Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recently shared his new plans for higher education in PA, including plans that would affect Bucks County Community College and many other Pennsylvania colleges.
Gov. Shapiro hopes for this plan to make college more accessible and affordable for those looking to pursue higher education. On Feb 6, Shapiro proposed a plan with the help of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
PASSHE oversees several schools in Pennsylvania and has a mission statement dedicated to higher education and serving the Commonwealth. The joint effort intends to enact a new system where PA households that make up the median income will pay no more than $1,000 in tuition and fees per semester at state-owned colleges and community colleges.
This means that Bucks would be one of several community colleges in the state involved in the Governor’s new plan.
“Whether you want to take one course to brush up on your skills, earn a certificate to qualify for a promotion or pursue a degree that will lead to a new career – you deserve accessible, affordable higher education options,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro intends to have Pennsylvania embrace a performance-based funding model. This means that colleges would have funds distributed on an outcomes formula with the hope of incentivizing colleges of the commonwealth to achieve goals that benefit all of Pennsylvania. The performance-based funding is going to be pushed out through the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Shapiro believes that this will help break a cycle of “political gamesmanship” that has held funds hostage. This will be accomplished because the plan will not need to receive a two-thirds vote in the legislature. “This blueprint will serve as the linchpin to our Commonwealth’s economic success, setting us up for growth and prosperity for generations to come,” said Shapiro.
The goal of this new plan is to keep young people in Pennsylvania, attract workers and companies to the state, help students gain skills and take high-paying jobs and ensure company employers that they will find good workers to benefit and grow the company. Pennsylvania currently ranks 49th in higher education but Shapiro plans to jump up to 22nd if his plans go accordingly.
A few major college presidents offered up their support for Shapiro’s new plan. “We are very grateful to the Governor for his bold initiative in support of higher education in Pennsylvania,” said Temple president Richard M. Englert.
Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said, “I am extremely pleased to see that part of Gov. Shapiro’s blueprint is a call to establish a predictable performance-based funding formula.”
However, not everyone is fully on board with this new plan. Some are hesitant about a proposed 25-campus system that is made up of two-year and four-year schools in the state. There are also questions surrounding a $1,000 increase in the state grant maximum beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.
This plan has turned a lot of heads, garnering both praise and criticism. It will be a while before the outcome of this plan is fully understood if it’ll help Pennsylvania’s higher education, and just how much it’ll affect Bucks.