MILLERSVILLE, Pa. — Dozens rallied outside Penn Manor Senior High School in Millersville on Thursday, asking the State Senate to fully fund public schools.
Maria Vita has been teaching at Penn Manor for 21 years and said schools need more funding to face staffing and mental health issues.
"There's just increasing diversity," Vita said. "The socioeconomic background of each student and family is so wide-ranging that we need the services to help all of these different families."
A bill passed in the State House this week would increase basic education funding by more than a billion dollars this year, ramping up funding by more than $5.4 billion over the next seven years.
The plan would boost Penn Manor School District's funding by more than $4 million.
School counselor Michele Tappany said it would take some of the burden off local taxpayers.
"I want to support the schools. I want to be able to give the students what they need, they are our future, but I also know what it's like to be a homeowner and know what it's like to pay the bills," Tappany said.
While students, teachers and support professionals at Penn Manor advocate for more funding, Republicans in the State Senate are poised to push back.
Republican State Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill agrees school funding needs to change but told FOX43 an education bill should not have a number attached.
"They're asking for an additional $7 billion over the next five to seven years," said Phillips-Hill, a representative of York County. "We have to have a balanced budget. They need to tell us how they intend to pay for it."
Democratic State Representative Ismail Smith Wade-EL disagrees.
"We cannot be the only people in this equation who don't have to commit to an amount of money," said Smith Wade-El, a representative of Lancaster County. "Otherwise, we have less skin in the game than our teachers, our students, our senior homeowners. That just doesn't make any sense."
As budget negotiations get underway in Harrisburg, education advocates hope lawmakers are listening.
The state's budget deadline is June 30.