Governor Corbett signed into law the 2014-15 state budget and its enabling legislation that allocates more than $10 billion in state support of public schools.

Below are highlights of the enacted 2014-15 state budget:

• Basic Education Funding – $5.53 billion
  • Each school district will receive the same amount it received in 2013-14.
  • Ready to Learn Block Grant – $200 million – increased funding of $100 million
    • Each school district will receive an amount equal to its 2013-14 Accountability Block Grant allocation pursuant to Section 2599.2 of the Public School Code.
    • Each school entity (school district and charter school) will receive a Student-Focused Funding Supplement calculated as the sum of the following:
      • A per-student factor equal to $231 multiplied by the product of each school entity’s average daily membership (ADM) and its market value/personal income aid ratio (MV/PI AR).
      • An English language learner factor equal to $34.65 ($231 x 15%) multiplied by the product of the number students in the school entity identified as limited English proficient and its MV/PI AR.
      • A poverty factor equal to $57.75 ($231 x 25%) multiplied by the product of the number of students in the school entity identified as economically disadvantaged and its MV/PI AR.
• School entities can use their Ready to Learn Block Grant to enhance learning opportunities for students through initiatives, such as:
  • The eligible uses under the Accountability Block Grant program.
  • Pre-kindergarten to grade 3 curriculum alignment;
  • Ensuring that all students are performing at grade level by third grade in both reading and math;
  • Extended learning opportunities for supplemental and customized student instruction for pre-kindergarten to grade 3;
  • Training to support early literacy;
  • Supplemental instruction in biology, English language arts and algebra I;
  • Instructional coaches;
  • Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education;
  • Implementation of the State Literacy Plan; and
  • Hybrid learning.
  • Special Education – 1.05 billion – an increase of $20 million.
    • These new dollars will be distributed based on categories of support for students with disabilities.
    • Contingency funds (1 percent of the special education allocation) is distributed in the  following manner:
      • For school districts and charter schools that submit contingency fund applications for students whose costs are $75,000 to $100,000, the department will subtract the state subsidy and multiply the difference by the school entities’ market value/personal income aid ratio.
      • School entities that submit contingency fund applications for students whose costs are greater than $100,000, the department will subtract the state subsidy.
      • The contingency fund will be capped at approximately $300,000 for any school entity.
• Note: No changes will be made to the calculation for how charter schools receive funding for students with disabilities.
• Career and Technical Education – $62 million
• Career and Technical Education Equipment Grants – $3 million
• Pupil Transportation – $625.3 million
• School Employees’ Social Security – $500.8 million – an increase of $14.5 million
• School Employees’ Retirement – $1.16 billion – an increase of $151 million
• Special Education, Approved Private Schools – $95.3 million
• Pre-K Counts – $97.3 million – an increase of $10 million
• Head Start Supplemental Assistance – $39.2 million
• Early Intervention – $237.5 million – an increase of $9.5 million
• Pennsylvania Charter Schools for the Deaf and Blind – $42.8 million – an increase of $1.1 million
• School Food Services – $32.5 million – an increase of $467,000

To obtain additional information about the enacted 2014-15 budget, or to view school entity allocations, visit www.education.state.pa.us/budget.