PennLive: Wolf, lawmakers must fund pre-K education in the #PaBudget: Another View
February 9, 2016
By The Pre-K for Pa. Coalition
A curtain raiser to the always eagerly anticipated details in the Governor’s budget address revealed that Gov. Tom Wolf remains committed to make high-quality pre-k available to more kids.
What it didn’t reveal is how to muster the political will to generate necessary new revenue to balance the budget and invest in programs to improve the long-term viability of our state like high quality pre-k education.
Wolf’s proposed multi-year commitment capitalizes on the significant new $30 million investment in pre-k already adopted by the Legislature in the budget passed at the end of December making it possible for over 6,000 children to enroll in pre-k for the remainder of this school year.
Wolf and members of the legislature should also capitalize on the energy of a diverse collection of stakeholders by kicking off the next round of budget discussions with an ambitious investment that keeps us on track to serve all at-risk kids by 2019.
In PennLive’s coverage of the Governor’s pre-k proposal, state Capitol reporter Jan Murphy wrote that “when it comes to preschool, Republican and Democratic lawmakers stand in unison in their support of providing more funding and consider it a wise investment. It also has the support from children’s advocacy groups, district attorneys and military leaders.”
She’s right.
An increasingly broad call for public investment in pre-k from Pennsylvanians of all walks of life is being fueled by the research that demonstrates that 90 percent of brain development occurs before age five.
In the extremely polarized political atmosphere in America, Pennsylvania is poised to make history because uncommon alliances are backing measures to help every child start school ready to learn.
Across the commonwealth, decorated generals and admirals are publicly touting their pre-k support because students who attend high-quality pre-k will someday be entrusted and be more prepared to accept the call to military service. CEO’s are turning up the volume of their call for pre-k because it is an efficient means of helping our state build a more prepared workforce.
District attorneys are arguing for increased access to pre-k because doing so is proven to decrease the chances that a youngster ends up in the courthouse.
This impressive cross section of Pennsylvanians is advancing pre-k because of the evidence that it’s our best shot to significantly increase the share of children who succeed in school, to cut costs for government services, and to support our state’s future economic growth.
The Pre-K for PA coalition, with its 14,000 supporters, believes that the opportunity afforded to young children through pre-k is essential to Pennsylvania’s long-term viability and is actively working to ensure that state revenues are available to balance the state budget and to invest—at a minimum—the Governor’s proposed $90 million increase for this and next fiscal year.
A bold bipartisan push for something as important as access to pre-k has the potential to significantly boost public confidence in our political process.
It would be a welcome shift away from the divisive discourse that focuses solely on political, social or ideological labels.
It’s time to get together on new ways to support investments that help grow the commonwealth.
It’s time to get behind pre-k, which speaks to Pennsylvanians and unite the many proud constituencies of our state who know our future is dependent on all kids entering school ready to learn.
The Pre-K for Pa Coalition is: Jodi Askins, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children; Joan Benso, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children; Cara Ciminillo, Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children; Donna Cooper, Public Citizen’s for Children and Youth; Bruce Clash, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids; Steve Doster, Mission Readiness – Military Leaders for Kids; Kevin Dow, United Way of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey; Blair Hyatt, Pennsylvania Head Start Association; Sharon Easterling, Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children, and Steve Wray, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia
See the Op-ed here.
Early Learning Advocates Urge Bi-partisan Support of 2016-17 Investment Proposal
HARRISBURG (Feb. 9, 2016)— The Pre-K for PA campaign, along with the Early Learning PA (ELPA) coalition, lauded Gov. Tom Wolf’s continued commitment to expanding access to pre-k in Pennsylvania after he announced a $120 million multi-year investment in his 2016-17 budget address today, which includes the new $30 million, six-month appropriation enacted last December.
The principal partners of the Pre-K for PA and Early Learning PA issued the following statement regarding this budget proposal:
“Given the dire state of the commonwealth’s finances, it’s especially important to note that Gov. Wolf remains committed to make high-quality child care, home visiting and pre-k available to more kids. It’s clear that he and many legislators understand that we must play the long game and invest in kids while addressing the short game by balancing the state budget.”
