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-18) 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 rape crisis and domestic violence programs and funding for a newly-created Veterans' Trust Fund.

Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-134) 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-16), 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."

Bethlehem Area School District Superintendent Dr. Joseph Roy said he doesn't know what the increase in special education funding means to the district, but he is glad to see it.

Roy said increased funding from a "Ready to Learn" block grant may help, but he's as yet unsure how the money can be used.

He explained, "The very large question is whether we can use those dollars, No. 1, to help pay for existing programming or, No. 2, [they] have to be used for new programs the governor favors. If it's No. 1, that's great and helps us balance our budget for next year. If the answer is No. 2, it does not help us balance the budget. A rough analogy to explain why; let's say a homeowner is struggling to make a monthly budget/ pay the mortgage, heating bill, etc. and someone (the governor) comes a long and says, 'Hey, I have $500 for you to hire someone to cut your grass.' Well, you would probably use the $500 to get the grass cut - but that doesn't help you at all with your monthly budget issues."

Roy also said the budget is missing increases in reimbursement for bus transpiration costs, charter tuition costs and construction costs.

Corbett cut the charter tuition reimbursement and the construction reimbursement (known as PlanCon) in his first year in office, Roy explained.

"The most helpful step the governor could have taken is to increase the state's contribution to general school district budgets/operations - known as the Basic Education Funding/Subsidy. That is the most direct way to help relieve the budget pressures on local districts and local taxpayers. Unfortunately, that didn't happen."

Roy said he hopes something is done to reduce the pension obligation for next year, and he's not alone in his worry over state pensions.

Pennsylvanians for Retirement Security 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."

Alan Jennings, executive director of the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, said the address showed improved rhetoric but no bold investments in our communities.

"On the most crucial issues of our time, too little is offered," Jennings said. "Stagnant wages that result in real people falling further behind; urban communities losing investment to the suburbs; our poorest citizens facing hunger and homelessness; our schools, especially in poor communities, lacking an aggressive commitment to our kids' education.

"I understand the concept of balance: We can't tip the scale so far that taxpayers flee the state, but we also can't afford to leave so many behind."

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.