Gov. Tom Wolf made Slatington Elementary School the first of his three stops Thursday morning as part of his "Schools That Teach" Tour.

A crowd of about 40, comprised primarily of district faculty, administrators and board members, were in attendance to hear the governor's proposals on school funding.District Superintendent Michael Michaels introduced Wolf, and said he was both encouraged and humbled by the governor's presence in the district.Wolf took the podium, explaining that he is committed to passing a budget that addresses the core issues that face Pennsylvania.Those core issues are a structural budget deficit, a drastically underfunded school system and rising property taxes for seniors and middle-class families.Wolf said the path he wants to take has to do with investing in education.His plan is proposing to put an extra $427,000 in basic education to Northern Lehigh School District.Wolf said he remains committed to passing a budget that would implement a severance tax to restore education funding.He added that Pennsylvania is the only gas producing state without a severance tax.Among the 50 states, Wolf said Pennsylvania is 47th in the percentage of public school funding that is provided by the state."We need a budget that balances," Wolf said. "Our budgets haven't been balancing."Wolf said budget talks will continue this week but added that there is no timetable for the budget.Following his remarks, Wolf held a brief question and answer session with the media, before conducting a meet and greet with the public.Michaels said afterward that if the district were to receive an extra $427,000 in basic education funding, it would use it toward early childhood education, and continuing the district's all-day kindergarten program.From Slatington, Wolf was scheduled to visit East Stroudsburg Elementary School and State Street Elementary Center in Larksville.Jeremy T. Glaush, chairman of the Carbon County Republican Committee, is among those who wasn't impressed by Wolf's visit."Gov. Wolf's whirlwind tour of the Northern Lehigh School District brought nothing new to the area," Glaush said. "He brings the same old tired message that you have to throw money at a problem to fix it."Glaush added, "What the governor neglects to mention is that his 'tax reduction' is not permanent and comes along with many new taxes on items and services that are not taxed today. Instead of working with the Republican legislature in Harrisburg, he is gallivanting around the commonwealth with his presentation boards. I urge voters to tell the governor to stop the 'my way or the highway' mentality and get back to work."Contacted this morning, state Rep. Doyle Heffley was clearly frustrated with the lack of a budget."I think the governor has created an unnecessary crisis for the budget," Heffley said.Heffley added, "He has the audacity to come to schools and talk about increased funds. Every (school) district in Carbon County will lose money under the governor's budget. We're going to be paying more in new taxes than what is actually coming in."Due to the budget impasse, Heffley said the Head Start program is not able to open."We have kids right now involved in early childhood education programs in Carbon County that parents aren't able to get (their) children in school," he said. "I really think it shows the disconnect from him and the average Pennsylvania citizen."Heffley added, "He really has caused a lot of turmoil with our local providers.""There is a timeline," he said. "The budget should have been done five weeks ago, and it's a disappointment that he hasn't got the budget done."