Successfull School Budget Proposal

By Nicholas A. Micozzie

Public Education Reform and Public School Funding Formula

Pennsylvania's current school funding system is BROKEN, UNFAIR and UNBALANCED. It is time the Governor and members of the General Assembly place a higher importance on education. My proposal if enacted would insure that we have a sensible formula in place to make that happen. Like every session during the past six (6) years this session's proposal HB 1544 does just that. My Successful Schools Proposal if enacted would also insure that every child in Pennsylvania has an opportunity to receive a good education.

Since 1991, Pennsylvania has not had a functional system for adequately funding public education. Thus local communities must compete with each other for state funding to meet the needs of their students and schools. Thus local communities fill the gap by increasing school property taxes to provide an education for their students. This has put great pressure on property taxes, especially in low-wealth communities with many disadvantaged students.

Pennsylvania needs a new education funding system that fairly distributes adequate resources with equitable distribution in an efficient and predictable manner along with strong accountability for results. Hundreds of Pennsylvania school districts do not have enough funding to provide all students with a quality education. This is especially true for districts with high numbers of students in poverty, with mild and severe disabilities, and a lack of proficiency in English.

Our state and the federal government has established high expectations and challenging academic standards for students. But many students and schools are not supported with the funding needed to meet these mandatory standards. Thousands and thousands of children attend schools with large class sizes, crowded and unsafe facilities, unqualified teachers, and outdated libraries and labs. A low state share of 36% in 2006 meant that school districts paid a great percentage of all public education costs thus an increase in school property taxes annually way above the cost of living index; Pennsylvania ranks 44th in the nation in the funding of Public Education.

Increased state funding for schools with a cap on spending would promote property tax reform and will allow for accountability, predictability, and equity. Most importantly, increased state funding will provide for the educational needs of all students, and students will therefore have equal opportunities to achieve. Inadequate resources make it difficult for many districts to provide quality teachers, small class sizes, early childhood programs, up-to-date textbooks, technology, libraries, laboratories, and facilities needed to help all students to meet state academic standards. Pennsylvania's current education funding system causes a student's zip code or where their parents reside to be his or her destiny.

During debate on the floor of the House of Representatives I included the following in my remarks "I urge you, the Governor and members of the General Assembly, to have the courage to do what's right. We can not allow another generation of children to slip through the cracks."