Jonathan Bowser penned a recent op-ed weighing in on what it will take to stimulate a resurgence of business and residential vitality in downtown Harrisburg. Well known in our region as an expert in economic development, Bowser listed three things he says are vital: making it cheaper and easier to park downtown, lowering taxes on businesses and hiring qualified, competent city employees.
Bowser hit the nail on the head. Parking, high business taxes and staffing at City Hall are all key to igniting Harrisburg’s economic fire. But he forgot one – education.
Harrisburg won’t be able to attract people to live in the city to increase tax revenue, and it won’t have a well-educated, skilled workforce of city residents for jobs unless it tackles serious deficiencies in its schools.
PennLive and The Patriot-News have committed to providing a platform to allow residents and stakeholders to discuss the issues impacting Harrisburg’s economic development. And education has to be one of them.
We’ll take up the issue of education at our next roundtable slated for noon Tuesday, March 17 that will be streamed live to our You Tube channel.
PennLive’s Outreach and Opinion Editor Joyce M. Davis will moderate the conversation on education with a panel of experts, including:
- Benjamin Henry, superintendent, Harrisburg School District
- Jennifer L. Morrison, CEO and principal, Pennsylvania STEAM Academy
- David Schankweiler, interim president, Harrisburg University
- Roslyn Copeland , president of the Harrisburg School District Board of Directors
- Gordon Laurie, principal of Julia Masterman High School in Philadelphia
It’s important to note that Julia Masterman High School is one of the commonwealth’s highest performing schools with regard to test scores, despite having a student body that is mostly minority and from economically disadvantaged homes. The school ranks among the top schools in Pennsylvania while Harrisburg High School ranks at the bottom…