{"id":19193,"date":"2025-11-21T10:45:27","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T15:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/?p=19193"},"modified":"2025-11-21T10:45:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T15:45:27","slug":"pennsylvania-2025%e2%80%9126-schools-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/news-blog\/pennsylvania-2025%e2%80%9126-schools-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania\u2019s 2025\u201126 Budget Is Finally Law: What K\u201112 Leaders Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has reached resolution on a long\u2011delayed budget. On November\u202f12,\u202f2025, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pa.gov\/governor\/newsroom\/2025-press-releases\/gov-shapiro-signs-2025-26-budget-into-law\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the FY\u202f2025\u201126 budget<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into law, a balanced plan of about <\/span><b>$50.1\u202fbillion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For K\u201112 <a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/schools-districts\/pennsylvania\/elementary-school\/\">schools and districts in Pennsylvania<\/a>, the budget brings welcome clarity, yet the delay itself presents real instructional and operational implications.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What\u2019s in the Budget for K\u201112 Education<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are the key education provisions that matter for schools and districts:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The budget increases overall education funding by more than <\/span><b>$900 million<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>$565 million increase<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in public school adequacy funding (intended to ensure all districts have the resources to meet students\u2019 needs).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>$105 million increase <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for Basic Education Funding (BEF).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>$40 million increase<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Special Education funding.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additional investments include:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>$125 million for school infrastructure improvements<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including $25 million for the Solar for Schools program.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Universal free breakfast<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for approximately 1.7 million students and free lunch for about 22,000 additional eligible students in the 2024\u201125 year, with plans to continue.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><b>$100 million annual fund<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for K\u201112 school safety and mental health grants.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cyber charter reform: Estimated <\/span><b>$175 million in statewide district savings <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">due to changes in the cyber charter tuition reimbursement model.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Why the Budget Took So Long<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important for educators to understand the context of the delay, which impacted district planning, hiring, program implementation, and vendor contracts.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The budget was more than<\/span><b> four months late<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, lasting over 130 days past the June 30 fiscal year deadline.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key issues included:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Divided government: Democrats, led by the governor\u2019s office and the House, emphasized increased investment in education, social services, and addressing funding inequities. Senate Republicans resisted new recurring spending and sought policy concessions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Policy entanglements: Broader issues like regulatory rollbacks and tax policy held up negotiations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For schools, this meant making decisions without knowing when state subsidies would arrive. Many districts had to borrow funds, delay hiring, postpone programs, or hold off on purchase orders.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Implications for Instruction, Assessments &amp; School Planning<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From an instructional perspective \u2014 particularly for assessments, remediation, <a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/our-products\/liftoff-adaptive-intervention-2-8\/\">intervention<\/a> and monitoring \u2014 there are several take\u2011aways:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Stability to move forward<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: With funding now confirmed, districts can confidently proceed with assessments, progress monitoring, remediation programs, and intervention systems that may have been delayed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Greater capacity for targeted assessment and intervention<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Increased adequacy and special education funding gives districts the flexibility to invest in high-quality assessment tools, data-driven remediation, individualized study plans, and consistent monitoring. These align closely with Progress Learning\u2019s offerings.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Opportunity to revisit vendor contracts or assessment platform adoption<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Many districts paused decisions during the impasse. Now is an opportune time to consider systems that provide formative and summative assessments, progress dashboards, and remediation tools.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Linking state funding to instructional accountability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Additional funding may bring higher expectations. Districts could face pressure to show student growth, especially under adequacy and equity mandates. Assessment systems that provide actionable insights will be essential.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Addressing gaps created by the delay<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Program rollout and staffing disruptions caused by the impasse should be identified and addressed. This is the moment to deploy assessments and targeted remediation to catch students who may have fallen behind.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Infrastructure and technology support<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: New infrastructure funding may free up local dollars for instructional technology, including assessment platforms, adaptive intervention tools, and reporting systems.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Cyber charter savings may create local opportunities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The $175 million in district savings presents a chance to reinvest in instructional improvements and expand assessment and intervention capacity.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>For Our Partners in Pennsylvania Districts and Schools<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This budget underscores the importance of strong assessment and intervention ecosystems. With new funding available, districts have the opportunity to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Invest in tools that support <a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/solutions\/assessment-tool-for-teachers\/\">formative and summative assessments<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/solutions\/independent-practice-tool\/\">individualized study plans<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/solutions\/progress-monitoring-tools\/\">progress dashboards<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/solutions\/online-remediation-platform\/\">remediation pathways<\/a> \u2014 all core strengths of Progress Learning.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implement flexible, scalable systems that identify learning gaps, monitor student growth, and personalize learning. Progress Learning offers a 200,000+ item bank, custom assessment builder, click-to-remediation workflows, and comprehensive reporting.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Align solutions with Pennsylvania\u2019s priorities: Our platform supports equity and adequacy goals with rigorous, standards-aligned content. Our flat-rate campus pricing provides budgeting flexibility, even during uncertain times.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plan proactively for the rest of the school year. The budget delay may require \u201ccatch-up\u201d strategies. Districts can start leveraging this new investment immediately to support student progress.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pennsylvania\u2019s 2025\u201126 budget may have arrived late, but it delivers meaningful new resources to K\u201112 education. For districts committed to mastering state standards and accelerating student growth, this is the moment to align assessment strategies, monitor progress, and invest in targeted remediation. With Progress Learning, districts can ensure these investments translate into real student success.<\/span><\/p>\n<script charset=\"utf-8\" type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/js.hsforms.net\/forms\/embed\/v2.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  hbspt.forms.create({\r\n    region: \"na1\",\r\n    portalId: \"23272034\",\r\n    formId: \"3bd16ddb-4120-40f2-ae04-334b789b41ff\"\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has reached resolution on a long\u2011delayed budget. On November\u202f12,\u202f2025, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the FY\u202f2025\u201126 budget into law, a balanced plan of about $50.1\u202fbillion. For K\u201112 schools and districts in Pennsylvania, the budget brings welcome clarity, yet the delay itself presents real instructional and operational implications. What\u2019s in the Budget for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":19195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"\ud83d\udce2 Pennsylvania\u2019s 2025\u201326 K\u201312 budget is finally signed. \ud83d\udcb0 With major funding increases and new support for intervention and assessments, district leaders can plan ahead with confidence. \ud83d\udcca\ud83d\udcda #PAed #EdPolicy","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[314],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pennsylvania"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Blog-PAs-2025\u201026-Budget-Is-Finally-Law.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19193"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19197,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19193\/revisions\/19197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progresslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}