JOB CREATION PROGRAMS:
• Job creation programs would be cut by a $240 million.
• Funding for World Trade PA – program elimination ($8.9 million) – created or retained 7,800 jobs last year and a half a billion dollars in private capital.
• Infrastructure and Facilities Improvement Grants - $10 million reduction (28%) created 15,000 jobs last year and leveraged $1.4 billion in private investments.
• Industrial Resource Centers - cut by 50 percent ($5.8 million) – program created or retained 8,000 jobs last year.
• Funding for Infrastructure Development eliminated ($20.5 million)- created or retained 9.400 jobs last year and leverage $1.3 billion.
• Funding for Opportunity Grant Program ($18.3 million) eliminated – this program created or retained nearly 60,000 jobs last year and leveraged $2.1 billion in private sector funds.
Other job-killing cuts:
- Marketing to Attract Tourists - $5.5 million reduction (55%)
- Marketing to Attract Businesses - $1.3 million reduction (72%)
- Marketing to Attract Film Business – program elimination ($392,000)
- Business Retention and Expansion – program elimination ($3 million)
- Funding for Local Development Assistance, Small Business Development Centers and Industrial Development Assistance were all cut by 50 percent.
- Department of Agriculture programs - $8.9 million reduction (13%)
The complete elimination of the entire Job Training Activities line item ($12.8 million) will mean that 25,689 adults seeking to build their skills will have no help getting into the labor force. These training programs help more than 5,000 private companies find skilled new workers.
On top of these cuts, the Customized Job Training program would be cut by $9 million. These customized projects affected 30,000 workers and helped us attract more than a billion dollars in private investment.
EDUCATION:
$ 1 billion in Education cuts would mean:
• Pennsylvania school districts are funded at the current level. This is the first time that in at least 25 years that any chamber has proposed spending less than the Governor proposed for schools. The Governor proposed a $300 million increase for schools.
• Because of teacher contracts, rising health care costs and the overhead costs of operating school buildings and no additional state funds, at least 3,725 teachers may be laid off -- this number represents at least 3 percent of all classroom teachers.
• Property tax increases will need to be at least 3 percent higher than planned to keep teachers employed. .
• School Districts would incur $54 million in additional Charter School costs resulting in either increased teacher layoffs or higher property tax increases.
• Grants to local Library funds are cut in half – a $37 million reduction.
• CFF*, Science is Elementary*, Dual Enrollment*, Teacher Professional Development, Career and Technical Education all severely cut or eliminated*
• Pennsylvania would be less likely to succeed in winning the competition for the additional $5 billion in Race to the Top funds for school reform to be released this summer by the Department of Education. The U.S. Secretary of Education has made it clear that states that make these sorts of cuts will not be competitive.
Higher Education:
• A $71 million cut to the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) would mean $400 less in aid per student.
• State System and Community Colleges would be cut by $18 million resulting in tuition increases.
CHILDREN’S HEALTH CARE:
Cutting $7.9 million from SCHIP would require the state to remove 9,588 kids from the state’s children’s health insurance program. The Governor’s budget proposal adds 24,000 children to the program. This cut would also leave approximately $16.7 million in federal funds on the table that could be used to help give children access to medical care.
Early Childhood and Child Care
Pre-K Counts funds would be cut by 55 percent - forcing the elimination of 6,500 children out of the12,850 that would have been served next year.
Head Start funds would be cut in half forcing the elimination of 2,800 children out of the 5,600 children that would have been served next year.
Child Care Works would be cut by $23 million resulting in 7,700 fewer children of working parents getting access to childcare. This cut also jeopardizes $60 million in ARRA since federal funds may not be used to cover any current state childcare costs. It would also mean that Pennsylvania would have to establish waiting new waiting lists for child care assistance.
OTHER CUTS:
• Welfare & Aging Programs cut by $350 million.
• Cuts to Medical Assistance programs could jeopardize $4 billion in federal stimulus funds.
• Counties would be hit hard:
o Child Welfare cuts of more than $24 million.
o County Mental Retardation Services would be cut by more than $40 million. This means that 4,343 fewer mentally retarded adults would lose some or all of their services. At least 1,300 of these adults currently being served would lose those services entirely.
• Autism cuts of $15 million would mean 400 fewer families would be served.
• Attendant Care services cut by $22.5 million- ends care to over 2,000 sick or disabled adults.
• Long Term Care cut by $66 million would mean that more than 9,000 older adults would not be able to get care in their home.
• Cut to Services to the Disabled – $9.26 million means that over 500 severely disabled adults will not get care.
• Veterans Homes cut by $7.6 million.
• DEP Programs cut by $50 million.
• DCNR programs reduced by $20 million.
