Amid inequity, Pa. school funding may be budget flashpoint again
Pennsylvania’s school funding could once again become a contentious point in fledgling state budget talks.
School funding disagreements helped drive this past year’s stalemate. It came amid the backdrop of federal data showing that Pennsylvania harbors the nation’s most inequitable school-funding system.
It’s not clear much has changed, and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s office says inequity is still a serious problem.
Wolf wants classroom funding to rise to $6.3 billion in his proposal for the budget year beginning July 1.
It’s not clear whether Wolf can secure the $350 million-plus commitment from Republican lawmakers, particularly as he seeks a tax increase to balance a projected deficit approaching $2 billion.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Adolph says it remains to be seen what the sides can agree to once negotiations begin.
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