PHILADELPHIA — Dozens of public school board members across the state signed an open letter to Pennsylvania voters and their families urging Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano to threaten public education funding. warned against the threat they said was
As of Friday morning, the letter, which had garnered 70 signatures from elected public school board members in 26 districts, both Democrats and Republicans, described Mastriano’s financial plan as “a risk to most families in Pennsylvania. We are so out of touch,” a state senator was elected and pledged to cut more than 50% of state funding for schools.
The figure comes from a March radio interview with Blair County’s WRTA, in which Mastriano cut funding per student in the state from $19,000 to about $9,000 per student. and told the organizers that the money would be diverted. , the money should go to the student. “
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In an interview, Mastriano said students and parents can decide whether to attend public school, private school, charter or home school.
Mastriano, a staunch supporter of school choice, has lashed out at critics of the proposal, saying “that’s not his plan” during his campaign. He now pledges to “adequately fund schools and teachers, protect students, and empower parents.”
His campaign site provides some details about his proposal for funding the school. These include the opening of the controversial Education Opportunity Account for Parents and the expansion of the Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program, which gives tax breaks to companies that provide scholarships to private schools. Include parameters related to price per student or public school plans.
Out of a “obligation to do something,” Scott Overland, vice president of Chester County’s Phoenixville Area Board of Education, reached out to members of local public school boards across the state to address the initiative in an open letter last week. said to have led
Mr Overland said he had received an overwhelming response, with school board members being asked to be added as signatories. It contains the signatures of a small number of officers from the Philadelphia area, including West Chester, North Penn, and Downingtown schools.
“This has profound implications for communities throughout Pennsylvania, and as administrators of the public education system and as board members of the Board of Education, I am doing what I can to make sure that people are aware of this. It’s a real threat,” said Overland, whose daughter is a first grader in the district. He was elected to the Phoenixville Area Committee last year on both the Democratic and Republican tickets.
The letter endorsed Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro, calling him “a candidate who believes education is central to a bright future.”
“It’s not about politics, it’s about real impact on our community,” Overland said.
Damian Christopher Worsbege, a member of the Upper Darby School District Board of Education since 2019, said not only as a board member, but as a former student in the district who has seen the impact of funding cuts on public school arts programs. He said he signed the letter in person.
Mr. Worthbege, who won a nonpartisan election, said he feared cuts to public schools would turn “educational experience into a commodity that the private sector… should make money from.”
“That’s not why any of us are in this business,” Warsavage said. “Our kids will remember this.”
The school board member’s letter came on the heels of additional criticism by the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers’ union, in August, which called Mastriano’s plan “totally irresponsible.”
The PSEA has released an analysis that fills in some details based on the limited information provided by Mastriano’s Education Funding Campaign.
The analysis also noted that Mastriano has repeatedly called for eliminating the ability of schools to impose property taxes.
Mastriano’s campaign later released a minute-long video calling the union’s analysis “systematic attack” and deceptive.
Other goals listed in Pennsylvania’s campaign plan include an “immediate ban” on so-called critical racial theories and gender studies in schools, and an “extreme ban” on school district diversity, equity, and inclusion plans. includes a review.
Mastriano’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment Friday, but the candidate briefly addressed his stance on school funding last month at a campaign stop at Gatsby’s Bar & Grill in Delaware County. , noted that it voted for a state budget in July.
“In fact, we just passed legislation in the Senate and House, and I voted for an $850 million increase in education funding,” Mastriano told the Aston audience.
“Are you kidding me? And am I going to cut my education?
— Inquirer staff writer William Bender contributed to this article.
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