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July 8, 2008PA Governor Signs Education Budget Benefiting Children and Taxpayers |
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From PR Newswire: Joined by elected officials, educators, school board members and education advocates, Governor Edward G. Rendell today ceremoniously signed Pennsylvania's new, $9.7 billion education budget at Upper Darby High School in Delaware County. The Governor said the education budget will lay the foundation for academic success for all students by providing the largest increase in basic education funding in at least two decades, while also introducing a needs-based school funding formula that invests in proven programs that reap results for children. The spending plan also means further relief to property owners because it increases the state's share of school funding and lessens school districts' reliance on property taxes as a revenue source. The Governor visited Upper Darby to sign the education law because the district is a prime example of how local communities across the state will benefit from improving school funding. Since 1992 (the last time that Pennsylvania had a funding formula in law), Upper Darby's enrollment has skyrocketed by almost 40 percent. In just the past six years, the number of students in Upper Darby High School whose first language is not English has tripled. "This historic funding formula is a major step toward the ultimate goal of providing every child and every school with the resources needed to ensure academic success," Governor Rendell said. The education budget takes a long overdue approach to school funding by addressing the adequacy gap in each district, while also driving money into the neediest districts using a formula that stresses investments in proven school improvement strategies.
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