HARRISBURG – Following the adoption of the final report from the BEFC, PA Schools Work made the following statement:
“The Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC) today took a significant step forward for students in communities across the Commonwealth. The report adopted by the BEFC is a roadmap to repairing the state’s broken and unconstitutional public school funding system.
“The Commission responded to the Commonwealth Court’s school funding ruling, recommending improvements to how funding is distributed through the Fair Funding Formula, but also identifying how much each district needs for the state to meet its constitutional obligation that every student receives a ‘meaningful opportunity to succeed academically, socially, and civically.’
“The report adopts a meaningful and significant formula to measure how much is needed for adequate funding, a timeline to close the funding gap, the identification of state share versus local share responsibility, and the acknowledgment that other unmet needs like facilities and pre-K education are critical to ensuring meaningful opportunity for all students.
“Years of underfunding have set districts in all corners of the state back – rural, urban, and suburban districts alike have been unable to meet their obligations to PA students and families. The recommendations in the BEFC report will close the massive funding gaps and, if implemented, will give students in all corners of the Commonwealth a better opportunity to reach their full potential.
“We commend the BEFC – members and staff – for all their hard work, and we thank Governor Shapiro and the legislators who championed this report for their strong commitment to public education. We look forward to working with lawmakers to put it into law.”
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