Connellsville receives visit from Gov. Tom Wolf on his ‘Schools That Teach’ tour
CONNELLSVILLE — Connellsville Area High School on Tuesday became the latest district to receive a visit from Gov. Tom Wolf on his “Schools That Teach” Tour.
He said his visit, which came in the midst of the current state budget impasse, was a stop on his way back to Harrisburg, where he said he’s committed to passing a budget that addresses core issues facing Pennsylvania, including the education system.
“I think all of us recognize in Harrisburg that we have to do right by our education system,” Wolf said. “We’re not going to have a future if we don’t do that.”
Wolf said he chose to speak at Connellsville, a district that recently furloughed 39 teachers, because it is a “great example a school that is struggling under the system we have now.”
“We need a better system,” Wolf said.
Kevin O’Donnell, superintendent for the Connellsville Area School District, agreed, showing his support for Wolf and his proposal.
“Our district is very much in distress,” O’Donnell said. “The budget, and the system of funding schools in Pennsylvania, is simply broken. We struggle to meet our payroll, we can’t afford to hold and maintain certain educational programs. The state, in my view, isn’t doing their end. They have to hold up their end.”
Addressing a crowd that included some furloughed teachers, area residents, school board members and district administration officials, Wolf said he wants to reduce the reliance on property taxes by raising the state’s share of funding for public education to 50 percent, which represents a $3.8 billion drop in property taxes.
“We’ve got to have classes that work, schools that teach, and we’ve got to make sure we’re basing that on the foundation of a fair tax system, and property taxes aren’t it,” Wolf said. “The property tax problem is magnified in Pennsylvania because we have so many school districts. They’re smaller, and the fiscal disparity between the school districts because of that property tax reliance is really huge. Some school districts are fine, but we need to make sure every student gets a good education.”
State Sen. Pat Stefano, R-Bullskin Township, was also present in the audience to hear the governor’s remarks.
Stefano said he agrees with Wolf that the property tax is no longer a sustainable way to fund schools; however, he would like to see a complete elimination of the property tax, not just a decrease.
“You have to eliminate it and you shift it to a different tax,” Stefano said. “It becomes a consumption-based tax, and people have a little more control over what they’re being taxed on.”
Stefano said he is more in favor of Senate Bill 76, a revenue-neutral bill, which he says raises $12 billion to spend $12 billion.
He said residents of Connellsville Area School District will see their tax bills rise by an estimated $1.6 million under Wolf’s budget plan.
“I don’t think he’s interested in a government that works,” Stefano said. “All he seems to be interested in is taxpayers that pay. I want to shift that issue back to a balanced budget with no tax increase. Everybody I talk to says they pay enough already. They don’t want to pay anymore. I’m doing my best to make sure that happens.”
The state budget impasse is nearing the fourth week.
Wolf vetoed the budget in its entirety because he said it was not balanced.
“You’re paying for the fact that we don’t have a balanced budget,” Wolf said on Tuesday. “You’re paying for it because the outsiders are saying Pennsylvania’s finances are not in good shape.”
Wolf said during his remarks, that the state had five credit downgrades last year, and believes the state may need to pay off $170 million in additional interest.
“That’s where we’re heading, because we simply don’t want to have our books in balance,” Wolf said. “That’s $170 million that could got into places like this. That’s $170 million that could go to build bridges or fix roads. That’s $170 million that could go into economic development projects that could make Fayette County stronger.”
While Stefano agrees the credit downgrade is an issue, he had been informed that the cause for the downgrade is the state’s pension issues.
“The pension is unsustainable,” he said. “Here in Connellsville alone, their increase in pension for teachers this year is $8,000 per teacher. So all the new dollars that could come into their school is going straight into the pension, and not the classroom. I’d love to see all the teachers who were furloughed be able to come back if they didn’t have to put as much money into the pension.”
O’Donnell said if the budget impasse continues for much longer, he’s fearful the district would reach a point where it would not be able to meet payroll, adding that 70 percent of its funding comes from the state.
“Payroll is going to be a big issue,” O’Donnell said. “The bottom line is, it needs to be passed, it needs to be worked on, and it needs to be done efficiently and quickly. This is the time to step up and accomplish something.”