Education

in committee · Pennsylvania · House Jan 22, 2025

HB 224: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in higher education accountability and transparency, further providing for comparison tool.

HB 224 requires Pennsylvania's Department of Education to create an online comparison tool for higher education institutions. The tool must allow users to search colleges by major and compare high-priority occupations in Pennsylvania, including county-level data on required education, wages, and job demand. Pennsylvania colleges must annually submit relevant data (via existing federal reports) to the Department by January 1st to update the tool. This bill directly affects public and private colleges in Pennsylvania and students seeking education-to-career pathways.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill creates a college comparison tool linking majors to job data, enhancing student access to informed higher education decisions and workforce alignment.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Career & Technical Education Higher Education

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Mar 3, 2025

HB 774: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in school directors, further providing for school director training programs.

HB 774 requires all newly elected or appointed school directors in Pennsylvania to complete a 14-hour training program within their first year, covering topics like academics, trauma-informed approaches (min. 1 hour), finances, governance, and ethics. Existing directors must complete 4 hours annually of advanced training on updated laws, finances, and trauma-informed practices. The bill also applies similar 14-hour initial and 4-hour annual requirements to charter school trustees, with all training provided at no cost by the Department of Education. These provisions take effect for the 2026-2027 school year, replacing current training requirements that expire after 2025-2026.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates training for school directors on governance, trauma-informed practices, and finances, strengthening educational leadership and policy implementation.85% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Mar 3, 2025

HB 792: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in terms and courses of study, further providing for Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations instruction.

HB 792 amends Pennsylvania's Public School Code to require the State Board of Education to collect data on how schools teach Holocaust, genocide, and human rights violations. Starting after the 2025-2026 school year, the State Board must annually request schools to report on whether they offer such instruction, the curriculum used, teacher training participation, and details like grade levels and instructional hours. Every five years, the State Board must issue a report to the Governor, Education Secretary, and legislative education committee chairs, including statistics on school participation and recommendations for improvement. The bill does not mandate specific curriculum content but establishes a reporting system to track existing educational practices.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates curriculum requirements for Holocaust/genocide education and annual data collection, advancing educational content standards in K-12 schools.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Teachers

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Apr 9, 2025

SB 573: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in terms and courses of study, providing for blood donation education.

SB 573 requires Pennsylvania public and nonpublic schools to integrate blood donation education into health classes for 11th and 12th graders. The curriculum must cover blood physiology, donation procedures and safety, blood usage in medical situations, and community benefits of donating. Students or parents may opt out for religious reasons without penalty, and schools must provide alternative learning during the unit.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAdds mandatory blood donation curriculum to health classes for 11th-12th graders, expanding educational content within existing school health standards without funding cuts.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires blood donation education in health classes to promote public health awareness and increase blood supply, aligning with healthcare public health initiatives.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Oct 3, 2025

SR 157: A Resolution encouraging Federal, State and local policymakers, educational institutions, workplaces and other organizations to adopt and uphold diversity, equity and inclusion principles that promote inclusivity, protect freedom of expression, remove barriers and provide equitable opportunities for all individuals to pursue their American Dream.

SR 157 is a non-binding resolution encouraging federal, state, local governments, schools, workplaces, and organizations to adopt diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles. It calls for promoting inclusivity, protecting free expression, removing barriers, and creating equitable opportunities for all people to pursue their goals. The resolution does not create new legal requirements or alter existing laws; it serves as a statement of support for DEI practices. It directly addresses policymakers, educational institutions, and employers by urging them to uphold these principles voluntarily. The resolution was referred to the Rules & Executive Nominations committee on October 3, 2025.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEncourages DEI principles in educational institutions to promote inclusivity, remove barriers, and provide equitable opportunities for all students and educators.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill promotes equitable workplace opportunities and removes barriers through DEI principles, aligning with labor & employment protections by fostering inclusive work environments.85% confidence

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Apr 15, 2025

HB 1220: An Act amending the act of June 27, 2006 (1st Sp.Sess., P.L.1873, No.1), known as the Taxpayer Relief Act, in taxation by school districts, repealing provisions relating to local tax study commission and to adoption of further referendum.

