The two school districts I represent, Upper Merion and Lower Merion, are among the best public school systems in the state. I know that it is extremely important to our community to keep it that way. It is also important to me personally. I am a product of public schools, as is my wife, Jen. My mother was a public school teacher for 30 years and Jen was a psychologist for a public school district before deciding to take a couple of years off to be with our young children. When they are older, our two children, Brennan and Justin, will attend Roberts Elementary School. Brennan actually starts in September. I think it is fair to say that I have been steeped in the culture of public education my entire life.

Jen spent her professional career working with young children, and what she tells me corresponds with what all of the studies show, namely that early educational intervention pays off. If you can make a difference in a child’s life between kindergarten and third grade, the following years largely take care of themselves. That is why I was proud to strongly support Governor Rendell’s efforts to provide universal access to pre-school for all of Pennsylvania’s children. The governor and I also fought for full-day kindergarten and smaller class sizes K-3, as well as full funding of special education to enable our schools to both comply with federal mandates and give our special needs children the education and services they need and deserve.

We were successful in obtaining a significant down payment on these early-education initiatives in the face of fierce opposition, but there is more to do. That is why I will continue fighting for the improvements to our public schools.

One of the most important battles we are fighting in Harrisburg concerns an effort by some to mandate something called a “Back-End Referendum” on public schools. History tells us that this sort of mandatory provision can lead to a dramatic and steady deterioration of public schools, particularly schools that are currently doing well. That is why I have been leading the fight against the so-called Back-end Referendum without exceptions that some are proposing.

Beyond the governor’s proposals, there are a few areas of education where I introduced my own legislation. The first legislation I introduced after being sworn in as a freshman legislator was School Construction Reform. I became involved in this because Upper Merion School District was building a new middle school. The arcane and antiquated rules of school construction required Upper Merion to destroy their perfectly good swimming pool only to rebuild it several years hence. I became personally involved and, working with Senator Connie Williams and the Upper Merion School Board, found a creative way to save the pool. However, we need to do more. I want to ensure that school districts have the flexibility to make their own decisions, as local elected officials, without poorly thought out state rules forcing absurd results.

I also introduced legislation, which passed, increasing the money available for tutoring programs and raising the eligible age from 9th grade to 12th grade.

Finally, I introduced a bill that makes it easier for school districts to spend money to make schools LEED Compliant. LEED compliant schools are more environmentally friendly and energy efficient. They cost a little more to build but can save a great deal of money over the years in reduced energy costs.

The battle to provide a quality public education to every child in Pennsylvania is an ongoing one. There are simply some who don’t support public education at all. Fortunately, we now have a governor who has made a strong, heartfelt commitment to public schools. I will continue to do all I can to support his vision and to ensure that Brennan and Justin have the best possible educational opportunities in the nation.