HARRISBURG – The Republican Chairman of the PA House Appropriations Committee is speaking out on the Democrat plan adopted by the Basic Education Funding Commission with significant concerns about its eye-popping costs. York County Rep. Seth Grove says the adopted report calls for a $291 million increase in spending for school districts and more than $7 billion in recurring revenue over the next seven budget cycles for the state. When added with the current state structural deficit of $1.8 billion – and without accounting for any other increases which may be in Gov. Shapiro’s 2024-25 budget proposal – the Commonwealth needs to find $8.9 billion in recurring revenue. Democrats would need to increase our state income tax from 3.07% to near 4.5%. He says even more concerning, the $7 billion is a conservative estimate, other initiatives highlighted in the report have the potential for billions more in spending. Grove added that the Democrat report isn’t based in reality, nor is it a workable solution for our budget circumstances. It will raise both local school property taxes and our state taxes. Further, the report takes direct aim at effective alternatives for parents and students by attacking charter schools, and completely ignores options for school choice like Lifeline Scholarships.
REP. SETH GROVE