Pennsylvania public schools came up short by about $4.6 billion in state funding in 2018-19, according to a report that’s part of a lawsuit, writes Alex Rose for the Daily Times.

The lawsuit, filed in 2014 on behalf of six school districts and others, claims the state has failed to ensure that every student receives resources needed for college and a career.

Penn State education professor Dr. Matthew Kelly, an expert witness in the case, described Pennsylvania’s school finance system as “unequal and inadequate.”

He found that 86 percent of students are not adequately funded.

The Oxford Area School District has the second-largest school funding disparity in the state, with a shortfall of $7,039 per student, according to the report. The Kennett Consolidated School District has the second-largest disparity in Chester County, with a shortfall of $5,018 per student.

Upper Darby School District tops the list for Delaware County, with a shortfall of nearly $6,000 per student.

“Pennsylvania spends an average of $4,800 less per pupil on students in poor districts than on students in rich districts, and this gap continues to widen,” Kelly said. Districts then have to turn to local property taxes for revenue.

Poorer districts pay the highest tax rates and have had more tax rate increases than richer ones, the report noted.

Read more about the school funding crisis in the Daily Times.

You Might Also Like

William Penn School District Leads Fight Against Way Public Schools Are Funded

Chichester a Case Study for Pennsylvania’s Plethora of Financially Struggling School Districts

Lawmakers, Realtors, Policy Analysts Discuss New Report on How Schools Affect Home Values