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Governor Tom Corbett Addresses Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce

Governor Tom Corbett Not Budging on Surplus Issue

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Through the first eleven months of the fiscal year, the Department of Revenue reports that collections have outpaced expectations to the tune of $540-million dollars.  Many lawmakers are ready to tap into that money to mitigate some of the proposed budget cuts.  However, Governor Tom Corbett isn’t ready to use the “S” word… surplus.  “I don’t know how you have a surplus when we know that Pennsylvania – because of the recession, because of the number of people who lost jobs – had to borrow money from the federal government, [and] owes the federal government $3.7-billion dollars as we sit here today.” 

Governor Corbett’s comments came on Radio PA’s monthly Ask the Governor program, which is featured here in PAMatters.com.  Corbett said he’s sticking to the $27.3-billion dollar framework he laid out during his March 8th budget address: “That allows everybody to plan based upon that number, and to make the difficult cuts, and I wish they didn’t have to make those cuts.  I don’t want to have to make those cuts, but it’s necessary to get our house in order.” 

Corbett has come under fire in recent months for the education cuts he’s proposed for next year’s budget.  “We didn’t do this lightly, we’re not being hard-hearted about this, but we have a $4.2-billion dollar hole in the budget,” Corbett says, referring to the structural deficit that exists in large part to the expiration of the federal stimulus program.  Corbett points out that basic education has been held at pre-stimulus levels (see insert). 

Basic Ed. Funding Chart

House Republicans’ budget bill would restore $100-million dollars to the basic education funding line item, and account for an additional $380-million dollars for higher education.  Governor Corbett’s original budget plan would have slashed funding for the State System of Higher Education, and State Related universities, in half.  But House Republicans didn’t add to the $27.3-billion dollar bottom line – they instead trimmed an additional $470-million dollars in welfare spending.  Asked about those projections, Corbett was skeptical: “Do I believe we’re going to find savings in the Department of [Public] Welfare?  Yes.  Am I going to find it at the rate, at the number and at the speed that we need to for one fiscal year?  I have grave concerns about that.  I’m a very cautious person.” 

Corbett, House and Senate leaders will flesh out their budget priorities in the weeks ahead, in hopes of meeting the June 30th budget deadline.  If successful, it would be the first on-time state budget in eight years.

Sate Capitol View from Commonwealth Ave.

“Ask the Governor” Leaves the Launch Pad

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    It had been 16 years since I last sat across the broadcast studio from Tom Corbett. Back in 1995, he was the newly-appointed Attorney General and I was just entering my 2nd year as an anchor & reporter at Radio PA. Flash forward to June 9th, 2011. He’s now the governor and I’m the Radio PA News Director.
    Our first “Ask the Governor” with Tom Corbett is in the vault. Video clips are available right here on PAMatters.com and the program is airing on dozens of radio stations across Pennsylvania. By all measures, the first program with Governor Corbett was a major success. We touched on numerous issues and had a great hour-long dialogue. The governor seemed to enjoy his time with us, and after the taping we were already talking about some of the things we’ll have in store for you in next month’s show. It’s also important to note that next month will be a big budget wrap-up show, as we expect the new budget to be signed and in place.
    For me, one of the more interesting segments of the debut show was a conversation about the media…specifically, the coverage in Harrisburg of a dispute between the Health Secretary and a local restaurant owner. The governor was candid and made some rare comments about the incident. It was an indicator to me that as this series progresses, the governor will not be shy about addressing any issue we bring up. As a journalist, that’s something I always appreciate and respect.
    Please check back regularly for more video clips and information about upcoming Ask the Governor programs, and feel free to send us your question or comment for Governor Corbett.

Pennsylvania Education Secretary says Educator Evaluation Results Show Need for Change

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Education Secretary Ron Tomalis

Pennsylvania’s  education secretary says the results of teacher and principal evaluations in the 2009-10 school year in Pennsylvania raise serious concerns about the quality of the evaluation system.   Ron Tomalis says he has great concerns about a system that ranks nearly 100% of the educators as satisfactory, when one out of four of the students in Pennsylvania are not performing at grade level. 

Tomalis says the Corbett administration is proposing an aggressive and rigorous evaluation system. Half of the proposed evaluation would be  based on how well students are doing in the classroom, the rest would be determined by how well the teacher manages the class, how prepared they are and how knowledgeable they are on content.  

 Tomalis says Pennsylvania spends $700 million a year on professional development. He says they want to make sure that money is properly targeted.

