Basic Education
Under the governor's proposal, the total K-12education sub-category would receive $9.92 billion which is a $329.6 million (3.4 percent) increase.
Increased Accountability and Transparency for Education Funding
• Real-Time Data Collection: This proposal recommends $1.7 million in state and federal funds (race to the top) to implement data collection improvements that will allow for real-time data collection. This improved data collection will allow the commonwealth to base education funding on current enrollment and attendance information.
• The budget recommends creating a school report card program that assesses Pennsylvania schools and a separate teacher evaluation tool.
• PA Assessment: funding is increased by 43 percent to$52 million in part to implement the School Report Card program and a modified Keystone Exam Program.
Student Achievement Education Block Grant (SAEBG): The governor is proposing changes to the distribution of most basic education funding to encourage creativity and reduce bureaucratic obstacles. These changes are intended to provide local district administrators the flexibility to deploy funding in innovative ways that will allow them to steer funding to areas of priority for each district.
• Special Education: Remains level funded at $1.03 billion.
• Special Education for Approved Private Schools: This line is level funded at $98 million.
• Public Libraries: Funding for the public library line-items are all reduced by 5 percent.
- Public Library Subsidy: $50.8 million (-$2.6 million)
- Library Services for the Visually Impaired and Disabled: $2.6 million(-$135,000)
- Library Access: $2.8 million(-$149,000)
• Non-Public Schools: funding for both services to non-public schools and textbook, materials and equipment for non-public schools remains in the budget but with a 5 percent reduction.
- Services to non-public schools: $82.1 million
- Textbooks, Materials and Equipment for non-public schools: $24,964.
• Early Intervention: Provides for delivery of appropriate early intervention educational programs to children who have disabilities or developmental delays and will receive a 4 percent increase for total funding of $206 million.
• Pre-K Counts: Funding for this early-childhood education initiative supporting eligible families – family of four making $66,000 or less – is reduced by $4.1 million or 5 percent. This adjustment will not impact the number of students served.
• Head Start Assistance: This program, which provides early-childhood education support to low-income families (family of four making $22,000 or less) is being reduced by 5 percent to $35.4 million.
• Safe School Initiative: proposed funding of $2 million, a 5 percent reduction.
Higher Education
• State System of Higher Education: The governor's budget proposes the state’s 14 universities receive a total of $330.2 million. This represents a reduction of 20 percent, or $82 million of state funding for the state-owned universities.
• State-Related Universities: Under the governor's budget, three of the state’s state-related universities (PSU, PITT, and Temple) will receive a 30 percent reduction:
- PSU: $183.6 million
- Pitt: $93.8 million for general support and $1.4 million for Rural Education Outreach
- Temple: $97.9 million
- Lincoln University: will be level funded at $11.2 million.
• Community Colleges: State dollars for these schools are reduced by 3.8 percent to $221 million.
• PHEAA: This budget provides $395.7 Million for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. This represents a 6.4 percent overall reduction.
- Grants to Students: this program is funded at $361 million which is a 5 percent reduction.
- Institutional assistance grants are reduced by 30 percent to $17 million.
- Other programs funded through PHEAA are reduced by approximately 5 percent.
Public Welfare
• Total Public Welfare Spending: Overall department spending is proposed to be $10.53 billion. This figure represents a reduction of $29 .6 million or 0.3 percent.
• Cash Grants: Funding for cash grants is eliminated in this budget.
• Additional cost containment initiatives: The FY12-13 budget proposes a total of $632 million in STATE SAVINGS.
- Medical Assistance Eligibility Criteria for benefit- Changes would include minimum work requirements for medically needy recipients, tightening definitions of medical conditions, clarification of what medications are necessary for someone to work. Estimated state savings of $170.3 million.
- Revised Provider Reimbursements- Proposes reduction to certain provider reimbursement rates. Estimated state savings of $59million.
- Program Integrity- Budget assumes savings through implementation of automated audit system to identify provider waste, fraud and abuse and through enhancement of the review process for high cost cases. Estimated state savings of $50million.
