Category: Government Actions

PA House Passes Bipartisan Budget, Makes Historic, Commonsense Investments to Create a Stronger Economy, Safer and Healthier Communities, and Better Schools (July 7, 2023)

On July 5, 2023 the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a budget that includes the largest increase in Basic Education Funding in Pennsylvania history, state funding for indigent defense for the first time, and significant investments in public safety, workforce & economic development, and agriculture.

HB 611, a budget bill for fiscal year 2023-24, is expected to be signed by Governor Shapiro. The budget provides historic funding for public K-12 basic education, significant investments in workforce development, new funding for community and economic development, and critical investments in agriculture and public safety.

Knowing that the House and Senate would not reach consensus to enact the PASS scholarship program and unwilling to hold up the entire budget process over the issue, the Governor plans to line-item veto the full $100 million appropriation for that program.

“A budget is a statement of our priorities – and with new investments in students, teachers, seniors, moms, families, farmers, workers, cops, emergency responders, business owners, and more, this is a budget for all Pennsylvanians,” said Governor Shapiro. “Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation with a full-time, divided legislature – meaning nothing gets done unless it can make it through our Republican-led Senate and our Democratic-led House. I’m proud that this budget – one that makes historic investments in public education, public safety, workforce development, agriculture, and economic development – passed both the House and Senate, and I look forward to signing it.”

Historic $1 Billion Investment in K-12 Public Education

This budget makes a $1 billion investment in K-12 public schools, including the largest increase in the Basic Education Funding (BEF) Formula in Pennsylvania history. Thanks to this budget, for the first time ever, Pennsylvania will spend over $10 billion on K-12 public education funding. This budget includes:

  • $567 million in basic education funding for Pennsylvania school districts to be distributed through the Basic Education Funding (BEF) Formula, enabling all school districts to have the basic resources they need to provide a high-quality education for Pennsylvania students.  This is the largest BEF increase in history.
  • $100 million increase to Level Up to ensure more resources go to Pennsylvania’s most underfunded schools.
  • $50 million in special education funding, reinforcing Pennsylvania’s commitment to equitable education for all students.
  • $125 million in school safety and environmental improvement grants so all children have the opportunity to grow and learn in safe, healthy environments.
  • A $46.5 million increase in funding to provide universal free breakfast to Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million public school students regardless of income and free lunch to all 22,000 Pennsylvania students who are eligible for reduced-price lunches through the National School Lunch Program.
  • $10 million to provide Pennsylvania’s student teachers with annual stipends.
  • $7 million to support dual enrollment opportunities for high school students.

Expanding Apprenticeships & Vocational and Technical Education

Building off the Governor’s Executive Order announcing that 92 percent of state government jobs are open to Pennsylvanians without college degrees, this budget would ensure more Pennsylvanians have the freedom to chart their own course by expanding our workforce, investing in vo-tech, and supporting apprenticeship programs, including:

  • A $23.5 million investment in workforce training and vo-tech programs.
  • A$6 million investment in apprenticeship and pre-apprentice programming that will lead to family-sustaining wages.
  • $3.5 million in funding for the Schools-to-Work Program through the Department of Labor & Industry to develop and expand career pathways for high school students via partnerships between schools, employers, organizations, and the Commonwealth.

Investing in Mental Health, Addressing Maternal Mortality, & Supporting EMS and Health Care Providers 

This budget makes critical investments in public health and wellness, including significant investments in mental health and the first-ever investment in addressing maternal mortality, including:

  • A $66.7 million increase for Child Care Services allowing up to 75,000 low-income families to continue to be enrolled in subsidized childcare through the Child Care Works Program.
  • $20 million to increase base funding for counties to provide critical mental health services and address deepening workforce shortages.
  • Funding to help an additional 850 individuals with an intellectual disability and/or autism get off waitlists for home and community-based services.

Dr. Khalid N. Mumin Confirmed as PA Secretary of Education ( June 27, 2023)

On June 26, 2023, the Pennsylvania State Senate confirmed Governor Josh Shapiro’s nomination of Dr. Khalid N. Mumin as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

“I am elated to have earned the trust and confidence to serve in this position and ensure every child in Pennsylvania receives a quality education,” said Secretary Mumin. “I would not be here today without the teachers and mentors who supported me. Our schools are more than buildings: they are conduits of hope. I will take the experiences I have gained through my life and career to carry out Governor Shapiro’s vision so that every Pennsylvania student has the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed.”

Secretary Mumin brings more than 25 years of experience to his role as Secretary of Education. Beginning as an English teacher in Franklin County in 1997, he rose through the leadership ranks of the education system in Pennsylvania as a teacher, dean of students, principal, and administrator.

Most recently, Dr. Mumin served as the Superintendent of Schools at Lower Merion School District. Prior to Lower Merion, he was the Superintendent of Reading School District, where he was named the 2021 Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA).

US Supreme Court Decides Not to Hear Charter School Case (June 26, 2023)

On June 26, 2023 the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) decided not to hear Charter Day School, Inc. v. Peltier, a case that initially arose in 2016 after parents at a North Carolina charter school challenged a uniform policy preventing girls from wearing shorts or pants. They claimed the policy, which required girls to wear skirts, was sex discrimination and in violation of Title IX. The Court’s decision is in line with a May 2023 amicus brief filed by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which requested that the Court not hear the case.

In a press release later that day, Nina Rees, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, stated “We are pleased that the Supreme Court has declined to hear the case, allowing the Fourth Circuit’s decision to stand. Charter schools are public schools and are, in fact, state actors for the purposes of protecting students’ federal constitutional rights. In essence, the Court’s decision to not hear the case avoids making a determination as to whether private entities authorized by the state to operate a public charter school are state actors subject to federal constitutional requirements. Thus, the court of appeals’ decision — that CDS is a state actor when it enforces its student dress code and the enforcement of its student dress code is state action — remains intact.

NAPSA Endorses IDEA Full Funding Act to be Re-introduced in Congress (June 25, 2023)

During the week of July 10, 2023 Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Jared Huffman plan to re-introduce the IDEA Full Funding Act. NAPSA, PAPSA’s parent organization, is endorsing the Act via a joint letter that will be sent to both chambers of Congress. The only changes from the bill last Congress are an updated 10-year glidepath and the House bill text contains a section consistent with the CUTGO rule in effect this Congress. Rep. Huffman’s office has circulated a Dear Colleague letter (DCL) seeking co-sponsorship and the House bill is expected to be bipartisan again.

USDE: Proposed Section 504 Rule Expected in August (June 25, 2023)

In efforts to address barriers for students with disabilities, fix outdated language and align with civil rights laws the US Department of Education (USDE) is expected to publish a proposed Section 504 rule update in August 2023. According to a Spring 2023 announcement, the update is aimed at bringing clarity to how Section 504 accommodations for students with disabilities aligns with the civil rights protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The update is expected to provide update outdated language and needed guidance for K-12 school districts and colleges regarding regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which have remained relatively unchanged since their inception.

A according to an annual report, in FY 2022, the USDE’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) received 6,467 complaints regarding Section 504 and ADA Title II issues and it resolved 5,187 of those complaints. Most of the complaints (3,363) centered on issues around free appropriate public education (FAPE). In addition to an informal request for public comments, the USDE held listening sessions to gather feedback regarding the proposed rules.

For more from K-12 Dive click here.