High marks for Gov. Shapiro’s first state budget even as GOP lawmakers fail to learn their lesson | Editorial

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first state budget may not fulfill every Pennsylvanian’s wish list, but the $45.5 billion plan represents serious progress for the Keystone State, with significant increases in funding for public education, an extension to a home repair and weatherization program, and finally weaning the Pennsylvania State Police off of its reliance on transportation funding.

Shapiro also demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice his own priorities in the service of what’s best for the commonwealth. State Republicans could learn from his example.

Initially, the governor forged a deal with Senate Republicans. In exchange for their support for a $567 million increase in money for schools through the state basic education funding formula, Shapiro backed a new $100 million program to establish Lifeline Scholarships — essentially vouchers that would allow lower-income families in underperforming school districts to opt for private schooling. K-12 students would get $5,000, high school students would get $10,000, and special-needs students, regardless of age, would receive $15,000.

Given the one-vote Democratic majority in the state House, which includes members who have in the past strongly supported school choice, Shapiro had legitimate reason to believe that the program could pass in both chambers. House Democrats, however, balked at the potential threat to public education. In the end, Shapiro promised to line-item veto his own proposal to avert a showdown.

While this move has upset Republicans eager to achieve a long-standing priority, it was the right call for the state. Given the way voucher programs elsewhere have drained critical support away from public education while failing to produce improved test scores, launching a large voucher program as part of the budget process was never a good idea.

Even with a relatively small outlay, such a big change to the way Pennsylvania educates its children requires a more significant public debate before proceeding. House Democrats were right to use their newfound power to push back.

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Rather than raging at the governor, Harrisburg Republicans need to recognize a new reality: Their party no longer dominates the General Assembly. They also should remember it was their ongoing prioritization of culture war issues over delivering for Pennsylvanians that cost them control of the House.

Yet, judging from GOP lawmakers’ approach to higher education funding and the combative confirmation process for cabinet nominees, they remain committed to this approach.

For generations, Pennsylvania’s state-affiliated universities — Temple University, Lincoln University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Pennsylvania State University — have provided a quality college education at a reasonable price for residents. Thanks to a meltdown from Pennsylvania House Republicans, that promise was jeopardized.

Republicans wanted to end fetal research and medical support for transgender people. According to Inquirer reporting, a vendetta against Pitt Chancellor Emeritus Mark Nordenberg for helping to enact the state’s first non-gerrymandered legislative map animated some Republican votes as well.

Without state funding, the universities would need to significantly increase in-state tuition. This would force students to either defer attendance or take on more student debt, just because of political posturing in Harrisburg. Whatever the motivation, this stunt was ill-advised — Pennsylvania’s students and families deserve better.

While their House colleagues picked fights with college students, Senate Republicans embarrassed themselves with their decision to deny a successful confirmation vote to Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, acting Health Secretary Debra Bogen, and other cabinet nominees.

Schmidt, himself a Republican, is uniquely suited to the job. For roughly a decade, he served as one of three City Commissioners, responsible for administering Philadelphia’s elections. His track record in that role was impressive. Schmidt used his position to make more election data publicly available, pursued workplace reforms, and helped launch the first departmental website. Schmidt’s office also helped clean up local elections. It was a referral from his office that led to the conviction of former U.S. Rep. Ozzie Myers for election fraud.

He also stood up against former President Donald Trump’s attempts to suppress Philadelphia’s votes and steal Pennsylvania’s electors. For that, the mild-mannered reformer became a bogeyman for the far-right. Former Trump attorney Linda Kerns blasted Schmidt’s nomination, and State Sen. Doug Mastriano, the party’s failed nominee for governor who marched on the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, voted against him in committee.

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While Schmidt was confirmed by default — after Republicans avoided a full Senate vote on the nomination, likely to prevent recrimination from Trump — Bogen, who helped lead Allegheny County through the COVID-19 pandemic, saw her nomination withdrawn after Republicans on the Health and Human Services Committee opted to deny her a favorable recommendation.

Bogen, who is eminently qualified for the position, acted prudently and recommended the same public health policies as other county, state, and federal health officials. Yet for some Harrisburg Republicans, trying to protect Pennsylvanians from the pandemic disqualified her for the job.

There’s a pattern in these Harrisburg GOP maneuvers. Each represents an attempt to placate the party base rather than an attempt to improve the lives of all.

This is the exact style of culture war politics that voters resoundingly rejected in the 2022 election. If Pennsylvanians wanted a state government that is obsessed with persecuting trans people, relitigating the 2020 election, second-guessing the commonwealth’s pandemic response, and drawing legislative districts that are favorable to incumbents, they would have voted for Mastriano. Instead, he lost by roughly 800,000 votes.

Meanwhile, despite their disagreement over Lifeline Scholarships, House Democrats and Shapiro kept their focus where it mattered most: ensuring quality education, ample economic opportunity, and dependable public safety in every corner of the commonwealth.

Imagine how the state would benefit if Harrisburg Republicans did the same.