Main Street

Word on the Street: Gov. Corbett’s Budget Targets Middle-Class Pennsylvanians, Protects Millionaires

Kim McMurray – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Earlier this summer, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett passed a state budget for 2011-2012 that jeopardized the economic certainty of working families and needy citizens across the Keystone State. In this political environment, those who are least able to afford cuts are forced to absorb the pain while millionaires and billion-dollar corporations are spared from making a sacrifice.

Governor Corbett’s extreme budget made drastic cuts to education, with urban school districts in places like Philadelphia and Allentown taking the hardest hits. Basic education funding was cut by over $425 million from last year. Accountability block grants (to make sure that schools are being as effective as possible) were cut by 61%, while a state-wide tutoring program and school improvement grants were cut completely. Special education funding was flat lined for the third straight year and integral early education programs like HeadStart and PreK Counts were decreased. In total, the cuts to K-12 education programs equaled added up to well over $860 million.

Then there’s higher education. Temple University announced this week that they will be forced to raise tuition by almost 10% to offset the cuts in state assistance. They won’t be the only ones. Pennsylvania State, Pittsburgh, and Bucks Community College are all raising fees to make up for the lost revenue. State funding to public universities and community colleges was cut by an average of 18%.

Health care and public welfare programs that service the state’s most vulnerable citizens also took a big hit. Funding for county child welfare (the people who protect abused children) was cut by 4%. The Medical Assistance Transportation Program, which helps sick and disabled people (mostly senior citizens) get to and from doctor’s appointments will do without $8.5 million this year.

Another major blow came to housing services. The budget cut $8.5 million in assistance to counties providing services like housing assistance, adult day-care, and home delivered meals. In a time when foreclosures are still at a record-high, the Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program, which has kept scores working Keystone State families in their homes, was cut by more than 80%.

Governor Corbett’s budget is making millions of Pennsylvanians feel buyer’s remorse from the 2010 elections and Working America will continue to mobilize working class moderates from each corner of Pennsylvania to fight for a fair budget that promotes Main Street values. Already this year, Working America members attended rallies at the State Capitol, held meetings with local elected officials, wrote countless letters to their local newspapers, and reached out to friends and family to spread the word about the damage that Governor Corbett’s budget will do. We may have lost the first battle but the fight is far from over to ensure that working class Pennsylvanians get the support they need to invest in their futures, remain in their homes and support their families.