SPECIAL EPISODE: Education Lawsuit Informational Meeting led by the Public Interest Law Center

Welcome to this special episode that was recorded on May 23, 2021. Sponsored by Adult Formation, The Public Interest Law Center facilitated an Education Lawsuit informational meeting via zoom. For more information on the Public Interest Law Center, please visit https://www.pubintlaw.org. Also, see below for more information on this episode.

---

This year has shown us the essential importance of public schools. But in Pennsylvania, our legislative leaders have created a school funding system that leaves hundreds of thousands of students without basic educational support because they live in low-wealth school districts. School districts and parents are going to court to change that status quo, which violates the Pennsylvania state constitution’s guarantee of a “thorough and efficient” system of public education for all. Trial in the case is on track to begin this September.

This is a recording from our free online webinar with attorneys leading the case, as we learned the latest updates, what this case could mean for public education in Delaware County and beyond, the root causes of underfunding and funding disparities, and how you can join the movement for public schools.

Pennsylvania has one of the largest funding gap in the country between low-wealth and high-wealth school districts. Pennsylvania is also ranked 44th in the share of funding that comes from the state, leaving local taxpayers to take on rising costs. As a result, underfunding is widespread–affecting urban, rural, and suburban districts–and it reproduces the same fundamental inequalities brought about by the history of residential segregation in our Commonwealth. Attorneys from the Public Interest Law Center are representing six school districts suing Pennsylvania legislative leaders to challenge this deprivation and inequality, demanding a school funding system that gives kids in every community, not just select ZIP codes, the tools they need to meet their potential.