State Budget Continues Commitment to Education

With revenues dwindling and costs climbing, state budget negotiations were extremely tough this year as we all tried to ensure that our legislative priorities were adequately funded.

As in years past, at the top of my agenda was making sure our school districts were receiving the amount of money necessary to provide a quality educational experience for our children.

The 2008-09 budget increases basic education spending by more than $400 million.  This is one of the largest funding increases in public education in the history of the state.

The new funds follow spending during the past five years that has increased basic education subsidies by more than $2.4 billion.  These increases have included $600 million in targeted investments in early learning programs, tutoring assistance, science and math instruction, classroom technology, and high school restructuring. 

Our investment in education has reaped results.  Pennsylvania is now one of only nine states continuing to demonstrate significant improvement in assessment results for math and reading instruction, with 90 percent of the commonwealth’s school districts meeting national proficiency standards.

Locally, our school districts will see a sizeable boost in their basic education subsidy.

Philadelphia School District, the state’s largest district, will receive nearly $932.6 million.  This is an increase of nearly $51 million or 5.75 percent from the 2007-08 education budget.

In Montgomery County, Springfield Township School District ($1,190,567) and Colonial School District ($2,785,281) both receive 3% increases in their basic education subsidies.

Other major increases in the education budget include:

• $22.7 million for assessment programs

• $86.4 million for Pre-K Counts, an $11.4 million increase

• $42.5 million for Teacher Professional Development, a $12.19 million increase

• $516.6 million for Pupil Transportation, a $9.5 million increase

• $185 million for Early Intervention Services, a $12 million increase

Considering the state of the national economy, it is an incredible accomplishment that the legislature was able to increase basic education spending by almost a half billion dollars.  This increase is not only an investment in the present, but it is an investment in the future of our children and the future of Pennsylvania.