PSBA representative: state cut to Plancon leaves schools shouldering 100% of construction costs

A PSBA representative told attendees that Plancon "was the school construction and reimbursement program," and that "the state defunded that program around 10 years ago." The speaker said lawmakers revised the program in 2019 but the state never provided funds for the revamped Plancon.

The representative said the funding gap has left local districts to cover projects themselves. "So what ends up happening is schools locally are a 100% responsible for the cost of any school construction, renovation, projects, things like that," the PSBA representative said, adding that many districts "just simply can't afford to do those projects without some estate assistance."

The speaker described school facilities as among "one of the biggest and most pressing issues facing public education," and said the Pennsylvania School Boards-affiliated group will look at options going forward: "I think legislatively that's something we at PSBA are going to be looking at going into the future." The session contained no formal motions or votes on the issue.

Background: according to the speaker, Plancon was defunded roughly 10 years ago and reworked by the legislature in 2019; the speaker emphasized the key problem is that the legislative changes did not come with state appropriations, leaving districts responsible for 100% of construction and renovation costs.

Next steps: the PSBA representative said the association intends to pursue legislative attention to school facilities funding; no bill numbers, specific funding proposals, or dates for follow-up were provided in the recorded remarks.