Just four days remain until June 30, Pennsylvania’s Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget deadline and much still divides Republicans who control the state Senate from Governor Josh Shapiro and his fellow Democrats who control the House of Representatives.
The school-choice debate is among the most concerning facets of budget negotiations so far for the GOP. Shapiro indicated last year that he wanted the commonwealth to create “lifeline scholarships,” i.e. a private-school choice program for economically disadvantaged students in poorly performing schools. Republicans hoped they could coalesce with him around the policy’s enactment.
“I’m for fully funding public education,” the soon-to-be governor said in September. “I’m for making sure we give parents the ability to put their kids in the best situation for them to be able to succeed. And I’m for making sure we add scholarships like lifeline scholarships to make sure that that’s additive to their educations. That it gives them other opportunities… to be able to help them achieve success.”
So far, though, House Democrats have yet to back such scholarships’ inclusion in the budget, a version of which passed their chamber earlier this month. Republicans are voicing their disappointment.
“Senate Republicans have vocally supported including Lifeline Scholarships in this year’s budget as House Democrats have shut down debate on the issue, carrying the water for the teachers’ unions,” House Appropriations Committee Minority Chair Seth Grove (R-York) lamented in a statement. “I am excited to hear Governor Shapiro has once again reiterated his support for the program. It would be unfortunate if House Democrats bow to the wishes of some of their largest campaign contributors over the needs of students trapped in failing schools.
State Representative Martina White (R-Philadelphia) is another lawmaker dissatisfied with the progress of school-choice in the current legislative session. Last week she issued a memorandum to colleagues asking them to support a bill she plans to soon introduce to expand the Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC), an incentive for corporate donations to entities sponsoring private-school scholarships.
Her legislation would also increase the allotment made through the program for students attending failing schools. It would also expedite the scholarship distribution and reporting process between the struggling public schools, charities and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
“These changes will help the program run more efficiently [and] provide additional resources to help give Pennsylvania families the ability to send their child to a school that best fits their needs, especially those attending economically disadvantaged schools,” White wrote in her memo.
White was a sponsor of legislation last year to create lifeline scholarships. While the bill had nearly lockstep disapproval from Democrats, the then-GOP-run General Assembly did pass a FY 2022-23 budget that contained an expanded EITC which Governor Tom Wolf (D) signed.
There are other matters setting the two parties at odds when it comes to next year’s spending plan. Late last week, they clashed over allocations to the commonwealth’s four state-related universities: Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pittsburgh, Lincoln University and Temple University. Democrats want a 7.1-percent increase in funding to the institutions, though Republicans have complained that the universities have not promised to forgo tuition increases.
The version of the budget House Democrats passed the spending Shapiro requested by $1.1 billion, coming to a nearly $47-billion plan overall, a more than a 13-percent increase over last year’s budget. Once a more conservative budget bill comes out of the state Senate, negotiations will proceed to hammer out a new version on which both chambers must concur before it reaches Shapiro’s desk.
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Bradley Vasoli is managing editor of The Pennsylvania Daily Star. Follow Brad on Twitter at @BVasoli. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Josh Shapiro” by Josh Shapiro. Background Photo “Classroom” by 12019.
