New school year, old school problems

As the academic year kicks off, students are probably wondering about their new teachers and classmates, or whether their new glasses or haircut will get noticed.

Hopefully they’re not wondering why things are getting worse for some schools, even though more students in the Commonwealth will suffer the consequences this year. 

According to the Keystone Research Center, in 2012-2013 (before the education funding formula was passed), the gap between the poorest and wealthiest districts in the Commonwealth was $3,058. By 2016-2017, after the so-called “fair funding” formula became law, the gap had grown to $3,778.

How did funding inequity increase AFTER the fair funding formula became law? The law requires the state to use the funding formula for all new basic education funding, but left it up to the PA legislature to decide if and how to fund it. 

It’s been about as effective as asking students to fill in their own report cards.

Lawmakers have yet to fully fund the formula. Worse yet, only about 7% of basic education funding actually runs through it.  Unlike in years past, how Pennsylvania chooses to fund its schools is a hot button issue savvy candidates can ill-afford to ignore.

In fact, both Governor Wolf and former Senator Scott Wagner have made school funding a key issue in the gubernatorial race. Though the incumbent and former Senator couldn’t promote more different agendas, both have said that they want to “fix” Pennsylvania’s broken education system and do right by Pennsylvania’s kids.

A solid plan for closing the wealth gap in Pennsylvania’s schools and ensuring that every school district has adequate education funding would be a great place to start; PA has the largest wealth gap in the country and ranks 46th in state contribution to education funding.  

The legislature, too, is operating on opposite ends of a spectrum as to how to address Pennsylvania’s school funding woes, with some proposing that all funding flow through the formula while others prioritize the districts with the greatest need.

Last year, we shared the heartbreaking story from a teacher in Delaware County who called her superintendent and asked if she would be receiving new books because “the duct tape is no longer working.” Leaving aside that duct tape shouldn’t be a solution to anything in our schools, that it’s the only option for more schools should give us all pause…right before it vaults us into action.

We shouldn’t have to play politics so that children get the education that they need. The governor, the legislature and the Court all have the power and opportunity to get this done. That’s why we aren’t asking any more–we’re telling them flat-out: “Fully fund education for Pennsylvania’s kids! Your future depends on it!”

To learn whether your district is “close” to being adequately funded and to learn more about how the kids in your district are doing, check out Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children’s new county reports HAGA CLIC AQUÍ.