Kosierowski stands with teachers

Calls on Harrisburg to get involved in settling the strike

SCRANTON, Nov. 5 -- State Rep. Bridget M. Kosierowski joined state Reps. Kyle Mullins and Mike Carroll, Rep.-elect Thom Welby, and state Sen. Marty Flynn outside the Lackawanna County Courthouse to show support for striking teachers in the Scranton School District, and outrage over the district cutting health coverage during the strike.

“When I say I believe health care is a right and not a privilege, I don’t just mean it as a campaign slogan every two years,” Kosierowski said. “I actually believe it! As a registered nurse of more than 25 years, I saw firsthand the cracks in a broken healthcare system, but never ever did I think I would see the day that restricting healthcare access would be used as negotiating tactic and a bargaining tool. It is not only cruel, but it is simply immoral.”

Today marked the third day of striking for educators and paraprofessionals in the district. Having gone without a contract for five years, teachers and support staff are seeking a new contract with retroactive pay and the continuance of current health benefits.

Kosierowski points to the chronically underfunded district as the perfect reason to revisit fair funding for the state’s 500 public school districts.

“We flat out need fair funding,” Kosierowski said. “It’s the state's job to fairly fund our schools and make sure our schools have the financial resources they need to provide the education all of our children deserve, and that teachers have all the resources they need to provide that education.

“By not updating the funding formula since the 80s, we are denying our children the quality education they deserve,” Kosierowski said. “And that is something the unions and the administration can both agree on.”