Category: State Government Actions

Gov. Wolf Highlights $200 Million Plan to Make College Affordable, Ensure Future Workforce Stability (April 07, 2022)

On April 7, 2022, Governor Tom Wolf joined the Millersville University community in highlighting his plan for a new scholarship program to make college education more attainable for thousands of students each year.

Through his $200 million Nellie Bly proposal, Gov. Wolf hopes to provide scholarships to students who attend either a community college or PA State System of Higher Education institution.

“When it comes to pursuing a higher education, skyrocketing costs over the last decade have put that dream out of reach for too many families. Pennsylvanians are being priced out of a brighter future,” Governor Wolf said. “When our brightest and best Pennsylvanians can’t pursue a higher education because it’s unaffordable, that means we’re doing something wrong.”

The Nellie Bly Scholarship Program – proposed to be funded by both the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act and the Race Horse Development Trust Fund – would support student tuition and relevant costs of attendance with a focus on those pursuing programs with high-workforce needs following the pandemic such as healthcare, education, and public service. Students who take advantage of the program must stay in Pennsylvania to live and work for the same amount of time that they received the scholarship benefit.

Proponents of the program stress that when students leave college in a strong financial situation they can start a family, buy a home, and save for retirement. The Nellie Bly Scholarship Program will strengthen Pennsylvania’s students, its workforce, and its economy. It will also further the State Systems commitment to providing a pipeline of graduates to close the state’s talent gap, so employers have the well-educated people they need to succeed in the commonwealth.

It is further felt that as Pennsylvania works to move forward following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nellie Bly proposal would remove barriers to an affordable education while simultaneously stabilizing Pennsylvania’s future workforce, as graduates would be required to maintain their Pennsylvania roots for work and life or repay the tuition through an interest-free loan.

The $200 million program is looked at as prioritizing a legacy of funding education to ensure that students have every opportunity to be college, career, and community ready.

DHS Celebrates Month of the Young Child, Stresses Proposed Plan for Direct Funding for Child Care and Other Essential Needs (April 6, 2022)

PA Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Meg Snead , in recognition of the Month of the Young Child, is pointing to the Wolf Administration’s proposal to provide direct funding to Pennsylvanians for child care and other essential needs.

The Month of the Young Child recognizes what children need to have strong, healthy starts and how early childhood education programs can meet those needs and benefit children across their lives. Throughout the pandemic, child care centers and early childhood educators have worked and continue to work tirelessly through the difficulties to offer families of all backgrounds and means an opportunity for quality, equitable child care. The ability for center to remain well staffed and open are crucial to the economy’s health and to child development for the current generation of young children.

At present Governor Wolf is seeking to use American Rescue Plan Act (APA) funds to provide $2,000 grants to help individuals and families meet essential needs. These grants can help pay for child care, health care, housing, utilities, broadband, education and vocational training programs. As Pennsylvania and the nation continue economic recovery in a turbulent world, direct support to individuals and families will help Pennsylvanians maintain their individual wellbeing and contribute to their communities.

The Wolf Administration has taken significant steps to support the child care industry through the COVID-19 crisis and will continue to do so. In the fall, DHS announced its plan to distribute $655 million in funding from the APA to stabilize Pennsylvania’s child care industry. Licensed child care providers are invited to submit applications for one-time grant funding that represents an unprecedented investment in the child care industry and its dedicated workforce. This grant funding can be used to cover expenses, support staff, and provide support to this critical industry that continues to be challenged by the pandemic. 

Additionally, $352 million in Child Care Development Fund funding from the American Rescue Plan Act is being invested in Pennsylvania’s Child Care Works (CCW) subsidized child care program, targeting decreased costs to families, greater support for child care providers participating in the program, and setting incentives for providers who expand care availability beyond traditional hours.

To read more, click here.

PDE BSE Issues State Performance Plan Data Pennlink (April 3, 2022)

On April 1, 2022 , Carole L. Clancy, Director of the PDE Bureau of Special Education, issued a Pennlink titled State Performance Plan Data Requirements – Postsecondary School Survey – Cohort 1 (POSTS). According to the message, he Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) requires each state to determine, for the state as a whole, the extent to which students are achieving transition outcomes as stated in their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) (State Performance Plan – Indicator 14).

To meet this federal reporting requirement, once over a five-year period, each local educational agency (LEA) is required to survey all students with IEPs who graduate, dropout, or age out.  The Pennsylvania Post-School Outcome Surveys (PaPOS) will be used to gather this data.  The random sampling process used to assign each LEA to one of the five years in each cycle ensures that the LEAs selected each year are representative of the state as a whole with regard to LEA size, disability category, ethnicity, gender, and exiting status.

