As the June 30 deadline for a budget in Pennsylvania approaches, House Democrats passed an education funding bill that proposes phasing in a $7 billion annual increase in state aid to schools. The House spending plan passed 107-94 with all Democrats and five Republicans supporting.
The funding plan is based on a report from the government’s Basic Education Funding Commission, which was formed in response to a Commonwealth Court ruling in February 2023 declaring the state’s education funding system unconstitutional. The court’s opinion stipulated no specific remedies nor a timeline. As a result, Democrats and Republicans have disagreed on what potential solutions should be legislated.
Republicans have proposed that districts review curricular changes, and the state works to support greater parental choice in schooling, especially for low-income families. One proposal, supported in the past by Governor Josh Shapiro (D), is Lifeline Scholarships, which would fund education savings accounts for students from the lowest-performing school zones.
On the other hand, Democrats have sought to equalize per-student spending across school districts in the state. “What we’re doing is what the court has told us to do, to give every child in this commonwealth an equitable and fair public education,” said Democrat Majority Leader Rep. Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery).
Republicans opposed the spending plan, claiming it will be ineffective and hurt students currently benefiting from the choice of a cyber charter school. Republican leader Rep. Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) said, “Until we fix some of the systemic problems, more money alone will do little for students stuck in schools in crisis.”
The latest statewide data shows that on average schools spend about $22,000 per student, or $36.6 billion in total, ranking Pennsylvania 7th in total spending per student. While local real estate taxes fund the majority of school district operations, state support has grown by $5.4 billion since 2015. However, equitable funding advocates point out that the state’s funding formula “continues the decades-old practice of ‘hold harmless,’ which guarantees districts the same amount of state revenue as the prior year” meaning that as enrollment declines in a district, it receives more funding per student.
Pennsylvania faces a statutory deadline of June 30 for funding the government.
