Rendell Loses Another Education Secretary

KYW News Radio ^ | June 14, 2005 | Tony Romeo

[Mo1]

For the second time since he took office, Governor Ed Rendell has gotten a resignation letter from his secretary of education.

The tenure of Dr. Francis Barnes as Rendell’s education secretary was marked by his discomfort with Act 72.

While the governor and other administration officials publicly campaigned to get school districts on board with the law that distributes property tax relief from gambling revenues, Barnes stayed on the sidelines.

But Rendell press secretary Kate Philips insists that is not the reason for Barnes’ departure. And she rejects the suggestion that Rendell is having trouble staffing this key cabinet position:

“I don’t think that it’s having a difficult time getting people to stay so much as it is him having an easy time attracting educators and people who love public education and have a passion for it.”

Barnes’ predecessor, Vicki Phillips, left to take a job as a superintendent, and the press secretary says Barnes will return as superintendent of the Palisades School District in Bucks County.

[Morgan's Raider]

While the governor and other administration officials publicly campaigned to get school districts on board with the law that distributes property tax relief from gambling revenues, Barnes stayed on the sidelines.

IOW Barnes was against any property tax relief? Afraid it would cut into her/education department's playhouse?

[Mo1]

Many of the schools in the State rejected Rendel's plan

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/election/s_340858.html
(snip)
The need for legislation to transfer gambling revenue to school property taxpayers became a reality this week after 78 percent of the state's school districts rejected such a swap under Act 72. That law, approved last July as a companion to the law legalizing slot machines at 14 locations, also required participating districts to increase their wage taxes by 0.1 percentage points and limit future property tax increases.

[Racer1]

While I don't care much for Rendell, Barnes never should have been in that job in the first place. We had him as Superintendent of our district. He caused trouble most of the time. He would make a better president for the teachers union if you know what I mean.

[BigSkyFreeper]

He would make a better president for the teachers union if you know what I mean.

He's that crooked, huh?

[BigSkyFreeper]

Instead of finding solutions to the problem, Liberals by default, find the solution to the problem is throwing money on top of the problem in hopes it will solve itself. All it does is line the pockets of the union bosses.

[ikka]

Rendell needs to get the school districts addicted to "free money" provided by the gambling, so that he will then have more support for expanding gambling across the state, so that he and his buddies can cash in.