A few years ago, the state supreme court finally ruled on the lawsuit brought by schools that the school funding formula was unfair. The court ruled in favor of schools and directed the legislature/governor to fix it. That led to a new balanced funding formula, but it was only for "new" money above the original appropriations. Anyway, funding for poor and rural schools has been increased in budgets during the Wolf and Shapiro administrations. That was the case again in the newly approved budget.

The budget also cut the reimbursement schools must pay to cyber charter schools because their expenses are less than traditional schools. Cyber schools, predictably, are howling about it now that they won't be being overpaid. If there is a cash cow in state schools, the cyber schools are it. Maybe some of them will close now.

There is also a new earned income tax credit that Pennsylvanians under a certain income level can claim. A first for the state and one that should help the lower income and working poor here in the state.

The downside is that the state will pull out of the RGGI compact that the Rs insisted on getting for their votes. Apparently there is nothing like dirty air and water to warm a republicns heart.