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<p>HAZLETON &#8212; As the Keystone state&#8217;s cheerleader-in-chief, Gov. Tom Wolf found himself with a tough crowd Friday.</p><p>The students were studying directions &#8212; as in north, south, east and west &#8212; and he asked their favorites.</p><p>&#8220;West,&#8221; one boy in the Hazleton Elementary/Middle School classroom said. &#8220;I want to go to California.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;What&#8217;s wrong with Pennsylvania?&#8221; Wolf asked</p><p>&#8220;It snows a lot here.&#8221;</p><p>Perhaps sensing that this stop on his &#8220;Schools that Teach&#8221; tour might be backfiring, Wolf asked if there was anyone who liked Pennsylvania.</p><p>&#8220;I always have a good time here,&#8221; one boy said.</p><p>&#8220;I like it,&#8221; another chirped in. &#8220;It&#8217;s close to my family in New York.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Anyone else want to say something nice about Pennsylvania?&#8221; Wolf asked.</p><p>One girl up front shook her head no. Wolf turned to her and smiled.</p><p>&#8220;So you heard about what&#8217;s going on in Harrisburg,&#8221; he quipped.</p><p>&#8220;What&#8217;s going on&#8221; is a budget battle now in its eighth month, as Wolf pushes for new taxes and more money for public schools.</p><p>Begun June 30 when Wolf vetoed a bill from the Republican-controlled legislature, the impasse has lasted so long that Wolf proposed <em>next</em> year&#8217;s budget on Tuesday, even as no full budget exists for the 2015-16 fiscal year.</p><p>While the tour is meant, at least in part, to garner support for his push for more public school money, Wolf hadn&#8217;t even left the building before Pennsylvania GOP Deputy Communications Director Paul Engelkemier sent out a comment.</p><p>&#8220;Governor Tom Wolf is holding yet another taxpayer-funded political tour of the Commonwealth to push his fantasy budget that would leave Pennsylvanians worse off,&#8221; the statement said, going on to accuse Wolf of holding &#8220;our students hostage&#8221; by restricting the flow of state education money approved by the legislature.</p><p>Asked about the statement, Wolf countered that Pennsylvania is facing a $1.2 billion structural deficit, has had its credit downgraded five times in five years, and cannot afford to cut any more from the budget.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s not a Democratic or Republican issue, that&#8217;s a fact,&#8221; Wolf said.</p><p>With an extensive entourage of media, security, local politicians and school staff, Wolf toured several classrooms in what once was Hazleton High School.</p><p>He split his time talking with students and teachers. One class gave him a card thanking him for his visit, and some hand-written missives, all in a paper bag decorated with a googly-eyed, heart-shaped purple face and accordion-fold paper arms and legs.</p><p>&#8220;He even looks like me,&#8221; Wolf joked.</p><p>Among the teachers, James Hearne praised the governor&#8217;s commitment to education, Megan Howey lauded the school and equipment but voiced concerns with the high-stakes state tests that stress her third-grade students, and David Havrilla urged Wolf to &#8220;just keep doing what you&#8217;re doing.&#8221;</p><p>State Rep. Mike Carroll, D-Avoca, one of several lawmakers accompanying Wolf, couldn&#8217;t resist a little self-deprecating humor.</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;re setting the bar pretty low!&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, left, and state Rep. Mike Carroll share a laugh with Hazleton Elementary Middle School student Luis Gonell in English class during Wolf&#8217;s &#8216;Schools That Teach&#8217; tour on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_governorwolf01.jpg</photo0><caption0>Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, left, and state Rep. Mike Carroll share a laugh with Hazleton Elementary Middle School student Luis Gonell in English class during Wolf&#8217;s &#8216;Schools That Teach&#8217; tour on Friday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_governorwolf02.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf visits classrooms at Hazleton Elementary Middle School during Wolf&#8217;s &#8216;Schools That Teach&#8217; tour on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_governorwolf02.jpg</photo1><caption1>Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf visits classrooms at Hazleton Elementary Middle School during Wolf&#8217;s &#8216;Schools That Teach&#8217; tour on Friday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_governorwolf03.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, right, visits English teacher James Hearne&#8217;s classroom at Hazleton Elementary Middle School during Wolf&#8217;s &#8216;Schools That Teach&#8217; tour on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_governorwolf03.jpg</photo2><caption2>Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, right, visits English teacher James Hearne&#8217;s classroom at Hazleton Elementary Middle School during Wolf&#8217;s &#8216;Schools That Teach&#8217; tour on Friday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Students a tough crowd for governor</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Hazleton Area students are tough crowd for Gov. Tom Wolf