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[NightmarePatrol]

SHARON, Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania's next state budget awaits Governor Tom Corbett's signature after passing the house and senate passed without a single Democratic lawmaker's vote.

The $27 billion proposal balances the budget without raising taxes. Republicans set out to reign in spending, and the budget does reduce spending by three percent and is coming in just before the July 1st deadline. It's been nine years since a Pennsylvania budget arrived on time.

"We have a no-tax, no increase spending budget at this difficult economic time and the budget was completed on time," said 8th District Representative, Republican Dick Stevenson.

The spending plan was also completed without a single Democrat vote. Democrats oppose the $1.1 billion cut to public education.

"This is a pass-the-buck budget," said 7th District Representative, Democrat Mark Longietti. "It imposes deep cuts in state funding for mandated services, forcing local tax payers to pick up the tab."

But Republicans say they're trying to fund education now that stimulus money has run out.  "The loss of over a billion dollars in stimulus funds this past year- most certainly the state can not afford to replace those federal dollars," said 17th District Representative, Republican Michele Brooks.

The cuts mean a $90 million reduction in higher education. The governing board of the State System for Higher Education ralinkised in-state tuition 7.5% for its fourteen state-owned universities.

But Rep. Brooks hopes universities will cut before they pass more costs onto students.  "I most certainly hope that those institutions would look deeply inside and see what can be done to prevent tuition increases," said Rep. Brooks. "And I don't want to single out any schools but my goodness, when their salaries of four, five, six, eight hundred thousand for one person's salary, should we really be increasing tuition in the double digits?"

Locally teachers in Sharon and Farrell agreed to pay freezes, with six teachers laid off in Farrell.

The cuts will affect each school very differently. Sharon City Schools, one of the poorest districts in Pennsylvania, is in the top seven for cuts.

"I go back and forth between anger and frustration," said Sharon City Schools Superintendent John Sarandrea.

His district will be funded two million less this year.  "That required us to do quite a few things, not the least of which was to ask our 320 employees to take a wage freeze for the 2011-12 school year," said Sarandrea. "Which, thankfully, they've agreed to do."

As schools consider their incoming budgets many in Pennsylvania will do more with less.

Original article link from wfmj.com

[Jayhawk]

the on-time part is the only redeeming aspect of the new budget.

Otherwise, to boast that it's possible to pass a smaller, no-tax-increase budget is like boasting that you can crunch and swallow an incandescent light bulb. Yeah, it's possible, but what's the point.

Longetti is right that it's nothing more than a pass-the-buck budget. Meanwhile, it is now next to impossible for a Pa. district to raise taxes without an ohio-like referendum, which breeds perpetual funding crises in many districts there because when asked do you want your taxes to go up, yes or no?, most simply say no.

And the other day corbett had the nerve to say that it's not the state's fault school districts are laying off teachers, it's the district's fault. Wait for the followup to the starving, laid-off workers: It's not your employer's fault that you were laid off, it's your fault.

What's most disappointing on the local level throughout the state is that shortfalls are being made up mainly through cutting teachers and educational programs. Particularly in the Shenango Valley, there has been not a mention raised about how less funding might finally mean a good reason to consolidate districts. That missed opportunity is the saddest aspect of all.

[Lifetime]

Sorry, I agree with the premise of Gov. Corbett... ALL of the School Systems were FOREWARNED that the Stimulus monies were not to be thought to be a permanent part of School Budget.. The word T-E-M-P-O-R-A-R-Y comes to mind. They needed to budget accordingly. They set themselves up for this. My thought is this... MONEY isn't an indication of a successful education process in the public schools. If dollars per student is the measure...check out the budget of the schools in Philadelphia, NYC, L.A. or even Washington, D.C. and look at the drop out rate and the test scores. We need to look at our school systems a lot closer... Cost of "Bricks and Mortar", Salaries/benefits etc. Below is a chart... and I know Wiki isn't the best, but other sites are close as well. What this shows is that we are about 14th or 15th in the world...and China hasn't even been figured into this chart. They presently rank high on the new list I am sure. With the money we presently spend...we should be closer to the TOP...not the middle.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programme_for_International_Student_Assessment
 
Now as far as our State Colleges.... just Penn State and Pitt charge almost double the tuition of the average State Schools. Maybe there needs to be more eyeballs on the Salaries and the School Perks for Staff and Students. I personally think College is OVER RATED. We put out students who are seriously in debt day one and in need of a job as soon as they graduate. I think we need more people who will need to get their "hands dirty".... Mechanics, plumbers, electricians, carpenters etc. Even a Doctor calls a plumber when the toilet backs up... and if good at the what they do...command a good fee. Good lives needs all levels to survive.
 
