Tom Wolf, the newly elected Governor of Pennsylvania, may turn out to be true friend of public education. In a landscape crowded with foes of public education, like Scott Walker, John Kasich, Doug Ducey, Rick Scott, and Andrew Cuoo, this is quite a distinction for Governor Wolf.
After years of devastating cuts by Governor Tom Corbett, Wolf has vowed to fund public schools. He appointed a one-time rival, John Hanger, as secretary of policy and planning (Hanger is strongly pro-public schools).
Governor Wolf recently visited a public school in Philadelphia. At a time when so many governors have sworn their fealty to charter schools, it is refreshing to read about a governor who recognizes public responsibility for public schools.
John Hanger told the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry that the Wolf administration would focus on public education and economic development in its spending plan.
Governor Tom Wolf could build a national reputation if he reverses the school privatization and defusing of public schools that Corbett encouraged .
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I hope that he is true to his word and that his support spreads across the nation. Sadly, Alabama currently seems to be intent on destroying public education.
Wolf is a democrat – are they waking up?
Let’s hope Tom Wolf can show the other wooden headed governors the way to a better future for the citizens. Any state is only as strong as its public education system. Lead on, Governor Wolf!
Gov. Wolf is, indeed, a breath of fresh air, not only because he ran as a proponent of full and fair funding of the public schools, but, as demonstrated by his appointment of Pedro Rivera to be his Education Secretary, because he values teachers and wants the input of the teachers’ union. He is against the gutting of our pensions, has stopped, at least for now, the charterization of York School District, and is open to revising the ridiculous Corbett-created, Duncan-inspired teacher evaluation system based on standardized test scores and school building “grades” (so-called School Performance Profiles) which punish teachers without regard to who and what they teach, the poverty of the population, and the lack of resources existing in their buildings. He, like Cuomo, calls himself a Democrat, but he is Cuomo’s antithesis.
The question I continue to have is : Is Wolf the future of the Democratic Party or is Cuomo? Maybe today we will begin to have an answer from Hillary.
Now that we have (one!) higher-level advocate, I’d like to see him raise the bar a little. Funding and supporting public schools is great, but to my mind that should have been a given- that is the minimum I would expect from a public official. I didn’t get even the minimum, but that doesn’t mean I can’t ask for more 🙂
Maybe he can shift the narrative a little and offer a real positive agenda for (existing) public schools to counter the ed reform focus on charter, vouchers and testing. I think he would really get public school parents’ attention with a focus on what we value about public schools. It would also be unique as far as I can tell- he would be the only one. Truly different.
Public schools are much more than an entity to compare to charter schools or private schools, and they’re much more than testing. They have value in their own right.
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That is good news, indeed! I keep waiting for signs that the pendulum will begin to swing…the parents’ opt-out movement is another. It is crucial for this movement to grow in order to persuade Hillary to defend and promote public schools–if that is even possible!
Diane, on another note, where do you see this new NYS eval going? All of us could be deemed ineffective in 2-3 years, and fired! Can it be changed? Repealed? Altered next year? I do not see Tisch being allowed to exempt wealthy white communities and getting away with that.
Thanks for recognizing our governor. You’re right. He is a breath of fresh air in Pennsylvania. However, we can’t forget the uphill battle any policy has to improve our schools in the Commonwealth. We have a Republican majority in both our state House and Senate that only grew larger in the last election. These are the same legislators who overwhelmingly voted to slash public school budgets by $1 billion a year under Gov. Corbett. And the new ones ran on that policy.
Wolf put forward a fair budget to heal the damage done under the Corbett administration and GOP legislators immediately spoke out to squash any hope that this will pass. Pennsylvania has a governor who seems committed to helping our public schools. The voters gave him a mandate by overwhelmingly casting ballots in his favor, but gerrymandering has kept our legislative branch in the hands of those who would like to stay the course against our schools and children.
The battle is far from over. For more on the struggle to come, please read my article “Ooh! Scary! What Would Happen if We Passed the Wolf Budget.”
https://gadflyonthewallblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/27/oooh-scary-what-would-happen-if-pennsylvania-passed-the-wolf-budget/
We are hoping but I am still a little leery given the connections to York and the turn over of the entire district to charter operator. Also I live in an area of tea party ideology with my own senator leading the charge for getting rid of sick days, pension and instituting the misnamed ” paycheck protection” legislation. So yes hopeful but cautious.
