Category: News

Lt. Gov Davis Holds Gun Violence Roundtable (August 2, 2024)

On July 31, 2024, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis heard from state and local leaders, as well as local law enforcement officials and victim service providers, at a roundtable discussion in Lackawanna County about how the newly signed, bipartisan state budget will help keep Pennsylvania communities safe and address the epidemic of gun violence.
“Firearms are the number one cause of death for young people in America, and we need to be doing more to keep our young people safe and help them make better choices,” said Lt. Gov. Davis, who chairs the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). “That’s why I’m proud of the bipartisan state budget, which includes more resources for community-based programs that reduce violence and a new statewide program to fund afterschool programs that can provide kids with learning and enrichment opportunities in a safe, supportive environment. We’re taking a comprehensive approach, that addresses the root causes of violence, to make Pennsylvania communities safer.”

For more, click here.

Bill Signed to Support ID/A Community While Special Olympians Visit the Governor’s Residence (July 30, 2024)

Governor Josh Shapiro joined Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A), caregivers and advocates, and legislative leaders for a ceremonial bill signing to highlight the 2024-25 budget he recently signed into law. Before the signing, the the governor hosted Special Olympics Pennsylvania for a bocce tournament and brunch at the Governor’s Residence.

The budget stands up for Pennsylvanians with ID/A and the direct support professionals (DSPs) who care for them by securing $354.8 million in federal and state funding to provide more resources for home and community-based service providers, which includes $280 million to help raise wages for the direct support professionals who care for Pennsylvanians and $74.8 million to begin the process of clearing the emergency waiting list – ensuring more Pennsylvanians receive the care they need and deserve.

The bipartisan 2024-25 budget investments build on the $17.49 million secured in the 2023-24 budget to help an additional 850 Pennsylvanians with ID/A get off the home and community-based services waiting list.

For more information, click here.

PDE Announces Stipend For Speech Language Pathologist Student Teachers (July 27, 2024)

On July 25, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced $250,000 in grant funding available to compensate master’s level Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) graduate students during their school-based placements in Pennsylvania LEAs during the 2024-2025 school year, encouraging more students to seek placements in schools and school communities. This funding is available to local education agencies (LEAs) that establish or expand school-based placements that provide high quality services to students, families, and school staff. LEAs can apply for a $5,000 stipend per master’s-level SLP, totaling $250,000 statewide.

Eligible LEAs include school districts, approved private schools, career and technical education centers (CTCs), charter schools, cyber charter schools, and intermediate units. The ultimate goal of the grant is to provide support to LEAs experiencing challenges securing speech-language pathologist externs and increase the number of speech-language pathologist students that pursue instructional I certification or educational specialist certification and work in LEAs within Pennsylvania.

LEAs interested in pursuing this opportunity are encouraged to attend an overview webinar scheduled for Monday, August 5th, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. The session will be recorded and made available on the APR Repository.

PDE is committed to bolstering the educator pipeline and supporting both students and schools by providing opportunities for the highly skilled, highly qualified individuals that make up our educator and school workforce. There is a significant shortage of speech-language therapists in schools, and an increasing need for these services and professionals. Offering a stipend in public schools attracts and retains highly educated, qualified individuals to fill these vital positions. PDE is committed to offering support for future special educators, school psychologists, paraprofessionals, and related services to help kids grow and thrive. 

PDEt has made it a priority to distribute grant funding, recently announcing more than $1.4 million to grow Pennsylvania’s special educator workforce. Last year, PDE announced grant funding to help paraeducators earn special education teaching credentials, and awarded $1.5 million to universities to bolster the special education teacher workforce. The recently announced Speech-Language Pathologist stipend is part of PDE’s effort to highlight and distribute funds available to Pennsylvanians seeking or continuing careers in schools across the Commonwealth.

In the 2024-25 budget, Governor Josh Shapiro secured historic investments in public education, including a $100 million increase for special education that builds on the $50 million increase secured last year, and an additional $10 million for student teacher stipends. These investments will help to better serve both current and future students and educators and address the education workforce shortage—making sure students have the support they need to succeed.

PA Awards More Than $1.4 Million In Grants To Grow Pennsylvania’s Special Educator Workforce (July 23, 2024)

On July 22, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) awarded more than $1.4 million to 77 school entities to grow the Commonwealth’s next generation of special educators. The awardees include Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) interested in developing or expanding experiential learning opportunities to engage secondary and postsecondary students in learning about and/or working with students with disabilities to inspire the next generation of special educators. Through experiential learning opportunities, secondary/postsecondary students will learn about supporting students with disabilities through participation in structured activities, programs, and/or events with guidance and oversight from current educators. Ultimately, the goal is to recruit future special education professionals by engaging them in authentic, experiential learning opportunities in support of students with disabilities.​
The awardees are:

