New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck is grateful for the unprecedented funding that was granted to Pennsylvania’s public schools this academic year.
But, as education experts continue to note inadequate funding among the majority of the state’s K-12 schools, Sefcheck knows there is still a long way to go in properly supporting Pennsylvania’s students.
“We’re not asking for money to set us up outside our means and the best accommodations possible,” Sefcheck said Monday during a virtual meeting of the state’s educators and education advocates. “We’re just asking for equality and a substantial amount of support to keep fueling the drive to get there.”
Pa. schools make use of new funds
New Kensington-Arnold School District is one of hundreds statewide that has benefited from the nearly $526 million dedicated in the 2024-25 budget to more equitably fund Pennsylvania’s poorest schools.
The so-called “adequacy formula” dollars were brought on by a February 2023 court ruling that deemed the state’s education funding system unconstitutional.
The PA Education Law Center and Public Interest Law Center filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of six school districts, two statewide associations and several parents in November 2014, arguing the state’s formula for funding public schools violated the state constitution.
The case went to trial in 2021. A verdict was reached two years later.
The 2024-25 adequacy dollars were funneled through the state’s Ready to Learn block grant program. Potential uses include programs that improve academic performance, continuing professional education for teachers, physical and mental health services, disability inclusion and paying rising charter school tuition costs.
Jeannette City School District used its $575,000 adequacy allocation to fund professional development for staff, create learning support programs for struggling students and create two new positions at the junior-senior high school: dean of students and a full-time internship and transition coordinator.
The district also plans to offer Advanced Placement math courses at the high school starting in the fall, according to a report published April 22 by education support nonprofit Teach Plus PA. The report highlights how seven school districts statewide have benefited from the adequacy funding.
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New Kensington-Arnold received $1.2 million from the adequacy formula, using some of the funding to expand its supply of guidance counselors. In the past five years, the district has gone from having two counselors to support 1,950 students in five schools to having one counselor in each building.
Stephanie Gardlock is one of the new counselors, serving the 600 third through sixth grade students at Roy A. Hunt Elementary.
“I do everything I can,” Gardlock said, “but the changes we could make if we had more support and more money would just keep growing.”
Educators: Adequacy funds must continue
The first round of adequacy dollars is only the first step in tackling the state’s inequitable education funding system, some education experts say.
About 70% of districts statewide — 348 of the 500 K-12 schools — are still being impacted by a $4 billion adequacy gap, according to PA Schools Work, an organization that advocates for fair, equitable and adequate education funding.
Gov. Josh Shapiro aims to continue chipping away at the problem with an $8.2 billion education funding proposal he pitched in February for 2025-26.
Education makes up about 16% of Shapiro’s $51.5 billion proposed state budget. The proposal allocates an additional $526 million to the adequacy formula.
If the proposal is approved, New Kensington-Arnold could see an additional $1.7 million in state funding, according to a PA Schools Work report. The report takes into account increases to basic and special education funding, adequacy dollars and a proposed flat rate for cyber tuition.
Shapiro proposed setting a flat cyber tuition rate of $8,000 per student annually, capping the cost districts have to pay for students in their area to attend independent public cyber schools.
The additional funding could help New Kensington-Arnold build playgrounds at two of its elementary schools — where students currently have recess on dirt fields — and renovate century-old buildings that haven’t been upgraded in about three decades, Sefcheck said.
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“We’re grateful for the adequacy funds,” Sefcheck said. “We would just like to be more equitable.”
Teach Plus and PA Schools Work suggest the state continue to invest at least $500 million in adequacy funding until the gap is closed.
Susan Spicka, executive director of nonprofit Education Voters of Pennsylvania, encouraged the state to approve Shapiro’s proposed education budget in its entirety.
“Anything less than this full proposal is unacceptable,” she said.