News & Announcements
Basic Education Funding Commission (BESC) and Fair Funding Updates
Share Your Voice and Tune in to BESC Meetings
Lansdowne, PA – September 26, 2023

The Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC) is continuing to hold meetings throughout the state of Pennsylvania, as they review the distribution of state funding for basic education to Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts. They will provide a report of their findings to the General Assembly.

The Commission encourages parents, students, educators, and taxpayers to submit their questions and comments here. We highly encourage our William Penn School District community to take the time to do so. Your voices, experiences, and questions are extremely important.

Here are their upcoming meetings:

  • Thursday, September 28 at 10AM
    South Western School District
    Administration Building
    School Board Room
    225 Bowman Road, Hanover
    News Release
  • October 5 in Hazleton
  • October 11 in Pittsburgh
  • October 12 in Lemont Furnace
  • November 2 in Enola
  • November 9 in Bedford

All meetings are being streamed lived and are recorded. You can watch them here.

September 7th Webinar and Upcoming Meetings
Lansdowne, PA – September 6, 2023

On February 7, 2023, the Commonwealth Court ruled that Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional and must be reformed. This was a historic victory for Pennsylvania’s public schools and public school students, and we are eager to see how the state will move forward with this. We can not wait any longer for public schools in Pennsylvania to receive the funds that are much-needed and deserved.

We wanted to share the actions that are being taken at a state-level as they begin on this work. The 2023 Basic Education Funding Commission is charged with reviewing the distribution of state funding for basic education to Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts and providing a report of its findings to the General Assembly. This is the same body that developed the fair funding formula in 2015; you can view its members here.

The Commission will hold a series of hearings throughout the State. At this point, there is not a plan for public comment. If and when we receive information about the exact locations and if they are open to the public or online viewing options, we will link that below.

  • September 12 in Allentown
  • September 13 in Harrisburg
  • September 14 in Philadelphia
  • September 21 in Lancaster
  • September 28 in Hanover
  • October 5 in Hazleton
  • October 11 in Pittsburgh
  • October 12 in Lemont Furnace
  • November 2 in Enola
  • November 9 in Bedford

In addition, community members are invited to attend a webinar on September 7th entitled “Your Role in Fixing Pennsylvania’s Unconstitutional Education Funding System”. Join PA Schools Work and partners to talk about how the Basic Education Funding Commission can change the game for Pennsylvania public schools — and how you can play an important part in fixing our public education funding problem in the Commonwealth. This will be a great opportunity to get involved (or stay involved) with this important efforts.

We will share updates on our website under News and Announcements as we receive them. It is important that we all stay up-to-date about the progress of this Commission. Winning the court case was half the battle. Now, we must continue to join together and ensure that this important work is done.