2014-15 Education Budget Recap

Early Education:

• Pre-K Counts – $97.3 million, increase of $10 million, or 11.5 percent
• Head Start Supplemental Assistance – level at $39.2 million
• Early Intervention – $237.5 million, increase of $841 thousand, or 0.4 percent

Basic Education:

• PA Assessment – $58.3 million, increase of $4.6 million, or 8.6 percent
• Ready to Learn Block Grant encompasses the $100 million Accountability Block Grant and adds $241 million for a total of $341 million
• Hybrid Learning (new line item) – $10 million
• Special Education Funding – $1.046 billion, increase of $20 million, or 1.9 percent
• School Food Services – $32.5 million, increase of $467 thousand, or 1.5 percent
• School Employees’ Retirement – $1.112 billion, increase of $105.3 million, or 10.5 percent
• Governor’s Schools (new line item) – $350 thousand

Flat –funded at 2013-2014 levels:

• Information and Technology Improvement
• Basic Education Funding
• Basic Education Funding Enhancements
• Teacher Professional Development
• Career and Technical Education
• Authority Rentals and Sinking Fund Requirements
• Nonpublic and Charter School Pupil Transportation
• Education of Migrant Laborers’ Children
• PA Charter Schools for the Deaf and Blind
• Special Education – Approved Private Schools
• Services to Nonpublic Schools
• Textbooks, Materials and Equipment for Nonpublic Schools
• Safe School Initiative
• Community Education Councils
• All sectors of higher education
• PA Council on the Arts’ administrative budget. However, Grants to the Arts receives $8.6 million, increase of $411 thousand, or five percent

Decreases:

• General Government Operations – $23.5 million, decrease of $154 thousand, or 0.7 percent
• Youth Development Centers – Education – $7.9 million, decrease of $2.3 million, or 22.2 percent
• Mobile Science and Math Education Programs – completely defunded from $864 thousand
• Adult and Family Literacy – $11.7 million, decrease of $400 thousand, or 3.3 percent
• Career and Technical Education Equipment Grants – completely defunded from $3 million
• Pupil Transportation – $546.7 million, decrease of $709 thousand, or 0.1 percent
• Tuition for Orphans and Children Placed in Private Homes – $48.5 million, decrease of $10.2 million, or 17.3 percent
• Payments in Lieu of Taxes – $163 thousand, decrease of $34 thousand, or 17.3 percent
• School Employees’ Social Security – $482.5 million, decrease of $3.8 million, or 0.8 percent
• Job Training and Education Programs – completely defunded from $8.05 million

On February 10, the Senate Appropriations Committee held its budget hearing with the PA Department of Education, and on February 18, the House Appropriations Committee held its hearing with the Department.

Click here for charts and specifics on current budget proposals from the PA Department of Education.

Both House and Senate reconvene on March 10 and we are sure to hear numerous issues, such as pension reform, safe schools, charter/cyber reform, and the need for an equitable education funding formula debated in the remaining months before a budget is finalized by June 30.