What did "Phil" predict??

Another wintry day in Cambria County

As I look out my window upon a snow-laden and blustering landscape, I can barely see the football field—even as, two days ago, temperatures had climbed well above the freezing point. Although I am a winter/snow lover and would enjoy using this blog to wax poetically about the pleasure this weather brings me, this discussion does not focus on such a casual topic.

February is typically the month our Governor proposes next year’s budget for Pennsylvania. It is therefore time for my yearly “grumbling and grousing” over the Governor’s proposed budget for next year.  As I stated last year at this time, “…this is not meant to be a complaint session.  The governor’s budget is what it is.” As the economy slowly begins to pick up, most districts in Pennsylvania still face extremely hard times, with some unable to meet their bills even after severe budget cuts.  The Governor’s budget proposal will do little to help, even though he is claiming that he will increase public education spending by $90 million dollars.  Hmm. This doesn’t equal the one billion dollars he siphoned away from public education. Even elementary school math skills will discern that he is giving less than he has taken, leaving us at a continued—and growing—deficit.

To his credit, the Governor has begun the daunting task of addressing the PSERs underfunding issue.  While everyone agrees that something has to be done with the public employee retirement system, people cannot agree on how it should be done.  It is a fact that the fund is in jeopardy because several past governors chose to defer payment toward the fund. Should current public employees atone for the missteps attributable to several past Governors?  That is a question that will be hotly debated in the House and Senate. 

In the meantime, Central Cambria administrators have begun, once again, to scrutinize all areas of the district in an effort to present a balanced budget to the Board in May.   The state is proposing yet another year of zero funding increase for special education – despite the rise in costs for the many special education programs we provide, as well as the increase in costs for unfunded or underfunded programs like the Accountability Block Grant program.  Further, the Governor is tying public education funds to his plan to privatize the state liquor stores (our children get what they need if he gets what he wants).  I have two questions about this issue: First, what happens when the money from the sale of the LCB is gone? By then, the state will have gotten comfortable with spending less of its own budget on public education. Will districts’ taxpayers be left to pay the bill for public education? My second question asks how the Governor dares to hold public education funding hostage to his own private agenda. I can’t begin to express my frustration with a public servant who sees no wrong in using such tactics to achieve personal ends (remember that this governor also has many ties to charter and cyber schools).

With all of this in mind, please take a few minutes to call, email or visit your local legislator to ask - demand! - that the Governor, for the sake of Pennsylvania’s future, provide the proper educational funding for all children attending Pennsylvania’s public schools.

As ever, thank you for supporting public education and the efforts of your children’s teachers, support staff and administrators at Central Cambria. And yes, thankfully, the NFL combines start this week into the weekend.  While the Pens continue to play pretty well during the NHL’s shortened season, I still long for the NFL draft the last week in April. 

According to Phil, spring is around the corner. If you’re like me, proud of the harshness of Pennsylvania winters, you will relish what little remains of winter even as you anticipate warmer weather. Dr. D.