Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Penna. House Sends Budget to Senate
Penna. House sends budget to Senate
HARRISBURG - One legislative chamber down, one to go.
After nearly four hours of debate Thursday, the House of Representatives voted, 120-81, to approve a proposed $27.65 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins Sunday.
The measure now heads to the Senate, which could vote on it as early as Friday.
Republicans who control both chambers have hailed the budget deal with Republican Gov. Corbett as a sensible and responsible spending plan in tough economic times that controls spending and does not raise taxes.
"You are part of the new way of governing," House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny) told his colleagues Thursday, urging them to vote for the budget. "You are part of the solution."
Democrats countered that the proposal reflects what they contend are the GOP's misplaced priorities: new and continuing tax breaks for the business sector, while slicing tens of millions of dollars in funding for the needy.
One by one, they rose Thursday on the floor of the House to rail against the budget's call for nearly $300 million in tax cuts for businesses.
They also took aim at Corbett's controversial proposal to provide a tax credit to lure Shell Chemical L.P. to build a huge petrochemical refinery in Western Pennsylvania. Corbett and GOP legislative leaders struck a final deal on that tax credit Thursday: It calls for providing a credit of a nickel per gallon of ethane used by a qualifying refinery owner. The credit would begin in 2017 and last 25 years.
Democrats sought Thursday to juxtapose those tax incentives for businesses with the budget's roughly $84 million in cuts for an array of human-service programs for the mentally ill, the homeless, and people fighting alcohol and drug addictions.
The budget deal would also eliminate a cash assistance program that helps nearly 70,000 people, including the temporarily disabled, victims of domestic abuse, and recovering addicts.
"This is a big-business giveaway budget," said Rep. Joe Markosek (D., Allegheny), the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee.
"My advice to Pennsylvanians, if this budget passes, is: Don't get old. Don't get sick. Don't try to educate kids. Don't be unlucky enough to be disabled," he said.
Rep. Michelle Brownlee (D., Phila.) put it this way: "This budget fails every person I took office to represent."
In all, the negotiated budget agreement contains no new taxes - in keeping with Corbett's campaign pledge - and increases spending about 1.5 percent over this year's plan.
It reverses all of the cuts that Corbett proposed making to state-related universities, including Temple and Pennsylvania State University, as well as to the 14 schools in the State System of Higher Education. It also puts back all of the $100 million that Corbett sought to cut in grants that school districts use to finance kindergarten and other early-childhood-education programs.
For public school classroom operations, the budget deal would increase funding slightly overall, although most of the extra money would be destined for financially struggling districts.
Every House Republican but one voted in favor of the budget Thursday. Eleven Democrats joined them.
Contact Angela Couloumbis at 717-787-5934 or acouloumbis@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @AngelasInk.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
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No School Tax Hike in Morrisville
MORRISVILLE SCHOOLSNo school tax hike in Morrisville
Posted: Thursday, June 28, 2012 4:41 pm | Updated: 8:53 pm, Thu Jun 28, 2012.
Posted on June 28, 2012
Morrisville property owners will write their school tax checks for the same amount for the fifth year in a row.
The school board approved a 2012-13 $18 million spending plan with no tax increase, at Wednesday’s meeting.
The owner of a property assessed at the district’s average of $20,820 will again pay $3,691 in taxes.
Next year’s budget is slightly higher than the 2011-12 budget of $17.22 million, but grants will cover the additional amount, officials said. But the millage will remain the same, at 177.3. One mill is equal to $1 in taxation for every $1,000 of assessed property value.
In order to balance the budget, the board decided to use $718,869 from the fund balance, or savings.
The school administration has managed to keep taxes stable "not by cutting back, but through attrition and efficiencies," business manager Paul DeAngelo said.
For example, high school principal Donald Harm also will take on the duties of an educational adviser with the administration. The board approved that move Wednesday also.
Under his new title, Harm can handle most administrative duties except for heading special education and finances, Superintendent Bill Ferrara said Thursday morning. Harm will be able to help Ferrara with his human resources responsibilities, as well. Harm’s salary will be $65,000, plus $3,200 in benefits.
“We’re making (Harm’s) position more encompassing to allow (Harm) to address a whole lot of more things.… He’s going to have a lot of different responsibilities too,” Ferrara said.
Similarly, social studies teacher Jim Gober, who is certified as a secondary principal, will join the administration for at least the next school year. The board voted to give him a $5,000 stipend for the job, a move that helps the administration but at a low cost. With his certification, he’s allowed to handle observations and evaluations.
Two years ago, the district got rid of the dean of students position, an $85,000 job.
"We replaced an $85,000 position with a $5,000 increase," said Ferrara, adding that Gober earns $97,000 as a teacher.
The administration’s savings are part of a five-year plan.
One of the other moves in the plan was offering an early retirement incentive plan to employees, an important initiative because of the projected increases in Public School Employees’ Retirement System rates, DeAngelo said.
Since the 2008-09 school year, 22 teachers have taken early retirement and nine of them have been replaced with lower-paid teachers.
The district also returned $23 million of a $30 million bond that had been issued for construction of a new school, DeAngelo said. But the school was never built because of a change in school board membership.
“The defeasance of the $30 million bond reduced our debt service,” he said, adding that the district kept $7 million. “Unpopular at the time, but we are all grateful because the taxpayers would be paying much more had the $30 million been spent.”
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