PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) is leading the charge on a plan to add $3.1 billion to Pennsylvania public education funding.
"They will have school buildings free from lead, asbestos, where it won’t be raining inside the school,” Hughes said. “They will have a full complement of school personnel and teachers. They will even have a counselor in every school."
The plan includes $750 million for the main pot of school money from the state, an added $400 million for the 100 highest-need districts, $250 million for special education, and $1 billion to remediate toxic schools.
It would be paid for with a mix of surplus and rainy day funds, which total more than $12 billion.
Hughes touted the plan as "the largest increase in equity and adequacy funding in Pennsylvania’s history to make our schools in compliance with the state’s constitution."
The proposal comes on the heels of a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court decision that ruled the state's system for education funding unconstitutional.
Related
“The next step is folks calling their legislator, calling their Senator and saying, 'The judge said it's unconstitutional. Fix it.'”
School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington says the idea would count for an additional $5,000 spent on each city student.
“The infusion of funding would enable our students to have the same opportunities that other students have and would position us to shift the conversation from how to invest in the limited resources, and how to significantly accelerate academic achievement,” Watlington said.
Related
Shapiro was noncommittal on the plan.
"Creating real opportunity for our children begins in our schools,” Shapiro said in a statement. “And I believe every child in Pennsylvania should have access to a high-quality education and safe learning environment, regardless of their zip code.”
As for now, he says he’s reviewing the court’s opinion and will lay out his vision in his first budget address on Tuesday.
Related
GOP leaders in the state senate stressed that any plan to comply with the court ruling would need to balance the needs of students with taxpayers.
“It is incumbent upon the General Assembly and executive branch to thoughtfully and thoroughly examine all aspects of our education system,” said Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman in a statement. “As we continue this conversation, a focus on all aspects of educational opportunities available to families and their children must occur.”