Literacy Pittsburgh continues to work with our statewide association, PAACE, and Western Pennsylvania legislative champions to increase Pennsylvania’s investment in adult basic and continuing education.
The PA House passed a budget bill on Monday, June 5 that included Governor Shapiro’s proposed $3.8 million increase in the Adult and Family Literacy budget line. Budget negotiations with the Senate and Governor’s office will continue through the next few weeks. We are working hard to ensure our increase remains in the final budget bill.
Literacy Pittsburgh thanks Senator Lindsay Williams as well as the members of the Senate Education Committee who voted yes on June 6 on SB 462 (Adult Education and Workforce Recovery Fund) which creates a one-time competitive grant program for adult education providers for the purpose of providing digital literacy, workforce partnerships, career services and tuition assistance to adult learners.
This legislation will be a useful tool for the state in addressing workforce-related issues currently being experienced across the Commonwealth and will make a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals and families. We would especially like to thank the bill's primary sponsor Senator Camera Bartolotta for being a champion for the field of adult education. We look forward to our continued work with her over the coming weeks in the budget process and hope we are able to celebrate success with her in seeing the Adult Education and Workforce Recovery fund become a reality.
We are grateful to the many legislative champions from Western PA who are supporting and advocating for our work, especially the members of the Allegheny County Democratic Delegation of the House of Representatives: Representative Nick Pisciottano, Representative Natalie Mihalek, Senators Jay Costa, Devlin Robinson, Lindsay Williams, and Camara Bartolotta.
Please join us in thanking these champions and urging others in our region to support increasing state investments in adult basic and continuing education.
Literacy Pittsburgh (formerly Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council) helps create better lives through learning. Recognized as a national leader in adult and family literacy, Literacy Pittsburgh is the largest provider of adult basic education in Allegheny and Beaver Counties. Last year, Literacy Pittsburgh helped more than 4,000 individuals acquire the skills needed to reach their fullest potential in life and participate productively in their communities. Literacy Pittsburgh provides free, personalized instruction in workforce readiness, high school diploma test preparation, digital literacy, English language learning, math, reading, and family literacy through one-to-one and small class instruction. Founded in 1982, it serves local adults through numerous neighborhood locations and its Downtown Pittsburgh Learning Center.
