FUNDING EDUCATION CAN’T TAKE A VACATION
In about a month, kids are going to return to the classroom and schools still don’t know what resources they’ll have.
The PA state budget is now three weeks overdue, the 14th time in 20 years that lawmakers couldn’t meet the budget deadline. Until the budget is finalized, school districts don’t know if they’ll have to cut teachers or programs. Many districts are also banking on state lawmakers to control the escalating costs of cyber charter schools, which would open up $616 million for schools to dedicate to smaller class sizes, tutoring, or hands-on learning.
Just last month, the U.S. Department of Education froze $230 million in funds approved by Congress to go to PA schools starting this September. Loss of those funds – already figured into the districts’ budgets – is adding to the impact of the state budget delays. For example, the School District of Philadelphia has to absorb the loss of a whopping $21.6 million because of the freeze while not knowing what state dollars to expect.
The PA House deserves praise for passing a budget that meets its constitutional obligation to fund our schools, including cyber charter tuition reform; the Senate has yet to say where it stands. But we are hearing promising reports that the Governor and legislative leaders are still talking and working toward a solution. Stay tuned…
In the meantime, there are some encouraging developments on other Children First issues.
Juvenile Justice Reform
For the first time in a long time, the PA House passed three bills with that will go a long way to help kids caught up in the legal system.
HB 1577 ensures that kids in detention are protected from egregious conduct by staff in juvenile facilities like cavity searches, being shackled, solitary confinement, and injected with powerful medications. HB 1576 requires the state to cover half the counties’ costs of legal representation for kids in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, and HB 1573 requires an inventory of all juvenile justice services and facilities to better inform what is – and isn’t – available for kids in the system.
The three bills – now sent to the Senate – will contribute to a brighter future for kids caught up in the legal system and their communities.
Paid Family & Medical Leave
Because 66% of PA businesses don’t offer paid family and medical leave, a lot of parents are forced into an awful dilemma: stay home and go into debt, or go back to work and sacrifice precious bonding time. Democrats and Republicans are working together to pass an affordable paid leave insurance fund in PA, allowing up to 20 weeks to care for a new baby, family member, or themselves during a serious medical issue.
Nearly half of the House members co-sponsored the House version, which has already passed committee on a bipartisan vote. The Senate version was recently introduced with a remarkable showing of 60% of members already signing as co-sponsors. Maybe they’ve finally gotten the message from the 81% of PA voters who want action on paid leave.
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