Parents, Pa. Lawmakers Look For Answers To Budget Crisis in Chester-Upland
By David Madden
CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) -- The ongoing problems in the Chester Upland School District (see related stories) are the subject of a pair of community meetings today in Chester.
Parents were getting a chance to vent, even as politicians were seeking both short- and long-term answers.
Pennsylvania state senator Dominic Pileggi got an earful this morning from constituents, many of whom begged him to sign a pledge not to support another state takeover of the district.
He wouldn't agree to that, insisting that no option be taken off the table.
Some parents claim they are being kept in the dark by people on all sides pursuing personal agendas.
"We don't know what's going on," said parent Dennis Martinelli. "Everything is a secret meeting over there, a secret meeting over here. 'Let's have a meeting at the church.' No -- forget all these organizations. Our parents need to know what's going on with our children."
Meanwhile, the state House Appropriations Committee held a hearing to examine how Chester Upland got into its current financial mess, amid word that other urban districts across the Commonwealth, from Erie to Allentown, could soon be in similar trouble.
