Harrisburg, PA – This week, public education was in the spotlight as the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) named the 2026 Teacher of the Year, announced the confirmation of Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe, and celebrated 2025-26 budget investments at Susquehanna Township High School and Lancaster Public Library.
On Monday, December 8, Governor Josh Shapiro and Secretary of Education Rowe announced that Madeline Loring, an educator at Jefferson-Morgan School District, has been named the 2026 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year at this year’s SAS Institute convening, the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) annual professional development conference.
Madeline Loring is a fourth grade teacher at Jefferson-Morgan Elementary School in the Jefferson-Morgan School District in Greene County. She has 13 years of teaching experience, including fourth grade mathematics, kindergarten, high school learning support, and life skills support. Loring holds a Bachelors in Elementary and Special Education with a Minor in Political Science from Waynesburg University, as well as a Masters in Administrative Leadership and a Library Science certification from California University of Pennsylvania.
On Tuesday, December 9, the Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Governor Shapiro’s nomination of Dr. Carrie Rowe as Pennsylvania’s new Secretary of Education in a bipartisan vote. With this confirmation vote, every member of Governor Shapiro’s cabinet has been confirmed by a bipartisan majority in the state Senate.
A visionary leader in public education, Dr. Rowe brings 25 years of public education experience to her role as Secretary of Education. In this role, she provides guidance, support, and oversight to partners in the pre-K–12 field on topics ranging from structured literacy, educational stability, workforce needs, teacher recruitment and retention, and student mental health and well-being. Dr. Rowe advocates for policies and programs that provide college and career pathways for every student, especially those that include access to expansive dual credit opportunities, high-intensity summer learning, and multilingual programs.
On Wednesday, December 10, Governor Shapiro, Secretary Rowe, and local elected leaders visited Susquehanna Township High School to highlight how the 2025-26 budget signed into law last month delivers $900 million in additional funding for pre-K–12 public education, building on last year’s record-setting funding.
The 2025-26 budget delivers a $105 million increase for basic education funding, a $40 million increase for special education funding, and $565 million in additional adequacy funding to continue driving dollars out to the schools that need them most — while saving school districts $178 million through cyber charter reform and continuing to invest in universal free breakfast, mental health services for students, and improving school infrastructure.
On Thursday, December 11, State Librarian Susan Banks joined some of Pennsylvania’s youngest learners - and their parents and grandparents - at Lancaster Public Library for a toddler story time to foster community connections and lifelong learning for young Pennsylvanians, highlighting one of the many services offered by public libraries.
The 2025-26 budget includes a $5 million increase for public libraries and a $433,000 increase for library services for the visually impaired, also known as Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians, strengthening lifelong learning and access to information in communities across the Commonwealth.
Recent media:
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Greene County educator named 2026 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Politics PA: Senate Confirms Dr. Carrie Rowe as Secretary of Education
Fox 43: Gov. Shapiro highlights education funding boost at Susquehanna Township HS