Harrisburg, PA — Since taking office, the Shapiro Administration has delivered on its promise to Get Stuff Done for Pennsylvanians by making historic investments in students and public schools. Over two years, the Shapiro Administration has secured more than $2 billion in funding increases for K-12 education in Pennsylvania – giving more students the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed.
“Today’s learners are the future leaders of Pennsylvania, and making sure they have everything they need to learn, grow, and chart their own course starts with making sure we are adequately investing in them and their education,” said Interim Acting Secretary of Education Angela Fitterer. “Because of this Administration’s work, more kids are eating breakfast in the morning, more students have mental health support they can count on, more schools are making crucial infrastructure repairs to keep school environments healthy and safe, and the barriers to become a teacher are lower. I look forward to continuing to invest in our schools and school communities and ensure every student in Pennsylvania has the high-quality education they deserve.”
From day one, the Shapiro Administration has fought to put more resources into classrooms and provide students with more opportunities. The Administration delivered an increase of $1 billion for basic education funding alone – and signed into law a new adequacy formula to drive out nearly $526 million of those dollars to the schools that need them the most.
In addition to increasing basic education dollars flowing into schools, the Shapiro Administration has made commonsense investments to solve problems for our schools and students:
- Universal School Breakfast: Governor Shapiro established universal free breakfast for all of Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million students, ensuring students start their school day with a nutritious meal, ready to learn and succeed. As a result, free breakfast participation has increased dramatically. Schools served nearly 10 million more meals to students in the 2023-24 school year than they did during the prior school year.
- Student Teacher Support Program: Last year, Governor Shapiro signed a law creating the Student Teacher Support Program, which provides stipends to eligible student teachers in Pennsylvania to ensure student teachers are compensated for their hard work. More than 2,000 student teachers have been granted or will soon receive stipends, lowering barriers to entry to the teaching profession.
- Special Education: The Shapiro Administration has increased investments in special education by more than $150 million since taking office.
- Menstrual Hygiene Product Grant: Thanks to the leadership of the Governor and First Lady, Pennsylvania made history in 2024 with a first-ever grant to all school districts, intermediate units, career and technical centers, and brick-and-mortar charter schools to provide free period products to students through the Menstrual Hygiene Product Grant.
- School Environmental Repairs Grant Program: In 2024, Governor Shapiro awarded $75 million in new grants to 109 Pennsylvania school districts, career and technical centers, and charter schools through PDE’s School Environmental Repairs Grant Program to eliminate lead, mold, asbestos, and other environmental hazards in schools to ensure students have safe, healthy classrooms to learn in. That builds on $175 million for school infrastructure repair driven out through the Department of Community and Economic Development for a total of $250 million to repair and upgrade schools.
- Career and Technical Education: Governor Shapiro delivered on his promise to bring career and technical education back into schools by increasing funding for career and technical education and apprenticeships by nearly $65 million – a 50% increase over 2022.
- Mental Health Support: The Shapiro Administration has delivered $200 million for student mental health supports and school safety and security – flexible funding administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency that allows schools to hire mental health counselors, provide other mental health resources to fit the needs of each unique school community, and invest in school safety and security.
Here’s how 2024 school funding has helped Pennsylvania schools and students:
Brian Griffith, Superintendent, Penns Valley Area School District
“The recent state funding has been a tremendous help in leveling the playing field. We have used these funds to offer more competitive salaries, not only for teachers but also for our essential support staff and are now able to offer salaries that are more competitive, helping us to reduce turnover and retain skilled staff. Additionally, students lacked access to essential entry-level mental health services, which are crucial for their well-being. Over the past two school years, we have been able to provide free grab-and-go breakfast to students at two of our three elementary schools. We are incredibly grateful that the state has stepped up to address the unconstitutionality and deficiencies declared by the Commonwealth Court. Rural and economically disadvantaged school communities like ours are committed to meeting the needs of our students in a responsible manner, if we have the solid foundation of adequate and equitable funding to do so.”
Dr. Isabel Resende, Superintendent, Nazareth Area School District
“The increased state funding over the past two years has directly addressed needs within our school district, ultimately benefiting students and families. Some ways we have used the increased state funding include: reducing class sizes by hiring new staff, smaller classes mean teachers can provide more individualized attention to each student; ensuring staff are equipped with the latest knowledge and skills through mandated trainings in areas like safety protocols, new teaching methodologies, and addressing student mental health; adding two social workers and an additional psychologist to allow our schools to better address the growing social and emotional needs of students and families; and meeting special education needs to ensure that students with disabilities receive the necessary resources and support to thrive academically and socially. These investments are essential for ensuring a high-quality education and supportive learning environment for all our students.”
Barry Balaski, Superintendent, Moon Area School District
“Over the past two years, historic state education funding has had a significant positive impact on Moon Area School District, driving improvements across several critical areas, including making necessary technology upgrades. These resources have helped us to modernize our security systems, and upgrade student technology such as laptops and iPads, The flexibility afforded by this funding has also allowed us to address historically underfunded areas such as English Learner (EL) and emotional support services. With over 300 EL students in our district, we have been able to expand EL programming and introduce new emotional support classes at the elementary and middle school levels to better meet the evolving needs of our diverse student body.
Additionally, the introduction of a free breakfast program has been a valuable addition to serving our students. Ensuring access to a nutritious start each day has helped promote student well-being and readiness for learning. These funding improvements are a meaningful step forward, and ongoing support will be critical to ensuring equitable access to resources and opportunities for all students in the Moon Area School District.”
Here’s how the Shapiro Administration’s historic education funding is impacting real people and Getting Stuff Done:
WFMZ: Elementary school in Montco honored as 'breakfast champion' | Southeastern Pennsylvania | wfmz.com
North Penn Now: PA Department of Education celebrates ‘Governor’s Breakfast Champions’ at Oak Park Elementary School - North Penn Now
The Keystone: My son is autistic. Pennsylvania's historic increase in education funding gives me hope
Go Erie: Erie School District receives extra money in state budget
WNEP: Shapiro announces grant funding for schools | wnep.com