HARRISBURG, July 11 – Pennsylvania House Education Committee Majority Chairman, Peter Schweyer, today issued the following statement on the final passage of the 2024-25 state budget:

“Tonight, the General Assembly, in a bipartisan manner, passed a state budget that begins to fix decades of underfunding that have left many schools further behind and invests money where it is needed the most.

“This is monumental for me, not just as the Majority Chairman of the House Education Committee, but also as the proud parent of two daughters who go to school in the Allentown School District. This budget makes a significant investment in the schools that have been left behind for far too long.

“For the Allentown School District, it means they will have the funding needed to provide safe and updated learning environments for students and teachers. For our neighboring school districts, East Penn and Salisbury Township, they can continue to deliver the same high-quality education they have for years.”

Schweyer said the 2024-25 state budget provides the following increases to investments in basic and special education for the three school districts in the 134th Legislative District:

• Allentown School District – $35 million.
• East Penn School District – $3.1 million.
• Salisbury Twp. School District – $506,000.

Added Schweyer, “This budget goes beyond the borders of the Lehigh Valley, it supports students and schools all across Pennsylvania. Children who attend schools in Easton, Scranton, Harrisburg, York and Reading will be able to have the same educational opportunities as those children who attend schools in their suburban school districts.

“On top of the investments in K-12 education, we’re investing more in Career and Technical Education, so those students who want to pursue a career in the trades will be able to get the hands-on training they need.

“For those who choose to go to college, this budget provides more scholarships so students who choose to go to school in Pennsylvania and go to work here after graduation can save money.

“We also made big policy changes allowing all legal residents, including DACA recipients, to become teachers, created a new grant for school safety and are now funding period products for our students.

“This is the most important policy work I have ever done in my ten years in Harrisburg, but the fight is not done.  This is a big step forward, but it is only the first year of a multi-year plan to meet our constitution and moral responsibility to our children and families.

“I am so unbelievably proud of my colleagues in the Education Committee, my staff and all the hardworking and dedicated folks that worked tirelessly to get this budget to the Governor’s desk.”

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Thomas LeClair
Research Analyst
House Democratic Education Committee

 

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