Title
Supporting the clients and their lawyers, the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia and the Education Law Center - Pennsylvania, in their suit to enforce Pennsylvania's constitutional guarantee of "a thorough and efficient system of public education," and urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to provide a fair and predictable formula funded by adequate revenues that reflects the Commonwealth's values.
Body
WHEREAS, Section Fourteen of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania states that "The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth"; and
WHEREAS, In recognition of this core responsibility, in 2008 the General Assembly established funding targets for each school district, and determined a formula that would allow the Commonwealth to distribute education funds in a way that took into account the specific needs of our state's school districts and their students, to ensure that all students were given the resources needed to succeed academically according to state-mandated standards; and
WHEREAS, In 2011 the state of Pennsylvania reversed progress towards equity in education funding, drastically cutting funding to school districts by over $860 million, and limiting the ability of local communities to compensate for lost funds; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is one of only three states in the United States of America without an objective formula to distribute education funding; and
WHEREAS, This irrational and inadequate funding structure has wreaked havoc on school districts across Pennsylvania and had a devastating impact on students, who have been deprived of integral elements of their education, such as appropriate class sizes, adequate facilities, experienced and effective teachers, nurses, counselors, administrative and support staff, and adequate course offerings and materials; and
WHEREAS, These adverse ...
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