Pittsburgh, PA – Today, Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe met with students and toured American Sign Language (ASL) classrooms at Baldwin High School in Pittsburgh, highlighting the impact Governor Josh Shapiro’s historic investments in public education is having on students, families, and communities. More than 150 students in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District have taken new American Sign Language (ASL) classes since the 2024-25 school year, supported through the Shapiro Adminsitration’s bipartisan budgets that have driven out $1.9 billion to the schools that need them most.
These investments have also allowed the school district to create a pre-K program, which was recently expanded to serve more children and families.
“Real lives are changing in our schools because of Governor Shapiro’s commitment to ensuring that all Pennsylvania children have access to opportunity, no matter their ZIP code. We talk a lot about dollars and budgets, but the impact of those investments is what matters,” said Secretary Rowe. "At Baldwin-Whitehall School District, the youngest learners are getting a high-quality early education and teens are learning new ways to communicate with their peers – all thanks to a bipartisan funding formula that directs public dollars to the schools most in need of those investments.”
Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, Pennsylvania has increased funding for Pennsylvania’s schools by more than $3 billion – or 35 percent – since the Governor took office, for a total of $11.85 billion invested into Pennsylvania’s students this year. For the Baldwin-Whitehall School District, state funding has increased by 74.4 percent since 2023 – including nearly $8 million in adequacy funding over three years through the bipartisan formula driving dollars to historically underfunded school districts.
A few years ago, a Baldwin-Whitehall teacher created an ASL club for students that became so popular the district directed a portion of its adequacy funding to create a formal ASL class. Now, that same teacher is teaching three ASL classes full time – including levels 1, 2 and 3. In fact, the district recently hired a second teacher with ASL skills to serve students with disabilities who require that support – while simultaneously teaching dozens of students each semester how to communicate with individuals who use ASL.
“We are deeply grateful for the Commonwealth’s investment through the Ready to Learn Block Grant and the opportunities it makes possible for our students,” said Dr. Randal Lutz, Superintendent of Baldwin-Whitehall School District. “This support allows us to create innovative, meaningful learning experiences that meet students where they are, expand what they believe is possible and prepare them to thrive well beyond the classroom. We’re proud to welcome Secretary Rowe and share that work firsthand.”
With the help of Shapiro Administration adequacy funding, Baldwin-Whitehall began offering its first Pre-K class in the 2024-25 school year and expanded it in 2025-26, now serving 36 four-year-olds – none of which would have been possible without investments from the Commonwealth, including more than $19 million in Ready to Learn Block Grant funding since 2024.
Ready to Learn funding – which includes the adequacy supplement for historically underfunded school districts – is distributed each year to school districts and charter schools in a grant that can be used to enhance educational opportunities for students through a long list of acceptable uses. A separate category of Ready to Learn funding is the tax equity supplement available to qualifying school districts, which can use those dollars to stabilize district finances and mitigate the impact of school taxes on residents.
The Governor’s continued, historic investments in education give every Pennsylvania student the freedom to chart their own course — ensuring schools have the resources they need to help students succeed and families have access to affordable early learning opportunities.
This 2026-27 budget builds on the progress we’ve made over the past three years, providing an overall increase in education funding totaling more than $678 million, including a $565 million increase through the bipartisan adequacy and tax equity formula, a $58 million increase for Basic Education Funding, and a $55 million increase for Special Education Funding. It also continues funding for school infrastructure improvements, universal free breakfast, and mental health in schools.
