By Evan Grossman | From Watchdog.org
File photo
Pennsylvania public schools finally have a new funding formula.
Gov. Tom Wolf allowed House Bill 1589, which amends the fiscal code portion of the state budget, to become law without his signature. The fiscal code guides state funding streams to schools and includes landmark education funding reforms.
“I look forward to working with the legislature in the coming weeks to address our challenges and meet the needs of distressed school districts so that they will remain solvent,” Wolf said in a statement.
Within the fiscal code are elements of a weighted funding formula designed to overhaul public school funding and distribute money according to factors that include enrollment, charter school population, local poverty levels, and the number of students learning English or enrolled in special education programs.
The formula was devised last year by a bipartisan Basic Education Funding Commission. By enacting the new system, which will distribute $200 million of new funding through the end of the 2015-16 fiscal year, Wolf will scrap a unilateral funding solution he proposed earlier this month that appeared to reward a small percentage of Pennsylvania schools with funding increases.
Wolf’s plan aimed to restore education cuts tied to the expiration of federal stimulus funds in lieu of enacting the funding formula. His ideas were panned by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
“The Basic Education Funding Commission’s funding formula that we have fought so long for will be used to distribute public school funding,” said Rep. Kate Klunk, R-Hanover. “This is a big win for education and the students across Pennsylvania.”
The current fiscal year will come to an end this summer and schools are just now receiving state funding after a nine-month budget impasse. With a quick turnaround for approving the next budget, there are fears that another spending spat could delay the 2016-17 budget, too.
“As we enter 2016-2017, I look forward to coming together to reach a long-term solution to fix our deficit and to fund education at all levels. I remain adamant that we must take additional steps to restore the cuts from the previous administration,” Wolf said. “We still have a long way to go to restore the cuts to education at all levels, Pre-K through higher education.”
