Pennsylvania is energized for the Eagles to win on Sunday and bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to Philadelphia. After Governor Josh Shapiro’s budget address this week, Pennsylvania is also gearing up for the FY26 budget season and fighting for a win for kids.

Governor Shapiro made a strong opening play, outlining in his fiscal plan what he called common sense investments to make the lives of Pennsylvanians better. The $51.5 billion proposed budget moves the ball to offset the impact of inflation so PA kids don’t suffer the impact of cuts to critical programs. In fact, much of Shapiro’s new spending is laser-focused on improving the lives of children and teens.

As the Commonwealth’s quarterback, Shapiro’s education play was as smooth as a hand-off to Saquon Barkley:

• Nearly $526 million more going to underfunded rural, suburban, and urban schools that educate most of the PA’s Black, Hispanic, and low-income students.
• An extra $75 million to be distributed to public schools statewide.
• An additional $40 million for Special Education.
• A standard $8,000 cyber charter school tuition, saving local districts about $378 million a year. (This policy reform was recommended three years ago by Children First’s PA Charter Performance Center.)
• $271 million in additional funds for student support like school-based mental health services, college/career readiness, and school facilities. (See details in our complete budget analysis.)

Like a soaring pass to A.J. Brown, early childhood education had some great plays in Shapiro’s budget, including:

• $55 million in additional funding to recruit and retain great pre-k teachers so programs can start to re-open closed pre-k classrooms.
• $24.6 million for early intervention for infants, toddlers, and pre-school children.
• $15 million more for higher wages for skilled Pre-K Counts teachers

It wasn’t a big play, but a fiscal “tush push” got violence reduction to the next down:

• A $10 million increase to the Violence Intervention and Prevention Programs that can protect and engage young people.
• An additional $10 million for positive youth activities through the Building Opportunity through Out of School Time (BOOST) program.

But like too many Jake Elliott field goals, not everything kids need made it through the goal posts.

• The $527 million installment to fill the $4 billion adequacy gap is substantial, but at this rate, it may take nearly a decade to afford students in these low-wealth districts access to a top-quality education.
• We need to expand public insurance eligibility so every PA child has health coverage.
• We need funds to remove hazardous lead paint from homes and child care centers.

With the right play call, maybe we’ll see paid family leave and a minimum wage increase make it into the end zone.

Right after the Governor delivered his address, the opposing team took the field and got into a defensive formation, claiming that Shapiro’s spending is reckless. Child advocates will need to keep our eyes on the ball and keep moving the budget down the field to score for kids.

Go Birds!