Corbett says U.S., not Pa., to blame for school funding cuts

Gov. Corbett said Friday that he took exception to the notion that his proposed budget was to blame for the steep funding cuts public schools are facing. The real culprit, he argued, is the reduction in federal funding.

"I don't have this money. The state doesn't have this money. The federal government is not sending it," Corbett said.

He was referring to the end of a federal stimulus program that has channeled school aid through Harrisburg for the last two years.

Corbett said that school districts had been warned this type of funding was going to end and that they should have prepared their spending plans accordingly. While Philadelphia schools announced sharp staffing and program cuts this week, the governor did not mention any specific districts.

He made his comments in a news conference after a visit to the Chester Community Charter School. Corbett spoke to students, teachers, and faculty, mostly about the merits of school choice. The 2,700-student school is the largest K-8 charter school in the state.

The nonprofit school is owned and managed by Charter School Management Inc., a private school-management firm. The company's chief executive, Vahan H. Gureghian, contributed more than $250,000 to the governor's campaign and $570,000 to other GOP candidates and committees.

In response to reporters' questions, Corbett said he would be open to changing allocations of funds within the proposed budget, which could spare programs currently at risk. The Philadelphia School District, for example, is preparing to lose full-day kindergarten because of what officials have called "an unprecedented" fiscal crisis.

Corbett also expanded on his suggestion that colleges and universities drill for natural gas on campus property as a way to generate revenue in light of reduced state funding they face.

He called it a "common-sense" move that could produce fuel to power the campus plant and generate royalties by selling leases. Corbett said the plan could be expanded to the land surrounding state prisons. State officials are analyzing the possibilities, Corbett said.