What to know about the landmark Pa. school funding case decision

A Commonwealth Court judge ruled on Tuesday that Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional, a long-awaited decision that could ultimately reshape the way the state pays for public education.

The landmark lawsuit, first filed in 2014, argued that the state’s process for funding schools — which relies heavily on local taxes, thereby creating significant per-student funding gaps between wealthy districts and low-wealth ones — is tantamount to discrimination. Across the country, Pennsylvania has one of the biggest spending gaps between high-wealth and low-wealth districts.

» READ MORE: Read the full ruling from the landmark Pa. school funding case

Here’s what to know about the suit and what may come next:

The lawsuit was first filed in 2014, when school districts, parents, and advocacy groups banded together, represented by the Education Law Center and the Public Interest Law Center.

After years of delays, the trial began in November 2021 and lasted more than three months.

The plaintiffs in the case have argued that Pennsylvania’s funding system disproportionately harms students of color and those from low-wealth school districts.

Because districts rely heavily on local taxes for funding, schools in wealthier areas often have thousands more in funding per student than low-wealth districts because they can raise the funds they need through property taxes. (One example: Lower Merion has more than $31,000 to spend per student while Delaware County’s William Penn has $18,000 per student.)

The plaintiffs also argued that these funding gaps led to disparities in academic achievement. Lawyers for the state argued that test scores were not adequate measures of educational quality.

» READ MORE: Learn more about the final day of the school funding trial.

In a 786-page decision, Judge Renee Cohn Jubilerer ruled that the petitioners presented “manifest deficiencies” between the high-wealth and low-wealth school districts with “no rational basis” for the funding gaps. Evidence also showed that there are notable achievement gaps — plus gaps in high school graduation rates and postsecondary enrollment and attainment — among students from affluent districts and those from low-wealth districts, the judge wrote.

The petitioners also proved, the judge ruled, that the state’s constitutional Education Clause was “clearly, palpably, and plainly violated because of a failure to provide all students with access to a comprehensive, effective, and contemporary system of public education that will give them a meaningful opportunity to succeed academically, socially, and civically.”

» READ MORE: The landmark Pa. school funding case has been decided

It’s not immediately clear, but the state will almost certainly appeal the decision to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

“The Court is in uncharted territory with this landmark case,” Jubilerer, the judge, wrote in her ruling. “Therefore, it seems only reasonable to allow Respondents, comprised of the Executive and Legislative branches of government and administrative agencies with expertise in the field of education, the first opportunity, in conjunction with Petitioners, to devise a plan to address the constitutional deficiencies identified herein.”

Inquirer reporters Kristen A. Graham and Maddie Hanna contributed to this report.