Pa. lawmakers, start session by passing cigarette tax

Cherelle L. Parker

is a Democratic state representative serving the 200th District in Philadelphia

On Sept. 5, I joined more than 50 community leaders, teachers, advocates, parents, and students of the Mount Airy Schools Coalition for the grand opening of the Emlen Elementary School computer lab.

The lab has been furnished with 33 new iMacs, an upgraded network, individual data storage for student work, and a décor reflective of the diverse community surrounding the school. The effort was funded with donations from local residents who are working to fill the gap left by the consistent underfunding of public education in our commonwealth.

Yet, as extraordinary as this initiative is, the computer lab will serve only a fraction of the more than 131,000 students enrolled in Philadelphia's traditional public schools. And while this project is a premier example of effective community engagement, it does not address the chronic issues Emlen and all city schools face: crowded classrooms, outdated technology, and one-day-a-week medical staff and counselors.

What will start to address these issues is action by the General Assembly. That's why I am urging my colleagues, when we reconvene Monday, to take immediate action to give City Council the authority to enact a cigarette tax for Philadelphia's schools.

In July, I expressed my disappointment with the decision to cancel a special voting session that would have allowed Philadelphia to enact a $2-per-pack cigarette tax, generating an additional $83 million to support our students.

Still, without this additional funding, the School District of Philadelphia opened its doors for another school year. Granted, there is much uncertainty over the size of classrooms, access to postsecondary resources, transportation assistance, and staffing, from classroom support to safety officials.

Gov. Corbett, as well as Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate, has acknowledged that Philadelphia schools are in dire need of additional funding to provide adequate academic and social resources to our children. There is no need for further delay in providing that funding.

The cigarette tax was never intended to be the ultimate solution to the School District's fiscal crisis. However, the current administration's decision to abandon the public school funding formula, among other poor choices, created a dependency on local resources to adequately fund our public schools. In addition to the city's 1 percent sales-tax extension, the city has been forced to increase local property and business taxes, as well as redirect other appropriations, to address the repeated shortcomings in state funding for education.

Fortunately, the Basic Education Funding Commission has begun working to develop a new and equitable needs-based funding formula for all 500 school districts in the commonwealth. Unfortunately, Philadelphia schools cannot afford to wait until the commission has completed its work. The cigarette tax offers the immediate, recurring, reliable revenue we need today.

As the chairwoman of the House's Philadelphia delegation, I assure readers that members of the delegation remain committed to getting the legislation passed to authorize the city to enact this $2-per-pack cigarette tax to help fund schools. We are looking to pass a clean version of H.B. 1177, one that includes the cigarette-tax legislation with no expiration date or other strings attached.

I applaud the efforts of the Mount Airy Schools Coalition and similar organizations in the city and region that have stepped up to the plate when it comes to providing services for our students. Now it's the General Assembly's turn. As we convene this week, I implore our state leadership to make public education funding our number-one priority.