Governor Tom Corbett’s scheduled visit to a Philadelphia public school was canceled today due to protesters.
“Today, Democrats proved they are more content to push their radical ideology than applaud children for their incredible academic achievements,” PA GOP Chairman Rob Gleason said. “Instead of honoring the students of Central High School for their hard work and achievements, Democrats have decided to use the Governor’s award as a chance to further their liberal agenda. [They] kicked the can down the road when it came to education spending, and are now trying to spin their way out of responsibility for their actions.”
Corbett had planned to make an appearance at Central High School in Philadelphia to award three stand-out public schools that had excelled in reading and math according to the state’s new school grading system.
Instead, his administration announced that the event had been canceled and moved to the Bellevue Building in Center City, where the Governor announced his two nominations for the State School Reform Commission. The event was closed to the public.
Through his Twitter account, @GovernorCorbett, he said, “Out of respect to the students, I decided not to engage in theatrics designed by adults in the system.”
The protests were organized by the Philadelphia teachers’ union, the NAACP and other community groups.
The anger comes from massive cutbacks in education that Pennsylvania public schools have had to grapple with during Corbett’s administration. Philadelphia, the state’s largest public school district, has suffered from loss of teachers, funding and a multitude of school closures.
A frequent talking point of the Pennsylvania Democrats is that $1 billion in cuts to education have been made since Corbett’s first budget. However, this is due to the loss of a temporary stimulus grant from the federal government.
Democratic candidates for governor wasted no time hitting Corbett for skipping the school visit, and most released statements condemning his record on education.
This missed appearance may put a dent in the Corbett reelection bid, but sources have told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the governor intends to invest millions more in education in his budget proposal this year. The details are not yet available, but could total $200 million in new funding.
Corbett took another hit today in an article from Huffington Post.
The governor was identified by the Executive Director of the Democratic Governors Association as one of the two most vulnerable GOP governors this year along with Gov. Paul LePage of Maine.
O’Comartun, and his Republican counterpart Phil Cox, gave an interview to Jon Ward of the Huffington Post analyzing the electoral battlefield ahead of November’s elections. O’Comartun was particularly enthusiastic about taking on Corbett and LePage, who he feels are the most vulnerable Republicans out there.
“There’s nothing they can do to save themselves because they just don’t have the political ability. … They’re so bad as politicians,” O’Comartun said about the GOP Governors. “I think those are the two guys who are just too clueless to even save themselves.”
Nick Field contributed to this report.
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13 Responses
Now that Haley Barbour is a genuine Chris Christie apologist will Barbour also become an apologist for Tom Corbett for cutting and running in Philadelphia from angry Philadelphia public school parents? http://www.keystonepolitics.com/2014/01/pa-gops-lincoln-day-keynote-speaker-dismisses-dawn-zimmer-lady-mayor
Dear John Baer and Brad Bumsted: Why are you both trying to initmidate Kathleen Kane on doing her job on the Corbett/Sandusky investigations. The politicization of the Corbett AG office has hurt PSU and the State College economy not to mention delaying relief for Sandusky’s victims. Shouldn’t our current Acting Governor John Brabender and Baby Brian Nutt ( not to be confused with Roger Nutt of Turnpike fame) have to reveal what wonderful political advice they gave AG Corbett on the Sandusky matter? Shouldn’t someone on the Tom Corbett team explain why Ron Tomalis is hanging out at tax payer expense? Is someone trying to buy Tomalis’s silence on “something”? Where does the hunt for Ray Gricar stand? It is sad when the most credible voice on the Corbett/Sandusky matter is Signor Ferrari of casablancapa.com. http://trib.me/1djk2IA
HARRISBURG Capitol insiders call it the ‘investigation of the investigation.’ The investigator is Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane. Did Tom Corbett, a Republican, the former …
The GOP establishment already knows Corbett is a lost cause, but the political consultants are happy to collect their fees from the millions of dollars he will raise.
While noting the education cuts were federal stimulus funds you failed to mention that those same funds for things like prisons weren’t cut by Corbett. How is it that Republicans continuously labeled the ARRA as a “failed stimulus program” then blamed it for their draconian cuts? How did it fail if it kept 14,000 teachers employed in PA?
Holy cow does this scream weakness. What the people behind this campaign and admin will never understand, that the Walker/Christie camps did, is that you absolutely have to dig in on this or you’re just going to get run over. Embarrassing.
On Friday, Governor Corbett’s gubernatorial campaign accomplished its goals in Philadelphia. It received free publicity for an event that will not hurt their candidate in Philly, it will rally his conservative base and the event was paid for by the the taxpayers of the Commonwealth.
Was Corbett staffed by state workers or campaign staff? Corbett indicted people for allegedly mixing state time and campaign time.
On Friday, Governor Corbett’s gubernatorial campaign accomplished its goals. It received free publicity for an event that will not hurt their candidate in the Fall and an event paid for by the Commonwealth.
Was Corbett staffed by state workers or campaign staff? Corbett indicted people for allegedly mixing state time and campaign time.
Paindy is right! What kind of people are we anyhow? The Philadelphia school system has been in an advanced state of collapse for thirty years and five governors. It is so deep in debt that the bankers and lawyers have to wheelbarrow around their lucre from this vast cesspool of arbitrage. There is no hero in either political party for the illiterate youth of the Quaker City. If only there was an Edmund Burke to sweep through this temple of self-serving elites with a whip and a scourge!
Acting Governor Brabender: Can’t we get someone’s head to roll for this fiasco? As Haley Barbour says: ” You can step on your private parts; but you can’t jump up and down on your private parts!” Give the hook to Charly Zogby. There is no William Harner to lay blame for this train wreck.
My God: There are many places in this State that Tom Corbett should stay out of. What staffer scheduled this trip? Next time send Shadow Ed Secretary Charly Zogby and his Cyber Charter School Corporate Welfare Queens to meet these happy Philly parents. By the way can anyone in the press tell me what the real reason is that Ron Tomalis is still being paid by the State and why he continues to LOITER IN THE PA DEPARTMENT OF ED BUILDING!!
Coward. And not sharp enough to engage in a battle of words.
For him to use ANY public school as the backdrop for a campaign event, after slashing funding and doing everything he could could to destroy the Public School system that made this country great – well, that is just sickening. It would have been more apropriate for him to use one of those Profiteering Charter “schools” for his publicity stunt. What a disgrace he is to Pennsylvania!
John Hanger #PeoplesCampaign “Corbett runs and hides from Philly students and parents”http://bit.ly/1j9dRg9
Well, one thing is certain… The Chamber of Commerce is a lot whiter….errrrr I mean brighter….than some school in North Philadelphia!