What a year of challenges 2020 has been! We have struggled with the severe disruptions of COVID-19, witnessed nationwide protests against systemic racism, and faced profound economic, ideological, and political gulfs in American society.  And throughout all of this, public school teachers, administrators, and staff have logged countless hours and worked tirelessly to ensure that Pennsylvania’s public school students continue to learn.

One thing has become crystal clear:  protracted school closures and health risks brought about by the global pandemic have stripped away any pretense that all public schools in Pennsylvania are operating on a level playing field. 

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Where wealthier school districts been able to continue educating students during pandemic disruptions and closures without missing a beat, perennially underfunded poorer districts have struggled to provide students with even the most basic resources they need to learn. The laptop or iPad that is standard issue in some districts is a distant dream in others. And, as we have seen, the resource disparities run much deeper than computer hardware.

Wealthier districts often have newer buildings with more space and up-to-date ventilation systems. They have ample funding to buy PPE and hire additional custodians and other aides –so students in many of these districts were were able to resume in-person learning while their peers in resource-poor districts remained remote. Wealthier districts also have more teachers, aides, counselors and nurses to help students whether they are learning in-person or at home. And the list goes on and on and on.

Education Voters of Pennsylvania’s advocacy for public education and equitable funding is more relevant than ever before.  Our work to confront gross disparities in funding and resource allocations for public schools has intensified since the crises began. 

You can help us remain one of the strongest voices for statewide educational policy reforms by making a donation today. 

Thanks to your support, in 2020 we

• Trained and mobilized hundreds of parents and community members in dozens of school districts to advocate for policies and funding that support an equitable system of public education.

• Continued to be a leading voice in the call for charter school funding reforms through legislative testimony and work with the press, allied organizations, and advocates.

• Played a critical role in advocating for Pennsylvania’s landmark school funding lawsuit, which will go to trial in PA Commonwealth Court in early 2021. 

• Published major investigative research reports to document wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars and called for the reallocation of those funds to benefit public education:
  • “Fixing the Flaws in Pennsylvania’s Special Education Funding System for Charter Schools: How an Outdated Law Wastes Public Money, Encourages Gaming of the System, and Limits School Choice.”
  • “The Race Horse Development Fund: How Pennsylvanians Bankroll the Sport of Kings.”

We do this work because Pennsylvania’s inadequate and inequitable funding of public education has created racial and economic achievement gaps in our public schools are among the largest in the country.

EVPA is working tirelessly because all children in Pennsylvania, no matter their ZIP code, have a fundamental right to a quality public education. Winning the legislative and judicial battles essential to guarantee that right is EVPA’s core work.

Your contribution to Ed Voters today will help provide the resources we need to fully engage in the fight for equitable and fair funding of public education and for reform in the funding formulas for charter schools.