110833841
To the Editor:
There has been much negativity surrounding the Philadelphia School District over the past year, which has prompted many local politicians to step up and voice their opinions.
Maria Donatucci, the representative of the 185th legislative district, voted against authorizing state control of financially distressed schools. Giving the state control of all of the school districts has been a huge mistake that our government has made.
This is causing the conversion of many public schools to charters in an effort to save money through funding from outside resources, such as small businesses and private donations. This is simply giving up hope on our public schools instead of funding and attempting to improve them.
Donatucci has spoken out about how important it was for our schools to open on time, describing the issue as a crisis, and she was absolutely correct. We students would be losing valuable classroom time, teachers would be temporarily unemployed, summer child care would need to be extended and parents may have needed to take extra time off from work.
It is extremely important for our local representatives to get involved, and relay to Harrisburg and Gov. Tom Corbett the significance of our public schools and education, like Donatucci and others have been doing. She has stated, “The administration must acknowledge that real changes are already being made.” Our school district has been offering reforms to save money and reduce spending, but with the control of financially distressed schools now in the hands of the state instead of our own school district, not many of these efforts are being recognized or alternatively proposed to fund our public schools.
The current significance of health care across the country is obvious. Donatucci has accused Corbett of having a poor track record on health care and not taking the necessary steps to help the citizens of Pennsylvania. She requested the House Democrat Policy Committee hear from health care experts at a public hearing in Philadelphia, which has initiated the education process of the effects the expansion of Medicaid would have on Pennsylvanians’ health. With the recent rollout of Obamacare, the expansion of Medicaid will become more important to those living in Pennsylvania. Her efforts are preparing the state for a change that will hopefully and eventually come from Corbett.
It is critical that Donatucci remains diligent with her actions and follows up on these issues. Although there have been some improvements and funding to the school district, there are still many hardships being felt throughout the city and even across the state. The expansion of Medicaid will soon become a necessity, and Donatucci’s hard work to make it a reality will hopefully pay off and Corbett will see the importance and need for the expansion.
Lauren Fey South Philadelphia
Comment on these letters or topics at southphillyreview.com/opinion/letters.
110833851
