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Pennsylvania
Pa. schools would get billions more under Democratic plan passed by state House
The measure also would impose a range of new regulations on cyber-charter schools, including public disclosure requirements for budgets, taxes and reports to the state Education Department. Public schools’ payments per student to cyber-charter schools would be capped at $8,000 a year for those not in special education, a change projected to save public school districts hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Cyber-charter schools are independent public schools that offer classes through electronic means, typically over the internet.
Rep. Bryan Cutler, the Republican floor leader from Lancaster County, called the bill a massive shift in educational priorities that would hurt school choice options.
“Until we fix some of the systemic problems, more money alone will do little for students stuck in schools in crisis,” Cutler said.
It’s unclear whether these policies, drawn from the Basic Education Funding Commission’s report, will survive budget negotiations with the Republican-controlled state Senate. The commission report in January was approved 8-7, with all Republicans and one Democrat opposed.
Republican legislative leaders have called for districts to instead focus on making instructional changes that could boost student achievement.
“More money and a lot of it over the last decade or more has not enhanced student outcomes,” said Rep. Joe D’Orsie, R-York.
Supporters of a major boost in K-12 spending are hoping the time is right, thanks to a projected $14 billion state surplus available and the recent memory of a major court decision last year that found Pennsylvania’s system of funding public schools violates the constitutional rights of students in poorer districts. The state budget is due in three weeks.
School districts considered to be underfunded in Pennsylvania are often faster growing, disproportionately poor or with a student body that has a significant number of minority students. The result can be larger class sizes, underqualified teachers and outdated buildings, textbooks, technology and curriculum.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in the annual budget address in February backed a $1.1 billion increase in public school operations and instruction, a 14% increase, with much of it concentrated among the largest and poorer districts — including many with significant numbers of minority students.
Bright Lights is back in WellSpan Park
York Revolution’s Bright Nights opens Thursday, Nov. 20 and runs Thursday thru Sunday until Dec. 28.
The state Department of Human Services’ Holiday Wish Program got a boost after the donation of more than 1,000 stuffed toys.
Those stuffed toys are samples of those for sale in Pennsylvania that were deemed safe for children this past year by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry following routine safety inspections.
The samples are accumulated by the department throughout the year and then marked for distribution through the state Department of Human Services’ Holiday Wish Program.
“This annual tradition reminds us of what public service is truly about: protecting people’s safety while spreading hope and joy to families across Pennsylvania,” said Labor and Industry Secretary Nancy A. Walker. “In times that can feel especially heavy, small acts of generosity can make a big difference.”
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Under state law, Labor and Industry’s Bureau of Occupational and Industrial Safety must inspect all new stuffed toy samples for contents, choking hazards, and general safety.
Toys that pass inspection get a registration number, which is on every stuffed toy sold in the commonwealth.
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Through this process, Labor and Industry accumulates hundreds of toy samples each year. This year, the department delivered a record 1,085 stuffed toys to the Department of Human Services DHS for its Holiday Wish program — a 45 percent increase from last year’s 749 donated.
Of the donated toys, more than 50 are made of recycled materials. Last year, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an updated Stuffed Toy Manufacturing Act, eliminating a long-standing ban on using recycled materials in stuffed toys sold in the commonwealth.
Started in 1989 by Department of Human Services employees, the Holiday Wish program has grown to include hundreds of employees in various state agencies, allowing the program to reach thousands of individuals in need around Pennsylvania during the holiday season.
The Pennsylvania Departments of Labor & Industry and Human Services celebrated the start of the 2025 holiday season with the annual donation of stuffed toys collected throughout the year by Labor and Industry during routine safety inspections.
CORNWALL, Pa. (WHTM) — A stretch of highway in Lebanon County is closed at this hour for a fatal crash.
U.S. Route 322 between the Pennsylvania Route 72 interchange and Pennsylvania Route 501 is closed, according to 511PA.
According to a PennDOT spokesperson, an SUV and tanker truck collided head-on.
At least one person was killed, the spokesperson said.
Five-hundred gallons of fuel spilled and will take time to clean up, PennDOT said.
The closure is expected to last until at least 8:30 p.m., according to 511PA.
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