Fifty school districts across Pennsylvania, including two in Chester County, that suffer from serious property tax burdens will get extra money as part of the state’s effort to overhaul education funding in the budget for this year, writes Kate Huangpu for the WHYY. 

The total allocation for all school districts is $32 million, with the individual supplements ranging from $50,000 to $5 million. The program targets school districts that have high local taxes compared to their residents’ wealth. 

Local school boards are directed by state law to use these extra funds to mitigate or prevent property tax increases and supplement their existing tax reduction programs, as well as reduce debt. 

The tax equity supplements are among responses to a Commonwealth Court decision that determined Pennsylvania’s public school funding system is unconstitutionally inequitable. The main cause of this inequity is caused by property taxes. 

In Chester County, the Coatesville Area School District will receive a tax equity supplement of $1,012,033.32, while the Octorara Area School District will get $82,409.44. 

Read more about the extra funding going to Chester County school districts in the WHYY. 

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