NEPA Schools Could See $29M Boost in Budget

February 10, 2010

School districts in Northeast Pennsylvania would see their basic education funding increase by $29 million in 2010-11 under the governor’s proposed budget.

The 7.8 percent increase is par t of a statewide increase of $354.8 million in basic education funding. Gov. Ed Rendell proposed an overall increase of 4.16 percent for education funding.

The $11.8 billion education budget includes the third year of implementing the state funding formula that increases the state’s share of education funding and aids school districts that have the highest local tax levels. The formula is based on how much should be necessary to educate a student.

Districts in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties will see increases of between 2 percent and 17.3 percent in basic education funding.

Dunmore, which traditionally has had a low per-pupil cost, will see an increase of 16 percent. "The governor has been very, very good to education in his term," Superintendent Richard McDonald said.

Scranton’s proposed increase is 8.4 percent. "We’ve been fortunate under this governor," Superintendent William King said. "If he’s successful in getting this budget passed, the students in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania are going to be fortunate."

Other budget highlights:

– An allocation of $3.85 million for Commonwealth Medical College, the same amount that is in the 2009-10 budget, after the allocation was decreased by $150,000 earlier this year.

– Special-education funding would see no increase.

– The Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf would receive $2.6 million to continue the transition to private ownership of the former Scranton State School for the Deaf.

– The state’s early education program, Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, would receive $85.9 million, a $475,000 decrease from this year.

– The state is pushing for a state health care program for teachers, which officials say would ease the burden on districts. According to the state, $1 of every $6 in property taxes is spent on school employees’ health insurance.