Pennsylvania’s system for funding public education is neither adequate, nor equitable; thorough, nor efficient. Learn more about the litigation, getting your community involved and joining a monthly conference call with more information.
Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCOP) and Education Law Center- PA have filed a lawsuit on behalf of individuals, school districts and organizations, making the complaint that the funding system in Pennsylvania is not only wrong, it violates the Constitution.
Throughout Pennsylvania, our schools have not received adequate and equitable funding to meet our children’s educational needs. But our Constitution says, “The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.”
The state government is breaking its own law and our kids are suffering.
Public education advocates have a very important role to play in demanding action and then holding state lawmakers accountable for ensuring that all schools receive adequate and equitable funding to meet our children’s educational needs. We MUST raise awareness of the school funding problem in our communities and demand action from every branch of government.
How can you help?
• Learn more by reading the Frequently Asked Questions about the lawsuit.
• Register HERE to be part of a monthly phone call with Education Voters and the law centers that filed the lawsuit to stay up-to-date on what is happening.
• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspapers. See the end of this post for a guide to writing the letter, talking points, and a link that will allow you to email your letter to your local newspapers.
• Attend to a school board meeting in your community and ask your school board to pass a resolution in support of the lawsuit. Download a sample resolution below.
The courts must act and rule in favor of the plaintiffs. They must declare what is happening is legally wrong and join the demand for a just remedy so every child in PA has an opportunity to learn.
But the courts alone will not solve this problem. It will require all of us.
The legislature must act – utilizing its own Basic Education Funding Commission, the recommendations of last year’s Special Education Funding Commission, and the data it has available to it to develop a new approach to allocating funding. We must let them know it is a priority, we are watching them and are counting on them to act.
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