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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) Pennsylvania's system of funding public education has as its main strength the fact that public education is constitutionally mandated but allows a high level of local control. As implemented by the legislature, however, the system has several glaring weaknesses. Those weaknesses that can be addressed by the legislature include inadequate funding of schools by the state on a per-student basis, over-reliance on local school taxes that has created inequities in funding based on zip code, and inadequate focus on universal pre-K concepts and programs that have proven successful. 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) Mutual accountability between school districts and the legislature means that once standards are set, then it is the responsibility of the legislature to provide the tools and resources to make achievement possible. If that means smaller class sizes are required, then funding to make that a reality must be forthcoming. If early intervention programs or curriculum overhauls in one district show promise, then best-practice sharing must occur between districts without unnecessary resistance. In short, we should set high standards for ourselves, but then provide the tools and to meet every child's unique learning needs. 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) By increasing access to quality pre-K programs for more of our at-risk students, expanding full-day kindergarten, and rapidly implementing smaller class sizes in certain districts that are struggling academically, we can begin to close the achievement gap between districts. 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 legislature should support initiatives such as the PA Partnership for Quality Pre-K to find and fund models of quality Pre-K and Full-Day Kindergarten that can scale to statewide availability. 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) Pennsylvania can become the greatest place in America to live, work, and raise our families IF we take care of our children today. Part of taking care of our children means providing them with a quality education that addresses their unique learning needs and family situations, provides them with the knowledge to be successful men and women in the 21st century, and insures that each child receives this quality education regardless of where they live. As a legislator, I would be a committed to providing school districts with the tools and economic resources required to make this vision a reality. 6. Is there anything else that you will do to strengthen Pennsylvania's public education system? (75 words or less) Although early education initiatives will provide the most dramatic near-term impact on our results, we cannot ignore the importance of higher education to the economic vitality of our state. Programs to expand the number of Pennsylvanians who obtain college degrees should be explored, and incentives to induce those graduates to stay here once they graduate should be developed. A highly educated citizenry creates a critical mass of economic opportunity for everyone.
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