PA. is 47th Among the States in the Percent of Public School $ Funded by the State

[JPZenger]

We're number 47!

Among the 50 states, Pennsylvania is ranked number 47 in the percentage of public school funding that is provided by the State. This low percentage (34.2% in 2011 according to the US Census) aggravates unfairness in local school funding, particularly since most of the funding cuts in the last 2 years have been directed towards the poorest school districts.

http://articles.philly.com/2013-06-05/news/39766730_1_state-aid-corbett-basic-education

Excerpt:

"What the governor really did was push off the cost of education from the state to local governments, forcing them to increase taxes and cut programs. Philadelphia did it twice. It raised the property tax two years in a row and business taxes last year to make up part of the gap. This year, Council and the Legislature are debating increases in the cigarette and drink tax, plus another round of business-tax increases.

In the suburbs, 53 of the 63 schools districts have raised taxes at least once, according to a recent study by the Public Citizens for Children and Youth, but many of them also increased class size, reduced course offerings, eliminated tutoring programs and laid off teachers and staff.

Statewide, 14,159 school-district positions have either been eliminated or left vacant, according to data compiled by analysts at the Pennsylvania State Education Association. In fact, one reason the state economy is still sputtering is the thousands of layoffs of public-sector employees, who once were paying taxes and now are collecting unemployment. Under its new budget, Philadelphia will add another round of layoffs, estimated at 3,000."

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Relevant data is on Page 23, Table 5.

http://www2.census.gov/govs/school/11f33pub.pdf
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Here is a great amount of additional information about PA. public school funding and business tax cuts. Most of it is in easy-to-understand chart form:

http://pennbpc.org/sites/pennbpc.org/files/Education-Funding-Webinar-5-28-2013.pdf

[femmocrat]

1. That second link is a great one! Thanks, JPZ!

Here is their next webinar:

PA Policy Perspectives Series: Upcoming Webinars

An Update on the 2013-14 State Budget
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 4-5 p.m.

Join the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center for webinar highlighting the latest on the 2013-14 state budget being negotiated in Harrisburg and all the related policy matters that come with it.

Go to the above link to register.

[JPZenger]

2. PA. has controlled Duquesne School District for 13 Years - and made things worse

The history of State takeovers of local school districts is not a pleasant one - in either PA. (such as Chester-Upland) or New Jersey (such as Camden).

The following article describes the status of the Duquesne School District in western PA, which is one of the most distressed school districts in PA. The State Govt. has controlled the school district for the last 13 years, and made things worse.

http://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/the-neverending-story-its-been-13-years-since-the-state-took-over-the-failing-duquesne-school-system-so-why-havent-things-gotten-better/Content?oid=1657508

Excerpt:

"Long says the district has no extra money to put into improving the students' education. In fact, more cuts would be necessary for the district to continue operating without deficits.

Some of Duquesne's problems — like increasing health-care and pension costs, as well as charter-school expenses — are faced by districts across Pennsylvania. But Duquesne's situation is exacerbated by the fact that tax revenues have been dropping as the population dwindles. In 2000, U.S. Census figures show, the city had about 7,500 people. In 2010, only 5,565 lived there. The median household income in Duquesne was $21,714 compared to $51,651 statewide, according to the 2010 Census. About 99 percent of the school population qualifies for free or reduced lunches, according to a May 2012 report to the state legislature.

"I don't know that the state has ever known what to do with Duquesne," says Carey, of the PSEA. "They go back and forth with being concerned about the educational program and the test scores, and they'll put resources in. And then next year they get concerned about the money, and they cut back on the money and resources, and the test scores suffer. It's been this back-and-forth, up-and-down thing for the past 12 years."

[femmocrat]

3. I don't know how Duquesne City has held on for as long as it has.

It no longer has a high school, only an elementary school, K-6. I guess its longevity is a testament to the hard-working people who have kept it going. There have been many warnings that it would close, but it's still there, educating the children of that neighborhood.