SCHOOL FUNDING: As Phila. goes, so goes the state

ISSUE | SCHOOL FUNDING

As Phila. goes, so goes the state

The tragedy of the Philadelphia public schools is the result of the failure of the government of the commonwealth to perform one of its basic functions: to provide for quality education for all of its residents. With a scandalous 25 percent poverty rate and resulting weak tax base, Philadelphia is clearly incapable of raising all of the money necessary to provide for a successful School District and at the same time meet all the other needs of the city.

Education can and should be recognized as an economic engine. The country, not just the city, depends upon an educated and creative population to thrive and prosper. It is extremely shortsighted of Gov. Corbett and the Republican-run legislature to be bound to a no-tax pledge in the face of impending damage to the health and welfare of the state. Refusing to raise taxes essential to provide for a starving school system will lead to further decline and devastation not just in Philadelphia, but in Pennsylvania as a whole. Education should be a priority.

|Ronald L. Kaiserman, Wynnewood, rikaiserm@aol.com

ISSUE | CARING

At home is preferred

Family and friends helping care for loved ones after hospital visits do what they do out of love, but it is important work. Through their dedication, caregivers enable independent living by providing assistance not only with day-to-day tasks, but also medical and nursing tasks - whether it is changing bandages, coordinating medication, or helping with physical therapy. These tasks can be taxing and, if not done with proper training, can hurt, not help. By enacting the Caregiver Advise, Record, and Enable (CARE) measure proposed by State Sen. Joseph F. Vitale (D., Middlesex), New Jersey can take reasonable steps to make this challenging responsibility easier and more effective. Vitale's bill recognizes the critical role caregivers play in keeping loved ones out of costly institutions by requiring hospitals and facilities to provide explanations and instructions for the tasks that a home caregiver will perform.

|Dave Mollen, president, New Jersey AARP, Union

Agencies step in

Reports on the number of Philadelphia schoolchildren involved with the city welfare agency and courts require amplification ("Phila. students in 'the systems'," June 11). Many kids come into the system after years of failure, truancy, and other problems. Many of their parents do not feel empowered to advocate for their children. There is no screening for a child's readiness for school and no outreach when kids fail to attend classes. So when kids come into contact with "the system," they have several strikes against them. In fact, the School District routinely files truancy petitions with the clear intent of getting a child placed outside the city - in effect, passing off the challenges these kids present. Taking a headcount is a good beginning, but looking at the problem has to involve much more than putting social workers in the schools.

|Rochelle Caplan, Philadelphia, shellycaplan@gmail.com

ISSUE | GREEN GARDEN STATE

No room for fracking waste in New Jersey

Without a ban on fracking waste, the state will become awash in toxic wastewater that is a byproduct of natural-gas drilling. With a boom in hydraulic fracking in Pennsylvania and other states, and a ban on injecting wastewater in the ground in Ohio, drillers are running out of places to dump this waste. New Jersey has received some waste, and it could end up with millions of gallons. Fracking waste includes hundreds of toxic chemicals, and other substances. The state's disposal facilities are not prepared to handle this amount of toxic chemicals or the complexity of treating this waste properly. Even the state Department of Envrionmental Protection warned that this waste could contain petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and nucleotides. The fracking waste ban bill passed the Senate 34 to 5, but the Assembly has yet to hold a hearing. It's time for Assembly action to protect New Jersey from the dangers of fracking waste.

|Jeff Tittel, director, New Jersey Sierra Club, Trenton

Students' good example worth close study

My seventh-grade science students at West Deptford Middle School were busy this past school year learning about beach preservation, safety when enjoying the waves, and the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," and they also saw firsthand litter's impact in their community and at Wildwood's annual Beach Sweep. They took action by developing an outreach program on recycling and litter prevention. Their message won attention in California and brought ECO-Warrior Project founder James Pribram here to congratulate the students. These students are doing their part, but they can't do it alone.

|Casey Lattanzio, West Deptford

ISSUE | DRPA REFORM

Wolf can get rolling on bistate agency plans

I hope gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf will address the waste, mismanagement, and what I would characterize as corruption that has been allowed to flourish at the Delaware River Port Authority, leaving the agency's toll- and fare-paying commuters $1.6 billion in debt. Govs. Corbett and Christie have both been missing in action on the subject of reform. The agency is a real sore spot with commuters forced to pay $5 tolls so the board of commissioners can enrich its political patrons. With a 20-point lead in the polls, Wolf doesn't have to pander for votes. He could address the reasons behind the current federal investigation into the bistate agency.

|Carol Rhodes, Barnsboro

ISSUE | TEACHER PAY

Suburban taxpayers can pay the freight

In comparing the salaries of teachers in the suburbs with those in the city, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry T. Jordan is comparing apples to oranges ("City teachers' union doing its part," June 11). Districts in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties are among the wealthiest in the state and can afford to pay more. Simple economics dictate that public-service workers be paid salaries commensurate with incomes of taxpayers who support them.

|William Cooney, Philadelphia

ISSUE | DISCLOSURE

Temple study backers revealed

Funding for the Temple University study referenced in an Inquirer editorial was disclosed clearly in the news release that accompanied the working paper in April ("Academic questions," June 16). This disclosure occurred three weeks prior to the issue's being raised by a paid industry critic. Further, once concerns were raised, the additional step was taken on May 23 to include the disclosure language in the executive summary. In short, funding for this research was disclosed with the working paper, and additional efforts have been made both by the study's authors and the industry to make the disclosure even clearer. Finally, as the editorial pointed out, no one has questioned the findings or methodology of the research. This issue has been and will continue to be handled ethically.

|Steve Owen, Corrections Corporation of America; Pablo Paez, the GEO Group; and Odie Washington, Management & Training Corp.

ISSUE | NAMING RIGHTS

Clap if you believe in new Redskins mascot

The Redskins could be renamed Washington Neverland, which can be nicely truncated to Never(s) during losing streaks. In good times, it'll signify magic. As Neverland is a fictional place of boyish-refusal-to-grow-up types and fairies, along with wigwam-dwelling Native Americans, the team owner can rightly claim he hasn't really changed the name.

|Don DeMarco, Philadelphia