NEWS
from the PCC
June
30, 2009
ACTION
ALERT!
Federal stimulus dollars for PA’s education budget
 Pennsylvania
will receive millions of dollars through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Under the
governor’s proposed budget, some of these Stimulus
dollars will be used to support a proposed 5.7% increase
in the public school state subsidy. State government
leaders say they are committed to adequate support for
the programs that are an essential investment in our
future.
Although funding for public schools is proposed to
increase, deep cuts are proposed for the few education
budget line items that benefit nonpublic school
students. An 11.8% cut is proposed for textbooks,
materials and equipment, and services to nonpublic
schools.
The line items that benefit nonpublic students are minor
in the overall scheme of the budget - just .02% percent
of the $5.8 billion basic education subsidy. But the
textbooks, materials, equipment and services they
provide mean a lot to nonpublic schoolchildren and their
parents. The federal stimulus dollars are available to
cover these line items, too.
Parents of nonpublic school students understand that
tough economic times require us to make the most of
limited resources, but we agree that supporting a
child’s education now is an investment in tomorrow’s
economy. Visit, call, write, fax or send an
e-mail message to your state elected officials asking
for fair consideration for nonpublic schools in the
education budget.
Look up contact information for your elected officials
here:
IN
OTHER NEWS - EITC tax credits exhausted for FY 2008-2009
According to the State Department of Community and Economic
Development, businesses have submitted enough applications
to use all of the EITC credits for the fourth year in a row.
Read the rest of the story at
pacatholic.org.
One of the
objectives of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference is to
foster public understanding of the Church's teaching and
concern about morality, health, welfare, education, and
human rights as they relate to public policy. The NEWS from
the PCC is a periodic, electronic newsletter that will be
sent to anyone interested in staying informed about these
important issues as they unfold at the State Capitol. The
goal of the newsletter is to enlighten and educate concerned
citizens. Feel free to pass it on!
(c) 2009
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