Tomalis says the goal is not necessarily to remove struggling teachers from the classroom; they first want to see that these teachers can get the resources and assistance needed to get them up to speed,  where they will have a positive impact on student achievement.

Tomalis says the current evaluation system is a one-size-fits-all approach.

Tomalis says it doesn’t matter what class size you have, how much money is spent per pupil or how many computers there are in the classroom.  He says if you have a highly effective teacher, you’ll have a greater impact than all those other factors.

The goal is to start rolling out a new evaluation system in the 2012-2013 school year.

Harrisburg's skyline

One More Week…

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    Hello, PAMatters junkies! Brad Christman here, and in addition to serving as News Director for the Radio Pennsylvania Network, I’m an admin and editorial supervisor for this new website. If you’ve been with us during this launch period, you’ve read a lot about our “Ask the Governor” program. Well, we’re now just a week away from the first show.

    Originally, we were planning a May rollout of the program, but Governor Tom Corbett had to go under the knife just days before we were planning to air the first show. His back surgery delayed us until June, but we are now ready for a June 9th debut! 

    This is not the first “Ask the Gov” program produced by Radio PA. In the past, we featured shows with Governors Robert Casey and Ed Rendell. I hosted the Rendell programs early in his first term and am very pleased to get the opportunity to once again serve as host as Governor Tom Corbett continues the tradition. Radio PA’s Matt Paul will join me as co-host.

    This is not a live call-in show, and there are a couple of reasons for that. First, we want the program to air on as many radio stations as possible, and the best way to do that is to allow them to decide when to air it. Locking in an exact time for a live show can hinder syndication efforts. Second, the explosion of social networking makes it much easier for us to gather listener questions and present them to the governor without going live. And, I don’t care what you’ve heard, I think this Internet thing is going to be around for a while.

    So I hope you’ll continue to play a part in the growth of PAMatters.com, powered by Radio PA. You’re in on the ground floor of an exciting new information resource, and we take it to the next level one week from today when Governor Tom Corbett officially joins the team. In the meantime, visit our “Ask the Governor” section to submit your questions and then check back on June 9th for video clips and other coverage.

Sate Capitol View from Commonwealth Ave.

New Debut Date for “Ask the Governor”

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Governor Tom Corbett is scheduled to make his debut appearance on “Ask the Governor” on Thursday, June 9th. Gov. Tom CorbettVideo segments of the program will be available on PAMatters.com starting that day and the program is also airing on radio stations statewide through the Radio Pennsylvania Network.

Visit our “Ask the Governor” page to submit a question or comment for Governor Tom Corbett, then check back regularly for program video and announcements of future show dates.

“Ask the Governor” is a production of Radio Pennsylvania in association with PAMatters.com.

Harrisburg's skyline

Pennsylvania House Passes $27.3 Billion Budget

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    Over Democrat objections, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has given it’s approval to a $27.3 billion, no-tax increase state budget that restores some proposed cuts in education. The House vote was 109-92 and the action leaves 37 days for the House and Senate to work out any differences before sending a final budget to Governor Tom Corbett’s desk.

    House Republicans say they have restored $200 million in basic education cuts and $300 million for higher education, compared to the governor’s original spending proposal unveiled in March. The GOP found the additional dollars for education by counting on savings in the Department of Public Welfare, and not by tapping into a projected half-billion dollar budgetary surplus this year. Governor Tom Corbett has made it clear that he wants that money to go into reserve funds or be used to pay down debt.

    Democrats argue that the surplus money should be used to offset some of the remaining education cuts, saying the House budget still cuts a billion dollars from existing education spending. They characterize the budget as “anti-middle class,” primarily because they say state cuts in funding for local services will result in increased county and local levies, including higher property taxes.

    The budget bill now goes to the state Senate and negotiations between the two chambers will determine the final spending plan, which is due by June 30th. It’s been nearly a decade since a governor has signed a budget before that fiscal year deadline.

Linda Kelly Confirmed as Pennsylvania Attorney General

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    The state Senate voted to confirm several appointees on Monday, most notably giving a positive nod to Governor Tom Corbett’s choice to replace him as Pennsylvania Attorney General. Linda Kelly was confirmed on a unanimous 50-0 vote and will finish out the remaining 20 months of the term. 

    The office became vacant when former Attorney General Tom Corbett was elected Governor last year. At the time of the governor’s inauguration, the post was filled on an interim basis by 1st Deputy Attorney General William Ryan. Ryan has served as acting Attorney General for a little more than 4 months.

