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JPZenger

(6,819 posts)
Fri Feb 21, 2014, 10:31 AM Feb 2014

Education Majors in PA. State Universities Drop 31% - Corbett's Mission Accomplished

http://articles.mcall.com/2014-02-15/news/mc-pa-colleges-fewer-education-majors-20140215_1_charter-schools-education-department-pennsylvania-state-system

When Corbett proposed to cut state funding to state-owned universities by 50%, he publicly said on TV that one of his reasons was because PA. public universities were graduating too many people who were majoring in education.

He also slashed state funding to public schools, resulting in the net loss of over 20,000 teaching positions. Hundreds of millions of dollars of state tax money was shifted over from public schools to charter and cybercharter schools, which typically pay half of what the public schools pay.

Now we see that Corbett has accomplished his mission. Between 2010 and 2013, the number of education majors at the 14 PA. state owned universities has dropped 31% percent. (I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers fell even more at more expensive state-related and private universities, but I haven't seen those numbers.)

Most rural and urban public schools are starving, even after massive layoffs.

Almost all of the state-owned universities have laid off professors and cut programs.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/12/02/pennsylvanias-14-university-system-feeling-pain-budget-cuts-and-demographic-shifts
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Despite Corbett's efforts to slash the university funding by a total of 50% in two different budgets, the legislature reduced the cuts to about 18% to 25%, and then did not provide any increases in funding to account for inflation over the last few years. That is something we need to remember about Corbett - he tried to cut public school and public university funding by much more than the Legislature approved.
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Education Majors in PA. State Universities Drop 31% - Corbett's Mission Accomplished (Original Post) JPZenger Feb 2014 OP
Interesting pair of articles. Thanks. n/t MadrasT Feb 2014 #1
Well, there goes PA's reputation Curmudgeoness Feb 2014 #2

Curmudgeoness

(18,219 posts)
2. Well, there goes PA's reputation
Fri Feb 21, 2014, 07:50 PM
Feb 2014

as one of the best states to produce teachers. Our universities were some of the best in the country in education. I don't suppose that is the case today.

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