Shown is a class room at Penn Wood High School in Lansdowne, Pa., Wednesday, May 3, 2023. As schools across the country struggle to find teachers to hire, more governors are pushing for pay increases and bonuses for the beleaguered profession.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
Shown is a class room at Penn Wood High School in Lansdowne, Pa., Wednesday, May 3, 2023. As schools across the country struggle to find teachers to hire, more governors are pushing for pay increases and bonuses for the beleaguered profession.
The $100 million program aimed to supplement funding for 100 of the poorest schools in the Commonwealth has yet to receive its annual backing.
For some programs in the budget, additional legislation, known as “code bills,” is required. Those bills lay the groundwork for how the money is to be used.
The lack of code bills defining that is holding up the funds for the Level Up program.
Although the yearly budget includes $567 million for basic education, Level Up is intended to add to that funding for the state’s poorest schools, said Andy Christ, senior director of education policy at the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
“What that money really does is it directs resources where it’s needed most. You know, where additional state resources would go the furthest,” Christ said. “So, for these 100 school districts, those resources are really valuable.”
Funding for programs, such as Level Up, often falls into a second level of negotiations as a result of Pennsylvania’s complicated budget process, said Christopher Borick, professor of political science at Muhlenberg College.
“Politically what’s happened over the years is the budget process by itself is fairly difficult and just arriving on big picture items is challenging enough that if … these details were included in that process, it might be hard to get deals done,” Borick said.
Discussions are ongoing, according to Beth Rementer, spokesperson for House Majority Leader Matthew Bradford, D-Montgomery.
“We continue to strongly advocate for important programs like whole home repairs, Level Up and the federal funding for adult behavioral health based on recommendations from the Behavioral Health Commission on Adult Mental Health,” Rementer said.
The Senate is also continuing to work on the remaining components of the budget, said Kate Flessner, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana.
The House Education Committee hosted an informational meeting Aug. 10 with several educators from some of those school districts.
“It breaks my heart that 100 million of Level Up funding that was already appropriated and approved with bipartisan support in both chambers is now in jeopardy,” said Kristen Haase, English language development teacher at the School District of Lancaster.
The House is set to return on Sept. 25, and the Senate on Sept. 18.
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