Nothing fair about funding formula in William Penn
While our elected representatives in Fantasyland – otherwise known as Harrisburg – continue to dicker in their efforts to reach a budget accord, the good folks in William Penn are dealing with one more dose of reality. Taxes are going up.
While our elected representatives in Fantasyland – otherwise known as Harrisburg – continue to dicker in their efforts to reach a budget accord, the good folks in William Penn are dealing with one more dose of reality. Taxes are going up. It was either that or one more in a series of draconian cuts, ones that could have seen sports, extracurricular activities and even fullday kindergarten spilled on the cutting-room floor.
In short, students and families in William Penn will continue to be penalized for no other reason than their zip code.
That’s the reality that those in Harrisburg don’t seem to understand, otherwise how could they allow this situation to fester year after year?
This week the William Penn School Board approved a $93.8 million budget that includes a nearly 3 percent tax hike. Yes, property owners once again will be forced to reach deeper into their pockets. They are not happy about it. Some pushed the board to bite the bullet and make the difficult cuts needed to avert an increase in taxes. The board decided to go another route.
Doing otherwise would have put the district’s award-winning track and field team, marching band and speech and debate team in jeopardy. Just yesterday, Penn Wood senior Dennis Manyeah was named the All-Delco boys track athlete of the year. He follows in the illustrious footsteps of Penn Wood greats such as Olympic champion Leroy Burrell. Who wants to cut that?
The district was staring at a $3 million deficit in its preliminary spending blueprint, but managed to pare it down. The tax hike is expected to bring in an additional $1.2 million.
The district will not be unscathed. Still to be decided is a reorganization of administration and school safety officers, and cost-cutting measures such as reducing kindergarten to half-day only.
“Administration is currently working on how and when the final reduction will go into effect,” said district business administrator A. Jeff Cuff. “With regard to other cuts to balance the budget we are still in the process of evaluating other areas that would be least impactful on students.”
This week’s 90-minute meeting was packed with students, taxpayers and educators, all offering their take on the latest in the never-ending series of budget crises in the district.
“We have to give the kids the opportunity, cultivate and to love themselves and become something of themselves … give them a structured, narrow path to move forward,” said Penn Wood High football coach Kevin Williams.
More than a few taxpayers urged the board to bite the bullet and hold the line on taxes.
It is not a new argument in William Penn. It is indicative of the problems inherent in Pennsylvania education funding system, which continues to rely on property taxes. Bottom line is in towns with struggling economies and depressed tax bases such as William Penn, a tax hike simply does not raise the same revenue as it does in other, more well-to-do districts just a few miles away.
The result is an unven playing field, with students and families in William Penn getting a lesser education for no other reason than where they live.
It got so bad that some William Penn parents joined others from various areas of the state and filed suit against the state Department of Education in an attempt to even the playing field.
Even the Legislature seemed to finally realize the inequities built into the system. They approved a Fair Funding Formula that would deliver more revenue to districts such as William Penn. This year Gov. Tom Wolf targeted an additional $100 million to be doled out via the Fair Funding Formula, which takes into account a variety of factors, such as the district’s economy, number of languages spoken, number of special ed students, and number of charter schools. But that funding may or may not actually make its way into the final state budget being worked on this week.
A report out this week by Equity First, a watchdog group headed by a former state legislator that keeps tabs on education spending in the state, only underscored the problem.
Not only did they find districts such as William Penn continue to be underfunded, they incredibly found many districts that are actually overfunded, only tilting the playing field that much steeper for William Penn.
The study indicated 13 school districts get less than 50 percent of their recommended level of basic education funding.
Another 34 districts get less than 50 percent of the recommended level of special education funding.
Astoundingly, 99 school district receive twice the recommended level of basic education funding.
In William Penn, the struggle goes on.
There remains nothing fair about the way Pennsylvania allots education funds.
Just ask the families in William Penn.