An Open Letter to Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati

ERIE, Pa., Nov. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders in the Erie faith community issue an Open Letter regarding Sen. Scarnati's opposition to the Erie County Community College.

November 17, 2019

Senator Joseph B. Scarnati, III
President Pro Tempore
PA State Senate
292 Main Capitol
Harrisburg, PA 17120

Dear Senator Scarnati:

On behalf of the thousands of families we are blessed to serve, we were deeply disturbed by your letter of November 13, 2019, attacking the hopes and dreams of the citizens of Erie County, who last week traveled to Harrisburg by the busload to petition their government for a community college . The civility and professionalism by which we were received by the State Board of Education was in sharp contrast to the vitriol launched statewide by your statement a few hours after the hearing on the Erie County application. 

Your words and your tone reflect an arrogance of power that is frankly beneath the dignity of your office. Moreover, your statement threatens to wall off community college education permanently to Erie County and the rest of Pennsylvania at precisely the time when the rest of America is embracing the community college movement as a vehicle for economic development and socio-economic mobility. You have reduced what is a critically important public policy decision that will impact thousands of families for many generations to a political powerplay. The matter is especially important since Pennsylvania lags behind its neighbors in the availability of a community college education.

You call the Pennsylvania Department of Education's two-year review and findings supporting the merits of the college application "jaded and one-sided." You have the gall to speak for every member of the independent State Board of Education when you dictate that, "[r]egardless of fanciful spin, a majority of members of the State Board will not endorse the Erie community college proposal." How can you come to predetermine or ethically dictate the outcome of these autonomous proceedings that have yet to be completed? We are confident the State Board of Education will cast their independent vote on this application based on how their conscience guides them and not by political intimidation. The Board of Education has asked for an additional hearing before they vote, and we respect their oversight.

Senator, not only has your attack laid waste to the integrity of the entire education arm of our state government, you attack Erie County at large stating that, "[i]t is immensely unfortunate that prospective students in Erie are being sold a bill of goods about this proposal." We are not engaged in the business of misleading our congregations; our neighbors; or the thousands and thousands of Erie County residents who support this project. You have crossed the line from respectful debate to attacking the character of many, many leaders of our county. This, while your own district has the benefit of a community college, and while you propose an institution for Erie County that shifts operating costs to students and relies on a limited access cyber delivery system. 

This is a moral issue and one that resonates deeply in the marginalized communities in our region - white, black, Latino, and new American. The Erie County Community College is about opportunity. It is about opening the door to a brighter future for all of our residents, but especially for those who lack access, educational attainment or the means to pursue a four-year degree. We can only assume that your goal is to use your power to intimidate those who have worked tirelessly to establish the college and those who must decide its fate. You will not succeed in this effort.

We will continue to advocate on behalf of the Erie County Community College because we believe that this institution is long overdue; that our community desperately needs this resource; and, finally, because we have trust in a process that, again, is open, transparent and inclusive. Our hope is that you will move beyond your rhetoric and treat all of your many, many fellow citizens in a respectful fashion.

Sincerely,

cc:          All members of the Pennsylvania State Senate

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SOURCE Bishop Dwane Brock