This should be sarcasm, but it isn't: Corbett being honored as beacon of education and the arts!

Last edited Mon May 7, 2012, 05:24 PM - Edit history (5)

http://yinzercation.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/arts-education-an-operatic-tragedy/

"Arts Education an Operatic Tragedy

Believe it or not, this Saturday the Pittsburgh Opera is planning to honor Gov. Corbett with a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to … wait for it … EDUCATION! I kid you not. The Opera announced that Corbett “will be honored for his early work as a teacher as well as his long-standing protection of the public interest” and that, “as Governor, he has recognized the economic, educational, and social value of the arts.”

Is the Opera so out of touch that it doesn’t realize Gov. Corbett has actually devastated public education, cutting $1 BILLION from Pennsylvania’s schools these past two years? These cuts have crippled local school districts, which have been forced to slash arts education.

The Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials conducted a survey of the impact of those cuts last fall and found that 44% of the state’s school districts have already eliminated courses — the first to go? Arts, music, and foreign languages. The very things students need to become educated citizens who will appreciate the arts, be patrons of the arts, and become future artists themselves.

Last week, 1,000 people gathered in Upper Darby, outside of Philadelphia, to protest the state cuts that have forced that district to eliminate all elementary arts and music programming, as well as foreign languages in the middle schools. This is Gov. Corbett’s true legacy in the arts. And look at what is happening right here in Pittsburgh: our flagship arts school, CAPA, is cutting private music lessons. Taylor Allderdice is laying off its marching band director. Elementary schools across the district are losing music, art, library, and language instruction."

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In the Allentown School District, because of Corbett's budget cuts, scores of art and music teachers have been laid off. Elementary school students only get to see an art teacher 8 total days per year. Elementary school students only get to see a music teacher 8 total days per year. It will get worse with the $12 million deficit the district forecasts for the upcoming school year.

Art and music programs have also been cut at many public universities because of Corbett's budget cuts. He tried to cut all funding for state-owned and state-related universities by 50% in one year. Now, he is still trying to achieve that same level of reduction over 2 years.

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IMPT. UPDATE: I knew from the smell of this story, that if I spent 3 minutes googling, I'd find the reason for it. Guess who is the Chairperson of the Board of the Pittsburgh Opera? Michele Fabrizi.

Guess who is the CEO and President of the firm that was just hired 2 weeks ago to handle advertising for the PA. Lottery, after the State abruptly cancelled the contract with a different advertising agency?

Michele Fabrizi of the MarcUSA firm.



(the above bell, by the way, is on the front of Spike Lee's studios in Brooklyn).

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/amid-concern-over-bidding-pa-lottery-account-returns-to-marc-usa-632067/?print=1

http://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/marc-usa-retakes-pa-lottery-biz_b31918

http://www.pittsburghopera.org/files/file/Pittsburgh%20Opera%20honors%20Gov_%20and%20Mrs_%20Corbett%20at%20Maecenas%20XXVIII.pdf