PHILADELPHIA (November 12, 2025) – Following is a statement from Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur G. Steinberg on passage of Pennsylvania’s FY2026 budget:
“After an embarrassing and painful four-plus months of gridlock in Harrisburg that forced school districts including Philadelphia’s to take on massive debt just to keep the lights on, I’m relieved that Governor Shapiro and legislative leaders in Harrisburg finally reached an agreement on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
“On behalf of the 14,000 educators represented by PFT Local 3, I’m incredibly grateful to the Democratic leadership teams of the Pennsylvania House and Senate for holding the line on public education funding. Governor Shapiro’s education priorities are largely intact, with badly needed increases approved for historically underfunded school districts including the School District of Philadelphia. Our currently enrolled students along with the next generation of public school students deserve bold investments that close the so-called adequacy gap between schools located in wealthy communities and schools serving poorer communities.
“School districts across the Commonwealth that have been begging for cyber charter payment reform were heard in this budget. Every dollar appropriated for public education should be received by public schools and put to work for public school students, period. Our schools received additional relief in the form of increased student teacher subsidies to expand the pool of certified teachers and address staff vacancies plaguing every school building in Philly.
“We are, unsurprisingly, disappointed by Republican legislators’ insistence on diverting an additional $50 million in public education funding to private schools. Our position is unchanged: sending more than half a billion dollars annually to private and religious schools that discriminate against students flies directly in the face of the General Assembly’s obligation to adequately and equitably fund public education in Pennsylvania.”
