STATEWIDE NEWS
Pa. schools need an additional $4.6 billion to close education gaps
A new analysis commissioned by advocates seeking to overhaul the state’s education funding system found that Pennsylvania’s public school children are being shortchanged by $4.6 billion. The conclusions depict widening gaps in education spending between affluent and...
SSD furloughs underscore state politics
The Scranton School Board voted to furlough 218 employees, but the district was struggling well before the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated its financial distress. The state government has failed to fairly support the Scranton School District, and multiple analyses have...
As coronavirus closes schools, wealthier districts send laptops home with students. What about poorer districts?
As school districts from Lower Merion to Cherry Hill prepared to give students Chromebooks this week, Shaxi Ortiz picked up worksheets and reading materials from a Camden elementary school for her two daughters. “I only have one computer,” said Ortiz, as she left the...
What K-12 education needs during the pandemic
We’re in an unprecedented time that will require unprecedented action to ensure the health and well-being of all, including children, is at the forefront of any action taken by our government. To limit the effect the coronavirus pandemic will have on Americans, we...
In November 2014, The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia and the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit on behalf of six school districts, PA Association of Rural & Small Schools, NAACP and parents; suing the commonwealth for violating the state constitution.
The lawsuit asserts that without adequate and equitably distributed resources students are not able to meet the proficiency standards set by the state legislature, as evidenced by the fact that state test scores declined across all districts following the 2011 state cuts.
The petitioners are asking for a court order that will force the legislature to comply with the state constitution and ensure all students receive access to a high-quality public education.