The Association of Commissioners of Kyle Kopko, Executive Director of Pennsylvania, speaks at a press conference with officials and school officials on the impact of state budget impasse as the superintendent of the school district of Susquehanna Township, Tamara Willis, on Monday, September 29, 2025 (photo Peter Hall/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
The leaders said on Monday school districts and poviat governments when financial effects became, because the continuous deadlock of the state budget is starving their financing.
The legislators had the deadline on June 30 to adopt the budget to 2025-2026. But having almost September, and the budget 90 days delayed, school programs and poviat agencies, which depend on the state and federal money for the journey, are threatened, representatives of the Association of School Councils in Pennsylvania (PSBA) and the Association of Poviat Commissioners in Pennsylvania (CCAP).
“Late budgets have real effects,” said Nathan Mains, PSBA general director. “Imagine that you are trying to plan your own budget without a full picture of income or try to pay all bills without 70% of income. Such school districts are located because of this year’s late state budget.”
The guerrilla impasse between the house managed by the Democrats and the Senate controlled by the Republicans will soon force school districts and the counties to borrow money to maintain programs or limit services. Some have already planned cuts and freezing freezing from October.
Pennsylvania is the onlyTate in the country It was not able to transfer some form of budget for the financial year in 2025–26.
Governor Josh Shapiro introduced a 51.5 billion expenditure plan in February, which would require about $ 4.5 billion more than expected that the state would receive revenues.
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Republicans of the Senate rejected this proposal, pressing on a balanced budget that would not fall into around $ 3 billion of surplus in the amount of about $ 3 billion or $ 7 billion. They also rejected the expenditure plan, which passed the house in July, which would reduce almost $ 1 billion from the Shapiro proposal.
The Senate approved the short-lived budget in August to enable funding to school and poviats, while the legislators continued to negotiate on the financing of transit and education, two of the main sticking points. House Democrats refused, saying that they want a fully negotiated budget instead of a break.
The executive director of CCAP, Kyle Kopko, said that although both sides are to be advocated for their priorities, every budget deadlock brings the government of the financial crisis closer.
“We cannot normalize the practice that the state budget is basically lacking every second year,” he said, noting that 12 budgets have been delayed in the last 25 years. “Without the state budget, many poviats will be forced to increase property taxes, reduce critical services or both.”
Armstrong’s County Was announced last week That this would stop the reimbursement of costs for foster care services, close some of your older centers and freeze employment and unnecessary travels.
Westmoreland Ferrial Commissioners were announced Employees and closure of the park As the budget reserves end.
Imagine that you are trying to plan your own budget without a full picture of income or try to pay all bills without 70% of income. School districts are located here.
– Pennsylvania School Boards Association, Nathan Mains, Nathan
And commissioners of Chester counties last week The resolution has passed Calling Shapiro and leaders of the General Assembly to “the priority of their duties and cooperation to finalize the budget without further delay.” The poviat will pay only 75% of what they invoice to its contractors, and the rest will be paid after the budget is adopted.
Kopko noticed that even after signing Shapiro, the budget would take six weeks or more to make the funds to be transferred to waiting agencies.
CCAP adopted a formal political position, asking Shapiro and legislators to support the provisions regarding the refund of the counties and interest related to tiny -term operational loans, which are currently falling on local taxpayers.
“We can’t allow Pennsylvanian to be punished again simply because the community did not accept the timely budget, according to the requirements of the law,” said Kopko.
Tamara Willis, curator of Susquehanna Township School, said that the need to borrow money creates a “double threat” to districts such as her who are preparing to spend debts for the construction or repair of schools.
Willis said that without recent buildings for 60 years and the fastest growing number of registration to Dauphin, district schools are extended to their borders.
“Any disturbances or reduction of credit rating will increase the costs of this borrowing, thanks to which these bonds are much more expensive,” said Willis.
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In the long run, this means that the district will have less money to employ teachers, pay for programs and buy the necessary stocks in the classroom, she said.
“These are the investments themselves that directly affect students’ learning,” said Willis. “So let me explain that this is not a temporary inconvenience. This is a serious threat to our daily operations, as well as long -term fiscal health.”
Annie Strite, Mental Health Director and Cumberland and Perry County Administrator, said that the impasse also has a harmful effect on net safety programs that cooperate with schools and teachers to ensure the well -being of students and their families.
Noticing that September is a month of preventing suicides, Strite said that suicide is the second common cause of the death of children from 10 to 14 and the third common for teenagers from 15 to 18 in the country.
“It is necessary for the social mental health system to cooperate with our education specialists at every level,” she said.
Strite said in two poviats in which she supervises mental health services, five primary school advisors serve 49 schools in 13 districts and over 1,000 students helped. She told about the recent case in which the teacher directed the student to academic and behavioral fears.
Employees of the county discovered a family in a crisis struggling with homelessness, financial instability, recent family death and domestic violence that the student observed. The county combined a mother with counseling, a student with school therapy and family with the support of food.
There are thousands of stories in Pennsylvania that are similar, “said Strite, adding that without intervention such situations can lead to more pricey involvement in social care agencies.
“If the budget deadlock lasts even longer, you need to make difficult decisions to stop the services and deal or end employees who play these roles,” said Strite.
Sherene Shereen Hess, Indiana Ferrious Commissioner and CCAP president, said that the government’s rule did not fully regain the budget impasse in 2015, when the legislator controlled by the Republicans and the former democratic governor Tom Wolf did not reach agreement for nine months.
“We are authorized to provide these services, but it will take place financial, and it also takes stress, and I see it,” Hess said. “I see that this happens on the faces of people every day.”
