Alois: Let’s Look at the Real Budget Numbers for Education

As the Democratic Candidate for State Representative in the 168th District, I have been running on a pro-public school platform and it has been resonating with the voters.  They know that  Governor Corbett’s budgets, championed by current State Representative Tom Killion, have been cutting funds to their school districts and they don’t like the tough position it has put their school districts in.

Let’s look at the numbers for the four schools districts in the 168th:

Marple Newtown SD:  total cuts since 2010-2011 = $238,241

Rose Tree Media SD: total cuts since 2010-2011 = $302,144

Wallingford-Swarthmore SD: total cuts since 2010-2011 = $322,862

West Chester Area SD: total cuts since 2010-2011 = $2,093,141

TOTAL cuts to school districts in the 168th since 2010-2011 = $2,956,388

So, you might ask, why did Tom Killion claim in public last week the “State money for education is up”?   The simple answer is that he adds the costs of transportation and the State contribution to the pension fund to the General Fund distribution for schools.  In other words he is doing the old “apples and oranges” trick. The cost of bus service and the State obligation to contribute to the pensions of our hard working teachers do not add to the money that our school boards can use to educate the children.  The State money available to teach the children is DOWN, not up.

I am asking the voters of the 168th to send me to Harrisburg to fight for your schools.

Beth Alois, a local Realtor and former librarian, lives in Thornbury Township.  She is Vice-Chairperson of the Thornbury Township Democratic Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Chadds Ford Business Association. She has been endorsed by the Delaware County Daily Times.

The 168th District includes parts of Delaware County (Media, Middletown, Edgmont, Thornbury, Rose Valley, and parts of Upper Providence, Nether Providence, and Newtown) and Westtown Township in Chester County.