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_______________________________________________________ACTIONET
Announcement:
PA Public Education Budget
Discussion
Thursday, May 15, 2008
7:00–8:30 p.m.
Location:
IU 13 Burle Business Park
Lancaster County Conference Center
1020 New
Holland Avenue
Lancaster,
PA 17601
Presenters:
Mr. Ian Rosenlum
Executive Policy Specialist
PA Governor’s Policy Office
Mr. Chris Wakeley
Executive Director
Democratic Staff Education Committee
PA House of Representatives
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Access to
education is part of LAMPa’s
Poverty/Hunger top priority in our Public Policy
Advocacy Agenda. Two state officials are the featured
presenters in the Lancaster meeting tomorrow evening
regarding the state budget proposal being considered by
the PA General Assembly at this time. All are invited
and encouraged to participate in this meeting that will
focus on the equitable education funding issue. Please
see the following recent Scranton Time Tribune
article below for more information about the issue.
From the Scranton Time Tribune
Budget creates historic chance
05/11/2008
Pennsylvania’s
Legislature has a chance to make history this year by
taking a huge stride toward equitable education funding.
The
state government provides only 36 percent of education
funding, one of the lowest levels of any state. That
creates vast inequities in funding among districts in
affluent and poor areas because poor areas cannot
extract the difference from the local tax base.
Statewide, the range of per-pupil spending is from about
$8,500 to over $21,000.
But the impact goes beyond education. When districts
consume the vast majority of local tax money to make up
for the state shortfall, they hamper the ability of
municipal governments to fund themselves and, therefore,
to provide crucial services.
Pennsylvania’s constitution was rewritten in
1968. It removed a requirement that the state provide 50
percent of all education funding. Not surprisingly, the
state contribution immediately began to slide. The last
gubernatorial administration under which the state
provided 50 percent was that of Milton Shapp, the first governor to take office
after the 1968 constitutional convention.
Since then, the state education budget has been a yearly
political exercise rather than a cohesive policy
strategy. The education budget proposed this year by Gov. Ed Rendell would change that. Over the next six
fiscal years, it systematically would increase state
education funding by $2.6 billion, raising the state
contribution from 36 percent to about 44 percent. (A
chart below details the impact on regional school
districts.) The distribution would be weighted toward
poorer districts, which would help to mitigate the vast
funding disparities, but even the most affluent
districts would receive 1.5 percent increases.
The budget is in response to the “costing-out” study
commissioned by the Legislature, which last year
concluded that Pennsylvania public
schools are underfunded by about $4 billion. That study
isn’t perfect. And it’s perfectly legitimate to debate
specific numbers. And, yes, money is not the only factor
in quality education. But it is preposterous to believe
that it makes no difference. And the access of a public
school district to adequate funding must no longer be a
function primarily of its ZIP code.
The budget proposal foresees funding the increases at
the state level through the state government’s
anticipated revenue growth over the six years, so that
no general tax increase would be required.
This proposal would be good for schools, other
governments and for the entire economy. Lawmakers should
pass it and make history.
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