Burns: $1.3 million secured for 72nd District school repairs, improvements

EBENSBURG, Sept. 9 – Building on his commitment to ensuring students have the resources they need to thrive, state Rep. Frank Burns announced today that school districts and technical and career schools in the 72nd Legislative District have secured more than $1.3 million in new funding for environmental repairs.

Burns, D-Cambria, said the funding awarded under the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Environmental Repair Grant program includes $894,732 to Central Cambria School District, $266,589 to Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center and $147,527 to Admiral Perry Area Vocational Technical School.

“I will always fight to ensure that our students have the resources they need to succeed, and that includes making sure our school buildings are safe, secure and free of environmental hazards like mold or asbestos,” Burns said. “That’s why I’ve worked to help secure budget funding for school upgrades and improvements. With this new funding, our schools can move forward to remedy any potentially dangerous or unhealthy conditions so that our students are free to focus on what’s important – learning, thriving and charting their best futures.”

The funding is part of a package of $75 million awarded to schools statewide under the PDE Environment Repairs Grant program and secured in the state’s 2023-24 budget. Schools can use the money to improve water infrastructure and eliminate contamination, install point-of-use treatment devices to reduce lead and other contaminants, remediate mold or asbestos contamination and perform other projects that remediate environmental hazards.

More about the funding is available here: https://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/School%20Construction%20and%20Facilities/Pages/Environmental-Repairs-Rewards.aspx

More about the program is available here: https://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/School%20Construction%20and%20Facilities/Pages/SchoolEnvironmentalRepairsProgram.aspx#3