Dear Friends,
After four long months of gridlock, I’m pleased to share that the General Assembly has finally come together to pass a budget that delivers for families, schools, and communities across Pennsylvania. While I certainly wish this budget had been completed on time, I’m proud of the outcome. It’s a balanced, bipartisan plan that invests in people, strengthens services, and keeps our Commonwealth on solid financial footing — all without raising taxes or tapping into the Rainy Day Fund.
This year’s budget totals just over $50 billion, representing a compromise between the Governor, the House, and the Senate. It’s a responsible plan that addresses urgent needs while maintaining fiscal discipline. I’d like to take a moment to highlight what this budget does for education, health care, food security, and public safety — areas that truly impact our daily lives.
We made historic progress in education funding and delivery. This budget invests at every level, from early learning to higher education, with the goal of ensuring every child in Pennsylvania has access to a high-quality education, regardless of their zip code. It fully funds the second installment of our constitutional obligation to public schools, adding $565 million to help close long-standing funding gaps which caused a court to rule that we were failing in our duty to appropriately and fairly fund schools. On top of that, Basic Education Funding increases by $105 million, Special Education by $40 million, and Early Intervention services for young children rise by $28.5 million. You can view the budget tracks for each school district here.
Our local school districts will see tangible benefits from these investments. North Penn will receive increases of 2.4% in Basic Education Funding and 2.3% in Special Education Funding, while Wissahickon will see increases of 2.4% and 0.9%, respectively. Thanks to long-overdue cyber charter funding reforms, districts will also save money that can go directly back into classrooms. Across the Commonwealth, these reforms are expected to generate $178 million in savings — a 14.6% reduction in cyber charter payments. North Penn alone will save approximately $435,800, a 9.3% reduction, while Wissahickon will save around $89,200, a 16.5% reduction.
Education investments extend well beyond the classroom. The budget sets aside $125 million to improve school facilities, with at least $25 million dedicated to Solar for Schools projects — helping districts save on energy costs and promote sustainability. Another $100 million is directed toward school safety and mental health grants, ensuring our students have safe, supportive learning environments. Early learning programs also get a boost, with $9.5 million added to Pre-K Counts to increase per-student reimbursement rates, and a 7.1% increase for public libraries, which serve as essential community learning hubs.
Updates to the School Code provide common-sense, long-overdue improvements to how our schools, teachers, and students receive support across the Commonwealth. The law modernizes educator certification by capping Department of Education fees at $50 and restructures grade-span certifications to better align with current teaching needs. Educators returning to the classroom now benefit from increased flexibility: those with certificates in voluntary inactive status can complete continuing education credits during school in-service time, making the path back to teaching much easier.
I am pleased to see that the School Code has taken meaningful steps to strengthen accountability and transparency for cyber charter schools by enhancing attendance and truancy policies, requiring wellness checks, and tightening residency verification for enrolled students. Under new whistleblower provisions, employees are protected when reporting non-residency concerns, and adjustments to cyber charter tuition rates address long-standing imbalances in how regular and special education costs are calculated. The Code further supports student well-being and learning by requiring each school safety coordinator to meet annually with school employees to discuss safety and security training needs, ensuring that local voices shape preparedness efforts. Comprehensive “science of reading” reforms were also introduced, requiring every school district to adopt evidence-based reading instruction by the 2027–28 school year, provide professional development for K–3 teachers, conduct literacy screenings, notify parents of reading challenges, and implement intervention plans to support struggling students.
Additionally, the Code encourages post-secondary readiness by requiring all high school students, in both public and nonpublic schools, to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), with appropriate opt-out options for families. It also eliminates the local share adjustment in the state’s adequacy funding formula — a change that removes a financial penalty affecting seven school districts. Ultimately, these updates strengthen Pennsylvania’s education system by improving teacher support, modernizing accountability, enhancing literacy, and ensuring fairer funding for schools statewide.
