Key Issue: School Funding
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Key Issue: School Funding

In February 2023, the Commonwealth Court ruled after a lengthy trial that Pennsylvania’s public school funding system is unconstitutional. In January 2024, a report adopted by a majority of the Basic Education Funding Commission made it clear that elected officials must provide billions in new state dollars over the next seven years to ensure our school funding system passes constitutional muster.

PA’s students have waited decades for policymakers to take bold action to address school funding equity. Fixing PA’s broken public school funding system must be a top priority in Harrisburg.

This year, Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed state budget continues the work that he and lawmakers began last year to address this crisis. 

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed FY 2025-26 state budget

Gov. Shapiro's proposed budget includes funding increases for basic education, special education, and the state’s student teacher stipend program, among other initiatives, and ensures that Pennsylvania stays on track to fix the state’s unconstitutional school funding system.

 

Gov. Shapiro’s 2025-26 Budget Address as Prepared

Funding Breakdown - By the Numbers

Subsidy Data by School Entity

Find more details and access to in-depth data on specific school entities.

2025-26 Funding increases in key K-12 programs

The proposed state budget includes a $526 million increase in adequacy and tax equity funding, a $75 million increase in total basic education funding, a $40 million increase in special education, a $14.6 million increase in early intervention programs, and $5.5 million for career and technical education funding.

Increases in Key Public School Funding

The proposed budget includes an overall increase of more than $600 million in key funding for public schools, including a $526 million increase to provide adequacy and tax equity payments to qualifying school districts through the Ready to Learn Block Grant program and a $75 million increase to be distributed to all school districts through the Basic Education Funding formula.

“Last year, Gov. Shapiro and lawmakers from both parties collaborated to take a historic first step to fix Pennsylvania’s unconstitutionally broken public school funding system,” Chapin said. “This budget proposal represents a starting point for continuing this necessary work, and PSEA looks forward to working with the governor and the Legislature to enact a final state budget that provides as much of a funding increase as possible for our public schools.”

 

Student Teacher Stipends

The proposed budget includes a $20 million increase in funding for the Student Teacher Support Program, which provides $10,000 stipends to eligible aspiring educators while they perform their full-time student teaching experience. Student teachers receiving a stipend agree to work as teachers at schools within Pennsylvania for at least three years.

Twenty million dollars was appropriated for the program in the FY 2024-25 budget. Total funding for FY 2025-26 would be $40 million under the governor’s proposal.

Student teacher stipends have been life-changing for more than 2,000 aspiring educators across Pennsylvania, including Melanie Williams, an education major at the University of Indiana of Pennsylvania and a Student PSEA member. Williams recently completed her student teaching in the Centennial School District in Bucks County and was a guest in the state House chamber for Gov. Shapiro’s budget address today.

“As a mother of two, I was so relieved to learn that I had received a student teacher stipend,” Williams said. “It is virtually impossible to work a full-time job as a student teacher and support my family. The only reason I decided to do my student teaching last fall was because this program was available. 

“Without a student teacher stipend, I don’t know how I would have been able to gas up my car, put food on the table for my kids, and get the classroom experience I needed to complete my certification. It was exciting to hear Gov. Shapiro talk about the stipend program during his budget address and call for a substantial funding increase. This program has been truly life-changing for me, and I hope it continues to support people like me in the future.”

Chapin thanked the governor for prioritizing funding for student teacher stipends but urged him and lawmakers to consider increasing funding to at least $50 million in FY 2025-26.

Demand on Stipend Funding

“We appreciate the governor’s decision to allocate more funding for student teacher stipends as we move toward fully funding this important program,” Chapin said.

“In the current school year, more than 4,000 student teachers applied for stipends, but there was only enough funding for 2,144. We need at least $50 million to ensure that every eligible student can receive a stipend as they complete their student teaching.”

Key FY 2025-26 Higher Ed. Proposed Funding Increases

Gov. Shapiro’s proposed state budget for FY 2025-26 also includes some significant increases in higher education funding, outlined in the graphic above.

In the Press

February 07, 2025

Public News Service: Pa. budget proposal boosts public education, student teacher stipends

February 04, 2025

The Keystone: Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget continues to close education funding gap

February 04, 2024

CBS 21: Gov. Shapiro announces $600M increase in funding for state-wide education programs

February 04, 2025

Pa. Capital-Star: Lawmakers, advocates react to Shapiro’s budget plans

February 04, 2025

WJET-TV: Shapiro proposes $51.4 billion budget highlighting education, investment at annual address

February 04, 2025

Philadelphia Inquirer: Shapiro’s budget would give another $500 million to underfunded schools. But other increases don’t keep pace with inflation, advocates say

February 07, 2025

Public News Service: Pa. budget proposal boosts public education, student teacher stipends

February 07, 2025

Main Line Times: Shapiro calls for nearly $1 billion increase in education funding for public schools in Pa.

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