Big or Small, Funding Formula Must Support ALL Schools
The 15 member Pennsylvania Basic Education Funding Commission held another hearing this week focusing, on the needs of small and rural school districts. Testimony hit home on the fact that many rural districts have student bodies that are mostly poor and that school districts are struggling to raise local funds for their schools because many rural towns are suffering from declining local tax bases. Sound familiar? The testimony is further evidence that rural and urban districts in this state face many of the same challenges and the state cuts have made matters worse.
The limitations of the Commission’s charge was the focus of testimony offered by Joseph Bard, the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools. He told the Commission, “I know that more money is not among this Commission’s charges, but one will not work without the other and redistribution of existing dollars is a road to nowhere.”
It’s impossible to talk about school funding and not talk about property taxes since local taxes account for the majority of funds for school districts. A startling 30 of the 500 school districts have property tax rates that exceed 4% of taxable personal income, according to a new report released by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. Half of those high tax burden districts are located in the four southeastern suburban counties. The report also points out that on average most school districts have relatively modest property tax rates compared to communities in neighboring states, but that even in lower tax communities, some households cannot afford to pay their property tax bill.
The debate on school funding and property taxes is heating up and coming closer to home. The next hearing will be held on Thursday, October 16th at 10 am at Perkiomen Valley High School in Collegeville. Click herefor more information and ways you can get involved.
Pennsylvania Found to Lead on Savage Inequalities in School Funding
Pennsylvania was singled out as having the worst “savage inequalities” when it comes to school funding in a recent report from the Center for American Progress. “America’s Most Disadvantaged Schools and How They Got That Way” points out that Pennsylvania and Illinois have the greatest school funding disparities of all fifty states. The report notes that Chicago and Philadelphia “have relatively low per-pupil revenue but are surrounded by leafy suburbs with high-spending public school systems.”
A birds-eye view of our region shows that the Philadelphia School District (shown in tan) has somewhere between $1,000 and $15,000 less to spend than the districts that surround it in the neighboring suburbs (shown in blue).
Click here to read the full report.
State Cap Limits Pre-K Expansion Where Most At-Risk Children Live
The state’s approach to releasing its $10 million increase in pre-K funding is coming under fire due to a state decision to limit local applicants for new pre-K slots to no more than 80 new seats. That’s a fine policy for counties like Forrest and Cameron where there aren’t more than 80 eligible three-and four-year-olds in the entire county. But it means that large communities like Philadelphia with 39,000 eligible children remain sorely underserved. Click here to read more about this troubling approach to state’s pre-K expansion.
The Military Gets It: Pre-K is the Key to America’s Future
Military service may not be the choice of most young adults, but for some the choice is made for them. That’s because, 72% of young Pennsylvanians are not prepared to enter the armed services according to a new report from Mission: Readiness, a national nonpartisan American security organization comprised of retired admirals and generals. They find that too many of our young adults are too poorly educated, have criminal records, or are overweight. Countless studies show that children that enroll in high-quality pre-k are more likely to graduate, less likely to be incarcerated and are more likely to live healthy lives. The Mission Readiness report calls for expanded access to pre-K as the key to developing the next generation of Americans, including those who choose to serve in our armed forces.
Read the full report at prekforpa.org.
Get involved in the Pre-K For Pa campaign here
Prayer for A Brighter Future for Young Children
Join PCCY on Sunday, October 19th for the 2014 Children’s Sabbath, a special interfaith service, at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill as part of the national Children’s Sabbath Celebration.
There will be singing, praise, dancing, food, and words from many faith traditions. The event will feature performances from the CAPA Dance Company, Pennsylvania Girlchoir, Keystone State Boychoir, and Singing City’s Children’s Choir.
We will be collecting gently used and new books for children up to age 6 with all proceeds benefitting Philadelphia READS and Project HOME.
Spread the word!
Children’s Sabbath
Sunday, October 19 at 3pm
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill
8855 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118
Click here for more information about the event.
Click here to download a flyer that you can share with your friends.