By SUSAN JONES
The deadline for the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass the state budget is one day away.
While many signs point to the closely divided legislature coming to agreement soon — but probably not by June 30 — the House and Senate track records for meeting the deadline aren’t good. Last year, it was November before the full budget and Pitt’s funding was approved and signed by the governor.
PITT TRUSTEES’ MEETING
The Pitt Board of Trustees will meet on July 10, when they will set the operating and capital budgets for the 2026-27 fiscal year, including tuition rates and the salary pool. That meeting will be online only starting at 11 a.m., and can be viewed on the University’s YouTube page.
On June 22, leaders of the Republican-controlled Senate — Kim Ward (Westmoreland), Joe Pittman (Armstrong and Indiana counties) and Scott Martin (Lancaster) — said in a statement: “We are encouraged by the progress made to date and believe a budget agreement can come to fruition in the near future.”
Democrats hold a slim majority — 102-100 — in the state House, which passed a budget bill by 107-94 in April. The House bill mirrors the $53.3 billion proposal Gov. Josh Shapiro outlined in February, which would require using about $4 billion from the state’s roughly $8 billion rainy day fund.
Shapiro’s proposal would keep Pitt’s base funding the same as it has been since 2019 — $151.5 million, which goes toward the discount in-state students get on tuition — but also would provide $30 million in performance-based funding to be split between Pitt, Penn State and Temple.
“The General Assembly and Gov. Josh Shapiro are actively negotiating the state’s budget,” said David Brown, vice chancellor for government relations and advocacy. “We’ve had discussions with legislative leadership and members in both chambers about the importance of including an allocation for the performance-based funding model this year. We’re optimistic the legislature will pass a budget soon, and we look forward to continuing to partner with them in support of our students and to advance Pennsylvania's priorities.”
The General Assembly adopted the recommendations of the Performance-Based Funding Council during its 2024-25 session, but no money was allocated to fund it. The amount of money to be distributed was left for this year’s legislative session. The formula for distribution will be based on several metrics recommended by the council, including four- and six-year graduation rates, six-year Pell-eligible graduation rates, high-priority occupation degree production and improved college affordability.
In a guest editorial earlier this month in the Harrisburg Patriot News/PennLive.com, the leaders of Pitt, Penn State and Temple warned that “Without funding this year for the state’s new performance-based funding model, we risk losing momentum — and with it, a key opportunity to strengthen the commonwealth’s workforce, economy and long-term competitiveness.”
The editorial from Pitt’s Chancellor Joan Gabel, Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi and Temple President John Fry went on to say: “This is about more than a single year’s budget. It is about establishing a predictable and recurring funding model that aligns resources with results — providing transparency and accountability for taxpayers while giving universities the stability to plan for the long term. Other states have implemented similar funding models for higher education with success, linking investment to outcomes that matter.”
In October, Pitt submitted its budget request for 2026-27, which sought a 3.7% increase, based on the Higher Education Price Index projections for 2025.
At a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee in March, Gabel said, “We think this responsible increase request allows us to protect affordability for Pennsylvania students, maintain our excellence in ways that have yielded for the commonwealth, and in ways that we know make the future very bright for all of higher education and all of the constituencies that we serve,” she continued.
When asked what another year of flat funding would mean at Pitt, Gabel said that although the 2026-27 budget is still being developed, Pitt is anticipating a tuition increase.
“We’ve held increases below inflation for at least 10 years, which is resulting in a very heavy constraint on other strategic investments that we’re able to make,” she said. “The math is relatively clear, that when you hold appropriations flat in an inflationary environment, expenses continue to go up and we have to that figure out somehow. That has resulted in tuition increases.”
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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