Home school / Santorum, not the state, should pay Penn Hills
2006-09-11
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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rss feedA righteous Christian who espouses family values would not charge a Pennsylvania school district where he and his children do not live for his youngsters' education. So it was surprising when Rick Santorum, a man who wears his religion on his Senate ID and who wrote a book called, "It Takes a Family," did just that.
When news reports showed Sen. Santorum living in Virginia and renting to relatives a three-bedroom Penn Hills house he owns, he took one step toward atonement. He withdrew his five children from the cyber education program that Penn Hills School District paid for. That saved Penn Hills taxpayers about $38,000 a year.
But a responsible man would reimburse Penn Hills for the $72,000 that the Education Department withheld from the district to pay tuition to the cyber school over two years for five children who did not live in Penn Hills.
Mr. Santorum hasn't done that. In fact, he plans to let the state give Penn Hills $55,000 of the tuition. Education Department officials said the payment will cost less than defending against a lawsuit Penn Hills filed over whether the district retained the right to challenge the senator's residency.
That means all Pennsylvania taxpayers will fork over the tuition money for children who live with their mother and father in Virginia.
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