Apr. 13, 2016

HARRISBURG – To help local schools receive the state funding they are due in the 2015-16 state budget, Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna) today voted in favor of new legislation that addresses the governor’s veto of the state’s Fiscal Code.

House Bill 1589, which passed the House with bipartisan support, is another attempt at implementing the Basic Education Funding formula, which passed the General Assembly last summer and was praised by Gov. Tom Wolf. That funding formula, which was part of the Fiscal Code Wolf vetoed in March, would dictate how the $150 million in new basic education dollars and $50 million in flexible grants are to be spent.

“When the governor vetoed the Fiscal Code – and with it the new Basic Education Funding formula he praised last summer – I was disappointed in that he would continue to harm schoolchildren,” Pickett said. “That disappointment further deepened when he decided to create his own funding formula – which he isn’t authorized to do without legislative consent – and sent at least half the money to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Chester Upland. It’s obvious to me that the governor’s priorities lie with our large urban centers and not our rural areas.”

Pickett pointed out that every school district in Pennsylvania is receiving more state aid than in 2014-15. However, under Wolf’s own formula and with half the money going to three large-city districts, the remaining 497 districts are sharing the remaining $100 million.

Locally, schools across the 110th District will collectively lose out on nearly $310,000.

“For years, one of the biggest challenges in Harrisburg has been the way in which our schools are funded,” Pickett said. “It’s disheartening that when we are finally within reach of a fair formula that factors in the realities of our rural schools, the governor decides it’s not good enough for the districts he favors. That’s patently unfair, and the people of Pennsylvania deserve better.”

Representative Tina Pickett
110th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jennifer Keaton
(717) 705-2094
jkeaton@pahousegop.com
RepPickett.com / Facebook.com/RepPickett
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