Pennsylvania’s ongoing budget stalemate has cost the Warren County School District more than $15 million in state aid.

According to information compiled by the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the Warren County School District has missed state aid payments of $820,709 in July, $6,373,855 in August, $2,590,859 in September and $5,514,287 in October, for a total of $15,299,709. Statewide, total missed payments total $5,316,989,678.

During its most recent meeting the Warren County School District Board of Education passed a PSEA-backed resolution asking the state Legislature and Gov. Josh Shapiro to pass a budget.

The impasse threatens the stability of public education and undermines planning for the future made by districts, placing undue financial burdens on local taxpayers, the resolution states. With Pennsylvania’s state budget 122 days overdue, public schools are being forced to freeze new hires, take out loans, and curtail educational programs like after-school tutoring.

The PSEA’s resolution asks the state to fully fund public education, including basic, special, and career and technical

education; release all appropriated federal funds owed to school districts without further delay; honor the Commonwealth Court’s mandate to address funding adequacy and equity; establishes a process by which any interest and fees accrued due to borrowing throughout the impasse is repaid to districts; includes meaningful cyber charter funding reform by establishing a uniform statewide tuition rate for students attending a cyber charter school; and demonstrates bipartisan cooperation and leadership in the interest of Pennsylvania’s students and communities.

PSEA President Aaron Chapin noted that the typical school district in Pennsylvania keeps enough money in reserve to afford 87 days of expenditures. September 25, the day that the state’s September payment to public schools was supposed to be paid, marked the 87th day of FY 2025-26 without a state budget.

“PSEA envisions a future where funding is no longer an obstacle for our students to reach their full potential,” Chapin said. “But this budget stalemate is undermining everything our educators are working to achieve.”

At the November 3 school board meeting, Gary Weber, Warren County School District superintendent, referenced a presentation where school districts discussed creating an invoice for unrecoverable monthly interest lost as they have to pull money out of investments in order to cover monthly bills. He expects to report more information on that to come from the state.

The Altoona Mirror, one of the Times Observer’s sister papers, recently reported through Spotlight PA that Gov. Josh Shapiro and the leaders of all four legislative caucuses met in person several days recently amid a four-month budget impasse that is creating increasingly dire consequences across Pennsylvania. Last week’s meetings were the first in-person ones since June 30 to include Shapiro and the majority and minority leaders from the state House and Senate, said a Capitol source with knowledge of the talks who asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive, closed-door matters. A spokesperson for Shapiro told Spotlight PA that the Democrat convened the meetings. “The need for all five parties to be in the room became clear as conditions changed,” said the spokesperson, who did not answer follow-up questions on the timing or reasoning.