PPA+Statement+121207

Parents United for Public Education is dismayed by Harrisburg legislators who orchestrated an ambush of what would have been a basic gesture towards funding of public schools. While we thank and acknowledge the 50+ legislators who opposed the red light camera bill, we are upset that an overwhelming majority of legislators did not. In agreeing to divert funds away from the public schools and removing basic oversight provisions on the Parking Authority, these legislators showed that politics trumps need and back door cronyism trumps the most basic sense of moral and civic duty. The past year has highlighted a public outcry for classroom investments and public accountability. Today's action is a perfect example of what many Commonwealth residents find repugnant in Harrisburg politics -- particularly the arrogance, disregard of public will, and lack of investment from a state that takes over our schools but won't invest in an "adequate" education and takes over a Parking Authority whose image has become synonymous with patronage, greed, and a bloated bureaucracy that does little but benefit itself. Harrisburg will need to consider that when the School District of Philadelphia files its quarterly financial reports this month, how it intends to make up for the gap that it is directly responsible for -- the gap created by the lack of responsible funding from the Parking Authority and the lack of possible funds from the red light camera. We feel that this was a lost opportunity for the state to begin addressing long terms needs in the School District.