Bethlehem (Feb 3)State Senator Lisa Boscola issued the following statement regarding Governor Wolf’s proposed 2021-22 Commonwealth budget:

I am strong proponent of fully funding the Fair Funding Formula.  For too long the residents of my district have been carrying the lion’s share of funding our public school district costs because our state funding system is broken.  Unfortunately, I am not convinced the Governor’s plan recognizes the challenges in my district.  Raising PIT without real meaningful property tax relief is a non-starter for me.  If you live in an area like mine where school district taxes have gone up year after year, where we pay for 80% of school district budgets with local property taxes, this plan is untenable without meaningful property tax relief.

I do agree with other portions of the Governor’s budget.  We need to reform the way our Charter Schools are funded, especially our Cyber Charter Schools.  We need to help offset the costs of our State Police with a fee for those communities that use them as their primary police force.  Finally, the Governor’s commitment to increase funding for successful economic development programs such as IRC and PREP along with workforce development are important investments for our economy.

I understand that the Governor’s budget is a proposal and starting point for his view.  I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate and with the Administration to solve the problems facing Pennsylvania.

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