White and Neuman to Corbett: Reinstate Budget Cuts

State Rep. Jesse White said the reality of Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed budget cuts are still sinking in with folks in his legislative district—and that if approved, local school districts would be in a grave funding predicament.

"Last November, the governor got people drunk on rhetoric and now everybody is experiencing a hangover," the Democratic lawmaker from Cecil Township said.

White said he has "serious concerns" over the refusal of House Republican leaders and 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," he 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 last 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.

State Rep. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane, agreed, saying that the Legislature needs to explore other options to reduce spending.

"We need to keep investing in our children," he said, adding that his constituent services offices have been inundated with correspondence about the proposed cuts in public education.

"I've probably received more than 1,000 emails, handwritten letters and phone calls regarding these cuts," Neuman said. "Why are we s

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

• Canon-McMillan School District: 12.4 percent or $1,529,78;
• Avella Area School District: 7.5 percent or $342,302;
• Burgettstown Area School District: 12.7 percent or $892,332;
• 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.