On Wednesday, the Senate approved (by a vote of 39-8) Senate Bill 1466 which represents the Senate's version of a state budget for Fiscal Year 2012-2013. 

General Fund spending for Fiscal Year 2012-2013, as proposed in SB 1466, is $27.656 billion, $517.2 million (1.9 percent) more than the Governor's budget request in February.  Increased revenues over the past few months have allowed the Senate to propose restorations to certain line items in higher education, basic education, early childhood education, and social services. 

While the Senate's spending plan restores $50 million for Accountability Block Grants and adds $50 million for distressed school districts, most of the cuts to public schools enacted last summer for the 2011-2012 fiscal year persist.  Altogether, SB 1466 adds more than $132 million in support for basic education, Accountability Block Grants and early childhood education programs over the Governor's proposal.  However, it still falls far short of restoring the almost $900 million in cuts suffered by school districts this past year. 

The Senate proposal rejects the Governor's proposed Student Achievement Education Block Grant concept and maintains the original (and separate) lines items for basic education, pupil transportation, employee Social Security and services to non-public schools. 

SB 1466 would reduce the appropriation to the Public School Retirement System by $60 million and restore funding to a number of line items.

Highlights

The Senate Budget (SB 1466) would:

• Add $50 million for Accountability Block Grants
• Add $50 million to the Basic Education line for "distressed schools."  Basic education subsidy would increase to $5.405 billion
• Restore $4.1 million to Pre-K Counts
• Restore $1.9 million to Head Start
• Maintain special education funding at $1.026 billion
• Restore $2.7 million to Public Library Subsidy
• Increase pupil transportation by $4.3 million
• Restore most higher education funding to current year (2011-2012) levels:           
• Adds $64 million to Penn State
• Adds $40.2 million to Pitt
• Adds $42 million to Temple
• Adds $82.6 million the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE)
• Adds $8 million of $19 million cut from PHEAA student grants
• Restores institutional assistance grants (IAGs) and the Cheney University Keystone Academy to 2011-2012 levels.

For more information, see the Senate Republican Appropriations Committee Printout and the House Democratic Appropriations Committee Printout for SB 1466

Senate Bill 1466 now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.  The Budget Secretary has already weighed-in unfavorably to the Senate budget proposal calling it "unsustainable."  The current fiscal year ends on June 30.  The House is expected to vote on a budget bill as early as June 4.

On May 8, the House Education Committee approved the following bills:

Senate Bill 157 (Sen. Fontana, D-42) would establish a task force on homeless education within the Department of Education and would require it to study the homeless children population and their educational needs.  Under SB 157, the taskforce would be required to make a report of its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly within one year of its first meeting and periodic reports every three years thereafter.

House Bill 2319 (Rep. Evankovich, R-54) would allow career and technical schools to act as educational improvement organizations for the purposes of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC).

Senate Bill 1296 (Sen. Piccola, R-15) wouldamend the Public School Code regarding superintendent and assistant superintendent contracts for all school districts in Pennsylvania, including school districts of the first class.  The bill would require all initial superintendent and assistant superintendent contracts be for a period of not more than three years (but grandfathering existing superintendent and assistant superintendent contracts).  SB 1296 would set new requirements for the content of the contracts and subjects them to the Right-to-Know Law.  Contracts shall include expected duties, the terms of employment, buy-out, and termination provisions, and may include performance criteria as agreed-to by the school board and the superintendent or assistant superintendent.  SB 1296 would also limit the amount of severance compensation a superintendent or assistant superintendent is entitled to if terminated prior to the expiration of the contract.  The bill was amended in Committee to allow an individual who holds a graduate degree from an accredited higher education institution in "management" or has earned a juris doctorate degree from an accredited law and has at least four years of relevant experience in those fields to become a superintendent or assistant superintendent.

SB 157, HB 2319, and SB 1296 await further consideration by the House of Representatives.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

On May 10, the State Board of Education approved proposed changes to Chapter 4 (Academic Standards and Assessment) regulations which modify the current Keystone Exams, which are end-of-course tests that will be required for high school graduation.  The proposed changes to Chapter 4 call for five Keystone Exams to be phased in gradually.  The graduating class of 2017 would need to be proficient in Algebra I, Biology, and English Language Arts (Literature).  A Keystone exam in composition is slated for the Class of 2019 and a Keystone exam for civics and government would be added in 2020.  Contingent upon funding from the General Assembly, five other exams would be developed that districts could use on a voluntary basis in the content areas of geometry, U.S. history, algebra 2, chemistry, and world history.  The proposed regulations also add the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Mathematics, Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects as an appendix to the state's academic standards.

EPLC Education Notebook is published by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC).  Permission to reprint or electronically redistribute the Notebook in whole or in part is granted provided attribution to EPLC is provided.  The Education Policy and Leadership Center is an independent, non-partisan and not-for-profit organization.  The Mission of the Education Policy and Leadership Center is to encourage and support the development and implementation of effective state-level education policies to improve student learning in grades P-12, increase the effective operation of schools, and enhance educational opportunities for citizens of all ages.