Commission Members Hear from Public at “Real Public Input Session” on Education Funding
PHILADELPHIA (November, 18th, 2014) – Philadelphia public school parents and education advocates told members of the Basic Education Funding Commission to recommend a new statewide school funding formula that adequately and fairly meets the true costs of education. Public Citizens for Children and Youth hosted a “Real Public Input Session” in City Council Chambers to give the public a voice in how the state recommends funding for its schools.
“Parents see first hand how unfair and inadequate funding impacts our children,” said Julie Krug, a Philadelphia public school parent. “We appreciate the members of the Commission for hearing our testimony and we need them to take the next step of creating a funding formula that reverses years of underfunding in our schools.”
A fair funding formula for education should follow four key principles:
- Accuracy is important: a funding formula should be based on the real costs needed to meet state academic standards
- Students and schools need stability: a funding formula should be long range and based on stable and broad-based funding sources
- Responsibility is shared: funding for education should be balanced fairly between the state, individual and commercial taxpayers
- Accountability is required: a funding formula must include strong accountability standards to ensure that schools invest efficiently and effectively to boost student achievement and help ensure post-secondary success.
Education advocates including the Education Law Center, Education Voters of Pennsylvania, PCCY and the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia all testified at the public input session that a formula that does not include an adequacy target will not help to improve public education in the state.
“It is impossible to design a fair funding formula without identifying the actual costs of educating children,” said David Lapp Attorney at the Education Law Center. “The Commission needs to understand that current funding levels are inadequate to meet the needs of our children.”
Donna Cooper, Executive Director of PCCY added “We are thankful that Senator Browne and others took the time to hear from families whose children attend woefully underfunded schools. They must take that testimony to heart and build a formula that provides for the resources for a quality education, and that starts with adequacy.