Dear editor:
I'm seeing a remarkable and necessary focus on the topic of education in the news media recently:
1)Exxon/Mobil Math & Science initiative advertising the need for enhanced funding support in America's public schools on my PBS station-WPSU;
2) Erie Sunday Times 6/10/12 headlines on page B1 featuring "ineligibility for military" by 75% of young adults due to obesity, not meeting educational qualifications and low performance on entrance exams; doesn't this endanger our national security? Shouldn't we divert some military billion$ to education?
3) a paid advertisement in the same paper by President Mike Crossley of PA State Education Association (PSEA) that 70% of PA corporations are paying nothing in state taxes while our students, teachers and education system bear the brunt of $860 million in cuts to public education with $100 million proposed for 2012-13. Larger classes, reduced special services, some tutoring eliminated, etc. could be relieved by $2.3 billion realized if corporations paid their fair share of taxes; Corporate America is crying the blues that our workforce is ill-prepared for the jobs they need filled. Shouldn't they share the blame because of their tax breaks and agree to share the burden?
4)in Warren Co. Ellwood Group funded a tutoring program at the Warren County Career Center helping produce high scores on the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) with 92% of students scoring proficient or advanced. The state target for the 2011-2012 school year was 67.5% and the state average was 67.78%
5)Grants from Ellwood Group and Intermediate Unit 5 paid $15,000 so Career Center students could work on a robot which has been invented as a cross-departmental project in Warren County in the Times Observer 6/8/12.
6)General Electric is moving 50 of its top management out of state but not overseas. Maybe they are realizing that we need to keep jobs on our continent so there is a middle class to purchase merchandise which will be shipped on locomotives, appliances for homes and avoidance of a repeat recession. The USA has greatly slipped in its rankings internationally in educational competence.
Do we want to go "back to the future"? Vote November 6th.
Karen Davis
Warren