Funding for Pennsylvania's Public Schools Raises Serious Concerns

Concern over budgetary shortfalls brought concerned parents, teachers and administrators to the Bensalem High School on October 3rd. The meeting was organized by the Bensalem Association Dedicated to Gifted Education, but dealt with issues that affect all students across the Commonwealth who attend public schools. The primary concern was Pennsylvania’s funding for public schools.

Representatives from Education Voters of Pennsylvania and the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) were the guest speakers. The PILC provided an update on a lawsuit filed by the PILC on behalf of multiple school districts across the state, the NAACP and even individual parents, to help increase funding for public schools. The suit has three main objectives. First, to declare that the current system of funding schools is unconstitutional, to order the legislature to cease inadequate funding and to order the legislature to create and maintain a funding system that will enable all students to meet statewide academic standards.

According to Education Voters of Pennsylvania’s Director, Susan Spicka, Pennsylvania ranks 47^th in contributions in education funding. In Pennsylvania, the state pays for 37% of the total budget, down significantly from 50% back in 1973. The federal government provides approximately 7%, leaving the balance of 56% to come from local taxpayers. Spicka acknowledged that in order to increase funding to public schools, it may require higher taxes by Pennsylvanians.

She indicated that many people are in favor of raising taxes if it means better funding for the schools. Such funding might have prevented the recent layoffs in the Bensalem School District that went into effect in the current school year. During several of the school board meetings earlier this year, people from both sides of the issue spoke to the school board, with the majority of those who spoke arguing in favor of paying more taxes to help provide a better education for their kids.

According to Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, from the PILC, the state starts by determining the educational budget and allocates it across the various districts. Their position is that the state should first determine what goals the state wishes to achieve and then find a budget to meet those needs. In past years, the state’s judicial system has stated that this case is not “justiciable” and that the issue should not be heard by the courts. The basis for their position was that they were not qualified to determine what would be needed to educate students.

However, in a recent turn of events, the state’s Supreme Court decided that the lawsuit should now proceed. This means that the case should be in court in at some point in the second half of 2018. To help encourage the legislature to provide additional funding, both Spicka and Urevick-Ackelsberg encouraged people to reach out to their state senators and representatives to indicate their position.

For additional information on the Education Voters of Pennsylvania, visit educationvoterspa.org. For additional information on The Public Interest Law Center, visit www.pubintlaw.org.