Seeking more funding for Pa. schools, lawmakers go to Corbett’s office

In the final days of state budget negotiations, state House Democrats aren’t letting up on their push for an increase in funding for Pennsylvania’s public schools.

Reps. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Luzerne, and James Roebuck, D-Philadelphia, visited Gov. Tom Corbett’s office Monday to lobby for more money for schools.

They came armed with petitions containing about 15,000 signatures.

Roebuck and Pashinski are eyeing about $300 million the administration is projecting to have left over by the end of next fiscal year.

The Corbett administration argues public education has received more state dollars ever since the state started “back-filling” the budget holes created when school districts stopped receiving federal stimulus funds.

“We’re actually spending less than we did before the stimulus dollars came in. We need to destroy the myth of increased education funding, and that’s what it is, a myth,” Roebuck said.

The two met with Education Secretary Ron Tomalis for about 10 minutes. Tomalis did not let them into the governor’s office to speak to Corbett.