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Two local Democrats, state Rep. Bryan Barbin of Johnstown and Cambria County Controller Ed Cernic Jr., took part in a back-to-school-timed rally to draw attention to education issues.
Gathering Thursday at downtown Johnstown’s Central Park, they, along with Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Jim Burn and the party’s auditor general candidate, Eugene DePasquale, discussed how the recently adopted state budget will impact academics. Overall, Pennsylvania plans to spend $10.54 billion on education during the 2012-13 fiscal year, a 4.1 percent increase from the previous budget. Basic education funding increased by less than 1 percent to $5.4 billion. Penn State, Pitt and Temple universities received flat funding.
The slow-growth education spending was opposed by Democrats and supported by Gov. Tom Corbett and his fellow Republicans.
“As we’re beginning back to school, we wanted to highlight how these cuts from the governor are really going to make it challenging for the kids in the school year,” DePasquale said.
Burn echoed those feelings, saying, “These type of disconnected proposals that we again and again get from Mr. Corbett and supporters, as they relate to education concern us because they create a negative economic ripple effect that goes downstream to the counties into the school districts and ultimately to the taxpayers.”
Barbin said he felt the slowed education spending goes against Pennsylvania’s history of supporting public education.
“We’re doing it wrong,” Barbin said. “Right around the Civil War, there was a guy named Thaddeus Stevens. He was a congressman from Lancaster. He is the father of public education in Pennsylvania. We did it before a lot of the other states did it. They did it for the purpose of letting the person who doesn’t have resources have the same chance as somebody who does have resources.”
The gathering also featured some pep-rally talk in support of Barbin and DePasquale, who are running for election this year. Barbin is being challenged in the 71st district by Republican Sherry Stalley. DePasquale is running against Republican John Maher.
“I’m proud to stand here, not only as a Democrat, but a Democrat supporting Gene DePasquale and my friend Bryan Barbin, for state representative,” said Cernic. “These are guys who get it. They understand it. They understand the needs of each and every one of us.”
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