Look back on the school funding trial with recaps from each day of testimony.
You can find media coverage of the case on these pages on this site: Latest press coverage, Trial press, and Pre-trial press.
Case Background
Pennsylvania's School Funding System Declared Unconstitutional In Historic Victory For Students - February 7, 2023
Today, Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer ruled that Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional and must be reformed.
In a 786-page decision, the court found that “All witnesses agree that every child can learn. It is now the obligation of the Legislature, Executive Branch, and educators, to make the constitutional promise a reality in this Commonwealth.”
Who's Who In The Case: Meet The 6 Petitioner School Districts
The six school districts challenging Pennsylvania’s school funding system in court are a representation of our state. Whether urban or rural, farmland or coal country, all of these communities have experienced the effects of a system that leaves them dependent on local wealth to meet their students’ basic needs.
What Are School Districts And Parents Asking For In The Lawsuit?
We are asking for sustained, substantial new investments in state funding for public education, distributed based on need, so that local wealth no longer determines whether Pennsylvania students receive a quality public education.
Find out what state underfunding looks like in your community with our interactive map.
Check out answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the trial and the court’s historic decision
Find resources and presentation materials and recursos en Español
Trial Testimony
Opening Statements, Closing Arguments, and Post-Trial Oral Argument
Students' Day In Court Begins: Opening Statements, November 12
“The disparities in funding between high-wealth and low-wealth districts, that’s not just numbers on paper. That’s children, hundreds of thousands of them.”
'It's Time To Keep That Promise:' Closing Arguments, March 10
“Black children, Latino children, low-income children: The same natural work ethic, the same natural intelligence, the same hopes, the same dreams. The catastrophic failures of this system are not because children look at course guides and aren't smart enough or industrious enough to seize opportunities. The failures are because they were denied those opportunities to begin with, from the very moment they had their needs triaged, as if they were walking into a field hospital instead of kindergarten. It was the system's failure, not theirs.”
In Court, A Clash Of Views On What Education System PA’s Constitution Requires: Post-trial oral argument, July 26
Petitioners’ Expert Witnesses
Trial, Day 5: We Learn More About The 'Thorough And Efficient' Clause (Nov. 18) Dr. Derek Black, an expert on the education clauses of state constitutions, testified.
"Those Districts That Need The Most Get The Least:" Dr. Matthew Kelly, Nov. 19 Analysis of adequacy shortfalls and disparities among districts and student populations.
Quality Matters: Court Hears Expert Testimony On Early Childhood Education, Dec. 14 Dr. Steven Barnett testified that quality pre-K programs can mitigate the negative effects of poverty on student achievement.
'Schools Can Do A Great Deal To Compensate For The Effects Of Poverty': Professor Pedro Noguera, Jan. 14 Details of interventions that can improve educational outcomes.
Exploring The Economic Impact Of Education, January 19 A preview of forthcoming testimony by two economists who are expert witnesses.
Big Benefits From Education Investments: Economists Testify, Jan. 20 Dr. Clive Belfield testified about the economic benefits of educational attainment.
'School Resource Equity Is An Essential Investment:' Economist Rucker Johnson On Why Money Matters, Jan. 21 Research shows that school funding reforms narrow academic performance gaps based on poverty and race.
Testimony of Petitioners
Panther Valley School District (petitioner)
Panther Valley School District is a small rural district located primarily in Carbon County. The boroughs it serves all have anthracite coal mining history.
"I'm Asking The State Of Pennsylvania To Help Us:" David McAndrew, Panther Valley SD Superintendent, Nov. 15 Detailed report on highlights of McAndrew’s testimony.
Panther Valley In Spotlight Again In Day 3 Of Trial (Nov. 16)
Nov. 17: Tara Yuricheck, Panther Valley Teacher, And Prof. Derek Black Discuss History Classes And Constitutional History Testimony of Tara Yuricheck.
Greater Johnstown School District (petitioner)
Greater Johnstown School District, about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh, encompasses the city of Johnstown in Cambria County. Home to 19,000 people—down from a peak population of more than 65,000 in the 1920s—Johnstown was a historic center of steel production. The last local Bethlehem Steel plants closed in 1992.
