STATEWIDE NEWS
School officials from across Pennsylvania push for state to address special education, charter school funding
State school districts are struggling because of increases in special education and charter school costs, a group of school business professionals and superintendents said at a news conference Friday. The Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO)...
Push for school funding resumes in Capitol
Calls for relief, a conversation and an increase in funding are dominated a discussion about schools at the rotunda. On Friday, dozens piled in for an event highlighting a recent study conducted by the PA Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) and the PA...
Bensalem School District to host forum on budget
The Bensalem School District will host a forum on the district’s budget 7 p.m. Tuesday, featuring the director of a group that is fighting for more state money to go to public schools. The event will be held at the Bensalem High School North Wing Auditorium, 4319...
Advocacy groups say Pennsylvania underfunds special education
The proportion of special education costs covered by the state of Pennsylvania has steadily declined over the last decade, according to analysis from the Education Law Center and Research For Action. The state used to cover a third of costs and now pays for a fourth...
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.