State Rep. Daniel McNeill, D-Lehigh, said he voted against the 2014-15 state budget because it does not provide sufficient funding for the state's education system.

"After $1 billion in funding cuts under this administration, school districts have cut all they can and desperately need additional funding to fill budget gaps this year," McNeill said. "I was hopeful that this final budget would contain additional funding to assist schools that consistently face strained budgets but, sadly, school districts are once again left to fend for themselves, which ultimately means increased property taxes."

School districts were given the same state appropriation as last year, which is essentially a cut because of inflation, McNeill said. He added that the Corbett administration and Republicans in the legislature never showed leadership in determining a fair and equitable funding formula for education or special education.

Pennsylvania's participation in federal Medicaid expansion would have been an excellent way to supplement the budget, McNeill said.

"The governor has thus far refused to accept federal funds under the Affordable Care Act and is instead relying on questionable budget savings based on his Healthy PA plan, which the federal government has yet to approve," McNeill said.

Expanding Medicaid would add $500 million to the state's coffers while providing an additional 500,000 low-income Pennsylvanians with health insurance, he added.

McNeill criticized the governor for once again refusing to impose a severance tax on natural gas drillers. A 5 percent tax on gas extracted from wells in Pennsylvania could generate an estimated $500 to $600 million in the next fiscal year, which could also be used for struggling school districts.