We’re also expanding access to educational opportunities. The Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program grows by $50 million. While typically this system is a republican priority that diverts funding to the state to private and parochial schools, there has been little to no oversight in two decades over how the money is being spent, which I find deeply concerning. However, this increase requires that this money be directed toward scholarships for students attending economically disadvantaged schools. So far, Pennsylvania’s EITC and OSTC programs have given out more than $2.6 billion dollars for tuition at private and parochial schools with little information about student success and who is receiving these dollars.
In higher education, the focus remains on affordability and workforce development. The PHEAA state grant maximum remains at $5,750, the student teacher stipend continues at $30 million, and community colleges and the PASSHE universities are level-funded. Meanwhile, Lincoln University, Thaddeus Stevens, and Pennsylvania College of Technology each receive a 5% increase. A total of $57.5 million is being invested over two years in Grow PA scholarships to help students pursue high-demand careers here in Pennsylvania.
The budget also prioritizes Health and Human Services, recognizing that our economy and communities thrive when people have access to care and support. The Medical Assistance (MA) Managed Care program grows by $747 million (8%), including $21 million for the Direct Care Workers who provide essential personal care services. Funding also expands for individuals with disabilities, with a $154.4 million (6.1%) increase for the Intellectual Disabilities – Community Waiver Program.
Support for older Pennsylvanians grows too, with a $10.7 million (3.7%) boost for PENNCARE, which funds our local Area Agencies on Aging. For our youngest residents, Early Intervention services for children from birth to age three increase by $13.2 million (7.1%), including $10 million to raise provider rates. Recognizing the ongoing challenges in early childhood education, this budget also sets aside $25 million in new funding for Child Care Worker Retention and Recruitment — an important step toward building a stronger, more stable child care workforce.
New initiatives also target pressing health needs. There’s $5 million in new funding for Neurodegenerative Disease Research to support research institutions working to better understand and treat conditions like Alzheimer’s and ALS. The Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis programs receive modest but meaningful increases — $470,000 (2.1%) and $250,000 (2.1%), respectively, to ensure continued care and resources for survivors.
I’m especially encouraged that this budget takes real steps to combat food insecurity, an area often overlooked in past budgets and, as we’ve seen in recent weeks, a very timely issue. For the first time, the state is making a historic investment to ensure no Pennsylvanian goes hungry. Funding for Farmers Market Coupons rises to $9.57 million, a 271% increase, helping more seniors and low-income residents access fresh, local produce. The State Food Purchase Program grows to $30.7 million, a 15% increase, including $1 million for the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) so that surplus crops from our farms reach families in need instead of going to waste.
Finally, the budget strengthens public safety and emergency preparedness. The Pennsylvania State Police will see a $58.4 million (4.1%) increase, including $69.3 million (5.2%) for operations and training. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) receives additional resources — a $715,000 (4.8%) boost for operations and $150,000 (3.3%) for the Office of the State Fire Commissioner — plus funding for State Disaster Assistance ($5 million) and Urban Search and Rescue ($6 million). There’s also $7 million for Capitol Fire Protection, a 40% increase, to improve fire safety in state facilities.
Our commitment to community safety extends through the Department of Corrections and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). The Department receives an $82.5 million (2.6%) increase to support staffing, rehabilitation, and security, while the PCCD gets funding for violence prevention ($62.2 million), indigent defense ($7.5 million), nonprofit security grants ($10 million), and school safety and security ($20.7 million). The Office of Attorney General receives an additional $7.4 million (5%), including $750,000 (75%) specifically for Human Trafficking Enforcement and Prevention. The Judiciary also gains a $17.8 million (4.1%) increase to maintain access to justice across the Commonwealth.
While I will discuss what I consider missed opportunities in the budget in a later email, I was proud to vote for this budget because it represents a fair, responsible compromise — one that supports those in need, invests in our future, and does so without burdening taxpayers. The various bills that make up the budget passed in a deeply bipartisan manner and reflect the nature of our divided government. If you or someone you know has been impacted by the budget impasse or the recent federal shutdown, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office. We’re here to help however we can. Over the next couple of weeks, I look forward to discussing other aspects of the budget with you.