With the release of an independent costing-out study, Pennsylvanians now know the extent to which their childrens' schools are under funded.

The results of the study, released on November 14, 2007, indicate that 474 of Pennsylvania's 501 school districts are operating below adequacy levels and are under funded by nearly $4.7 billion.

The Pennsylvania Education Funding Reform Campaign, with support from the William Penn Foundation, is playing an important role in the fight for a more equitable school funding formula in Pennsylvania. The campaign, led by the Education Law Center, the Education Policy and Leadership Center, and Good Schools Pennsylvania, scored a major win last year when the legislature agreed to commission the study to establish the true cost of providing a quality education to every child in the commonwealth.

In other states that have reformed their funding systems, costing-out studies such as this one have helped to lay the groundwork for fundamental change.

To be sure, there is much work to be done, but today, there are more concrete numbers available for policymakers and the public to better understand and act upon a major impediment to the educational success of Pennsylvania's children.

The Department of Education's web site includes the costing-out study as Full Text or Summary.

Background information on the costing-out study and Pennsylvania's school funding crisis is available here.