‘Fair Funding’ Loses Under Governor’s Inequitable School Funding Formula
HARRISBURG – While education advocates, school boards and members of the General Assembly urged implementation of the bipartisan and fair Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC) formula, Gov. Tom Wolf instead hijacked the school funding distribution to use a formula of his own, causing further distress and uncertainty among the state’s school districts, House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R-Indiana County) said today.
“Once again, the governor has proven to have a total disregard for the bipartisan Basic Education Funding Commission formula that would have finally brought fairness and equity to our public schools,” Reed said. “Instead of the fair distribution formula praised by everyone, including the governor, he has gone down the path of choosing who wins and who loses.”
View a spreadsheet of the funding for all of PA's 500 school districts here.
By not using the BEFC formula, but using their own, newly created formula, the Wolf Administration aims to drive millions of new dollars to a few certain districts at the expense of the 423 other school districts.
The BEFC formula was agreed to by all five bodies represented in the commission, including the governor’s office. In fact, Wolf praised the formula calling it a “big step forward for the people of Pennsylvania and for our education system.”
School funding advocates, including the Pennsylvania Partnership for Children, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, and the School District of the City of Philadelphia all praised the fairness of the new BEFC formula.
According to Reed, the three times the BEFC formula went in front of the governor for his signature, he vetoed the legislation.
“School districts want consistent fair funding across the board, and the General Assembly worked to distribute the school funding in an agreed-to and fair manner,” Reed said. “By creating and using his own distribution formula, the governor is taking resources away from districts in need like Allentown, Erie, Harrisburg, Reading and York City to help a select few of other districts.
Representative Dave Reed, Majority Leader
62nd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Stephen Miskin
smiskin@pahousegop.com / Twitter:
@SAM1963