PA House Speaker Demands Schools Reopen In Fall

HARRISBURG, PA - State House Speaker Mike Turzai is angered over state Education Secretary Pedro Rivera's recent suggestion that schools across the state could remain closed this fall amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

In a sharply-worded letter to Rivera, Turzai accused the education secretary of having a "can't-do attitude," and disregarding the impact a long-term closure would have on millions of families.

"You are not working to find workable solutions given what is in front of us," the Allegheny County Republican wrote. "Instead of providing direction and even hope, your statements are fostering depression, anxiety, and hopelessness. That is not the way to govern and lead."

Gov. Tom Wolf ordered schools across the state closed for two weeks on March 13 as the coronavirus outbreak grew worse. He later extended the closure through the end of the academic year.

RELATED: Will PA Schools Reopen In The Fall? Leaders Hopeful But Uncertain

Under Wolf's three-phase plan to reopen the state, schools would not reopen until a county or region is in the green phase. Currently, 24 of the state's 67 counties are in the yellow phase while the rest remain in the shut-down red phase. It's uncertain when any country will shift to green.

Eric Levis, the Pennsylvania Department of Education press secretary, said schools are "adapting constantly" but stopped short of saying a fall reopening is guaranteed.

"At this time, there are no plans to keep schools closed in the 2020-21 school year; however, any future decisions made regarding school openings will be grounded in the health and safety of our students," he said in a statement provided to Patch.

In the letter, Turzai noted that the education department will have had nearly six months to plan for a return to school by Labor Day..

"You and your office must work collaboratively with school superintendents and their administrators across the state to make plans for a safe fall return," he wrote.

Turzai also noted that Pennsylvania spends nearly $13 billion on PreK-12 education; that amount swells to $33 billion when local funding of public education is added. Pennsylvania ranks second in overall teacher salary and is third out of 50 states on per-student spending in public schools.

He also emphasized the importance of parents being able to return to the workforce, saying that 1.6 million unemployment assistance across that state, while nearly 130,000 have filed for pandemic unemployment assistance available to self-employed workers and independent contractors.

You can read the full letter here.