Governor Wolf somewhat quiet on education during his campaign and it was when I heard that he had selected John Hanger as secretary of policy and planning that I dared to have hope. I am a PA public school teacher and parent. John met with me for an interview when he was running for governor. Please note in the following blog post that he read Reign of Error. He is a wise man, so one must believe that Wolf is, as well: http://whatsthebigideaschwartzy.blogspot.com/2014/02/john-hanger-for-governor-is-mench.html
We are all counting on this administration to reverse the unethical attack on public education, which is ultimately an attack on our children. I have heard people say that we may have gone from the country’s worst governor to the best. Fingers are crossed across the Keystone State.
Governor Wolf, urban, suburban, and rural parents are waiting for you to return our public schools to us, stop the horrific Keystone graduation requirement, and return joy and passion for learning to our kids. Let the teachers teach from a place of creativity, intellectual knowledge, and an understanding of child psychology. We can lead our country in this. We are counting on you.
Correction: Governor Wolf was somewhat quiet…
The hedge funds rattle their sabers at Elizabeth Warren, then lick their chops at her vouchers. Typical Wall Street distraction- hide the greed for public education profits, behind “outrage”, at the gnat-like problem of proposed regulations, which require both will and funding to enforce, both in short supply in the nation’s capitol.
And, who votes for charter expansion? Mark Pocan,, First Vice Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Board member of Democrats for Public Education (a 4 donation, last posting-January, cyberspace-only organization). Roll Call, HB 10, 9/2014
I’m glad that governor Wolf is willing to help us fund public education. What’s disappointing about his proposal is that he plans to fund it by continuing to promote the toxic fracking industry. I’m still amazed that there are so many people in PA who don’t understand the dangers this industrial activity is having on our health and environment. The oil and gas industry started here in PA many years ago but the new technique being used today is NOT the same as conventional wells from the past. This is something the public needs to understand and is the reason the techniques now being used are called “Unconventional gas wells” This new method is “Slick-water Hydrological Hydro-fracking” It’s dangerous enough that NY, VT, MD France, Bulgaria and more have BANNED it.
In PA we have 253 cases of fracking related water contamination reported by the DEP. There are many more than that but the DEP under Corbett did a terrible job of protecting the people and reporting and collecting data. So now we’re just catching up and the reports are not good. The health impacts from this industrial practice are serious and especially to children. I won’t bore you with specifics, but I challenge each person to do your own research on the issue. Using fracking as a way to fund education is not the answer. I am not an environmentalists and I personally live in Pittsburgh which was the first city in the world to BAN fracking. But I am a concerned citizen and care about the future for my children and their children. Everything I’ve learned about this industrial activity is a real threat to the health and safety of our children. The very same children we are hoping will be able to get a good education. If Wolf continues to ignore the scientific data that’s come out in the past 3 years we will all be looking for not only a place for good education but a safer place to live. We can’t live without clean air and water and this industry is destroying what we have left here in PA. Please do some research and join the many PA residents who want governor Wolf to put a stop to toxic fracking. You can find info at Pennsylvanians Against Fracking and many other organizations that publish the recent peer reviewed studies that show the dangers this industry in imposing on our communities.
I agree with brigetshields. Governor Wolf’s plan to tie education funding to a boom/bust industry (that already appears to be going bust) is not a sustainable solution. The fact that the boom/bust industry happens to be one that is contaminating water, polluting air, and contributing to climate change makes it a plan that isn’t sustainable for the state or the planet. Right now, there are children in Pennsylvania living without clean water in their homes as a result of fracking. Right now, there are children who spend too much time in emergency rooms because of fracking. Those children and every child now and for the foreseeable future are going to be dealing with climate change that an increased use of natural gas will only accelerate. Governor Wolf ran on two unsustainable solutions. In other words, he ran on making education and climate the next guy’s problem. How that’s interpreted as anything short of irresponsible, I’ll never know.
Don’t take my word for it. Take the time to read about fracking and the dangers it poses. New Yorkers read the studies in this compendium and promptly banned fracking. http://concernedhealthny.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/CHPNY-Fracking-Compendium.pdf
At the mere cost of safe water,clean air and oh not to mention our property being devalued. Are we expendable,your lives,your families,your children,and our state….Stop fracking now.our homes are not for sale.