York, PA — Shapiro Administration officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) visited the School District of the City of York today to celebrate the positive impacts of historic investments in K-12 education since Governor Josh Shapiro took office – including a free after-school program serving nearly 500 K-8 students, additional staff focused on helping students close achievement gaps, multiple professional development opportunities for educators, and new resources that serve the district’s growing English Learner student population and their families.
Governor Shapiro has brought Republicans and Democrats together to make the largest investments in K-12 education in Pennsylvania’s history. The School District of the City of York has benefited from those unprecedented investments, including more than $122 million in state funding under the 2024-25 bipartisan budget -- a nearly $30 million increase compared to the year before Governor Shapiro took office.
"The historic investments we’ve made in K-12 education under Governor Shapiro’s leadership are helping school districts across Pennsylvania meet the unique needs of their diverse communities. In York and beyond, these resources are ensuring that all students receive the support they need to thrive and succeed,” said Interim Acting Secretary of Education Angela Fitterer. “By working together with families, educators, and local leaders, we are building a stronger, more inclusive education system that sets every student on a path to success."
On Friday, PDE officials met with district staff and community members at the district’s “Bearcat Family Welcome Center,” a model program staffed by multilingual employees who connect families with community resources and ensure that students learning English as a second language are ready for their first day of school.
Since its opening in August 2023, the welcome center has served more than 1,900 students and their families. The center offers full language testing services so that new students are appropriately placed with English Learner educators from day one. Through partnerships with community organizations, the center also connects families with resources offering employment, health, housing, legal, food, clothing, and other types of help.
“The Bearcat Family Welcome Center represents our district’s commitment to ensuring that every student and family feels supported,” said Dr. Andrea Berry-Brown, Superintendent of the School District of the City of York. “By providing multilingual assistance, comprehensive language testing, and connections to vital community resources, we are creating a welcoming environment where all families can thrive. We are proud of the impact this center has made in just over a year and look forward to continuing to serve our community.”
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. That includes the School District of the City of York, which received nearly $6.5 million for the 2024-25 school year thanks to the adequacy formula.
Governor Shapiro has also led the charge on ensuring that Pennsylvania schools are healthy, safe environments for students to learn and educators to teach. That’s why he worked with legislators to secure $75 million in the 2023-24 budget for environmental repairs grants that are helping 109 Pennsylvania school districts, career and technical education centers (CTCs), and charter schools to create safer facilities through the elimination of lead, mold, asbestos, and other environmental hazards. The School District of the City of York will use its $3.4 million School Environmental Repairs Grant to upgrade the environmental systems at two schools.
Delivering on his promise to boost state funding for Pennsylvania’s public schools, Governor Shapiro’s Administration has secured:
- $2 billion in new funding for K-12 schools in the past two budgets, raising total K-12 public education funding to over $11 billion for the first time in Pennsylvania history.
- A new adequacy formula to drive funding out to the schools that need it most, funded by $526 million in its first year.
- $100 million cyber charter reimbursement for public school districts, as well as new oversight requirements for charter and cyber charter schools.
- $275 million for environmental repairs to ensure students learn in safe, healthy environments.
- $200 million to expand student mental health services, providing vital resources for student well-being.
- Nearly $65 million in career and technical education (CTE) funding, preparing students for higher education and the workforce, increasing funding for vo-tech by more than 50 percent compared to the year before Governor Shapiro took office.
- Universal free breakfast for 1.7 million students in Pennsylvania, increasing breakfast participation by 10 million meals over last year alone.
Governor Shapiro: Two Years of G-S-D
As Governor Shapiro marks two years in office, he remains focused on bringing people together to build on that progress and accomplish even more for Pennsylvanians. Having visited communities across the Commonwealth hundreds of times, the Governor has listened to the priorities of everyday Pennsylvanians and is committed to continuing his hands-on approach: showing up, solving problems, and delivering results. The Shapiro Administration will continue its work to fund our public schools, invest in our students and support our teachers. Learn more about how the Shapiro Administration is Helping Students Chart Their Course.