Article Summary –
Pennsylvania’s Department of Education is offering $75 million in grants for school environmental repairs and upgrades through the Public School Environmental Repairs Grant Program. The funding aims to tackle issues such as asbestos, lead, and mold in school buildings. A further $100 million in grants is also available through the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program, which covers similar issues as well as heating, cooling, and window upgrades.
Pennsylvania Schools Get Millions for Environmental Repairs and Upgrades
The administration of Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro announced on February 12, millions in grants to address asbestos, lead, and other contaminants in schools through the Public School Environmental Repairs Grant Program.
According to the state’s Department of Education, $75 million will be allocated to schools for environmental repairs and upgrades. State Secretary of Education, Khalid N. Mumin, emphasized the importance of safe, healthy learning environments for students, stating the grants would help make necessary upgrades and repairs to school buildings.
Applications for the grant funding, open to public school districts, charter schools and career, and technical centers, will be accepted from May 1 through June 30. Schools can apply to address environmental hazards like asbestos, mold, and lead in water sources.
Additionally, the Department of Education highlighted that an extra $100 million in grants is available through the Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program. This program, starting to accept applications from March 1, could also fund lead and asbestos abatement, heating and cooling upgrades, window replacements, and other improvements.
The grant funds are part of the 2023-2024 state budget. However, Gov. Shapiro has recommended an additional $1.1 billion in new funding for schools in his proposed 2024-2025 budget.
During his Feb. 6 budget address, Shapiro underscored the needs of Pennsylvania’s students for safe, healthy learning environments. He related an anecdote about the family of Rep. Elizabeth Fielder, whose children’s school had to close due to asbestos detection, emphasizing the wider impact of unsafe educational facilities.
Shapiro’s budget proposal includes an extra $300 million to support facilities repairs and upgrades, similar to the current grants. Consequently, schools unable to get funding this year may secure it next year or later, given legislative approval of the next budget.
However, the fate of Shapiro’s budget proposal is uncertain due to opposition from Republicans, who currently control the Pennsylvania Senate. A Feb. 13 special election will determine the balance of power in the evenly split General Assembly.
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