In response to the accountability requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA) Part B State Performance Plans, the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) and intermediate unit transition consultants will provide sustained professional development for targeted local educational agencies (LEAs). This targeted professional development will assist with creating compliant and effective individualized secondary transition programming for students with disabilities.

The requirements for each LEA assigned to the 2026-2027 Preparing for Cyclical Monitoring: A Focus on Secondary Transition training are as follows:
-Develop an administrative team to support the targeted training and technical assistance process. The administrative team is required to attend the webinar, What LEAs Need to Know About The Secondary Transition Cyclical Monitoring Schoology Course, on September 10, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Administrative team members need to register in advance for this training on the PaTTAN Training Calendar, using the link: PaTTAN – Session-42664.
-Assign a lead contact person to complete an interview/survey regarding effective practices for secondary transition as facilitated by an intermediate unit and/or PaTTAN consultant. The lead contact will work with IU Transition TaC/PaTTAN consultants to develop and implement a local training plan for the 2026-2027 school year.
•Identify targeted staff (i.e., special education directors, building principals, transition coordinators, special education teachers, speech/language therapists, school counselors, school psychologists, career tech ed staff, and other LEA staff involved in secondary programming) who will be required to complete an online Schoology course and targeted staff to participate in IEP pre-reviews using the PA Indicator 13 checklist, complete IEP post-reviews, participate in coaching activities as warranted with IU Transition TaC.
•Identify and ensure all targeted staff complete the required online Schoology course, Preparing for Cyclical Monitoring: A Focus on Secondary Transition Planning and IEP Development, between September 11, 2026, and February 26, 2027.
‣Step 1- Registration for Act 48 and the Schoology course directions can be found on the PaTTAN Training Calendar, using this link: PaTTAN – Session-42668.
*All assigned staff must individually register on the PaTTAN Training Calendar using the registration key: IND13-2026 in order to receive 6 Act 48 credit hours and directions to register for the Schoology course, Preparing for Cyclical Monitoring: A Focus on Secondary Transition Planning and IEP Development.
‣Step 2- On September 11, once assigned staff have completed Step 1, an email will be sent with directions on how to access the Schoology course, Preparing for Cyclical Monitoring: A Focus on Secondary Transition Planning and IEP Development and the access code for each LEA’s region. If directions are not received via email after registering on the PaTTAN Training Calendar, please contact Administrative Assistant, Kristen Olszyk at kolszyk@pattanpgh.net.
‣Step 3- Upon receiving the directions for the Schoology course and the access code for your LEA’s region, assigned staff must join their region’s Schoology section and complete the required course.

For questions concerning the Preparing for Cyclical Monitoring: A Focus on Secondary Transition training for 2026-2027, contact PaTTAN Educational Consultants, Darla Bryant at dbryant@pattan.net or Stephanie Ruby at sruby@pattan.net.

On July 12, 2026, Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law the 2026-27 PA budget. See below for some of the education-related highlights:

✅ A $565 million increase through the bipartisan adequacy and tax equity formula – for a total of $1.9 billion driven out to the schools that need them most.

✅ A $58 million increase in Basic Education Funding.

✅ A $55 million increase in Special Education Funding.

✅ A requirement that schools provide 30 minutes of daily recess for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, through the School Code. 

✅ $10 million through the performance-based funding formula to Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh, and Temple University, $500,000 for University College at Temple University, and $1.1 million for Lincoln University, the nation’s first college-degree-granting HBCU. 

✅ A $5.9 million increase for the Pennsylvania State Grant program through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) to maintain maximum awards.

✅ A $10 million increase for CTE programs, for $193 million in total annual workforce development funding – a 60 percent increase compared to when Governor Shapiro took office.

✅ Additional funding to expand the Student Teacher Stipend Program includes a $10 million increase that allows aspiring teachers to earn income while completing their full-time classroom training.

✅ $10 million in dedicated state funding for the 988 crisis hotline.

✅ $5 million for mental health walk-in centers to provide timely and accessible options for Pennsylvanians who need support outside of regular business hours.

✅ A $658,000 investment to enhance ChildLine staffing and provide more training to all workers — which will allow caseworkers more time and resources to effectively triage calls before referring them to the counties or appropriate agency.

The budget leaves the Commonwealth with a healthy surplus of approximately $8 billion by the end of the 2026-27 fiscal year.

View the 2026-27 budget by clicking here.