Stephen Herzenberg: Pa. must invest in career-related learning for high school students
This week, the state’s Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC) will meet in Pittsburgh to gather testimony from educators and education advocates on the state of public education in Pennsylvania. Considering the Commonwealth Court’s ruling this year declaring the...
Bill to Rename Part of Lehigh Street After the Late Chief Christopher Kiskeravage Approved by Senate
Harrisburg, PA − October 4, 2023 – Senate Bill 621, which would rename part of Lehigh Street in front of the Allentown Fire Training Academy after their late Chief Christopher Kiskeravage, was approved by the Senate today, Sen. Nick Miller (D-Lehigh/Northampton)...
Education equity still dividing policymakers
(The Center Square) – For more than a decade, policymakers in Harrisburg – and the circle of education influencers that they attract – have struggled to define equity for public school students. Now, with a court mandate baring down, the state must reimagine the free...
A Check-In After Sen. Miller’s First Nine Months in Office
Op-Ed By Senator Nick Miller
The Lehigh Valley is stronger when we work together. By building consensus, we collaborate to make strategies that lead the community to continued success. As your state senator, I am committed to doing that, prioritizing investing in education, economic development, and community safety.
Letter: BEFC must meet the moment
Pennsylvania is at a public education crossroads. Following the ruling of the Commonwealth Court earlier this year that labeled the state’s system of funding public education unconstitutional, the Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC) is holding several hearings...
Sens. Miller, Boscola Secure Over $2.6 Million in Funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency for Lehigh and Northampton Counties
September 21, 2023 – Sens. Nick Miller (D-Lehigh/Northampton) and Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton County) today announced more than $2.6 million in state funding to local organizations in Lehigh and Northampton counties from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and...
Local Food Bank to Receive More Than $40,000 Via Grant
September 19, 2023 – The Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast PA in East Allen Township will be receiving $40,330 to expand emergency food access, Sen. Nick Miller (D-Lehigh/Northampton) announced today. “Families in our community should not be...
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission to Receive Up to $1 Million in PennDOT Funding for U.S. State Route 22 Study
September 19, 2023 – Sen. Nick Miller (D-Lehigh/Northampton) today announced that he secured up to $1 million in PennDOT funding for the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission for an update on the U.S. State Route 22 corridor study. “State Route 22 has long been a...
Lawmakers grapple with fixing Pa.’s unconstitutional school funding system
Months after a landmark court decision found Pennsylvania’s public school funding system unconstitutional, a commission tasked with resolving statewide disparities held its first series of hearings this week. The hearings kick off a process that could affect...
Panel launches hearings on revamping Pennsylvania school funding system
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Fixing Pennsylvania’s school funding system is the mission of a panel that has begun a series of 10 hearings across the state. The 15-member Basic Education Funding Commission is gathering input on making K-12 school funding more...
Six takeaways from the first week of hearings to change Pa.’s school funding system
Pennsylvania lawmakers kicked off their hearings this week on how to change the state’s unconstitutional school funding system, and the scope of the challenge was on display: both in terms of dollars and how to distribute them, and the urgency of the needs facing...
Pennsylvania’s school funding commission starts work on a new funding formula
On the heat-soaked steps of the Philadelphia School District building Thursday, education advocates, teachers, and elected officials sought help for city students forced to learn in underfunded schools. “Children are in crisis,” said Maritza Guridy, deputy director of...
Pa. lawmakers on the clock to get new school funding system in place
Education advocates behind the lawsuit that declared Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional put lawmakers on notice on Wednesday that they expect a “reasonable timeline” for the full implementation of a formula that is fair and equitable. “If it’s not a...
Study: Pennsylvania public schools underfunded by $6.2 billion
Pennsylvania needs to increase its investment in public schools by $6.2 billion to help students meet graduation rate goals and proficiency on state exams, according to a school finance expert. Penn State assistant professor Matthew Kelly told a panel of policymakers...
Lawmakers were told Pa. schools need an extra $6.2 billion, on the first day of school funding hearings
Pennsylvania school districts need an additional $6.2 billion to adequately educate students, according to a new analysis presented to lawmakers Tuesday. The analysis by Matthew Kelly, the Penn State professor who served as an expert witness for plaintiffs in the...
Pennsylvania lawmakers push for fair school funding
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — State courts have ruled that Pennsylvania unfairly and unconstitutionally funds its public schools. Lawmakers formed the Fair Funding Commission to come up with a fix, starting with testimony on Tuesday in Allentown. Poorer districts like...
Pa. public schools underfunded by $6.2 billion, study finds
Pennsylvania needs to increase its investment in public schools by $6.2 billion to help students meet graduation rate goals and proficiency on state exams, according to a school finance expert. Penn State assistant professor Matthew Kelly told a panel of policymakers...
How will Pa. fix its unconstitutional school funding system? Lawmakers are starting to look for answers
After a landmark trial led a Commonwealth Court judge in February to declare Pennsylvania’s school funding unconstitutional, lawmakers are confronting the next big question: how to fix it. Starting Tuesday, a series of hearings will be held across the state, with...
At Allentown hearing, Lehigh Valley superintendents say local schools facing dire straits. $6.2 billion might be needed to fix problem across Pa.
A commission looking for solutions to make state funding of public education more equitable met for the first time Tuesday in Allentown, where experts and Lehigh Valley superintendents testified about the dire financial straits local school districts find themselves...Sen. Miller Tours Local Blighted Properties, Talks Revitalization with DCED Deputy Secretary Vilello
Lawmakers hear from parents, school leaders on school choice policies
State lawmakers heard from Philadelphia parents and school leaders during a Senate Education Committee hearing on Monday, and while the hearing largely centered around school choice programs, it also foreshadowed broader conversations around school funding that will...
Work begins on finding a Pa. school funding formula that passes constitutional muster
Work gets underway this week on crafting a funding formula for Pennsylvania’s public schools that addresses shortcomings in the current funding system that the courts found to be unconstitutional. The 15-member Basic Education Funding Commission will begin a...
Pa. school funding is ‘unconstitutional.’ Here are four steps to fix it.
As Pennsylvania students return to school this fall, they’ll be greeted by teachers trying their best to provide excellent learning opportunities in a state public education system that has been ruled unconstitutional. What many parents, citizens, and advocates don’t...