Corbett Deeply Cuts Education Funding

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett will heavily cut state funding of local school districts and state-funded four-year colleges, potentially putting a tax squeeze of local taxpayers and governments.

Corbett's new budget hits public education hard, with about $1.5 billion in education sector cuts, and a 50 percent cut for state-owned and funded four-year colleges.

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Reaction was swift from education support groups in the state.

"Student achievement has increased significantly across the state in recent years, and this reflects the impact of state and federal funds invested in our schools,” according to Jim Buckheit, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. “Students cannot put their education on hold while waiting for state revenues to recover. This is no time to turn back the clock.”

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter was also concerned, but waiting for his experts to determine how the cuts would affect the city.

"I am concerned about the impact that the elimination of the Charter School reimbursement will have on the resources available for all young Philadelphians in our public school system. I am concerned about the elimination of the School District’s Accountability Block Grant, which we have used in Philadelphia to provide full day kindergarten services," Nutter said.

Gov. Corbett unveiled his first budget Tuesday, calling for a broad reshuffling of state spending that would require deep cuts in education and the elimination of hundreds of state jobs but not new taxes.

The biggest target for budget cuts was public education, which saw about $1.5 billion in reduced spending.

Corbett proposed $27.3 billion in spending for the fiscal year that starts July 1, a decrease of about 3 percent from this year's budget. The budget deficit for next year was estimated at $4.16 billion before the budget was drawn up.

Corbett assumes that improving state tax collections will produce a surplus of more than a half-billion dollars by the end of the current year and grow by 4 percent next year.

Here are where the cuts are coming from, since Corbett will not enact new taxes:

• More than 1,500 state jobs would be eliminated under the budget, bringing the total down from nearly 81,500 to fewer than 80,000.
• There will be a savings of $850 million from cutting some discretionary spending on projects commonly known as "walking around money,'' or WAMs.
• In the Education Department budget, the governor proposes $810 million in cuts for K-12 schools.
• This includes cutting about $550 million, or 10 percent, from money for instruction in K-12 public schools and eliminating $260 million in grants related to pre-kindergarten, full-day
• kindergarten and class-size reduction in kindergarten through third grade.
• Corbett wants to cut another $625 million -- more than 50 percent -- for the 14 state-owned universities in the State System of Higher Education, plus Pitt, Temple, Penn State and Lincoln.
• Spending on health and public welfare services will increase.

Corbett was expected to ask school teachers to accept a one-year pay freeze, even if it means reopening local union contracts.

Corbett's budget adviser, Charles Zogby, said Corbett will seek to eliminate state support for teachers' advanced degrees.

Corbett didn't count on that projected $600 million in combined annual savings in his budget proposal, Zogby said.

Corbett said on Tuesday the "day of reckoning" is here for the state's budget and he asked all public school teachers to give up their raises for the next year as a voluntary contribution.

Corbett also said he wanted to make Pennsylvania the "Texas of the natural gas industry" by not taxing the Marcellus Shale reserve.

Corbett also called for school choice as an option for all taxpaying parents and the rights of school districts to layoff teachers, if needed.

"No other general assembly or governor has faced the budget challenges that lie before us," Corbett said.

"We confront an undeniable reality. … The day of reckoning has come," Corbett said.

Cutting the state store system for liquor sales is not part of Corbett's plan, but he said a commission would be formed to study how to eliminate it as some point, if that was the best option.