February 7, 2023
PHILADELPHIA-- "Today's victory is years in the making, and in many ways a culmination of our fight for equitably funded public education-- and in many ways just a beginning. I am beyond elated that the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania recognized what we have said for decades: Pennsylvania's system of funding public education fails to meet its constitutional requirement to provide every child in our Commonwealth with a thorough and efficient system of public education.
"I offer my deep gratitude to the brave plaintiffs and their attorneys who put forth an irrefutable case-- a case rooted in the deep inhumanity of decades of disinvestment in our young people and communities. The work of Public Interest Law Center and Education Law Center PA is unparalleled.
"The PFT has long supported this case, and filed two amicus briefs, because we have long fought for the fundamental values it lays out. Philadelphia’s schoolchildren, like every child in the Commonwealth, need and deserve every opportunity to thrive. But for far too long our students have been shortchanged. Black and brown children, and children experiencing poverty, have gone without the resources that are considered a 'given' in wealthier, whiter communities.
"Today is an enormous victory, and it's a new day. One that can, and must, completely shift the system of funding our public schools.
"Our children deserve nothing less."
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