Governor Wolf stopped at a Wilke-Barre area high school today to push for an additional $1.9 billion in education funding across Pennsylvania.
According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) press release, Governor Wolf is asking Congress to approve an additional $1.9 billion investment in pre-K- college education funding for Pennsylvania. If passed, the record-breaking sum will push education spending to the highest levels in Pennsylvania history.
“When I ran for governor, I did it on the premise that I would be a force for change, starting with education. Education is the rock upon which we build our economy and our communities, and I’m proud to have invested nearly $2 billion in education over the past seven years,” said Governor Wolf during his visit to Wilkes-Barre High School today.
According to PDE press release, in addition to the previous funding, the proposed budget includes the following additions:
· $70 million for Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance.
· $1.25 billion in basic education funding through the Fair Funding Formula, bringing the total going through the formula to more than $2 billion, or 26.5 percent of state funding.
· $300 million increase for Level Up.
· $200 million increase for Special Education.
· $125 million for higher education institutions.
“I want to continue building on that investment to ensure success for everyone. For with investments in education, in people, we will build a strong, healthy commonwealth,” said Governor Wolf.
The fate of the proposal is uncertain as Governor Wolf’s final term expires at the end of the year.
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