More than a dozen states are fighting lawsuits over whether they’re spending enough money on public schools. They include Pennsylvania, which has one of the most inequitable school funding systems in the nation. There are wide spending gaps between rich and poor districts.
Kevin McCorry of WHYY in Philadelphia introduces us to a young woman who began school in an affluent, suburban district outside of Philadelphia. Then her parents moved closer into the city, to a poorer district, where her Spanish teacher has to hand out blankets before class in the winter. Thus is the story of school funding in Pennsylvania.
Note: This story is part of the NPR reporting project School Money, a nationwide collaboration between NPR’s Ed Team and 20 member station reporters exploring how states pay for their public schools and why many are failing to meet the needs of their most vulnerable students. Join the conversation on Twitter by using #SchoolMoney.
Reporter
- Kevin McCorry, senior education writer for WHYY/NewsWorks. He tweets @byKevinMcCorry.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.