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for 2006 Pennsylvania Primary Election Legislative Candidates
1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Pennsylvania's system of funding public education? What should the Pennsylvania Legislature do, if anything, to improve the system of funding public education? (75 words or less) The way we fund education in the Commonwealth must be reformed. We have an education funding formula that was developed at a time when special needs children and English as a second language students did not make up a significant portion of our classrooms. This has changed. The Legislature must reform the funding formula to reflect an equity of funding that insures that our tax dollars are allocated where they will do the most good. 2. How should the Pennsylvania Legislature assist school districts to meet the requirements of Pennsylvania's regulations for academic standards and graduation requirements as well as the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) that expects every student to demonstrate proficiencies on state assessments in reading, math and science by 2014, and for all schools to demonstrate "adequate yearly progress" (required by NCLB) toward that goal? (75 words or less) Adequate funding must be provided to give school districts the resources they need to meet the requirements of state regulations as well as the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. The Legislature must pick up the slack of the Federal Government and provide equitable funding to school districts to meet accountability standards. 3. How should the Pennsylvania Legislature assist school districts to close the academic achievement gaps that exist among groups of students in schools and school districts across the Commonwealth? (75 words or less) Achievement gaps can be bridged by providing school districts with special funding above and beyond the regular funding provided by the Commonwealth. This money should be earmarked for programs designed to close these gaps. We must increase funding for early education to ensure that all our children have the foundation of a good education. We must increase the funding for facilities maintenance and school construction so that our children have healthy and safe learning environments. 4. What, if anything, should the Pennsylvania Legislature do to increase access for young children in Pennsylvania to high-quality pre-K programs and full-day kindergarten programs? (75 words or less) The Pennsylvania Legislature must allocate more funds to school districts to ensure that all our children have access to high quality pre-K and kindergarten programs. In these early stages of development it is important that we make sure our children have small class sizes so as to maximize one-on-one teacher student contact. We must maintain support for programs like Head Start so that our children regardless of economics have the tools they need for success. 5. What is your vision of the public education opportunity that should be available to every child in Pennsylvania and what will you do to accomplish that goal? (75 words or less) Every child must be provided with a high quality education that provides them with the tools they will need to succeed in their life. If elected one of my top priorities will be to change the way we fund education in the Commonwealth. It is not enough to set standards for our children to meet; we must provide the resources to ensure their success. 6. Is there anything else that you will do to strengthen Pennsylvania's public education system? (75 words or less) We must provide school districts with the resources not only to maintain current facilities, but we must also provide adequate funds to address rising numbers of students through new school construction. We must also reduce the number of unfunded mandates we impose on our schools, and provide funding so that school districts may provide the necessary health and nutrition needs to all our children.
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