Rivera hails bipartisan budget’s historic investment in public education
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus November 12, 2025 | 5:01 PM
HARRISBURG, Nov. 12 – As a high school teacher for over 30 years, state Rep. Nikki Rivera, D-Lancaster, said she was proud to support this year’s state budget because it makes historic investments in public education, supports Pennsylvania’s working people and industries, protects Pennsylvania’s environment and keeps Pennsylvanians safe without raising taxes or reducing the Rainy Day Fund.
“Balancing fiscal discipline with compassion, this compromise budget spends a little over $50 billion to provide stability to Pennsylvanians by ensuring support for critical state services at a time when a totally unpredictable federal government is curtailing or eliminating federal programs on which millions depend,” Rivera said.
Pennsylvania’s 2025-26 budget increases total funding for K-12 education by more than $700 million. Rivera said she is extremely pleased to see that the budget is allocating $600 million to ensure that all of Pennsylvania’s students and schools have access to the resources and opportunities needed for academic success. There would also be $178 million in savings for school districts statewide reflecting savings from reforms that adjusted tuition payments that better reflect the actual costs to teach kids.
“A budget is a statement of our commonwealth’s priorities, and our top priority is making sure all our students have access to a first-rate education,” Rivera said. “This budget’s record investments in public education are an investment in Pennsylvania’s future, funding more than a billion new dollars in our schools, which will help relieve overburdened property taxpayers.”
Locally, the budget increases funding for Lancaster County school districts, including over $8.2 million in increased funding and cost savings for school districts in the 96th Legislative District:
- Lancaster School District $4,934,776 5% increase
- Manheim Township School District $2,178,031 14.4% increase
- Hempfield School District: $1,107,784 4.6% increase
“This budget invests and supports the engine that drives Pennsylvania -- its people,” Rivera said. “From a tax credit for working Pennsylvanians to raising wages for our childcare and home care workers to supporting job creation, industry innovation and entrepreneurship, this budget empowers the workers who, in turn, fuel Pennsylvania’s economy.”
The budget also includes the following funding increases and new investments:
- Creates safer schools and improve access to mental health services for kids with another year of $100 million in investment.
- Strengthens early education by investing in high-quality, affordable pre-k programs.
- Invests three quarters of a billion dollars for Medical Assistance Managed Care.
- Invests $21 million for participant-directed homecare to raise wages to $15/hour and establish paid time off for over 8,000 participant-directed homecare workers.
- Invests $150 million more to help Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities.
- Puts more money back in the pockets of working families with a Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit. Anyone who qualifies for the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit would automatically qualify for a state-level tax credit of 10% of the federal credit when filing their state taxes.
- Delivers $25 million for quality childcare workers to invest in those who take care of our kids.
- Gets more State Police Troopers on duty to protect communities.
- Supports rape crisis centers and domestic violence programs, which ensure survivors get the critical care and resources they need.
- Invests more than $100 million in job creation, innovation, and supporting the entrepreneurs that invest in PA workers and our communities.
- Improves permit approval speeds when excessive state delays hold local business growth back.
Rivera said she was pleased with the budget’s investments in the environment and clean energy, although RGGI, which was in a holding pattern for quite some time, has been eliminated.
“We Pennsylvanians are stewards of some of the most beautiful, productive land on earth. and it’s our sacred duty to protect it,” Rivera said. “Our budget will help us do this by increasing funding to DCNR and DEP to help protect our environment, investing in innovative programs like Solar for Schools that will create jobs and lower taxpayer expenses, renewing our fight for cleaner electric generation and building a stronger and more reliable grid. Thanks to these critical investments, we will help safeguard our land, air and water for ourselves and for generations to come.”