During the 2020-2021 school year, LEAs assigned to Target Sampling Year 1 completed the exit survey.  The LEAs assigned to PaPOS Target Year 1 need to be aware of the following points as they must fulfill the post-survey requirements during the 2021-2022 school year:

  • No earlier than one year after the student left school and no later than September 30, 2022, the LEA must administer the PaPOS post survey to former students who had an IEP and who graduated, dropped out, or aged out at the end of the 2020-2021 school year.  (These former students should have been administered the exit survey in Spring of 2021).  All this information will be entered by your LEA through the Leader Services online system.
  • Intermediate Unit and Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) transition consultants will monitor the LEA’s progress and assist as needed with the PaPOS procedure.
  •  The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education will provide LEAs with training on the implementation and electronic submission of the PaPOS Target Year 1 via a webinar on April 19, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.  Please register for this webinar at PaTTAN – Session-36729.

For questions about this process, please contact Elaine Neugebauer, Educational Consultant at the PaTTAN-Pittsburgh Office, at (800) 446-5607, ext. 6867 (inside PA) or [email protected].

LEA assistance in assuring compliance with this requirement is greatly appreciated and LEAs are urged to check their status for 2021-22 PaPOS Target Sampling Year 1.

PA House Ed Committee Moves HB 2169 Forward, Despite Coalition Concerns (April 2, 2022)

On March 29, 2022, the PA House Education Committee approved HB 2169, which has been termed as a tuition scholarship program that uses public funds  to provide private school alternatives for students enrolled in the state’s lowest-performing public school districts. The vote was 14-10, with all but one Republican opposing the bill along with all Democrats.

The bill, which is also in the Senate Education Committee as SB 1050, will now move forward for consideration before the full PA House. Known as the Lifeline Scholarship program, if passed the bill would allow an enrollee to be eligible to use their share of state funding for use at a private school. The proposed bill defines an eligible student as a child who has not yet received a high-school diploma, currently resides in the attendance areas of a low-achieving school (the bottom 15% of public schools as measured by performance on standardized testing); and one of the following: attending a public in PA in the preceding school year; received funds from the program in the preceding school year; will attend first grade for the first time in the next school year; a child in foster care; a child whose adoption decree is not more than one year prior to submission of an application, OR a child of full-time active duty military personnel.

Federal funding and school district tax monies would not be available for use.

On March 28, 2022,  PAPSA joined a state coalition effort to oppose HB 2169. According to the coalition, with an assumption of 10 percent of students using the voucher and calculating estimates for regular education students, special education students (all three tiers) and gifted students, it is estimated that the cost of the program to be $170 million to the 85 school districts identified.

PA DHS Encourages Pennsylvanians Receiving Benefits to Update Contact Information, Enroll in Text Alerts to Receive Timely Updates (April 2, 2022)

As Pennsylvania prepares for the eventual end of the federal public health emergency, the PA Department of Human Services (DHS) is strongly encouraging Pennsylvanians enrolled in Medical Assistance to make sure their contact information is correct and sign up for alerts through the myCOMPASS PA mobile app and by text to ensure they are getting updates about their cases quickly. Changes can be made on COMPASS, the state’s website to apply for and manage benefit information.

“The last few years have been a difficult time and a lot has changed for many Pennsylvanians. DHS wants to make sure that we have the most accurate information available so that we can continue to be in contact with those receiving important benefits,” said DHS Acting Secretary Meg Snead. “It’s a good idea to take the time now to ensure that your information is correct by visiting the COMPASS website or by calling or visiting your local County Assistance Office.”

On the COMPASS website at http://dhs.pa.gov/, you can update your information for any of the following:

  • Changes to the number of people living in your household
  • Changes to your email address
  • Changes to your phone number
  • Changes to your mailing address

COMPASS also allows users to sign up to receive e-notifications about their benefits. Keeping information up to date will help Pennsylvanians receive reminders about their annual benefit renewal quickly so they can prevent an avoidable lapse in coverage or services.

Additionally, DHS is encouraging Pennsylvanians to opt-in to receive information about their benefits through text. Recipients who have not previously opted out of texting are receiving texts encouraging them to enroll. The texts read: “The PA Dept of Human Services would like to text you important messages about your benefits. Carrier rates may apply. To Opt In, please reply “YES.”

If you receive a text like this, it is not a scam. Messages sent by DHS via text will never ask you for personal information, and you should not provide it. These are intended to be reminders about your benefits and other important information about programs administered by DHS and the federal government.

Pennsylvanians can also download the myCOMPASS PA mobile app for free. The app allows you to look up your benefits and update your contact information from your mobile device. Instructional videos on downloading and using the myCOMPASS PA app are available on DHS’s YouTube channel.

To find out more about applying for benefits and for more information on County Assistance Offices, visit the DHS website.