Dive Brief:
- For the last six months, a statewide budget impasse has frozen the distribution of education funding in Pennsylvania, and a new lawsuit filed by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association claims that state officials unfairly held up money for schools while other parts of state government didn't see the same treatment.
- Over $900 million has been borrowed in the state in order to keep schools open.
- The state's Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, and its Republican-controlled General Assembly remain at odds with no budget solution in sight.
Dive Insight:
The consequences of Pennsylvania's fiscal crises on state schools is so severe that some districts anticipate being forced to shut down as early as this month. Jan. 29 is the cut-off date for payroll for the Philadelphia School District. And in some Pennsylvania schools, 50% of classes lack teachers due to shortages.
This isn't the first lawsuit filed over funding in the state. In November 2014, a suit filed by school districts, parents, and the NAACP alleged that the state was violating its own constitution by using a flawed funding formula and failing to provide adequate education for all students.