Governor Tom Corbett announced his proposed 2014-15 budget, at $29.4 billion, in an address Feb. 4.

Leaders and organizations statewide have responded with caution, criticism and apprehension.

State Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-18th, said in a release she is still examining the fine print, but, "While budgets typically have things you like and do not like, I am cautiously optimistic that this spending plan uses scarce revenues well. I especially applaud the governor's investment in education and workforce development."

Boscola said she's in favor of the proposed $25 million "Ready to Succeed" scholarship program, and is pleased to see a 10 percent increase in rape crisis and domestic violence programs and funding for a newly-created Veterans' Trust Fund.

State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-134th, said, "What we heard from the governor is that the state budget should be focused on creating jobs, strengthening education and protecting taxpayers, and I strongly agree. Getting there will be the hard part. Much of what the governor has proposed is dependent on legislators successfully coming to agreement on other issues, such as pension reform and liquor privatization. Doing so is not impossible, but it won't be easy."

The Pa. House Democratic Caucus disagrees. In a strident statement, the caucus said the proposal continues failed policies and focuses on the wrong priorities. The plan will not undo the damage done by the nearly $1 billion in cuts Corbett made to public schools in his first year in office, which forced hundreds of school districts to raise property taxes, cut academic and extra-curricular programs and charge activity fees.

According to the Democratic Caucus, the plan does nothing to restore the more than 20,000 public school jobs lost through Corbett's cuts.

State Sen. Pat Browne, R-16th, however, said in a statement the proposal calls for an additional $20 million for special education and an increase of $10 million for the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program. "I am certainly pleased that the governor recognized the importance of and need for investing in early childhood education programs and special education.

"These programs have a proven track record and produce the kinds of results that make a difference not only for those children, but also for our schools in the short-term and our society in the long-run."

School district superintendents are currently analyzing Corbett's proposed budget.

Catasauqua Area School District Superintendent Robert Spengler told The Press based on the proposed budget the district very well could receive additional funding from the state.

"On the surface, it appears that the Catasauqua Area School District would benefit from approximately $199,000 in additional potential grant funds," Spengler said. "However, these funds are tied to the implementation of specific programs."

Spengler added it is too early to determine if and how Corbett's budget might impact potential funding sources

Corbett cut the charter tuition reimbursement and the construction reimbursement (known as PlanCon) in his first year in office. Many superintendents hope something is done to reduce the pension obligation for next year.

Pennsylvanians for Retirement Security (PRS) released a statement saying, "Governor Corbett's plan to shore up the state's retirement system is to kick the can down the road, underfunding our pension plans and repeating the same mistakes that have jeopardized the retirement security of Pennsylvania's teachers, firefighters, police officers and thousands of other public employees."

PRS says the plan is full of false choices and ignores the billions of dollars worth of corporate tax cuts and loopholes Corbett is giving away to big corporations. "The money we are currently losing to these corporate interests far outpaces the cost of responsibly investing in public pensions.

"Public workers depend on their modest pensions – an average $24,000 per year - to give them security in their retirement. It is unreasonable to expect these workers, who have dedicated their careers to serving their communities and who pay 6.25-7.5 percent of every paycheck toward their pension, to make needless sacrifices while the government continues to give billions of dollars away every year to big corporations."

When reached three days after the budget was presented by Corbett, Lehigh County Executive Tom Muller was not prepared to comment on how the proposed state budget might affect the county.

"I haven't had a chance to study the governor's proposed budget," he said. "The track record suggests it will change by the time it's approved."

Corbett's besieged office is nine months from his try for a second term, and according to RealClearPolitics.com many polls place him trailing his most popular competitor, Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz. As of last month his approval rating was about 23 percent.

Press writer Mark Reccek contributed to this article.