FORUM REAFFIRMS KITCHEN’S OPINION TO KEEP SCOTLAND SCHOOL OPEN

            HARRISBURG, March 24 – Following testimony at a recent public hearing on the fate of the Scotland School for Veterans’ Children, state Sen. Shirley Kitchen today reaffirmed her opinion that the school should remain open.

            “We had a lot of solid input on whether the school should close, but after hearing testimony from former students and from educators, I still believe that the Scotland School serves a necessary purpose for so many children,” said Kitchen (D-Philadelphia). “This school has made a huge difference in the students’ lives, and many of them go on to college, the military or professional careers when they otherwise would not have seen a brighter future.”

             The Senate and House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committees held a joint public hearing on March 12 to consider Gov. Ed Rendell’s proposal to close the school in order to alleviate Pennsylvania’s $2.3 billion deficit. Without state funding, the Scotland, PA school, located in Franklin County, would be forced to close its doors in June.

            “I am very concerned about the students. Where will they go to school next year?” asked Kitchen, who is a member of the Senate committee. “If the school closes, their parents will have just a few months to find another school for their children to attend in September. That is not enough time and it’s not fair to the students.”

            At the hearing, speakers argued for and against closing the school, which was founded in 1895 as a school for war orphans, but has since evolved into a school for children of Pennsylvania veterans who meet certain qualifications. A majority of the students live in Philadelphia and Delaware counties.

            Nearly 300 students in grades 3-12 attend the school. About two-thirds of these students are veterans’ children, and the rest of the students are grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces or nephews of veterans, according to the school’s Web site. Many of the students come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

            “I will continue to work with my colleagues to come up with a better solution for the Scotland School,” Kitchen said. “We can’t close the doors on a child’s education.”

            Kitchen supports Senate Democratic Leader Robert Mellow’s (D-Lackawanna) proposal to halt the closing of the school until local hearings are held, a Legislative Budget and Finance Committee study is conducted and the legislature has an opportunity to thoroughly review the full range of issues and carefully deliberate the rationale associated with closing the school.