    Kelly’s background includes stints with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office and the office of U.S. Attorney for Western Pennsylvania during a 30+ year career as a prosecutor.

    With Senate confirmation, Linda Kelly becomes only the 2nd woman to hold the office in Pennsylvania’s history. She has promised not to run for election to the office in 2012, a contributing factor to her easy nomination process.

Final House Budget Vote Possible Today

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    The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is poised to give its final approval to a $27.3 billion budget plan. The House voted 110-89 to advance the bill on Monday, setting up the final vote which could come as early as today. The spending plan stays true to Governor Tom Corbett’s overall spend figure, while supporters say it proritzes education funding over welfare spending. That means that while some of the Governor’s proposed education cuts are still included, some of that funding has been restored in the House version.

    House Speaker Sam Smith (R-Jefferson) left the door open for more spending on Monday, but only if the Governor’s office changes its revenue projections for the new fiscal year which begins on July 1st. Meanwhile, Smith agrees with the governor’s stance on this year’s surplus, currently a half-billion dollars. That money is destined for reserve accounts or for debt payments.

    Speaking to the PA Press Club on Monday, Speaker Smith also laid the blame for this year’s budget deficit squarely on the shoulders of former Governor Ed Rendell. Smith says Rendell’s legacy is the $4 billion budget gap that lawmakers are now trying to fill.

Surgery

Gov. Corbett’s Back Surgery a Success

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Governor Tom Corbett should be up and walking later this evening, and his surgeons expect a full recovery. Corbett suffered from spinal stenosis, a common condition which is marked by a narrowing of the spinal cord. The lower back procedure was conducted at Allegheny General Hospital, and lasted about an hour and a half. In a media briefing, Dr. Mark Fye said Corbett is taking pain medications and will likely have discomfort in his back for the next few days. “Our goal is to get him home to Shaler as soon as possible.”

Gov. Tom Corbett

Governor Tom Corbett

Dr. Fye expects the governor will be discharged on Tuesday. A statement released by Governor Corbett’s office indicates that he will recuperate for a few days at his home in suburban Pittsburgh, and should return to Harrisburg within the week. Lt. Governor Jim Cawley briefly assumed the duties of acting governor while Corbett was under anesthesia, but Corbett resumed the powers of the office around 10:30am.

The most common cause of spinal stenosis is the natural aging process. Corbett’s office says tests confirm the 61-year-old governor is otherwise in excellent health.

KQV contributed to this report.

Capitol Building

State House Republicans’ Budget Bill is Positioned for Debate

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State House Republicans’ budget bill is positioned for floor debate the week of May 23rd. Like the plan laid out by Governor Tom Corbett in March, the House GOP budget would spend $27.3-billion dollars and raise no new taxes. Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) says the goal is to have “an on-time, no-tax increase budget” that prioritizes spending within the framework of the governor’s blueprint.

House Republicans have restored $210-million dollars to basic education line items and about $380-million dollars to higher education funding, when compared to Governor Corbett’s proposed cuts. They plan to find the money primarily through targeting a 4% error rate in public welfare programs; it’s a rate they call “conservative.” Rep. Turzai feels confident that they can find $470-million dollars in Department of Public Welfare (DPW) savings. In fact, Turzai suggests it may be the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to waste, fraud and abuse.

Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee approved the GOP-backed budget plan — along party lines — after nearly three hours of debate. Around that same time, a Senate committee was holding its confirmation hearing with Governor Corbett’s nominee for DPW Secretary. In that hearing, Senators asked Acting Secretary Gary Alexander if the projected savings were viable. Alexander says, “there’s definitely savings. I don’t know if its $400-million at this point. It could be a lot more, it could be less.” He also suggested it will take time to thoroughly review the entire department.

What’s not included in House Republicans’ budget is use of the $500-million dollars in unanticipated tax revenues the state has collected fiscal year-to-date. Rep. Turzai notes that it’s not clear whether the economy will continue to grow, or whether the revenues will continue to come in. However, House Democrats are making this a big budget issue. Minority Leader Frank Dermody (D-Allegheny) says there is no rational reason for making Pennsylvania’s working and middle class families suffer, “when we can avoid much of the pain in this budget.”

The budget process is currently on pace to meet the June 30th deadline. If the budget bill passed the House during the week of the 23rd, it could set the stage for negotiations with the Senate and Governor Corbett’s office after Memorial Day.