“Support for expanded access to pre-k and other early learning investments such as Child Care Works and evidence-based home visiting has become a bipartisan priority that has generated enormous energy among a diverse collection of stakeholders across the commonwealth. ELPA and Pre-K for PA urge the governor and legislature to kick off this next round of budget discussions by coming together behind a budget agreement that generates enough revenue to balance the budget and makes continued progress on substantial investments in child care, home visiting and pre-k that ensure our kids will enter school ready to learn. These public investments reap strong returns that strengthen our commonwealth.”
Governor Wolf’s budget proposal included:
- $120 million in additional funding over two years for high-quality pre-k, which includes the $30 million in new funding already enacted for the second half of the current school year. If realized, Pennsylvania’s investment will rise to $197.284 million in Pre-K Counts and $59.178 million in the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program in FY 2016-17.
- An additional $10 million investment in evidence-based home visiting programs that would support 1,900 higher risk, low-income children and their parents.
- Investing $12 million more in child care subsidy funding making it possible for up to 2,247 kids currently on state waiting lists to enroll in a child care program.
The groups expressed their disappointment that the governor’s early childhood education proposal did not include an effort to improve the rate structure for programs serving children in Child Care Works. The current rate structure fails to provide necessary support to deliver high-quality child care to our children.
“Pennsylvania’s early childhood education system is based on a commitment to improve the quality, access and availability of early learning for children at-risk of school failure. High-quality early childhood education is a vital component to closing the achievement gap, producing qualified workers and providing short- and long-term economic returns to Pennsylvania taxpayers. The commonwealth must increase its reimbursement rates to better reflect the true cost of quality child care service in order to achieve its goal of high-quality child care for all kids.”
Pre-K for PA was launched in 2014 with the vision that every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania will have access to high-quality pre-k and has 13,000 members. This statewide coalition’s leadership group includes: Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children; Economy League of Greater Philadelphia; Fight Crime: Invest in Kids; Mission: Readiness; Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children; Pennsylvania Head Start Association; Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children; Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children; Public Citizens for Children and Youth; and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.www.prekforpa.org
Early Learning PA also was launched in 2014 with the vision that, by 2020, all Pennsylvania children will have access to high-quality early learning opportunities. Its founding members include: the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children; Fight Crime: Invest in Kids; Mission: Readiness; Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children; Pennsylvania Child Care Association; Pennsylvania Head Start Association; Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children; Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children; and Public Citizens for Children and Youth.
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PennLive: Gov. Tom Wolf asking for $90 million more for preschool programs
February 4, 2016
Gov. Tom Wolf plans to ask the General Assembly to invest another $60 million into state funding for preschool programs in 2016-17 on top of $30 million more that he didn’t get in this year’s unfinished budget.
At an event in Philadelphia on Thursday, Wolf made a pitch to try to gain support for this proposed investment that would raise the current state funding for preschool programs of $166.5 million to $256.3 million next year if fully realized.
An increased investment of that size would allow 14,000 more children access to preschool, based on information released by the Wolf Administration earlier this year.
“We have a choice in Pennsylvania. We must choose a path that funds our schools, eliminates our deficit, and puts Pennsylvania back on track,” Wolf said. “I believe that Pennsylvania should be among the many states that provide universal pre-kindergarten for children and I will work to make this a reality.”
The new preschool funding that the governor seeks for this year and next would be divided between Pre-K Counts and the state supplement to federal funding for Head Start.
It would direct $50 million of next year’s money and $20 million of the additional funding he seeks in this year’s budget for Pre-K Counts and $10 million more in each this year and next for Head Start, according to Wolf’s spokesman Jeff Sheridan.
This pre-budget announcement comes on the heels of one Wolf made on Tuesday, saying he intends to ask the Legislature to increase funding for basic education by $200 million next year on top of the $377 million he still wants for this year.
