State Representative Mike Schlossberg (D-Allentown) said that the budget doesn’t solve problems, but, “resorts to one-time funding gimmicks.” He also accused Governor Corbett and his Republican-controlled legislature of cutting $1 billion in education funding while letting oil and gas companies get a free ride.
State Representative Dan McNeill said that he is, “standing strong with the teachers of Pennsylvania to ensure that our next generation has fully-funded schools and that our hard working teachers get the pensions that they have earned.”
Michael Beyer, running against Justin Simmons for the State House seat that includes parts of southern Lehigh and Northampton Counties, said, “With each budget providing fewer dollars going to actual classrooms, even some of the most well-off districts like Saucon Valley and Southern Lehigh, are forced to raise local property taxes and cut staff and programs.”
Terri Powell, running against Julie Harhart in Northampton and parts of Lehigh County, said, “This budget looks to balance the budget on the backs of teachers and students while still letting the oil and gas companies, some of the most profitable in the Commonwealth, drill in our backyards basically for free.”
(Blogger's Note: Independent Michael Molovinsky is also running in that race).
Leslie Altieri (D-Bethlehem Township), running against Marcia Hahn in Northampton County, said that, “The reality is that Corbett and Hahn have left public education spending at its lowest level in years and have been overly optimistic on tax revenues and left us facing a $1.4 billion hole in the budget
A chart with data compiled from the PSEA and recent school board budgets shows the real impacts of the last budgets proposed and passed by Corbett and his clones in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Effect of State Funding Changes on Lehigh and Northampton School Real Estate Taxes
| |||
School District
|
2013/2014 Tax Increase
|
2014/2015 Tax Increase
|
Change in Funding from PA since 2010/2011*
|
Catasauqua SD
|
1.30%
|
2.60%
|
-$280,678.00
|
Northern Lehigh SD
|
2.30%
|
2.80%
|
-$720,082.00
|
Northampton SD
|
2.47%
|
2.47%
|
-$1,224,003.00
|
Whitehall-Coplay SD
|
3.27%
|
3.30%
|
-$302,029.00
|
Parkland SD
|
3.67%
|
1.88%
|
-$200,149.00
|
Allentown SD
|
8.20%
|
5.85%
|
$7,632,500.00
|
Bethlehem SD
|
2.70%
|
4.90%
|
-$6,865,171.00
|
Matt Munsey, Chairman of the Northampton County Democrats, said, “This chart, these cuts, show precisely why we need to re-elect Mike Schlossberg, Steve Samuelson, Dan McNeill and Bob Freeman. It also shows with drastic clarity why we need to elect Tom Wolf as Governor, Michael Beyer, Terri Powell, Leslie Altieri and Pete Schweyer to the State House. We can’t keep letting oil and gas companies get a free pass while hiking taxes on our oldest, most vulnerable citizens and giving short shrift to the next generation.”