HB 1220 repeals two sections of Pennsylvania's Taxpayer Relief Act that required school districts to form a local tax study commission and hold public referendums before levying certain taxes. Specifically, it removes the requirement for school districts to create a commission to study tax policies and make nonbinding recommendations (Section 331) and eliminates the need for voter approval via referendum before imposing earned income or personal income taxes (Section 332). This bill directly affects Pennsylvania school districts by simplifying their tax levy process, as they will no longer need to conduct the study or seek referendum approval for these specific tax types. The repeal streamlines administrative steps without altering the tax authority itself.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesRepeals referendum requirements for school district taxes, reducing voter accountability in fiscal decisions.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationRemoves barriers requiring school districts to hold referendums on tax levies, enabling more flexible funding without voter approval for education-related taxes.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Apr 28, 2025

SB 679: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in preliminary provisions, providing for minimum hourly wage or living wage for education support professionals; in duties and powers of boards of school directors, further providing for majority vote required and recording; and imposing duties on the Department of Labor and Industry.

Senate Bill 679 proposes to establish a minimum hourly wage or a living wage for education support professionals in Pennsylvania's public schools, such as aides, custodians, and cafeteria staff. Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, these employees would be paid at least $20 per hour or a living wage, whichever is greater, with overtime at one and a half times that rate. The Department of Labor and Industry would be responsible for determining and annually adjusting the living wage for each school entity. Public school entities would receive supplemental reimbursements from the Department of Education to help cover these increased wage costs, including payments for existing contracts that fall below the new minimum.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates $20/hour minimum wage or living wage for education support staff (aides, custodians, cafeteria workers), strengthening workforce stability in K-12 schools.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentEstablishes $20/hr minimum wage for school support staff, requiring annual living wage adjustments by Labor Dept, directly increasing compensation for workers.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Minimum Wage

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Apr 21, 2025

SB 645: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions; in terms and courses of study, further providing for subjects of instruction and flag code and providing for handwriting instruction required; and, in charter schools, further providing for provisions applicable to charter schools and for applicability of other provisions of this act and of other acts and regulations.

SB 645 amends Pennsylvania's Public School Code to mandate cursive handwriting instruction in elementary schools. The bill defines "cursive handwriting" and requires it to be taught in all elementary public and private schools. Specifically, students must receive instruction to ensure they can read and write cursive by the end of fifth grade. These new requirements also apply to charter schools and cyber charter schools.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates cursive handwriting instruction in K-12 curriculum, enhancing required skills development per bill's explicit language on instruction standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Jan 27, 2025

HB 334: An Act amending the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of 1971, in tax credit and tax benefit administration, further providing for definitions; and providing for Pennsylvania Individual Recruitment and Retention Tax Credit.

HB 334 creates a $2,500 Pennsylvania Individual Recruitment and Retention Tax Credit for specific new professionals who move to the state after December 2024. It directly affects qualifying taxpayers certified in teaching (e.g., instructional or special education certificates), law enforcement (e.g., police academy graduates), or healthcare (e.g., registered nurses) who become Pennsylvania residents and secure employment in those fields. The credit reduces their state income tax bill for wages earned in qualifying roles, available for three consecutive years (including the first qualifying year), and requires proof of certification to the Department of Revenue. The credit expires December 31, 2030, and applies only to individuals becoming qualifying taxpayers between 2025 and 2027.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates $2,500 tax credit for essential workers (teachers, law enforcement, healthcare) reducing state income tax burden, aligning with tax relief for public service roles.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeTax credit explicitly targets law enforcement recruitment (police academy graduates), aiming to strengthen workforce retention in criminal justice sector.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationProvides $2,500 tax credit to recruit/retain teachers (with instructional/special ed certs), directly supporting educator workforce through financial incentives.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill offers $2,500 tax credit specifically for healthcare professionals (e.g., RNs) to recruit/retain in PA, directly strengthening workforce availability and access to care.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax Tax Credits Policing Special Education

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Mar 3, 2025

HB 795: An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in high schools, further providing for courses of study.

HB 795 amends Pennsylvania's Public School Code to require high schools (public, private, and parochial) to include at least four semesters of U.S. and Pennsylvania history and government courses in grades 7-12, emphasizing American republican principles. Starting with the 2026-2027 school year, these courses must also cover how victims suffered under specific authoritarian regimes - including Mao Zedong's China, Stalin's Soviet Union, Castro's Cuba, Lenin's Russia, Pol Pot's Cambodia, and Maduro's Venezuela - detailing impacts like poverty, starvation, and violence. The State Board of Education must issue implementing regulations by April 1, 2026, to enforce these curriculum requirements. This bill directly affects all Pennsylvania high schools and their students through mandated instructional content.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates specific history curriculum requirements for all high schools, strengthening educational content standards per Public School Code amendment.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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