A plan to change how school funds are distributed across the state has been met by local opponents, who say the concept would severely cripple area school districts.
But Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan wouldn’t be immediate –– and wouldn’t be without some input from the General Assembly, school districts and communities around the state, said Wolf’s Press Secretary J.J. Abbott.
He said, “Governor Wolf believes we must fully and adequately invest in public education, and that every dollar should be run through the fair funding formula,” which got approval in 2016.
State Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, said he finds the plan concerning, especially since state funding makes up 50 percent to 70 percent of school budgets.
House Appropriations Committee information provided by Causer states shows the breakdown as follows: Austin Area School District with a 47 percent cut; Bradford Area School District, 33 percent; Cameron County School District, 49 percent; Coudersport Area School District, 24 percent; Galeton Area School District, 21 percent; Johnsonburg Area School District, 60 percent; Kane Area School District, 42 percent; Northern Potter School District, 46 percent; Oswayo Valley School District, 27 percent; Otto-Eldred School District, 56 percent; Port Allegany School District, 46 percent; Ridgway Area School District, 50 percent; St. Marys Area School District, 34 percent; and Smethport Area School District, 48 percent.
For instance, Otto-Eldred could see an approximately $3.3 million cut in state basic education funding, said district Superintendent Matthew Splain.
“In a $12 million budget, that is a hole that cannot be filled without some very difficult decisions and loss of programs,” he said. “Needless to say, the quality programming we have worked so hard to build would be impossible to provide.”
The funding formula is not intended to funnel basic education money throughout the state, he said.
“Currently, it distributes new money that has been approved since 2014-15. That was the original purpose,” he said.
Ridgway Area School District Superintendent Heather McMahon-Vargas said that aspects of the funding formula are weighted and are intended to protect rural schools, including indicators of poverty, local capacity, local effort and sparsity/size.
“Pennsylvania’s difficulties with funding public education are not new, nor is it really an educational problem, but rather a reflection of the economics of the state,” she said. “At this point it appears that the new funding formula will only be applicable to new educational money in the basic education funding and that legislators are working hard to phase the new funding formula in, meaning ‘hold harmless’ will not be completely removed with the distribution of monies in the coming year.”
Hold harmless means that school districts are guaranteed funding that is not less than the same amount of state basic education money given the previous fiscal year, according to a report from the Basic Education Funding Commission.
PA Schools Work spokesman Charlie Lyons said the organization doesn’t back an immediate funding redistribution. The organization used to be called The Campaign for Fair Education Funding.
Two issues need addressed, he said: Adequacy of funding in the state and the fair distribution of funding. More funding is needed to support all schools and then money can be distributed both adequately and equitably, Lyons indicated.
All students across Pennsylvania have the right to be able to receive quality educational experiences, Splain said.
“It is up to our legislature to provide a ‘thorough and efficient’ education for our students,” he said. “That does NOT mean making districts fight over the same dollars. We need to make our voices heard in Harrisburg. Many besides the governor see this as a viable solution. If support grows, the impact in our area would be devastating to our students.”
Splain said he knows that Causer realizes how the plan would affect most of the area districts.
“Unfortunately, he represents a large geographic area with a sparse population,” Splain said. “The population centers south of I-80 see this as a solution to our education funding issues.”
