The education promises in Gov. Tom Wolf's proposed state budget look meager in Butler County.

Wolf proposed a budget without a tax increase that still manages to increase basic education spending by more than 3 percent. How? By including funds that schools already have received as money they're getting, according to Butler's Superintendent Brian White.

“Members of the public look and see a $1.5 million increase,” White said. “They don't realize it's only a $364,000 increase.”

The proposed budget increase “includes $241,999,000 previously appropriated as Ready to Learn Block Grant” money, according to new information published on the Pennsylvania Department of State's website.

The Butler School District already has about $1.1 million in funding from the federal block grant program, making just $364,000 in new revenue for the district.

With the block grant money ignored, the majority of the district's touted funding increase isn't an increase. The same is true in every school district in the county.

“The funding formula is driving money away from Butler County,” White said.

Reynelle Brown Staley, a policy attorney at the Pennsylvania Education Law Center, echoed White's point, calling the announced numbers “kind of deceiving.” The center is part of an educational advocacy movement called PA Schools Works, which the Butler School Board formally supported in a resolution it passed last week.

Staley said she was happy to see increases in the budget, but she's not so happy about their scope. Wolf announced a $200 million basic education increase, but Staley said only about $168 million is new money. It's far short of the $400 million increase PA Schools Works recommended.

“We're disappointed,” Staley said. “We don't think these amounts are actually going to move the needle on education issues for the districts in Butler or elsewhere.”

Special education funding, which a study Staley authored last year indicates is falling drastically below costs, was increased by about $50 million, compared with the advocacy group's $100 million.

“These aren't increases that are actually going to reach classrooms and make sure students are getting textbooks,” she said.

In his budget address, Wolf declared education funding a priority.

Children, he said, “deserve to enter a public schools system that isn't just adequate.”

Wolf proposed increasing the state's minimum salary for teachers to $45,000. Legislation currently sets the minimum at $18,500. The salary average for Pennsylvania is about $44,000, according to 2016 figures that are the National Educational Association's most recent numbers.

Wolf announced that such a requirement would come with state funding for districts currently paying less, but in Butler County the only school district this change would aid is the South Butler School District. A new pot of money intended to increase teacher salaries would send $25,429 to that district, but other districts in the county aren't getting any.

The district finished negotiating its current contract last year after teachers went on strike. Ian Babb, president of the South Butler County Educational Association, said he supported the increase but was interested to see how such a move would play out.

“Certainly a $45,000 starting salary is great for retaining and attracting teachers to the school district,” Babb said.

New, fresh out of college teachers start at $42,507 in South Butler. They don't make it to $45,000 until they've been on the job for six years.

Babb was concerned that districts like South Butler wouldn't give raises to teachers suddenly upped to $45,000 until their existing pay scales allowed for it.

“What happens on that second year?” Babb said. “Is the state kicking in the money to keep them there?”

Wolf said he wants a state study into full-day kindergarten programs. The Butler School District just switched to such a system this year.

Nina Teff, school board president and a parent, said she thinks the switch went well. But asked whether she'd have appreciated the state's guidance in rolling out that program, she said, “No.”

“I don't think I need the state to tell me how to do it,” Teff said.

She said she fears that school district getting money for teacher raises will end up with a state-salary requirement but without the promised state funding.

“Is it going to be ongoing funding?” Teff said. “Every year? We already have a huge (pension) requirement.”

Average teacher salaries According to the National Educational Association-Pennsylvania — $44,144-West Virginia — $33,684-New York — $44,935-New Jersey — $51,179-Maryland — $44,675