Lawmakers Urge Schools to Sue State Over Cuts

Two area lawmakers have joined forces to urge school districts in the region to file a class action suit against Gov. Corbett's office to restore funding cuts to Pennsylvania’s school districts in the Pennsylvania budget.

Rep. Bill Kortz, D-Dravosburg and Rep. Marc Gergely, D-White Oak, are urging Pennsylvania school districts to follow the route of school districts in New Jersey, which successfully won a Supreme Court decision with the governor’s office, and had $850 million restored to school districts in May.

“New Jersey’s verbiage in their education is almost identical to that of Pennsylvania," Kortz said. "So I think we have an excellent chance because our constitution also states that we have to provide a thorough and efficient public educational system. I think we have excellent standing with the decision."

Kortz said schools in Colorado are also challenging the governor’s office to restore funding to education.

“What happened to our schools with the cut of over $900 million to educational funding has hurt students," he said. "It’s absolutely hurt the school districts, and we can’t sit back and let it happen again.”

Kortz said things are likely to get worse in the next budget for schools who had to cut programs, and lay off staff and teachers to balance this year’s budgets.

“Come 2012, the same thing is going to happen," Kortz said. "There’s going to be another big limb cut off the educational money tree, and these districts are going to be scrambling.”

Kortz, whose district covers schools in Baldwin-Whitehall, West Jefferson Hills, South Allegheny (McKeesport), West Mifflin and Clairton, said smaller districts have been hardest hit by the state budgetary cuts, and districts such as Duquesne and Clairton face a very real threat of having to close altogether.

“There are probably going to be some forced closings,” Kortz said.

Kortz said he and Gergely’s message to school boards has been that cuts have been unfair, and that poorer districts have had to take an especially hard hit.

“We’re framing the layoffs, tax increases and cuts that the individual school districts have had to do with how much money has been lost per student,” he said. “Even Upper St. Clair lost $79 per student with the cuts, and it’s the richest school district in Allegheny County. They lost over $1,900 per classroom. The budget was discriminatory because the poorer districts lost more.”

The Upper St. Clair board this year adopted a $59.3 million budget that included elimination of seven teaching positions, three teacher aides and one administrator. The district also added a "play to pay" for athletics.

, and , that avoided layoffs, but did not spend money for new programs or technology.

, and asked booster clubs to help with sports and extracurricular events. The budget and finance committee has already planned a session in October to begin looking at the budget for 2012-2013.

Kortz was critical of the state budget cuts to education before the state budget was adopted.

“The equity funding program that would have assured all children getting an equal education has been taken away,” he said.  

“Districts can begin planning for bigger cuts in the state education budget for next year, but what’s going to happen if an even bigger amount of money is cut? It’s not going to be easy."

This story originally appeared on Peters Patch