Burns secures $1 million in Ready-to-Learn school grants
Grants in addition to historic state funding for public schools
Rep. Frank Burns September 27, 2022 | 2:40 PM
EBENSBURG, Sept. 27 – Always fighting for Cambria County schools, state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, today announced $1 million in additional “Ready-to-Learn” state grants has been awarded to four local school districts. This funding comes in addition to the historic public education funding that was included in this year’s bipartisan zero-tax increase state budget.
“I’ve always believed that education is A key to unlocking our region’s potential, which is why I’ve always supported our local schools and career partners,” Burns said. “I was able to negotiate this additional funding into the state’s surplus budget and this money will be spent in the classroom benefiting local children.”
School districts that were awarded the additional Ready-to-Learn grants include:
- Greater Johnstown School District, $500,000
- Central Cambria School District, $200,000
- Westmont Hilltop School District, $200,000
- Conemaugh Valley School District, $100,000
Ready-to-Learn grants can be used for full-day kindergarten or Pre-K programs; reducing class sizes K-3; providing tutoring assistance; and increasing career awareness programs among other things. This year’s bipartisan state budget also increased education funding by almost $750 million ($525 million in Basic Education funding and $225 million in Level Up funding).
Since taking office, Burns has made education one of his priorities, securing more than $65 million for education in Cambria County, and working to kickstart programs like Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to promote literacy, to funding ready-to-work programs to train high school students for rewarding careers.