![]() Kelly found that 412 of the state’s 500 districts fall short of what’s necessary to provide all students with a quality education. Other districts, large and small, have even larger “adequacy” gaps, including Allentown, Reading, Panther Valley, and Shenandoah. In fact, it is in the top half, ranking 232nd in per student revenue. Philadelphia is not the lowest funded among Pennsylvania’s 500 districts. ![]() To fully modernize and repair the district’s infrastructure would cost $7.9 billion, he said, citing a 2017 study. Watlington told the commission that the district was forced to close more than 80 buildings early each day during the first week of school because they lack no air conditioning. Philadelphia falls short by nearly $8,000 per student, Kelly found.Īnd that estimate doesn’t include facilities costs to manage environmental hazards like asbestos and broken or inadequate air conditioning. Penn State professor Matthew Kelly told the commission during an earlier hearing on Tuesday the state needs to spend an extra $6.2 billion each year to adequately fund education for all students. ![]() Pennsylvania now ranks 45th among states in the proportion of state versus local funding, providing only 38% of the total, compared to a national average of 47%.Ī new formula and more money for Philadelphia schools will mean the difference between cutting programs and expanding access to things like high-dosage tutoring, algebra courses, and extracurriculars.īut it’s going to be costly. “The funding system systematically harmed the very districts that need the most resources … those districts who serve students with the greatest needs.” What the commission will doīeyond trying to create a formula that is more fair, the commission must deal with the question of adequacy, or how much the state should be contributing to education so all students get a quality education. “The Pennsylvania public school funding system has inadequately and inequitably funded low-wealth school districts for decades,” Watlington told the commission. Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington, now in his second year in office, has crafted an ambitious five-year strategic plan for the district but has said he lacks the funding to carry it out. If lawmakers’ proposed formula doesn’t measure up, the state could find itself back in court, said Michael Churchill of the Public Interest Law Center, one of the groups representing the plaintiffs in the funding lawsuit. Josh Shapiro by the end of November and produce a new formula in time for next spring’s budget negotiations. The commission will deliver a report to Gov. “Aren’t we tired of just talking about it?” Fix-Lopez asked. Outside on Thursday, Philadelphians decried how long it’s taken to get here and the toll it’s exacted on students. Generations of underfunding means students in the city - who are predominantly Black, brown, and from low-income families - have had larger class sizes, less qualified and experienced teachers, older and often unsafe buildings, and fewer extracurricular opportunities compared to students in wealthier Pennsylvania districts. Pennsylvania is embarking on this long overdue - and constitutionally mandated - effort to overhaul the school funding formula because the current one is “shortchanging” students across the state, including those in Philadelphia, school board Vice President Mallory Fix-Lopez said to the group rallying outside the hearing. Kristin Philipps-Hill, a Republican from York, said in her opening remarks, adding that lawmakers must work in a bipartisan fashion to make sure student needs are met. “We need to listen to everyone and we may like what we hear, we may not like what we hear,” Sen. The 15-member commission launched a series of hearings across the state this week to get feedback on how much to invest in education and how to distribute the aid.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |