Montgomery County school officials and students urge legislature to pass education funding proposal

Montgomery County school officials and students implored state lawmakers Friday to pass Gov. Josh Shapiro’s education funding proposal, which would provide cash infusions to underfunded school districts.

“For too long, state underfunding has led to a patchwork of some great opportunities for students but also many missed opportunities for students across the county, where some students have not had the basic necessities and many residents have been paying exorbitant property taxes,” said Priyanka Reyes-Kaura, K-12 education policy director at Children First, a nonprofit child welfare organization that has advocated for fair school funding. “This year, finally, a solution is on the table.”

Held at the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit in Norristown, the press conference featured several school officials and students from low-income Montgomery County school districts who spoke to the transformative nature of Shapiro’s education funding proposal which earmarks $1.1 billion for public schools, a 14 percent funding increase, with $872 million aimed at low-income school districts such as Pottstown and Norristown.

“Students today and in the future, because of the color of their skin or the neighborhood they live in, may not be given a chance to succeed,” said Elizabeth Andedeji, a senior at Pottstown High School. “With proper funding and resources, our students could soar to incredible heights.”

“Help us fund our schools so that all students have the resources they need to be successful,” said Jeremiah McCray, a senior at Norristown Area High School. “If we had the funds, students could reach their full potential.”

“Students at public schools are frequently exposed to a range of cultures, ethnicities and viewpoints,” said Nia Kennedy, a junior at Springfield Township High School. “Public schools frequently collaborate with neighborhoods through partnerships, events and initiatives that help kids develop a feeling of community and civic duty. Legislators, please cooperate to approve more money for Pennsylvania’s public schools.”

Pottstown School District Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez said recent funding increases have enabled the district to increase teacher compensation, hire additional school counselors and purchase updated curriculum services.

“This is evidence of what can happen when we adequately and fairly fund our schools,” said Rodriguez. “Just imagine the results for both our communities and the economy of our commonwealth when our public schools are fully funded.”

Christopher Dormer, superintendent of Norristown Area School District, echoed Rodriguez’s sentiments, saying that recent funding increases to Norristown have allowed the district to keep property taxes flat and hire 80 additional staff members, which he credited with higher math scores at the elementary and middle school levels.

“Should the current budget proposal be enacted, the Norristown Area School District is proposing another 59 staff positions and to hold taxes in line for the 4th consecutive year,” said Dormer. “The increase in state funding is simply game-changing for a school district like Norristown that has too long had to make sacrifices that we knew were not in the best interests of our students, our staff, our families and our community.”

Dormer added that Shapiro’s funding proposal would enable the district to both renovate and modernize aging facilities, with price tags north of $180 and $330 million, respectively.

“If the legislature agrees to the budget, Norristown Area School District can pay for it all, and we will not have to raise taxes a single dollar,” said Dormer. “This is about providing our children the opportunity to come to school each day and be inspired and excited about being the best version of themselves because they are in spaces conducive to that.”

Souderton Area School District Superintendent Frank Gallagher commended cyber charter tuition reforms proposed as part of Shapiro’s plan. The proposal would cap tuition payments at $8,000 and create a tiered payment formula to reflect actual service costs.

Gallagher criticized cyber charters for charging “excessive fees” to school districts that often go towards “massive” advertising budgets and executive salaries and noted that the state’s largest cyber charter school reported $122 million in profits for the 2021-2022 school year.

“This is not the way a public school should operate, yet cyber charters have been in the business of making money,” said Gallagher. “They have become publicly-funded private schools, and they are schools that are almost without exception among the very lowest performing in student achievement. We have been paying more for the worst results.

“Imagine what we could do with the savings,” Gallagher continued, “Hire additional staff, strengthen our facilities, offer increased trainings, support our local taxpayers and support education systems that we know are working and are truly the heart of our communities.”

Montgomery County school districts would receive an additional $43 million in funding, including $30 million in basic education funding increases and $13 million in savings from cyber charter spending reforms. The proposal also includes annual funding increases over a seven-year period. The increases would be funded by a portion of the state’s $14 billion surplus.

The budget proposal follows a Commonwealth Court ruling declaring Pennsylvania’s public education funding system unconstitutional. According to the Public Interest Law Center, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, Pennsylvania’s public schools are underfunded by $5.4 billion, with 86% of Pennsylvania students attending underfunded schools. The issue is primarily due to the state’s distribution of funding on the basis of outdated enrollment data and the reliance on property taxes to fund education.

Pennsylvania currently has the largest funding gap between wealthy and poor school districts in the country, with the wealthiest districts spending 33% more per student than the poorest districts, according to PA Schools Work. Nationwide, Pennsylvania ranks 45th in state education funding, with roughly a third of the cost covered by the state.

Regina Speaker, executive director of MCIU, concluded the conference on an optimistic note, pointing to bipartisan support for fair school funding.

“There is great hope that we are making progress and seeing bipartisan support for what we know is a fundamental right and simply the right thing to do — to ensure that children, no matter where they live in the Commonwealth, can attend a public school that has been appropriately funded,” said Speaker. “Let’s pass this budget and make a real difference in the lives of our schools, our students and the communities across Montgomery County.”

The deadline to pass the 2024-2025 state budget is June 30.