WATCH THE VLOG BELOW:
Welcome to my first (and possibly last) VLOG or Video Log. If you haven’t already, please click on the video above, grab some popcorn and enjoy A Brief Lesson in Pennsylvania Budget Math.
Our state budget impasse continues to grow. The Republican-controlled legislature refuses to replace the almost $1 billion in annual education funding lawmakers removed 4 years ago. Democratic Governor Tom Wolf refuses to accept a spending plan that shortchanges our school children.
This is my attempt to bring clarity to the situation so ANYONE could understand what was at stake and maybe see through some of the half truths and misdirections surrounding the issue. After all, who better than a public school teacher to explain to Republicans why they need to fund our schools?
Basically, the whole video can be summarized in this graph from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center:
For more information, please check out these other fine Gadfly on the Wall Blog articles:
- Playing Games With Our Children’s Future: A Pennsylvania Budget Parable
- Oooh! Scary! What Would Happen if Pennsylvania Passed the Wolf Budget?
- Pennsylvania GOP Lawmakers Demand Seniority For Themselves But Deny It For Teachers
- Broken Promises! Pennsylvania Republicans Ready to Renege on Pension Deal Even if It Means Breaking the Law
NOTE: This article also was published on the Badass Teachers Association blog.
gadflyonthewallblog 
[…] He even talks well of our Republican ex-Governor Tom Corbett, whose education policies – in my opinion – have crippled the state’s schools. […]
LikeLike
[…] refuse to heal long-standing education cuts from the previous GOP administration while Democrats support an […]
LikeLike
[…] Republicans have been waging all out war on poor Commonwealth schools. For the past 4 years, the legislature slashed public school funding by almost $1 billion – an ideological divide that still rages between the newly elected […]
LikeLike
[…] slashed public school budgets by almost $1 billion per year for the last four years with disastrous consequences. Voters who could make little headway against […]
LikeLike
[…] major sticking point is that Wolf and the Democrats are asking Republicans to restore the almost $1 billion in budget cuts made to education for the last 4 years and continuing through this year’s budget temper tantrum. […]
LikeLike
[…] wants the state to heal almost $1 billion in annual cuts to education made 5 years ago when the GOP also had control of the Governor’s mansion. Meanwhile, the […]
LikeLike
[…] If my students had any chance to achieve at this level so early in their cognitive development, we would need to bring in a team of writing specialists, a flurry of councilors, nutritionists, and wrap around social services. However, no resources have been added to help students meet these added testing hardships. In fact, Pennsylvania has slashed school budgets by almost $1 billion annually. […]
LikeLike
[…] If my students had any chance to achieve at this level so early in their cognitive development, we would need to bring in a team of writing specialists, a flurry of councilors, nutritionists, and wrap around social services. However, no resources have been added to help students meet these added testing hardships. In fact,Pennsylvania has slashed school budgets by almost $1 billion annually. […]
LikeLike
[…] wanted it to heal almost $1 billion in cuts to public schools. They wanted it to be balanced and not to spend more than it takes in. They wanted everyone to pay […]
LikeLike
[…] be distributed to the Commonwealth’s 500 public school districts. Wolf still holds out hope that almost $1 billion in school budget cuts made by the GOP can be healed before a new funding formula locks them […]
LikeLike
[…] your school gets less money from local taxes to help kids learn. Moreover, the district has lost almost $1 billion annually in state funding for the last five years. Living in poverty increases the need for wraparound […]
LikeLike
[…] born into poverty. However, for the last five years, the legislature has forced the poor to make due with almost $1 billion less in annual state education funds. This has resulted in narrowing the curriculum, the loss of extra-curriculars, increased class […]
LikeLike
[…] No. It actually doesn’t heal that huge chunk of cash we slashed from public schools six years ago. We’ve been giving you back about $100-200 million a year for a while now, so with this new […]
LikeLike
[…] No. It actually doesn’t heal that huge chunk of cash we slashed from public schools six years ago. We’ve been giving you back about $100-200 million a year for a while now, so with this new […]
LikeLike
[…] about actually funding our public schools? You well-meaning dunderheads slashed school budgets by almost $1 billion a year for the last six years, and your only solution to helping kids learn has been to put more hurdles in […]
LikeLike
[…] need to do something to address that directly, not attack a district that’s lost almost $1 billion annually in state funding for the last five […]
LikeLike
[…] has a budget deficit. We’ve cut almost $1 billion a year from public schools. We can’t afford to burn an additional $300 million on private and church […]
LikeLike
[…] won’t be the state’s fault as they refuse to heal years worth of budget cuts in order to lower taxes on the wealthy, a scheme that, by the way, did nothing to boost the economy […]
LikeLike
[…] have been absolutely zero inflationary increases to keep up with the rising cost of doing business. Pennsylvania schools receive less funding – whether you adjust for inflation or not – than they …, and that has a real world impact on our public schools. Moreover, how that money has been […]
LikeLike
[…] The legislature STILL hasn’t healed almost $1 billion in education cuts made under previous Republican Gov. Tom Corbett. Instead, under current Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, it has reluctantly increased funding a bit at a […]
LikeLike
[…] Pennsylvania stimulus dollars for its schools for one-time infrastructure improvements. However, the state legislature reacted by reducing the amount of state money it used to fund schools at the s… forcing districts to use the stimulus for operating […]
LikeLike
[…] Sadly, failing to fix education funding gaps is par for the course in Harrisburg. […]
LikeLike
[…] Sadly, failing to fix education funding gaps is par for the course in Harrisburg. […]
LikeLike