Gov. Shapiro’s budget proposal wisely looks toward the future | Editorial

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s recently unveiled $48.3 billion budget plan is ambitious. It is also exactly what Pennsylvania needs to begin reversing the shameful trend of disinvestment in education that has long shortchanged students and jeopardized the state’s growth.

While any proposal is a working document, the governor’s focus on education equity, public transportation funding, and raising the minimum wage — all without new tax increases — provides legislators with a road map worth following.

Shapiro’s $1.1 billion proposed increase in K-12 education spending would be not only money well-spent but will also be the first step in bringing the state into compliance after a court decision last year that found Pennsylvania’s method of funding schools was unconstitutional.

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After years of deep disparities, with wealthy districts offering brand-new facilities and rural and urban districts suffering with the costs of lead remediation and asbestos removal, the commonwealth might finally begin to make good on its guarantee of a quality education for all. Under the governor’s budget plan, for example, the Philadelphia School District would see an added investment of $242 million in the next fiscal year.

Similarly, Shapiro’s intended overhaul of the state-run higher education system is also long overdue. Pennsylvania ranks 49th out of 50 states when it comes to investing in higher education. Finding a way to cap fees for working-class families doesn’t just restore a pathway to the middle class, it will also help the state address shortages in critical fields like teaching and nursing.

Shapiro also proposed additional funding for public transportation, as this board urged in December. SEPTA has guaranteed no service cuts or fare hikes if the proposal passes; the transit agency has also promised an enhanced approach to public safety throughout the system. If Philadelphia is to present the best version of itself to a national and international audience two years from now — as America’s 250th anniversary overlaps with the 2026 World Cup — SEPTA must be clean, safe, and dependable.

The standard of living for an estimated 1.3 million Pennsylvanians would also improve under Shapiro’s plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour from the current $7.25. It’s been more than a decade since the last increase. All of the states bordering Pennsylvania have higher minimum wages.

The negative reactions to Shapiro’s proposal from some Republican legislators started rolling in even before he finished speaking on Tuesday.

State Senate President Kim Ward posted on social media that she “doesn’t stand for out of control spending,” and included a picture of her using her phone as the rest of the chamber — including other Republicans — stood and clapped. While they did not resort to such juvenile posturing, other Republican and conservative groups also objected to what they have called a “big-spending budget.”

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Given the depth of the state’s needs and the resources available, the GOP urge to shrink the budget is entirely wrongheaded.

For decades, Pennsylvania has functioned as a slow, low, or no-growth state, coasting off investments made decades ago during the heyday of the railroad, coal, steel, and textile industries. Major companies regularly leave the state, its major cities are 20% to 50% below their peak populations, and young Pennsylvanians consistently leave to find work and opportunity. As a result, our elderly population is growing at a rate 20 times higher than the general population.

Smart spending on education, transportation, housing, and economic development is the most effective way for Harrisburg to turn the tide. By bringing more people and businesses to Pennsylvania, and by building an educated workforce, these expenditures will save taxpayers money in the long term.

The state — which now sits on a $14 billion surplus — has the fiscal cushion it needs to make these investments, and in Shapiro, a governor with the ambition to get it done.