Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to spend an additional $1.1 billion on education in his second year in office.
This is a multi-year multi-billion dollar effort to meet the state's constitutional obligation to equitably fund poor and wealthy school districts while also paying for building repairs and special education and early education programs. This is the first part of a dollar-scale plan.
But with two years left in the administration, the budget document does not indicate any additional increases when projecting future spending.
Critics argue this is unrealistic given the state's growing investments in public schools and private tuition tax credits. So why does the government balance the books this way?
A spokesperson for the governor told Center Square that it is difficult to provide a five-year forecast that includes future spending, given the fluctuating economic conditions that will drive much of the final budget.
But House Republicans' most vocal budget analyst believes this is a disingenuous way to hide the true depth of the upcoming budget deficit.
“So he said in his budget speech that we need to follow the Basic Education Funding Report,” said Rep. Seth Grove, R-York. “We need to get to $1 billion a year every year. That's what he's saying. So if you're arguing that we should do that, it should be reflected in his budget document. ”
While the government said it had not precisely met the spending targets identified in the report, it said it would fulfill its constitutional obligation to make education funding fairer and more robust.
In his Feb. 6 budget speech, Mr. Shapiro said his proposal, approved by the Basic Education Funding Committee, would increase aid to poor neighborhoods by at least $200 million annually and provide an additional $1.5 billion to repair dilapidated areas through 2029. He said it was “in line with the contours” of the recommendation to add more dollars. And a dangerous school building.
“It should be noted that everyone here, members of both parties in both chambers, accepted the relief that the court issued because of your decision not to appeal that decision,” Shapiro said. Stated. “With this decision, Republican leaders agreed to come to the table and fix how education is funded.”
Legislative Republicans say they have offered an alternative plan that does not include specific spending amounts, citing an impending budget deficit that would force tax increases.
“We recognize the need for changes in the way education is funded, and we are making recommendations through our report that address the funding formula,” said Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford. Ta. “What we don't want to do is go outside of our mission as a committee and recommend a specific amount. That's the power of the General Assembly and the administration as a whole.”
Grove clarified that education policy is not the only program not seeing growth in future projections, but said the administration's document is still misleading.
“You should put that into your budget documents and be honest with people,” Grove said. “We should be able to say, 'This is what we're spending and this is what we're getting in return.' No, it's not a difficult concept, and they rejected it in last year's budget and this year's budget.” did.”
At a budget hearing earlier this week, the Independent Fiscal Office said fiscal projections were “reasonable” compared to the administration's “plausible” numbers.
Ifo forecasts that current policies will lead to a budget deficit of $4.2 billion in 2024-25, rising to $6.7 billion in 2028-29. The difference between IFO's forecast and Mr. Shapiro's estimate is about $1 billion this year and $4.5 billion by 2028-29.
The Department of Education plans to meet with lawmakers in the coming weeks to discuss the governor's plan and other funding priorities.