HARRISBURG, July 11 – Pennsylvania House Education Committee Majority Chairman, Peter Schweyer, today issued the following statement on the final passage of the 2024-25 state budget: “Tonight, the General Assembly, in a bipartisan manner, passed a state budget that begins to fix decades of underfunding that have left many schools further behind and invests money where it is needed the most. “This is monumental for me, not just as the Majority Chairman of the House Education Committee, but also as the proud parent of two daughters who go to school in the Allentown School District. This budget makes a significant investment in the schools that have been left behind for far too long. “For the Allentown School District, it means they will have the funding needed to provide safe and updated learning environments for students and teachers. For our neighboring school districts, East Penn and Salisbury Township, they can continue to deliver the same high-quality education they have for years.” Schweyer said the 2024-25 state budget provides the following increases to investments in basic and special education for the three school districts in the 134th Legislative District: Allentown School District – $35 million. East Penn School District – $3.1 million. Salisbury Twp. School District – $506,000. Added Schweyer, “This budget goes beyond the borders of the Lehigh Valley, it supports students and Read more
Chairman of the House Education Committee state Rep. Peter Schweyer spoke on the need to expand the Student Teacher Stipend Program here in the commonwealth. Schweyer says that with the overwhelming demand from applicants and the growing teacher shortage, the need to expand is a must not a want. Read more
HARRISBURG, June 10 – Pennsylvania House Education Committee Majority Chairman, Peter Schweyer, today issued the following statement on the House passage of legislation to significantly improve the school funding system: “Today, my colleagues in the House, in a bipartisan manner, passed a monumental bill that will change the way we fund education in Pennsylvania. A fair and equal education for every Pennsylvania child has been a top priority for me since I first became a legislator, and it has been my most important goal since becoming Chairman of the House Education Committee last year. “I am a very proud parent of two students in the Allentown School District. My oldest daughter attends William Allen High School and my youngest is just wrapping up her 7 th grade year at South Mountain Middle School. I know we have some amazing teachers giving their all to educate our children in ASD, but what I also know is that we are not spending nearly as much money on those students. “Just outside of Allentown is the East Penn School District in Emmaus. That district is doing some incredible work. I had a chance to tour the high school and the students are offered classes on architecture and engineering, with state of the art tools. Nothing in this legislation would take away any of the funding for East Penn students to have these opportunities. What the bill does is ensure that students in districts like Allentown can be Read more
ALLENTOWN, June 7 – State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, is alerting local veterans that his monthly support program will be held on Friday, June 21 at his district office in Allentown. A representative from the American Legion will be available for appointments at Schweyer’s district office, 1501 Lehigh St., Suite 206. 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
Today, we cleared the first major hurdle to restructure how we fund our public schools and ensure very child in the commonwealth has a quality education. The Pennsylvania Constitution makes it crystal clear about providing a thorough and efficient public education. With this bill, every kid who works hard would have the tools they need to succeed. Read more
ALLENTOWN, May 30 – State Rep. Peter Schweyer is alerting older and disabled that the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue is extending the deadline to apply for 2023 property tax and rent rebates to Dec. 31, 2024. “The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program has been available to Pennsylvanians for decades and it remains one of the most important programs which benefit older and low-income families in Pennsylvania,” said Schweyer, D-Lehigh. “This extension to the application deadline will ensure more people can file, but I encourage those who need to apply – especially those newly eligible – to get their applications filed now.” Schweyer said his district office staff are ready to assist residents with the application process. Those interested should call the office at 610-791-6270. The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians 65 and older, widows and widowers 50 and older, and people with disabilities 18 and older. The income limit is $45,000 for both homeowners and renters, and half of Social Security income is excluded. The maximum standard rebate is $1,000. More information about the program is available here . Read more
State Reps. Peter Schweyer, Michael Schlossberg, Jeanne McNeill, and Josh Siegel today announced that $177,623 in Local Share Account Program grants have been approved for projects throughout Lehigh County. Read more
My colleagues and I will honor Chairman Roebuck in the best way we can: by living up to his exceptional standards fighting for every kid, and I ask every Pennsylvanian to join us in keeping his loved ones and friends in your prayers. Read more
