PCCY and Education Advocates Jointly Call for Improvements to Public Education
PHILADELPHIA (Monday, November 18th, 2013) – PCCY released a new report today titled “The Bottom Line is Children: Public Education in Delaware County” that finds that due to a lack of investment in education by the state, districts in Delaware County are raising taxes thousands of students are falling behind in the classroom.
The report found:
- 17,000 student are not reading or doing math at grade level
- Delaware County schools are underfunded by the state by $45 million
- Every District has raised taxes in the last three years
- With a graduation rate of 86%, Delaware County is above the state average, but is last among the suburban Philadelphia counties.
“Taxpayers in Delaware County are paying more than their fair share for the education of our children,” said Donna Cooper, Executive Director for PCCY. “For years the Governor and the State Legislature have passed the buck on to Delaware county families, and it’s our children who have suffered.”
The PCCY report points out that the number of poor families is rising which can mean that districts will have a hard time maintaining high performance.
PCCY recommends: Give every child access to full day kindergarten Increase resources to close academic achievement gaps within every district County leaders build a county-wide coalition to focus on boosting the state’s investment in every district
In September, Delaware County leaders released a ten-year economic growth plan titled “Growing from Within.” It highlights the critical relationship between education, economic growth and workforce development.
“To truly grow from within, state leaders need to invest in Delaware County Schools,” said Colleen Kennedy, an Upper Darby education activist and the founder of SUDA. “The growth of the County is directly tied to the strength and success of its public schools.”
PCCY’s report, “The Bottom Line is Children: Public Education in Delaware 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.