Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

As a graduate of Hatboro-Horsham High School and Shippensburg University and the son of two teachers, I certainly understand the value of a good education.

I have proudly supported increases in basic K-12 education funding in Pennsylvania. In the four state budgets I have supported, we have seen an increase each year in the total amount of funds dedicated to basic education. The 2014-2015 budget increases education funding by $520 million dollars, bringing the total amount of basic education funding to $10.5 billion -- the highest education funding ever.

I have also sponsored legislation to end a taxpayer funded economic incentive for the Pennsylvania Horseracing Industry. Instead, I believe we should reallocate these funds to our schools. If my legislation was enacted, it would send nearly $6.1 million back to the property tax payers in my school districts. Additionally, I remain an outspoken critic of the outdated school funding formula, which unfairly allots some school districts with upwards of 80% of their total budget from the state while school districts in my district receive less than 20%.

We have a constitutional and moral obligation to ensure our students receive the best education possible but we must also remember our taxpayers.

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