Pa. budget talks ongoing as Friday deadline for agreement looms

HARRISBURG, Pa. - It could be the calm before the storm in Harrisburg as budget talks are underway at the Capitol. Facing a Friday deadline to agree on a state budget, the leadership of the General Assembly is huddling with the governor and his staff to strike a deal.

Freshman Representative from Philadelphia County, Ben Waxman, said, "There’s some adult behavior that’s required at the end. I’m not going to get everything I want in this budget."

Governor Josh Shapiro has offered a budget of $44.4 billion dollars with $1 billion focused on new education spending. The Pennsylvania House, controlled by Democrats with a one-seat majority, pumped another $1.4 billion into the plan with more money going to support public education.

The governor stated Thursday, regarding the nature of the negotiations:

"Throughout budget negotiations, it’s been clear all parties want to reach a deal, and no one wants a protracted fight. After a dozen years of total Republican control of the Legislature, Senate Republicans need to give more than they’re used to – and after a dozen years in the minority, House Democrats can’t expect to get everything they’ve wanted over the last decade in one budget.

"Pennsylvania has the only full-time, divided legislature in the country and as I said at the very beginning of this process, nothing gets done unless a majority in both chambers agree. We have a responsibility to come together, compromise, and pass a commonsense budget that addresses the most pressing issues facing Pennsylvanians."

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As budget talks heated up, the highly controversial plan of school vouchers, using public money to support students in private schools, arose. Shapiro says he supports certain vouchers but won’t pull money from public schools.

Many Democrats, and groups like teachers’ unions strongly oppose them, but Republicans like freshman State Rep. Kristin Marcell, of Bucks County, support the "choice" vouchers offer. "I’m very supportive of public education, but I also believe making sure we have child-focused approaches and policies, because not everyone is lucky enough to be in the Council Rock School District."

Sources with knowledge of the budget talks say some form of school vouchers, funded separately from public education, may be part of the final budget plan.

And as the negotiators talked, members of the legislature’s Black Caucus and their supporters raged at Thursday’s Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions and steeled themselves for the possible budget battle on education ahead.