RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT CONSTITUTIONAL FUNDING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND OPPOSE PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS

CHELTENHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS

WHEREAS, Cheltenham School District is committed to providing inspiration and resources for every student to achieve academic excellence and pursue their highest potential by creating an equitable and inclusive community that fosters social and emotional well-being and a passion for learning; and

WHEREAS, on February 7, 2023, the Commonwealth Court of PA ruled that the General Assembly has failed to uphold its constitutional obligation to provide for “the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education” because our current funding system is inadequate and inequitable; and

WHEREAS, the students of Cheltenham School District deserve all the financial resources needed to achieve academic excellence and pursue their highest potential; and

WHEREAS, the General Assembly has been ordered to  ensure that “all students have access to a comprehensive, effective, and contemporary system of public education.”; and

WHEREAS, the Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC) was tasked with gathering input from stakeholders, analyzing and evaluating options, and making recommendations for meeting the court-ordered obligation, and

WHEREAS, on January 11, 2024, the Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC) released both a majority-supported report and a report from the minority, each acknowledging the inadequacies and inequities in Pennsylvania’s public school system; and

WHEREAS, both the ruling of the Commonwealth Court and ACT 51 of 2014, which created the BEFC, focused their mandates exclusively on public education funding; and

WHEREAS, proposals have been put forward to create school voucher programs, which would effectively divert resources away from public schools by creating publicly funded scholarships to attend non-public schools; and

WHEREAS, any program that diverts public money away from public schools and into non-public schools would make the court-ordered mandate for the fair funding of public schools more difficult to achieve; and;

WHEREAS, PA law already provides for public school choice opportunities in the form of charter schools; and

WHEREAS, a program already exists, in the form of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC)/ Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC), that provides taxpayer-supported scholarships for low and moderate-income students to attend non-public schools; and

WHEREAS, there have been no studies done to indicate whether students who receive public funds from the EITC/OSTC programs achieve better academic outcomes and

WHEREAS, current and previous proposals for school vouchers allow non-public school scholarships for students who are neither low-income nor residing within the boundaries of low-achieving schools; and

WHEREAS current and previous proposals for school vouchers provide for no meaningful reporting requirements or accountability regarding the academic progress of the students who receive the publicly funded scholarships; and

WHEREAS, current and previous proposals for school vouchers provide additional funds for students with special needs but do not require those funds to be used for special education services.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of School Directors of Cheltenham Township calls on Governor Shapiro and the General Assembly to work together to quickly enact legislation that provides for specific adequate funding targets for public schools and a timeline for implementation since failure to do so could result in further litigation at taxpayer expense; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of School Directors of Cheltenham Township is opposed to any voucher proposal that allows public funds to support non-public school scholarships before the Commonwealth has provided for a constitutionally adequate level of funding for all public schools; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of School Directors of Cheltenham Township is opposed to any voucher proposal that diverts additional public funds away from public education and any voucher proposal that lacks robust academic and fiscal accountability.