PA Schools Work: RESOURCES FROM OUR LAST WEBINAR: where school funding stands — and what happens next

Posted by PA Schools Work on October 13, 2026

In case you missed our recent Webinar webinar, below are some resources. On the webinar, Education Is on the Ballot, Felicity Williams (Pennsylvania Policy Center), Shirley Howe (Children First), Dr. Laura Beltran Figueroa (Pennsylvania Policy Center), Karen Lyons (412 Justice and Woodland Hills School Board), and George Morse (Urban League of Greater Philadelphia) walked through where Pennsylvania’s school funding fight stands — and why the people we elect this November will decide what happens next.

If you couldn’t make it, or want to revisit it:

• Watch the webinar recording
• Download the slides (PDF)

A few points that stood out:

• After three years of adequacy fund investments, Pennsylvania is about 33% of the way to closing its school funding gap, with about six years still to go.
• 364 of 500 school districts (nearly 73%) still face an adequacy shortfall, affecting roughly 1.5 million students across urban, suburban, and rural communities alike.
• The remaining gap stands at roughly $3.27 billion of the original $4.8 billion, and inflation keeps eating into the value of every dollar that doesn’t arrive on time.
• Where adequacy dollars have landed — from McKeesport and Baldwin-Whitehall in Allegheny County to Reading, Central Dauphin, York City, and dozens of other districts — they’ve been able to invest in things like reading specialists, full-day kindergarten, smaller class sizes, counselors, and English-language supports. As Woodland Hills School Board President Karen Lyons put it, without these dollars her district “would be crippled financially.”

Closing the gap is up to the lawmakers and governor Pennsylvanians elect, which is why education is on the ballot this fall.