Section 1722-J - Department of Education.The following shall apply to appropriations to the Department of Education:
(1) From an appropriation for adult and family literacy programs, summer reading programs and the adult high school diplomas program, no less than the amount allocated in the 2014-2015 fiscal year shall be allocated for an after-school learning program servicing low-income students located in a county of the sixth class with a population, based on the most recent Federal decennial census, of at least 60,000 but not more than 70,000, and no less than the amount allocated in the 2016-2017 fiscal year shall be allocated for an after-school learning program servicing low-income students located in a county of the third class with a population, based on the most recent Federal decennial census, of at least 320,000 but not more than 321,000.(2) From money appropriated for the Pre-K Counts Program, the per-student grant award amount for grants made pursuant to section 1514-D of the Public School Code of 1949 shall be increased by 2.95% over the amount paid in fiscal year 2018-2019.(3) From money appropriated for Pennsylvania Chartered Schools for the Deaf and Blind: (i) Upon distribution of the final tuition payment for fiscal year 2019-2020, the balance of the appropriation, excluding funds for capital-related costs and deferred maintenance, shall be used to pay the schools' increased share of required contributions for public school employees' retirement and shall be distributed pro rata based on each school's contributions for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.(ii) $500,000 is included for capital-related costs and deferred maintenance to be divided equally between each school.(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, money from the set-aside under section 2509.8 of the Public School Code of 1949 shall be allocated to each approved private school with a day tuition rate determined to be less than $32,000 during the 2010-2011 school year. The allocation shall be no less than the amount allocated in the 2015-2016 fiscal year.(5) From money appropriated for regional community college services, all of the following shall apply: (i) $918,000 shall be distributed to a community college in a county of the fourth class with a population of at least 175,000, but not more than 190,000, under the most recent Federal decennial census.(iii) $368,000 shall be distributed for a county of the sixth class with a population of at least 75,000, but not more than 85,000, under the most recent Federal decennial census to establish a program that targets postsecondary students.(6) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, money appropriated for community education councils shall be distributed to each entity that received funding in fiscal year 2018-2019 in an amount equal to the amount it received in that fiscal year and a pro rata share of $47,000.(7) Notwithstanding section 1724-A of the Public School Code of 1949 or 24 Pa.C.S. § 8329 (relating to payments on account of Social Security deductions from appropriations), no payments shall be made to charter schools, regional charter schools or cyber charter schools authorized under Article XVII-A of the Public School Code of 1949 to provide for Social Security and Medicare contributions from money appropriated for basic education funding or school employees' Social Security.(8) Notwithstanding section 1724-A of the Public School Code of 1949 or 24 Pa.C.S. §§ 8326 (relating to contributions by the Commonwealth) and 8535 (relating to payments to school entities by Commonwealth), no payments shall be made to charter schools, regional charter schools or cyber charter schools authorized under Article XVII-A of the Public School Code of 1949 from money appropriated for payment of required contributions for public school employees' retirement. Added by P.L. TBD 2019 No. 20, § 22, eff. 7/1/2019.