Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Education Secretary Dr. Khalid N. Mumin were joined by state and local legislators, higher education leader and students at Cheyney University for a ceremonial bill signing of the higher education reforms that the governor signed into law as part of the 2024-25 budget. The budget for 2024-25 makes for the first significant progress on higher education in three decades and helps give Pennsylvanians the freedom to chart their own course and success that Governor Shapiro hold as his key priorities. This budget creates a new State Board of Higher Education that will coordinate every sector of higher education in Pennsylvania and utilize student-level data to make decisions on what works and what does not. The budget will also invest in public higher education institutions including a $15.7 million increase for community colleges and $35.1 million for schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Also, it will make higher education more affordable to students with over $120 million in increased funding for scholarships and grants. The budget also looks to double funding for student teacher stipends for a total of $20 million to ensure student teachers are compensated for their work.