In the face of growing infrastructure problems at Pennsylvania schools, state Sen. Tim Kearney (D-Swarthmore) has announced his intent to fix a state program that reimburses campuses that undergo major school construction projects. | Unsplash
In the face of growing infrastructure problems at Pennsylvania schools, state Sen. Tim Kearney (D-Swarthmore) has announced his intent to fix a state program that reimburses campuses that undergo major school construction projects. | Unsplash
In the face of growing infrastructure problems at Pennsylvania schools, state Sen. Tim Kearney (D-Swarthmore) has announced his intent to fix a state program that reimburses campuses that undergo major school construction projects.
Kearney issued a Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda saying he’ll introduce a bill to reform and improve PlanCon, according to the state Senate website.
“I intend to soon introduce legislation to address the significant facilities crisis facing many Pennsylvania school districts,” Kearney wrote to his colleagues in the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s higher chamber. “After nearly 10 years of absence, it is time to restart PlanCon by finally appropriating funding for school construction and facility renovation.”
The senator also took to Twitter to post a concise version of his call.
“PA school facilities are in deplorable conditions,” he said in a tweet on Feb. 7. “Suburban, rural, [and] urban districts are dealing with aging infrastructure. I'm calling for the legislature to restart the PlanCon Building Program. We can't keep underspending on repairs. It's unsafe [and] our kids deserve better.”
The state’s Department of Education explains on its website that PlanCon stands for Planning and Construction Workbook, which is a set of documents for the reimbursement application process.
According to Kearney, the Senate about two years ago approved a measure enacting recommendations from the PlanCon Advisory Committee.
“[These recommendations are] a simplified electronic 4-step process replaced the burdensome 11-step paper process, high-performance building standards that save taxpayer dollars over time were incorporated into the program, and an updated reimbursement formula provided a more efficient and fair management of state funds,” the lawmaker said in his memorandum.
Fleetwood Area Middle School is a campus Kearney hopes would benefit from a potential turnaround on PlanCon.
According to Allentown’s 69 News, a carbon monoxide problem at the school earlier this month caused eight people who were participating in a Fleetwood Community Theater group dress rehearsal to fall ill.
The station additionally reported that the building was closed as a safety precaution.
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