The governor here in Pennsylvania has been promoting some of the initiatives that are prioritized in the proposed budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Gov. Josh Shapiro continued his efforts to put more teachers in classrooms across the state. There are nearly 5,500 teacher vacancies statewide, and Shapiro is proposing doubling the funding for the PA Student Teacher Support Program from $20 million to $40 million annually to provide additional assistance so that student teachers can complete their training and embark on careers in education. Last year, the Commonwealth awarded 2,000 student teacher stipends of up to $10,000—but demand was so high that all of those stipends were accounted for in the first few hours after the application opened, leaving thousands more student teachers without any assistance. Shapiro said that increasing the investment in aspiring educators will help strengthen Pennsylvania’s pipeline of new teachers.

Addressing the education workforce shortage is critically important. Shapiro’s proposed spending plan also includes the following:

• An additional $2.5 million for teacher professional development to provide educators with the training and tools they need to support students effectively.

• A $526 million increase in education funding through the bipartisan adequacy formula, ensuring resources reach the schools that need them most.

• A $40 million increase in special education funding, bringing the total investment to over $1.5 billion.

• A new statewide base cyber charter tuition rate, projected to save school districts $378 million annually.

• $125 million for school infrastructure repairs, building on the $275 million already invested in school district upgrades.

Pennsylvania should continue to prioritize education funding.