Lisa Romaniello for State Representative - Pennsylvania 152nd Legislative District

Name: Lisa Romaniello
Party: Democrat
Candidate for: Pennsylvania House
District: 152 (Montgomery County)

1. Do you agree that the General Assembly should recognize that every child in Pennsylvania has a fundamental right to a quality public education consistent with the K-12 academic standards enacted by the State Board of Education?

        __X__ YES            _____ NO            _____ DON'T KNOW

Comments: Every child has a fundamental right to have a quality public education that will prepare him or her with the necessary skills needed for success.

2. Do you agree that the General Assembly has the duty to provide for a statewide K-12 funding system that assures adequate educational resources are available to support a quality public education for every child in every district consistent with the K-12 academic standards enacted by the State Board of Education?

         __X__ YES            _____ NO            _____ DON'T KNOW

Comments: Schools across Pennsylvania must be given adequate resources to invest in student success. We need a dedicated funding source that is fair, equal and sufficient to all students and to all districts.

3. Do you agree that the Pennsylvania Legislature must significantly increase state funding to provide for a fair share of statewide K-12 educational expenses to be paid with state funds?

         __X__ YES            _____ NO            _____ DON'T KNOW

Comments: The costing-out study provides us insight that Pennsylvania has to do more. We have an underfunded state-wide system in place that is approximately 4 billion dollars short and it covers a share of less than 35% of the public education cost which was previously 50%.

4. Do you agree that the Pennsylvania Legislature should continue to significantly increase state funding to increase access for young children in Pennsylvania to high-quality pre-K programs?

         __X__ YES            _____ NO            _____ DON'T KNOW

Comments: It’s important to fund early childhood programs because they expose children to creativity, learning and support systems that make differences in their lives and give them a great start.

5. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Pennsylvania's system of funding public education? What should the Pennsylvania Legislature do, if anything, to improve the system of funding public education?

Strengths: Governor Rendell and the General Assembly have recognized that our state needs to make a commitment to ensure there are adequate resources in place at the ground level. All students should graduate with a meaningful diploma and should be well prepared to go to college.

Weakness of funding public education system: It has been largely inadequately funded and at the local level there are disparities between neighboring districts.

Improving the system: We need a steady stream of revenue that is dedicated to a formula that places resources in the classroom with effective teachers. It will continue to come from a combination of local and state taxes, but a different mixture that is more equitable. The state is now taking incremental steps to make improvements in a responsible way.

6. What is your vision of the public education opportunity that the General Assembly should ensure be available to every child in Pennsylvania and what will you do to accomplish that goal?

I believe the Genera Assembly should work to ensure that public education address further investments in quality pre-kindergarten. I support an expansion of early learning programs such as Head Start for all children. I believe music and arts programs (from examples such as the Kaleidoscope Pre-School Arts Enrichment Program at Settlement Music School, Philadelphia) should be incorporated into the pre-kindergarten classes through policy, programs and partnership initiatives. Music programs teach listening and experimentation while develop a child’s coordination and social skills.

7. Is there anything else that you will do to strengthen Pennsylvania's public education system?

We need to be able to measure a student’s performance and a teacher’s performance without more tests. And, I think we need to make sure the classrooms are equipped with highly trained teachers who have immediate support systems for struggling students. Along with the substantial resources and accountability, we can design a system that gives graduates a promising future. While I believe early childhood education is the first step in investments, I support expanding programs on tutoring so we can bring all students up the right grade level quickly.