Download Bottom Line is Children Report

Districts Struggle to Meet Needs of Rising Population of Low-Income Students

PHILADELPHIA (November 19th, 2013) – PCCY released a new report today titled “The Bottom Line is Children: Public Education in Bucks County” that finds that a lack of investment by the state coupled with a dramatic change in the economic landscape of the county has made it difficult for Bucks County’s 13 school districts to meet the needs of its students.

The report found:

• Bucks County Schools are underfunded by the state by $24 million
• Nearly every school district in Bucks County raised taxes at least once in the last three years
• The number of low-income students has jumped by over 40% in four years to 22% of all students
• 16,000 students are below grade level in either math or reading
• 74% of students attend only half-day kindergarten

“Families are having a hard enough time making ends meet, they shouldn’t be asked to pay more in property taxes when the state is not paying its fair share,” said Donna Cooper, Executive Director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth.

All but one of Bucks County’s school districts has a graduation rate that is higher than the state average, but a rising population of poor students can make it harder for districts to maintain high performance.

PCCY Recommends: Give every child the option to attend full-day kindergarten Increase resources to close academic achievement gaps within every district Focus on improving graduation rates in the three lowest performing districts where 20% of the county’s students are educated County leaders must build a county-wide coalition to focus on boosting the state’s investment in every district

“Bucks County suffered a body blow recently when Lockheed Martin announced it would close its facility in Newtown Township,” said Cooper. “It is even more important that Bucks County schools are properly equipped to educate a strong workforce that can compete for jobs in Bucks County.”

PCCY’s report, “The Bottom Line is Children: Public Education in Bucks County,” is the first in a four-part series looking at issues affecting children in each of Philadelphia’s suburban counties. Upcoming reports will focus on child health, hunger, and early childhood education.