School funding issue matters to every child in Pennsylvania

Over the next few months, our state legislators will be focused on budget negotiations — perhaps one of the most contentious political times of the year. While the numbers and finer details may be challenging for any individual citizen to comprehend, the goal and focus should be simple: Our children.

As superintendent of an underserved and underfunded urban school district, I can say unequivocally that funding does matter. It makes a tangible difference in the lives of our students and in the quality of the programs, materials, supports and environments, as well as the volume of opportunities that we are able to provide to them. It makes a difference in their lives — and truly in our collective futures.

Gov. Josh Shapiro has shared a bold new vision for Pennsylvania in his 2024-2025 budget proposal. I applaud him for proposing yet another historic investment in funding for public education. Most importantly, he recognized and validated the 2023 Basic Education Funding Commission report that proposed a way to adequately fund public education, and his budget includes a significant investment to achieve adequacy.

I proudly stand with the governor on this momentous proposal and will advocate loudly, proudly, and strongly to see this come to fruition.

I encourage everyone involved in budget negotiations to maintain a focus on the ones who will benefit from an increase in state funding — our children. These negotiations should not focus on a political agenda, or some abstract bucket of funding — but rather each and every child, in each and every school district. Increasing state funding will allow school districts to educate each child to help them learn and grow to become the best versions of themselves,ready for life.

Last year, the Commonwealth Court ruled that the General Assembly has not fulfilled its constitutional obligation to provide all children with a comprehensive, effective and contemporary system of public education — because it hasn’t provided enough funding.

The Basic Education Funding Commission was convened and spent months listening to statewide testimony, asking tough and important questions, and collecting information about how to appropriately respond to the court’s decision. As one individual who offered testimony to the commission, I applaud the thoughtfulness, thoroughness, and seriousness that each of the 15 commission members took in their work. On Jan. 11, the commission approved a report that addressed this issue in earnest, recommending a comprehensive plan that will fully fund our schools by revising the current formulas.

Some of the top recommendations:

• $5.4 billion in targeted investments over seven years to address inadequacies in education funding

• $1 billion to provide relief to homeowners on their property taxes

• Delivering equity and predictability for all schools with at least an additional $1.4 billion in dedicated basic education funding — $200 million per year for seven years

• More than $2 billion ($300 million over seven years) for infrastructure improvements to address long overdue and much needed construction and renovation projects that school districts in need simply cannot afford

I am not going to hold back on my feelings about this. I serve as superintendent of the 28th most underfunded school district in Pennsylvania, according to the Fair Funding Formula of 2016. Because that formula has never been fully enacted, and Norristown does not have a strong local property tax base, we have been forced to make financial choices that have often not been in the best interest of children. While we celebrate the great things we have, are able to provide, and the honest successes of our students, staff, and families, there is always the pang in our hearts that we can and should be doing more.

I am grateful that the conversation around education funding has shifted from what is “fair” to what is “adequate.” State budgets, and even our school district budgets, have attended to collective buckets that almost become abstract and detached from the heart of the true purpose of our work. When we consider adequacy, Norristown is still the 28th most underfunded in Pennsylvania using Dr. Mark Kelly’s adequacy gap analysis, but the focus shifts from those collective buckets to the dollars needed to serve each and every child.

So what would it take to serve each and every child? In Norristown, it would be an investment of an additional $7,000 per child.

You can imagine my sincere optimism when the Commonwealth Court ruled the system was broken and ordered something be done. The state legislators who serve our district, House Majority Leader Rep. Bradford, Rep. Scott, Rep. Webster, and Sen. Cappelletti, continue to be champions for our public schools. They recognize that the status quo creates a system of winners and losers and leaves some kids behind when every child deserves access to a qualitypublic education and the same shot at a successful future. They have consistently advocated for increased funding to public education and the need to fairly fund all of our schools.

We are beginning to make some strides. The current state budget included a record investment in basic education, universal free breakfast, $175 million to fix our school buildings and $100 million for school-based mental health resources for students. But there is so much more to be done to make an adequate investment in public education.

Let’s work to keep the focus where it needs to be with this potentially once in a lifetime opportunity — on each and everychild and the future of this commonwealth.

Christopher Dormer is superintendent of the Norristown Area School District and serves as president of the Pennsylvania League of Urban Schools and the PLUS Caucus of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators.