Public Education Advocates Take Pennsylvania To Court Over School Funding
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Commonwealth Court heard arguments today on whether a lawsuit claiming that Pennsylvania has inadequate school funding should continue.
The suit, filed last fall by parents' groups and a coalition of school districts, claims the current state funding system shortchanges students.
"The state constitution requires the legislature to support and maintain a thorough and efficient system of public education," says Maura McInerney, of the Education Law Center, who represented the plaintiffs. "We argued that that education clause means something, and must be enforced by the court."
The plaintiffs said the state has set benchmarks, through the PSSA and Keystone Exams, but hasn't given students adequate resources to meet them.
Attorneys for the state argued the issue required a political solution and that the court should have no role.