Sep. 24, 2015
HARRISBURG - State Rep. David Parker (R-Monroe) today voted in favor of emergency state funding legislation desperately needed by schools and vital human services across the state.
The legislation, Senate Bills 1000 and 1001, would provide four months of funding for government operations applied retroactively to the beginning of the fiscal year July 1 through Oct. 31. These measures will release up to $11 billion in state aid and $24 billion in federal funds, when signed by Gov. Tom Wolf.
“I am hopeful Gov. Wolf will agree to release funds needed by our schools and human service providers,” Parker said. “When schools do not get their annual funding from the state, they rely solely on property owners and the school taxes they pay. Stroudsburg Area School District took out a $10 million line of credit. The more of that line they use the higher the interest burden our taxpayers will bear. The three school districts in the 115th Legislative District already have the highest property tax rates and highest foreclosure rates in the state, and property owners here just can’t take anymore.”
Parker noted that the governor can line-item veto those budget lines he disagrees with, while blue lining the lines which will get funds to our schools and human services without compromising his total budget goals.
“My priority since taking office has been reforming school property taxes and fair school funding,” Parker said. “I have put forth detailed plans to fix school funding, which would address the excessive property taxes Monroe County residents have been burdened with for decades.”
Specifically, Parker is proposing a $360 million Basic Education Equity Fund, which would collect and equitably distribute received funds to bring the 180 underfunded school districts to the funding levels described in the recommendations from the bipartisan Basic Education Funding Commission.
He is also proposing a $100 million School District Consolidation Incentive Fund, which would collect and equitably distribute funds to incentivize school districts to merge and consolidate in order to right-size student populations and capture significant economies of scale and cost savings.
Since taking office in January, Parker has made coalition-building efforts for the establishment of a fair funding formula for Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts. Over the past 23 years in total, Parker’s three school districts have been underfunded by over $600 million.
Representative David Parker
115th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Charles Lardner
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