Pennsylvania state Rep. Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster) hands out school supplies at a back-to-school event in his district on Aug. 13, 2023. Sturla announced Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, that he would not seek reelection and retire at the end of his term this year. (Pa. House Democrats photo)
When state Rep. Mike Sturla, the second longest-serving lawmaker in the House, announced his retirement this week, it came as a surprise to House Education Committee Chairperson Peter Schweyer, who has been working with him since last fall on the Basic Education Funding Commission.
“He is passionate. This is a guy who cares about kids, who cares about families, who cares about working folks,” Schweyer said, noting that Sturla has been a “remarkable voice” for the Lancaster School District.
Sturla (D-Lancaster) said Monday he would withdraw from his reelection campaign and retire at the end of his term later this year.
He said he plans to enjoy time with his wife and four young grandchildren after a 34-year career representing part of the city of Lancaster and surrounding townships.
Sturla told the Capital-Star on Tuesday that he reached his decision after weeks of contemplation following the passage of the state budget. The $47.6 billion budget includes the first installment of $4.5 billion in new funding for the state’s least wealthy school districts.
The new fair funding package is a compromise with state Senate Republicans on the recommendations of the bipartisan Basic Education Funding Commission , which Sturla led since 2023. Although lawmakers will have to work to ensure that future budgets include the balance of the funding, Sturla said he’s confident they will succeed.
“I believe we got the heaviest lift done. Does that mean it’s going to be easy every year? No, but there are still a lot of capable people in the legislature,” Sturla said.
Sturla’s withdrawal less than three months before the Nov. 5 election, leaves state and Lancaster County Democratic officials scrambling to identify a replacement before the Democratic National Convention next week and a Thursday deadline for the state Board of Elections to accept ballot additions.
Lancaster County Democratic Committee chairperson Tom O’Brien told the Capital-Star that he’s confident Sturla’s seat will go to another Democrat. The last minute change comes near the end of a legislative session in which House Democrats have battled to hold on to a one-seat majority through a series of special elections.
“This particular district is a very purple district and is trending Democratic,” O’Brien said.
Sturla won reelection to the 96th Legislative District seat, which includes the north side of Lancaster, East Petersburg and part of Manheim Township, by a 22% margin in 2022.
Republican Eric Beezer is running for the seat on a platform of expanding access to medical cannabis. His late entry to the race and recent voter registration as a Democrat may have cost him the support of Lancaster County Republicans , LancasterOnline reported in April.
O’Brien said the Lancaster County Democratic Committee is accepting applications from those interested in being the party’s nominee for the seat until Wednesday. Committee members from Sturla’s district will then meet remotely and vote for their choices. The committee will then send its recommendation to the state Democratic Committee for approval and addition to the ballot.
Sturla, however, may have an heir apparent in Manheim School Board President Nikki Rivera.
Rivera, a high school Spanish teacher in Lititz, told the Capital-Star on Tuesday that she approached Sturla a year ago about running for his seat when he was ready to retire. Since then, Rivera said, she has been going to Harrisburg to watch voting sessions and learn from Sturla.
Sturla said Rivera was among the first people he called when he made his decision on Sunday. Rivera said she also got a call from O’Brien asking whether she would run and she agreed that she would.
With commitment to the fair funding plan from Gov. Josh Shapiro and the rest of the Democratic House majority, advocates hope that progress will continue to eliminate the state’s education funding shortfalls.
Deborah Gordon Klehr, executive director of the Education Law Center, which was among the groups that waged a decade-long legal fight for recognition of the inequities in Pennsylvania’s public schools, said they are grateful for Sturla’s support.
“He has helped lay the groundwork for a more equitable education funding system in Pennsylvania,” Gordon Klehr said, adding that the progress has been a collaborative effort among stakeholders.
Sturla said that when he filed his paperwork to run for reelection, the process of negotiating the budget, which would eventually include the new school funding, had not started. And although the compromise to provide the money over the next nine years didn’t come with a guarantee, Sturla said the advocates who fought for it will ensure the state follows through.
If lawmakers on either side renege, advocates like the Education Law Center have the ability to return to court with a blueprint of how the gaps should be closed.
“At some point in time, you just have to say now is a good time,” Sturla said of his decision. “In this notion that we’re always striving for a more perfect union, we’re never done.”
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