READING, Pa. – Gov. Josh Shapiro visited a Reading elementary school and discussed with lawmakers, students and teachers investments in public education. The budget includes several million dollars going to the city’s school district.
Over $40 million will benefit Reading students,
“Of the new dollars flowing into public education, nearly 65% currently goes to the districts that need it most,” said Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
“As our history has shown, our school district in the city of Reading has been one of the most underserved, marginalized and disadvantaged. And now we finally have this record amount of funding to change that,” said Pennsylvania State Representative Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz.
The bipartisan budget calls for a total of $11 billion in funding for the pre-K through 12th grade public school system – a record amount and the largest investment in the state’s history.
Shapiro says millions will go toward infrastructure repairs to school buildings, mental health counseling, and more money to fund menstrual products in all schools and English as a Second Language programs. Here in Reading, that means help for the 90 percent Latino school district.
“This is a big deal. I mean, we obviously have a large ESL population here, not just in the town of Reading, but across the Commonwealth. This is a real first step in addressing one of the inequities,” says PA State Representative Manuel Guzman Jr.
Shapiro says the millions will also go toward special education, which Mayor Eddie Moran has championed.
“Now every individual, every young adult in the school district can receive adequate financial support for their education,” says Eddie Moran, the mayor of Reading.
Shapiro concluded the meeting with the ceremonial signing of a bill.
