In his latest Community Conversation, Pa. state Rep. Peter Schweyer sat down with the Executive Director of the Allentown Housing Authority Julio Guridy to discuss a variety of issues surrounding housing and development in the City of Allentown. Read more
HARRISBURG, March 20 – State Rep. Peter Schweyer, Majority Chair of the House Education Committee issued the following statement today in response to President Donald Trump signing an executive order to abolish the U.S. Dept. of Education “We’ve spent a lot of time undoing the mistakes and malice of the Trump administration already, and we’re ready to continue the work of fighting for every kid in every school and for every taxpayer here in Pennsylvania that has already delivered fair funding and better outcomes for students. “Anyone cheering the end of the U.S. Department of Education doesn’t realize just what federal funding helps pay for in every school district in the state – like making sure kids from low-income families get a good education, programs and aides for students living with disabilities, and Pell Grants to help low-income kids afford college or trade school. “While we’re going to continue to fill those holes and stand up for every kid the reality is most districts will likely lose services or raise local property taxes. That’s nothing to celebrate.” Schweyer currently serves as the Majority Chair of the Pennsylvania House Education Committee. He represents a portion of Allentown, the borough of Emmaus and a portion of Salisbury Township in Lehigh County. Read more
On this edition of Ed Talks, Chairman of the Pa. House Education Committee state Rep. Peter Schweyer sits down with Donna Cooper of Children First to talk about how adequate school funding would deliver positive results for students across the commonwealth. Read more
As Majority Chairman of the Pa. House Education Committee, state Rep. Peter Schweyer is appalled at the news coming from Washington D.C. about President Trump dismantling the U.S. Department of Education through executive order. Schweyer vows to fight these measures to protect Pennsylvania schools, teachers, students and parents from any harm that may come from these unprecedented developments. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Peter Schweyer sat down with PennDOT officials to get an update on the South Fourth Street project in Allentown and discuss how these changes will improve traffic flow and safety in the area. Read more
State Rep. Peter Schweyer, in tandem with state Sen. Nick Miller and Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, announced today new state funding totaling $1.9 million for a project in the 134th Legislative District. Read more
HARRISBURG, Feb. 25 – The Pennsylvania House Education Committee convened an informational meeting Tuesday to discuss Pennsylvania’s teacher certification process and proposals to remove the barriers for prospective educators to get into the classroom. Tuesday’s hearing featured several testifiers across three panels, who discussed the impacts of decreasing certification fees and costs to complete required training and efforts to speed up the process to certify applications to strengthen Pennsylvania’s educator workforce. “School districts across the commonwealth from Philly to Erie and Allentown to Scranton face serious challenges with recruiting and retaining qualified teachers in their classrooms,” said state Rep. Peter Schweyer, Majority Chair of the PA House Education Committee. “Today’s conversation provided meaningful insight into ways to cut the red tape for educators to receive their certification and ensure Pennsylvania’s children receive a quality education.” Testifiers included representatives from the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), the Education Commission of the States (ECS), the Pennsylvania Association of Career and Technical Administrators (PACTA) and Teach Plus who detailed various incentives and recommendations for prospective educators to achieve their certification without lowering the thresholds. Recommendations included reducing financial burdens for certification and Read more
State Rep. Peter Schweyer, along with state Sen. Nick Miller, obtained a $1 million grant for the MLK Trail in Allentown, Lehigh County. Read more
The Pennsylvania House Education Committee convened an informational meeting on Feb. 25, 2025 to discuss teacher certifications in the commonwealth. Read more
At a recent budget hearing, Majority Chair of the House Education Committee Rep. Peter Schweyer questioned the Department of Education about low proficiency levels at cyber charter schools, noting that the educational results don't seem to justify the funding the state is providing. Read more
At a recent budget hearing, Majority Chair of the House Education Committee Rep. Peter Schweyer discussed several issues surrounding cyber charter schools with the Department of Education. Schweyer referenced a recent state audit that raised serious concerns about funding and accountability of these schools that need addressed. Read more
At a recent budget hearing, Majority Chair of the Pa. House Education Committee Rep. Peter Schweyer thanked the state-related universities for their leadership and commitment in working to implement a performance based-funding formula. Read more
