ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Education will be front and center when Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers his 2024-25 budget next week, including a proposal to cut tuition for many in-state students to $1,000 a semester.
State officials already are required to dramatically boost funding for basic education this year after a court determined that Pennsylvania's current funding formula violates its constitution. But Shapiro announced last week he wants to reform the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, or PASSHE, colleges and 15 state-owned community colleges as well.
During his first budget address last year, Shapiro said the state needed to rethink its higher education because the system wasn't working. Pennsylvania ranked 48th in the country for affordability and 49th in investment, according to the Shapiro administration.
Shapiro has started dropping limited details about an ambitious plan to shake up PASSHE, which includes Kutztown University in Berks County and East Stroudsburg University in Monroe County.
"We'll build a higher education system that opens up doors of opportunity, prepares our workforce and serves as the linchpin of Pennsylvania's economic success," Shapiro said in a news release.
His proposal calls for reducing tuition and fees at PASSHE schools or community colleges to $1,000 a semester. To qualify, the student must be from a Pennsylvanian household earning up to the median income. In 2022, that amounted to $73,170, according to U.S. Census data.
By comparison, West Chester University, another PASSHE school, said on its website that tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate would add up to $10,576 a semester.
The cost reduction would be supported by a "significant investment" in state-owned schools and community colleges, according to the Shapiro administration. No specifics were provided on the total amount or the source of the money.
It's possible the changes would be supported in part by reforming the administrations of the schools. The news release said it would unify the colleges under single governance while still allowing local leadership.
PASSHE has a recent history of mergers to try to combat rising costs and falling enrollment. Six schools — California, Clarion and Edinboro universities and Bloomsburg, Loch Haven and Mansfield universities — combined into two universities with multiple campuses in 2022.
The plan also involves performance-based funding for all state-owned schools and state-related schools — Lincoln University, Penn State University, University of Pittsburgh and Temple University. No details on what that involves have been publicly disclosed.
State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, said he has no details on the specifics but applauded the proposal. The chair of the House Education Committee, Schweyer said a lot more work needs to be done to move the project forward, but Shapiro has laid the groundwork for legislators to build off.
"Reduction in costs in a very large number of students is remarkably important for so many of our kids, this is groundbreaking and life-changing policy."State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh
"Reduction in costs in a very large number of students is remarkably important for so many of our kids," said Schweyer, who said he worked 40 hours a week to pay for his college education."
The early reaction suggests lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are open to big changes in higher education, though focus has differed by party. Democrats have applauded the cost reduction while many Republicans are eager to add performance-based stipulations to funding.
Given the perceived buy-in, Schweyer said he is optimistic the General Assembly will be able to remake the state's university system while making historic changes to basic education across the Commonwealth. While observers often decry the slow pace of government, Schweyer said he's committed to seeing both projects across the finish line.
"We can walk and chew bubblegum at the same time," he said.
Shapiro's 2024-25 budget address is scheduled for Feb. 6.
