In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Gov. Corbett said that he would not slash state funding for public schools, colleges and universities next year if he wins major concessions and cuts to teachers' and school employees' pensions.
AFTPA President Ted Kirsch responded to the governor's threats. His statement is below.
“Gov. Corbett’s plan to pit grandparents against grandchildren in a fight over budget scraps this session is nothing more than a cynical attempt to shift the blame for more than a billion dollars in education budget cuts onto working and retired teachers, and other public employees.
“Instead of increasing revenues by eliminating numerous corporate tax loopholes and tax breaks and enacting a competitive extraction tax on Marcellus Shale, Gov. Corbett has signaled his willingness to continue starving our public schools into dysfunction, pushing tuition at colleges and universities out of reach of many families and now depriving teachers, college professors and other public servants of the pensions they have paid into year after year.
“Pennsylvanians should not be fooled by the false choices he is asking them to make at a time when the economy is improving and investment returns are normalizing.
“There is no group more committed to increasing funding for our public schools, our colleges and our universities than the people who work in them. Providing Pennsylvania children with good educational opportunities does not have to conflict with ensuring teachers and public employees receiving the pensions they’ve saved for throughout their careers. It’s time to expand the budget pie, instead of making Pennsylvania children, teachers and retirees fight for crumbs.”
AFT Pennsylvania represents 36,000 public, private and charter school teachers and school support employees; community college and university faculty and staff; and state employees across the commonwealth. AFT Pennsylvania is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers and AFL-CIO.
Read the Philadelphia Inquirer article: Corbett says funding for education will depend on fate of public-employee pension costs