Studies have suggested avoids costs associated with grade repetition and special education, reduces the likelihood of students dropping out of high school, boosts their employment opportunities and mitigates problem behavior that can land them in the criminal justice system.
According to a study released last month by the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children and Pre-K for Pa campaign, only one in six of the state’s 3- and 4-year-olds – nearly 300,000 – were enrolled in high-quality preschool programs and 70 percent of about 175,000 preschoolers at risk of school failure lacked access to these programs. (See below for a county breakdown of those numbers.)
Wolf last year sought a $120 million increase in funding for Pre-K Counts and Head Start but the $23.4 billion budget that he signed into law in December provided for a $30 million bump instead. Wolf said he wants to see double that amount included in the finalized 2015-16 budget and another $60 million in next year’s budget.
When it comes to preschool, Republican and Democratic lawmakers stand in unison in their support of providing more funding and consider it a wise investment. It also has the support from children’s advocacy groups, district attorneys and military leaders.
Pre-K for Pa, a coalition of groups pushing for increased access to quality preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-olds, applauded news of Wolf’s call for increased preschool funding.
“Our coalition, representing ten organizations and more than 13,000 supporters, urges the governor and Legislature to kick off this next round of budget discussions by coming together behind a pre-k funding agreement that keeps us on track to serve all at-risk kids by 2019,” according to the group’s statement.
Read the entire article here.
York Dispatch: Wolf wants additional $60M for early education
February 4, 2016
Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday proposed an additional $60 million in state funding for early childhood education for the 2016-17 fiscal year.
The announcement comes on the heels of his proposal to up state education funding by $200 million for 2015-16, but before the completion of the current fiscal year’s long-stalled state budget.
The additional funding for next year’s budget, Wolf said in a press release, is contingent upon lawmakers passing the bipartisan budget compromise bill that fell apart at the end of December, as each investment is intended to build on the one prior.
Wolf had originally hoped to put $120 million in state funds toward early childhood education for the 2015-16 budget, an amount he halved over the course of the negotiation process. The partial budget he signed in late December added only $30 million, though he hopes to get to the $60 million figure by the time the final budget deal passes, according to the press release. Should lawmakers agree to a total of $120 million over the next two years, an additional 14,000 slots would become available to Pennsylvania 3- and 4-year-olds through the Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.
“We have a choice in Pennsylvania. We must choose a path that funds our schools, eliminates our deficit, and puts Pennsylvania back on track,” Wolf said during a press conference in Philadelphia. “I believe that Pennsylvania should be among the many states that provide universal pre-kindergarten for children, and I will work to make this a reality.”
Only 30 percent of Pennsylvania children in families earning up to three times the federal poverty level are enrolled in high-quality pre-K programs, a percentage which is significantly smaller in York County.
Read the full article here.
Pre-K for PA Says Pre-Kindergarten Funding is a Good Start; Urges Legislature to Return to Work
Coalition says funding does not go far enough to address the more than 200,000 PA kids missing out on high-quality pre-k
HARRISBURG (December 29, 2015)—The Pre-K for PA campaign recognized today that the increased funding for high-quality pre-k programs that resulted from the adopted partial-year 2015-16 budget agreement is a good start, but urged the legislature to return to Harrisburg and deliver a full budget that adequately funds pre-k. The partial-year budget currently invests $25 million in new Pre-K Counts funding and $5 million in new funding for Head Start.
The principal partners of the nearly two-year-long campaign to increase funding for high-quality pre-k issued the following statement regarding this budget agreement:
“The release of funds and expansion will allow pre-k classrooms to remain open, reopen and serve some additional children for the remainder of the 2015-16 school year, but leaves too many kids behind during a crucial stage of their development. This represents a step in the right direction, but we remain hopeful that continued budget negotiations will yield additional funding in this school year to expand access to high-quality pre-k to more of the roughly 200,000 three- and four-year-olds in Pennsylvania without access.
