State Rep. Tomlinson Defends School Funding Record

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA — State Rep. Kathleen "KC" Tomlinson is defending her track record on state school funding after her challenger in November said she failed the system.

"As a State Representative and an actual graduate of our Bensalem public schools, I have consistently supported our public schools," Tomlinson told Patch on Friday. "I’ve done the real work and taken the real votes to prove that. Bryan Allen cannot say the same."

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Allen — a Democrat challenging Tomlinson in the November general election — held a press conference this past week to discuss the "growing multi-million dollar budget deficit and the mounting pressure that the state’s outdated special education and charter reimbursement formulas have placed on local taxpayers and public schools."

The school district faces a "severe financial crisis" with a budget deficit estimated at around $17 million, Allen said, stating that Tomlinson failed to prevent it.

During her six years in office, Tomlinson said that she has voted to increase funding directly to the Bensalem Township School District, totaling $17.6 million.

"What I have done is work towards getting real things done," Tomlinson said.

She voted on HB 1422, which would set a standard tuition rate for cyber charters, implement the special education fair funding formula for cyber charter education, and set new standards and regulations for cyber charter schools.

In last year’s budget, Tomlinson said she voted to support reforming the cyber charter law, which will save schools $175 million statewide and reduce tuition payments for public school districts.

"The bottom line is I have always supported charter school reform," Tomlinson said, adding that she went a step further and worked in a bipartisan way to introduce legislation with my colleague Rep Joe Ciresi (D- Montgomery County).

Under current law, charter schools receive additional funding for any student designated as needing special education services. But as noted in an Education Law Center report over a decade ago, "and unfortunately still relevant to today’s charter school law, this creates a perverse incentive for charter schools to over-identify students," she said.

Tomlinson also criticized Allen's efforts, saying that from December 2020 to December 2025 as chief of staff in the House of Representatives, Allen oversaw 23 memos that never formally had legislation introduced.

"That is why we are introducing legislation that would make the responsibility of performing initial evaluations for special education services the responsibility of the charter school student’s school district of residence or intermediate unit," Tomlinson said. "By placing this responsibility in the hands of a qualified third party, this would make sure that students are receiving accurate and unbiased evaluations. Which will in turn cut out any abuse and save our public-school dollars."