Historically underfunded school districts all over Pennsylvania are finally receiving the resources they need from the state to plan ahead, hire staff and ensure their students have access to the high-quality education they deserve. Like Baldwin-Whitehall, the following school districts in Southwest Pennsylvania have received additional state funding through the Ready to Learn Block Grant since 2024-25.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
Allegheny Valley School District: $463,479
Avonworth School District: $474,864
Baldwin-Whitehall School District: $19,134,921
Bethel Park School District: $1,667,253
Brentwood Borough School District: $4,975,049
Carlynton School District: $1,233,113
Chartiers Valley School District: $1,061,925
Clairton City School District: $1,298,549
Cornell School District: $2,129,047
Deer Lakes School District: $1,508,346
Duquesne City School District: $2,090,460
East Allegheny School District: $12,321,128
Elizabeth Forward School District: $2,364,515
Fox Chapel Area School District: $765,090
Gateway School District: $1,307,640
Hampton Township School District: $1,032,390
Highlands School District: $5,819,138
Keystone Oaks School District: $843,381
McKeesport Area School District: $17,842,446
Montour School District: $740,199
Moon Area School District: $1,155,027
Mount Lebanon School District: $1,405,854
North Allegheny School District: $1,895,274
North Hills School District: $2,644,771
Northgate School District: $935,985
Penn Hills School District: $18,616,301
Pine-Richland School District: $1,406,025
Pittsburgh Public Schools: $30,016,269
Plum Borough School District: $5,308,693
Quaker Valley School District: $349,098
Riverview School District: $528,453
Shaler Area School District: $2,269,413
South Allegheny School District: $4,980,100
South Fayette Township School District: $4,294,987
South Park School District: $1,808,808
Steel Valley School District: $2,744,947
Sto-Rox School District: $11,538,793
Upper St Clair School District: $1,533,953
West Allegheny School District: $1,209,357
West Jefferson Hills School District: $2,746,071
West Mifflin Area School District: $8,743,227
Wilkinsburg Borough School District: $991,272
Woodland Hills School District: $14,742,123
ARMSTRONG COUNTY
Apollo-Ridge School District: $1,005,937
Armstrong School District: $7,642,265
Freeport Area School District: $2,593,077
Leechburg Area School District: $774,850
BEAVER COUNTY
Aliquippa School District: $6,578,608
Ambridge Area School District: $8,725,485
Beaver Area School District: $4,312,650
Big Beaver Falls Area School District: $8,835,439
Blackhawk School District: $4,151,492
Central Valley School District: $3,313,042
Freedom Area School District: $4,401,580
Hopewell Area School District: $2,137,467
Midland Borough School District: $1,234,256
New Brighton Area School District: $4,070,059
Riverside Beaver County School District: $1,908,867
Rochester Area School District: $699,822
South Side Area School District: $716,034
Western Beaver County School District: $740,444
FAYETTE COUNTY
Albert Gallatin Area School District: $7,624,388
Brownsville Area School District: $8,196,803
Connellsville Area School District: $13,117,974
Frazier School District: $2,673,002
Laurel Highlands School District: $5,650,723
Uniontown Area School District: $4,134,856
GREENE COUNTY
Carmichaels Area School District: $1,849,114
Central Greene School District: $3,182,544
Jefferson-Morgan School District: $734,376
Southeastern Greene School District: $1,126,679
West Greene School District: $445,890
INDIANA COUNTY
Homer-Center School District: $1,258,202
Indiana Area School District: $1,211,373
Marion Center Area School District: $1,726,464
Penns Manor Area School District: $732,975
Purchase Line School District: $805,713
River Valley School District: $1,134,264
United School District: $783,944
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Brockway Area School District: $3,032,274
Brookville Area School District: $5,689,618
Punxsutawney Area School District: $4,313,125
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Avella Area School District: $465,171
Bentworth School District: $3,555,590
Bethlehem-Center School District: $2,731,309
Burgettstown Area School District: $878,875
California Area School District: $2,680,948
Canon-McMillan School District: $8,795,957
Charleroi Area School District: $6,123,594
Chartiers-Houston School District: $847,097
Fort Cherry School District: $787,473
McGuffey School District: $1,167,789
Peters Township School District: $1,157,439
Ringgold School District: $10,012,077
Trinity Area School District: $3,848,517
Washington School District: $4,937,659
WESTMORELAND COUNTY
Belle Vernon Area School District: $7,225,307
Burrell School District: $2,014,319
Derry Area School District: $4,775,469
Franklin Regional School District: $1,228,744
Greater Latrobe School District: $9,417,196
Greensburg Salem School District: $7,023,439
Hempfield Area School District: $8,602,764
Jeannette City School District: $4,190,283
Kiski Area School District: $7,115,531
Ligonier Valley School District: $926,265
Monessen City School District: $1,080,112
Mount Pleasant Area School District: $3,915,846
New Kensington-Arnold School District: $8,560,851
Norwin School District: $15,005,793
Penn-Trafford School District: $3,458,104
Southmoreland School District: $4,991,572
Yough School District: $4,665,373
Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, graduation rates across the Commonwealth have risen for 3 years in a row, more new teachers are being certified, and Consumer Affairs ranks Pennsylvania as one of the top states for quality public education in the country.