HARRISBURG (October 26, 2011) - A new government program approved by the

state Senate today to provide tax-funded tuition vouchers to students

attending private and religious schools would cost Pennsylvania taxpayers

more than $200 million by 2013-14.

Costs to taxpayers are likely to rise as the program expands, the president

of the state's largest school employee union noted today.

Michael J. Crossey, president of the Pennsylvania State Education

Association, said the costs of the program created in Senate Bill 1 would

come at the expense of students attending public schools, who began this

school year suffering the impact of $860 million in state funding cuts.

"Senate Bill 1 is a bad choice for Pennsylvania's taxpayers, public schools,

and the students who learn there," Crossey said. "This legislation would

drain more resources from public school students who are already feeling the

consequences of brutal school funding cuts. Even though two-thirds of

Pennsylvanians oppose vouchers, this bill would put the burden of this very

bad and costly choice on the backs of taxpayers, schools and students."

A fiscal note released today by Senate Democrats indicates that Senate Bill

1 would cost the taxpayers $73 million in 2012-13, and $133 million in

2013-14 for the voucher program.

Crossey urged legislators in the state House of Representatives to oppose

the bill, which in addition to the tuition voucher scheme, allows for

charter school expansion and tax credit plans that would take even more

funds from local school districts.

"Public schools educate every student who comes through their doors and are

accountable for everything they do and every nickel they spend," Crossey

said. "This voucher bill spends the taxpayers' money on schools and programs

that don't live by those rules. It is a terrible choice that couldn't come

at a worse time."

The voucher scheme under Senate Bill 1 is also flawed with a lack of

accountability measures. Schools receiving vouchers would not be required to

report on student progress using the same standardized tests Pennsylvania

public schools are required to administer to students.

"Pennsylvanians don't want tuition vouchers and they don't want funding for

their public schools cut," Crossey said. "This bill does both. It is

definitely taking public education in the wrong direction."

Crossey also pointed out that several pro-voucher organizations last spring

publicly advocated for rapid expansion of such schemes. "That means the cost

to the taxpayers would only increase," Crossey said.

The recent Terry Madonna Opinion Research poll shows Pennsylvanians oppose

tuition voucher plans by a wide margin. The same poll indicated that 69

percent of respondents opposed Gov. Tom Corbett's $860 million in public

school funding cuts, which have forced school districts to increase class

sizes and eliminate programs that work for students.

In contrast, polling indicates that more than 80 percent of Pennsylvanians

support initiatives like early childhood education, school safety and class

size reduction. These are among the initiatives in PSEA's Solutions That

Work package, a set of recommendations backed by research and based on

classroom experience. Crossey sent these recommendations to every member of

the General Assembly.

A recent study released by the Pennsylvania Association of School

Administrators and the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials

showed that state funding cuts have forced school districts to increase

class sizes, eliminate course offerings, and cut tutoring programs.

"Students are already paying the price for Governor Corbett's budget cuts,

and Senate Bill 1 would only make things worse for them," Crossey said.

Crossey is a special education teacher in the Keystone Oaks School District.

A state affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents

approximately 193,000 future, active and retired teachers and school

employees, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.