6-25-21
PHILADELPHIA—This afternoon, PFT President Jerry Jordan issued an updated legislative memo in response to the woefully inadequate "School Code" bill under consideration in Harrisburg.
President Jordan wrote, in part, "The PFT is deeply disappointed and concerned about the myriad failures in the current school code bill (SB381 A02135). This bill is, quite simply, shameful."
Jordan identified the fact that this this bill "does nothing substantive to increase education funding" and is "woefully inadequate and breathtakingly immoral." A $200M funding increase, with an additional $100M 'level up' funding nowhere approaches Governor Wolf's proposed more than $1B in education funding.
Jordan continued, "It is shameful that time and again, the deeply racist funding system that shortchanges predominantly Black and brown students, is continually perpetuated by the legislature’s failure to act."
Jordan outlined the profound failures of this legislation, including a $40M voucher expansion and the refusal to run all education funding through the fair funding formula. Jordan concluded, "I urge every elected official to roundly reject this disgraceful piece of legislation and instead work to implement a real, meaningful investment agenda that our young people need, deserve, and to which they are constitutionally entitled."
###