HARRISBURG – Hundreds of parents, students, educators, and advocates gathered in Harrisburg today for PA Schools Work’s annual Advocacy Day, calling on legislators to fulfill their constitutional duty and fully fund Pennsylvania’s public schools.
The rally on the Capitol steps highlighted Governor Shapiro’s proposed $1.8 billion education budget proposal and emphasized the urgent need for action following last year’s landmark court decision declaring Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional.
VIEW A RECORDING OF THE RALLY HERE.
“Our kids need help—not yesterday, not tomorrow, but today. They are our future. They deserve their brighter tomorrow!” said Jacob Stone McCrea, Community Resource and Advocate Specialist at ACLAMO, who spoke about the impact of underfunding on Latino communities in Montgomery County.
Kallel Edwards, Senior State Organizing Manager for Black Voters Matter, emphasized the systemic nature of the funding crisis: “Pennsylvania schools are underfunded by 4.5 billion dollars according to state law, even ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. We can no longer allow Harrisburg to dictate the fate of our children’s education and safety.”
Teaira Collins, a Pittsburgh Public Schools parent, highlighted the critical importance of special education funding: “Inadequate state funding is resulting in an insufficient number of staff to support our students and not enough resources and services critical for our students to make educational progress.”
Rev. Dr. Gregory Edwards, Executive Director of POWER Interfaith, closed the rally with a powerful call to action: “This is not about politics. This is about people — about children made in the image of God who deserve better… Our children can’t wait, and neither can justice.”
Throughout the day, advocates met with legislators to discuss the impacts of underfunded schools in their communities and urged support for Governor Shapiro’s education budget proposal.
For more information about the impact of proposed funding in local school districts, visit paschoolswork.org/school-district-data.
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PA Schools Work is a non-partisan coalition of organizations from across Pennsylvania representing teachers and other educators; urban, suburban, and rural communities; and parents and community members working together to advocate for PA public schools, their students, and the communities they serve. PA Schools Work partners include: 412 Justice, ACLAMO, The ARC of Pennsylvania, Children First, Education Law Center, Education Voters of Pennsylvania, Keystone Research Center, Make the Road PA, PAYouth Vote, Pennsylvania Policy Center, Public Interest Law Center, Research for Action, Teach Plus PA, and the Urban League of Philadelphia.