = = = =News= =home=