 January/February 2000 (XXXVIII 1) |
om Gilhool, former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education under Governor Milton Shapp and now with the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, gave the keynote presentation on "Full Funding of Public Education" at the October meeting of PYM's Public Education Working Group.
Gilhool began by sharing some positive information that was new to most PEWG members: The performance gap between white and African-American students nationwide has been cut in half between 1970 and 1990, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Gilhool outlined the history of public education (created primarily to meet the educational needs of the least wealthy in society) and the increasing gap in funding between the wealthiest and poorest school districts nationwide over the last few decades.
Currently, per-student funding for two-thirds of Pennsylvania's public schools is at least $1,500 below the average for Pennsylvania's 100 highest-spending districts, according to data from the Public Interest Law Center. Philadelphia School District spends $6,968 per pupil a year; Springfield School District in Montgomery County spends $10,259 per student, and Radnor School District in Delaware County spends $13,287 per pupil, a gap of over $6,000 from Philadelphia's expenditure per student!
The effects of this inequity in spending can be seen in gaps in achievement, the state of school buildings, and the lack of adequate classroom materials. In addition, the state's contribution to the Philadelphia School District's budget has fallen from 55% under Governor Shapp to 33% under Governor Tom Ridge. Gilhool encouraged us to imagine what Philadelphia public schools could do with at least $6,000 more for each student being educated!
Gilhool also outlined the current political environment. He said voters in suburban counties are willing to close the gap in school funding, even if it costs them more, but there is a lack of political leadership to take up the cause. He urged voters to maintain pressure on all politicians to provide full funding for public schools in the Commonwealth. The Public Interest Law Center is currently working to support legislation to equalize funding throughout Pennsylvania. The "Casserly bill" (House Bill 2106) is also known as the Keystone Equity and Education Performance System.
At the next meeting of PYM's Public Education Working Group, Michael Churchill, Chief Counsel of the Public Interest Law Center, will speak about the Casserly bill and how to advocate for its passage. Join us at 5 p.m. Monday, January 24, at Friends Center, 15th and Cherry Streets, Philadelphia.
For more information, contact the co-clerks of the working group: Marlene Santoyo, msantoyo@erols.com, and Penny Colgan-Davis, pencoldav@aol.com.
Penny Colgan-Davis
Germantown Meeting (PA)
Co-clerk of Public Education Working Group
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM