Education
Our education system is the way that we collectively pitch in to prepare of our children and young people for a productive work life and to contribute to society. We prepare them, so that we can all benefit from their creativity, productivity, and maximized potential. But educating children takes a well-trained and committed workforce, financial resources, parental and community engagement, a healthy educational environment, and children that are ready for schooling.
Additionally, our higher education system, including universities, community colleges, and technical schools prepare or retrain individuals for the next stage in their lives. We must make higher education accessible, affordable, and useful for people that want to take advantage of the great resources that the Commonwealth has to offer.

Make a Commitment to Fund Schools at the State Level
Pennsylvania’s constitution requires that, “The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.” This is not a requirement that the Legislature is fulfilling. While the Senate Democrats have prioritized education funding and made great strides at increases, we still have not achieved the goal of funding public education by 50% at the state level. We must do more.

Make Higher Ed Accessible
Higher Education has become integral in today’s high-tech, internationally competitive
workplace. However, Pennsylvania now has the 2nd highest student tuition debt among the states, indicating a system that is costly and prohibitive to enter. We must to more to make our community colleges and state system of higher education more affordable so that everyone that wants to continue their education past high school has an opportunity to do so.

Ensure that Children are Prepared for School
Early childhood education and pre-K, after school and tutoring programs, nutrition and health supports, among other social services provide an important source of assistance to make sure that children are not just in the classroom, but ready to learn.

Public School Building Emergency Repair and Renovation
Most Pennsylvania public school buildings were built between 1950 and 1959; there are more than 200 Pennsylvania public school buildings built before 1950. Nearly half of those old buildings house students in the School District of Philadelphia, where $170 million in facility upgrades alone are required. The systems within those buildings — heating, cooling, lighting, electrical, etc. — are broken, inefficient and in desperate need of replacement. We need to provide state funding to remediate the dangerous conditions threatening the health and safety of our children and school personnel.

Expand Career and Technical Training
CTE courses give students the academic, technical and employability skills needed for postsecondary and workplace success. A CTE background can lead to fulfilling careers that provide a great source of income. Careers in health sciences, business, marketing, information technology, STEM, among many others can be rewarding and lead to very successful vocations.

Prevent High-stakes Graduation Assessments and Reform our Testing System
Assessments are a necessary part of the education system to track proficiency and growth of students, teachers, and schools. But testing has taken on a life of its own and become a source of distraction and stress for students and teachers and syphoning off valuable time in the classroom. We must come up with a system of testing that captures the information necessary to provide the data we need while not undermining the quality of education our children receive.

Reform Charter Schools
Charter and cyber charter schools are now an integral and embedded part of our state and
local education system. However, we can improve their performance, hold them more accountable educationally and financially, and prevent them from undermining our traditional public schools. We must address comprehensive charter school reform to address all three of these goals.

Provide Assistance to Struggling Schools
Pennsylvania has school districts and buildings that are in trouble and the
only source of immediate assistance has to come from the State. Whether it’s financial, educational, or both, we must create diagnostic programs to identity problems within schools and customize solutions to improve administrative, instructional, and learning performance.

Provide Our Children with the Tools to Maximize Their Potential
Strategic investments in programs that will provide our children with the resources necessary to help ensure a bright future must be a priority. Funding a statewide summer reading pilot program to ensure children read at grade level, establishing mentoring programs for kids as they transition from middle school to high school, and providing state resources for after-school programs focused on areas such as STEM education are all actions we can take to help our kids maximize their potential and lay the foundation for future success.

