Michael Muha, a Slippery Rock University graduate and the democratic nominee in Senate District 50, released a statement criticizing Senator Tomlinson’s and Dinniman’s secession legislation. In opposition to Senate Bill, Muha believes that the “proposed bill would harm the PASSHE system as whole,” and called the system “one of the greatest state university systems in America, but also the world.”
Muha explains that PASSHE “formed for the main purpose of providing low-cost high-quality education to all Pennsylvanians.” He continues:
“PASSHE’s major focus of educating students has been thrown into chaos because of the severe under funding caused by Governor Tom Corbett and Representatives Greg Lucas and Michele Brooks, my Republican opponents in the 50th District Senate race. The motivation behind this legislation is directly related to Republican opposition to public education. Instead of allowing financially-better off PASSHE universities from seceding, we should properly fund our public universities.”
When talking about Tomlinson and Dinniman, Muha said “[they] believe the bill would free financially better off universities from the unruly bureaucratic and underfunded State System,” and continued with “supporters of this legislation also voted to pass Governor Corbett’s multiple detrimental budgets to public education. If they believe that the State System is under threat of financial instability, they should look in the mirror and blame themselves for that.”
Muha believes that this “backhanded” attempt at privatization will affect the “our poor and working class.” He asks “are we really giving up on our founding principles that access to affordable public education in Pennsylvania will lead to economic and personal success?” The State System of higher Education employs 5,500 academic staff and teaches more than 120,000 students. Edinboro University brings jobs and financial stability to the senate district, and Muha believes that “allowing universities to secede from PASSHE threatens the entire system.”
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