PHILADELPHIA – Today, Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson (At-Large) released the following statement in response to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania declaring the state’s school funding system unconstitutional:
“At long last, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania has confirmed what we’ve known all along – that Pennsylvania does an inadequate job of properly and equitably funding its schools. This is especially true for districts with a majority of low-income students and students of color.
“I would like to thank the Public Interest Law Center, the Education Law Center, PA Schools Work, and the countless organizers and school districts that made this possible. It is because of their tenacity and grit that this decision was reached.
“As a former teacher and a mother of three, I understand the ways in which these disparities manifest. As a legislator, I see them firsthand every day: from the record-breaking levels of gun violence to our City’s literacy crisis. The funding disparity is even more urgent now than ever with the learning loss that students have faced due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I hope that with this decision, and a new democratic majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the Commonwealth will provide school districts like Philadelphia with the funding we need to ensure that each and every child is able to receive a first-class education.”
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