Dive Brief:
- A Pennsylvania court has dismissed a complaint filed by a number of grassroots organizations and parents, who alleged the state's school funding formula is unfair and has led to resource discrepancies within many schools.
- Judge Dan Pellegrini, who wrote the opinion, said questions about the state's funding of schools are issues the state legislature must decide on and are outside of the court's purview.
- Republicans in the state's House and Senate, who have argued the complaints were politically motivated, view the decision as a win.
Dive Insight:
School funding has become a major issue in Pennsylvania, where many districts are cash-strapped and struggling. New Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has even proposed increasing funding levels in an attempt to remedy the situation.
This particular lawsuit, filed by the state chapter of the NAACP and others, alleged that the state violated its constitution by failing to provide adequate education for its students. It pointed out that schools are being held to certain standards that the state isn't providing the adequate resources to meet. According to Philly.com, the discrepancies in funding have been so off the charts in the state that, depending on where a student lives, per-pupil funding ranges from $9,800 to $28,400.