HARRISBURG (TNS) — A disagreement within Democratic ranks on a key state budget item was revealed Thursday when a House member called it “unfortunate” Gov. Josh Shapiro did not share first with members of his own party news that has stalled money for needy schools.
Rep. MaryLouise Isaacson, D-Philadelphia, said some Democrats were caught by surprise to see Level Up — a program that sends money to the state’s 100 poorest school districts — on a list of fiscal 2024 budget programs whose money was being held up.
Shapiro, also a Democrat, signed a $45.45 billion spending bill last week that included $100 million for Level Up. But money for that budget item and at least six others was sequestered after Shapiro’s budget secretary, Uri Monson, put out a memo that said all need “further legislative language.”
“It was unfortunate that the governor’s office did not share with us, prior to the memo’s coming out,” said Isaacson, a member of the House education committee. She described Level Up as a much-needed financial boost — already proven over two years of existence — for schools districts like Philadelphia that have needed more funding for years.
Isaacson said she could see no reason for delaying the money.
Shapiro, she said, could unilaterally release the money, and she added, “I would hope that the release of those funds would be forthcoming.”
Will Simons, a spokesperson for Shapiro, said last year’s distribution of Level Up money was accompanied by budget language that was “year-specific, and applied only to the 2022-23 fiscal year.” That means lawmakers must re-do the language this year, Simons said.
Asked why members of Shapiro’s own party were not given the list of sequestered items first, Simons said Monsoon’s memo was sent to leaders in both chambers within the same hour. He noted the memo’s recipients were listed as Shapiro, Pittman and Bradford.
The intra-party friction was revealed as broader disconnects between Republicans and Democrats remained over creating the additional legislation needed to pay for the spending OK’d in the state budget.
Other affected programs include Whole-Home Repairs and school mental health grants. Republicans have said that all told, they add up to more than $1 billion.
The Republican-controlled Senate and Democrat-run House will each have to pass a bill that includes the sort of enabling language sought by the Shapiro administration. But the Senate and House are not scheduled to return to session until Sept. 18 and Sept. 26, respectively.
The factions sounded far apart late Wednesday. Spokespersons for Rep. Matt Bradford, the House Democratic leader, and Sen. Joe Pittman, the Senate Republican leader, offered conflicting descriptions of what was happening.
“At this time, all parties continue to meet, and House Democrats will return to session to resolve the few remaining budget issues as negotiations are finalized,” said Beth Rementer, spokesperson for Bradford, D-Montgomery.
“Sen. Pittman has had no discussions with Rep. Bradford” since the day the spending bill was signed, said Kate Flessner, spokesperson for Pittman, R-Indiana. “To date, Sen. Pittman has still not received a response to the letter he sent to Rep. Bradford on July 11.”
Although Democrats run the House, the parties’ voting power in that chamber has been tied at 101 since the July 19 resignation of Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Lawrenceville.
“Given the House is currently deadlocked at 101-101, with an even number of Republicans and Democrats, it is unclear when legislation may advance,” Flessner said. “The Senate stands ready to return to session and complete the steps necessary to bring this year’s budget to a close as soon as possible.”
Rementer said House Democrats will “continue to strongly advocate for important programs like Whole-Home Repairs, Level Up and the federal funding for adult behavioral mental health.” The latter spending, Rementer said, should be based on recommendations of a mental health commission set up by a law passed last year.
The extra language to push out spending on certain programs is needed “for the state Treasurer to even be able to release money, or to know who to cut checks to, for example,” said Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Any bipartisan sentiments on overall budget priorities shattered on July 5. That day, Shapiro announced he would line-item veto a $100 million budget item in the spending bill creating a voucher-style student scholarship program, even though both he and Senate Republicans had pushed for it.
The so-called Pennsylvania Award for Student Success, or PASS, program would give students in the state’s lowest-performing public schools scholarships so they could attend private ones.
Shapiro said he did not want to hold up the entire budget for a program that a top House Democrat said did not have sufficient support in that chamber. His backing away led to Republican accusations that he had misled them at the bargaining table — accusations he disputed but which continue to be voiced by some Republicans more than a month later.
Shapiro made good on his line-item veto promise last week when he signed the rest of the spending bill.
Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford and minority chairman of the House Education Committee, said Level Up and the PASS scholarship program were similar in that both were “Band-Aids” to use until the state can come up with a new education funding formula. In February, a Commonwealth Court judge ruled the existing formula is unconstitutional.
Topper described Level Up as a short-term fix until a new system can be devised, and he said the proposed PASS program is a “Band-Aid for kids who need help now.” Hence, he said, if Level Up receives money, then PASS should, as well.
Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh and a former Allentown school board member, described Level Up as crucial. He said it “meets the moment in terms of funding for the poorest school districts in the Commonwealth.”
The program was the focus of a Thursday informational meeting of the House Education Committee where teachers, superintendents and others praised the effects of Level Up in its two years of existence.
“It is imperative to get it started right away,” said Daniel Urevick-Ackelsberg, an attorney who helped in the school lawsuit that led to the Commonwealth Court decision. The “spirit” of that decision, he said, was that Level Up should be used as a “bridge” until the state can create a new funding system.