So..I am not taking the side of anyone who can't seem to understand a Kitchen Table Budget or who charges more than needed for what they get.... Oh...and I worked with many College "Ejumacated" people at most of the jobs I have had and retired from. None of my jobs required a college level education.
 
All of this is my Honest Opinion...
 
 
Balance that budget.... let the pain happen fast and not stretched over a decade.

[Spicoli]

I'm with Corbett on this.

The problem with our education system can't be because of a lack of money,IMO. I think the problem is dirt bag parents who don't care how their dirt bag spawn do in school. 

I applaud referendums.  Unfortunately, PA's will only come into play when the school wants to raise taxes above inflation, I believe.

Why do people with no kids have to subsidize the education of people with kids?

[Lifetime]

Hey... God bless your mother... Both of my parent passed and they paid those same taxes on a VERY fixed income as well. Check out how many LIVE-IN Home Owners our valley has. I have a multi house owner who owns many Sec 8 houses here within my hood. I trace most back to either Hermitage for their home of record or somewhere other than this whole area. I think Sharon is well over a third rental. Most of those in a poorer section and it comes to the surface that when those houses in the poorer neighborhoods have deteriorated to the point that the landlord doesn't want to fix or pay taxes on...they are abandoned and in my hood...that means eventually burned. There is a difference in "doing business" and doing GOOD business.
 
I agree...this problem here in the Valley wasn't an instant one but... when things were "good" and money was made and we had 2 cars and an RV to take to Disney... we didn't want to notice , much less care what was creeping up on us. This is the same in any community that now finds itself on the basement floor of an outhouse. When we now look up ..what do you think the view is?
 
About 50% of Sharon's citizenry will be hurt or are hurting. The other half could give a crap less... homes provided, food, medical plus more...given by those who WILL hurt. Why would I worry about rent, food, utilities and medical care if I can get someone else to pay for it through the taxes THEY pay. Math... BAM-BAM says 80% of the people approve of higher taxes??? Now it is shown that about 50% even pay taxes...so how is that math going for you? 30%? WTF. I, for one am tired of being PC and told I need to be more symathetic but...that part of my emotional makeup shrinks everyday as I observe ALL of this Cluster Fark. Sympathy resides in the dictionary somewhere between SH*T and SYPHILIS. I always go back to my, now deceased but increasingly smarter, 3rd grade educated, Greek Immigrant Father's encompassing words in broken English... " YOU NO WORK, YOU NO EAT." It seems in our society we either have workers or eaters and not always both together. We need to distiguish the differences and quit making or allowing BS excuses.

[Jayhawk]

BAM-BAM says 80% of the people approve of higher taxes??? Now it is shown that about 50% even pay taxes...so how is that math going for you?

Keep in mind thathis 50% who shouldn't have a say in the matter because they don't pay federal taxes is not just all welfare cheats. Much of that number includes seniors who no longer have taxable income.

[Jayhawk]

So Whom exactly benefits from Consolidation???

Pretty much everyone.

Within a 5-mile radius of Sharon, you have 4 more school systems/campuses. Each has a superintendent making more than $100,000 as well as a staff of administrators such as curriculum directors, transportation supervisors, etc.

Thanks to a mess of a firing and expensive lawsuit, farrell even has an "assistant to the superintendent" making about $90K a year not to mention the quarter-mill or so in back pay he cost the district. A district that has graduated no more than 50 students for the past couple years.

Farrell, just as an example, just spent $20 million on building remodeling a couple years back, just as farrell -- 2 miles away -- is spending about the same amount now on a new elementary school. W. Middlesex, Hermitage and Sharpsville each have also spent 10s of millions on construction in the past few years.

This is where the real savings is -- rebalancing enrollment among buildings to come up with reasonable class sizes, not wide variances in highs and lows at any existing district.