Retain Highly Skilled and Experienced Educators
Teachers are the backbone of our education system. For children, teachers are their earliest mentors, provide essential life tools throughout the education experience, and prepare them for the next stages in life. We must protect their profession from vicious and unfair ideological attacks and provide them with safe working conditions, reasonable compensation and benefits (including setting a new floor for teacher salaries at $45,000 per year), and ongoing professional development opportunities so that they remain on the cutting edge of their practice.
Our Members at Work
Senator Lindsey M. Williams Co-Hosts Hearing on COVID Impact on Local Districts, Parents, Students, and Educators
Pittsburgh, PA − March 3, 2021 − Today, Senator Lindsey M. Williams co-chaired a Joint Committee Hearing of the Senate Education Committee and Senate Health and Human Services Committee focused on the impacts that COVID-19 has had on education over the past year. The...
Senator Collett Urges Governor Wolf to Restore Funding to Struggling Early Childhood Education Providers
Harrisburg, Pa. - December 22, 2020 — Yesterday, Senator Maria Collett (D-12 Montgomery/Bucks), in collaboration with Public Citizens for Children & Youth (PCCY) and the Pennsylvania Women’s Health Caucus, asked Governor Wolf and the Administration to resume their...
Senator Hughes praises the University of Pennsylvania’s $100 million pledge to address facilities needs in Philadelphia schools
Philadelphia, PA − November 17, 2020 − State Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) issued the following statement after the University of Pennsylvania announced its $100 million pledge to the School District of Philadelphia for remediation of...
Senate Committee Unanimously Advances Tartaglione-Costa Legislation to Fund PA Higher Education Institutions
Philadelphia, PA – September 9, 2020 − The Pennsylvania Senate Appropriations Committee today advanced legislation sponsored by State Senator Christine Tartaglione and Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa that would allocate $130 million in federal CARES Act funding to help higher education institutions in the Commonwealth manage financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Democratic PHEAA Board Members Tout $30 Million In Cares Act Funding For PHEAA Grants
HARRISBURG — June 5, 2020 — State Senators Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny), Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery), John Blake (D-Lackawanna), and Art Haywood (D-Montgomery/Philadelphia touted the $30 million in funding the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus was...
Dinniman Remarks on School Code Education Bill
WEST CHESTER (March 25, 2020) -- State Senator Andy Dinniman, Minority chair of the Senate Education Committee, made the following statement today, March 25, on Senate Bill 751 (The School Code Bill). The first three paragraphs were presented on the Senate floor:...
Senator Tartaglione Issues Statement Regarding New Reports of Asbestos Hazards at Two Philadelphia Schools
Philadelphia, PA – January 17, 2020 – State Senator Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia) issued the following statement regarding the School District of Philadelphia’s response to asbestos contamination at Alexander McClure Elementary School and at Francis Hopkinson...
Sen. Hughes urges Gov. Wolf to immediately direct state funds to address chronically underfunded public school infrastructure
PHILADELPHIA – December 20, 2019 – Following the fifth and sixth closures of Philadelphia schools as a result of health hazards, State Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) called on Gov. Tom Wolf to direct state funding to address the issue of chronic...
Sen. Kearney Announces $250,000 to Support Early Childhood Education at DCCC
SPRINGFIELD (October 31, 2019) – Sen. Tim Kearney (D – Delaware, Chester) today announced that Delaware County Community College (DCCC) will receive $250,000 from the Preschool Development Grant program. This funding will support the development of a statewide model...
Sen. Hughes touts Act 76, which brings innovation to Pa. schools by changing “vocational-technical schools” to “career and technical schools”
HARRISBURG – October 30, 2019 – State Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) praised Act 76 of 2019, which expands access to career and technical education and workforce development opportunities and takes the important step of changing...
Dinniman Shares Results of Study on Delayed School Start Times
HARRISBURG (October 17, 2019) – State Senator Andy Dinniman shared today the results of a comprehensive sleep study advocating for the delay of secondary school start times. The study was conducted by a special Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission...
Senator Iovino To Introduce Legislation To Improve PA School Safety By Restoring School Police Officer Authority
Harrisburg, PA – October 8, 2019 − Today, Pennsylvania State Senator Pam Iovino (D - Allegheny & Washington) expressed her intention to introduce legislation that would make Pennsylvania schools safer by restoring arrest, detention, and citation powers to school...
Senator Lindsey M. Williams Announces Appointment to the Public Higher Education Funding Commission
Pittsburgh, Pa. – August 20, 2019 – Senator Lindsey M. Williams announced her appointment to the Public Higher Education Funding Commission on the recommendation of Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) earlier this month. This Commission was created as a...
Brewster Welcomes Gov. Wolf’s Charter Reform Initiative
Harrisburg – August 15, 2019 – State Sen. Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny/Westmoreland) said today that he welcomed Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to change Pennsylvania’s charter school law and institute reforms through administrative action. “The governor has...
Sen. Hughes joins Gov. Wolf at announcement for $4.3 million to improve conditions at Philadelphia school buildings
PHILADELPHIA – July 31, 2019 – Governor Tom Wolf is providing $4.3 million in state funding for lead paint stabilization at Philadelphia school buildings. The governor was joined by members of Philadelphia’s legislative delegation, School District of...
Muth: Norristown Elementary Schools Awarded Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Grants
ROYERSFORD – July 16, 2019 – Sen. Katie Muth (D-Berks, Chester, Montgomery) announced that local elementary schools have been awarded grant funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) to provide healthier food choices...
Brewster: Grants Awarded to Local Elementary Schools to Fund Fresh Food Programs
MCKEESPORT - July 15, 2019 - Today, Senator Jim Brewster announced the award of federal grants to local elementary schools to fund healthy, fresh food programs for students. “It is important to make healthy food accessible to students so they are nourished and...
Farnese Announces Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for Schools Grants
PHILADELPHIA - July 15, 2019 – Sen. Larry Farnese (D- Philadelphia) announced today the award of almost $100, 000 in federal grants to local elementary schools to fund healthy, fresh food programs for students. “Providing nutritious meals to students allows them to be...
Sen. Hughes applauds $120K in Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grants for Schools
PHILADELPHIA - July 15, 2019 - State Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) praised more than $120,000 in grants to help provide fresh fruits and vegetables to students in the 7th Senatorial District during the school day. Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration...
Dinniman: Applications Now Available for New Low-Cost Student Loan Program
HARRISBURG - June 27, 2019 – State Senator Andy Dinniman announced that applications are now available for the new PA Forward Student Loan Program. The PA Forward Student Loan Program provides low-cost, alternative student loans for undergraduate and...