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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup May 27, 2017:
Campaign
for Fair Education Funding May 31st Press Events with Local School &
Community Leaders
Allegheny
County: 10:00 a.m., West Mifflin High School, LGI Room - 91 Commonwealth
Avenue, West Mifflin, PA 15122
Bucks
County: 10:00 a.m. at Centennial School District Board Room, 433 Centennial
Road, Warminster, PA 18974.
Delaware
County: 10:00 a.m. at Southeast Delco Kindergarten Center, 1 School Lane,
Glenolden, PA 19036.
Montgomery
County: 10:00 a.m. at Pottstown High School - 750 N Washington St, Pottstown,
PA 19464.
Lehigh
County: 5:30 p.m., Corner of 7th and Hamilton, Allentown
Blogger Commentary: I am a Circuit Rider
for PA Education working with the Campaign
for Fair Education Funding to build support and political will for the
establishment of a fair and equitable basic education funding formula and to
see that formula adequately funded to make sure all students have the resources
they need to succeed.
If you are a member of the press please consider
covering events in your area. If you are
a public education advocate please consider attending to show your support.
Pennsylvania ranks 46th
nationally in its share of state funding for schools.
That means school districts must pick up
a higher share, forcing local leaders to make tough decisions on school
programs and real estate taxes to balance their budgets.
The governor has proposed $100 million more in basic education
funding, and the State House included that increase in its budget. In a difficult state budget year, that is
welcome, and it is essential that the final budget includes at least that much.
In fact, that increase will not even keep pace with rising
mandated costs that schools must cover in the next year; the local share of
pension costs alone are projected to increase by $144 million.
The impact of the basic education
funding increase could be further undermined by proposed cutbacks in other
funding streams, such as school transportation, which could be reduced by $50
million.
Without significant, sustained increases
in state education funding, in this and future budgets, it will be years and
years before children in many schools have the resources they need for an
adequate education.
“Then on Wednesday, May 31, the Campaign
for Fair Education Funding will hold a “press event” at 10 a.m. at Pottstown
High School.”
Pottstown stepping up its advocacy for
fair school funding
POTTSTOWN >> An educator in
Pottstown schools for a dozen years, Stephen Rodriguez is getting back to
teaching since being named superintendent last month. He is at the head of an active advocacy
effort by the school board, administration and even students to educate state
legislators about how Pennsylvania’s famously lopsided school funding policies
are harming the district he now leads. And
on Tuesday, May 30, he has invited anyone who is interested to a forum aimed at
answering the age-old question on the other side of that equation: “Why are my
taxes so high?” It begins at 7 p.m. and
will be held in the high school auditorium.
“I don’t know if we’ll get 12 people or 1,200, but we’ve got to start
educating people about what’s going on with school funding and some of the
factors that we’re facing as a community,” Rodriguez explained.
Rodriguez and two speakers will
also address the second half of the school tax question — “what can I do about
it?” The speakers are Dan
Urevick-Ackelsberg from the Public Interest Law Center, who will likely discuss
the recently revealed racial bias in Pennsylvania school funding,
and Shirlee Howe from Public Citizens for Children and Youth. “This will be an opportunity for the public
to engage and for us to explain to them that we’ve actually cut expenses in the
district, but our overall bill is up by $2.5 million, and that is due mostly to
state mandates, like pensions,” Rodriguez said.
Campaign
for Fair Education Funding: Pennsylvania’s New Fair Funding Formula
The
General Assembly has taken an important first step toward fixing Pennsylvania’s
school funding crisis: It adopted a permanent funding formula that will truly
benefit every student.This balanced formula, recommended by the bipartisan Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC), removes politics from state school funding decisions, directing money to school districts based on objective factors, such as student enrollment, the needs of the student population, and school district wealth and capacity to raise local revenues.
Its enactment demonstrates what can be achieved when both parties work together for Pennsylvania’s students.
Campaign for
Fair Education Funding: Campaign Members
The Campaign
for Fair Education Funding is a statewide non-partisan effort made up of
organizations that, collectively, represent Pennsylvanians from every corner of
the state. Our campaign includes more than 50 education advocacy organizations;
teachers and school administrators; representatives of charter schools and
traditional public schools; urban and rural interests; business and organized
labor; faith-based groups; and community groups.
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