Approve state funding increases to public schools

Education Funding. It’s something many of us mainly think about when we are told our property taxes are being raised yet again. We may grumble a bit, but we feel it’s a necessary part of supporting our schools.

Fair Funding. It’s something many of us have heard about from friends in Pottstown or Norristown or from articles in The Mercury. It’s about how kids in poorer school districts don’t have the same educational opportunities as students in better-off districts because they don’t receive enough education funding.

Here’s the reality: Yes, fair education funding is critical for districts like Pottstown and Norristown. However, it’s also incredibly important for the well-being of students and communities like those in Perkiomen Valley.

In Perkiomen Valley, and in the vast majority of districts across the Commonwealth, special education expenses continue to rise and the increased costs of educating these students fall on the backs of local taxpayers. On another front, state-mandated pension spending has gone up almost 500 percent and state-mandated charter spending rose 80% over the past 10 years. And yet, state investment in our schools has not nearly kept pace with these expenses, leaving local taxpayers to make up the difference.

Perkiomen Valley is unique in that a large part of our district is made up of non-taxable areas, like SCI Phoenix and Ursinus College. We have very little business in Perkiomen Valley, so it is our residents who are bearing the burden of the additional costs to educate our students. Over 77 percent of our revenues come from local sources, while only 22 percent comes from the state.

So here we are, June 2022, discussing both local tax increases and the state budget. The governor’s proposed education budget would mean almost $2 million in additional funding to Perkiomen Valley. This would more than cover our current projected shortfall and could result in a 0% tax increase for our families this budget year and lower taxes in the years to come. It would allow additional funding for muchneeded mental health services for our students and continued investments in the safety of our buildings and our students.

It’s time for ALL Pennsylvania school children to get fair and adequate funding for their education. Governor Wolf’s proposed budget helps us reach that goal. It helps address the massive inequities in Norristown and Pottstown, and it also addresses rising state-mandated costs and, therefore, rising property taxes, in districts like Perkiomen Valley. We hope Senator Mensch and our other elected leaders in the legislature are willing to invest in all Pennsylvania students and communities by approving the upcoming budget.