Republican Pa. Lawmaker Backs Rally's Call For Emergency Schools Funding
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett today came under fire from a key state senator from his own party for his administration's handling of the situation with Chester Upland and other financially troubled school districts around the state.
Republican state senator Jeffrey Piccola (below right) says there may be no choice but give those districts more money.
The financial woes of the Chester Upland School District (see related stories) were front and center in the state capitol today. Dozens of parents with students at Chester Community Charter School, led by school CEO David Clark (in top photo), protested a delay in state funding.
"Such a condition, if continued, threatens the continued existence of Chester Community Charter School," he told the crowd.
The charter school group earlier protested a hearing on distressed schools during which Sen. Piccola (R-York/Dauphin), chairman of the Senate Education Committee, criticized the Corbett administration's handling of the Chester Upland funding situation.
"I don't see any alternative than for the Commonwealth to come up with a chunk of money to get this particular school district out of the jam that it's in," Piccola said.
Piccola also said there may be no choice but to give more money to other schools heading for financial distress.
