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Fact Check: K-12 Education Support Increase Under SB 850

While the Rendell administration is burning your tax dollars funding a bus tour across Pennsylvania to ask for more education spending (and the higher taxes needed to pay for it), the Commonwealth Foundation will be checking the facts.

Here are some things to note about education subsidies under the budget passed by the Pennsylvania Senate

  • Under Senate Bill 850, Pennsylvania school districts will receive an average 11.7% increase in Basic and Special Education funding over 2008-09 levels through federal and state sources.
    • State Basic and Special Education funding = $6.2 billion
    • 2009-10 federal stimulus funds directly to school districts = $720 million
  • This increase in funding support across the state will range from 3.1% to 32.8% per school district under the new budget.

More Info:

Budget Facts 2009: State Education Spending (click here for a printable version)