Three keys to revamping Pennsylvania’s education system

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November 5, 2009

BY EDWARD SMITH The Tribune-Democrat Thu Nov 05, 2009, 08:00 AM EST

Pennsylvania’s education system is in crisis and in need of sweeping changes.

1. Reliance on the property tax as the main revenue source for public education must be changed to a non-punitive, progressive tax on either income or sales – to be coupled with redirection of gaming revenue.

The state must declare a moratorium on increases in school property taxes, freeze property taxes, and roll back equalized taxes to a base year to offset the burden of the new tax. There are good reasons to do this.

Teachers, students and taxpayers all benefit from a better means of funding public education. First, Pennsylvania property taxes, both in terms of property values and personal income, are among the highest in the nation. Until the Taxpayer Relief Act, Pennsylvania was the only state in the nation where school boards had unlimited and final authority over taxing and spending. Now, there are limits on property tax increases without voter approval, but those limits are insufficient to protect homeowners from oppressive taxes. Second, there are wide differences among school districts in the values of their tax bases and abilities to pay for education.

Those inequities hurt students.

2. The public education delivery system must be changed.

With a statewide tax, equalized revenues would be assured to local school districts. School budgets would be balanced with the funds available. The state must set standards for teacher qualifications, and for hiring, to assure that all teachers are hired on a fair and equal merit basis. Collective bargaining with the teachers union must be done at the state level and a blanket contract developed. Contract administration could be done at the local level.

Eliminating the wrongs of nepotism and the prospect of local school board members negotiating contracts that benefit family members and themselves, would go far to provide more ethical, effective school governance.

3. The quality of public education must be improved.

Competition in a global economy requires an excellent elementary and secondary foundation. The federal standards in the “no child left behind” and the new state standards in the “Keystone exams” are beginnings. State testing shows that students in some districts are learning very little while others are excelling. Expectations and instructional quality are key. (In our area, students of the Windber Area School District, which has not raised school taxes in 23 years, score in the top 20 percent of the state, doing as well as Westmont Hilltop and Richland students and far better than students in most other districts in the region.) Attending a new building is nice but not vital.

The few who go to Ivy League schools, West Point or Annapolis proudly walk the hallowed halls of 100- to 200-year-old buildings.

Edward Smith of Jackson Township is a community activist. He is a leader of Save Our Homes, a group that opposes a new school and higher taxes for the Central Cambria School District. He is a retired city and county manager.

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