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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Tony Payton |
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Payton praises historic education funding proposal
HARRISBURG, Feb. 5 – Following a “sneak peak” yesterday of the governor’s proposed 2008-09 state budget, state Rep. Tony Payton, D-Phila., applauded Rendell’s announcement that he will ask legislators to increase funding for basic education by 5.9 percent, or about $291 million.
The Philadelphia School District, which has a $2.18 billion budget, would receive about $86 million in new basic education funding.
“This is a very ambitious, very exciting goal the governor has put before us,” Payton said. “I believe that investing in our children provides one of the best returns possible on tax dollars. Making sure that schools have the ability to educate all children at proficient levels is imperative to the success of those children later in life. It also directly impacts the economy and crime rates, and makes Pennsylvania a better place to live.”
The announcement comes after the results of Pennsylvania's first statewide “costing out” study of public education funding were released in November. The study called for greater and more equitable funding of public schools. The report said the state underfunds its school districts by about $4.38 billion.
“Right now, not all Pennsylvania taxpayers are getting what they are paying for – a quality education for their community's children,” Payton said. “The costing-out study gave us a clear understanding of where the cracks in our education funding system are so we can prevent more kids from slipping through them. It also has identified the most efficient and fiscally responsible method of funding education so that tax dollars are spent wisely.”
Payton is a sponsor of H.R.460, which would establish a 41-member Joint Legislative Commission on Public School Finance to analyze the State Board of Education’s costing-out study and to make recommendations based on its findings. The commission would examine the state's current funding formula and identify ways the state and school districts could improve funding to enhance the performance of students, individual schools and school districts in meeting state education requirements and the federal No Child Left Behind standards.
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