With Looming Budget Cuts, School Districts Get Some Help From Lawmakers
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – With Governor Corbett calling for major cuts to public education in his proposed budget, a bi-partisan group of state Senators is backing legislation to relieve school districts of mandates, in order to help them cope.
Among the 18 bills in the package are some proposals – such as allowing districts to furlough teachers for economic reasons – already called for by Governor Corbett.
Republican Jeffrey Piccola is chairman of the Senate Education Committee, "if we fail to relieve school districts of some of the cost drivers that they face we will see local property taxes increase. This is unacceptable."
Chester County's Andrew Dinniman is the ranking Democrat on the panel, "everyone is going to have to make part of the sacrifice, but at all times, our focus is going to be how we save public education?"
Among the other bills in the package are measures that would suspend continuing education and professional development requirements for teachers for two years and ease the requirements for hiring of school nurses.
Reported By Tony Romeo, KYW Newsradio.
