Dem gubernatorial candidate Hanger promotes plan to solve Pa. school-funding crisis
Pa. gubernatorial candidate John Hanger stands in front of his red, white and blue bus with Amy Chen (right) a junior at Science Leadership Academy, and Maureen Smith (left), a junior at CAPA. Both girls sit on the superintendent's advisory board for the School District of Philadelphia. (Ann Marie Awad/for NewsWorks)
Pennsylvania Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Hanger made a stop at the School District of Philadelphia administrative offices Friday on his four-day “Save our Schools” bus tour throughout the state.
Hanger said he has a simple solution to Pennsylvania’s school funding crisis: take funding away from low-performing charter schools.
Hanger said he is not against charter schools, just the ones he says are not meeting federal “adequate yearly progress” requirements, established by the No Child Left Behind Act.
Only 28 percent of charter schools in the state meet those requirements, according to data released earlier this year by the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.
The “defunding” plan would result in more than $700 million that could be reallocated to public schools and well-performing charter schools, Hanger said.
“It’s a catastrophe across the state, and the governor has just sort of fiddled while the schools burn all across this state,” Hanger charged. “And it’s because he actually doesn’t believe in public education.”
Hanger said he would also lengthen the school year, add an hour onto the school day and strengthen early-childhood education.
The next and last stop on his bus tour was Phoenixville. Previous stops included York, Allentown and Bethlehem.
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