Questions About the State's Education Budget

On Feb. 7, Gov. Corbett will make his annual budget address, indicating his funding priorities for 2012-13. Education funding and reform issues will play an important role in the Governor’s new proposals.
 

In the weeks that follow, several hearings will be held in the Capitol to review the Governor’s education budget. Members of the General Assembly will have the opportunity to ask both Budget Secretary Zogby and Education Secretary Tomalis detailed questions about the priorities outlined in the Governor’s budget. The legislature will use the hearings to gather information, before presenting their own budget proposals.
 

The Education Law Center is going to present legislators with a list of questions to ask the Corbett Administration officials during the budget hearings. The Law Center is encouraging parents, students, community members, business leaders, advocates, and organizers to submit their own questions they'd like legislators to ask.
 

Simply add a question (or two) in the Reply box below. (It requires a PA School Talk sign in, which takes a minute to complete, or can be done with an existing Facebook account.)
 

We will organize the questions by category and distribute them to legislators in the Capitol prior to the hearings.
 

Then watch the hearings live or follow the live blog from the hearings right here on PA School Talk to see which questions get answered – and what those answers are.
 

Here is the full list of budget appropriations hearings in the House and Senate. 
 

What questions do you have about the state education budget for the next school year?

Some questions the Law Center would start with are:
 

• Does the Governor’s budget proposal meet Pennsylvania’s basic constitutional standard and “provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth”? Constitution of Pennsylvania, Article III, Section 14.
   
• Does the Governor’s budget use an objective formula to distribute funding in a manner that is internally uniform and consistent for all school districts, rather than using selective political influences and favors for some districts? (The most common forms of non-objective funding include hold-harmless spending, minimum increases, multiple formulas aimed at specific districts, and new line items added for public relations purposes.)
   
• Is the Governor’s budget proposal based on real costs for educating students with different needs in each school district throughout the state? For example, is it directly connected to the number of students in each district and the measurable additional needs of students in poverty, children with disabilities, and English language learners? And is it connected to the distinct needs of school districts that are rural, urban, very small, or fast growing?
   
• Does the Governor’s budget proposal provide resources that allow all public school students to meet state academic standards and to graduate with the knowledge and skills needed for good citizenship, productive employment, and life-long learning?