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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 2, 2021 08:04 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Joe Webster |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Survey on School Infrastructure Capital Costs |
Pennsylvania schools and our students’ education have long been held hostage to yearly budget negotiations on school funding that make capital projects challenging to budget for. Moreover, the financial and capital costs that our schools face are not fully known – and this issue has only gotten worse as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to ensure that future budget discussions take into account the actual capital needs of our schools, we must first understand what those financial requirements are so we can provide for them. My legislation would set up a one-time survey for schools districts to report their deferred, current, and anticipated capital needs. It would then require the Department of Education to compile the information and report the total capital and infrastructure requirements of schools to the General Assembly. That report would break down the capital needs by those which school districts have already paid for and those which are predicted through the 2025-2026 school year. As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 disruption, our schools have found themselves taking on new responsibilities, unexpected costs, and preparing for a new way of educating students. This has affected every teacher, every student, and every parent in our state. As we move forward to support our schools and students, is important to have the best possible information the state of our schools to make policies affecting them. Please join me in supporting our schools by co-sponsoring this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB1915