Page 2 The Public Record • September 24, 2009
State Gives Violent School Students A Free Pass
(Cont. from Page 1) last year. In fact, before the office was in place, it was virtually impossible to obtain access to the true statistics regarding school violence. According to Keller, the first way to correct the problem is to learn the actual scope of the problem. Keller adds, “It’s a model that the School District should have been very proud of, and it set a great example for the rest of the country to follow. It’s not something that should have been shut down.” If anything, the high rate of crime within the School District is more of a reason to keep the office open, and there should have been more funding and more attention paid to its functioning, say the supporters of the Safe Schools
Advocate’s office. It was created to give victims and their families a voice that is independent of local school administrators. Taylor says of the School District, “They do not want to let out bad news and, from a policy point of view, if you can’t get a clear view of the problem, then we can’t get a clear view of the remedy.” Stollsteimer urges pupils who commit violent acts should be in a disciplinary facility where they can receive the help that they need. This approach does two things: The schools they left become safe and the kids who go to these schools become a lot better. “In fact, many of the kids who are sent to these disciplinary schools begged to stay there because, for the
first time in their lives, they are succeeding,” says Stollsteimer. “Most of the kids who commit violent acts are not taken away and in my opinion, that’s what has led to a problem,” Stollsteimer adds. He insists it was Cooper, Rendell’s Secretary of Planning, that ultimately decided the office had to be shut down. “The dirty secret in Harrisburg is Donna Cooper runs [much of Gov. Rendell’s administration] ... she certainly runs the Dept. of Education,” charges Stollsteimer. “Education Secretary Zahorchak is just her puppet. She makes the decisions and she is the one who closed our office.” Gary Tuma, a spokesperson for the Governor, says the
budget shortfall had doomed the Advocate’s office: “Facing a revenue shortfall that eventually reached $3.2 billion dollars last year, the Governor was forced to make numerous spending reductions that he would rather not have made. The cuts were at his direction.” Stollsteimer disputes this. Cooper had cited budgetary reasons as an excuse, he charges, because she wanted to get rid of what she considered “a major thorn in her side”. Insiders confirm Cooper is one of the Governor’s most influential and trusted advisors, with powers that run far beyond the writ of her job title. Cooper cut her teeth in public service as an education advocate. She is a former
head of Good Schools Pennsylvania and no one doubts her tenacious drive has played a major role in Rendell’s stubborn campaign to increase school funding. However, Cooper holds firm views on most policy questions and presses them fiercely. As a matter of policy, she is said to oppose special-needs schools and favor mainstreaming instead -- a charge she denies. "For special needs or disciplinary students, the issue is not simply one about the educational setting; in fact, it is more about the school having a reasonable theory of change that will ensure the success of every student in the setting, and over time, the evidence to prove the theory of change works,” Cooper states.
Stollsteimer says he worked very well with Paul Vallas as well as the current Superintendent, even going so far as to say, “I applaud Dr. Arlene Ackerman. For the first time, she has addressed the issue of violence in schools and had done something about it.” The School District has expelled over 150 kids in the last year and hundreds more are in line to receive discipline. But the State may be about to further handicap Ackerman. Plans are being studied to cut off the funding for alternative-education schools. “They can shut me up by closing down my office, and that’s fine. But cutting this funding is a more significant problem,” concludes Stollsteimer.
Can Knox Duplicate Rendell’s Feat? Democratic column in votes totaled in his last statewide race. Not much of a threat, but a dark horse nevertheless, is Scranton Mayor Christopher Doherty. Knox understands the geographic pull for Onorato or Wagner from the western side of the state, and expects Hoeffel to capitalize on his old Congressional District base, which includes all of Montgomery Co. and a portion of Northeast Philadelphia. But he believes his projected TV spending will dwarf their efforts. Knox believes he’ll best
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(Cont. from Page 1) who already has blasted off his campaign for the Republican nomination with possible competition in a primary tussle with Congressman Jim Gerlach. His first and most serious opposition will come from Dan Onorato, Chief Executive of Allegheny Co., and a power-house Democratic leader. The 48-year-old attorney has let it be known he is definitely running for the Democratic nomination. Another Democrat heavyweight is Auditor General Jack Wagner, who has headed the
ALLEGHENY’S Dan Onorato marches with Sen. Hillary Clinton in Pittsburgh’s 2008 St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Onorato in the middle of the state, with the five-county areas of the Delaware Valley, and those in the Lehigh Valley giving him the kind of voter majorities to surmount what Onorato hopes to gain from Allegheny and Westmoreland Cos. Though he spent several million of his own dollars in the Mayoral campaign, Knox has made it known he’ll spend more if necessary to fuel his Gubernatorial effort. Knox told a crowd of supporters at his opening campaign kickoff this past week at the Bellevue, he was already busy raising additional funds and reaching out to political vote-getters around the Commonwealth. Knox told the group he intends “to bring a new voice to Harrisburg, with a fresh perspective. I’m ready to provide practical solutions to the problems facing our state.” He added, “People will support a candidate who is not dependent on a political career to make a living, an individual who can stand up to special interest groups and do what is right, not what is politically expedient.” Knox blasted the members of the General Assembly for
protecting their WAMs, “walking-around money” used by legislators to fund pet projects in their Districts. He said, “last year alone they spent $220 million, not caring to give up that slush fund to forge a creditable budget.” Voters will like Knox’s promise to tackle the electric bills that will increase in 2011 by 30% in Philadelphia and by 40% throughout the state. Working women are also expected to find his promise to provide equal pay for them an attraction. Knox has several hurdles to overcome locally. He’s following on the heels of once popular Mayor, now Gov. Ed Rendell, whose charisma he doesn’t have. His efforts to attract union support are yet to be tested. None supported him in his campaign for Mayor. They may, if they can pin him down to specifics, in the Governor’s race. A big factor going for him is he will be Philadelphia’s only entry into the Gubernatorial race -- definitely the only one from this area, even if others enter, with the financial resources to be considered “the serious contender”.
OPTIMISTIC Knox supporters included Tony Romeo, Rich Wolff and Susan Helfrich.
TOM KNOX welcomes Democratic Superior Court candidate B a r b a r a Behrend Ernsberger to his fundraiser and kickoff eve.
FORMER POLICE Inspector Alan Kurtz congratulates Tom Knox, indicating Kurtz will be running for Sheriff in 2011 Democratic city primary.