Basic Education Funding Commission Plan Could Be Life-Changing for Pa. Students
The proposal from the bipartisan commission charged with developing a remedy for the state’s unconstitutional school funding system sets targets for adequate funding in every school district, based on student need and current spending in successful districts. In the proposal, adopted Jan. 11, 2024, commissioners acknowledge a total funding shortfall statewide of $5.4 billion and…
MoreLegislative leaders will not appeal to the PA Supreme Court in the school funding lawsuit
Legislative leaders will not appeal the comprehensive, decisive Feb. 7 school funding order. The decision is now final and it’s time to create a system that ensures high quality public education for all children. Read our joint statement with Public Interest Law Center and O’Melveny here.
MoreState Budget Nearly Finalized; Private School Vouchers Blocked … for Now
Last night, the Pennsylvania House and Senate finally both approved a new state budget for 2023-24. With our co-counsel at the Public Interest Law Center, we issued a joint statement on the state budget and the blocking of a private school voucher bill. Read our statement here. There is critical work to be done in…
MoreChester County Intermediate Unit Approves $3 Million Settlement in Glen Mills Schools Class Action Suit to Benefit Former Students
In January 2023, a settlement fund was established for former Glen Mills Schools students. Those who are eligible may receive cash payments, compensatory education services, or a combination of these remedies. Education Law Center, Juvenile Law Center, and Dechert LLP filed the proposed class action lawsuit in April 2019 on behalf of former students and…
MoreHistoric Victory in the Fight for Fair Funding!
On Feb. 7, Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer issued her ruling in the Pennsylvania school funding case. The Education Law Center-PA and the Public Interest Law Center, who represent petitioners in the case, released the following joint statement: “Today’s decision declaring Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional is a historic victory for Pennsylvania’s public school children. It will…
MoreELC Praises New State Regulation Protecting Against Anti-LGBTQ and Racial Discrimination
ELC applauds the adoption of the Pennsylvania Human Rights Commission’s final regulation putting in place new significant new nondiscrimination protections for Pennsylvania students. It provides important protections for LGBTQ students, who have been increasingly subjected to discrimination, hostility, and exclusion in our schools. The new regulation also provides a more comprehensive definition of the term race,…
MoreELC Comments on Title IX Proposed Rules – Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex
Education Law Center has submitted comments in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed rules on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. ELC’s concerns focus on the impact of the proposed amended regulations on students in Pennsylvania’s publicly-funded PreK-12 schools, including Black girls, who are more likely to be subject to sexual…
MoreLaw Centers’ Joint Statement on 2022-23 State Budget
Legislative leaders announced an agreement on July 7, 2022, on the 2022-23 state budget, including a $525 million increase in state funding for basic education, $225 million for a Level Up supplement to the 100 most deeply underfunded school districts, a $100 million increase in special education funding, and $200 million in grants to school…
More2021 Back-to-School Guide for Pennsylvania Public School Students
The Education Law Center (ELC) has updated our annual “Back-to-School” guide with publications on various education topics to help families, students, and child-serving professionals. Skip to a particular topic with these links: Affirming & Safe Schools, Free from Racism Student Enrollment School Discipline Addressing Attendance Barriers (Truancy) Bullying & Harassment Students with Disabilities – IEP,…
MoreLevel Up: A Campaign to Boost 100 Severely Underfunded PA School Districts
Education Law Center, along with a coalition of more than a dozen education advocacy organizations from across the commonwealth, has launched a campaign to increase state funding for the 100 most underfunded school districts in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has some of the nation’s widest gaps between wealthy and poor school districts. The focus is legislation introduced…
MoreFunding Lawsuit Moves Closer to Trial with Ruling That Parents Will Remain in Case
In a ruling March 8 by Commonwealth Court, a judge held that two Pennsylvania parents who were among those who filed the landmark lawsuit in 2014 challenging Pennsylvania’s school funding system as unconstitutional will be able to pursue their claims, even though their children have now graduated from high school. The ruling is a victory…
MoreELC Urges PA Officials to Instruct Schools On How To Ensure Equity During Closures
For immediate release: April 3, 2020 Following a March letter on concerns of educational equity signed by more than 80 organizations, a letter from the Education Law Center this week is urging Gov. Wolf and Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera to provide “clear, detailed guidance” to school districts on what steps they can take to…
MoreOpen Letter to PA Special Education Funding Commission from PA Schools Work Campaign
The Special Education Funding Commission of the Pennsylvania legislature reconvened August 27, 2019, for the first time in nearly six years to examine the impact of the 2014 funding formula that now directs state special education funding. Education Law Center joined with the statewide PA Schools Work campaign to issue an open letter with a…
MoreEducation Law Center Applauds Gov. Wolf’s Call for Charter Reform
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced August 13 that he is preparing to introduce regulations and propose new legislation governing the state’s charter schools. The Education Law Center shares his sense of urgency in addressing the issues of poor academic performance, equity concerns, and rapidly growing costs of charters and looks forward to working with state…
MoreOur Report Highlights Civil Rights Concerns in Philadelphia Charter Schools
A new report by the Education Law Center, citing widespread noncompliance by charter schools with civil rights protections for students, urges Philadelphia’s Board of Education to monitor the city’s charter sector more closely and guard against discriminatory enrollment and educational practices. The new study, “Safeguarding Educational Equity: Protecting Philadelphia Students’ Civil Rights Through Charter Oversight,”…
MoreELC Calls on Gov. Wolf to Propose Major Increase in Special Ed Funding
Following on our October report, “Shortchanging Children with Disabilities: State Underfunding of Special Education in Pennsylvania,” the Education Law Center wrote Gov. Tom Wolf in January, urging that his 2019-20 budget proposal include a $400 million increase in state funding for basic education and a $100 million increase in special education funding, to be distributed…
MoreELC Stands with Tamaqua Area School District Educators Opposed to Arming School Personnel
The Education Law Center-PA stands with the Tamaqua Area Education Association and many in the Tamaqua school community in eastern Pennsylvania in opposing their school district’s new policy allowing teachers and administrators to carry guns. ELC joined three other organizations in the filing of an amicus brief December 21, 2018, in support of the education…
MoreIn victory for students, Court rules that Pa. school funding lawsuit is not moot
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 21, 2018 Contact: Paul Socolar, Education Law Center, 215-906-1250, [email protected] Jonathan McJunkin, Public Interest Law Center, 267-546-1305, [email protected] In victory for students, Court rules that Pa. school funding lawsuit is not moot Commonwealth Court dismisses Senator Scarnati’s motion that the case was rendered moot by the adoption of a fair funding…
MoreOCDEL Releases Two New Policy Announcements to Address Exclusionary Discipline and Promote Inclusion in Early Childhood Learning Programs
ELC praises the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) for release of two new policy announcements that now make clear its commitment to decrease exclusionary discipline and increase inclusion in all its early childhood learning programs across Pennsylvania. With ELC’s leadership and support for public comments and extensive parent, provider, and community engagement, OCDEL…
MoreAdvocates Launch Website with Educational Resources and Best Practices for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
ELC is proud to to announce the launch of a dynamic new website focused on educational success for youth involved in the juvenile justice system – Blueprint for Change: Education Success for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System.
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