Pottstown, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro visited Pottstown High School in the Pottstown School District to highlight how his Administration’s historic investments in public education are creating real opportunity for students, supporting teachers and school staff, and delivering results across the Commonwealth — emphasizing the importance of continuing to build on this progress through his 2025-26 proposed budget.
Since taking office, the Governor has secured more than $2 billion in additional funding for K-12 public education — the largest investment in Pennsylvania history. As a result, for the first time ever, the Commonwealth is investing more than $11 billion each year in its public schools.
The Shapiro Administration also secured a new funding formula to distribute these resources to the schools that need it most and ensure that every student, in every zip code, has access to a high-quality public education. These investments are delivering real results — and school districts like Pottstown are seeing the impact firsthand.
Thanks to these investments, the Pottstown School District has expanded its career and technical education (CTE) programs, which offer students in grades 10–12 hands-on training in fields like automotive technology, early childhood education, and engineering technology — all housed in the same building as their academic classes. A $22,000 investment in the automotive program is helping students gain real-world experience and prepare for in-demand careers. In his first two years, Governor Shapiro has increased funding for vo-tech, CTE, and apprenticeships by nearly $65 million – marking a 50 percent increase that gives students the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed.
The district also strengthened student support by ensuring guidance counselors are available when students need help, added a teacher coach to improve instruction and graduation rates, and expanded early childhood education by increasing access to pre-K and full-day kindergarten.
At Pottstown High School, where Governor Shapiro visited, students are making real academic progress. Last year, the school saw a 13 percent increase in math Keystone scores, a nearly 6 percent improvement in English Language Arts (ELA) scores, and a 2.5 percent increase in science scores.
“Creating opportunity for kids starts in the classroom — and from day one, my Administration has made it a top priority to bring Democrats and Republicans together to invest in our students and support public education in Pennsylvania,” said Governor Shapiro. “In Pottstown, we’re seeing the impact of delivering on that promise and following through on our commitment — test scores are rising, and students are gaining real-world skills through hands-on career and technical education programs. This is what progress looks like when we fund our schools fairly and equitably, and I’m committed to working together to keep that going and ensure every student in Pennsylvania has the opportunity to succeed.”
Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, the Pottstown School District has received a $10.5 million increase — or over 55 percent — in state funding across basic education, special education, and Ready to Learn. As a result, state funding for Pottstown has increased from $19 million in 2022-23 to nearly $30 million in 2024-25.
Governor Shapiro’s budgets have also delivered targeted resources for Pottstown School District, including:
- $30,314 Career and Technical Education Competitive Equipment Grant, which will be used to update or purchase equipment used in the training of students in the district’s approved CTE programs
- $500,000 Public School Facility Improvement Grant for an HVAC project to replace heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment at Pottstown Middle School and Pottstown High School
- $5,792 to provide menstrual hygiene products at no cost to students
Governor Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal would help Pottstown maintain the progress it’s made — protecting key programs, retaining staff, and continuing to provide students with the resources they need to succeed.
"Governor Shapiro's currently proposed budget, and his steadfast commitment to correct the decade or more of seriously underfunded urban districts, makes a huge difference for our students and our community,” said Pottstown School District Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez. “On behalf of our entire district, I would like to thank him for being a champion of the children, schools, and families of Pennsylvania."
“The Governor’s commitment to properly funding public education has made a remarkable difference in the Pottstown community,” said Representative Joe Ciresi. “We’ve seen test scores improve, and the student experience as a whole has gotten better. We need to continue this path of investing in public education to make sure every child has an equal opportunity.”
In his first two years, Governor Shapiro brought Democrats and Republicans together to begin work to fix Pennsylvania’s unconstitutional school funding system — agreeing to a new adequacy formula that delivers more resources to the schools that need them most. His 2025-26 budget proposal continues that commitment with:
- $526 million in adequacy formula funding — the exact number bipartisan leaders agreed to last year, ensuring resources reach the schools that need them most
- $75 million increase in basic education funding
- $40 million more for special education, bringing the total to $1.5 billion statewide
- $125 million for school safety and environmental repair projects through the Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program – a $25 million increase over last year’s investments
- $111 million to sustain school-based mental health and safety services
- Establishing a statewide base cyber charter tuition rate of $8,000 per student, saving districts an estimated $378 million annually
- $5.5 million increase to Career and Technical Education (CTE), on top of a nearly $65 million increase since Governor Shapiro took office
- Doubling the PA Student Teacher Support Program to $40 million annually, helping more aspiring educators enter the profession
- Continuing universal free breakfast for 1.7 million students
- $3 million to provide free menstrual hygiene products in schools
The Shapiro Administration’s targeted investments are showing real results:
- Over 90 million breakfasts were served to students last year — 10 million more than the year before
- More than 3,000 students are now enrolled in CTE programs
- 778 schools expanded mental health services using flexible state funding
- 317 school repair projects have been funded to address environmental challenges and make needed infrastructure upgrades
- Pennsylvania certified more new teachers last year than at any point in the past seven years.
As a result, Pennsylvania has been ranked by Consumer Affairs as one of the top five states in the nation for public education quality.
Governor Shapiro’s visit today reinforced a clear message: the historic investments we’ve made are working — and we must keep going to ensure every student has the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed.
Watch Governor Shapiro’s full budget address to a joint session of the House and Senate. Read more about the Governor’s 2025-26 budget proposal, explore the Budget in Brief, or visit shapirobudget.pa.gov.
# # #