A Commonwealth Court judge handed the School District of Lancaster and five other school districts a landmark legal victory ruling that Pennsylvania is violating the fundamental rights of students by failing to provide access to a “comprehensive, effective and contemporary public education.”
Below is a statement from acting superintendent Matt Przywara and former superintendent Dr. Damaris Rau.
This is a great day for the children of the School District of Lancaster and of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Today’s decision declaring Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional is a historic victory and it recognizes what we all know: that all children can learn and succeed when given the tools.
The decision recognizes that education is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Pennsylvania Constitution to all children—and that this right has been denied in low-wealth districts like ours. Our schools require additional state funding to meet our constitution’s mandate—a comprehensive, effective, and contemporary public education.
We now call on the Legislature and the Governor to come together and provide the necessary funding so that all students, whether or not they live in a wealthy community, can receive the quality public education guaranteed in our state constitution. There’s no reason to delay.