PA GOP Leaders Link Teacher Layoff Bill To Upcoming Budget Battle

by Tony Romeo

HARRISBURG (CBS) -- As Democratic Governor Tom Wolf continues to promise a veto on a teacher layoff bill headed to his desk, Republican legislative leaders say the measure will be tied to upcoming budget discussions.

The bill passed by the legislature would shift the emphasis in determining teacher layoffs from seniority to teacher performance. On Tuesday, Governor Wolf's spokesman Jeff Sheridan reiterated Wolf's intention to veto the bill.

"This bill is only about how to conduct mass layoffs, it doesn't improve the system at all," said Sheridan.

But Republican Jake Corman, the Senate majority leader, disagrees, saying the bill is about protecting good teachers. And Corman, referring to budget discussions in the coming weeks, warned the governor that a veto of the teacher layoff bill won't be the end of the fight.

"The governor's going to want more dollars for education. Well, guess what we're going to want? We're going to want this piece of legislation to go along with any new dollars in education," said Corman.

But Corman later indicated he was not "drawing lines in the sand" at this point.