Church member Beth Logue has been working with POWER Interfaith’s Education Justice to advocate that every child in Pennsylvania have access to a good, justly-funded education. (Learn more about POWER’s campaign here.)

Adequate Funding

Imagine it is 2011, you live in Pennsylvania in a neighborhood that is below the poverty level, and you go to an elementary school that is 90 years old. Gov. Tim Corbett cuts public school funding by $1 billion, and your school loses its newest teachers, counselors, aides, secretaries, and custodian. Your class sizes increase; extracurricular activities cease, along with tutoring programs. Your community cannot afford to raise taxes like its wealthier suburban neighbors, so your school does without.

Fast-forward to 2023, when the Commonwealth Court determined the state’s system of education funding unconstitutional. You have spent all 12 years of your education in an underfunded school. You have never had the benefit of an adequate education, yet you and your school are judged to be failing. Since close to 90% of the state’s children attend public schools, the answer is not vouchers and scholarships to solve this problem. The answer is adequately and equitably funded public schools. While Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget added $1 billion last year, this year it will only add half that amount. At that rate, a kindergartner will be in high school before funding is adequate. Our legislators need to fully fund our public schools within four years so that another generation of children doesn’t slip through the cracks and then be blamed for doing so.

Beth Logue, cochair, POWER Interfaith Statewide Education Justice Team, Philadelphia

https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/letters/letters-editor-july-16-2025-ice-raids-20250716.html#loaded