Media

Wolf Tops $1 Billion in New Education Spending

As expected, a cornerstone of Gov. Wolf’s budget proposal is a massive increase in state support of public schools. The administration seeks a $1.1 billion increase over the record-high funding levels passed at the end of 2015.

Wolf also demands supplemental spending in the 2015-16 fiscal year based on a “framework budget agreement” from last November. Seemingly everyone except the governor’s office knows the framework agreement has collapsed, yet Wolf is still baking these increases into his 2016-17 proposals.

The chart below demonstrates Wolf’s continued efforts to spend more money than Pennsylvania taxpayers can afford. When the governor finally signed the majority of HB 1460 at the end of December, the General Assembly agreed to significant increases in Basic Education, Special Education, and Pre-K programs. Still, Wolf clings to the more expensive framework budget—insisting that these supplemental appropriations be signed into law.

 

2014-15

HB 1460

(2015-16)

Framework

(2015-16)

2016-17

Basic Education

5,730,069

5,880,069

6,106,969

6,306,969

Special Education

1,046,815

1,076,815

1,096,815

1,146,815

Pre-K

136,462

166,462

196,462

256,462

Pensions

1,157,853

1,725,000

1,725,000

2,064,000

Total (thousands)

8,071,199

8,848,346

9,125,246

9,774,246

 

(Note: Basic Education includes the Ready to Learn Block Grant, and Pre-K includes the Head Start Supplemental Assistance and Pre-K Counts line items).

Contrary to the rhetoric from the administration, Pennsylvania schools are not underfunded. The commonwealth ranks 10th in the nation in public school revenue, with per-pupil spending exceeding the national average by $3,400.