Criteria for Evaluating Pennsylvania Education Funding Proposals/Budgets
Eight questions that the Governor, every legislator, school district
officials, parents, taxpayers and news representatives should ask about the
impact of every proposal concerning education funding in Pennsylvania.
Does it increase the annual share (percentage) of Elementary/Secondary
Education revenues that come from state sources?
Does it increase the amount of state revenues appropriated annually per
pupil for Elementary/Secondary Education?
Does it reduce the dependency on real property taxes in school districts to
support Elementary/Secondary Education?
Does it reduce the large gap of financial and educational resources
available in the lowest-spending school districts compared to the
highest-spending districts?
Does it provide sufficient funding to ensure that adequate financial
resources are available to support the educational capacity necessary to give
every student an opportunity to accomplish the state's academic proficiency
expectations?
Does it ensure that education funding will be used first to provide the
educational capacity that has been proven to have a positive effect on student
learning?
Does it create a rational and reliable statewide education funding system
that provides a predictable method for determining state funding
responsibilities for elementary/secondary education from year to year?
Does it enable the Pennsylvania public education system to meet the
educational needs of all its students?
