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Seven area school districts are set to receive a boost in funding after state lawmakers recently passed a $100 million Level Up Funding Supplement.
House Bill 1167, introduced by state Rep. Michael Schlossberg, D-Allentown, is based on the Level Up coalition's proposal to target the state's 100 poorest school districts.
The Altoona Area and Claysburg-Kimmel school districts will receive supplemental funds, along with Everett Area, Glendale, Huntingdon Area, Penn Cambria and Williamsburg Community school districts.
"It's always nice to receive funds such as these, because it gives us the flexibility to purchase things we may not have been able to buy before," Claysburg-Kimmel Superintendent Darren McLaurin said.
According to the Level Up coalition, the wealthiest school districts in Pennsylvania spend, on average, $4,800 more per student than the poorest, and the gap has grown wider each year.
The purpose of the funds, officials said in a release, are to help poorer schools "level up" and inch closer to the wealthier districts.
McLaurin said Claysburg-Kimmel will receive "about $99,000," but his district has not yet decided how to allocate those funds.
The plan, he said, is to try to create more opportunities for students.
"We still have to get together as an administrative team and see how we'll use the funds," McLaurin said. "We're going to see what areas we can best serve our students and what opportunities we can provide."
The Penn Cambria School District will use the $97,898 it receives to help offset an operating budget that is $2 million underfunded, according to Jeanette Black, the assistant to the superintendent.
"It's always nice to receive funding like this," Black said. "This not only helps our budget, but could provide additional opportunities for students as well."
The Altoona Area School District will receive $721,458, according to the state Estimated Basic Education Funding spreadsheet.
Altoona Area Superintendent Charles Prijatelj could not be reached for comment, but district officials said funds from the Level Up program will help support ongoing costs for a science, technology, engineering and math program the district recently implemented.
Everett Area is slated to receive $146,955; Glendale, $109,903; Huntingdon Area, $158,800; and the Williamsburg Community, $54,942.
State officials said that with the increase in state education funding, it could take "decades or more" for the most underfunded districts to reach adequate funding.
Administrators from the Everett Area, Glendale, Huntingdon Area and Williamsburg Community school districts could not be reached for comment.
Mirror Staff Writer Calem Illig is at 814-946-7535.