Education spending is often among the most heated debates in the state Capitol as lawmakers negotiate Pennsylvania’s state budget.
But conversations were civil on Thursday when Education Secretary Carrie Rowe appeared before a panel of Senators to take questions about Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed spending plan for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
Education is the second-highest expense in Pennsylvania, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the state’s roughly $50 billion budget. Shapiro, a Democrat seeking a second term this year, is urging lawmakers to raise education spending on many fronts.
Thursday’s panel wrapped up weeks of budget hearings held in the Senate to analyze Shapiro’s budget. Rowe spoke about a wide range of education-related topics under her vast department.
Here are some important takeaways.
Banning cell phones in schools
Rowe told lawmakers on Thursday that her office is in the early stages of preparing ways to help schools adopt a bell-to-bell, no-cell-phone policy for students in a “step-by-step” manner.
Those suggestions, Rowe said, depend on how specific the legislation is.
“Can they have it with them, but not on? Does it have to be in a particular bag? Is it need to be kept at the office? Can they have it on the bus? If they have it on the bus, could it be on?” Rowe speculated. “A lot of those questions, I would anticipate.”
Lawmakers predict they’ll pass such legislation this year, after the statewide teachers’ union flipped its longtime opposition to the policy and now supports its adoption.
Shapiro threw his weight behind the policy during his budget address on February 3. Later that day, the Senate passed a bipartisan cell-phone ban bill, led by Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Allegheny, in a near-unanimous vote.
Robinson’s proposal would leave many logistical questions, including where the devices would be stored, up to individual school districts to adopt in their own internal policies.
The legislation sits in the House Education Committee, which has not yet scheduled a vote. The House’s next voting session is scheduled for March 23.
Improving literacy
Lawmakers from both parties asked Rowe what her department is doing to improve a post-COVID drop in literacy rates among students, and what the General Assembly can do to support those efforts.
Senate Education Committee Chair Lynda Schlegel Culver, R-Northumberland, said she was concerned Shapiro’s budget did not include specific funding increases to aid school districts in adopting structured literacy programs, which the state mandated they do by the 2027-28 school year with $10 million in last year’s state budget.
“We’re talking about coaching for teachers so that when they are implementing structured literacy, and they have questions, they have experts that are present,” Rowe said.
Rowe noted she isn’t certain which funds can be allocated by the Legislature to improve implementation of the structured literacy curriculum, which involves teaching students phonics and phonemic awareness with science-based materials.
Districts will be required to report to the Department of Education how many students were identified — through individual screenings in kindergarten through 3rd grade — as having a reading deficiency, as well as the number of teachers trained in literacy professional development.
Funding for K-12 schools
Pennsylvania’s adequacy funding formula dishes out additional education money to certain school districts. It was adopted in response to a landmark 2023 ruling in the Commonwealth Court declaring the state unconstitutionally funded its public schools by underfunding low-income school districts.
Republicans have since raised concerns that the formula is giving additional money to schools with declining enrollment numbers. There is perhaps no louder voice in raising those questions than Appropriations Chair Scott Martin, R-Lancaster.
“I think there is a better way we can achieve that word ‘equity,’ ” Martin said after discussing broad changes to Pennsylvania’s education funding scheme, like suggesting funds go directly to students from low-income families.
Rowe did not respond to Martin’s comments. But earlier in the hearing, she said the more than $1 billion given has largely been used to buy learning materials, reduce class sizes, and expand career education programs to middle school students.
Democrats have said the adequacy funding formula is necessary to rectify the funding gap. Among Democrats’ other priorities is raising funds specifically for improving infrastructure projects.
Sen. Vincent Hughes, D-Philadelphia, said some of the school buildings in his district were built up to 100 years ago and were intended for larger class sizes. These issues have sparked the Philadelphia school district to consider closing as many as 20 buildings.
“These are not pretty problems,” Hughes said. “These are lead, these are asbestos, these are infestation problems.”
Shapiro’s budget proposal would maintain level funding for $125 million for school improvement projects included in last year’s budget. And, as Rowe pointed out, Shapiro pitched a $1 billion bond program to raise funds for a broad number of projects, including some school facility improvements — though that proposal drew heavy skepticism from Republican lawmakers.
Fraud, waste, abuse
Martin said among his biggest concerns in state-backed early childhood development programs is that organizers may intentionally under-enroll their classes to use state money to support other aspects of their organization.
“There’s been national news about widespread allegations of fraud in childcare programs related to attendance, related to payment of services,” Martin said.
Rowe and the other top Education Department officials said there is an active investigation into Bright Futures Learning Center, after they referred the case to the office of the Inspector General and the Attorney General.
The education officials refrained from answering many questions about the investigation to avoid jeopardizing it.
“We recognize where there have been historic problems and we have a process in place to deal with the providers that are under-enrolling,” Rower said. “They know what is expected of them. And when they are not meeting that mark, we are taking the steps to reallocate.”