🚨The WIN we’ve been fighting for!
Earlier this week, I met with Education Secretary McMahon in my office to convey that unfreezing these funds was my #1 priority —it was necessary and urgent. I made sure she knew these dollars aren’t just numbers—they’re lifelines for our students, educators, and families who depend on them.
Today, we got results.
The administration is officially releasing all of the previously frozen funding—billions for after-school programs, ESL instruction, and other services families so many in our community rely on.
This has been a top priority from day one, and I’m grateful to have worked side by side with our local educators, advocates, and families every step of the way—pushing OMB for clarity and keeping the pressure on—just as I did to secure the full five-year Head Start renewal for our community.
I will always fight to ensure our schools have the resources and tools they need so every child in PA-1 has access to a strong start and bright future.
🔗: https://t.co/Whan1WcJ1d
Thank you for all of your incredible support during these tough times @RepBrianFitz
Our attendees really appreciated meeting you and the time you spent with us on the Hill!
@nasponline#NASPadvocates#PPI2025
Great morning with the National Association of School Psychologists—frontline partners in the urgent fight to support student mental health and the professionals who serve them.
We talked through where we go from here—from my Mental Health in Schools Excellence Program Act to grow and stabilize the workforce, to protecting Bipartisan Safer Communities Act funding, and ensuring school psychologists are recognized as essential to any serious national strategy.
These priorities aren’t shaped in a vacuum—they come directly from my conversations with experts from @nasponline and local leaders like PA-1’s own Julia Szarko, who are in our schools every day, telling us what’s working, what’s broken, and what needs to change.
Grateful for this continued partnership, and proud to keep driving this work forward with you.
This is how you know that Advocacy matters!!!!! #NASP2025 Thank you @kmv79 & @drladyjulia for all of your work to amplify the importance of high quality mental health supports for children in schools!
School psychologists are often the unsung heroes within our schools, guiding young minds through some of the most challenging and transformative years of their lives. Here in PA-1, we are fortunate to have some of the nation’s most dedicated professionals—beyond supporting academic success, they empower our students to unlock their full potential, helping them overcome obstacles, build resilience, and thrive. That’s why, alongside @RepJudyChu & @RepJimmyPanetta, I am proud to introduce the initiative to formally recognize this week as National School Psychology Week—a week dedicated to honoring the critical role and efforts of our @nasponline school psychologists, whose work shapes a brighter future for our students and our communities.
Thank you to all the outstanding school psychologists in PA-1 and across the nation. Your dedication is the cornerstone of our students’ success and well-being—and ultimately, the future of our country. Thank you, as well, to @nasponline for your steadfast advocacy, tireless efforts, and unwavering commitment to ensuring every student receives the support they need to thrive. You are true champions for our children, and I will always stand as a champion for you.
School psychologists are often the unsung heroes within our schools, guiding young minds through some of the most challenging and transformative years of their lives. Here in PA-1, we are fortunate to have some of the nation’s most dedicated professionals—beyond supporting academic success, they empower our students to unlock their full potential, helping them overcome obstacles, build resilience, and thrive. That’s why, alongside @RepJudyChu & @RepJimmyPanetta, I am proud to introduce the initiative to formally recognize this week as National School Psychology Week—a week dedicated to honoring the critical role and efforts of our @nasponline school psychologists, whose work shapes a brighter future for our students and our communities.
It was so wonderful to meet you today @RepMarcyKaptur ! Thank you for your support of our efforts as school psychologists to care for our students as we tackle the Youth Mental Health Crisis. We appreciated the time you took with us today! @karioyen@nasponline#NASPadvocates
Kari Oyen (@karioyen) and Julia Szarko (@drladyjulia) along with NASP Advocacy Director Kelly Vaillancourt Strobach (@kmv79 ) gave an introduction to effective advocacy to advance policy solutions. Are you at PPI? What have you learned from #NASPadvocacy today?
@cmonique1023@nasponline We stand with you, Celeste and are ready to act. No one deserves to be treated so horrifically. Thank you for leading us through a convention full of joy that fostered incredible learning so we can continue do good things better! #NASP2023#hyattsowhite@smerconish@RepBrianFitz