EMMAUS, Pa. — Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday stopped in the Lehigh Valley to celebrate $1.1 billion in increased public school funding passed in the most recent Pennsylvania budget.
A substantial part of the aid — about $526 million — is designed to represent a first step in responding to a court decision that found the state’s system of school funding violates the constitutional rights of students in poorer districts.
Shapiro, state Education Secretary Khalid N. Mumin, state Sen. Nick Miller, state Rep. Peter Schweyer and East Penn Schools Superintendent Kristen Campbell spoke at Emmaus High School's library about the impact the new education funding will have and the bipartisan effort it took to bring it to being signed.
According to speakers at the ceremony, East Penn is set to get an additional $2.7 million, just as it seeks to undergo a significant grade and building realignment program and other planned expansions to manage growth within the district.
The district also made recent permanent hires to support students in the form of counselors, interventionists and other positions.
Campbell said the funding would provide a "notable step forward" for the East Penn School District and an "investment in East Penn and Pennsylvania's Future."
"This funding brings the essential financial resources to address our needs, bridge gaps, and create new opportunities for our students."East Penn Schools Superintendent Kristen Campbell
"This funding brings the essential financial resources to address our needs, bridge gaps, and create new opportunities for our students," she said.
Other things highlighted by speakers include the need for mental health support and remedying the previous underfunding of school districts throughout the state.
New funds will be a big help
Shapiro's office said the increases amount to the largest year-over-year increase in the commonwealth history.
But in his address, Shapiro said the legislation still fell short of his office's full goals regarding funding and for initiatives like mental health support.
The legislation fell far short of the $6.2 billion increase phased in over five years sought for underfunded schools by the districts that sued and won in court.
It is also smaller than the $870 million Democrats had pursued as the first step of a seven-year, $5.1 billion increase.
The budget passed almost two weeks late after weeks of heated negotiations.
Original plans included reworked cyber charter school funding that standardized and adjusted the amount a district would have to pay for each student enrolled.
That was praised by local school leaders and was pushed as a cost-saving measure for districts.
"Right now, tuition for a regular student is approximately $11[,000]-12,000 per student," Allentown Schools Interim Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Cuff said earlier this year.
"If it's a student with an IEP or special needs, it's approximately $34,000 for student, cyber or brick-and-mortar.
The final budget instead sets aside $100 million to reimburse schools for payments related to cyber charter schools according to the governor's office.
"We took some steps on that, but like anything else, you got to continue to chip away at it, work at it, find areas of compromise," Shapiro said at the event.
Shapiro said he is opposed to vouchers for private schools and that he does not wish to drain "any resources from public education."
Learning from the governor
In a fun moment with students, the governor asked — and reminded — them about different branches of government to demonstrate how difficult it was to get the funding passed.
He walked through how the court ordered greater funding, how the divided state legislature had to reach a compromise to pass the final budget, and then he had to sign it to make it official.
"We all came together."Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
"We all came together," Shapiro said.
"Democrats, Republicans, House members, Senate members, people inside government and people outside government. And we came up with a plan through a commission led by Chairman Schweyer, and then ultimately through legislation."
Shapiro took steps to praise the Lehigh Valley legislators present, highlighting their work in Harrisburg to get the budget and other helpful legislation passed.
He said most of that new funding would go "to districts and students that needed it most."
"It means more opportunities to have a smaller class, for STEM education, more money for" Career and Technical Education, Shapiro said.
"If you want to be a laborer or lawyer in life, both pathways to opportunity should be respected in our commonwealth," he said. "We should give you that opportunity to succeed."
'An absolute honor'
Also in attendance were selected members of students and staff at the school, Emmaus Borough Council President Chad Balliet, Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong, state Rep. Mike Schlossberg and the superintendents of Allentown and Salisbury school districts.
Students were grateful and at times starstruck for the opportunity to hear the governor speak in their library.
"We are in an amazing district," said Gabe Meyers, an Emmaus High senior who was at the event as a photographer for the student newspaper, The Stinger.
"And to hear that other districts should be able to get some of the same opportunities investments as us, it's really awesome to know that students are going to get the opportunities that they deserve."
Three staff members of The Stinger were given special access to the governor, and were able to ask Shapiro the opening questions to the governor after his remarks.
"Thank you to Governor Shapiro for allowing thousands of students just like myself to have access to the resources I've had here at the Emmaus."Emmaus High student body President Mariam Mahmoud
Teacher Eric Luckenbill, who teaches social studies at the high school, said it was an excellent teaching opportunity.
In addition, Luckenbill said, he was excited about the new funding formula and seeing greater funding for all districts throughout the state to get stronger or continue to be strong.
Luckenbill was selected to be among the event's speakers, discussing as a teacher how important it is to support and invest in public schools.
"It was an absolute honor," Luckenbill said. "Talking about him this week [to students] and then seeing him here signing such a big piece of legislation it was very surreal."
Emmaus High School student government President Mariam Mahmoud was also selected as a speaker and got to introduce the governor and shake his hand at the podium.
"Thank you to Governor Shapiro for allowing thousands of students just like myself to have access to the resources I've had here at the Emmaus," Mahmoud said.