“With such a broad and strong commitment by so many legislators and the Governor, our campaign remains cautiously optimistic that leaders in Harrisburg will continue to work together, both in this year and beyond, toward the goal of access to high-quality pre-k for all Pennsylvania three-and four-year-olds by 2019—ensuring that every child born today could benefit from at least one year of high-quality pre-k before he or she heads off to kindergarten. The Pre-K for PA campaign believes that high-quality pre-k should be accessible by all children with priority given to those most at-risk.”
Pre-K for PA was launched in 2014 with the vision that every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania will have access to high-quality pre-k. This statewide coalition includes: Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children; Economy League of Greater Philadelphia; Fight Crime: Invest in Kids; Mission: Readiness; Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children; Pennsylvania Head Start Association; Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children; Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children; Public Citizens for Children and Youth; and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. www.prekforpa.org
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PennLive: Pennsylvania’s state budget talks, at loooonnnnng last, enter home stretch
By Charles Thompson
The six-month Pennsylvania state budget impasse – after months of political gridlock – is showing significant signs of breaking up.
That’s probably going to mean a tax increase for Pennsylvanians. (Negotiators from all sides are expected to meet this weekend to settle on a final mix of taxes and other income sources designed to raise $650 to $700 million in the current fiscal year; growing to more than $1 billion on a full-year basis.)
It will mean the single-biggest raw dollar increase in aid to public schools that this state has ever seen, plus significant boosts to aid for higher education.
And it’s possible that it may make some cultural history by bringing along a plan that, for the first time since creation of the state-owned liquor stores, would allow an adult to buy a bottle of wine at a supermarket or restaurant.
Now comes the hard part.
Budget negotiators from Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration and the Legislature’s Republican majorities have to closet themselves over the next few days to iron the last remaining hurdles that will turn this framework into a final deal.
And then, they have to sell the components of said deal to members in the state Senate and House, where the majority Republican caucus as recently as Tuesday took what may have been a last, final symbolic stand against increases in one of the state’s broad-based taxes.
One thing’s clear: collectively, the players – and everyone waiting on them – are a lot closer to a finalized, $30.8 billion spending plan then at any other time this year, and that’s created a palpable sense of anticipation.
“It’s pretty locked down, I think,” Dave Thomas, chief counsel to Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County, said Thursday night.
That seemed remarkable in itself coming just two days after the House Republican caucus bolted from the so-called framework agreement announced on Nov. 10 and passed, with only GOP votes, a $30.3 billion plan that would require less in new taxes.
Rank-and-file Republicans said then they were angered at having to consider the possibility of raising taxes when they were settling than they had initially wanted in the areas of public pension and liquor reforms.
But after failing to pick up any Democratic votes in the House, and failing to budge the Senate Republican majority from the larger deal, House GOP leaders came back to the framework table Wednesday night.
Final votes could be cast at some point next week.
Here’s an assessment at the some of the remaining issues that must be ironed out (or avoided) before Wolf can sign his first budget.
The taxes:
Expect a free-wheeling discussion this weekend over the final mix of taxes to balance the budget. Leaders reached Friday all balked at giving their personal preferences.
“I think all four caucuses and the administration need to be part of that discussion and we need to come to a conclusion on that before any of the bills start flying,” said House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana County.
But sources close to the talks said Friday a number of options have been floated in the last week, including potential increases in either the state’s 6 percent and 3.07 percent personal income tax rates.
Wolf already proposed an income tax increase, coupled with a new tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas production, that was voted down in the House earlier this fall.
If that kind of broad-based tax is the play, it’s a once-a-decade type move that could be a very tough sell in the Legislature, particularly the state House where all 203 seats are up for election in 2016.
About the only thing that seems certain right now is some type of increase in Pennsylvania’s cigarette taxes.
Reed did say Thursday that GOP leaders will still attempt to negotiate for lower spending in the budget, but Wolf warned this week that he considers the current proposed spending level fundamental to the agreement.
“The budget that we all agreed to is $30.8 billion,” Wolf said, after a public appearance in Harrisburg.
Read the full article here.
