PSEA is a dynamic, democratic organization committed to advancing quality
education for all students and fostering the dignity and worth of its members through collective action.
___________________________
Candidate’s Printed Name
______________________________
Candidate’s Signature
______________________________
Senate/House District Number
Pennsylvania State Education Association
Attn: Teresa Freeland
400 N. Third Street
PO Box 1724
Harrisburg, PA 17105-1724
Phone :
1-800-944-7732
Fax :
717-255-7004
IMPORTANT: This document must be completed and submitted ONLY for
the candidate whom you wish to have PSEA-PACE considered for a recommendation. This document is for internal
use only and will not be distributed.
2008 PSEA LEGISLATIVE QUESTIONNAIRE
(Please
Print or Type)
PSEA Region: _________________________________________________________
Name of Candidate: _________________________________________________________
Address:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
E-mail address: _________________________________________________________
Phone:
Home: ___________________ Office:___________________________
Democrat:__________ Republican:______________ Other:___________________________
House District #: ______________ Senate District #______________
Candidate’s Campaign Committee: _____________________________________________
Address:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
E-mail address: ___________________________________________________________
Phone:
Home:___________________ Office:_____________________________
Campaign Treasurer: __________________________________________________________
Address:
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
E-mail address: __________________________________________________________
Phone:
Home:__________________Office:_____________________________
Campaign Manager: __________________________________________________________
Address:
__________________________________________________________
E-mail address: ________________________________________________________
Phone:
Home:___________________ Office:_________________________
SECTION I - EDUCATIONAL
ISSUES
1. CLASS SIZE
A growing body of research demonstrates that smaller class sizes directly relate
to increased student achievement. PSEA supports the ultimate goal of a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1.
Would you support increased state funding to achieve smaller class
sizes, especially in grades preK-3?
Yes__________ No____________
Comments:
2. HIGH STAKES’
TESTING
PSEA
believes that a child is more than a test score. No Child Left Behind on the federal level has ingrained “high stakes’
testing” into the national education arena where children, teachers and school districts are being judged for their
performance on one or several tests rather than overall growth in student achievement. There is support by some stakeholders
to require students to pass statewide standardized tests in order to receive a high school diploma in Pennsylvania. If students failed this test,
they would not graduate, even if they pass all their classes.
Would you oppose a policy that would deny students their high school diploma if they do not pass a high stakes’
statewide test or series of tests?
Yes___________ No______________
Comments:
SECTION II - FUNDING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION
3. VOUCHERS
PSEA
believes that public monies should be spent on public schools.
Would you oppose any legislation that diverts public money away from public schools to private schools or religious
schools?
Yes_____
No______
Comments:
4.
REFERENDA
Special Session Act 1 of 2006
set an annual inflation index that caps school districts’ allowable tax increases unless the district obtains approval
from the voters via referendum to increase taxes OR the district applies and qualifies for one of the limited and specific
referendum exceptions, such as special education costs, provided in the Act.
a) Would you oppose
any legislation that would eliminate any of the limited and specific exceptions provided in SS Act 1?
Yes________
No_________
b) Would you support
adding exceptions into Act 1 to address those costs over which the school districts have little control, such as charter schools
or health care benefits for employees?
Yes________
No_________
Comments
5. PROPERTY TAX
There is ongoing discussion in the General Assembly about the need to “reform” property taxes. Much
of this debate centers around the need to reduce the burden of property taxes placed on certain homeowners. However, there are those that seek to completely eliminate property taxes, a move opposed by PSEA. These
plans fall short in a number of areas, mainly because they fail to address the inequities inherent in the current public education
funding structure. Additionally, PSEA believes it is crucial that the state and local communities share in the funding of
their public schools.
Would you oppose legislation to completely
eliminate property tax?
Yes________ No_________
Comments:
6. SCHOOL FUNDING
PSEA
believes the state government has a responsibility to financially support public education thereby ensuring educational opportunities
for all Pennsylvania children. The current funding system
for public education is fundamentally flawed. Over the past decade and a half the state’s percentage “share”
toward the cost of public education has steadily declined. Currently, the state covers less than 35% of public education’s
instructional costs. Further, these dollars are not distributed in an adequate or equitable manner.
a) Would you support legislation that substantially increases the amount
of funding the state contributes to public education and provides for adequate funding levels as well?
Yes________
No_________
b) Would you support legislation that revises the public education funding
formula to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources statewide?
Yes ______ No______
Comments:
7. ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth Programs are designed to provide intense,
individualized instruction and behavior counseling to students who are "disruptive" in the regular classroom (as defined by
Act 30 of 1997). The students are then reviewed on a periodic basis for return to the regular classroom.
Would you support increased funding to support current, and establish
more, alternative education programs with certified teachers for disruptive students
within the public schools?
Yes__________ No____________
Comments:
8. ARBITRARY
CAPS ON STATE SPENDING (TABOR)
“Taxpayer Bill of Rights” (TABOR) legislation would cap state spending increases in any given year
based on an inflationary index. While this may seem like prudent fiscal policy on its face, its impacts can be devastating.
The arbitrary caps implemented by TABOR would prohibit consideration of the budgetary realities of the commonwealth. These
caps would diminish the ability of elected officials to legislate as well as place our most fragile citizens at risk due to
reductions in essential services.
Would you oppose TABOR or any other legislation that would place arbitrary spending caps on state funding?
Yes__________
No____________
Comments:
SECTION III - PROTECT SCHOOL
EMPLOYEE RIGHTS
9. RIGHT TO STRIKE
PSEA believes that the right to strike is a fundamental right of all school employees.
