Inquirer Editorial: Public schools facing crisis

His fans are calling Gov. Corbett courageous for ignoring impassioned pleas to drop his pledge not to raise taxes.

The governor would show more courage if he admitted the state's financial situation without new revenue is becoming untenable - especially when it comes to all the public schools across Pennsylvania in financial trouble.

The Philadelphia School District's plight may get the most attention. Faced with a $61 million deficit for the 2011-12 school year, it seems to be struggling to stay afloat. But it's not alone.

Nearby Chester-Upland in Delaware County almost ran out of money until it got a last-minute state bailout that Corbett initially rejected, in essence saying the poor district had made its bed and deserved to sleep in it.

But rural and suburban districts across the state are in similarly dire straits. Despite making drastic budget cuts, some districts, like Erie, may run out of money before the end of the school year and be unable to pay vendors or creditors.

The Corbett administration's callousness suggests it has forgotten its legal obligation to educate Pennsylvania's schoolchildren.

Corbett's first budget slashed $860 million in public-school funding. Schools are now suffering tremendously as a result. Yet the governor adheres to his no-tax pledge, including a refusal to even consider a tax on shale-gas drilling that might in part be used for education.

Districts have been forced to increase class sizes, slash programs, freeze salaries, and lay off staff. The picture will only worsen without state intervention.

Several school systems, including Easton Area, Allentown, Stroudsburg, and Pocono Mountains, anticipate budget deficits for the 2012-13 school year. Some districts are reluctantly considering their own tax increases.

Philadelphia City Controller Alan Butkovitz last week warned that his analysis indicated the city schools' future financial viability is questionable. The district initially projected a $22 million deficit for the current school year, but revealed last week that the gap has nearly tripled.

Unless the district can show how it will cut $61 million, Butkovitz says he will include a warning in its financial report that may hamper its ability to borrow money and sell bonds. The district responded Friday, saying such action was unwarranted.

"We will limp through the fiscal year one way or the other," said School Reform Commission member Feather O. Houstoun. She said the SRC has already made needed changes with the appointment of a chief recovery officer, and will move with urgency to tackle the budget problems.

That's good to hear. Every school district must work harder to maintain its fiscal solvency. But the state must do more, too.