Governor Wolf Launches 'Schools That Teach' Website

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Governor Tom Wolf is launching the "Schools That Teach" website (www.SchoolsThatTeach.com) to showcase how his historic investment in our schools will benefit the students and residents served by each school district. "My budget makes historic investments in education, and www.schoolsthatteach.com shows how my proposed budget will benefit students, schools and property owners in a way that is user-friendly and easy to access," said Governor Wolf. "My budget proposal increases funding for Pennsylvania's education system by $1 billion and this website will show users how much of that money will go to increase funding to their local school districts and decrease property taxes in their areas."

In addition to showing users how much each school district will receive under Governor Wolf's plan, they can also see the amounts in Basic Education Funding and Special Education Funding each school district received this fiscal year (2014-15) compared to the increases proposed for the 2015-16 year. Also included is the estimated amount each school district will save under the governor's Cyber Charter Funding Reform, which would create a flat tuition rate for regular education students attending a cyber charter school and a tiered rate for special education based on recommendations from the bipartisan Special Education Funding Commission.

With the historic increases in funding that Governor Wolf has proposed there is also a need for greater accountability for school districts to show how state funding is used to improve student achievement. To that end, the governor's Schools That Teach website includes historic performance measures for each school district, including the percentage of students who go on to attend college after graduation and the percentage of students proficient and advanced in reading and math.

Governor Wolf's budget also includes $3.8 billion in historic property tax relief, providing a 50 percent reduction for the average homeowner. The Schools That Teach website shows the total amount each school district will receive to allow for a reduction in the contributions made to school districts by property owners. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Jessica Hickernell – 717-783-9802

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

Related Links

http://www.governor.state.pa.us