Public Media for Central Pennsylvania
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Wolf Plan For $200 Million In Pa. Education Funds Creates Winners And Losers, GOP Charges

Lindsay Lazarski
/
WHYY

 

The fight in Harrisburg over how $200 million in new Pennsylvania education aid should be divided continues.

Although Gov. Tom Wolf allowed the state budget to become law in late March, he vetoed the fiscal code that, in part, served as a roadmap for how new education funding would be distributed.

As passed by lawmakers, the fiscal code directed all new education money through a student-weighted funding formula, as recommended by a bipartisan commission.

Wolf argues that districts disproportionately hurt by cuts that occurred under former Gov. Tom Corbett should be made whole before adopting the new formula.

"Right now, only 4 percent of districts across the state have seen their funding restored to 2010-11 levels, and we're over $370 million short of fully restoring the cuts," said Wolf spokesman Jeff Sheridan.

Spreadsheets and details of Wolf's plan can be viewed here.

Republican leaders say Wolf's unilateral action is illegal, and they are contemplating a lawsuit.

Read the full version of this reportat Keystone Crossroads' websiteKeystone Crossroads is a new statewide public media initiative reporting on the challenges facing Pennsylvania's cities. WPSU is a participating station.

Kevin McCorry reports predominantly on education for the Keystone Crossroads project.