$3.5M Coming To Fix Morrisville School Funding Formula

MORRISVILLE BOROUGH, PA — The Morrisville Borough School District is getting a financial boost to combat being "chronically underfunded" in its state allocation, officials said.

State Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-10) and State Rep. Jim Prokopiak (D-140) have announced that the school district is getting $3.5 million in additional funds the new state budget signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro on Monday.

Officials said the money will be a permanent addition to the district’s base funding.

Santarsiero has tried to secure more funding for the school district and fix a specific problem in the funding formula that shortchanges Morrisville compared to its peers.

“Morrisville deserves adequate funding, just like other school districts in our state who have received funding to close our state’s education adequacy gap since the 2023 Commonwealth Court ruling," the senator said.

Prokopiak said the "historic increase" will help put the school district on the path to financial stability.

Lawmakers said the funding through the budget process, unlike more restrictive grants, allows the school district to use the money for any operational costs.

“We now envision a pathway forward to improving the district’s financial status as well as to provide an increase in the level of resources our students deserve," Interim Schools Superintendent Elaine Eib said.

Morrisville School Board President Damon Miller said that for several years, the school district has struggled to pay for needed services.

He said that shortfall has created a "well of debt" that kept getting deeper, despite using every financial resource available.

"It was becoming more and more difficult to operate the district and provide a quality education for our students," Miller said. "With the increased funding, Morrisville will be able to work its way out of debt with a long-term financial plan to establish a stable school district, improve the quality of education for our students, and create a better Morrisville community.”