And just because multiple districts form a single administration structure, that still doesn't mean a series of community feeder elementary and middle schools couldn't continue to support most of all of the existing high schools. But what has to stop is the revolving schedule of building construction that is the real burden on each community's shrinking tax base.

[Jayhawk]

So it would seem that Farrell would benefit the Most...then Sharon...so on...so why stop there why not consolidate many more districts...where does it stop...I would think that Farrell and Sharon should work out their problems then look to consolidate...then again are you talking only the School Systems...(High Schools)...and why is Farrell and Sharon not consolidating together...bigger is not always the answer...it comes down to taxes...and a failing school system...again I just don't get it...and if it was such a good idea...why this has not happened all over the USA...

Consolidating cities is the only thing that has come remotely close to happening, and it was shot down by narrow-minded provincialism in the 1930s and again just a few years ago (sharon+farrell then 5 shenango valley communities). But city budgets are in only the range of 5-10 million while school budgets are several times that. So are the taxes; what we pay for city services is a fraction of school taxes, and remember that schools get nearly half their revenue from the state. Schools are where the savings is to be had.

Actually, it kind of is happening across the USA. And school district mergers OUGHT to be happening here regardless of what others do. All was well and good when things were thriving and Sharon alone was graduating in the neighborhood of 400 seniors a year. Today's number is half that, and total valley enrollment has gone way down while expenses haven't.

A remote district like jamestown, lakeview or commodore perry has an excuse to stand alone with around 1,000 students: the nearest district is too far away to be practical. But there is no excuse for the valley to have 5 complete K-12 systems and all their overhead. There probably are Sharon HS kids who would have a shorter walk to Farrell, and hickory kids who are just as close to HHS as Sharon HS.

[Lifetime]

My retirement is taxed . What are you talking about??? Income is taxed unless you already paid tax on it. What non-taxable incomes are you referring to? My Social Security depends...
 
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=179091,00.html
 
It is hard for a retired couple who own a home, not to pay tax. Maybe there is a new thing I am not familiar with.
 

BAM-BAM says 80% of the people approve of higher taxes??? Now it is shown that about 50% even pay taxes...so how is that math going for you?

Keep in mind thathis 50% who shouldn't have a say in the matter because they don't pay federal taxes is not just all welfare cheats. Much of that number includes seniors who no longer have taxable income.

[Lifetime]

There are many places where the "School District" is COUNTY sized. I wonder how they work out.

[Amidala]

Same as anywhere else, people pay property tax. Those districts have higher busing costs, I bet.

[Jayhawk]

you are not giving me any facts to consolidate...here in the state where we live now...districts are splitting up into smaller districts...I think we have had three new districts in the last three years...so again I say do away with GOVERNMENT Schools...

The facts here in the SV  are simple:
-- 1 set of administration and management would save at least a million bucks across 5 districts alone.
-- Balancing class sizes and sections of each grade across neighboring districts reduces the need for teachers and most importantly some new or renovated buildings. Enough kids for 1.5 classrooms still requires 2 teachers, while across town the other district might have 2.5 classrooms worth of kids requiring 3 teachers.

-- Enrollment and the tax base are declining, so the luxury of having so many little serfdoms is over. Unless all the unemployed or retirees want to volunteer to keep paying higher taxes for duplicated services.

Do away with gov't schools? Even the catholic schools are closing left and right and, in the case of the valley, consolidating. Some have around 10 kids per grade level. And if private schools did drain away more public students, would the public schools keep humming along with the same overhead costs that they'd have if they had 1,000 students or 2,000 students.

[Jayhawk]

My retirement is taxed . What are you talking about??? Income is taxed unless you already paid tax on it. What non-taxable incomes are you referring to? My Social Security depends...
 
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=179091,00.html
 
It is hard for a retired couple who own a home, not to pay tax.

The IRS page you refer to says SS is not taxed up to $32,000 for married couples filing jointly or up to $25,000 for singles.

Pa says ( https://revenue-pa.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/566/~/are-pension-and-social-security-benefits-taxable%3F ) SS is not taxable as personal income nor is normal, vested pension income.

Yeah, seniors pay tax on any investments beyond that or IRAs (which were invested with pre-tax dollars). But i keep hearing the cry that so many seniors only have SS to live on, so that means they aren't paying income taxes. And the discussion was about those who don't pay any federal taxes, not about any local property taxes.

