Pennsylvania's new school funding formula
For two decades, Pennsylvania's method of funding public schools has been outdated, broken and ineffective. And this year, as part of the 2008-09 budget, it was finally abandoned.
When Governor Rendell introduced his plan for education in his budget proposal, he outlined a new school funding formula that advances the principles of accountability, adequacy, equity, efficiency and predictability - principles identified by the National Council of State Legislatures as essential building blocks of an effective system of public education.
On July 4, the General Assembly enacted the new school funding formula, which, for the first time in nearly twenty years, distributes education funding based on the actual number of students enrolled in each school district. The formula also takes into account ways that school districts are impacted by other variables, such as the number of students in poverty, the number of English language learners, as well as differences in geographic costs, school district size and enrollment trends. The new system also holds school districts accountable for effectively using the new resources to improve student outcomes. View fact sheet on how the new formula is calculated and a district-by-district breakdown of the plan. Be sure to also read what the media has to say about what this reform means for Pennsylvania.
Send an email thanking your legislators and Governor Rendell for taking this important first step to ensure that every student, in every school, in every community in Pennsylvania has the opportunity to receive a quality education.