PA Schools Work 2025 School District Fact Sheets

Posted by PA Schools Work on April 15, 2025

PA Schools Work, a nonpartisan statewide campaign working to ensure public schools are fully and fairly funded, has released its 2025 School District Fact Sheets. These newly updated fact sheets provide detailed information about how Governor Shapiro’s proposed education budget would impact individual school districts across Pennsylvania, including both funding increases and potential savings from cyber charter reform.

The fact sheets break down how different school districts would benefit from various components of the Governor’s proposal, including proposed increases in Basic Education Funding (BEF), Special Education Funding (SEF), and supplements for existing adequacy gaps. Additionally, the fact sheets detail potential savings from proposed cyber charter reforms, which could save districts nearly $300 million statewide.

“While Governor Shapiro’s proposed education funding increases are a significant step forward, our updated fact sheets reveal that Pennsylvania’s schools still face an adequacy gap of nearly $4 billion,” said PA Schools Work. “These profiles demonstrate both the progress we’re making and the substantial work that remains to ensure every student, regardless of zip code, has the resources they need to succeed.”

The comprehensive data presented in these fact sheets is particularly timely as districts continue to grapple with rising costs and increasing student needs. The profiles include critical metrics such as the percentage of economically disadvantaged students, English language learners, and students with IEPs, providing important context for understanding each district’s unique needs.

The new school district fact sheets include two pages of comprehensive data:

Page one details how Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal would allocate funds to individual school districts, breaking down increases through various funding streams and showing remaining adequacy gaps where applicable.

Page two provides essential district-specific data, including student demographics, spending per weighted student, median household income, and detailed information about cyber charter school expenditures – particularly relevant given the proposed reforms that could generate significant savings for districts. The fact sheets also track the growth in cyber charter expenditures since 2015-2016, highlighting the increasing financial impact on school districts.

PA Schools Work Fact Sheets are available here.

Detailed source notes and methodology for the fact sheets are available here.