Taking a stand on education funding

Candidates in the 2014 governor’s race address how they would support schools.

This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.

Tom Corbett Allyson Schwartz Ed Pawlowski Jo Ellen Litz ​ John Hanger Katie McGinty Max Myers Rob McCord Tom Wolf

There’s a governor’s race in Pennsylvania in 2014, and education is a hot issue as Gov. Tom Corbett seeks re-election. Party primaries take place May 20 and the general election is Nov. 4.

At press time, Corbett, a Republican, and eight Democratic candidates had announced their plans to run.

An October poll conducted by Franklin and Marshall College indicates that 21 percent of respondents feel that the state of schools and school funding is the most important issue in Pennsylvania. The Corbett administration has been blamed for cuts to education funding as well as the 2011 abandonment of a statewide funding formula passed in 2008. But Corbett is not surrendering the issue to Democrats.

In a press conference announcing his bid for re-election, Corbett said, “We have a responsibility to provide a good education to all children in Pennsylvania, but it starts with an honest discussion about education funding.”

The Notebook invited each candidate to submit a biography and asked them to give their positions on state education funding by responding to the following questions in 250 words or less:

Do you think Pennsylvania’s current approach to K-12 education funding is fair and effective?

What changes would you seek to enact as governor?

(Click on a candidate’s photo above for his or her response. Additional responses can be read here.)