PHILADELPHIA — Today, Councilmember Jamie R. Gauthier (3rd District) released the following statement in response to the Commonwealth Court declaring Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional:
“After years of hard work by the Philadelphia public school community, we won a monumental victory in the fight for equitable schools yesterday when the Commonwealth Court declared Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional.
“Thanks to state lawmakers cheating our city’s young people out of their fair share of school resources, many Philadelphia public schools – especially in the working class, Black and brown neighborhoods I represent – lack essentials like air conditioning and clean water. During a time when we’re contending with significant learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic and historic levels of gun violence, we need fully staffed schools in full working condition to keep our young people safe and put them on a path to success.
“All of Pennsylvania’s young people, no matter if they live in Mantua or the Main Line, deserve a high-quality education. I call on the State Legislature to immediately give the Philadelphia School District the funding it deserves. Harrisburg must also make up for decades of injustice by giving the school district damages, so we aren’t always playing catchup.
“I want to thank the Public Interest Law Center, the Education Law Center, PA Schools Work, and the many children, teachers, parents, and activists whose years of hard work made this landmark court ruling possible.”
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