By:  Sen. Joe Scarnati (R-Brockway) and Rep. Marty Causer (R-Turtlepoint)

As both lawmakers and fathers, we want our children – and all children – to have every opportunity imaginable to succeed in school and in life. That is precisely why our state budget must invest wisely in public education while at the same time being responsible to the taxpayers who foot the bill.

In a recent editorial, area school superintendents complained of the lack of education funding as a result of the budget impasse and what they consider to be inadequate state funding for their schools overall. We share their frustration regarding the lack of a final budget; however, we disagree with their views on the appropriate level of funding in these challenging economic times.

The only way to give the school districts the additional $300 million they want is through a significant tax increase, such as the income tax hike Gov. Ed Rendell has been pushing over the last few months. (Never mind that only half of the money raised from the tax hike would go to schools, and a third of that amount would end up in Philadelphia schools). Some might say they are willing to make that sacrifice in the name of a good education. Unfortunately, job creators won’t see it that way, so the kids we educate today will have to leave the state to find jobs, further eroding the tax base and prompting more tax hikes at the state and local levels.

Republican lawmakers have a plan to increase investments in our schools without increasing taxes, yet the superintendents claim our plan actually cuts funding. Apparently, the additional money doesn’t count because it comes from the federal government’s economic stimulus program rather than from state funds.

The whole idea behind the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is to help states avoid tax increases by offsetting declining revenues and to invest in projects to create jobs and get the economy growing again. In other words, STIMULUS funds were doled out across the country to STIMULATE the economy, the ultimate goal being that when the stimulus funds run out in two years, the economy has RECOVERED and state revenues will be healthy again – healthy enough to replace the federal stimulus funds for education without missing a beat.

If we increase state funding on top of the stimulus money, we are investing in new programs that will have to be funded after the stimulus money runs out. Even if the economy has recovered sufficiently to fund the educational programs we have today, it is downright irresponsible to take on new financial obligations when your income is declining.

Across our region and across the state, people are struggling to make ends meet. Their hours have been cut and others have lost their jobs. They are making sacrifices, cutting back and making do with what they have. We are not asking school districts to cut back. Every school district will get MORE MONEY than they did last year, while most every other function funded in whole or in part by the state is getting LESS.

Increased spending doesn’t always equal educational success for our kids, and it sure doesn’t equal economic success for our future. The Republican budget proposal provides adequate funding for our schools without placing undue burdens on our citizens during a recession. It’s a responsible budget that makes sense for our present and our future.

Rep. Martin T. Causer
67th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Sen. Joe Scarnati
25th District
Pennsylvania Senate

Causer Contact: Patricia A. Hippler

(717) 772-9846

Scarnati Contact: Tim Nyquist

(814) 726-7201