I have been a resident of this state for 10 years. And while the state is picturesque and the people are wonderful, the public school system is a sham! I also worked in the school system for 5 years. I have worked with many gifted and talented teaching professionals and have been stunned by the number of ill-equipped, inept, emotionally unwell indiviuals I have seen over the years protected by a union that has crippled public edcuation in PA! 
Our current system rewards incompetency and limits the rewards that can be earned by the gifted and talented educdators-it's insane! Administrations are top heavy with too many bodies and wreak of inefficiency and waste. Rendell talked about cutting the number of districts from 500 to 100-what happened to this Rendell? I have heard no more. I think the idea sounds very viable and would save a tremendous amount of tax dollars. 
This is a good thing!
Teacher unions have crippled education in PA.
The current economic trends cannot keep up with the contracts that award so generously to teachers' retirement and healthcare packages that the average person could only dream of! Pennsylvania has to rid itself of the ability of teachers to strike! 
Why should a position that is paid by pubic money, our tax dollars, have the power to shut a school's door and deny our children the right to uninterrupted education? 
This is the most morally outrageous thing an educator could do! The state decries the need for improved test scores, yet we allow teacher's the right to strike? It makes no sense!
Gov. Rendell needs to spend more time resolving these issues and less time being Pennsylvania's Gambling Guru! This state's government focus belies it pristine beauty and rich history in our nations birth. Get with it PA! You embarrass our forefathers!