FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dionne Watts-Williams / 215-713-4875 / dwattswilliams@powerinterfaith.org
Education, Affordability, and Community Protection: What Pennsylvanians Need
(Philadelphia, PA: February 2, 2026) – Today, Governor Shapiro laid out his vision for Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 state budget. POWER Interfaith appreciates the continued commitment to fully funding public education with an outlined commitment of $565M in adequacy funding. Sustained investments in historically underfunded schools, special education, student mental-health supports, and school infrastructure are critical steps toward educational equity.
“Where we put our money shows who we believe matters,” said Rev. Dr. Gregory Edwards, Executive Director of POWER Interfaith. “When the state invests in public schools that have been overlooked for generations, it’s an acknowledgment that every child’s future is worth investing in, no matter their zip code.”
POWER Interfaith is also encouraged to hear the governor lay out plans to lower energy prices for Pennsylvanians and to hold data centers and giant utility companies accountable for rising costs on the consumer while making billions of dollars a year. Across the commonwealth residents have raised concerns about data centers, particularly around rising energy costs, environmental impacts, and transparency. Faith leaders and community members have been clear that economic development cannot come at the expense of working families or the health of our neighborhoods.
“We’re cautiously optimistic about the administration’s willingness to set clearer standards and safeguards for data centers and we welcome the Governor’s commitment to hold giant utility companies accountable for raking in huge profits while raising our utility bills and failing to do enough to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels,” says Sara Melton, POWER’s Managing Director of Organizing. “Communities deserve a real seat at the table when decisions affect their air, their water, and their monthly bills.”
Affordability remains a defining challenge for Pennsylvanians. From housing and utilities to child care and health care, too many families are stretched thin. The budget outlined some welcomed initiatives to address this crisis such as investments in public transit, raising the minimum wage, caps on rental application fees, and interventions at the PUC for utility companies and energy providers. However, lawmakers must do more than acknowledge rising costs – it must actively protect those most vulnerable to economic shocks, especially as federal budget cuts threaten programs that many households rely on to survive, and raise revenue by taxing large corporations and billionaires to fortify the services and programs our families rely on.
“As people of faith, we see budgets are moral documents,” Edwards adds. “At a time when the federal government is cutting critical funding for SNAP, healthcare, and other critical programs, Pennsylvania has a responsibility to step up, protect its people, and raise the revenue needed to invest in the social infrastructure that keeps our communities whole.”
POWER Interfaith urges the General Assembly to build on the progress outlined in today’s address by advancing a budget that centers affordability, safeguards our environment, and ensures dignity and stability for all Pennsylvanians.
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Rooted in the prophetic traditions of faith, POWER Interfaith is Pennsylvania’s largest multiracial, multifaith, multigenerational organizing entity. More than 4,700 Pennsylvanians of faith and moral courage are part of this growing movement, coming together across differences to fight for racial and economic justice, a healthy planet, and a stronger democracy. From Philadelphia to Montgomery, Chester to Lancaster, Bucks to Lehigh, and Delaware Counties, we believe that every person has inherent worth and dignity, and that our beliefs call us to act with boldness and hope. Through faith-rooted organizing, public action, and community-building, we’re working towards a Pennsylvania where everyone has what they need to live and thrive. Learn more at www.powerinterfaith.org.
