Their testimony described Commonwealth Court’s decision, tasks before the commission, and the effects of the current unconstitutional funding system on students.
Wednesday, September 13 - Attorneys from Education Law Center-PA and Public Interest Law Center and superintendents from Panther Valley School District and Wilkes-Barre Area School District – who won a historic victory in their school funding case in Commonwealth Court in February – had their opportunity to testify before Pennsylvania’s Basic Education Funding Commission on Wednesday, Sept. 13 in Harrisburg.
The 15-member commission is holding a series of 10 hearings to develop a plan in response to the Commonwealth Court ruling, which found that the state is not fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to maintain a “thorough and efficient system of public education” and mandated that state officials develop a school funding system that ensures “all students have access to a comprehensive, effective, and contemporary system of public education.” Wednesday’s hearing was the second in the series. View a recording of the testimony below.
Here are some highlights from the testimony of these four commission witnesses.
Testimony of Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, senior attorney at the Public Interest Law Center:
“Much of the Court’s opinion in this case rested upon a foundational understanding: ‘every child can learn, regardless of individual circumstances, with the right resources.’ Once you accept this basic tenet, which was true in 1874 when the guarantee of a thorough and efficient education was added to the Constitution, and which as ‘[a]ll witnesses agree[d]’ at trial, is true today, everything that follows is clear.”
An appendix to Urevick-Ackelsberg’s testimony outlines key findings from the Court’s decision.
Testimony of Maura McInerney, legal director at Education Law Center-PA:
“The Court’s decision provides a roadmap for this Commission to develop a constitutionally compliant school funding system and the decision must inform the work of this body. First, the Court identified “essential elements of a thorough and efficient system of public education” to serve all students. Second, the Court enumerated specific drivers of inequities that must be addressed and reformed.”
Testimony of David McAndrew, superintendent of Panther Valley School District:
“Last week, temperatures were above 90 degrees, and I had a choice to make. I could either dismiss school early, causing our students to miss half a day of education, or keep school open through the afternoon in uncomfortable conditions for young children. I chose to keep school open for the full day, but either choice meant giving students less than they deserve. If my district had adequate resources, I would not have had to make that choice at all.”
Testimony of Brian Costello, superintendent of Wilkes-Barre Area School District:
“I know Wilkes-Barre Area. All my life, I have seen the incredible things we can achieve when we are given the chance. The court’s decision is clear: every child can learn, and it is up to us to make this promise a reality in Pennsylvania public schools. Invest in the future of Pennsylvania, and let our students show you what they can do.”
In these remarks to the commission, our witnesses emphasized that to comply with the court order, the commission’s report must address four key tasks:
Determine adequacy targets for each district based on student need and current education costs, and the total cost to meet the constitutional standard for adequate funding;
Calculate funding targets that also address unmet needs beyond K-12 basic education funding – needs identified by the court as critical to ensuring meaningful opportunities for all the state’s public school students, such as facilities, special education, and pre-K;
Establish a fair and equitable “state share” for those targets so that low-wealth school districts can reach adequate funding at a reasonable tax effort; and
Develop a reasonable timeline to fully fund a constitutionally compliant school system that reflects the urgency of the problem.
Video of the testimony from each of the hearings is available on the commission’s website, as well as a schedule of upcoming hearings and a comment form for members of the public to offer feedback to the commission.