|
Many historic efforts have been underway in the Harrisburg School District to reform the public education system. Last week, I was pleased to be honored for helping to achieve these strides, which are producing notable gains that not only benefit our children and families in the City of Harrisburg, but also impacts the future of public education in our state.
During a recent meeting of the Harrisburg Rotary Club, Mayor Stephen Reed and Superintendent Dr. Gerald Kohn of the Harrisburg School District presented me with the “Pennsylvania Government Leader of the Year” Award. According to Mayor Reed and Dr. Kohn, the awards program includes “the highest recognition that can be conferred” and “salutes the person in state government who has most contributed to the reform and improvement of education.”
I accepted this award with pride as the Harrisburg School District established the awards program to recognize individuals and groups who have significantly contributed to efforts that improve public education or who have attained notable academic success. I am proud of the passage of the Educational Empowerment legislation, which turned the Harrisburg School District over to Mayor Reed. According to the Mayor, “At political risk, Senator Piccola took major steps to create an environment to induce educational improvement.”
We have changed a dysfunctional system that was failing to teach our children while penalizing taxpayers. Now, we are educating children and giving them hope when none previously existed. These efforts have resulted in an accountable school district that is making tremendous progress in our Capital City and serving as a model for the entire state.
Other landmark reforms that have produced positive results in Harrisburg have included my support for our alternative education programs addressing the needs of at-risk students and my efforts to create alternative forms of governance for districts in academic trouble. Additionally, my involvement in the creation of the education tax credit program across Pennsylvania has begun a new
level of support from both the region and state’s private sector for scholarships and other educational initiatives. In addition to education, other reforms have also included economic development and urban renewal, historic preservation of our properties, and the creation of permanent cultural, heritage, and civic facilities. I have been pleased to sponsor legislation that attacks blighted properties and provides tax credits for the restoration of older structures.
It gives me great pride working to improve our public education system by setting new and higher standards of performance and accountability and working to create a better jobs climate both locally and around the state. I am thankful for being the recipient of this very important award – it is an honor and an incentive to continue to make this region a better place to work and raise a family.
|
