Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Mayor Cherelle Parker and education leaders from across the state visited with students at the Murrell Dobbins Career & Technical Education High School in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

The visit, hosted by the Center for American Progress, included a roundtable to shine a light on the importance of getting money to vo-tech centers that offer hands-on career training.

"The way you create more opportunity is within our education space, you gotta make sure that there's all kinds of different pathways to opportunity and success," Shapiro said.

Student Savannah Black got choked up talking about what her time at Dobbins has meant.

"This school had opened a lot of opportunities for me, and honestly, it changed my life," Black said.

Talks about more funding for schools like Dobbins come as millions of dollars in state aid remain held up in Harrisburg until a budget can be passed.

"Lawmakers need to come back to Harrisburg and do their jobs," Shapiro said. "I put forth my budget nearly 200 days ago; it's time for them to come back and do their jobs.

For School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington, his focus remains on getting kids to school as SEPTA cuts continue to impact some students.

"Last week, for the first three days of school, we had a majority of schools that reported both an uptick in absence and an uptick in late arriving students," Watlington said.

He also said students will not be penalized in areas where bus routes have not been restored.