New Formula for Basic Education Funding – It's Time To Seize Our Historic Moment
For the first time in a generation, Pennsylvania has an historic chance to fix the education funding formula that distributes over $5.5 billion dollars to our 500 school districts.
This June, the bipartisan Education Funding Commission unanimously established a new formula to distribute basic education dollars. Applying that formula to the $5.5 billion revealed that 320 school districts are presently overfunded and 180 school districts are underfunded by $937 million. Many school districts fall within $100 per student of what the formula dictates. However, some schools are underfunded by more than $2,500 per student.
While several school districts are over funded by more than $3,000 per student, the three school districts I represent are underfunded by $50 million dollars, or more than $2,400 per student. That's really unfair.
Despite the fact that we have a unanimous, bipartisan funding formula, the governor and several special interest groups are fighting to distribute $400 million thru the old, inequitable formula.
Fairness matters. Fair-minded legislators are fighting for families to keep more of their hard-earned money because we believe Pennsylvania families can, have and will make wiser investments in their schools, communities and economies than Harrisburg or Washington, D.C.
Taxpayers own 500 school districts. Taxpayers have invested billions into these 500 school districts and they deserve an excellent return on their investment.
It's time for fairness.
Unlike the 2010 distribution of stimulus funding that had no transparency, public input or equitable result, the Basic Education Funding Commission spent a whole year receiving and reviewing hundreds of reports, testimony and studies from groups, citizens, superintendents, legislators, lobbyists and special interest groups.
Under an amendment I have drafted, the 320 overfunded school districts would not be cut, but instead hold their present funding level until the 180 underfunded school districts catch up. We will also add reasonable taxpayer protections.
In the next two state budgets we can complete the fairness catch-up and move forward with an education funding formula based on science, public input, equity and transparency.
Now is the time.
Representative David Parker
115th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Charles Lardner
717.260.6443
clardner@pahousegop.com
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