HARRISBURG - House passage of a bill requiring advance public notice of some key school board contract votes was hailed by many lawmakers last week as a victory for government transparency.
Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-28, Pittsburgh, called it an important reform bill.
But a majority of the 22 House lawmakers representing Northeast Pennsylvania voted against the bill and opposition crossed party lines.
The opponents said contract sunshine is a worthy goal, but they cited a variety of reasons for voting "no" ranging from concerns the bill doesn't go far enough to worry about added costs placed on school districts and property taxpayers.
The measure, which goes to the Senate, would require school boards to provide public notice no less than 48 hours before voting on a proposed collective bargaining agreement or a professional educator employment contract. This notice would include a statement of terms and cost estimate and be posted on the school district website and published in a newspaper.
"By requiring school districts to provide appropriate public notice of the terms and costs of proposed contracts, this legislation will help deliver transparency and opportunities for fiscal accountability to the community members and taxpayers who are directly responsible for footing the bill," said Rep. Fred Keller, R-85, Kreamer, the bill sponsor.
During floor debate, Reps. Mike Carroll, D-118, Hughestown, and Eddie Day Pashinski, D-121, Wilkes-Barre, said the bill needs improvements.
Carroll said state government should foot the bill for publishing agreements and contracts up for a vote.
"The cost of publishing these agreements is a financial burden to school districts," added Carroll, a member of the House Education Committee.
Pashinski said the scope of the bill needs to be widened. He said to be fully transparent, the bill should require advance notice of votes on contracts dealing with charter schools, school buses, insurance, accounting and other services.
"They don't address anything other than employee contracts," he added. "It should be for all contracts a school board decides upon."
Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-116, Butler Township, said putting sunshine on school contracts is important. But she cast a no vote out of concerns this bill would become an unfunded mandate for school districts.
The problem with unfunded mandates is they bring added costs, which lead to school property tax hikes, Toohil said. That runs counter to bills House lawmakers have passed recently to reduce property taxes, she said.
Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich, D-114, Taylor, said the bill is an unnecessary requirement for school districts. He said news media coverage of events like the teacher contract strike last fall in Old Forge School District makes publishing the terms of a contract agreement unnecessary.
Keller said the bill covers employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements because 75 percent of a school district's budget is for salary and benefits.
He said lawmakers can pass laws to require advance notice of more contracts in the future.