Pam DeLissio, Bala Cynwyd's State Representative, Stands Alone on Education Vote

State Rep. Pam DeLissio, D-194^th District, a freshman legislator who represents Bala Cynwyd, as well as other parts of Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, recently cast the sole dissenting vote on a Pennsylvania House of Representatives bill which would temporarily suspend  professional-development requirements for teachers.

 “This is just, again, about making headlines, but not about making good public policy,” DeLissio said.

House Bill 1363 proposes a two-year moratorium which would relieve the Pennsylvania Department of Education and school districts of a mandate to provide a plan for professional development, and continuing education credit opportunities for teachers, DeLissio said in a phone interview Tuesday night.

Under the current plan requirements, school districts must submit three-year professional education plans to the state Department of Education and the Department of Education must provide free, online continuing education opportunities, DeLissio said.

DeLissio cast the sole dissenting vote when the House approved Bill 1363 on June 24. The bill was still in the state Senate as of Tuesday evening, DeLissio said.

One of the reasons DeLissio said she opposed the bill was it was “advertised” as financial relief for the state mandate that was in place, but “nobody presented data of what the savings would be in absolute dollars.”

DeLissio said she did not think to ask in time before the vote if there was data on the potential savings, because of how quickly the bill was pushed through.

The bill is an example, DeLissio said, of how state “legislation is moving at an irresponsible pace.”

DeLissio said she also voted against the bill because she wondered, “Do the school districts and the Department of Education even think this is a burden?”

DeLissio also believes that professional development should not be suspended for teachers because “best practices are always evolving.”

After voting against the bill, DeLissio encouraged constituents to contact her and tell her if they agreed or disagreed with her decision.

In feedback she has received via e-mail, people have agreed with DeLissio’s stance and thanked her for taking the time to think through the bill and interpret what it means, DeLissio said.

The e-mail feedback has included comments from education professionals, including a retired Philadelphia educator who said she thought the proposal to suspend professional development for teachers for two years was “’insane,’” DeLissio said as she read through e-mails during the phone interview with Patch.