On Wednesday, March 8, 2023 the PA State Board of Education met at the office of the PA Department of Education and via Zoom. During a morning meeting, the Council of Basic Education held discussion and approved the Final-omitted Chapter 14 (Special Education Services and Programs) Regulations. The recommendation of the council would then be presented to the State Board of Ed. for its consideration and approval at it afternoon meeting.
At 1 PM on March 8th, the State Board of Ed. meeting opened with a report by the Council of Basic Education Chair Dr. Lee Williams, who brought the Final-omitted Chapter 14 (Special Education Services and Programs) Regulations to the Board for consideration and approval. DR. Williams explained that the proposed changes would update terminology in Chapter 14 with terms that are more positive, up-to-date, and would now match federal law and Department of Human Services language.
The State Board of Ed., the Board also heard a report from Ms. Sandra Dungee Glenn from the Teacher and School Effectiveness Committee that briefly addressed the teacher shortage in the commonwealth.
Board Chair Karen Farmer White welcomed legislators who will be serving on the Board. They include: Senate Ed. Committee Chair Sen. David Argall; Senate Ed. Committee Minority Chair Sen. Lindsey Williams; House Ed. Committee Majority Chair Rep. Peter Schweyer, who will chair the Basic Ed. Committee; and House Ed. Committee Minority Chair Rep. Jesse Topper, who will chair the Council of Higher Ed.
In the highlight of the meeting, Chair Farmer White stated how pleased she was to introduce Acting Secretary of Ed. Hon. Dr. Khalid Mumin, who addressed the Board for the first time. Dr. Mumin stated that the previous day’s unveiling of the governor’s proposed budget for 2023-24 left him with “lots of hope” and excitement, as well as “lots of work.”
Dr. Mumin further expounded on the governor’s proposed budget stating that, from an educator’s standpoint, it is a “very strong proposal” in its support of education, especially career and technical ed. (CTE) and workforce with postsecondary institutions. He also used the acronym HOPE to explain what will be his approach to moving education ahead in the state; with the “H” representing Health and well-being; “O” representing Open Advocacy; “P” representing Passion; and “E” representing Empathy. He also stated the need to make a college degree a good return on investment and the retention of staff as priorities.
DR. Mumin then provided an overview of the proposed budget, which includes:
-An increase of $10.4M for preschool and early intervention
-An increase of $2.7 for Head Start and supplemental assistance programming
-An increase of $567.37M in Basic Ed. funding
-An increase of $103.8M in Special Ed. funding
-An increase of $7M in CTE subsidy and $3.3M for CTE equipment
-$2M to establish a state-level Industry in the School Program
-$5M to expand CTE programs for computer science and STEM
-$100M in support of mental health for students and staff, which would include such items as new school-based MH support; an increase in the number of school counselors, social workers, and school psychologists in K-12 education as well as a paid internship program for obtaining certification for those positions
-$38M for free school breakfasts and expanding the school lunch program
-$100M for matching grants for school environment repairs and improvements
-$100M to the PA Commission of Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) for school safety and security grants
-An increase of $60M for postsecondary education
-$250K for the “It’s On Us” program
-$1.6M for Parent Pathways Learning Network
-$2M for teacher professional development through LEAs and a $2,500 annual personal tax credit for up to three years to help address the teacher workforce shortage
The Board took action on the Final-omitted Chapter 14 (Special Education Services and Programs) Regulations, which was approved unanimously and will be submitted to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC). The Board was also informed that Chapters 7, 11, and charter school regulations will in turn be updated accordingly.
Chair Farmer White reported that the deadline for public comment period regarding the Chapter 10 memorandum of understanding has been extended to the end of March.
A subsequent report at the State Board of Career and Technical Ed. meeting featured a continued review of academic standards for economics; family and consumer science; and career education and work.
The meeting concluded with the announcement of an executive session regarding the William Penn School District litigation.