Shapiro visits Scranton school, touts education funding success
They shook pompoms, held signs and swayed miniature flags as the governor greeted and high-fived them. Shortly after, the lucky first-grade class of Julie Zaleski filed politely into the gymnasium and sat 'criss-cross applesauce' on the floor to one side of the room, beneficiaries of a historic $2 billion increase in K-12 public education funding by the Shapiro administration.
Shapiro took to the podium, flanked by book shelves loaded with library books, a globe and a stuffed mouse.
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Gov. Josh Shapiro jokes with students at Isaac Tripp Elementary School in Scranton Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Gov. Josh Shapiro looks ahead as he visits with students through a hallway at Isaac Tripp Elementary School in Scranton Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks in the gymnasium of Isaac Tripp Elementary School in Scranton Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Gov. Josh Shapiro greets students at Isaac Tripp Elementary School in Scranton Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Students wait for Gov. Josh Shapiro to make his way through a hallway at Isaac Tripp Elementary School in Scranton Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Gov. Josh Shapiro greets students at Isaac Tripp Elementary School in Scranton Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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State Rep. Jim Haddock greets students in the gymnasium of Isaac Tripp Elementary School in Scranton during a visit from Gov. Josh Shapiro Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Gov. Josh Shapiro jokes with students at Isaac Tripp Elementary School in Scranton Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Shapiro touted a year of improved education and resources for students across the region, bolstered by the largest year-over-year increase to education funding in the commonwealth's history, and elaborated on the success of the funding.
'The reason why we are here today is because we've been able to come together, Democrat and Republican alike, and do something really, really historical, for public education here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,' Shapiro said.
State Reps. Bridget Kosierowski, D-114, Waverly Twp., Kyle Mullins, D-112, Blakely, and Jim Haddock, D-118, Pittston Twp., gathered to one side. Scranton School District Superintendent Erin Keating, Ed.D., Scranton School Board President Ty Holmes and acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education Carrie Rowe stood on the other side. Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti sat among a group of local leaders and lookers on in a pattern of padded folding chairs.
Shapiro described a scenario where, a decade ago, the state cut $1 billion in funding from the education system.
'We hit a speed bump and were forced to go back,' Shapiro said.
He outlined how, though Gov. Tom Wolf's administration worked to do damage control, schools were still severely underfunded.
'We knew that the standard wasn't being met, across Northeastern Pennsylvania, or across this commonwealth,' Shapiro explained, adding that, when he served as the attorney general of Pennsylvania, he wrote a legal brief explaining the system needed to be corrected, because it was unconstitutional. Shortly after Shapiro took office, Pennsylvania courts ruled the school funding system at that time to be unconstitutional.
'Instead of pointing fingers at somebody else, we all agreed, Democrat and Republican, to get around the table and work to address this crisis in public education that we were facing,' Shapiro said. 'We didn't want to shortchange these students. We wanted to be able to invest in them again and make sure that every child has an opportunity for success in life. And so we worked together, and we made historic investments.'
Shapiro pointed to Isaac Tripp Elementary School as an example of what is possible when bipartisan efforts maintain the constitutional obligation to children and schools.
'This wasn't just about writing a check to the school district,' Shapiro said, adding that as a result of the work, problems have been solved, highlighting the commonwealth's universal free breakfast provided in schools to all students, because, 'no child should have to learn on an empty belly.'
He outlined other improvements, such as growth to the after-school program, access to pre-K, increased funding for special education, including more counselors and special education support in schools, upgrades and improvements, and an increase in the number of teachers hired, thanks in part to a $10,000 stipend reimbursement for educators' learning costs.
'For so many years, the number of teachers have been declining in Pennsylvania. We're reversing that trend,' Shapiro said. 'For the first time in years, it's growing.'
Keating described Scranton as 'a city that is long steeped in a proud history and a promising future,' and highlighting the diversity of the student body of 9,300, accentuating how additional funding has improved the education of the students, 80% of whom 'qualify as economically disadvantaged.'
She expressed excitement to be 'bringing back preschool,' addressing mental health needs, adding art, music, physical education, STEM opportunities, new fire alarm systems, upgrading all exterior doors, adding interior cameras, completion of construction to West Scranton Intermediate School, and more with the educational funding increase.
'They aren't just extras,' Keating said, addressing some of the benefits funding has provided for the district. 'They're vital components of well-rounded education that create those experiences and interests for kids to grow from high school and beyond.'
Kosierowski thanked Shapiro for prioritizing education, citing how her experience as a nurse allows her the ability to see the benefits positive measures taken while children are young has on their overall and ongoing health and lives.
'I'm really proud of what we do here in the state and with funding that we have,' Kosierowski said, citing safe classrooms, nutritional provisions and mental health supports, and reiterated that $11 billion is aimed at K-12 education funding, with a $2 billion increase during the Shapiro administration, and $200 million more dollars to benefit mental health needs, among other improvements.
'This is what progress looks like,' Kosierowski added, 'and here in Scranton, we are seeing it firsthand.'
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