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HARRISBURG (September 11, 2017) – Dolores McCracken, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, released the following statement after speaking today at a state Capitol press conference where state leaders of state education, service, and health care organizations demanded that the state House of Representatives immediately vote to pass a bipartisan revenue plan to fund the state budget.

“Every day that House Republicans fail to act on a responsible revenue plan is a day closer to nearly $1 billion in school funding cuts. That is what this irresponsible inaction will cost our public schools and our students – nearly $1 billion.

“Gimmicks and games aren’t going to bring in the revenues we need to pay for the budget. The only thing that will get the job done is a vote on the bipartisan revenue plan that Gov. Wolf and the state Senate agreed to months ago.

“Pennsylvania’s schools, students, and communities have lived through a $1 billion state funding cut before. When that happened six years ago, people across the state made it clear that those cuts were unacceptable. And, when they saw their kids suffer from lost teachers, lost learning opportunities, and larger class sizes, they voted for change.

“Today, our message is clear. House Republicans need to get serious, get to work, and vote for the bipartisan revenue plan that will pay for the state budget most of them voted for in June. The students who learn in our public schools deserve better than this.”

McCracken is a paraprofessional in the Council Rock School District. An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents approximately 181,000 future, active and retired teachers and school employees, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.