A little lawmaker leverage could help budget impasse

Time is taking a toll on the finances of many Pennsylvania school districts, but ironically, not on the finances of the state legislators who are responsible for the three months’ delay in passing the state budget.
By July 1, the governor and General Assembly were supposed to have decided on a spending plan. Because they didn’t, important entities like social service organizations, day care providers and public schools, are not getting paid.
However, payments to other entities, such as prisons and salaries of state lawmakers, are being made.
We must question, what are our priorities here?
Voters of both parties are unified in their impressions of such lawmaker pay, which amounts to about $86,000 a year. A poll last month by Franklin & Marshall College said 67 percent of Republicans, 64 percent of Democrats and 68 percent of independents surveyed said state lawmakers should not be paid during a budget impasse.
Some legislators also hear the hypocrisy in the situation. That includes Sen. Teplitz, D-Dauphin, who sponsored a bill that would suspend compensation for the governor, lieutenant governor, cabinet officers and the General Assembly during a budget impasse. He told reporters, “I wanted to stand in solidarity with social service agencies, schools and others who are being hurt.”
Of course, the bill that was taken up during the legislative season.
So Teplitz is voluntarily forgoing his pay until then. Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery, and Sen. John Blake, D.-Lackawanna, are doing the same. The lawmakers are careful to say that their voluntary move this is an individual decision, and not one that may be viable for all state lawmakers.
Going without pay is viable for hardly anyone. And there’s nothing like leverage to make those who don’t feel morally compelled to act, to try harder.
The Erie School District last week announced it only had enough money to operate until Oct. 2. In addition, Philadelphia schools superintendent William Hite said during a recent editorial board meeting with The Tribune the Philadelphia School District had enough money on hand to take it into October.
Meanwhile, the Keystone Alliance for Public Charter Schools last week announced a number of charter schools had emptied reserves and maxed out lines of credits after school districts felt forced to withhold payments to them.
One lawmaker said that going without pay would not be conducive to making good decisions. He should tell this to teachers in Erie, whose District is considering asking just that from them.