According to University of Pennsylvania analysts, there would be long-term benefits for public schools across the commonwealth from a $5.1 billion proposal to change the way Pennsylvania funds education. Released on June 18, 2024, the analysis by the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education quantified those prospective benefits. According to the analysis, there would be:
-Improved student outcomes including an additional 3,800 high school graduates, a 4.47% point increase in high school graduation rates, a 4.54% point increase in college enrollment and 3,860 more college enrollees, according to the report.
-Higher earnings for high school graduates over time and greater equity in staffing across school districts  with regard to teacher salaries.
-The creation of more than 18,000 K-12 jobs.

From a pupil services perspective, 82% of PA’s underfunded school systems would see student-teacher and student-counselor ratios rise to match those of well-funded systems.

According to lead researcher Brooks Bowden, associate professor of education and head of the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education, benefits of improving school quality outweigh the cost through “a strategic investment that would pay off for the state and its students [who] would have better access to teachers and counselors, succeed in higher numbers, and strengthen the state’s workforce.”

As a result of a landmark 2023 Commonwealth Court decision that found that Pennsylvania’s existing education funding system fails to meet students’ constitutional rights by failing to provide sufficient resources for schools, a judge ordered the General Assembly to come up with a fix. Subsequently, the Basic Education Funding Commission spent months holding hearings and designing a system that would pour the $5.1 billion in additional funding into state schools over seven years.

For the 2024-25 school year, the proposal would increase education spending by $864 million statewide.

Thus far, the PA House has approved the new system, which is now before the PA Senate where some stiff resistance is expected.

For more details regarding the study, visit the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.  

On June 20, 2024, Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh today visited Children and Adult Disability & Educational Services (CADES), a provider serving Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A) in Delaware County, and discussed the need for historic investments in Governor Josh Shapiro’s 2024-25 proposed budget, which would increase the number of Pennsylvanians who can access ID/A services, and support the professionals who care for Pennsylvanians with ID/A.

The proposed  budget has received bipartisan support and would invest $483 million in federal and state funding to provide more resources for home and community-based service providers so they have the ability to increase the average starting wage from approximately $15/hour to $17/hour; an increase in wages would both attract and retain the qualified staff who provide these essential services. The governor also announced that DHS would re-examine rates earlier than required to better support home and community-based service providers and the direct support professionals who dedicate their careers to helping Pennsylvanians with ID/A. In addition, service providers also received a one-time supplemental payment in June to assist with workforce recruitment and retention. 

Earlier this year, Governor Shapiro directed DHS to immediately release additional program capacity to counties, which will allow an additional 1,650 Pennsylvanians to receive services this year. The 2024-25 proposed budget seeks to build on this by investing $78 million in federal and state funds to serve an additional 1,500 Pennsylvanians in the next fiscal year. 

If passed, Governor Shapiro’s budget would increase the number of Pennsylvanians with ID/A who are able to receive home and community-based services, kicking off a multi-year growth strategy to make Pennsylvania a national leader and end its adult emergency waiting list. To support this growth, the budget would increase rates for providers, which will support higher wages for the direct support professionals who care for Pennsylvanians with ID/A.

To read the Governor’s budget proposal, click here.

On June 21,2024, PA Bureau of Special Education Director Carole L. Clancy sent a PennLink memo to local educational agencies (LEAs) titled State Performance Plan Data Requirements – Postsecondary School Survey (Cohort 5 Exit). The memo stated that the accountability requirement under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 mandates each state determines the extent to which students are achieving transition outcomes (State Performance Plan – Indicator 14). To meet the federal reporting requirement, each LEA is mandated to administer an Exit Process and Post-School Surveys to students (who have graduated, dropped out, or reached the maximum age) with individualized education programs (IEPs) once over a five-year period, based on the LEA’s assignment to a targeted sampling year.

For the 2024-2025 school year, LEAs assigned to target sampling Cohort 5 are required to administer the My Plan for Success (MP4S) Exit Process. During 2025-2026 these same LEAs will be required to complete post-school surveys.

The following information specifically addresses the Exit Process administration for 2024-25. LEAs assigned to target sampling Cohort 5, as listed below, are required to address the following:
-Participate in the Pennsylvania Post-School Outcome Survey Overview for Cohort 5 webinar, which is scheduled for September 19, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The webinar will provide information concerning the administration of the Exit Process. Registration is required and may be accessed online.
-Participate in the February 20, 2025 Exit Survey training webinar from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Registration for this event is required and can be completed when registering for the September webinar. Information regarding accessing and entering information into the online system will be presented during this webinar.

For questions about the MP4S Exit Process or Indicator 14, please contact PaTTAN Educational Consultant, Hillary Mangis, [email protected].

On June 11, 2024 Governor Shapiro met with students and counselors at Iroquois Jr./Sr. High School to hear firsthand about their mental health challenges and shared how his 2024-25 budget’s proposed investments would provide $100 million to improve mental health services for students and staff in K-12 schools, and a $20 million increase this year in base county funding for community-based mental health services.

In his first budget, Governor Shapiro made historic investments in our public schools, students, and teachers, and empowered parents to put their children in the best position to succeed by delivering the largest increase in K-12 basic education funding in Pennsylvania history, delivering universal free breakfast for 1.7 million students, and securing $100 million for student mental health.

The Governor’s 2024-25 budget proposal builds on his historic first budget by delivering $1.1 billion in additional basic education funding for public schools, as well as additional funding including:
-$300 million in sustainable funding for environmental repair projects in school buildings.
-Continuing an annual $100 million in mental health funding for K-12 schools to support students and staff.
-A continuing $50 million annual investment in school safety and security improvements.
-A $50 million increase for special education funding to ensure school districts have the basic resources necessary to provide special education services to students with disabilities and special needs.

The Governor’s proposed budget would also increase county funding for community-based mental health services by an additional $20 million this year and calls for additional funds in successive years, reaching an overall increase of $60 million per year increase by 2025-26.

For the 2023-24 school year, the Iroquois School District was awarded a $113,895 Mental Health Award grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to provide school-based mental health and behavioral health supports, including counselors and resources for students. In fact, in Erie County alone, a 2023 Pennsylvania Youth survey showed that 41.5 percent of students reported feeling sad or depressed most days in the past year, a number higher than the Commonwealth’s average.

For more information on mental health services available to all Pennsylvanians, click here.

For more information on the Governor’s proposed budget, visit shapirobudget.pa.gov.