Pennsylvania House Democratic Leaders today issued the following statement on a report and recommendations passed by the Basic Education Funding Commission today: Read more
HARRISBURG, Jan. 11 – Majority Chairman of the House Education Committee and member of the Basic Education Funding Commission, state Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, released the following statement today regarding the commission’s report on Pennsylvania’s education funding: “Our goal was clear even before the Commonwealth Court decision – every kid in Pennsylvania deserves access to a quality education regardless of where they live. And for far too long, too many kids were being left behind. “The commission traveled across the commonwealth from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh with many stops in between. We heard from hundreds of superintendents, professional educators, think tanks and researchers about all the ways we can improve our system of education. However, the most important stories I took to heart were the stories of two students from an urban school district whose teachers often leave to more lucrative jobs in suburban districts. “These two kids would tell me stories of not having heat in their buildings and classrooms which do not have anything close to modern technology. Their stories were the ones that mattered most to me because those two students are my daughters who happen to attend the Allentown School District. Despite of all of the best efforts of the teachers and professionals at ASD, they can never outrun the fact that they are chronically underfunded. “I refuse to improve districts like mine at the Read more
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ALLENTOWN, Jan. 5 – State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, is alerting local veterans that his monthly support program will be held on Friday, Jan. 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
Pa. state Rep. Peter Schweyer, chair of the House Education Committee, spoke at a press conference at South Philadelphia High School highlighting how additional funding for school facilities will help schools across Pennsylvania, including William Allen High School in his district which desperately needs a new boiler system. Schweyer thanked his colleagues for getting this measure across the finish line and will continue fighting for additional funding to upgrade aging school facilities. Read more
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 20 – Today, House Appropriations Committee Majority Chairman Jordan Harris, D-Phila., hosted a news conference at South Philadelphia High School discussing school facilities funding in the 2023-24 state budget. The budget includes $175 million for school facility improvements. Pennsylvania has some of the oldest schools in the country. The average school building is around 70 years old and was built when lead pipes and asbestos were standard building materials. Discoveries of asbestos and other toxins have led to school closures across the Commonwealth, including seven Philadelphia schools in 2023 alone. In the same year, 100 schools statewide closed due to excessive heat. Harris stated that he believes this funding will help to address this issue that’s plagued Pennsylvania schools for a long time. “This funding is paramount to improving the health and safety of our educators, students and school staff, Harris said. “This major Democratic priority is a significant investment and critical step toward ensuring that receiving an education in Pennsylvania does not equate to sick or injured students, teachers, or staff. There is more work to do, and we intend to continue our work until every Pennsylvania school is a safe learning environment for our children.” Harris was joined by members of the Philadelphia House Delegation, including state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila., and members of the House Read more
Based on court statistics, Lehigh has some of the highest caseloads among similar counties but has as many as five fewer judges comparatively. Read more
Both state Reps. Mike Schlossberg and Peter Schweyer of Lehigh County promised to continue communication with LVHN to ensure continued quality care and job security. Read more
State Reps. Peter Schweyer, Mike Schlossberg, and Josh Siegel along with state Sen. Nick Miller today announced a total of over $7.1 million was awarded to 13 projects throughout Lehigh County by the Commonwealth Financing Authority. Read more
"The news today of Lehigh Valley Health Network announcing their proposed merger with Jefferson University Hospital, no doubt has many of us wondering what this may mean to the thousands of employees of LVHN and the patients of one of the many LVHN practices throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley," said State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh. Read more
ALLENTOWN, Dec. 19 – State Rep. Peter Schweyer today issued the following statement following the news of the proposed merger with Lehigh Valley Health Network and Jefferson University Hospitals. “I was an employee of Sacred Heart Hospital, an independent healthcare provider, that merged with another healthcare network. I understand that consolidations can be worrisome to neighborhoods, patients, and employees. But, when done right, mergers can mean quality patient care remains, jobs are not lost, and communities see economic development and investment. "The news today of Lehigh Valley Health Network announcing their proposed merger with Jefferson University Hospital, no doubt has many of us wondering what this may mean to the thousands of employees of LVHN and the patients of one of the many LVHN practices throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley. "I will continue to communicate with LVHN through this process and do everything possible to ensure the LVHN staff have job security and that the quality of care and healthcare provider-patient relationships we all have come to expect remain intact.” Read more
State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Allentown, said in a statement he would continue to communicate with LVHN through the merger process and do everything possible to ensure the job security of LVHN staff and that the quality of care for patients remains intact. Read more
State Reps. Peter Schweyer, Mike Schlossberg and Josh Siegel announced today a total of $718,149 awarded for the city of Allentown to staff and fund police departments and for increased security for multiple organizations in their districts. Read more
“Given what we’ve seen from the Senate, they weren’t going to accept it [Level Up] so we compromised on more money for facilities,” Rep. Schweyer told the Capital-Star. Read more
HARRISBURG, Dec. 13 – Pennsylvania House Education Committee Majority Chairman, state Rep. Peter Schweyer today celebrated the passage of the fiscal and school codes to help students, teachers and provide long overdue funding to address school infrastructure problems. “As the father of two girls in the Allentown School District, I have seen firsthand the dire need for school building upgrading and modernization,” said Schweyer, D-Lehigh. “For the first time in nearly a decade, funding passed by the House will give school districts the necessary resources to make the building upgrades which ensure safe and comfortable learning environments exist for children across the commonwealth.” According to Schweyer, on Wednesday, the General Assembly passed the two codes which contain the following: $175 million for school facility improvements. $10 million for student-teacher stipends. EITC transparency and administrative fee reforms. Added Schweyer, “While this is much needed funding to address serious issues with school buildings, the work for education funding is far from over. After the Commonwealth Court ruled our schools are underfunded, we are ensuring that fairly funding schools and upholding this constitutional obligation is a top priority.” Read more
“We’re not going to waste any staff power, any attention span in Harrisburg, on figuring out how many books are appropriate to ban, period, full stop,” Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, said, calling the bill “stupid.” Read more
“They couch it in language to soften the blow because the politics around book bans are so fraught right now,” Schweyer said. “But it's a book ban and you don't need my word for it." Read more
ALLENTOWN, Dec. 1 – State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, is alerting local veterans that his monthly support program will be held on Friday, Dec. 15 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. Rob Matzie, D-16, Harmony Township, and Peter Schweyer, D-134, Lehigh County, introduced House Bill 1842, or the Community Solar Act, with the support of two dozen bipartisan co-sponsors. Read more
House Education Committee Chairman Peter Schweyer (D-Lehigh County), who is a member of the BEF Commission, told LehighValleyNews.com recently the discussions around producing a report have been productive. Read more
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