- Child Care Reimbursement Reform- Proposes a reduction in amount paid to child care provider when child absent for extended period and a decrease in reimbursement rates for unregulated relative/neighbor child care. Estimated state savings of $10million.
• MEDICAL ASSISTANCE- Overall an additional $149.555 million (2.96% increase) is being requested for the main 4 Medical Assistance appropriations (MA Outpatient, MA Inpatient, MA Capitation and MA Long Term Care) due to increases in projected caseload/utilization of services.
Corrections
Under the governor's budget, the Department of Corrections will be level funded at $1.867 billion in funding in this.
• The governor is asking the department to implement a variety of cost containment initiatives to clamp-down projected increases.
Public Safety
• Attorney General: Proposed funding for the Office of Attorney General is $78.121 million. This represents a 4 percent reduction.
• State Police: The budget proposes $187 million, a 0.2 percent increase.
- The budget sets aside $7.8 million for a new cadet class of 115 troopers.
- Both trooper and civilian employee figures are unchanged.
- Fine Sharing: The budget proposes that the State police now retain proceeds from fines issued by state troopers in communities without their own police department.
- The funds will be used to purchase communication and protective equipment for troopers.
- It is estimated the fine sharing will produce approximately $8 million per year.
- Funding for Forensic Laboratory support is discontinued.
• PEMA: Overall department funding is recommended at $29.5 million, a 17 percent increase.
- A line item is added (Hazard Mitigation) which allocates state matching dollars for federally funded projects.
- Additional state funds are provided as matching funds to federal relief provided for summer 2011 storms.
• Probation and Parole: A total of $131.7 million is proposed for the department. This represents a 3.8 percent increase over 2010-11.
- Additional funds are in part for the cost to implement Megan’s law changes adopted in Act 111 of 2011.
Agriculture
• Department of Agriculture: The department will receive an overall appropriation of $56.3 million. The decrease is primarily due to the shift of some programs to the PA Race Horse Development Fund.
Health
• Department of Health: The department will receive $175 million, which is a 4.6 percent reduction.
• Consolidations: The PA Health Care Cost Containment Council and the Patient Safety Authority will be folded into the Dep. of Health to consolidate efforts and better integrate the data collection
Environment and Parks & Recreation
• Department of Conservation and Natural Resources: The department will receive $52.7 million, a 4.6 percent reduction.
- DCNR will also receive $33.8 million from the Oil and Gas Lease Fund for State Parks Operations and general operations that offsets General Fund spending.
• Department of Environmental Protection: The agency is slated to receive $124.8 million, a 7.8 percent reduction.
Economic Development and Labor & Industry
• DCED: Overall department decrease of $3.07 million (-1.4percent), from $214.82 million to $211.75 million.
• Department of Labor and Industry: Overall Department decrease of $1.24 million (-1.7%) from $71.75 million to $70.51.
• Proposes the Keystone Works Program at $2.5 million. The program will provide employer-driven training opportunities for unemployed workers through the creation of a $2.5 million grant program.
Transportation
• Motor License Fund transportation budget decrease of $105.57 million (-5.4 percent), from $1.95 billion to $1.84 billion.
• Total Proposed Transportation Budget from all sources (Federal, Motor License Fund, Restricted Accounts, Other Funds, etc.) down $566.7 million from $6.43 billion to $5.86 billion. This is consistent with the 2010-11 actual expenditures.
Military & Veterans Affairs
• Military and Veterans Affairs: Under the governor's proposal, Overall Department decrease of $6.25 million (-4.9 percent).
• The budget proposes an investment of $1 million to create a new veterans foundation that will provide emergency assistance for Pennsylvania veterans.
Governor's Office
• Governor’s Office: The governor's proposed budget proposes $6.18 million, a 0.2 percent increase.
Legislature
• The General Assembly: Under the governor's proposed budget, funding is reduced by $12.008 million to $260.776 million (-4.4percent).
Judiciary
• Judiciary is level funded at $298.9 million in the governor's proposal.