William Penn featured in new documentary on education

A documentary airing Tuesday night on The National Geographic Channel on the inequalities of technology access in schools around the country will feature the William Penn School District.

“Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America,” is a new one-hour feature highlighting how technology can provide students with great opportunities and a better education. A portion of the documentary is slated to feature the economic and technological divide between William Penn and the affluent Lower Merion School District, districts located just minutes away from each other but with drastically different resources.

“Sometimes it was frustrating because I know we lacked certain things that others had,” said Jameira Miller, a 2017 graduate of the district’s Penn Wood High School who was interviewed for the film. “It’s disappointing when you know your school district can’t afford it.”

Aside from not having a track for their award-winning track team to practice on or even a pool like some local high schools have, there wasn’t a one-to-one technology initiative in place for the high school students at Penn Wood. The school is equipped with mobile carts that hold laptops and can be transferred around the building to classes that need them throughout the day.

Miller said the limited access to computers at school was a hindrance for students who may not have access at home and to get papers, projects or college applications completed.

The district did initiate a one-toone program with Google Chromebooks last year for the ninth grade students, and expected to repeat that again for the current ninth grade class. The goal was to keep the laptops with the students through to graduation but it hit a snag for the current freshmen class when budgetary restraints cut purchases of the new machines. The Chromebooks last year rolled over to the current freshmen class.

According to William Penn Superintendent Jane Ann Harbert, 250 Chromebooks were recently purchased with Title I funds to be used for the 10th graders to try and continue the 1-to-1 initiative.

Even with local real estate tax and marginal state funding increases the district continues to grapple with adequate resources for students. For the current school year there was an option on the table to cut extracurricular sports and clubs, but the school board opted to nick computers among other cuts instead to bridge a $400,000 gap.

Jameira’s mother, Jamella, said its debilitating as a parent to witness and that it makes her uncomfortable for the future of children.

“Our whole society uses technology for regular, basic, daily living,” said Jamella. “It’s a step back for our children where they’re forced into a society where they’re behind.”

Tired of the inadequate funding provided by the state, the Miller family got active and eventually helped William Penn be the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the commonwealth in Pennsylvania Supreme Court suing them for education and equal protection clause violation of the state constitution.

“It’s pretty much brining attention to the fact that our legislators and lawmakers have put in place this algorithm to fund our schools, however there needs to be a deeper look into how these funds are being dispersed,” said Jamella, listed as one of the cases official petitioners with her husband, Bryant. “Essentially, there’s a fair funding formula, but it’s not that simple and not happening in that matter.”

A fair funding formula is in place in the state, but it is only applicable to money added to the basic education subsidies fund over the 2014-15 levels (about six percent of the approximate $12 billion allocation).

As the lead plaintiffs in a funding lawsuit and now exposure throughout the country on the need for technology in classrooms, Harbert said this is a “great opportunity” for William Penn.

“I think it’s a great time for us… I don’t want people to look at us like we’re the poor little district, I want them to see that we thrive even when there is the disparity and we keep giving and getting some of the same resources. We just can’t give them everything,” said Harbert.

“Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America” premieres on The National Geographic Channel at 10 p.m.