Gov. Josh Shapiro on Friday announced a blueprint to overhaul how Pennsylvania funds its colleges and universities to make attending a state-run or community college significantly more affordable. Shapiro’s pitch for sweeping changes to the higher education system is expected to be a signature part of the budget proposal he delivers to the General Assembly next month. The initiative received support Friday from Democrats, Republicans, and higher-education officials — all of whom are stakeholders he’ll need to get his pitch across the finish line and fix the state’s struggling system.

Pennsylvania spends less on higher education than every other state except New Hampshire. The long-term erosion of state support in Pennsylvania has increased the financial burden on students and institutions, resulting in tuition hikes, cuts in services, and the need to take on more debt, the governor’s office said.

Shapiro’s announcement Friday did not include how much these changes could cost the state, and many details of how it would be implemented were not immediately available. Full details of the plan will be released as part of his full budget pitch on Feb. 6. And as Pennsylvania approaches a fiscal cliff next year — with spending expected to outpace revenue — any major funding increases could be a sticking point in budget negotiations between Republicans, who control the state Senate, and the Democratic governor and Democratic-controlled House.

Part one of Shapiro’s three-part plan called for a cap of $1,000 per semester on tuition and fees at state-owned universities and community colleges for median-income Pennsylvanians making $70,000 or less. It would also increase Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency grants by $1,000 for all students attending state-related universities and independent colleges. PHEAA administers financial aid, and disbursed more than 103,000 grants to Pennsylvania college students in the 2021-22 academic year, according to the agency’s data.