State representative says ‘major reform’ coming to public education
JACKSON TWP — A state legislator representing the county told a gathering of business leaders Friday, May 5, 2023, that “major reform” is coming within the next few years to public education funding.
State Rep. Tim Bonner, R-8th, and other legislators who represent the county, discussed education and other topics at the Butler County Chamber of Commerce’s “State of the Commonwealth” legislative breakfast at the Steamfitters event center.
“Major reform is coming,” Bonner said, as a result of a recent Commonwealth Court ruling that found the state’s school funding system to be unconstitutional.
A judge issued the ruling in February in a lawsuit filed nine years ago by several school districts in northeastern and central Pennsylvania challenging the funding system. Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer ruled that some schools are so underfunded it violates students’ constitutional rights.
Bonner said Gov. Josh Shapiro has formed a task force to investigate the issue and is expected to issue a report on its findings in February 2024. Changes will be implemented in the following year or two, he said.
Pennsylvania spends $20,000 per student per year and ranks among the top 10 states in that category and in teacher salaries, Bonner said.
Real estate taxes are a major source of school funding, but the tax is regressive and creates hardships for low-income and elderly residents, he said.
“Change is coming,” Bonner said. “It’s unfortunate that it’s court ordered, but it’s coming.”
Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11th, said consolidation, mergers and shared services among school districts should be discussed.
She said she supports allowing board candidates to cross file on both party ballots.
State Sen. Elder Vogel, R-47th, said the last school district consolidation occurred while Gov. Ed Rendell was in office in the 1990s.
District mergers are challenging because large districts can be reluctant to absorb smaller districts that have a lot of debt, and districts struggle to agree to mergers because they want to maintain their individual identities, Vogel said.
He said there are districts in Beaver County that send students to other schools for classes not offered in their home districts.
The state should help districts that want to consolidate by providing money to merge, he said.
State Rep. Stephenie Scialabba, R-12th, said she supports school choice and does not support consolidation.
She also said schools should focus on teaching math, English, science and history.
Vogel said workforce training should begin in seventh or eighth grade and classes should help prepare students for available jobs.
He said auditor general Timothy DeFoor has told him his office needs 50 certified public accountants immediately and other departments are in the same situation.
“Every department of the state is short by bunches,” Vogel said.
Mustello said the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School has great career programs, and students there are excited about the education they are receiving.
Scialabba said the importance of a college education traditionally has been stressed to students, but students can make a good living in trade and manufacturing jobs.
She noted Shapiro has suspended the college education requirement for many state jobs.
Luke Bernstein, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, said the state needs a workforce development strategy to grow the economy.
When students graduate from high school, they should have an education that enables them to find a job, go to college or join the military, and training for trade jobs should be expanded, Bernstein said.
He said reliable broadband service is needed for education and job training.
