Dive Brief:
- Pennsylvania’s budget impasse has already cost school districts as much as $11.2 million in borrowing fees and interest.
- The state’s Democratic governor, Tom Wolf, and its Republican-controlled legislature have failed to come to an agreement over a spending plan for the state since Wolf vetoed a proposal in June.
- With no deal in sight, 17 districts across the state have been forced to borrow money, and more could join them later this month in order to keep operations going.
Dive Insight:
Pennsylvania’s budget troubles and the implications for schools offer a counterpoint to the federal government’s last minute decision to fund the government through December. After too many games of chicken and 2013's shutdown, lawmakers at the federal levelseem to have decided that the effects of failing to pass a budget are too severe to take on for political causes.
On the other hand, for Pennsylvania schools, there’s no end in sight anytime soon. Some districts have struggled to get loans approved or had their credit downgraded as a result of the borrowing and budget showdown. On Wednesday, Wolf vetoed a stopgap spending bill put forward by the state's House.