The subject of the hearing was Governor Edward Rendell's proposal to increase funding for the accountability block grant program by $100 million, with $25 million of the increase directed to school districts for full-day kindergarten programs and $75 million of the increase directed to pre-kindergarten programs.

While school districts may currently use their share of the $250 million appropriated for the accountability block grant program in FY 2006-2007 on pre-kindergarten, the Department of Education's annual report on the block grant program indicates that only 45 school districts elected to do so.

"Only 45 school districts out of 501 opted to spend their share of $250 million in block grants on pre-kindergarten. That tells me something.

Investing in pre-kindergarten is important. But if only a fraction of our schools have used their block grants to do it, they clearly have other priorities.

We need to figure out what our schools need to educate our students. And, to do that, we need to keep asking them to join us in making tough choices.

That is the only way we can set priorities in a budget where there will be extremely limited resources."