Issue Position: Education and Property Tax Relief

Issue Position

Investing in education: Nothing -- absolutely nothing -- is more important than adequately investing in all of our community schools. Pennsylvania has the worst gap between rich and poor school districts in the entire nation, and nowhere is that gap more apparent than in the difference between the Allentown and Parkland School Districts. Allentown lost over 400 teachers since 2010, and this is beyond unacceptable. Without a full reversal of these policies, we are condemning a generation of children to take far more than they give to society and to inadequate lives of poverty and dependency. We must fully fund education. Now.

Property Tax Relief: Pennsylvania remains towards the bottom of states in terms of investment in education at the state level, and this is unacceptable. As a result of a lack of funding from the Commonwealth, local property taxes are through the roof, disproportionately hitting high-poverty districts like Allentown. This is one of the many reasons that I fully support additional investment in education at the state level. Doing so will control skyrocketing property tax bills.

Expanding Pre-K: Multiple studies make it clear: An investment in pre-K yields incredible dividends later down the line. That's why I am a strong advocate for increasing our investment into Pre-K programs like head start. It's also why I've become one of the Commonwealth's leading advocates for Pay For Success programs, a cutting edge finance mechanism which seeks to infuse the Pre-K system with investments from the private sector, leading directly to smarter, healthier children and allowing everyone to profit from the dollars saved as a result of these improvements.

Higher Education: Pennsylvania is one of the national leaders in terms of college graduates and student loans. This issue is more than an abstract one to me; my wife and I pay almost as much on our student loans as we do on our mortgage! The student debt crisis is largely funding cuts to higher education. As a result, we are saddling a generation of students with unsustainable debt, damaging their future earnings potential and jeopardizing our economy. We must do everything we can to restore funding cuts to higher education.

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