Court ruling declares Pa.’s school funding system unconstitutional

A new court ruling -- described as “a historic victory for students” -- found that Pennsylvania hasn’t fulfilled its constitutional obligations to students in the poorest school districts.

A judge ruled recently, writing in a nearly 800-page ruling, that Pennsylvania’s school funding system so badly underfunds poor districts that it violates the state constitution.

An appeal to the state Supreme Court is possible. If the ruling stands, new Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and the divided Pennsylvania legislature will be faced with an enormous challenge with no prescribed solution. So far, lawmakers are saying little about what lies ahead.

Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer, said that the state is violating those students’ rights to what should be a “comprehensive, effective, and contemporary” education.

The lawsuit, filed in 2014 on behalf of 10 school districts — including the School District of Lancaster —, argued Pennsylvania’s system of paying for public schools did not meet an explicit standard in the state constitution that lawmakers provide a “thorough and efficient system” of education.

In the ruling, Cohn Jubelirer wrote that students in areas with low property values and incomes “are deprived of the same opportunities and resources” as those in more affluent areas.

That disparity is unjustified, violating both the state’s obligations to educate students and the equal protection rights of students, Cohn Jubelirer wrote.

Cohn Jubelirer’s ruling did not direct the Legislature on how much state aid to distribute or how. Rather, she wrote that the court is in “uncharted territory with this landmark case” and left it to the governor, lawmakers and the school districts that sued to come up with a plan to address the constitutional violations.

- Carol Gifford