Chester County is a leader in the region’s public education sector, but a lack of state investment and a rising number of low-income students could threaten future performance, according to a new report by المواطنون من أجل الأطفال والشباب, or PCCY.

The report, “The Bottom Line is Children: Public Education in Chester County,” looks at the county in terms of public education and focuses on low-income students, graduation rates and funding available for the county’s educational system.

It finds that while the county is the wealthiest in the state, the number of low-income students is increasing.

According to the report, approximately 15,400 students in the county qualified for the free or reduced lunch program in 2012, a 33 percent increase in four years.

Even wealthier districts saw an increase of low-income students. Both Great Valley and Tredyffrin/Easttown saw the number of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch increase. Great Valley saw its number of students eligible for the program double between 2008 and 2012, while Tredyffrin/Easttown’s number rose by 58 percent.

“With the increase of low-income students, often comes the need for districts to put in more effort,” said Donna Cooper, executive director of PCCY.

Kate Shaw, Chester County resident and education supporter, said that while the county seems to be doing well in public education, it is important that the system be fair for all students.

“One of the things I would like to see in Chester County is that with diverse populations, districts should pay attention that the lowest performing students are receiving the highest quality teachers,” Shaw said.

According to Cooper, as districts diversify, gaps between low-income students versus their peers continue to increase.

The report also shows that the average high school graduation rate for Chester County is 93.2 percent, the second-highest in the five-county Southeast Pennsylvania region. (Montgomery County has a graduation rate of 93.3 percent.)

Every district with schools in Chester County, aside from Octorara, has a graduation rate that meets or is above the state average of 83 percent.

Cooper said that while graduation rates are one way to measure the success of education, statewide tests like the Pennsylvania Statewide School Assessment shed light on the skills students are graduating with.

According to the report, Chester County has higher averages of PSSA scores in reading and math than those of the other counties in the region: Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery and Delaware.

One of the biggest factors in the quality of public education is funding, said Shaw. The report said that while most states in the country adjust funding to distribute more state aid to low-income school districts, Pennsylvania does not have such a formula.

In 2011, the Pennsylvania State Legislature removed the formula, leaving Pennsylvania to be one of three states in the country without a predictable education funding formula.

The report said that if the state followed the funding formula, Chester County schools would have received at least $42 million in additional funding this year.

“We know which districts know are wealthier than others,” Shaw said. “We know that certain kinds of kids are more expensive to educate than others. But if we don’t have a formula, we’re going to continue to under-educate the kids who are most in need.”

State Sen. Andrew Dinniman, D-19th of West Whiteland, was part of the release of the report on Wednesday. According to Martin Indars, legislative and policy director for Dinniman, the senator is continuing to fight to increase funding public schools.

“Public education really works in Chester County,” said Indars “It works exceptionally well. The senator wants that to continue and will continue to fight for the Commonwealth to fulfill its constitutional obligation to fund schools.”

Chester County has 12 districts that serve nearly 70,000 students, according to the report.

Public Citizens for Children and Youth is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to improving the lives and life changes of children in the Delaware Valley, according to its website. The organization plans to release three more county-specific studies focusing on Chester County children’s health, early care and education, and family economic security.

MainLine Media News – November 21, 2013 – اقرأ المقال على الإنترنت