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Governor maintains TK for all, boosts literacy funding and after‑school investments in May revise
Summary
The May revision keeps full implementation of transitional kindergarten for four‑year‑olds, increases per‑pupil investments, and proposes a $200 million backstop to support the Legislature’s pending evidence‑based reading bill and literacy roadmap.
The governor said the May revision preserves major K‑12 initiatives, including full implementation of transitional kindergarten (TK) for all four‑year‑olds and continued investments in literacy, after‑school programs and community schools.
“We’re going to continue our unprecedented investments,” the governor said, noting the state’s commitment to TK and a plan to reduce student‑to‑staff ratios in early grades.
Education highlights in the May revise include a reported per‑pupil all‑funds figure of $25,176 and a cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) of 2.3 percent. The administration said it will add $200 million in the budget to backstop a pending legislative bill on evidence‑based reading instruction and to support a statewide literacy roadmap and screener rollout this fall for kindergarten through second grade.
The governor described investments in after‑school and summer programming — “9 hours a day before school, after, and summer school, for TK to sixth grade” — and said about $4 billion has been invested in those programs to date. He also said the state has expanded community schools funding to roughly 2,400 new schools, providing health and wellness services, high‑dose tutoring and learning specialists.
Why it matters: The proposals aim to sustain education investments that the administration and some lawmakers credit with recent improvements in reading proficiency, while protecting these programs amid wider budget tightening.
Discussion vs. decision: The May revise funds are proposals subject to legislative consideration. The $200 million literacy backstop is an administration commitment to support the Legislature’s expected evidence‑based reading bill and to accelerate rollout of literacy screeners and regional literacy “hubs.”
Ending: The administration encouraged quick legislative action to pair the literacy roadmap with statutory reforms, saying the budget language will be structured to support the pending bill and implementation rollout.