“This report confirms what anyone who has been to downtown Allentown recently already knows: the NIZ has made a measurable and undeniable positive impact on the community." Read more
During a Pa. House Education Committee hearing at West Chester University, Chairman of the Pa. House Education Committee Rep. Peter Schweyer had a chance to ask officials from the Pa. Department of Education about how the legislature can help streamline the teacher certification process. Read more
HARRISBURG, May 3 – The Pennsylvania House Education Committee convened a public hearing Friday afternoon to discuss initiatives to restore Pennsylvania’s teacher pipeline. State Rep. Peter Schweyer (D-Lehigh), Majority Chairman of the House Education Committee hosted the hearing at the West Chester University Alumni & Foundation Center ballroom. Friday’s hearing featured seven testifiers across three panels, who discuss the impacts of decreasing issuance of Instructional I certificates and the exponential increase in the issuance of emergency permits is having on not only the educator workforce, but also with students in the classroom. “Numbers don’t lie and the numbers for training educators in Pennsylvania are staggering; it’s not an exaggeration to say there is a critical shortage of teachers,” said Schweyer. “Where we used to train roughly 15,000 educators a year, for the past few years, Pennsylvania has been training less than 5,000 educators. We need to ensure we not only support those talented and dedicated people who want to teach in our schools, but also ensure our children are receiving the quality education they are entitled to receive through our state constitution.” Testifiers with PSEA detailed initiatives such as the Educators Rising Program which introduces students who are interested in a teaching career to the professional skillsets and define what they will need in order to be effective Read more
HARRISBURG, May 2 – The Pennsylvania House Education Committee and Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus teamed up for a joint hearing Thursday afternoon to discuss financial support and initiatives for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. State Rep. Peter Schweyer (D-Lehigh), Majority Chairman of the House Education Committee, co-hosted the hearing with state Rep. Napoleon Nelson (D-Montgomery), Chairman of the PLBC at the John Miller Dickey Hall at Lincoln University. The hearing featured more than a dozen testifiers across three panels, who discussed the impacts and necessity for state funding to support the students attending HBCUs. “Investments in higher education can literally be life-changing for many students and that is especially true for those in low-income communities,” said Schweyer. “Lincoln and Cheyney Universities not only provide safe learning environments and paths to success for students, but they are also part of Pennsylvania’s and the country’s history and we need to ensure they continue their mission for generations of students to come.” The hearing also featured testimony from Dr. Brenda A. Allen, President of Lincoln University, Aaron Walton, President of Cheyney University, as well as faculty members and students from both institutions to provide testimony on how these schools have been and continue to prepare students to learn, liberate and lead. “As the nation’s Read more
On Friday, May 3, 2024, the House Education Committee convened a public hearing on teacher certification & teacher pipeline initiatives. Read more
On Thursday, May 2, the House Education Committee and the PA Legislative Black Caucus convened a joint public hearing on HBCU Financial Support & Resources. Read more
As a parent and Majority Chairman of the PA House Education Committee, Rep. Peter Schweyer knows the importance of adequate funding for PA schools. Schweyer says he and his fellow legislators have a moral obligation to make sure ALL PA kids have what they need in their classrooms each and every day, regardless of their ZIP Code. Read more
On Monday, April 29th, the PA House Education Committee convened an informational meeting to discuss Imagination Libraries and student journalism protections. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Peter Schweyer joined environmental advocates and labor leaders to launch the legislative agenda of the Blue-Green Caucus aimed at combating climate change while creating good-paying union jobs. Schweyer highlighted how his Community Solar legislation could boost the state and encouraged all sides of the political spectrum to work together on these issues. Read more
Speaking on behalf of our constituents and every hard-working American employed at the Mack facility in Lehigh County, today’s announcement by the Volvo Group is certainly concerning. It is hard to understand why Volvo would choose to build this All-American line of trucks outside of the United States. Read more
ALLENTOWN, April 8 – State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, is alerting local veterans that his monthly support program will be held on Friday, April 19 at his district office in Allentown. A representative from the American Legion will be available for appointments at Schweyer’s district office, 1501 Lehigh St., Suite 206. 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
State Reps. Peter Schweyer, Mike Schlossberg and Josh Siegel, and Sen. Nick Miller announced today new funding totaling $2.2 million in education funding grants heading to the Allentown School District. Read more
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