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Public Education: PA Costing-Out Study, Hopes for ReformBy Rita Kamani, WVPA Project Intern Over the past few decades, the state’s share of education subsidies in Pennsylvania has decreased. As a result, school districts have come to depend more and more on the infamous property tax as a source of school funding. This has resulted in wide inequities among schools and among districts. In Pennsylvania, this stark contrast is quite clear. During the 2005-2006 school year, Lower Merion School District in Montgomery County spent $18,445.67 per pupil; New Hope-Solebury School District in Bucks County spent $15,006.06. In contrast, Northwestern School District in Erie County spent $7,420.19 per pupil; Moniteau School District in Butler County spent $7, 869.73; and Greencastle-Antrim School District in Franklin Country spent $7,903.07.(1) With some districts spending more than twice as much as others per pupil, there is an urgent need for reform. The debate over how to equalize the playing field for schools and their students is heated and complex. School funding relates to larger questions regarding the definitions of equity, and is situated within historical legal battles that have determined how funding equity is conceptualized in this country. One of the largest questions in the debate over school funding is: How much money does it take for students to have a genuine opportunity to reach high levels of achievement? Costing-out studies have been used in over 35 states in order to answer this question. In accordance with standards-based reform, costing-out studies seek to “obtain rationally based, objective information on how to fund public education” so that each student can achieve the state standards.(2) Costing-out studies use a variety of methods to assess the financial needs of school districts to determine the base cost of educating students. In July of 2006, the Pennsylvania State Legislature appropriated $650,000 for a costing-out study, which, once completed, will determine a base cost for educating a student and will also “determine the variations on this foundation level required by particular factors impacting school districts and their students."(3) Information about the Pennsylvania costing-out study, including its goals, methodologies, oversight, and status, can be found at the website of Good Schools Pennsylvania, one of the organizations spearheading the effort. The costing-out study will inform Pennsylvania legislators and educators about the need for more equitable and adequate educational opportunities. In Maryland’s costing-out study, completed in 2001, the Commission on Education Finance, Equity and Excellence found that “school districts with the largest ‘adequacy gap’— those farthest from the adequate funding levels calculated [in the costing-out study] — scored lowest on the state assessments.”(4) With this information, legislators will understand that money, one of many factors, does matter, and the state can begin to reform the finance model. The costing-out study is also very important to Pennsylvania voters, who can use the information gathered in the study to form advocacy coalitions. Organizations and individuals can rally around the results of the study, and use them to garner support for more education funding in general, as well as more equitable opportunities for all students. The costing-out study provides advocates “with concrete items and programs they could point to as essential for meeting state standards.”(5) The results of Pennsylvania’s costing-out study were released on November 14th. There are many ways for Pennsylvania voters to show their support of this important initiative and to follow-up on its outcomes. Representatives Siptroth and Mackereth introduced a bi-partisan proposal to establish a Joint Legislative Commission on Public School Finance, which would offer recommendations for funding reform based on the results of the costing-out study. Efforts such as these will ensure Pennsylvania policy makers will continue to seriously consider changes to the current funding system. Please visit the Good Schools PA website for more updates and for information on how you can become more active on the issue of public education. Endnotes:
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