State legislators need to put children first
As an Acting School Superintendent and Business Official, I am struggling to understand why this budget continues to be unresolved. Taxpayers and businesses across the Commonwealth continue to pay their taxes on time and the Commonwealth continues to collect them and spend them. The federal program dollars are still flowing to the Commonwealth. The money is there, in Harrisburg, but is not being distributed to the school districts as it is intended.
Connellsville Area School District alone is now owed over $21,000,000 by the Commonwealth. As a past school board President, I know that many districts like Connellsville are out of money and others are being forced to borrow money to provide core services. Is the Commonwealth going to cover the borrowing cost for counties and non-profits or do you once again expect local property taxpayers to foot the bill?
It appears that counties, local governments, schools, students, children, seniors and non-profits have become the second-class citizens in this battle and that is simply wrong. State citizens continue to go without funding because the Commonwealth is failing to live up to its obligations. In the end, the taxpayers of Pennsylvania will be left holding the bag while the politicians make excuses and point fingers.
The single biggest mistake in this entire fiasco is the failure of Governor Wolf and the legislature to place the children of the Commonwealth at the forefront of their debate. Let’s hope they learned a lesson and legislation needs introduced to make sure at the minimum that status quo prior year funding continues to flow to school districts to avoid the mess that has taken place.
It is pretty simple. All the debate and negotiating should have been taking place last spring shortly after Governor Wolf announced his budget. Waiting to negotiate until the budget deadline passed was foolish at best and criminal at the worst. It is time to end the impasse!
Let me suggest some changes for now and the future so that this spectacle does not occur again. If you cannot agree on everything, let’s at least go back and pass the aspects’ of the budget on which there is agreement. That is why Pennsylvania Governors have the power of the line item veto. Use it. Pass a law that states that no Legislator, Governor or Secretary shall receive any compensation, including expenses, until a budget is passed and signed.
The size of the legislature needs to be decreased based upon declining population and become part time. Schools and other levels of local government are forced to do more with less when enrollment decreases. The reduction will lead to forced term limits and not make these “lifetime” jobs. I certainly understand that public service is not an easy job. I also realize that the complexity of passing a budget at the state level is much greater then what we have at the school district level, but that is no excuse for the situation that taxpayers, local governments, schools, students, seniors and non-profits find themselves today.
The Connellsville Area School District and its men, women and the children they serve should not be placed at risk for the failure of state government. The children of this school district are too valuable for the future of this community and Commonwealth and should not be used as pawns in a game of chess amongst adults who cannot agree on pension reform and liquor stores. It’s time to govern.
Sincerely,
Philip Martell
Acting Superintendent of Schools
Connellsville Area School District