Gov. Tom Wolf asked lawmakers Wednesday to raise income taxes on higher earners and give public schools a massive boost in aid, as state government faces a gaping deficit and uncertainty over how much more pandemic relief the federal government will send.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal was widely applauded by school district advocates as a long-awaited change that will address the funding inequities that have plagued poorer and predominantly Black school districts for decades while ensuring no district receives less than they received this year.

Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday he hopes to name a replacement for outgoing Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine later this week.

In Pennsylvania, investigations show there are more cases of child neglect than of abuse; almost 25,000 kids are in foster care and about a third are hard-to-place older teenagers; 128,000 children aren’t covered by health insurance, and most of them live in rural areas.