Apr 29, 2015 2 min read

Students have borne the brunt of massive cuts to higher education over the last four years. Under the previous governor, more than $90 million was cut from schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and tuition increased by $1,016.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed investments in higher education, as well as PASSHE’s decision to freeze tuition contingent upon passage of the governor’s budget, are each important steps in giving students a break from constantly rising college costs.

So when I read state Rep. Camera Bartolotta’s Wednesday letter to the editor that criticized Wolf for advocating for a tuition freeze for students, while at the same time proposing an increase of $45.3 million to PASSHE, it was clear that she has a profound misunderstanding of the situation Pennsylvania middle-class families and students are facing as a result of a disinvestment in education and an economy that has been stagnant for four years.

Wolf’s 2015-16 budget reinvests in higher education and commits to restoring the cuts to colleges and universities over the next two years. The governor has also laid out a bold plan for Pennsylvania to achieve the goal of 60 percent of residents with a degree or high-value certificate by 2025. Additionally, Wolf will work to leverage the state’s investments to dramatically improve college completion rates, boost innovation and strengthen alignment with real-world economic opportunities and the needs of employers.

We have real problems in Pennsylvania, and we cannot accept where things currently stand. The commonwealth is facing a massive deficit, schools at all levels are without the resources to provide an adequate education and the economy is stagnant after years of misguided policies. Doing nothing is not an option, and the governor refuses to be part of the first generation of Pennsylvanians who have to tell their children they have to go elsewhere to achieve success.

Jeffrey Sheridan

Harrisburg

Sheridan is the press secretary to Gov. Tom Wolf.