Pennsylvania lawmakers and Gov. Ed Rendell continue to lock horns over education funding.
A compromise between the GOP-dominated legislature and Democratic Gov. Rendell appears anything but imminent: the Senate has recessed after passing a bill to provide $4.3 billion in subsidies to the state's 501 school districts, while the House (which has passed a similar bill) indicates it has no interest in taking further action on the matter.
In the meantime, school officials across the state are wondering when they'll begin receiving the funds on which they've based their budgets for the 2003-04 year.
We don't fault legislators for disagreeing with portions of Rendell's plans for education funding, which include an early- childhood program, the legalization of slot machines to raise $1 billion for property relief and a $5 billion economic stimulus plan. But for lawmakers to pick up the ball and go home, at such a critical part of the game, warrants criticism.
The only proper course of action for the House and Senate is to return to Harrisburg immediately and work with the Rendell administration to iron out differences. Senate Majority Leader David Brightbill, R-Lebanon, who says the Senate will reconvene "as soon as it is productive to do so."
We feel now would be as productive a time as any. The clock is ticking on the beginning of a new academic year for hundreds of Pennsylvania school districts, all of which depend heavily on state subsidies.
At the same time, lawmakers can't be expected to approve the governor's proposals for education, lock, stock and barrel. For his part, Rendell must be willing to compromise on his ambitious plans for education reform.
Public education is as important an issue as any being faced in Pennsylvania, and both sides must work together to reach some sort of consensus. Educators and students at schools across the state are counting on it.
