On Tuesday, advocates throughout the commonwealth made a difference for PA public school students!

Parents, teachers, students, and community members called from home and came out to Harrisburg to meet with lawmakers and urge them to support a $1.75 billion increase in education funding in the 2022-2023 state budget.

As budget negotiations heat up, according to the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO), General Fund collections exceeded the April estimate by $2 billion and are $5.04 billion above estimate for the fiscal year-to-date, which will lead to a healthy budget surplus this year.

If you add in the state’s Rainy Day Fund and unspent American Recovery Plan and other federal dollars, the state will have as much as $12 billion on hand for spending as the state enters the 2022-23 fiscal year.

The legislature has the money to fix the inequities in our public schools and begin to reduce the need for property tax increases. And we showed up to tell state lawmakers not to forget public school students in the PA budget.

Governor Wolf’s proposed $1.75 billion increase in funding for public education includes

• $1.25 billion in Basic Education Funding,
• $300 million in Level Up funding, and
• $200 million in special education funding.

If you didn’t make a call on Tuesday, you can click HERE to send an email right now!

The 2022-2023 state budget must be in place by June 30th, so next month will be pivotal. We are going to need your help top keep up the pressure.

Some lawmakers want to give away surplus funding as tax breaks and expensive voucher programs for private schools and special interests are spending a fortune on lobbyists, trying to get their hands on this money.

We are going to need to continue to show up and speak up and make it clear to state lawmakers that they need to take this once-in-a generation opportunity to invest in our children and the future of the Commonwealth with a $1.75 increase in recurring funding for PA public schools.

Follow @PASchools Work and @EdVotersPA on Twitter to see more photos of advocates from the Capitol!