  
GranteeGrantee TypeAward
Baldwin-Whitehall School DistrictSchool District13,700
Bethel Park School DistrictSchool District20,000
Blackhawk School DistrictSchool District20,000
BLaST Intermediate Unit 17Intermediate Unit20,000
Cameron County School DistrictSchool District7,650
Capital Area Intermediate Unit 15Intermediate Unit20,000
Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21Intermediate Unit19,932
Carlow UniversityCollege/University20,000
Cedar Crest CollegeCollege/University19,652
Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16Intermediate Unit19,999
Chambersburg Area School DistrictSchool District20,000
Chester County Intermediate Unit 24Intermediate Unit20,000
Chestnut Hill CollegeCollege/University20,000
Claysburg-Kimmel School DistrictSchool District20,000
Colonial Intermediate Unit 20Intermediate Unit20,750
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania – BloomsburgCollege/University20,000
Delaware Valley School DistrictSchool District6,828
DeSales UniversityCollege/University14,000
East Stroudsburg University of PennsylvaniaCollege/University20,000
Eastern UniversityCollege/University19,978.94
Elizabethtown Area School DistrictSchool District16,200
Fleetwood Area School DistrictSchool District20,000
Freedom Area School DistrictSchool District20,000
General McLane School DistrictSchool District20,000
Governor Mifflin School DistrictSchool District20,000
Gywnedd Mercy UniversityCollege/University19,999.21
Hampton Township School DistrictSchool District20,000
Holy Family UniversityCollege/University20,000
Hopewell Area School DistrictSchool District9,000
Immaculata UniversityCollege/University20,000
Indiana University of PennsylvaniaCollege/University20,000
Intermediate Unit 1Intermediate Unit20,000
Juniata County School DistrictSchool District20,000
Kutztown University of PennsylvaniaCollege/University19,949
Laurel School DistrictSchool District18,345.28
Laurel Highlands School DistrictSchool District20,000
Lehigh Carbon Community CollegeCommunity College20,000
Lindley Academy Charter SchoolCharter School20,000
Midwestern Intermediate Unit IVIntermediate Unit20,000
Moravian UniversityCollege/University19,998
Mount Pleasant Area School DistrictSchool District20,000
New Hope-Solebury School DistrictSchool District4,650
North Hills School DistrictSchool District20,000
Northern Pennsylvania Regional CollegeCommunity College20,000
Northern Tioga School DistrictSchool District19,700
Palmyra Area School DistrictSchool District19,152
Pennsylvania Western UniversityCollege/University19,521.20
Pittsburgh Public SchoolsSchool District20,000
Plum Borough School DistrictSchool District18,937
Pocono Mountain School DistrictSchool District20,000
Point Park UniversityCollege/University20,000
Pottstown School DistrictSchool District17,200
Pottsville Area School DistrictSchool District20,000
Redbank Valley School DistrictSchool District17,200
River Valley School DistrictSchool District20,000
Riverside Beaver County School DistrictSchool District15,700
Riverview School DistrictSchool District17,000
Robert Morris UniversityCollege/University20,000
Saint Joseph’s UniversityCollege/University20,000
Schuylkill Valley School DistrictSchool District20,000
Selinsgrove School DistrictSchool District19,951
Shippensburg UniversityCollege/University20,000
Slippery Rock School DistrictSchool District19,920
Slippery Rock UniversityCollege/University19,982.59
Southern Tioga School DistrictSchool District13,380
Sto-Rox School DistrictSchool District20,000
Susquehanna Township School DistrictSchool District19,400.98
Susquehanna UniversityCollege/University19,998
The Education Center at the Watson InstituteApproved Private School20,000
The Pennsylvania State University, HarrisburgCollege/University20,000
Union City Area School DistrictSchool District11,412
University of Pittsburgh School of EducationCollege/University19,985
Urban Pathways 6-12 Charter SchoolCharter School20,000
Warwick School DistrictSchool District14,660
Waynesboro Area School DistrictSchool District20,000
West Allegheny School DistrictSchool District20,000
Williams Valley School DistrictSchool District20,000

This program builds on PDE’s efforts to recruit and retain teachers in Pennsylvania in hopes that these investments will help PA to better serve both current and future students and educators and address the education workforce shortage—and make it easier for Pennsylvanians to become a teacher.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit the website.

PDE Launches New Free Resource to Help Students, Families Fill Out the FAFSA

On July 19,2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced it has partnered with national nonprofit uAspire to launch a free statewide helpdesk to assist students with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application.

FAFSA completion nationwide is at crisis-low levels due to delays in the application release and subsequent processing and data errors, which is why it is now more important than ever for Pennsylvania to lend support to postsecondary students. PDE has worked closely with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, higher education institutions, and high school administrators to increase support for students who need help completing the FAFSA or addressing errors on their FAFSA application. The launch of the new helpdesk ensures that students have the help they need during the summer months when they can’t rely on school resources.

This summer, Pennsylvania students, families, and aspiring postsecondary learners can text 313-PA-FAFSA (313-723-2372) to receive personalized support through a scheduled phone call or virtual advising session. Assistance is available in English and in Spanish. In addition to the FAFSA helpdesk, the partnership will also provide postsecondary practitioners with free professional development on all aspects of FAFSA completion, including corrections and verification, as well as financial aid offer review. 

FAFSA is the sole gateway to all federal, state, and most institutional financial aid in Pennsylvania, including student loans available for all income levels.  For more information, click here.