Democratic Candidate State House candidate (HD -18) Bryan Allen in April called out state Republican state Rep. K.C. Tomlinson, whom he is challenging for the seat, for her lack of finding a solution to charter school special education funding reform.
Allen, at that presser in front of the Bensalem School District offices said for over six years, Tomlinson repeatedly broke the same promises again and again, by dangling memos promising remedies in front of taxpayers, parents and educators, on education funding reforms but never introduced the actual legislation needed to fix the problem.
On Tuesday, Allen issued a press release shortly after the House Education Committee passed HB 2634, a bill to update charter school contributions and address the longstanding need to re-evaluate public school funding.
“While this is not the end of public school financial reform, this is a major step towards fairness between charter and public schools,” said Bryan Allen. “As a Bensalem parent and taxpayer, I know firsthand how a misguided funding formula impacts not only families struggling to make ends meet, but kids achieving in their education. Charter tuition payments are based on outdated formulas, equations that haven’t made sense for years. In Bensalem, where 24% of students rely on special education services to succeed, this formula fails our students, our taxpayers, and our community.”
The committee vote went down party lines (D-14- R-12) with no Republicans supporting the measure.
“I applaud the action behind HB 2634 for its use of actual special education enrollment data. I want to thank Rep. Jim Prokopiak and the members of the House Committee on Education for working to tackle the issues in our education system.”
“It’s disappointing that our State Representative has not yet demonstrated her support by cosponsoring this legislation. These problems cannot go unchanged; during my campaign, I’m committed to policies that put our students and taxpayers first.”
Tomlinson, in response to Allen calling her out at the April press conference, pushed back hard on her charter school reform record.
“Introducing a co-sponsor memo is just a small piece of the actual legislative process. It spurs conversation, encourages debate, and engages stakeholders in serious discussion. All of which is necessary in drafting legislation with the best possible outcome of actually getting it accomplished.”
Credit: PA General Assembly
Additionally, Tomlinson said at the time, she’s working with Rep. Joe Ciresi (D-Montgomery Co) on a bill targeting the special education evaluation process at charter schools.
Under current law, charter schools receive additional funding for any student designated as needing special education services, according to Tomlinson. But as noted in, she said, an Education Law Center report over a decade ago, and unfortunately still relevant to today’s charter school law, “…creates a perverse incentive for charter schools to over-identify students”.
According to a Bensalem Weekly report, the funding formula driving Bensalem’s education budget crisis involves brick-and-mortar charter special education payments.
The Allen-backed bill now moves to the full House for consideration.
What is clear, as far as the House District 18 race goes at the moment, Allen sees education funding formula reform as a key issue in his election race against Tomlinson.