pa court school funding

PA Court Rules on Education Funding Lawsuit

February 7, 2023, Harrisburg, Pa.—Today, a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court judge issued a ruling on the school funding lawsuit that has been ongoing for the past eight years. The suit alleged that Pennsylvania’s system of funding education violates the state constitution.

Senior Vice President of the Commonwealth Foundation Nathan Benefield issues the following statement:

“The court is right to affirm that the current system of education funding is flawed—but thankfully stopped short of mandating more money to a broken system, and left it to the legislature and executive branches to find a solution.

The only way to ensure that ‘every student receives a meaningful opportunity’ is for education funding to follow the child. Students that are trapped in their zip-code assigned school—especially in low-income and minority communities—often have no alternatives when their academic or social needs are unmet.

Only by giving every student direct access to funding for an excellent education of their choice can we meet the court’s new requirements.”  

Commonwealth Foundation experts are available for comment. Please contact Stefanie Mason [email protected] or 414-418-5132 to schedule an interview.

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