Trial in a historic lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s school funding system is now scheduled to begin on Friday, November 12, following a request for a 30-day extension from Sen. Jake Corman due to an unforeseen medical emergency of an attorney in the case. Petitioners in the case send their best wishes for good health and a full recovery.
Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer announced the new trial date in an order issued today. Trial was previously scheduled to begin on October 12.
The case, which was filed in November 2014, alleges that Pennsylvania’s school funding system violates the education clause and equal protection provisions of the state’s constitution by failing to provide an adequate education to schoolchildren in low-wealth school districts and creating wide and unjustifiable disparities between school districts. Pennsylvania ranks 45th in the nation in its state share of costs of K-12 education. While the national median state share is 47%, Pennsylvania contributes only 38%, with the majority of school funding coming from local sources.
Trial will be held in Courtroom 3002 of the Pennsylvania Judicial Center in Harrisburg. Attorneys expect the trial to extend through December. At previous pre-trial conferences, the judge has said that trial will be held five days a week, and that a livestream will be available to the public.