Pennsylvania spent all of last summer without a completed budget as a result of shifting positions by Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro on the issue of education choice, specifically a program called Lifeline Scholarships.
The Scholarship program was supported by then-candidate Shapiro in the lead up to his resounding win in the 2022 election. In the last weeks of budget negotiations in 2023, he backed the House Democrat majority that voted against the Scholarships by just one vote, setting off a summer and autumn of stalemate on the entire budget package, which only concluded in December.
This year, education spending and policy remains at the forefront due to a recent ruling form the Commonwealth Court. In February 2023, the Court declared the state’s education funding system unconstitutional. The court’s opinion stipulated no specific remedies nor a timeline, but Democrats and Republicans have both used the ruling to support their preferred educational policies.
Democrats want to fix the education inequalities the Court ruled on by spending more money under a newer formula. They base their plan on a report from the government’s Basic Education Funding Commission, which seeks to address inequality by leveling state and local funding for school districts. House Appropriations Chairman Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia) explained, “when we do not fully fund schools here, your local government is forced to raise taxes.” To this end, the Democrat House Majority passed a spending bill this month that would increase spending by $7 billion per year over five years, using some of the $14 billion in reserves the state holds, as well as changing the way cyber charter schools are funded.
Republicans, on the other hand, make the argument that changes to the system are called for, especially with regard to empowering parental choice. State Senator Scott Martin (R-Lancaster) described their position saying, “The ultimate form of accountability and education is when you have vested parents who are saying, ‘This isn’t working for my kid, and I want to put them in something that works for them.’” Senate Republicans have passed a bill authorizing Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) scholarships, the successor to last year’s Lifeline Scholarships, targeted toward helping students stuck in failing schools.
Republicans have received support for their efforts from media mogul Jay-Z and the advocacy coalition Black Pastors United for Education.
On Thursday it was announced the budget would miss the June 30 deadline, with the Senate recessing until Monday, July 1.
