Corbett Takes Heat For Handling Of Chester-Upland School District Troubles
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett is coming under fire from a key state senator of his own party for his administration's handling of the situation with Chester-Upland and other financially troubled school districts in the state.
The senator says there may be no choice but give those districts more money.
During a hearing on fiscally distressed school districts in Pennsylvania, Republican Jeffrey Piccola, the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said that the Corbett administration has failed to lead a concerted effort to bring about school reforms that would address the rising costs of education.
And Piccola says because of the delay in enacting reforms, he sees no alternative but for the state to kick in what he calls a "chunk" of money to bail out Chester Upland schools, "and probably some chunks – maybe smaller or larger, I don't know – for some of these districts that are in the pipeline to becoming distressed. And by delaying this for at least ten months, that chunk of money may be even larger."
Piccola says lawmakers need a "bold plan" on school reform from Governor Corbett.
