As days drag on with no budget in sight, Pennsylvania educators gathered on a press call Tuesday to highlight the dire consequences of the continued stalemate among legislators in Harrisburg.
The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry recently reported that as the budget impasse has now stretched beyond 100 days, Pennsylvania remains the only state in the nation without a budget.
“As a result (of the impasse) public schools are more than $3 billion short on critical state funding that is needed to operate and educate our students,” said Sherry Smith, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA).
Educators and public school district officials face tough decisions about whether or not to draw down fund balances (a school district’s savings account) or borrow money and pay interest on the borrowing; reduce or shutter programs, delay staff hiring or pause plans for needed building repairs and maintenance.
Kids are ultimately caught in the crosshairs.
“As we near the four month mark without a state budget, the consequences are no longer looming – they are here,” said Brad Whitman, executive director at Northwest Tri-County IU5, which serves Erie, Crawford and Warren counties in western PA.
Smith was joined on Tuesday’s virtual press conference by executive leaders from PSBA, Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, (PASBO,) PA Principals Association, Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA,) Pennsylvania Association of Career & Technical Administrators (PACTA) and Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools (PARSS).
The goal was to highlight the impact and potentially disastrous results of the continued Harrisburg deadlock between Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Republican-controlled state Senate.
Smith said while the funds are locked in state bank accounts – and earning interest for the commonwealth – local school districts face tough decisions: from holding staff positions open to delaying facilities repairs or improvements.
Christopher Dormer, superintendent at Norristown Area School District in Montgomery County said superintendents, school administrators and leaders across Pennsylvania’s 500 public school districts come to work every day amid growing uncertainty.
“Here in Norristown, we are still owed more than $43 million in new state funding, including $7 million promised as part of this year’s budget,” Dormer said.
He said across the commonwealth, school boards “did our part and passed our budgets on time this year. Meanwhile the state budget, which includes billions of dollars for school districts, remains incomplete.”
READ: Pennsylvania’s Budget Impasse Causes Funding Headaches for Public School Administrators
And while legislators wrangle at the state capitol over this year’s budget, school district business managers and administrators will begin the job of creating preliminary budgets for the next budget cycle (2026/27), which for many has already started.
“Each day without a budget pushes us closer to program cuts, staff reductions and disruptive services,” Whitman said.
According to Whitman, many educators are “spending way too much time on cash flow” instead of focusing on the needs of students.
Sabrina Backer, president of Franklin Area School District school board and president-elect of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association said many school districts are taking out short-term loans “that will have long-term consequences, including interest rate costs that divert funds from both current and future student programs.”
Backer called on legislators to vote on no or low interest bridge loans as well as releasing funds currently earmarked for school operations.
On October 8, PA Senate Bill 1040 to waive interest for bridge loans provided to school districts during the current budget stalemate passed by a 29 to 20 vote.
The legislation now heads to the PA House for its vote.
“We’re doing everything we can to stretch every dollar, but we need our commonwealth leaders to do their part,” Backer said.
Hopewell Area School District in Beaver County receives about 48.6% of its $49 million budget from state funding, according to Hopewell High School Principal Rob Kartychak.
“Students are already being impacted with open positions district-wide, reduced technology that supports and enhances instruction and facilities upgrades,” Kartychak said.
Mike Rawlins, a teacher and president of the Hollidaysburg Area Education Association in Blair County said the district was holding payments to charter schools, other vendors and seriously looking at other cuts.
“The commonwealth should not be expecting school districts to take out loans to pay for funding basic education,” Rawlins said.
