Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro visited Amanda E. Stout Elementary School in Reading on Friday to highlight $1.1 billion in additional public education funding included in the state’s new budget.
This comes just days after Vice President Kamala Harris, who is preparing to take on former President Donald Trump, dropped Shapiro as her running mate in November’s presidential election. Harris instead chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as the Democratic nominee.
Governor Shapiro and Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mu’min met with students, teachers and lawmakers at the elementary school to celebrate record funding for public K-12 education allocated in the 2024-25 budget.
The total $1.1 billion increase in the K-12 public education budget represents the largest year-over-year increase in Pennsylvania’s history, according to the Governor’s Office.
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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro attends the Wawa Welcome American Freedom Celebration on July 4, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
“Under the bipartisan budget bill I signed last month, Pennsylvania will invest $11 billion in K-12 public education for students and teachers — $1.1 billion more than last year and the largest amount ever,” Shapiro said in a statement.
“We came together to make the largest investment in K-12 public education in our state’s history because nothing is more important than investing in our kids and their future. At the same time, we’re building on the progress we’ve made on student teacher benefits, mental health resources and green school restoration.”
In addition to the Governor, the bill signing ceremony was attended by Reading School District Superintendent Jennifer Murray, Reading Education Association President Brian Benkert, Reading School District 11th grader Jose Martinez, and local and state lawmakers.
“Not only are we increasing funding, we’re also improving how we fund our schools with a new formula that gets funds to the districts that need it most – the districts that are chronically underfunded,” the governor said.
The Reading School District, which includes Amanda E. Stout Elementary School, is set to receive about $40 million more than last year as part of the new budget, and in April the district received a grant of more than $325,000 from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency for mental health supports.
Of the $1.1 billion education budget increase, approximately $526 million will be allocated through a new fair allocation formula designed to provide funding to schools that need it most, according to a press release from the Governor’s office.
The bill would increase the special education budget by $100 million and the career and technical education budget by $30 million.
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Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro speaks at the State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on January 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Luke, File)
The budget would provide $100 million for mental health and physical safety resources, $20 million to improve school safety and security, and $3 million for menstrual products for students in schools.
It also doubles funding for student teacher salaries to a total of $20 million.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be back at my old home here in Reading with Gov. Josh Shapiro,” Mumin said. “As I look back on my years in Reading as superintendent, I can’t help but be amazed at how much education has changed in just the last few years.” I remember the Reading School District being one of the most underfunded and underresourced districts in the state.”
“Thanks to the historic investments made today by Governor Shapiro for the second year in a row — the focus and care this administration has put into Pennsylvania education and its commitment to continue that support — our schools are poised for greatness for generations to come,” he continued.
Amanda E. Stout Elementary School serves more than 800 students, and school officials say public funding for the school has long lagged behind other school districts.
Public education advocates previously sued and ruled that Pennsylvania’s school funding system was unconstitutional and unfair to poorer districts.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro smiles while speaking at the Pennsylvania Press Club on November 20, 2023 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Mark Levy)
Reading city education officials said the new budget is a step in the right direction.
“As a traditionally underfunded district, the Reading School District welcomes this unprecedented support,” Murray said. “These investments are an important step toward educational equity, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have on our students and educators.”
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“I will be back next year to further strengthen our mission and ensure that public education continues to be a priority for Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said at a bill signing ceremony in Reading.
Governor Shapiro last year supported a school voucher program that would have given $100 million to families for private school tuition and supplies, but under pressure from Democratic lawmakers he abandoned the proposal and decided to use an item-line veto to remove the funding from his budget for that year, saying in July 2023, “I do not want Pennsylvania to be stuck in a painful, long-term budget struggle while our communities wait for the help and resources that this commonsense budget will provide.”
