Governor Tom Corbett passed a budget that shows his disdain for public education, I.e., the future of the state.
Philadelphia got the back of his hand. The burden of paying down the debt created by the state’s own School Reform Commission (which reforms nothing) will be placed on the working class, while big corporations skip away with no responsibility.
One plan, says columnist Will Bunch, is to turn the schools into chicken coops, where nothing happens but bare bones academics because everything else was stripped away by layoffs.
Blogger Yinzercation says the budget doesn’t reach the funding levels of 2008-09.
This governor and legislature and business community don’t care about the children or the future of the state. They would not do to their own children what they are doing to other people’s children.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
What a great leader for the state. You all must be so proud.
Corbett ‘s puny increase for education in his budget confirms his disdain for public education. Most notably, the second highest percentage increase was for ASSESSMENT! We will be working diligently to assure he is a one-term governor.
“Chicken coops” – what a scary image.
Why can’t everyone share the financial responsibility of public education? Why must the corporations be allowed to skip out on so many fiscal responsibilities? Why are they permitted to rape Pennsylvania’s environment by fracking without fear of being penalized for any environmental disasters. I think the foxes are running the farms, not just the chicken coops.
This is all a part of the master plan in place for a long time. 9-11 allowed them to initiate this plan with full speed and they have.
How is it that in that state education is not good for the court system as that is how they have been doing this. It is the way the state constitution is being used.
Today, at LAUSD, there is a good chance that the billionaires world came to an end. There is a new 4 vote and it is not the corporatist privatizers people anymore. You should see the face of Deasy while this is going on. Richard Vladavic was rapidly elected board president. Steve Zimmer is vice-president of the board. Garcia, Galatzan, Deasy and gang are out of power now. The public commenters really cut loose on the board with what is happening on the ground at the schools with principals who are totally out of control and total disrespect for parents and community. This time they listened. Very rare there. If the billionaires boys club falls at LAUSD it will tumble across the nation.
I personally want to thank Diane Ravich for helping to elect Monica Ratliff and all who helped nationwide with this close election won by only 1.8% but what a big 1.8%. At city hall we also have a major change with Eric Garcetti setting a new tone as mayor. No more “King Tony.” Let us hope that Mayor Garcetti also takes to listening to the communities and people not just the billionaires. It is time to turn the billionaires away from public policy by buying it. We are seeing a sea change at LAUSD.
Right! We have a tiered oligarchy in this country.
And the only tier that matters, as far as the members of that tier are concerned is the very top one!
I guess the best thing if for everyone there to be informed and stay on top of him. It is nice to know the Democrats in your state see that Common Core is no good for the kids there.
After reading BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL FOREVER, about life in a Mumbai slum, it’s obvious we are headed down a similar path unless citizens get educated, stand up and refuse to take the crap many statehouses are dishing out. India never had a tradition of strong public schooling so it’s enlightening to see what that looks like. It’s not pretty.
Some Tracy Chapman is in order.
“Sorry. Is all that you can’t say. Years gone by and still. Words don’t come easily. Like sorry. “
I teach in suburban Philadelphia in a district which is managing to survive with cutbacks in programming and hiring under Governor Corbett, but my wife teaches in Philadelphia and is experiencing firsthand the devastating impact of the state and city leaders seriously shortchanging public education. In September she currently expects to return to a school with no assistant principal, no counsellor, no nurse, no aids, no librarian, and fewer teachers.
While I expect the kind of indifference exhibited by our tea party Governor and legislature to public education, I am struck by the almost total dropping of the ball by our President and the Democrats on the issue of saving our schools, especially on behalf of the constituency which worked and voted for their reelection. Is this because the President and those around him making education policy have been bought off by the same education “reformers” who own Governor Corbett?
I got my answer when I watched the “cutting edge classrooms” town hall for students which was sponsored by the Obama administration on June 6 after the President announced his plan to put more technology in our nations classrooms. Here is the link: whitehouse.gov/show-and-tell. This was billed as the National Show and Tell on connected classrooms. The host was a spokesperson for something called EdSurge and at approximately the 24 minute spot of the presentation she tells the assembled students that she wants them to believe she has a magic wand which could solve any problem in their schools and she invites responses. It is then that a student from Philadelphia explains that her district has a 300 million dollar deficit, that teachers and counselors are being laid off and that she wishes the magic wand would be used by the Obama administration to fix this crisis caused by, what the student refers to as the “Doomsday budget.” Incredibly the total response from the spokesperson is to say: okay, Philadelphia wants more funding for its doomsday “project”. That’s it. That’s all she wrote.
As you said in your letter to the Education Secretary it is a national disgrace to allow the public schools to die, but as long as leaders are more beholden to the technology companies than the students, technology, not learning is what we will get.