​​​The beginning of the school year coincides with good news for Pennsylvania’s public school students.

On Tuesday, August 21, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court removed a major barrier that has kept the school funding lawsuit from going to trial!

The court rejected a motion filed by the Republican leader of the PA Senate, Joe Scarnati, that claimed the case was rendered moot because the legislature adopted a fair funding formula in 2016.

A brief​ filed by the plaintiffs to address the mootness challenge demonstrates that funding for schools has gotten worse since the case was filed. In addition, according to an affidavit filed by Mark Price, an economist from the Keystone Research Center, funding gaps between low- and high-wealth districts have significantly increased since 2014.

Four years ago, a typical high-wealth school district spent $3,058 more per student than a typical low-wealth school district. Today that difference has grown to $3,778/student. In other words, in 2014 high-wealth districts spent $76,450 more for each classroom of 25 students than low-wealth districts. Today, they spend $94,450 more.

In a press release​ issued in response to the court’s decision, Public Interest Law Center Staff Attorney Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg stated, “Pennsylvania’s school funding system still deprives students of the resources they need. We are talking about the basics: not enough teachers, out-of-date books, and buildings that crumble around the children inside of them. That was the reality when we filed the case, and it continues today.”

We look forward to Pennsylvania’s public school students having their day in court and eagerly await learning when the trial will begin. Governor Wolf, who opposed the mootness challenge, has urged the court to move the case to trial swiftly and petitioners have requested a scheduling conference and hope to proceed to trial quickly.

When a date for the trial is scheduled, we will let you know. The trial will be open to the public. We’ll need your help to pack the courtroom with advocates who support adequate and equitable funding for PA’s public school students.

Thank you for your continued support of public education.

Best,

Susan Spicka, Executive Director, Education Voters of PA

PS: The school funding lawsuit was filed in 2014 by the Public Interest Law Center and Education Law Center on behalf of six families, six school districts – William Penn, Panther Valley, Lancaster, Greater Johnstown, Wilkes-Barre Area and Shenandoah Valley – the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools, and the NAACP of Pennsylvania. It alleges that the state’s school funding system violates Pennsylvania’s constitution, due to significant underfunding and gross disparities in allocations that penalize students in low-wealth districts. Click HERE​ to learn more.