Gov. Shapiro pulls support of new private-school funding program; House approves budget

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania was without a state budget for five days due to an impasse in the state legislature.

In an effort to change that, Governor Josh Shapiro on Wednesday pulled his support for school choice vouchers, which has been the sticking point in budget negotiations, and advised state lawmakers to get a budget passed quickly.

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“What I find most troubling is the fact that Governor Shapiro seems to have been dishonest throughout this whole process,” said Republican Rep. Aaron Bernstine, from Butler County, blasting Governor Shapiro’s apparent about-face on proposed school choice vouchers.

The vouchers are widely supported by Republicans and would allow students in poorly performing public schools to receive state funding to attend private or religious schools instead.

Students at several schools across the Greater Pittsburgh region would qualify.

“The truth is these are horrendous school districts, and we need to provide an option for students and their parents to make decisions that are best for them,” Bernstine said.

Opponents, like Democratic Senator Lindsey Williams, from Allegheny County, say the voucher program would take away funding from already underfunded public schools.

“It would send your public tax dollars to private religious schools that are unaccountable, so there is no transparency that those dollars are going to students who need them most,” Williams told Channel 11 last week when discussing school choice vouchers.

Governor Shapiro initially supported the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success — or PASS scholarships — and the GOP-led Senate passed a budget with funding for the vouchers.

With the Democrat-controlled House rejecting that budget proposal, and the state five days past the budget deadline, Shapiro advised the House on Wednesday to pass the budget put forward by the Senate.

He released a statement which read, in part, “Knowing that the two chambers will not reach consensus at this time to enact PASS, and unwilling to hold up our entire budget process over this issue, I will line-item veto the full $100 million appropriation and it will not be part of this budget bill.”

The chamber on Wednesday night approved the main bill in a $45 billion spending plan, 117-86. Every Democrat voted in favor of it, joined by 15 Republicans.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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