Shapiro says it will take bipartisan consensus to come up with a court-required funding plan for public schools
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Governor Josh Shapiro says a recent Commonwealth Court decision on school funding will require lawmakers in Harrisburg to come to grips with a very difficult issue.
In an interview seen only on KDKA-TV, Shapiro told political editor Jon Delano it will require a consensus among Republicans and Democrats on the best way to fund public schools.
Last month, the Commonwealth Court ruled that the current method of funding public schools is unconstitutional. Right now, wealthier school districts can afford higher property taxes to fund better schools while poorer districts often cannot afford the same education for their children.
The court said no more.
"In effect saying, for two reasons, there's not enough money in the system being invested in our children. Two, the ways those dollars get driven out, the formula if you will, Jon, is not constitutional," says Shapiro.
Figuring out a formula that educates a child in Duquesne the same as a child in Upper St. Clair won't be easy, and some say it requires replacing the property tax with something else like increasing the state income tax with more money from the state.
Delano: "Is everything on the table when it comes to mechanisms of funding – income tax, sales tax, property tax, you name it?"
Shapiro: "What's on the table right now is a willingness for Republicans and Democrats to come together and actually find some common ground on this issue."
It could mean an end to local school property taxes with education funded entirely by the state or some combination. Shapiro put the questions to be decided like this.
"If we're going to have a constitutional system, where do the dollars need to go, how much do we need when we drive it out to the various districts, and then how do we find that money in our state budget?"
The governor says he's reached out to lawmakers and is convening a bipartisan group to develop a constitutional educational system.
"The remedy, if you will, that the court imposed on us, is that we have to meet and we have to address this."
The governor says he wants a bipartisan plan ready to present to the legislature by this time next year. This promises to be a major undertaking.