WILKES-BARRE — Over two years, the Shapiro Administration has secured more than $2 billion in funding increases for K-12 education in Pennsylvania — giving more students the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed.
“Today’s learners are the future leaders of Pennsylvania, and making sure they have everything they need to learn, grow, and chart their own course starts with making sure we are adequately investing in them and their education,” said Angela Fitterer, interim acting secretary of education.
The Administration delivered an increase of $1 billion for basic education funding alone — and signed into law a new adequacy formula to drive out nearly $526 million of those dollars to the schools that need them the most.
Investments to solve problems for our schools and students include:
Universal School Breakfast: Universal free breakfast for all of Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million students, ensuring students start their school day with a nutritious meal, ready to learn and succeed. As a result, participation in free breakfast has increased dramatically. Schools served nearly 10 million more meals to students in the 2023-24 school year than they did during the prior school year.
Student Teacher Support Program: The Student Teacher Support Program, which provides stipends to eligible student teachers in Pennsylvania to ensure student teachers are compensated for their hard work. More than 2,000 student teachers have been granted or will soon receive stipends, lowering barriers to entry to the teaching profession.
Special Education: The Shapiro Administration has increased investments in special education by more than $150 million since taking office.
Menstrual Hygiene Product Grant: Pennsylvania made history in 2024 with a first-ever grant to all school districts, intermediate units, career and technical centers and brick-and-mortar charter schools to provide free period products to students through the Menstrual Hygiene Product Grant.
School Environmental Repairs Grant Program: In 2024, $75 million in new grants were awarded to 109 Pennsylvania school districts, career and technical centers, and charter schools through PDE’s School Environmental Repairs Grant Program to eliminate lead, mold, asbestos, and other environmental hazards in schools to ensure students have safe, healthy classrooms.
Career and Technical Education: Bring career and technical education back into schools by increasing funding for career and technical education and apprenticeships by nearly $65 million — a 50% increase over 2022.
Mental Health Support: $200 million for student mental health supports and school safety and security – flexible funding administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency that allows schools to hire mental health counselors, provide other mental health resources to fit the needs of each unique school community, and invest in school safety and security.
Rep. Meuser supports legislation to protect women and girls in sports
U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, this week voted in favor of H.R. 28 — the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.
Meuser said the bill prevents schools from allowing biological males from competing in school athletic programs for women and girls by requiring that sex in athletic competition be determined by genetics at birth.
The legislation would also withhold federal funding from schools that facilitate athletic programs where biological men compete against biological women.
This bill takes aim at current policies allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports which Meuser argues limits opportunities for women, increases the risk of injury, and compromises safety and privacy.
Title IX, enacted in 1972, was designed to create equal opportunities for women and girls in education and sports. H.R. 28 seeks to restore and reinforce those protections, ensuring female athletes have a level playing field.
“Before Title IX, women’s sports were almost nonexistent—but since then, we’ve seen incredible progress,” Meuser said. “Women’s sports have flourished, and we’ve witnessed amazing accomplishments in basketball, soccer, swimming, and so much more. Athletes like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Simone Biles, and Lindsey Vonn are now household names, inspiring young girls everywhere. Yet we’ve been faced with a narrow but loud group of activists and media who think it’s acceptable for a 6-foot-4 biological male to compete against an average-sized woman in sports.
“Let’s be clear, it’s not acceptable to force women to share a locker room with a biological man. This failed ideological social experiment is disrupting the very fabric of what Title IX was designed to protect.”
H.R. 28 passed the House with a vote of 218-206, 1 Present, and was referred to the Senate for further consideration.
Rep. Bresnahan announces Problem Solvers Caucus membership
U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan Jr., R-Dallas Township, this week announced that he has joined the Problem Solvers Caucus — a bipartisan group of Members of Congress committed to advancing commonsense solutions to key issues facing the nation.
The Caucus is chaired by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, PA-01, and Tom Suozzi, NY-03.
“As a Member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, I look forward to advocating for meaningful legislation to improve the lives of all Northeastern Pennsylvanians — both Republican and Democrat alike,” said Rep. Bresnahan. “I firmly believe it is when we work together as a team that we can find success. The Problem Solvers Caucus allows Members from both sides of the aisle the chance to come to the same table to discuss how we can make America a better and safer place to call home.”
Rep. Fitzpatrick, co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, said, “Together, our mission in the 119th Congress is to lead with pragmatism, advance meaningful two-party solutions, and demonstrate that genuine collaboration is the cornerstone of preserving our democracy and the future success of our great nation.”