QV District Leaders React to Governor's Spending Plan

Quaker Valley school officials Tuesday night were trying to wrap their heads around the $27.3 billion state budget Gov. Tom Corbett proposed for Pennsylvania and what it means for the district.

In the School District, where residents generally are financially well-off compared with those in other local districts, school officials  are bracing for the 2011-12 state budget plan’s impact.

“I don’t know how some of the districts are going to turn the lights on,” said Superintendent Dr. Joseph Clapper, who discussed the plan with the board during the workshop meeting.

Clapper said the governor’s budget would significantly impact the district’s ongoing budget preparations for next school year. Quaker Valley expects more than a $500,000 loss in revenue when it factors in the loss of stimulus money, Accountability Block grant funding and cyber school enrollment reimbursements.

“It’s a bad day for us today,” Clapper said.

Corbett's budget plan calls for drastic cuts to many areas, including basic education, which is being reduced by about $500 million. Corbett also called for school districts to hold the line even if it means a pay freeze for school employees.

Clapper said district staffing positions would be affected across the board, from teachers to administrative staff and support staff. The end result could mean a combination of furloughs, attrition – the district expects six to eight retirements this year -- or workday reductions, cutting full-time workers to part time.

Substantial cuts targeted state-related universities. The University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University  would see their state funding halved under the governor's plan.

In an effort to "make Pennsylvania the hub of this [natural-gas] boom,"  Corbett also rejected a severance tax on the extraction of natural gas from Marcellus Shale areas.  

Quaker Valley School Board members responded swiftly to Corbett's budget address.

"I don’t think the whole agenda will be pushed through,” school director Gianni Floro said.

The governor’s proposals will force district officials to be creative  as they work to balance the general fund budget. The school board already has agreed not to raise taxes above the index, or .29 mills. The board expects to approve a proposed budget in April and the final budget in late May.

"It’s created a revenue shortfall ... Obviously we’re going to have to look at making significant budget cuts in order to arrive at a balanced budget," Clapper said.

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You can read the full text of Corbett's budget address in the photo gallery near the top of this page.