Democratic Party of York County

Temple profs join teachers, college professors, and advocates

HARRISBURG (October 24, 2012) — The Temple Association of University Professionals (TAUP) has endorsed Rob Teplitz for the open state Senate seat in the 15th district. TAUP represents 1,100 full-time faculty, professional librarians, and academic professionals in the 11 schools and colleges enrolling undergraduate students at Temple University in Pennsylvania.

“I am passionate about investing in education, and I’m proud of the support of educators and advocates from across the state,” said Teplitz. “The stakes are very high in this election. My opponent is on record as supporting the Corbett education cuts, and his campaign is bankrolled by the very same crowd that wants to destroy our system of education in Pennsylvania.”

TAUP joins other advocates of education in endorsing Teplitz:

• The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), the largest education employee organization in the Commonwealth, representing over 193,000 members and the 1.7 million public school children served by those members, endorsed Teplitz in March.
• The Association of Pennsylvania State College & University Faculties (APSCUF), which represents more than 6,000 faculty members and coaches employed at the 14 state-owned universities that are part of the State System of Higher Education, endorsed Teplitz in April.
• Education Voters Action Fund of Pennsylvania, an independent public interest organization, endorsed Teplitz in September.
• The American Federation of Teachers-Pennsylvania, which represents more than 36,000 members across the Commonwealth, including teachers and school-related personnel, health care professionals, higher education faculty members, and state employees, endorsed Teplitz last week.

Teplitz has issued a detailed education plan for basic and post-secondary education, with a focus on targeted investments in proven reforms that will benefit all students. “Great schools lead to good jobs,” Teplitz said. “That’s why we must reverse our current course and invest in education in Pennsylvania again.”

Teplitz believes that it is critical that we make higher education affordable for Pennsylvania students who attend Pennsylvania schools. He will fight to create a program modeled after the successful HOPE Scholarship Program in Georgia, which would pay tuition at state-owned universities for all students who graduate from high school with at least a 3.0 grade point average. Students choosing to attend other Pennsylvania colleges and universities, community colleges, or vocational-technical schools would also be eligible. In addition to creating a highly educated and trained workforce, this would stop the “brain drain” problem and help keep our best resources – our young people – here in Pennsylvania.

Teplitz will continue to pursue and promote reforms at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA). He played a significant role in the Department of the Auditor General’s first-ever special performance audit of PHEAA, which exposed wasteful spending at the agency and resulted in much-needed reforms. However, additional reforms are needed, such as changing the structure of the PHEAA board to include financial and academic experts and at least one full-time college student.

Teplitz has built the broadest base of support of any candidate in the race. Announced endorsements include the following organizations and/or their affiliated political action committees: Pennsylvania AFL-CIO; Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters; Pennsylvania State Legislative Board of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; Education Voters Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania State Education Association; American Federation of Teachers-Pennsylvania; Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties; Service Employees International Union; Central Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council; Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association; Progressive Majority; Democracy for America; Equality Pennsylvania; Capital Region Stonewall Democrats; Humane PA; Planned Parenthood; Pennsylvania National Organization for Women; Sierra Club; Clean Water Action; Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania; and the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Rob Teplitz is the Chief Counsel and Policy Director at the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General. He has spent most of his career working with Bob Casey and Jack Wagner to protect Pennsylvanians’ hard-earned tax dollars and make government programs work better. In the state Senate, Teplitz will focus on creating jobs, strengthening our schools, keeping taxes as low as possible, and bringing fundamental reforms to state government.

Teplitz, age 41, is a lifelong Central Pennsylvanian and an honors graduate of Central Dauphin High School, Franklin & Marshall College, and Cornell Law School. He grew up in Dauphin County’s Lower Paxton Township and currently lives in Susquehanna Township with his wife Randi and their two sons. Randi Teplitz is a 1992 graduate of Temple University, with a degree in political science. She is a lawyer, professor, and long-time advocate for victims of domestic violence.

The 15th senatorial district includes most of Dauphin County and the following municipalities in York County: Conewago, Newberry, Goldsboro, Lewisberry, and York Haven.