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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) I believe we have to work toward more equitable funding for every district by basing state assistance on enrollment and discarding the hold harmless feature from the basic education subsidy. I also believe the state government must assume more control and responsibility over special education funding. 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) The Legislature should work to ensure funding is provided on a more equitable basis so that sufficient fiscal support is available to every district based on enrollment to enable faculty and administrators to meet the Pennsylvania and NCLB standards of proficiency. 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) Equitable distribution of state funds based on enrollment without the hindrance of the hold harmless funding feature will be a significant step toward alleviating achievement gaps. 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) We should continue our support of Accountability Block Grants to enable those districts which wish to devote more resources to pre-K programs or full day kindergarten to be able to pursue those goals. 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) While being cognizant of the concerns raised by property owners over ever increasing property taxes, especially seniors on fixed incomes, we need to find the means to forge a compromise to end the hold harmless provisions of the basic education subsidy in order to direct financial resources to growing districts and low income districts where the fiscal needs are more acute. 6. Is there anything else that you will do to strengthen Pennsylvania's public education system? (75 words or less) I will work to continue to pursue accountability measures on fiscal support from the state as well as in programmatic and curriculum standards while trying to negotiate a fairer distribution of state funding to those districts which have proportionately not received the funding from the state that is needed by rapidly growing districts as well as economically disadvantaged districts.
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