HARRISBURG, Feb. 19 – Pennsylvania House Education Committee Majority Chairman, Peter Schweyer, today issued the following statement on Governor Shapiro’s nomination of Dr. Carrie Rowe to serve as Secretary of Education. “Since my first day as the Chair of the House Education Committee, I have enjoyed a positive and collaborative relationship with Dr. Rowe supporting students, teachers and school administrators across Pennsylvania. Her decades of experience, knowledge and insights are invaluable, and her dedication to ensuring every child has the same educational opportunities, regardless of their zip code is unquestionable. “I support Governor Shapiro’s nomination of Dr. Rowe and the House Education Committee, and I remain fully committed to working with her and the Department of Education on continuing fair and equitable education funding, ensuring safe and comfortable learning environments for students and teachers and expanding opportunities for career and technical education,” said Schweyer. Schweyer is the Majority Chair of the Pennsylvania House Education Committee and represents the 134th Legislative District which serves a portion of the city of Allentown, all of Emmaus Borough and a portion of Salisbury Township in Lehigh County. Read more
What Pennsylvania will lose if Education Department is dismantled - Axios Read more
Pa. House Majority Education Committee Chairman Rep. Peter Schweyer hosts his first episode of Ed Talks, highlighting the amazing work of educators across Pennsylvania and discussing new ideas to improve all aspects of education. Today's guest is Sharif-El Mekki, CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development. Read more
ALLENTOWN, Feb. 7 – State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, is alerting local veterans that his monthly support program will be held on Friday, Feb. 21 at his district office in Allentown. A representative from the American Legion will be available for appointments at Schweyer’s district office, 2132 South 12th St., Suite 306. Appointments are available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The service officer will be available to assist veterans and their families with benefits and services available to them. The representative also will be available to discuss pensions and other compensation, as well as education, health care and death benefits. Legion membership is not required; however, anyone interested in speaking with the adviser should schedule appointments by contacting Schweyer’s office at 610-791-6270. Read more
HARRISBURG, Feb. 4 – State Rep. Peter Schweyer, Majority Chair of the Pennsylvania House Education Committee, released the following statement today regarding Governor Shapiro’s budget address: “Today, the Governor told the legislature and families across Pennsylvania that he intends to continue to build on the plan to ensure there is a quality education for every student from kindergarten to college regardless of their zip code. It was made clear during last year’s budget that the historic investments in education would be the first year of a multi-year plan to bring adequacy, equity and accountability into the school funding system. “This budget proposal continues to focus on ensuring the school districts with the most need are receiving the funding they need. It calls for a $75M increase in Basic Education Funding and $40M in Special Education Funding. These investments mean school districts will have more qualified educators in their classrooms, better access to state-of-the-art technology, more books in the libraries and school buildings with safe and comfortable learning environments. “The budget plan also calls for continuing to expand access to career and technical education, so students who wish to enter the trades will be able to do so. It also recommends continuing funding for the popular Student Teacher Stipend Program and cyber charter school funding reform to save taxpayers from wasteful spending and ensuring Read more
On Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, the PA House Education Committee convened an informational meeting on the Ready Future PA Index which measures academic performance and student success. Read more
On Monday, Feb. 3, the PA House Education Committee convened an informational meeting on the Future Ready PA Index. Read more
ALLENTOWN, Jan. 22 — Senator Nick Miller (D-Lehigh/Northampton) and Representative Peter Schweyer (D-Lehigh) announced today that more than $11.7 million in PENNVEST funding has been awarded to the Borough of Emmaus to implement a comprehensive water treatment system addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination. “Addressing PFAS contamination in Emmaus’s water supply has been a priority since I took office two years ago,” stated Senator Miller. “Collaborating closely with borough officials, we advocated for the utilization of PENNVEST resources to initiate this essential water treatment project. This persistent issue lacked an easy or inexpensive solution, but with this funding, we can now start on a project that will safeguard the health of our current and future residents." The project entails constructing a new facility equipped with two granular-activated carbon treatment systems, a below-grade wastewater equalization basin, a sulfuric acid chemical system, and additional supporting infrastructure. "This funding represents a vital step to ensure toxic 'forever chemicals' will not be in the drinking water in our homes and schools," said Schweyer. "Removing PFAS is quite expensive. This funding will not only keep homeowners and residents safe, but also helps relieve them from the financial burden. I'm proud to support the Borough of Emmaus and will continue advocating for investments Read more
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2132 S. 12th Street, Suite 306Allentown, PA 18103-4810
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