Smart Talk: $ wasted on buses?; PA Tourism

What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, May 25, 2016:

Watchdog.org recently reported that Pennsylvania school districts are wasting $54 million on bus service.  The state does reimburse school districts up to a certain amount; however studies have shown that an increasing number of school districts are actually paying more than the amount promised to be reimbursed.

Evan Grossman a Pennsylvania-based education reporter for Watchdog.org, joins us on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to provide some insight on exactly why our school districts are spending so much of their funding on transportation for students and what they can do to cut down on those costs.

WITF’s Ben Allen is joining us on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to discuss the nearly 42,000 calls, discovered by the State Auditor General DePasquale and his staff, at the state hotline for reporting suspected child abuse and neglect that went unanswered last year. He is working to develop strategies to eliminate the state of neglect at the hotline.

Tourism is important to any state, because it helps generate revenue outside of the expected business. Pennsylvania offers many affordable and accessible places both local and statewide to take that getaway that most hope for as they plan for the summer months.

Appearing on Wednesday’s Smart Talk are Carrie Lepore, Deputy Secretary for Marketing, Tourism, and Film, with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and Michael Chapaloney, the state’s Director of Tourism to talk about the economic impact of tourism, and travel opportunities and entertainment venues that Pennsylvania has to offer.

For more information on Pennsylvania tourism and destinations go to visitpa.com