It’s time to Level Up school funding in PA

from Susan Spicka, Executive Director, Education Voters of PA:

Pennsylvania has among the widest funding gaps in the country between high-wealth and low-wealth school districts. The severe underfunding for students in less affluent districts is the reason behind the school funding lawsuit, which is set to go to trial in September of this year.

Recently, we joined together with partners to kick off a promising new advocacy campaign to start to narrow those huge funding gaps.

Level Up is what we’re calling this campaign to support the state’s most underfunded school districts. You can visit LevelUPPA.org to learn more.

You can also read some of the news reports about our launch here, here, and here.

Our focus is supporting a bill in the Pennsylvania legislature – House Bill 1167 – that would create a new funding stream directed at Pennsylvania’s 100 most under-resourced school districts, to help them catch up. We’re calling for an initial allocation of $100 million to these 100 districts.

We continue to advocate for the state to increase funding through its need-based basic education formula and special education formula to all 500 school districts. But alongside that, some districts urgently need a targeted, supplemental revenue boost because they are so shortchanged by our property-tax-based funding system. That’s exactly what Level Up would do, without taking funds away from anyone.

We hope you will join us in urging our elected officials to get behind this approach while we continue to work to build support for more ambitious investments in schools.

Click HERE to send a letter to your lawmakers asking them to support the Level Up supplement.

Opportunities to learn more!

State and Federal Happenings with Education Voters of PA, Tuesday, May 11^th at 12:00 pm and 6:30 pm  (pick one—they will be the same)

Ed Voters will be offering a brief update on federal and state happenings that impact education and sharing how you can help. Click HERE to register.

PA’s School Funding Lawsuit

Join the Public Interest Law Center and Education Law Center for a webinar about the school funding lawsuit.

• Wednesday, May 12 at noon

      Register for this event on Zoom here.

      Invite friends on Facebook here.

• Monday, May 24, at 7:00 pm

       Register for this event on Zoom here.

        Invite friends on Facebook here.

Thank you for your continued support of public education.

Best,

Susan Spicka, Executive Director, Education Voters o PA