The decision by public school employees to go on strike is not made without serious thought and consideration because it can
be a difficult experience for all parties involved. The right to strike, however,
is necessary at times to achieve a fair and equitable contract. In recent years some Pennsylvania
lawmakers have pushed to eliminate the right to strike for public school employees.
Would you oppose legislation that would eliminate the right to strike
for public school employees?
Yes__________ No____________
Comments:
10. MERIT PAY AND “ACCOUNTABILITY”
PSEA supports efforts to increase accountability to improve PA schools but has
serious concerns with “merit pay” proposals because it is based on false presumptions. Proponents of “merit pay” contend that teachers whose students test well on tests such as the
PA State Standards Assessment (PSSA - used to determine if PA meets Adequate Yearly Progress) are more “accountable”
than teachers whose students don’t test well and therefore they should receive more compensation than the other teachers.
This is a fundamentally flawed and mistaken concept because it does not take into account that students come from various
backgrounds and with varying needs (i.e. special needs or physical or mental disabilities; English as a second language, etc.)
and therefore will not test the same regardless of the teacher’s efforts. PSEA fully supports the continuation of the
salary schedule for compensation and opposes 1) efforts that tie teacher compensation (including bonuses) to student test
scores and 2) any efforts that would subvert collective bargaining rights as it relates to compensation.
a) Would you oppose any “merit pay” legislation that would override the collective bargaining rights of
school employees?
Yes____________
No_____________
b) Would you oppose any “merit pay” legislation that would directly tie bonus or incentive monies to student
test scores?
Yes____________ No_____________
Comments:
11. TRANSFER OF ENTITIES
PA
law provides that professional employees (teachers) have a right to be transferred along with a classroom program when the
program itself is transferred from one school entity to another. Education Support
Professionals (custodians, bus drivers, etc.) do not currently have this protection.
Would you support extending the right to transfer between entities to Education Support Professionals when a program
is transferred?
Yes__________ No_____________
Comments:
12. OUTSOURCING
Public
school employees - teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, school nurses, guidance counselors, school social
workers, curriculum specialists, librarians, school secretaries, etc. - comprise the community that is the support network
for students in Pennsylvania’s public schools. In recent years, the outsourcing of some of these professional services by school
employees to private, for-profit companies has received increased attention. PSEA opposes outsourcing school services because
of the negative impact it has on the quality of the services provided and the network of the public school community.
Would you oppose legislation that further allows private for-profit companies to provide the services now offered
by our public education system?
Yes__________ No_______________
Comments:
13. LIVING WAGE FOR EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS
Education support professionals - bus drivers, custodial staff, food
service workers, secretarial staff, etc. - help keep school buildings and equipment functioning and students safe and healthy
but they often work for wages that limit their ability to afford to live in the communities in which they work. Some of our ESP members earn so little that they may qualify for government assistance. PSEA fully supports an appropriate living wage as starting pay for all education support professionals.
Do you support an appropriate living wage as the starting pay for education support professionals in Pennsylvania?
Yes__________ No_______________
Comments:
SECTION IV - RETIREMENT
14. COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT (COLA)
It has been six years since the last COLA for Pennsylvania’s retired school employees. Many
annuitants are struggling to afford housing, health care and meet other increasing costs with the minimal monthly pension
they receive. PSEA is actively working to ensure a COLA for retired public school employees.
Would you support legislation to provide a COLA for annuitants of
Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS) and State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS)?
Yes____________
No_____________
Comments:
15. DEFINED
BENEFIT PLANS
Some organizations and lawmakers have advocated converting Pennsylvania’s retirement system for public school employees
from a defined benefit (pension) system to a defined contribution (similar to 401k) system. PSEA opposes such efforts for
a variety of reasons including the increased liability such a conversion would create for PSERS and thereby the Commonwealth,
as well as eliminating the essential safety net of a pension for our members when they retire.
Would you oppose legislation converting from a defined
benefit to a defined contribution system for Pennsylvania’s
public school employees?
Yes____________ No_____________
Comments:
SECTION V - HEALTH CARE
16. SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICES
Pennsylvania law requires one certified school nurse for 1,500 students.
This 1:1500 ratio was established over 40 years ago and must be updated. According
to the Department of Health, the current ratio in Pennsylvania
is twice as high as the ratio recommended by professional organizations. School
nurses are very often a primary source of health care for school-aged children and they must deal with a variety of complex
health problems such as diabetes, asthma, weight disorders in addition to screening for illnesses and other health conditions.
PSEA supports reducing the student-to-certified school nurse ratio to ensure that school nurses can meet the requirements
mandated by law and that the students receive the full spectrum of health care services they need.
Would you support legislation to reduce the student-to-certified school nurse ratio?
Yes___________
No______________
Comments:
17. HOSPITAL-BASED HEALTH SERVICES
- MANDATORY OVERTIME
PSEA also represents nurses who work in hospitals.
Currently, mandatory overtime is legal. That is, nurses who come to work and
complete their shifts can then be told that they must stay at work for another full shift. The hospital does not have to give
the nurses advance notice so that they can arrange care for their children or other family commitments. Patient safety is
endangered when nurses are exhausted and cannot work at the levels they want and need to work. Legislation has been introduced
to forbid mandatory overtime, except in emergency situations.
Would you support legislation to prohibit hospitals from
mandating nurses to work overtime except in the case of emergency?
Yes___________ No______________
Comments:
