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HARRISBURG, PA (Jan. 11, 2024) – PSEA President Aaron Chapin issued the following statement on the comprehensive report approved by a majority of Basic Education Funding Commission members today, calling it a significant step toward fixing Pennsylvania’s unconstitutionally broken public school funding system.
“The Basic Education Funding Commission’s majority report is a substantial step in the right direction, and it is the product of months of public hearings and analysis. It’s clear that ensuring that our public school funding system finally passes constitutional muster will take billions of new state dollars and a long-term commitment to investments in adequacy, school facilities, the educator shortage, and charter school reimbursement.
“The majority report represents real progress and provides a foundation for the work that the governor and General Assembly must do in the months ahead. One thing is absolutely clear. The commonwealth shouldn’t divert one cent in state funding that could be committed to our public schools.
“Pennsylvania’s students have waited decades for policymakers to take bold action to address school funding equity. Today they began to take that action. Today is a good day. The work is not over. The Commonwealth Court decision requires policymakers to take decisive action, and PSEA stands ready to support their work to ensure that Pennsylvania’s school funding system meets our constitutional requirements.
“In particular, we’re very pleased that the report includes recommendations to establish adequacy targets, rebuild our education workforce, and provide sustained funding for school facilities – all reflecting recommendations made by PSEA during our testimony in November 2023. Additionally, PSEA is pleased that all members of the commission, despite the votes on the two different reports, share consensus on formula improvements, particularly resetting the base of the basic education subsidy. These improvements, while technical, are important to providing greater stability and predictability for school districts.
“PSEA is grateful to Gov. Shapiro and the legislators who have worked so hard on this report. Their leadership has been key to getting us to this point. This report provides us with the foundation on which to build a lasting solution and gets us one more very important step toward ensuring that Pennsylvania’s public school funding system is adequate, equitable, and constitutional.”
Chapin is a Stroudsburg Area middle school teacher and president of PSEA. An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents about 177,000 active and retired educators and school employees, student teachers, higher education staff, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.
