Ninety-two percent of school districts in the state have submitted plans outlining how they would spend their share of the proposed $400 million increase in basic education funding that Gov. Tom Wolf wants allocated to schools, according to the governor's office.
Mr. Wolf's 2015-16 budget proposal calls for raising $1 billion for education at all levels through a natural gas extraction tax -- a proposal that has not been approved by the Legislature.
In March, state acting education secretary Pedro Rivera sent a letter to the state's 500 school districts asking them to formulate plans for how they would spend their increase by choosing which of 14 evidence-based strategies provided by the state they would use.
Republican legislators had balked at issuing the requirement of schools since Mr. Wolf did not have the funds in hand to distribute to schools.
According to the governor's office, the plans submitted by school districts show that 197 of them would use the additional funding to expand high-quality early childhood education, pre-kindergarten and full-day kindergarten programs.
Ninety-eight school districts would use it to reduce elementary class sizes and 87 districts would use it to restore programs and personnel they were forced to cut over the last four years due to reduced state education funding. That includes such measures as bringing back guidance counselors and librarians and restoring extra-curricular activities.
The education department has already approved 400 plans and all feedback will be given to the districts by June 15.
The governor’s office did not address what funds may be available for the districts that did not submit plans.
The other eight percent of schools are still working on their plans in cooperation with the education department and will submit them at a later date, said Jeff Sheridan, the governor's spokesman.
"There has been overwhelming enthusiasm from superintendents across the state, and PDE is working with the districts that have made arrangements to submit later," Mr. Sheridan said.
Mary Niederberger: mniederberger@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1590.
First Published: May 28, 2015, 5:11 p.m.
