Students in shortchanged Pennsylvania school districts plug away while lawmakers dither over funding

By BROOKE SCHULTZ
Associated Press/Report for America

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — By pursuing funding equity in court, financially challenged Pennsylvania districts are following a well-traveled school reform path. For decades, school districts around the country that found themselves on the short end of a resource imbalance have gone to court to force states to give them a fair shake. But school equity lawsuits have not been the solution many once thought they would be. Even though the court sided with some of Pennsylvania’s poorest districts, it could take years for students to benefit from funding changes. In the mean time, students are forced to overcome the shortcomings of their districts.