If someone has a pension or other income beyond those exemption levels, they they're doing as well or better than most younger working stiffs.
 

[Lifetime]

But... I bet way less OVERHEAD for people and bricks and mortar
 

Same as anywhere else, people pay property tax. Those districts have higher busing costs, I bet.

[Lifetime]

I also put in there HOMEOWNER as well... and I know PA is ONE state that doesn't tax on a state level...but to say they pay NO taxes is too coverall. It is a fact that today, there are LESS senoirs that have SS as a SOLE means of "retirement" and the number is dropping. SS was NEVER meant to be a retirement, only a supplement. If there are people today who look at it as retirement, something is deficient in their mental makeup... Just look at the turmoil the SS system has gone through going back to when LBJ thought it a good idea to start using it as a slushfund. Thank God my old Father realized that a real retirement system was necessary and acted accordingly...oh and he retired in 1956. We have young adults ...today, who have yet to even pay into SS let alone a retirement system. Now...those are the ones who will become the fodder of a future society. They haven't had a real job and if they work at all...it is under the table. We have a problem brewing even faster and worse than what we have even now.
 
I didn't say there weren't any elderly that don't just have SS as the sole means...but they also still have (Thank God) other agencies that offer help... Dept of Public Welfare for the Access Card, Medical, and even subsidized housing and utilities. Back when I was young...all of these systems were a "dream". I remember "SURPLUS" food instead of the food stamps/access card. Churches had their systems in place... used clothing and shoes and even a Doctor still made housecalls and didn't charge an arm or leg. Hell.... my Mother and Father paid ...from a receipt I found...less than $50 for the Hospital when I was born. LOL "We have come a long way Baby!"
 
So yes... I paid into my retirement programs and paid inot my SS and Medicare. And yes..as long as my wife and I live in our home here in "Sunny" Sharon...we will be paying taxes...until the box top drops for our dirt nap."Ass, Grass or Gas, NOBODY rides for free." And that figure is a bit lower than the Median income of many areas of PA so yes..if you make more..tax man cometh. Also..if I do make a few bucks more than some of the "YOUNGER WORKING STIFFS"...could it be that I had more time to plan, or...perhaps make a few bucks more, or worked longer?? Hey, I have had my share of low paying jobs when I was a "YOUNGER WORKING STIFF" .. I set duck pins and 10 pins at bowling alleys, washed cars, printing shop, not to mention $77/month as a private in the U.S.Army (Went to a WHOPPNG..$294/month as an E-4, with Combat pay in sunny South Vietnam..Hmmm good job,great bennies as I recall too LOL)... I had my share... and sometimes even worked..OMG 2 jobs. I have friends who worked 3 or more part times to supplement a lower paying fulltime. God never said you only HAVE to work 8 hours a day 5 days a week. When I worked fulltime at Generous Sharon Steel, I knew some who worked full time there as well as full time at Westinghouse... Steady shifts are a wonderful thing.
 
I see too many help "wanted signs" in the windows of places like Dollar Stores and even Video Stores. Maybe a thought for some supplemental income.... unless it cuts into important stuff like drinking and raising hell. Hell if it wasn't for some of those "Bottom Feeding Retirees" Some of those young working stiff might not get any monetary help when a crunch comes.... from their PARENTS. Point is..those retirees, for the most part...have worked and paid a hell of a lot more than some and we still pay our share if our income determines.
 
 

My retirement is taxed . What are you talking about??? Income is taxed unless you already paid tax on it. What non-taxable incomes are you referring to? My Social Security depends...
 
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=179091,00.html
 
It is hard for a retired couple who own a home, not to pay tax.

The IRS page you refer to says SS is not taxed up to $32,000 for married couples filing jointly or up to $25,000 for singles.

Pa says ( https://revenue-pa.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/566/~/are-pension-and-social-security-benefits-taxable%3F ) SS is not taxable as personal income nor is normal, vested pension income.

Yeah, seniors pay tax on any investments beyond that or IRAs (which were invested with pre-tax dollars). But i keep hearing the cry that so many seniors only have SS to live on, so that means they aren't paying income taxes. And the discussion was about those who don't pay any federal taxes, not about any local property taxes.

If someone has a pension or other income beyond those exemption levels, they they're doing as well or better than most younger working stiffs.