Governor Rendell Signs 2010-11 Budget That Preserves Education Gains

Press Release

The new state budget advances the commonwealth's winning education strategy by increasing basic education funding by $250 million and preserving other vital programs that have been consistently boosting student achievement over the past seven years, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today.

"After the intense debate and tough choices we had to make to craft this budget, I'm gratified that the General Assembly and I could agree that continued investment in education is tremendously important to Pennsylvania's kids and an investment in the commonwealth's future," Governor Rendell said while signing the General Appropriations bill at Elmwood Elementary School in Mechanicsburg. "There's no question that our strategy has gotten tremendous results where the rubber meets the road -- student achievement. We simply had to keep up that momentum."

In marked contrast to Pennsylvania's continued progress, 31 other states already expect to cut K-12 education funding in their fiscal 2010--11 budgets, the Governor said, citing a June survey by the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers.

"We're following our blueprint for closing the gap in the funding formula, easing the pressure on local property tax increases, and preserving other targeted investments in early childhood education and support for higher education -- all in the face of one of the harshest economic climates in our lifetimes," Governor Rendell said.

"Would I have liked to have seen greater investment? Of course I would. Nevertheless, this is a good budget that acknowledges the fiscal reality and demonstrates that people can come together and make difficult and important decisions in a bipartisan way," he added.

The education budget calls for a $250 million boost in basic education, a 4.5 percent increase. Overall, education spending received a 1.3 percent increase.

Governor Rendell said continued investments have yielded measurable results, including:

* Since 2002, the percentage of students scoring at the highest performance levels on state tests doubled at the same time the percentage scoring at the lowest levels was cut by nearly half.
* Pennsylvania was the only state to achieve significant progress in reading and math in every grade tested between 2002 and 2008.
Despite the painful cuts which had to be made in programs across the state budget, including at the Department of Education, the education budget preserves funding for vital programs and initiatives, including:
* Early childhood education:
o Pre-K Counts, $85.2 million, compared with $86.4 last year.
o Head Start, $38.4 million, compared with $39.5 million last year.
o Accountability Grants, which funds pre-K and kindergarten slots, $259.5 million, versus $271.4 million last year.
* Dual enrollment, which allows high school students to earn college credits while they complete high school, $6.9 million, versus $8 million last year.
* Education Assistance Program, a tutoring initiative for struggling students in targeted school districts, $47.6 million, versus $59.1 million last year.

"We are able to maintain these programs and others that are making a genuine difference, and I'm proud of that," Governor Rendell said. "Look at where we are today: Over the past seven-plus years, my administration and the General Assembly implemented the first rational school funding formula in 20 years; we developed new standards and the supports needed to help students, schools and teachers to achieve them. We have changed Pennsylvania's educational landscape, and for the better."

For more information about education in Pennsylvania, visit www.pde.state.pa.us.

Media contacts:
Gary Tuma, Governor's Office; 717-783-1116
Steve Weitzman, Dept. of Education; 717-783-9802

Editor's Note: The following fact sheet summarizes Pennsylvania's strides in educational achievement:

* Since 2002, the percentage of students scoring at the highest performance level on state tests doubled; the percentage of students scoring at the lowest performance level was cut by nearly half.
* The Center for Education Policy found that Pennsylvania was the only state in the nation to make significant progress in Reading and Math in every grade tested between 2002 and 2008.
* Each year, Education Week ranks states on progress made on the National Assessment of Education Progress or NAEP. In 2010, this ranking, called Quality Counts, found that:
o Pennsylvania had the sixth-highest rate of improvement in eighth- grade math from 2003-2009.
o Pennsylvania was among the top 15 states for improvement of fourth-grade reading scores in reading.
* Education Week's data also indicates that:
o In just six years, Pennsylvania moved from 24th place in terms of percentage of kids on grade level in eighth-grade math to tenth; and
o With respect to reading, Pennsylvania moved from 16th to sixth in the nation for the percentage of fourth-graders reading at grade level.
* In comparison to all states, Pennsylvania's rate of improvement on NAEP beat the improvement of the national average by leaps and bounds.
o Over the last six years, improvement in our NAEP fourth-grade math score was 58 percent higher than the national average rate of improvement. And in reading, PA beat the national average rate of improvement by 23 percent.
o In 2003, eight states outperformed Pennsylvania in fourth-grade math; in 2009 we were among the top four performers in the nation.
o In eighth-grade math in 2003, 16 states showed better results than Pennsylvania; now there are only seven that are doing better than we are.
o In fourth-grade reading in 2003, 14 states were demonstrating better results than was Pennsylvania; today PA is among the top six.
o In eighth-grade reading in 2003, 11 states beat PA for top ranking; today Pennsylvania had the best scores in the nation.
* State assessments:
o Today, 73 percent of all of our students are performed at or above grade level on the PSSA, compared to 51.5 percent in 2002.
o The number of students who are years behind (scoring Below Basic on the PSSA) has dropped by 33 percent since 2002.
o The number of African American and Latino students who now test at grade level has doubled since 2002.
* Our performance in every grade but 11th is hovering between 70-80 percent proficiency, significantly up from the 40-50 percent proficiency range earlier this decade. Even in 11th grade, Pennsylvania pushed up the percentage of students at grade level significantly.

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