A sign in the heart of Erie, PA says it all:
“Dan Laughlin: Erie’s Public School Champion.”
Really?
In May, Laughlin joined every other Republican in the State Senate to pass a bill that would have cut the state income tax from 3.07% to 2.8%, while eliminating the Gross Receipts Tax on electricity, which would allegedly cut consumers’ energy bills. Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, (SD 41, Armstrong, Indiana), praised its passage, while maintaining that legislators need to be cognizant of the importance of a balanced budget when it comes to spending for education.
Luckily, for the school children, property taxpayers, and renters in Pennsylvania, SB 269 died in the State House. As a consequence, the Commonwealth’s most recent budget reflects an historic increase of educational funding. Over $1 billion in new money will be spent on Pennsylvania’s schools this coming fiscal year. The budget also includes certain positive adjustments in cyber school reimbursements, and transparency in cyber school marketing.
Although there is a lot to like in this new budget, there are a number of problems with it as well. The budget reflects a compromise between the Democrats and Republicans, which offers less money than the Pennsylvania House and Governor Shapiro had originally asked for. The budget also creates no timeline for the state’s education funding to be in compliance with Commonwealth Court’s 2023 ruling that the state’s distribution of school funds is unconstitutional. Next year’s budget can therefore take money away from education if Republicans win back control of Pennsylvania’s House.
Finally, $55 million in additional money will go toward the two educational tax credit programs, that are subject to very little oversight. These programs now total $525 million in annual expenditures that are paid by Pennsylvania’s taxpayers. This money was another concession made to Republicans.
That is the reason why we are working to defeat Dan Laughlin this November. We have just completed a postcard campaign for his opponent, Jim Wertz. We are currently three seats away from taking over the Pennsylvania Senate, so here’s what you can do to help as well:
Phone Bank: Phone bank for Jim Wertz, on Wednesday, 5 – 7. Jim is a teacher, who believes that we need to defend democracy, protect abortion, respect workers’ rights, and fund education. In addition to incumbent Dan Laughlin’s dubious self-promotion as a champion of public education, he has also signed a letter in support of the Texas lawsuit against Pennsylvania’s 2020 election. And, Conservation Voters gave Laughlin a 0% rating in its most recent report card. You can sign up here for Jim.
Canvass: Saturday, September 28, Canvassers will be campaigning for Anna Payne and Ashley Ehasz. Anna has been endorsed by the Sierra Club, the Transport Workers Union, and Planned Parenthood. The canvass starts at 11am. There is a carpool that leaves from High Point Allen Lane at 10am. You can sign up here.
Contributions: Below are candidates in the various campaigns for state and federal office who are worth a good monetary investment.
PA House Reps | PA Senators | U.S. Congress |
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Thanks, Coleman
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