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Pennsylvania Drops to 45th in the Nation In State Funding for Public Education

May 26, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  John Neurohr
717-364-6452 / jneurohr@shelly-lyons.com

Pennsylvania Falls to 45th in the Nation In State Funding for Public Education
Inadequate state share of revenue to local districts put schools in difficult position when attempting to balance budgets, pay for needed resources.

HARRISBURG, PA (May 26, 2021) – The U.S. Census Bureau this week released the 2019 Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data that shows Pennsylvania falling further behind in meeting the needs of Pennsylvania’s students. The data tracks, among other things, revenue sources for local school systems and spending on items like support services and overall per pupil expenditures.

The data show that Pennsylvania dropped from 44th to 45th in the share of district revenue that comes from the state –  6th from the bottom. As far as the overall percentage of revenue coming from the state, Pennsylvania has dropped to 37.9%. Overall, the U.S. average is 47% of revenue coming from the state to local school districts.

“The lack of adequate subsidies from the state when it comes to funding for school districts affects urban districts, suburban districts and rural districts alike,” said Mark D DiRocco, Executive Director of the PA Association of School Administrators. “While federal relief funds are being used for one-time COVID costs, the state must provide enough funding for ongoing costs to schools that will be with districts long after the federal stimulus dollars are gone – including special education and career and technical education. Our state legislators need to meet their responsibility for ensuring all students have the resources they need to succeed. This latest Census data shows that the state’s responsibility is far from being met.”

The new census data is available here. (summary table 5)

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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. For more information on PA Schools Work, visit paschoolswork.org

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