This budget is unduly harsh, and in no way "shares the pain" as Gov. Corbett promised.

Education - $1 BILLION+ LESS

Education funding cuts unfairly hit poorer school districts harder than those in well-to-do areas. They jeopardize the education of children from working-class families and open the door for property tax increases on citizens who can least afford to pay more.

Local children will lose an average of $541 each in state funding:

Fayette County:

• Connellsville Area School District - 3.6 million cut or $685 LESS per student
• Frazier School District - $491,000 cut or $406 LESS per student
• Laurel Highlands - $2 million cut or $584 LESS per student
• Uniontown Area School District - $1.5 million cut or $520 LESS per student

Westmoreland County:

• Mount Pleasant Area School District - $981,000 cut or $418 LESS per student
• Southmoreland School District - $1.3 million cut or $635 LESS per student

Human Development Fund - $8.5 MILLION LESS

The Human Services Development Fund provides counties with funding for such programs as:

• Adult services
• Aging services
• Homeless assistance
• Children and youth services
• Community mental health/mental retardation programs
• Drug and alcohol programs

State Food Purchase Program - $500,000+ LESS

$339,000 LESS for the State Food Purchase Program that helps needy seniors, families and others put food on the table.

According to Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center 2009 figures:

• Nearly 500,000 Pennsylvania households were at risk of hunger
• In an estimated 168,000 of these households, at least one member went hungry

Fee on out-of-state drilling companies – ZERO!

While this budget makes deep cuts to education and human services that children, the elderly and the poor rely on, it asks nothing of the out-of-state drilling companies that are making millions harvesting our Marcellus Shale. Nor does it make any effort to close the Delaware loophole that allows corporations to skirt state taxes.