Gehret Releases New Video on Education

Charles Gehret, the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania's 17th Senatorial district, released the latest in a series of web videos late last week, in which he discusses education and paints himself as somewhere between Democratic incumbent Daylin Leach and Governor Tom Corbett.

Gehret said that he supports increasing funding to public schools, in opposition to Gov. Corbett, but also believes that reform is needed in the state.

"The signs of our failed school system are all around us-- the most ineffective schools are the most violent too," Gehret said. "Unfortunately the educational system that served earlier generations reasonably well can not overcome by itself the effects of bad policies, inadequate teachers, disengaged parents, and indifferent students.”

Gehret said he supports the Educational Improvement Tax Credit, a program instituted in 2001 that gives tax breaks to Pennsylvania companies who donate money to help low or middle income students attend private schools. Gehret said he would support moving "well beyond" the current $100 million cap in the program.

"I'll back proven initiatives to pull parents out of the education trap and give them an opportunity to raise their children with a real hope for the future," Gehret said.

Gehret also said he would work to give parents educational options, such as enrollment in charter schools. To cut down on public education spending, Gehret said he would eliminate "wasteful spending" by working to reform the state's prevailing wage law, which helps regulate the wages and benefits paid to workers on public construction projects.

Gehret also said the number of students enrolled in Pennsylvania schools has decreased since 2000, while the number of staff has increased, and called the ratio a "travesty."

"We must cut back on the bureaucrats, not the teachers," Gehret said.