Sen. Pileggi Includes Mayor's Community College Funding Provision in Table Games Legislation

Legislation approved yesterday by the Senate to authorize table games at Pennsylvania casinos includes a provision designed to make it more affordable for residents of the Chester-Upland School District to attend Delaware County Community College, according to Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-9).

"The local share of table games revenue for the City of Chester will be used to allow the city and other municipalities in the Chester-Upland School District to become local sponsors of Delaware County Community College," Senator Pileggi said. "This will give the residents of Chester-Upland the opportunity to take community college classes at the same lower rate enjoyed by other sponsoring districts."

"This is a great opportunity for students in the Chester-Upland School District, as well as adults, who are interested in furthering their education," said Wendell N. Butler, Jr., Mayor of Chester. "As a result of using the local revenue from table games to become a sponsoring school district, the student cost per credit hour will be cut in half, making higher education more affordable and accessible to Chester residents."

"I am pleased that the decision has been made to use the local share of table games revenue to provide new opportunities for students to attend Delaware County Community College," said Jerome S. Parker, President of DCCC. "For more than 40 years, DCCC has provided educational opportunities to area residents, and this fits perfectly with our mission to enhance the development of the communities and residents of Delaware County."

Under Pennsylvania law, school districts and municipalities which sponsor a community college contribute financially to the college's budget. At Delaware County Community College, the tuition rate for students who live in a sponsoring school district is $93 per credit hour; the normal rate for Pennsylvania residents who live in non-sponsoring districts is $186 per credit hour.

"Because of the severe financial strain on the Chester-Upland School District, students living here have not been able to benefit from sponsoring district tuition rates," Senator Pileggi said. "This is a fantastic idea, and Mayor Butler deserves great credit for coming up with it."

The legislation being considered to authorize table games, Senate Bill 711, was approved by the Senate yesterday. It could be considered by the House as early as today and could be signed into law by Governor Rendell later this week.

Senate Bill 711 includes provisions allocating a portion of the revenue generated by table games to the local communities where casinos are located. These provisions mirror language in the original law which authorized slot machines.

School districts which currently sponsor Delaware County Community College include Garnet Valley School District (Bethel residents only), Haverford School District, Interboro School District, Radnor School District, Ridley School District, Rose Tree Media School District, Southeast Delco School District, Springfield School District, Upper Darby School District, Wallingford-Swarthmore School District (Swarthmore and Rutledge residents only), and William Penn School District.