On Jan. 11, the state Basic Education Funding Commission took a significant step toward fixing Pennsylvania’s unconstitutionally broken school funding system, releasing a majority report that provides a foundation for the work that the governor and General Assembly must do in the months ahead.
PSEA has called on Gov. Josh Shapiro and legislators to make fixing our public school funding system a top priority and we have made it clear that the commonwealth shouldn’t divert one cent in state funding that should be committed to our public schools. A Feb. 7, 2023, Commonwealth Court decision found that Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional and directed policymakers to fix it.
In a public statement about the Basic Education Funding Commission report, PSEA President Aaron Chapin said:
“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. 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.”
The Commission’s majority report references a number of recommendations that PSEA made during testimony before the Commission in November, including:
- establishing school funding adequacy targets,
- rebuilding the education workforce, and
- providing sustained funding for school facilities improvements.
We will keep you posted as policymakers consider the Commission’s recommendations in the months ahead.
