Pennsylvania barely uses that funding formula, and Wolf's proposal comes as a trial nears in a lawsuit filed in 2014 by a handful of school districts that accuses the state of inadequately funding public education. A portion of it - about $1.1 billion - would ensure that no school district receives less than it does now. The majority of that $8.1 billion would go out through a 5-year-old school funding formula designed to iron out inequities in how Pennsylvania funds the poorest public schools. The biggest part of that, $1.35 billion, would be distributed to schools to pay for their primary operations, like teacher salaries, operating costs and supplies, on top of the $6.8 billion they currently receive, Jen Swails, Wolf's budget secretary, said in an interview. The proposal carries what could approach $2 billion extra for public schools, an increase of more than 20%. The scope of the proposal rivals the budget Wolf proposed in his first year in office, which hit solid Republican opposition and never passed. It is possible to pursue a legislative agenda for this commonwealth that is good for families, good for businesses, and good for the economy," Wolf said in a statement. "We can have a great public school for every child in every neighborhood in Pennsylvania, good job opportunities for everyone who wants them, and an economy strong enough to provide for everyone. Under the plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1, Wolf, a Democrat, will ask the Republican-controlled Legislature for a $3 billion increase in the personal income tax to provide a massive boost to public schools and help fill a multibillion-dollar deficit inflicted by the pandemic. Wolf's administration began releasing details of the plan to The Associated Press ahead of Wednesday's planned budget address. Tom Wolf will propose a sweeping new plan to dramatically boost funding for public schools, to be supported by an increase in the state's personal income tax rate that also expands exemptions for lower-wage earners, administration officials said Tuesday.
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