WOZNIAK FORCES VOTE ON SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

             HARRISBURG – May 25, 2010 –State Sen. John N. Wozniak forced a vote today on his idea to trim the number of school administrators in Pennsylvania by offering it as an amendment to a bill up for consideration on the Senate floor. 

            The amendment was defeated by a vote of 30 to 17, but it prompted the debate Wozniak has been seeking regarding cutting school costs through consolidation.

            “The people of Pennsylvania are impatient for real and substantive school reform,” Wozniak said. “I am grateful for the support my amendment received and I’m as motivated as ever for the Senate to end years of mulling with action.”

            Just over a month ago, Wozniak introduced Senate Bill 1321, intended to force Pennsylvania county officials to appoint a single school superintendent for their counties, along with other administrators to provide consolidated services for local school districts.  Consolidated administrative functions could include legal services, payroll, accounting, purchasing and contracting.  Each school district would pay a share of the administrative expenses based on its number of employees.

            When an education bill (Senate Bill 1011) came to the Senate floor today, Wozniak offered his bill –now stalled in the Senate Education Committee --as an amendment.  The move sparked an intense debate over the urgency of school reform in Pennsylvania.

            “Taxpayers want more streamlined and efficient management of public schools,” Wozniak said. “Centralizing school administration will eliminate administrative redundancy, relieve salary inflation, and allow local districts to concentrate on educating students.”

            Last year, Wozniak introduced legislation to form a commission to redraw Pennsylvania school district boundaries to reduce the number of districts and combine services.  Senate Bill 833 remains in the Senate Education Committee.
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