Pa. districts call for repeal of Act 1

The Conrad Weiser School Board in Berks County unanimously approved the Act 1 condemnation resolution this week. The count is now six, according to David Baldinger of the Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition.

The six districts are Conrad Weiser (Berks), Pennsbury (Bucks), Governor Mifflin (Berks), Coatesville (Chester), Bristol Township (Bucks), and Centennial (Bucks).

What's wrong with the rest of the state's school district's?

Pennsylvania has 501 school districts and all 501 should demand that Gov. Rendell and the state Legislature come up with a serious plan to fund education without killing taxpayers.

Several newspapers have organized a letter-writing campaign to repeal Act. 1.

Here's some background about the failures of Act 1 from a recent editorial in The Mercury:

"The legislature has in its power many ways to limit school spending or to help districts control spending through prevailing wage exemptions and consolidated purchasing power. But a school district exploding with growth cannot stop building schools or paying for additional teachers.

Giving voters a false sense of control of spending is irresponsible legislation.

The distribution of money from slots is a promise yet to be realized. And it also depends on people losing money in order for a tax break.

The tax-shifting referendum is the biggest scam of all.

Districts are able to word their own ballot question, basing it on whether they want to propose an increase in personal income tax or earned income tax. They must also determine the amount of the increase, ranging from .5 percent to 2.5 percent, for the ballot question.

Citizen tax study commissions — also a requirement of Act 1 — have been making recommendations to all school boards in recent weeks and their reports reveal the problems with the law.

The majority of renters and working class families will end up paying more in taxes under Act 1.

If that's not a scam, we don’t know what it is.

As with the pay-raise debacle in 2005, newspapers are taking the public's frustration with Act 1 to Harrisburg with a demand that legislators get back to work on a true solution to the problem of relying on local property taxes to fund public schools.

We ask you to join us in asking Gov. Ed Rendell and our state legislators to take a hard look at school funding and craft a plan that truly reforms the system of taxation and takes the burden off local school districts and the working-class homeowner.

They tried last year with a months-long special session on tax reform, and the result was Act 1. Clearly, the effort failed, and lawmakers need to try again.

If you're opposed to Act 1, please write to: Operation Tax Scam, The Mercury, 24 N. Hanover St., Pottstown, PA 19464. You can also e-mail your letter to letters@pottsmerc.com

The newspaper will forward all letters to state lawmakers."

It's your money. Fight for the right to keep some of it.

You can learn more about the Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition at http://www.ptcc.us/