The Superintendent Of Greater Johnstown Takes The Stand, Dec. 3
Greater Johnstown Superintendent's Testimony Continues, Dec. 7
‘They Deserve That Assistance’: Greater Johnstown Witnesses Say Students Need Intensive Academic Support, Dec. 8 Detailed account of Greater Johnstown School District Superintendent Amy Arcurio’s three days of testimony.
‘Dire Straits’: Testimony From A Greater Johnstown Business Manager, Dec. 10 Testimony from former business manager Eric Kocsis.
Shenandoah Valley School District (petitioner)
Shenandoah Valley School District is a small rural district in Schuylkill County, part of eastern Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal region. Shenandoah is known for Mrs. T’s Pierogis. While the district’s local tax rates are the 23rd highest in Pennsylvania, its spending per student, weighted to account for need, is the 8th lowest in the state.
‘Collateral Damage’: Shenandoah Valley Superintendent Waite Takes The Stand, Dec. 9 Testimony of Superintendent Brian Waite.
School District of Lancaster (petitioner)
Lancaster is a diverse city of 58,000, located about 40 miles east of Harrisburg. In the heart of Amish farm country, Lancaster has become a gateway for immigrants and refugees from around the world, particularly from Latin America. Like many of Pennsylvania’s mid-sized cities Lancaster struggles to raise the needed funds for public education in its large school district from local funding sources.
'Every Single Child Who Gets Those Same Things Can Make It': Supt. Damaris Rau, Dec. 17 Testimony of School District of Lancaster Superintendent Damaris Rau.
‘We Need Space That Kids Deserve’: Chief Of Finances For School District Of Lancaster Testifies, Dec. 20 Testimony of Chief of Finances Matthew Przywara.
‘They’re Going To Need A Little Extra’: A Lancaster Teacher Testifies, Dec. 21 Testimony of Amanda Aikens, elementary school teacher and instructional coach.
The Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools (petitioner)
The Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools (PARSS), a petitioner in the case, represents 175 school districts that serve a total of 300,000 students. Matthew Splain, the president of PARSS and the superintendent of Otto-Eldred School District—a rural district of less than 800 students in McKean County—testified in the case.
‘Small And Rural Schools Have Unique Needs’: Testimony From A Rural Superintendent, Dec. 22, Part I Testimony of Superintendent Matthew Splain.
William Penn School District (petitioner)
William Penn School District serves suburban communities in Delaware County, just outside Philadelphia. Despite immense local efforts to provide the needed funds for public education—district residents pay the highest school tax rates in Delaware County—William Penn still falls short of state benchmarks for adequate funding by more than $4,800 per student.
'The Kids Felt Like They Lost The Opportunity That They Earned:' William Penn SD Witnesses Take The Stand, Dec. 22 Part II Testimony from athletic director Rap Curry and kindergarten teacher Nicole Miller.
'It Is Our Responsibility As Adults To Make Sure Students Have The Resources:' Former William Penn SD Supt. Begins Her Testimony Jan. 6 Jane Harbert preview.
'It's A Balancing Act': Former William Penn Superintendent On Navigating Scarcity, Jan. 7 Report on former William Penn SD Superintendent Jane Harbert’s testimony.
'In My Opinion, That's Unacceptable:' William Penn SD Superintendent Testifies Jan. 10 Testimony of Superintendent Eric Becoats.
Wilkes-Barre Area School District (petitioner) &
Michael Horvath (recent graduate and petitioner)
Wilkes-Barre Area School District serves Wilkes-Barre and other nearby Wyoming Valley communities. Wilkes-Barre, a city of 44,000 on the banks of the Susquehanna River, was a center of early industrialization. More than a quarter of Wilkes-Barre residents live in poverty. Michael Horvath and his mother Tracey Hughes live in the district, and he attended school there—they and the district joined the case in 2014.
‘I Never Had The Opportunities To Learn How To Do That’: A Recent Graduate Testifies (Jan. 24, Part I) Testimony of petitioner Michael Horvath.
