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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland |
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Kirkland supports restoring $9.6 million to Chester Upland school
HARRISBURG, June 29 – State Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, D-Delaware, is pleased that the state Senate provided Chester-Upland School District with an additional $9.6 million in state education funding.
Kirkland said the district has had to lay off 150 teachers and more than 40 percent of its staff because of the harsh Corbett-Republican budget cuts.
Kirkland was outraged that Corbett's original budget would have cut Chester Upland's total budget 20 percent. Kirkland has met with House and Senate leaders to restore some of the funding.
"Hopefully now with an infusion of more funding the school district will be able to call back some of the workers who were laid off," Kirkland said. "Our students are the big losers in this budget because we have at least $700 million in surpluses that could be used to restore all of the district's funding."
The Delaware County legislator said the district is also losing $11 million in onetime federal grants and stimulus money.
"This Corbett-Republican budget is an unprecedented attack on public education that will hurt kids and cause thousands of job losses," Kirkland said.
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