Shady Accounting at the Pennsylvania Department of Education

Allegheny Institute’s latest policy brief reveals how the Pennsylvania Department of Education classifies federal monies as local tax revenue.

“By making it appear that the local revenue is higher than it actually is by including the Federal IDEA funds, the practice provides additional ammunition to proponents of more state spending to relieve the local education tax burden.”

Manipulating the numbers is not only dishonest, its pointless. Money, no matter what its source, does not produce quality education. Politicians and education leaders need to look for ways to encourage learning instead of focusing on the “need” for more funding.