Pennsylvania’s constitution requires that, “The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.” This is not a requirement that the Legislature is fulfilling. While the Senate Democrats have prioritized education funding and made great strides at increases, we still have not achieved the goal of funding public education by 50% at the state level.

Higher Education has become integral in today’s high-tech, internationally competitive workplace. However, Pennsylvania now has the 2^nd highest student tuition debt among the states, indicating a system that is costly and prohibitive to enter. Community colleges and state system of higher education must be made more affordable so that everyone that wants to continue their education past high school has an opportunity to do so.

Early childhood education and pre-K, after school and tutoring programs, nutrition and health supports, among other social services provide an important source of assistance to make sure that children are not just in the classroom, but ready to learn.

Teachers are the backbone of the education system. They must be protected from vicious and unfair ideological attacks and provided with safe working conditions, reasonable compensation and benefits, and ongoing professional development opportunities so that they remain on the cutting edge of their practice.