On February 3, 2026, Governor Josh Shapiro released his proposed 2026-27 executive Budget, which he said will build upon two years of bipartisan efforts to adequately fund all of Pennsylvania’s public schools, putting necessary resources directly into classrooms and ensuring the safety and security of students and staff. The proposed budget also seeks to continue investing in the governor’s school facilities program. It also continues to fund universal free breakfast, and the mental health and physical safety programs schools can use to provide safe learning environments while proposing reforms to the way public schools pay for cyber charter schools.

Here are some highlights regarding K-12 Education:
Adequately Funding PA Schools
-Directs an additional $565 million to promote students’ success, in line with the findings of the Basic Education Funding Commission. This funding is used to establish, maintain, or expand after-school tutoring assistance, full-day pre-kindergarten or kindergarten programs, social and health services, continuing professional development, evidence-based reading instruction, science and applied-knowledge skills, school libraries, and other programs that support students’ academic performance targets. The tax equity supplement funds are used by schools to supplement homestead exemptions, property tax and rent rebates, mitigate tax increases, and relieve debt.
-Increases Basic Education Funding by $50 million, proposing $8.31 billion in total to support PA’s public schools. The increase will be distributed through the student-weighted funding formula that directs money to school districts based on factors including the number of students enrolled and the poverty level of those students. The formula also considers factors that reflect student and community differences such as population density, household income of families in the district, number of students attending charter schools, and the district’s ability to raise money through local taxes.
-Increases Special Education Funding by $50 million, proposing $1.58 billion in total funding to provide special education services to students with disabilities and special needs.
Continuing Cyber Reform
Changes to update the cyber charter funding formula by removing costs that arbitrarily inflated tuition rates and expenses. For example, those changes led to the deduction of costs associated with maintaining physical classroom buildings and facilities — costs cyber charter schools do not have because they provide education to students online. It also clarifies the preexisting law to ensure cyber charter schools visibly see and communicate with students at least once per week to ensure students are safe and healthy, and providing penalties for noncompliance. The budget proposes to save school districts an estimated $75 million annually, bringing total savings from these reforms up to $250 million a year.
Creating a Safe and Healthy Learning Environment
The budget continues to fully fund universal free breakfast and continues funding to provide menstrual hygiene products at no cost to students in schools so that no student has to miss school because they are unable to afford pads or tampons. It also continues funding for mental health supports within schools. by continuing an investment of $111 million for school safety and mental health supports. It also calls closes an insurance loophole that allows insurers to deny reimbursement for services provided within a school. The 2026-27 Budget also provides $125 million in support to continue addressing structural and environmental concerns with school buildings, with $25 million of that funding dedicated to the Solar for Schools program. To date, the Shapiro Administration has secured $400 million for 208 school facilities and solar projects that fund repairs and upgrades, with additional projects expected to be awarded near the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year. This budget also continues to invest in safe school facilities.

To view the Governor’s proposed budget in full, click here.