(FIle Photo: Source for Photo: Shown are lockers at Penn Wood High School in Lansdowne, Pa., Wednesday, May 3, 2023. As schools across the country struggle to find teachers to hire, more governors are pushing for pay increases and bonuses for the beleaguered profession. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) Pennsylvania lawmakers return to Harrisburg on Monday, facing renewed pressure to address long-standing issues that include improving the economy and education. Advocates for those causes say it’s a crucial opportunity to make meaningful progress on many policies. Gillian Kratzer with the group Better Pennsylvania says one key priority Democrats are focused on is improving school funding. Kratzer says her group anticipates Governor Josh Shapiro’s third budget address, on February 4th. In the last budget, Shapiro made the largest investment in Commonwealth history for K-through-12 public education, at just over one-billion dollars.