SV Super to represent district in WVIA-TV panel on school funding
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Shenandoah Valley Superintendent Brian Waite speaks during his Superintendent's Report on August 6, 2020.
SHENANDOAH – Shenandoah Valley School District Superintendent Brian Waite will represent the district as our local PBS affiliate hosts a panel on school funding issues in the state.
Waite will be part of the discussion at WVIA-TV in Pittston on Nov. 6, titled “Keystone Edition Reports – Pennsylvania School Funding.”
Shenandoah Valley was one of several plaintiffs in a lawsuit which led to a ruling that the state’s method of funding public education was unconstitutional.
“Two years ago, Pennsylvania had the widest funding gap between wealthy and poor school districts of any state in the country, with the wealthiest school districts spending 33% more on each student than the poorest districts,” Waite said at Tuesday’s school board meeting. “As part of the historic decision rendered in the Fair Funding lawsuit case declaring the Pennsylvania school funding system unconstitutional, an expert analysis has indicated the Shenandoah Valley School District is underfunded by over $10,000 per student for an adequacy shortfall of over $12 million per year.”
“The per student shortfall ranks 11th in the state for most underfunded districts with approximately 80% of all schools underfunded,” Waite continued.
“It is time for legislative leaders to work on a funding solution without horse swapping, bartering, bundling or combining it with any individual political agenda to provide a thorough and efficient funding system for public education,” Waite added.
Lawmakers continue to grapple with the next steps after the ruling.
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