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State Sen. Lisa Baker: Avoid destructive budget standoffs by changing state’s constitution

Letter to the Editor: Racism not behind political battle over Supreme Court nomination

<p>Massive cuts at the state level and a lack of real investment in education are not only hurting school districts across Pennsylvania, but also having a devastating impact on middle-class families and seniors who can no longer afford to pay for the Republican property tax increases that have been passed down to local communities over the past several years.</p><p>That is why Gov. Tom Wolf has been fighting since day one to secure historic increases in education funding at all levels, including kindergarten through 12th-grade education.</p><p>During his budget address, Gov. Wolf said: &#8220;In the last year alone, 83 school districts increased property taxes above the index because Harrisburg didn&#8217;t produce a responsible budget &#8230; (and) another 175 school districts are contemplating additional tax increases this year &#8211; for the same reason. &#8230; &#8221;</p><p>After years of reckless Republican budgets that drastically cut education, were unbalanced and created a multibillion-dollar deficit, school districts were forced to raise property taxes on hardworking, middle-class families and seniors. And without the governor&#8217;s proposed historic investment in education, districts that are still reeling will once again be forced to raise property taxes even higher to make up for the state&#8217;s lack of investment.</p><p>Despite this reality, some in the Republican Party argue that property tax increases are a result of pensions. However, this claim is categorically untrue.</p><p>In fact, there is no form of pension reform that will provide the state or any district immediate budget relief after years of underfunding the system, which resulted in tens of billions of dollars of debt.</p><p>This also ignores the reality of what happened when the previous governor and the Republican-controlled Legislature made devastating cuts to education totaling $1 billion.</p><p>After Gov. Tom Corbett was inaugurated in 2011, schools began to plan for the coming 2011-12 school year, not anticipating there would be massive budget cuts. Gov. Corbett&#8217;s budget cuts passed in late June of 2011 &#8211; after many schools had passed their 2011 budgets.</p><p>For the 2012 school year, they had to account for the new appropriations and cuts to education. These were cuts directly to classrooms: Funding was eliminated for charter school reimbursements and the educational assistance program. Devastating funding cuts were made to basic education funding and Accountability Block Grants &#8211; all of which went into the classroom.</p><p>To make up for those cuts, districts had three options: cut programs, lay off educators or increase property taxes.</p><p>Given the Republican refusal to compromise with the governor&#8217;s proposal that would fix the deficit and increase funding to education, school districts are once again facing huge cuts, and they will have no choice but to raise property taxes even higher.</p><p>The Republican tax plan would quite simply result in billions of dollars in property tax hikes.</p><p>We have a choice. We can choose a path that funds our schools, eliminates our deficit and puts Pennsylvania back on track. Or we can choose to continue to ignore reality and we will be forced to make drastic cuts to education and increase property taxes.</p><p>It is time to fund our schools. It is time to face financial reality. It is time to give Pennsylvania the bright future it deserves.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Jeff Sheridan</p><p>Contributing columnist</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Jeff Sheridan is Gov. Tom Wolf&#8217;s press secretary.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Jeff Sheridan: Expect runaway school property taxes if Republicans get their way with state budget