Plymouth Meeting, PA– Arthur Steinberg, President of AFT Pennsylvania, issued the following statement on behalf of the more than 36,000 educators, paraprofessionals, school staff, higher education faculty, and state workers after the Basic Education Funding Commission approved and released Report 2:
“Today, the Basic Education Funding Commission reaffirmed what we have known for over a decade and what the Commonwealth Court decided last year: the way Pennsylvania has been funding its public schools is broken.
“Fortunately, the Commission’s report charts a course toward righting this constitutional wrong by recommending an investment of $5.4 billion to close the adequacy gap and at least an annual $200 million increase to the Basic Education Funding formula. Both these numbers recognize the reality of where Pennsylvania’s public schools are today and where they need to be to provide a thorough and efficient education for all students.
“Among our most important areas of advocacy has been around investment in school facilities, so we are heartened to see the Commission has created concrete guidelines for testing, data collection, and building repair and replacement.
“With nearly $14 billion in the Commonwealth’s Rainy-Day Fund, we have the means and responsibility to give our students and educators the world class education system they deserve right now.
“We thank the majority of the Commission who acknowledged the reality our schools face and issued a report in kind. We urge Governor Shapiro and legislative leaders to act in the upcoming FY24-25 budget to close the gap between wealthy and less-well-off districts once and for all.”
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