Letter to the editor: Pa. needs to do better on education

In my learned opinion, maybe Pennsylvania doesn’t deserve to be called the “Keystone State” anymore. Maybe Pennsylvania should be called the “Tree State” and our motto can be “We can’t see the forest for our trees.”

Pennsylvania was called the Keystone State because back in the original 13 colonies, it held a key position in the economic, social and political development of the United States.

However, today, Pennsylvania ranks No. 39 in education. Public education is largely a local matter for school boards and states that allocate most of the school’s funding. So, just do the math and maybe ask your school board, legislators, school districts and administrators, “What’s being done in your state and the state of your school?”

Also, clearer student thinking is directly correlated with the cleaner the air they breathe. Studies show, “Pennsylvania ranks poorly for radon testing” — 11th worst in the nation, to be exact. Also, radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer. Then, Pennsylvania has the 15th worst air quality of all 50 U.S. states.

First things first, Pennsylvania. “Math is the language of science.” Then “do the math” and maybe, “sometimes all we need is better air that we breathe.”

Then, be more honest about your positions, to help play a key role in our economic, social and political development of the United States of America. We need to be more transparent, and, as Thomas Paine said, “If you are afraid to offend, you can’t be honest.”

Jim Scarsellato

North Strabane