Historic court ruling could mean more opportunities for NEPA students
Feb. 8—If the Old Forge School District received adequate state funding, opportunities for students could soar.
Advanced Placement courses. Additional foreign languages. Exposure to more technology.
The landmark court decision this week, which ruled that Pennsylvania's school funding system is unconstitutional, could bring those opportunities to students in Old Forge and across the state.
"Your ZIP code shouldn't determine the educational offerings you get, but right now the way the funding is set up, it does," said Erin Keating, Ed.D., superintendent of Old Forge, one of the most inadequately funded districts in the region.
The day after the Commonwealth Court ruled in favor of Wilkes-Barre Area and five other school districts that initiated the litigation in 2014, local leaders cautiously celebrated.
In the 786-page decision, the court ordered the state to change the way it funds public schools from a two-tiered system divided by local wealth to one that provides sufficient resources for all children, according to the Education Law Center. The state will still have the opportunity to appeal the decision.
"I think we have a real opportunity to change public education across the state of Pennsylvania," said Katie Glimartin, chair of the Scranton School Board's budget and finance committee and an advocacy ambassador for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. "We obviously have to continue to be responsible stewards of public dollars ... but to be able to make plans and decisions based on what best serves students, rather than how we can spread limited resources, it's an overwhelming thought."
Scranton School District leaders have pushed for more adequate and equitable funding for years, eventually being placed into financial recovery from the state in 2019 as the district struggled to pay its bills. The district, one of the most underfunded in the state, left recovery last month.
Carbondale Area is also one of the most underfunded districts. School board President Gary Smedley eagerly awaits the outcome of how the state addresses the problem.
"We'd be able to offer our teachers compensation where they should be at. We could offer additional courses," he said. "It would be beautiful."
When state funding does not adequately cover rising expenses, districts are often forced to increase property taxes.
"We think this will be a game changer for our deserving students and teachers," Riverside Superintendent Paul Brennan said. "And then ultimately, it will help the taxpayers as well, in terms of not going to them to generate funds."
If Mid Valley had additional funds, Superintendent Patrick Sheehan would increase opportunities, examine staffing levels and be better able to make long-term plans.
"Having this ruled unconstitutional should definitely send a message ... the legislature has to do what is right for our students," he said.
Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter.
