“This budget severely underfunds school districts in the Lehigh Valley, further harming our children and their families,” McNeill said. “This lack of funding has already forced schools to lay off teachers and staff and increase property taxes. For example, Allentown School District recently announced it will cut 151 jobs, while calling for a 8.2 percent property tax increase.”
Over the last two Corbett budgets, school districts have seen an over $1 billion cut in state funding for education, and McNeill said that this year’s state budget replaces a small amount of that funding [$123 million] but not enough to have an impact.
“Obviously, education funding is not a priority of the Corbett administration, and unfortunately, the burden of educating our children has fallen to local taxpayers, who will continue to see increased property taxes,” McNeill said.
McNeill urged House Republicans and Corbett to include an expansion of Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act in the final budget agreement to provide health insurance to at least 500,000 Pennsylvanians.
“Besides making health care accessible to half a million Pennsylvanians, expanding Medicaid would provide a $3 billion boost to the state economy and at least 35,000 jobs statewide,” McNeill said.
9 comments:
41 cents of every dollar in the budget goes to education and its not enough? Take a hike
This guy can't be for real? He's going to try and say that the Medicaid expansion will be an economic gain for the State. This guy clearly does what the party leader tells him do do. We can sit here and argue whether morally it's the right thing to do but don't come out and try to sell it as some king of economic stimulus plan.
Also, when he compares education funding over the last few years is he removing the Federal dollars the State received to help with funding education. This were a one-time shot and shouldn't be included in his analysis.
Dan should stay quiet like the other local politicians and ride his way to a generous retirement package...
Where does McNeill and other State Reps stand on the Transportation Funding bill. Seem like the Lehigh Valley has a lot at stake with the Transportation Bill.
@906 -- Hmm...Allentown and Easton cuts many teachers because of the ed budget -- makes sense -- where is this 41 cent to da budget? What's next -- no school in Wilson Burrah?
Harry,
You are sooooo right! I say what ever it takes to educate our kids and pay a fair wage to the teachers is simply basic.
Allentown Democrat Voter
How did this guy get to be a state Rep. Hear he can barely string together a coherent sentence.
McNeil is an idiot and so are the Democrats who think Corbett has shunned education.
TRUTH ...
Rendell moved State dollars from the PA Budget to take care of his pet projects because of the stimulus money given for education.
Rendell knew the next
administration
would get blamed for the PERCEIVED 1 B short fall.
Thats Fast Eddie at his best.
Fuck these Democrats who throw up a smoke screen and rant about education. The Corbett administration and the PA HOUSE and Senate did a great job reallocating existing dollars to not only meet but exceed educational spneding from previous years.
I disagree as a qualified TAX PAYER.When I see trucks with employees that get 4 MPG dropping of a box of copy paper, when it could be loaded on a bus to get to a building ,that is a waist of funds that this man say's we need for education.Just this simple task costs us $50.00 an hr.or more per box. This is just a small example .
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