Education

By Joe Eisenhauer

I have a vision for education in Pennsylvania that focuses on the maintenance of a quality educational product for our children from kindergarten through college. This system is cost effective for our taxpayers, allows our teachers to teach, and expects and delivers results. This vision is realized by exploring the sharing of administrative operations of the state's 501 school districts on the county level, exploring alternative funding opportunities to alleviate the burden of property taxes on the average homeowner, and by insulating our teachers and the school system from the threat of frivolous lawsuits.

Without an educated population, Pennsylvania fails. Without an educational system that enhances opportunities for our students and unburdens our taxpayers, Pennsylvania fails.

Through my plan, I am committed to:

• Preserve the integrity and identity of the community school system, while at the same time save money and trim expenses through the potential sharing of administrative level operations among county school districts.
• Explore alternative funding methods beyond the property tax to effectively fund a vibrant educational system as required in Article III, Section 14 of the State Constitution.
• Eliminate the practice of unfunded mandates on community schools and reevaluate the litigious environment in which we force our teachers to work - an environment where they become part-teacher, part-babysitter, and part-therapist.
• Create an environment in which we not only expect the best effort from our educators, but also expect the best effort from our students.

I have a plan to provide our students with the tools they need for success, all the while doing so in a cost effective and efficient manner. Together, let's make Pennsylvania the premier place to educate our children, incubate our ideas, and start our businesses.