Schools

Bethlehem Education Rally Targets Corbett

Speakers, protestors, say governor needs to favor "education, not incarceration."

Carrying signs with slogans like "Stop the Killer Budget" and "$ For War but Not For Kids?," about 200 people gathered in Bethlehem Saturday afternoon to protest Gov. Tom Corbett's education budget.

The rally, organized by Bethlehem Coaltion for Quality Education, filled the plaza between city hall and the Bethlehem library for a little over an hour, as speakers stressed the need to keep teachers and education programs.

The Bethlehem Area School District recently said in order to balance its budget. But most -- if not all -- of the audience's anger was directed towards Harrisburg rather than the district.

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"The Bethlehem Area School District's mission statement is about our kids," said Lorna Velazquez, a parent and coalition member. "The Corbett mission statement is about money and numbers."

Under the governor's proposed budget, Bethlehem would lose 20 percent of its state funding. It's the largest cut -- in terms of percentage -- of any Lehigh Valley school district.

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"These cuts are just ridiculous and immoral to me," said Aurea Ortiz, a school board member who told the crowd she was speaking as a private citizen. She said Corbett was focused more on "incarceration than education," a reference to his increased funding of the state prison system.

In addition to laying off staff, the district is also looking at other cuts and changes, including getting rid of the SPARK early childhood program, eliminating full-day kindergarten and several high-school electives.

Those kind of cuts concerned Karen Keim, whose son took part in a dual-enrollment program -- something Corbett's budget no longer funds -- when he was in school.

"I don't know what we'd have done without it," she said.

She was there with Susanne Irvine of Hanover Township. They both held the "$ for War But Not Kids?" banner. 

"It just seems like this is a whole attempt to privatize education," Irvine said.

The only thing that came close to an attack on the district was a speaker who referenced its credit-default swap. Other said the district's hands were tied by the governor. One man in the crowd kept blurting out "Recall Corbett," a remark that drew some applause.


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