PSD Student Advisory Board Creates Education Platform Targeted at Pennsylvanian Politicians

The PSD Student Advisory Board and I have finally finished our Educational Funding Platform. We are now trying to get Pennsylvanian politicians to pledge to this platform in hope that the PA education funding formula will be restored this year. Check out our platform:

Educational Funding Platform

In light of the current educational funding crisis in Philadelphia, The School District of Philadelphia Student Advisory Board has created an educational funding platform on behalf of all of the children of the School District of Philadelphia. In order to insure that our rights to an education will be fulfilled, we ask that politicians pledge to this educational funding platform, as well as include it in the future Pennsylvania education budget. It is vital that the School District of Philadelphia, and every school district in Pennsylvania will be equally funded according to the needs of their individual district. Currently, Pennsylvania is one of two states in the United States that does not use an education funding formula when distributing funds to their school districts. The lack of an education funding formula has resulted in educational funding crisis’ in districts across Pennsylvania, such as Philadelphia. As children we demand that our rights to an education be restored by any means necessary. The following is a detailed platform describing how the Pennsylvania education budget be reformed.

• More Money Invested in Public Education: Pennsylvania must begin to invest more money in public education funding. Approximately only 35% of the total amount of money spent on public education is given by state funding. When on average other states fund public education approximately 5% more. Pennsylvania must begin to contribute more money to public education in order to properly fund all districts.
• Restoration of a Fair Funding Formula: In order to insure that the money being spent on public education is being distributed equally, a funding formula must be restored within the Pennsylvania education budget. The formula must take into account the needs of each district. This includes the number of students within each district, the poverty rate of each district, the number of students with disabilities, the number of English language learners, and the districts ability to acquire local revenue. All of the data being taken into account for each district must be current and accurate.
• Transparency: The education budget of Pennsylvania and education formula must be recorded and made available for the public to view it.
• Monitoring Success: The state should be reviewing student data frequently in order to determine if the district should be receiving more funding. This will insure that each district will be performing better and accomplishing its educational goals. It is the state’s responsibility to be sure that each child is receiving an adequate education in direct result of proper funding.

Our rights to an education must be restored and the key to restoring our rights lies within this platform. Again we ask that Pennsylvania politicians vow to incorporate this platform in the 2013- 2014 and future education budgets of Pennsylvania.

The School District of Philadelphia Student Advisory Board

The School District of Philadelphia Students