Pennsylvania schools to reap $11 billion in rewards; taxpayers questioning if its money well spent

(WHTM) — Governor Josh Shapiro went back to school today to tout the historic $11 billion coming to Pennsylvania schools this year, however questions are still being asked about whether taxpayers’ dollars are well-spent.

Public schools are joyous over the $11 billion budget, including schools like Central Dauphin that have been unconstitutionally underfunded for years.

“Today we celebrate a major accomplishment in public education,” said CD School District Superintendent Eric Turman. “There are over 81 different languages spoken in our district.”

While the funding is a historic achievement, the needs for superintendents like Turman across the Commonwealth, are even greater.

“We have several buildings at this point who don’t have air conditioning and are also in need of repairs,” Turman added. Multiple elementary schools in the district had to close early this week due to heat.

Governor Shapiro is confident the $11 billion will fix many issues like these throughout Pennsylvania. He even taught civics to middle schoolers, explaining that the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats, compromised to construct the new budget.

“I wanted to look you in the eye and tell you that when we’re doing that work, legislating, I never lost sight of all of you, of the students who are here, the great teachers who are here, who deserve better than what they’ve gotten in the past,” the Governor said to the children.

The funding will allow for smaller class sizes, more teachers, upgraded buildings, and more money to support mental health, which is critical for making a difference.

“All of these investments that we make today will pay high dividends for tomorrow,” said Khalid Mumin, the Secretary of the PA Department of Education.

While the goals sound great, many taxpayers are wondering how they can be sure their money is well spent.

“First things first, we’ve got to fix an unconstitutional education system,” Shapiro said. “The court held that we weren’t investing enough.”

A point can be made that it may prove easier to send money into classrooms than to prove better students are coming out of them. Shapiro concedes that there is no quick fix.

“We’re going to continue to make sure, as time goes on, that student data is proving success,” Shapiro added. “But we’ve got to understand that that data is going to take time to catch up with the investments.”

Schools will look to make the most of the record funding, and Governor Shapiro is making it clear that this year’s spending was just a down payment at Central Dauphin Middle School.

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