PA Education Department Services Curtailed by Budget Impasse

Governor Edward G. Rendell is working to adopt a budget that requires no broad based tax increases, provides sufficient resources to ensure that Pennsylvania continues to improve its public schools, offers high quality child care, helps Pennsylvanians get good jobs and helps our companies grow, but the Department of Education, forced by the federal government to classify state employees in the event of budget impasses, said today more than 70 percent of its staff will be furloughed and most services curtailed due to a delay in enacting a state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1.

In all, 528 of the department's 740 employees will not report to work until the budget impasse is resolved.

"Despite this severe cut in staff, the Department of Education will work to provide several essential services until a new budget is in place," Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak said. "We are fortunate to have dedicated staff willing to step up in these adverse circumstances."

Until a new budget is enacted, services the department will continue to provide are:

-- Teacher certifications;

-- Fingerprinting services and criminal background checks;

-- Governor's Institutes for Educators;

-- Summer food service programs;

-- PDE legal staff; and

-- The Scranton School for the Deaf

Other services, including the State Library, will be closed until further notice.

Governor Edward G. Rendell proposed a $27.3 billion budget on Feb. 6 that offered solutions for Pennsylvania's transportation funding crisis, relief for overburdened property taxpayers, innovative ideas for attracting the best and brightest scientists to find cures for the world's deadliest diseases, ways to free residents from their dependence on foreign oil, expansion of successful education initiatives and bold ideas for bringing health care to every Pennsylvanian.

Recently, however, members of the Senate opted, instead, to demand that the budget cut millions of dollars from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education programs, economic development and job training programs, as well as child care and mental health programs.

CONTACT: Michael Race
(717) 783-9802