Lehigh Times

Gov. Tom Wolf met with school officials and educational figures from Pennsylvania in Allentown on Monday where he spoke about his commitment to Pennsylvania and highlighted programs such as Level Up.

According to a March 7 release, Level Up was introduced last year by Rep. Mike Schlossberg (D-132nd) and was funded in last year’s budget. The program provided $100 million in equity supplements to the 100 most underfunded schools in Pennsylvania. This year’s proposed budget includes $300 million for children to receive an equitable education, tripling the amount. Schlossberg praised how the project has helped students of all ages.

“Every student in Pennsylvania deserves access to world-class education in their neighborhood, regardless of zip code. Level-Up offers Pennsylvania’s most economically distressed districts access to the resources they need to make that possible,” Schlossberg said. “Thanks to Governor Wolf, Pennsylvania took the first steps to implementing Level Up last year. Now we need to take it to the next level. I am proud to stand with Governor Wolf to see that through.”

Wolf said his administration’s investments in education are historic and that it has helped ensure a better future for children and the state. He added that this must be done with fiscally sound management.

“Through these ongoing efforts, we are setting up a Pennsylvania where all students receive a top tier education, where local taxpayers aren’t shouldering the bulk of the responsibility for funding schools, and where all Pennsylvanians have an opportunity to succeed,” Wolf said.

This year’s proposed budget includes $70 million for Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance; $1.25 billion in basic education funding, bringing the total going through the Fair Funding Formula to more than $2 billion which is 26.5% off the state funding; $300 million increase for Level Up; a $200 million increase for Special Education and $125 million for higher education. This amounts to a generational investment of $1.9 billion for pre-K through college.

Wolf has secured $1.8 billion in funding for pre-K through college over the past seven years including $1.1 billion for basic education, $190 million for special education and $40 million for career and technical education.

Wolf was joined by Allentown School District Superintendent Dr. John D. Stanford, School Board President Nancy Wilt, Dr. Karen Beck of the Bethlehem Area School Board and Rep. Peter Schweyer (D-22nd) who is also a parent of a student at Allentown.

“As an Allentown School District dad, there are two things I see every day – smart and talented kids and a school district that struggles with too few teachers and resources,” Schweyer said. “Level Up is the solution we need to make sure that these talented students have the resources they need to achieve their full potential.”