Authorizing the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Education to hold hearings to examine the impacts of the recent court decision declaring the formula for funding primary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth unconstitutional as the current formula creates have and have nots among students.

WHEREAS; The Philadelphia School District has historically been underfunded, compared to wealthier neighboring school districts, resulting in a constant struggles for basic supplies and staffing, and

WHEREAS; Philadelphia City Council has stepped up to fill in as much of the gap as it can, at this point covering almost exactly as much of the School District budget as the Commonwealth does, and

WHEREAS; As one of the poorest big cities in America, Philadelphia can not fully fund the School District to the level that is needed to help pull Philadelphia’s children out of a cycle of poverty and disinvestment, leading to more poverty and crime; and

WHEREAS; The Commonwealth has been found to have an affirmative responsibility to provide adequate funding levels to meet students basic educational needs; and

WHEREAS; This moment calls for stakeholders, experts and community members to come together to define what a basic education for Philadelphia students should look like, and what that education actually costs; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Education hold hearings to examine the impacts of the recent court decision declaring the formula for funding primary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth unconstitutional as the current formula creates have and have nots among students.

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