Donahue, Kosierowski, Mullins secure $1.02 million in school infrastructure funding
Rep. Bridget M. Kosierowski September 11, 2024 | 2:07 PM
HARRISBURG, Sept. 11 – State Reps. Kyle Donahue, Bridget M. Kosierowski and Kyle Mullins announced today that $1.02 million in school funding grants were awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Environmental Repairs Grant program to school districts throughout the portions of Lackawanna County they represent.
“In order to properly educate our children, we must ensure their schools are free of toxic materials such as asbestos, mold and lead,” said Donahue. “I am proud to have advocated for the creation of this grant program in the previous budget cycle and for the funding awarded this week. These much-needed funds will allow for the SSD to provide safe and clean learning environments for all our students.”
“It is only natural for infrastructure to wear down over time,” said Kosierowski. “That is why today’s acquired funding is crucial for our school districts and for these students. They are our future leaders, and they should be able to direct all their focus to their schoolwork and not to whether their environment is safe or comfortable.”
“We know that in optimized learning environments, students perform much better than in unoptimized learning environments,” said Mullins. “While there are many elements that go into creating an optimized learning environment, one important element is the physical environment: variables like heating in the winter and air conditioning in the warmer months. Additionally, it is important that the actual structure of the buildings is intact and does not contain any hazards. I was glad to work with my colleagues to help ensure that is the case.”
Schools districts receiving funding under these grants include:
Scranton School District: $830,208
Mid Valley School District: $116,651
Lakeland School District: $81,019
The funding was awarded to school districts around the commonwealth to help repair and replace air conditioners and heaters, to remove asbestos and lead pipes, to fix roofs, and to improve the safety and quality of school buildings and infrastructure overall.