School funding: State fails to pony up its fair share
The focus on property tax relief has diverted attention from the real issue – the failure of state government to hold up its end when it comes to financing public education. The following lowlights of state lawmakers and governors shirking their responsibilities come courtesy of the Education Law Center, the Education Policy and Leadership Center and Good Schools Pennsylvania. Ron Cowell, president of EPLC, politely calls them “systemic weaknesses.”
Read ’em and remember in November.
– Pennsylvania ranks among the bottom nationally when it comes to state share of school costs: in 2004-05, the state share of school costs funded by the state budget amounted to 36 percent. Nationally, the average is closer to 50 percent paid by state governments, the level in Pennsylvania in the 1970s.
– The amount of state appropriations on a per-pupil basis also lags the national average by several hundred dollars per student and lags neighboring states by as much as $2,500 per student.
– Because of insufficient state funding, public education in Pennsylvania is excessively dependent on local wealth and local taxes, with the result that the quality of educational opportunity for children varies widely.
– Nationally, about 29 percent of school district revenues come from local property taxes. In Pennsylvania, 44 percent of school district revenues come from property taxes, making Pennsylvania excessively dependent on property taxes as a result of inadequate state support.
– There is a $10,259 gap between what the highest and lowest spending school districts in Pennsylvania spend per pupil on current expenditures. The highest spending district spent $18,064 per student in 2004-2005; the lowest only $6,991. This translates into a $276,825 gap per classroom of 25 students.
– Many of the poorest school districts have the highest tax rates, yet still do not have adequate levels of funding to ensure a high-quality education is available to students.
One more outrage can be added to the list: the state’s funding formula for special education, which has no basis in reality.
Basically, the state estimates how many special-needs children a school district should have and funds it according to that guess.
If a district has more special-needs children or the expense of educating these children exceeds the state’s subsidy, the commonwealth doesn’t help defray the added costs. Local property owners must pick up the tab.
State lawmakers repeatedly have acknowledged this flaw for years – and done nothing
When it comes to holding up the state’s end of funding public education in Pennsylvania, they’ve been shirking their responsibilities for decades. It’s time to start holding them accountable for their inaction.
The failures cited above are a good checklist to use when you vote next year.