Aid for schools, overtime rule were key trade in state budget deal
Marc Levy
The Associated Press
HARRISBURG — A key trade that sealed a budget deal between Gov. Tom Wolf and Republicans who control the Legislature was a $100 million injection of cash into Pennsylvania’s poorest public schools in exchange for the governor backing off a regulatory expansion of eligibility for overtime pay.
Wolf, a Democrat, had sought more than $1 billion in new, higher funding for public schools, but met Republican resistance.
He settled for $300 million for school district operations and instruction, including the unique idea of setting aside $100 million of that strictly for school districts historically disadvantaged by how Pennsylvania distributes aid to schools.