Other Witnesses Called by Petitioners
School District of Philadelphia Witnesses
Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, is home to 1.6 million people. It is the birthplace of American democracy. Philadelphia’s poverty rate of 23% makes it the poorest large city in the country, and 11% of Philadelphians live on incomes below half the poverty line.
District Profile: School District Of Philadelphia Statistics and facts about the district.
Big City In The Spotlight: Superintendent Hite Testifies, Jan. 11 Preview post.
Not Enough Funds To Meet Student Needs: Superintendent Hite Testifies, Jan. 13 Detailed report on School District of Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite’s testimony.
Structural Deficits: A Continuing Challenge In Philadelphia Schools (Jan. 24, Part II) Testimony from School District of Philadelphia Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson.
Former Superintendent Nancy Hacker
Dr. Nancy Hacker is former superintendent of the School District of Springfield Township, a small suburban district of 2,500 students in Montgomery County.
Court Hears From A Well-Funded School District As The Former Supt. Of Springfield Township Testifies, Jan. 25 Testimony from Dr. Nancy Hacker.
Witnesses from Pennsylvania Department of Education & Pennsylvania State Board of Education
State Standards, Assessments, Outcomes, Funding: Former Top Pa. Education Official Testifies Nov. 30 Preview of testimony by former deputy secretary Matthew Stem.
Day Two Of Testimony From PA's Former Top K-12 Official, Dec. 1
‘An Urgent Need To Ensure That Our School Systems Are Providing The Conditions For Students To Be Successful’: Dec. 2 Detailed report on testimony of Matthew Stem, Pennsylvania’s former top K-12 education official.
Rigorous Standards, Concern About Supports: Testimony From State Board Of Ed, Dec. 13 Testimony from Karen Molchanow, executive director of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education.
Spotlight Shifts From Early Education To Lancaster’s Schools, Dec. 16 Testimony of Tracey Campanini, deputy secretary, Office of Child Development and Early Learning.
Noe Ortega, PA's Secretary Of Education, Highlights Higher Education Disparities, Jan. 18
Rebuttal Witness
Dr. Matthew Kelly, Final Witness In The PA School Funding Trial, Provides Rebuttal, Feb. 22
Respondents
Witnesses Called by Legislative Leader Respondents
Corman, Cutler Call Their First Witness, A Private School CEO, Feb. 2 Testimony of Aaron Anderson, CEO and head of school at the Logos Academy
'I Know There Are Capacity Limits In Terms Of What Can Be Raised Locally:' Legislative Staffer Testifies For Legislative Respondents, Feb. 3 Testimony of David Donley, the Republican staff executive director for the PA House of Representatives Appropriations Committee
English Learners And Standardized Tests, Feb. 4 Testimony of Christine Rossell, a professor emerita of political science at Boston University
Legislative Respondents Withdraw Witness After Petitioners Flag Evidence Of Plagiarism, Feb. 7 Testimony of Mark Ornstein, educational administrator
Former CEO Of Pennsylvania's Largest Cyber Charter Begins Testimony, Feb. 8 An overview of cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania
28.8% Proficiency, Negative Growth Scores, And Multimillion Dollar Ad Contracts: Former CEO Of Commonwealth Charter Academy Testifies, Feb. 10 Detailed account of the testimony of Maurice Flurie, former CEO of Commonwealth Charter Academy
Expert Witness’s Research Findings Under Scrutiny, Feb. 11 Testimony of Jason Willis, a researcher and program director at WestEd and legislative respondents’ expert witness on PA’s school funding system.
Respondents Call A Witness With ‘Some Pretty Strong Views,’ Feb. 14 Testimony of Max Eden, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
'I Can’t Say For Sure How It Would Have Changed Things:' Analysis Of Funding And Growth Scores Questioned, Feb. 15 Testimony of Dr. Abel Koury, a senior research scientist at Far Harbor LLC, a statistical consulting firm.
Legislative Respondents Call Final 2 Witnesses, Feb. 16 Testimony of Brian Cote, director of curriculum at 21st Century Cyber Charter School.
Final Respondents' Witness Discusses 'Money Matters:' Dr. Eric Hanushek Testifies, Feb. 17 Hanushek is an economist and a senior fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.