Pennsylvania House Bill HB2436

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/21/26
• Refer: 4/21/26
• Refer: 5/6/26

Caption

In certification of teachers, further providing for State certificate fee reduction; and, in Keystone Telepresence Education Grant Program, further providing for Keystone Telepresence Education Grant Program.

Summary

HB2436 amends the Public School Code of 1949 in two education-related areas. First, it caps Department of Education certificate review fees at no more than $50 for teacher certification eligibility reviews, while directing most certificate fee revenue into the Talent Recruitment Account. This is intended to keep certification costs predictable for prospective educators and to support teacher recruitment efforts. Second, the bill revises the Keystone Telepresence Education Grant Program. It changes the department’s authority from mandatory to discretionary by allowing, rather than requiring, up to $300,000 annually in unused education appropriations to be used for grants under the program. It also directs the Budget Secretary to transfer $1,394,560.19 from the program’s restricted account to the Talent Recruitment Account, further tying the measure to educator workforce support.

Impact

The bill would amend sections of the Public School Code governing teacher certification fees and the Keystone Telepresence Education Grant Program. It limits state certificate fee charges, changes the disposition of those fees, and redirects specified funds into the Talent Recruitment Account, which is used to support educator recruitment. It also alters the funding mechanism for telepresence education grants by making annual use of certain unused appropriations permissive rather than mandatory and by transferring a specified amount from the program’s restricted account.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been generally favorable in the House, with unanimous committee support in the House Education Committee and unanimous final passage in the House after a close floor vote on an earlier version. The voting history suggests broad agreement on the bill’s education and teacher-recruitment goals, even though the initial floor vote on the amended bill was more divided. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded debate to indicate broader public or stakeholder opposition.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are fiscal and programmatic. One issue is the redirection of funds from the Keystone Telepresence Education Grant Program to the Talent Recruitment Account, which could be viewed as shifting resources away from telepresence education toward teacher recruitment. Another is the change from “shall” to “may” for using up to $300,000 in unused appropriations, which gives the department more discretion and may affect how consistently the grant program is funded. Any disagreement would likely center on balancing support for educator recruitment against preserving grant funding for telepresence-based education services.