K-12 and higher education would get $102 billion next fiscal year as part of Gov. Gavin Newsom's new budget proposal, released Monday -- the most in state history -- thanks to a projected 45-billion-dollar surplus.

Education advocates say they are glad the budget would put $200 million toward health care for part-time lecturers, who make up 75% of the teaching staff at community colleges.

Jeff Freitas, president of CFT, a union of educators and classified professionals, explained how it would help.

"We want to be able to have individuals that work in multiple districts be able to combine that effort to be able to pay for that health care," Freitas stated.

The governor has also proposed $2.7 billion in extra funding to confront COVID-19, so advocates want some of it to be spent on getting more rapid tests and high-quality masks into schools. And the budget includes a 5% cost-of-living increase for educators, one of the highest-ever, which could improve a staffing crisis in schools.

Freitas pointed out the state loses about 27,000 teachers a year but only about 21,000 new teachers enter the profession annually to replace them.

"Pay is a factor," Freitas acknowledged. "But there are also other factors that weigh into this: class size, responsibility, respect, time to do the job. All of these together are what we need to be focusing on."

The budget proposal also includes funding to offer pre-K classes to all four-year-olds, and it increases the available slots in state-funded preschool and child-care centers.

A new coalition of businesses and nonprofits in West Virginia is ready to create at least 3,000 new green industry jobs. They say they just need the funding to do so.

Brandon Dennison, founder and CEO of the nonprofit Coalfield Development, is leading the coalition called Appalachian Climate Technology (ACT Now). Dennison said the coalition is a finalist in the Biden Administration's Build Back Better Regional Challenge, and if selected will be awarded $100 million to jump-start the region's economy in expanding the solar industry, sustainably reclaiming former mine lands, retrofitting buildings to be more energy efficient, and attracting green manufacturers to the area.

"There's a unique opening in time right now, where we can really take a leap forward for this region, and that would have tremendously positive outcomes for our country," Dennison asserted. "And if you think about it from a climate-change perspective, really positive outcomes for our planet. "

Dennison added they will find out if they've been selected in the next few months.

Numerous studies have pointed to renewable energy such as wind and solar as a way to create good-paying jobs for Appalachian communities left behind. One report released by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found the Mountain State has the potential to create thousands of jobs in solar energy, wind energy, battery storage and energy efficiency.

Dennison noted many West Virginians are not counting on coal as a means to support their families or supply the next generation with a livelihood.

"In many ways, we've sort of gone through the stages of grief with the coal industry, and come to an acceptance that coal is never going to be what it was," Dennison observed. "We might not be happy about that, but if we are going to survive, we're going to have to adapt."

Federal data show U.S. coal production has decreased by more than 24% since 2019.

Since then, the average number of employees at U.S. coal mines decreased by more than 10,000 employees. Supporters of the coal industry argued fossil fuels are essential to keeping Americans' power supply affordable.

Pennsylvania's budget deadline is looming on Thursday. Gov. Tom Wolf is calling for a minimum-wage increase that would get the state to $15 an hour by 2028.

A new brief gives a profile of the workers who would benefit.

The analysis from Keystone Research Center found an estimated 1.46 million Pennsylvania workers would see higher wages through the increase.

Keystone Research Center Senior Research Analyst Claire Kovach said the workers who would most benefit are the ones who were deemed essential during the pandemic, such as those in health care, retail, social services and more.

She said the state minimum wage has been stagnant for far too long.

"One of the minimum wage jobs that I worked 12 years ago is still advertised at $7.25 per hour today," said Kovach. "So the minimum wage worker who stands where I stood a dozen years ago, they're getting paid a wage with around 25% less buying power than I was back then."

The increase to $15 by 2028 would amount to a $3,800 raise for the average-year round worker, Kovach said.

If passed, the gradual increase would start with a boost to $12 an hour in July. Opponents to a minimum wage increase are concerned about the costs to businesses.

The brief also finds that across the proposed minimum wage increase from July 2022 to July 2028, an estimated $30 billion would be put back into the state economy.

Kovach added that with inflation climbing and more Pennsylvanians experiencing financial insecurity, an increased minimum wage could be a lifeline for families.

"There's an interesting thing that happens when you give low-wage workers a raise," said Kovach. "They don't store this money in off-shore accounts. This money is spent directly back into the economy and actually generates more economic movement and more economic benefits for communities than some other economic stimulus items."

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Living Wage calculator shows that today, a single adult in Pennsylvania needs to earn nearly $17 per hour to support themselves - while a single adult with one child needs nearly $33 per hour to support their family.

There are fewer than five months to go until the November General Election, in which Pennsylvania voters will select a new governor and U.S. Senator.

A new poll commissioned by AARP Pennsylvania showed how residents over 50 are feeling about the candidates and the issues. In the 2018 midterm elections, Pennsylvanians age 50 years and older made up 61% of all voters in the state.

The AARP poll includes views about this year's political races, including the contest for governor, with Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Sen, Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin. Shapiro leads Mastriano by three points.

Bob Ward, partner and pollster at Fabrizio Ward, said for voters over 50, it is an even closer race.

"There's a one-point lead for Shapiro over Mastriano," Ward reported. "And so, 50-plus voters, due to their size but also sort of the competitive nature of where the election is in the governor's race, will be impactful. Candidates need to pay attention to what's important to these voters."

In the Senate race, Democratic Lieutenant Gov. John Fetterman has a six percentage-point lead over Republican TV personality Mehmet Oz. And 77% of those polled believe the state is "moving in the wrong direction."

Some 30% of Pennsylvania voters polled said the economy is working well for them. However, one of their biggest concerns, which may influence their votes in November, is rising prices. For Republicans polled, it is their highest priority, while Democrats cite gun safety as their top issue.

Matt Hogan, partner and pollster at Impact Research, said the results also show inflation is still a cross-party worry.

"When we test it on its own and ask them to rate the importance, we certainly see it's a dominant issue with Democrats as well, it just doesn't rise to quite the top when we ask them to pick which is the most important," Hogan explained. "We definitely see a surge in guns [as an important issue] following Uvalde."

Other issues emerging as important to voters include immigration for Republicans, and abortion access and honesty in government for Democrats. The survey, which reached nearly 1,400 likely Pennsylvania voters, was conducted this month via landline, cellphone and text message.