PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER EDITORIAL: It would be hard to overestimate the damage Pennsylvania’s elected leaders have inflicted on the commonwealth by failing to adequately and equitably fund public schools over the past four years. The inferior education being provided to students as a result is the reason so many are failing to pass assessment and graduation exams. Better-paying jobs will be out of their reach when they become adults, which will ultimately have a negative impact on the state’s economy.
The problem is more acute where tax bases are modest. The state’s contribution to public schools has fallen from 50 percent in 1975 to about 34 percent currently, according to an Education Law Center study conducted by Penn State researchers. Poor local governments have been unable to lift the heavier burden to fund their schools adequately.
In fact, a recent Associated Press analysis showed that the funding gap between Pennsylvania’s wealthy and poor districts has doubled over the past four years. Districts among the top 20 percent in average income are spending in excess of $4,000 more per student this year than the poorest 20 percent… (more)
