Governor’s action draws mixed response locally

Pennsylvania school districts will receive 45 percent of their usual state subsidies for the next six months after Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday he would veto line items of the $30.3 billion budget approved by the Legislature but release $23.3 billion in emergency funds for schools and social services.
Burgettstown Area School District, which voted to borrow $4 million to keep its doors open in December, won’t have to close on the loan, according to Superintendent Dr. James Walsh.
“This will be sufficient for us to keep moving through the year without having to borrow, and we had made it part of the terms that we didn’t have to close on the note before Jan. 10,” Walsh said
“Nearly 55 percent of our budget is passed through the state Department of Education. But this is only for the time being. We need a real budget in place. We heard so many good things from both sides, but by Christmas Eve the deal imploded. We need our state leaders to get back to it,” Walsh said.
Elected officials won’t return to Harrisburg until Sunday, according to an email circulated from House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Sewickley, and that House members would remain “on call” for six-hour periods.
“We should never have left. And that’s why I voted ‘no’ on the latest motion to adjourn session,” said state Rep. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane.
“There were no details sent to the governor on how to pay for this budget. It left a $500 million gap with no fiscal code, no tax or school code,” Neuman said.
State Rep. Rick Saccone, R-Elizabeth, said Wolf’s decision to employ line-item vetoes proves the governor is “at war with taxpayers.”
“He’s out of touch. This governor has an addiction to spending, and our job is to put him in spending rehab until he gets in touch with taxpayers. I would like to see us go even further (with less spending). I will submit a budget proposal that will have actual cuts – and not just cuts to the proposed increase – in next year’s budget process,” Saccone said.
The next state budget address by the governor for fiscal 2017 is set for Feb. 2.
Saccone previously submitted a $29.7 billion budget proposal – $500 million less than the latest spending bill – which cut proposed increases by half.
Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, said her biggest disappointment was having property tax relief removed as part of the budget process.
“I have eight school districts in my area, so I’m glad to see at least some partial funding will be released and that human services agencies will have some cash flow, but we still need to get back to the table and resolve this budget impasse. But to continue to pay for public education, which is the backbone of our country, we need to do in a fair way. And I think people want property taxes looked at,” Snyder said.
As for social services, Washington County Human Services fiscal manager Jason Bercini said while the agency is appreciative of the release of funds, there is no clear indication yet as to how much cash is coming or how it’ll be divvied up.
Darlene Bigler, CEO of Community Action Southwest, said the governor’s action releases $430,000 in block grants for the agency.
“The state still owes us $2 million. We’re hoping that the education funding that comes down the line also includes in it allocations for our Pre-K and Headstart programs. That’s up to 300 families that will be affected,” Bigler said.
“There’s been a lot of finger-pointing; a lot of blame should go around. Taxpayers are hurting. And we don’t need any more credit downgrades,” Neuman said.
In a joint statement from Turzai and House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana, the two representatives said “the governor did Tuesday what he should have done more than 180 days ago – drive out appropriated dollars to help children and victims. … Certainly there is a recognition that new revenues will be needed to help fund our state’s priorities, but that recognition must also be respectful to the taxpayers.”