PSBA pleased that education, school safety remains a priority in state budget
Contact: Annette Stevenson
Chief Communications Officer
annette.stevenson@psba.org
o (717) 506-2450 x 3315
c (646) 872-8415
PSBA pleased that education, school safety remains a priority in state budget
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) is pleased that the 2019-20 state budget contains increases for basic education, special education, career and technical education and school safety. These increases are necessary to cover greater mandated costs and to make needed investments in students.
Education saw important increases in areas in which PSBA prioritized its advocacy efforts, with special education receiving a historic $50 million boost, career and technical education receiving a much-needed increase of $10 million, and the basic education subsidy receiving an additional $160 million. According to PSBA’s 2019 State of Education report, nearly 75% of school districts anticipate budget and funding as one of their biggest challenges in the 2019-20 fiscal year. While these new investments certainly move school funding in the right direction, it is essential for Pennsylvania to remain committed to addressing the financial difficulties public schools are facing.
“PSBA thanks the General Assembly for its steady commitment to public schools. This budget continues needed investments as the cost of mandated programs and services continue to rise,” said PSBA Chief Executive Officer Nathan G. Mains.
Additionally, the General Assembly once again prioritized the safety of our classrooms by allocating another $60 million for safety and security grants. School districts indicated in the State of Education report that school safety is a key concern, and PSBA is pleased that the legislature yet again responded to this need.
“PSBA is grateful for the General Assembly’s continuing efforts to strengthen school security and provide the resources to help keep students and school employees safe. Realizing that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for school safety, we appreciate that these much-needed funds allow decisions to be made at the local level,” Mains added.
PSBA looks forward to working with the General Assembly on issues affecting public education in the future.
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PSBA is a nonprofit statewide association of public school boards, pledged to the highest ideals of local lay leadership for the public schools of the commonwealth. Founded in 1895, PSBA was the first school boards association established in the United States.