This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
Gov. Wolf asked the Pennsylvania General Assembly on Tuesday for $100 million more in basic education spending and $20 million for special education — his smallest request since taking office in 2015.
Wolf also proposed a $40 million bump in pre-K spending, $15 million more for the state’s system of higher education, and $10 million for career and technical education.
“Rebuilding our schools is the beginning of rebuilding our economy,” Wolf said in his budget address.
The relative modesty of Wolf’s proposal most likely reflects political realities, said education advocates. With the governor and his counterparts in the legislature facing campaigns for the November election, there’s little appetite for raising taxes.
“We’d like to see him be asking for more money for education funding, but we understand the practical realities,” said Marc Stier of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, a left-leaning Harrisburg think tank.