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By MARC STIER
The landmark 2023 ruling by Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court in the school funding case wasn’t just another judicial decision – it was a powerful affirmation of what many educators, parents, and advocates have long known: our state’s school funding system is fundamentally broken and unconstitutional.
As we approach another critical budget, Pennsylvania must decide: either continue to meaningfully address the school funding crisis or fall farther behind in fulfilling our constitutional obligations to our children.
The mathematics of educational inequity in our state is stark. Currently, 77% of Pennsylvania’s public schools are underfunded, creating an enormous $4 billion adequacy gap. This gap represents countless missed opportunities, reduced educational programs, and diminished futures for Pennsylvania’s children.
Recent polling from PA Schools Work reveals strong bipartisan support for addressing this crisis. An overwhelming 60% of Republican voters support increasing state-level education funding. The level of support among Republican parents and grandparents rises to 73%. Support for education funding crosses party lines because everyone wants to invest in our children’s success.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal offers a starting point for addressing these systemic inequities. However, the scope of the challenge demands even bolder action. To provide the thorough and efficient education system our constitution requires, Pennsylvania schools need at minimum $526 million in new adequacy funding, $75 million more in Basic Education Funding, and $40 million in Special Education Funding this year alone.
Where we’ve already invested in our schools, we’re seeing promising results. Districts are making responsible decisions with new resources – reducing class sizes, restoring vital programs, upgrading outdated learning materials, and providing essential mental health support. These aren’t luxuries; they’re fundamental components of the education our constitution promises to every student.
One crucial aspect of reform – and a way to help school districts provide for their students – involves addressing our deeply flawed cyber charter funding system. Currently, school districts pay wildly different tuition rates – ranging from $6,975 to $25,150 per regular education student – for identical online education services. This makes no logical sense and wastes precious educational resources. By implementing reasonable funding reforms, we could redirect approximately $300 million back to our schools for classroom instruction.
The public’s support for reform is clear and crosses ideological lines. An impressive 93% of voters agree that “adequately funded schools ensure real-world skills” – the highest consensus point in the aforementioned poll. Furthermore, 62% of voters in the same poll express support for needs-based funding approaches, recognizing that different communities face different challenges.
Critics might argue that we can’t afford these investments. The reality is that we have no choice. Every day we delay is another day Pennsylvania students attend unconstitutionally underfunded schools. Every year we postpone full funding is another graduating class is denied the resources they deserve. What we can’t afford are the economic and social costs of continued educational inequity.
The path forward is clear. We must fully fund our public schools, not because it’s politically expedient, but because it’s constitutionally mandated and morally right. When 93% of Pennsylvanians agree on the importance of adequate school funding, we know this isn’t a partisan issue — it’s about fulfilling our obligations to the next generation. Our children’s future and our Commonwealth’s prosperity depend on bold action now. The time for half-measures and delayed implementation has passed. Let’s fulfill our constitutional obligation and give every Pennsylvania student the strong educational foundation they deserve.
Marc Stier is the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center, a member of the PA Schools Work campaign.