FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Rep. Jesse White D-Washington/Allegheny/Beaver www.pahouse.com/White

White calls on House Republicans, Corbett to use $1 billion surplus

HARRISBURG, May 11 – State Rep. Jesse White, D-Washington/Allegheny/Beaver, expressed serious concerns over the refusal of House Republican leaders and Gov. Tom Corbett to use a surplus in state tax dollars in the upcoming 2011-12 state budget.

White said the surplus, which contains an estimated $1 billion in tax revenue for the 2011-12 budget, should be used to restore cuts to basic education to avoid local property tax increases.

"Instead of using this money to prevent widespread cuts to public education and avoid local tax increases, House Republicans and Governor Corbett are hoarding it away," White said. "I agree that we must cut wasteful government spending, but this is not the answer. We should be using this budget surplus to fund important priorities instead of allowing tax increases to trickle down to the local level. This is the taxpayers' money and it should be given back to avoid tax increases."

White said the new budget proposal announced this week by House Republicans restores some funding that was eliminated in Corbett's budget, but it still includes large cuts to basic education for school districts in his district.

Under the latest budget plan, education funding will be cut in local school districts as follows:

· Avella Area School District: 7.5 percent or $342,302;

· Burgettstown Area School District: 12.7 percent or $892,332;

· Canon-McMillan School District: 12.4 percent or $1,529,78;

· Chartiers-Houston School District: 7.9 percent or $395,034;

· Fort Cherry School District: 7.1 percent or $485,040;

· McGuffey School District: 9.4 percent or $1,040,359;

· South Fayette School District: 10.1 percent or $302,379;

· South Side Area School District: 5.8 percent or $621,967;

· Trinity Area School District: 10.1 percent or $1,277,284;

· West Allegheny School District: 10.4 percent or $612,763.

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