HARRISBURG, Pa. — Comedian Bill Cosby says public schools make the difference between success and failure in life for many children.
Cosby joined Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell at a news conference Wednesday that celebrated steady improvements in the state's standardized test scores in math and reading. Rendell and Cosby criticized Senate Republicans' plan to provide less money for public schools than the Democratic governor has proposed.
Cosby is a Philadelphia native and a well-known education advocate. He began and ended his brief speech by declaring, "No more cuts!"
He said taxpayers get their money's worth from their investment in public schools. He said it costs less than $5,000 a year to educate a young person but $33,000 a year to incarcerate an adult.
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In photo: Comedian Bill Cosby, center, gets a squeeze from Linda Price, of Chambersburg, Pa., second from left, in the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg, Pa., Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009 after a news conference. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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