CEC Directors Go to Harrisburg

From the Potter County Education Council:

The Executive Director from the Potter County Education Council and other Community Education Council Directors received a warm reception from their legislators in Harrisburg April 28-29, but the state’s revenue shortfall continues to cast concern over CEC funding for 2009-10.

“Our legislators firmly believe in the need to continue delivering education and training opportunities to rural Pennsylvania, but it remains to be seen whether that need will carry the day when the final budget decisions are being made,” said Helene Nawrocki, executive director of the Potter County Education Council.

The CEC executive directors first met collectively with 10 state representatives, including Rep. Paul Clymer of Bucks County, minority Republican chairman of the House Education Committee who chaired the meeting. The CEC directors then met with eight state senators and staff members for two additional senators, in a meeting coordinated by Senator Joe Scarnati.

In attendance, were Senator Jeffrey Piccola of Dauphin and York counties, who is chairman of the Senate Education Committee, and Senator Andrew Dinniman of Chester and Montgomery counties, minority chairman of the Senate Education Committee.

Scarnati, a Republican from Brockway, is president pro tem of the Senate, a position that provides him with significant input into the Senate’s version of the budget that is expected to be unveiled in the near future. Senator Scarnati clearly appreciates the significant outcomes of the CEC’s.

The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, however, is expected to respond with a budget that mirrors that of fellow Democratic Gov. Edward Rendell. Rendell has proposed eliminating funding for the CECs in the 2009-10 budget, in the face of an estimated $2-3 billion fiscal year-end shortfall. House Republicans, many who consider themselves “budget hawks” may be reluctant to be seen as “putting anything back in the budget.”

That would set up negotiations between the Senate, House and Rendell Administration for the final budget. While a final budget by law is supposed to be enacted by July 1, there is talk that this year’s negotiations could become more contentious than usual and go far beyond the July 1 deadline.

Scarnati said he was pleased with the turnout of senators and staff to the meeting, but in describing the budget situation told the CEC directors that restoration of funding would be a “daunting task.”

House members, at the earlier meeting, including Rep. Marty Causer, who represents the Potter County Education Council, were asked by the CEC directors to tell their legislative leaders that the CECs deserve to be on the “short list” of line items that should be restored.

The CEC directors reminded the House and Senate members that Rendell himself publicly touts the importance of higher education, the need for greater access to higher education and for an educated and trained workforce. Also shared by the CEC directors were comments by the Secretary of Education, Dr. Zahorchak, who as recent as December 11, 2008 (PDE newsroom) noted Pennsylvania workers need access to post secondary education and training so they can better compete in the high-skills economy but many Pennsylvanians live in places without access to a community college or other quality affordable institutions where they can receive an associate degree or industry certification.

Nawrocki said. “There’s a huge disconnect between what the Governor and his Secretary of Education are saying and what they are doing. The Governor zeroes out the only entities providing post-secondary services and the Secretary testifies ,after the CEC directors, at the House Education Committee hearing on April 1, 2009 that the CEC’s are no longer needed.”

“In essence, they are telling rural Pennsylvanians that we’re not worthy of educational opportunities, that it’s not important whether we’re part of the eventual economic recovery,” Nawrocki continued. “In my mind this is not just about the CEC’s but the rural regions being equally recognized and served by the Commonwealth. After all, we pay taxes too.”

Nawrocki said the legislators who met with the CECs understand the issues. The question that remains is whether in this difficult economic environment they are able to restore some or all of the nearly $2.2 million that funds the nine CECs.

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