Basic Education Funding Commission
Basic Education Funding Commission 2024 Report
2023-24 Basic Education Funding Commission Report – Overview by Co-Chair Mike Sturla
2023-24 Basic Education Funding Commission Report – Overview by Co-Chair Kristin Phillips-Hill
After 13 statewide public heaings, the Basic Education Funding Commission is proud to present it’s report featuring 8 key recommendations:
What is the Basic Education Funding Commission
The official 2023 BEF Commission website can be found here.
I’ve been named to the 2023 Pennsylvania Basic Education Funding (BEF) Commission. The Commission is a bipartisan group of state officials who are tasked with making recommendations about how to improve our system of funding public education.
The work of this Commission is an important part of addressing the Commonwealth Court decision in William Penn School District, et al. v. Pennsylvania Department of Education et al. In that case, Judge Jubelirer found that the General Assembly has failed to meet our constitutional duty to provide a “thorough and efficient system of public education” by both underfunding and unfairly funding public schools across Pennsylvania.
In order to fulfill our constitutional obligation, Pennsylvania public schools must have both adequate and equitable resources – like smaller class sizes, up-to-date textbooks, and safe school buildings – so that every child has a meaningful opportunity to succeed academically, socially, and civically.
History
The original BEF Commission was established in June of 2014. Its recommendations led to the enactment of the current Basic Education Funding Formula in 2015. You can download a copy of the last Commission’s full report, watch its hearings, and learn more about the 2014 Commission on their website.
The Commission was scheduled to reconvene five years later in 2020, but was postponed with a new due date of November 30, 2023 for its next report.
Current Commission Membership
The BEF Commission is made of 15 members— 4 Education Committee chairs, plus 2 additional legislators each from the four General Assembly Caucuses (House Democrats, House Republicans, Senate Republicans, and Senate Democrats), plus 3 members of the Administration.
| BEFC Membership (15 members – 3 from each caucus and 3 from the administration) | |
| May 2023 Commission | |
| Education Chairs * | |
| House Democrat | Rep. Pete Schweyer |
| House Republican | Rep. Jesse Topper |
| Senate Republican | Sen. David Argall |
| Senate Democrat | Sen. Lindsey Williams |
| At-Large (appointed by Speaker and Pro-Tempore in consultation with Caucus leaders) | |
| House Democrat | Rep. Mike Sturla (Co-Chair) |
| House Democrat | Rep. Mary Isaacson |
| House Republican | Rep. Jason Ortitay |
| House Republican | Rep. Ryan Warner |
| Senate Democrat | Sen. Vincent Hughes |
| Senate Democrat | Sen. Nick Miller |
| Senate Republican | Sen. Kristin Philips-Hill (Co-Chair) |
| Senate Republican | Sen. Greg Rothman |
| Administration | |
| PDE Secretary * | Dr. Khalid Mumin (designee Marcus Delgado) |
| PDE Deputy Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education * |
Jeffrey Fuller (designee Angela Fitterer) |
| Gov. appointee from within administration | Natalie Krug (Budget Office) |
| * denotes a designee may serve | |
Basic Education Funding Commission Hearings
The Basic Education Funding Commission held hearings and received testimony on the current system of funding public education and what improvements can be made. At the end of this process, the Commission issued a report with recommendations. The General Assembly will now have to take legislative action to put any or all of these recommendations in place for the students and families of Pennsylvania.
Watch all hearings and view reports and testimony below.
Basic Education Funding Commission – 1/11/24
The Basic Education Funding Commission met to present findings and recommendations.
Final Reports
2023-24 Basic Education Funding Commission Report – Overview by Co-Chair Mike Sturla
2023-24 Basic Education Funding Commission Report – Overview by Co-Chair Kristin Phillips-Hill
Basic Education Funding Commission – 12/14/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission held a public hearing to present a presentation from the Independent Fiscal Office on school surveys.
Basic Education Funding Commission – 11/16/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission met to hear testimonies including discussion about charter schools, student services, early childhood education, and libraries.
Agenda & Testimony - November 2, 2023
Panel of Brick-and-Mortar Charter Schools
- Ryan Schumm, Executive Officer, Charter Choices
- Debi Durso, Member of Philadelphia Charters for Excellence Policy Committee and CEO/Principal of Green Woods Charter School
- Dr. Tina Chekan, CEO, Propel Charter Schools
Panel of Cyber Charter Schools
- Jane Swan, CEO, Reach Cyber Charter School
- Dr. Richard Jensen, CEO, Agora Cyber Charter School
- Mark Allen, CEO, Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School (PALCS)
Panel Three
- Dr. Adam Oldham, LPC, NCSC, High School Counselor, Pennsylvania Coalition of Student Services Associations
- Christi Buker, CAE, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Library Association
- Angela Marks, Founder, Reading Allowed
- Susan DeJarnatt, Professor of Law, Temple University Beasley School of Law (Zoom)
Additional Testimony
Basic Education Funding Commission – 11/9/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission met to hear testimonies that include discussion about school district shared services, statewide population forecasts and the perspectives of teachers.
Agenda & Testimony - November 9, 2023
Panel #1:
- Mr. Aaron Chapin, PSEA President
- Mr. Mark Price, PSEA, Director of School Funding
- Mr. Sidney M. Clark, PCSBA
- Business Manager/Board Secretary for Shanksville-Stonycreek SD;
- Somerset County TCC ChairPerson;
- and Mid-State PASBO Secretary/Treasurer
Panel#2:
Basic Education Funding Commission – 11/2/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission met to hear testimonies that include discussion about how school tax structures affect Pennsylvania businesses and taxpayers.
Agenda & Testimony - November 2, 2023
Alex Halper, Vice President, Government Affairs, PA Chamber of Business and Industry
Nathan Benefield, Senior Vice President, Commonwealth Foundation
The School Property Tax Elimination Working Group
Basic Education Funding Commission – 10/12/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission met to hear testimonies that include perspectives of rural school districts and adequate school funding.
Agenda & Testimony - October 12, 2023
ExcelinEd
Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools (PARSS)
Panel 1
- Dr. Gary Peiffer, Superintendent, Chartiers Houston School District
- Dr. Keith Hartbauer, Superintendent, Brownsville Area School District
- Dr. Donald Martin, Executive Director, Intermediate Unit #1
Panel 2
Basic Education Funding Commission – 10/11/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission met to hear testimonies that include discussion of career and technical education, early childhood, special education, and student services.
Agenda & Testimony - October 11, 2023
Panel One:
- Angela Mike, Executive Director of CTE, Pittsburgh Public Schools
- Dr. Darby Copeland, President of Pennsylvania Association of Career & Technical Administrators and Executive Director of Parkway West
Panel Two:
- Dr. Robert Scherrer, Executive Director, Allegheny Intermediate Unit
- Emily Neff, Director of Public Policy, Trying Together
- Jeni Hergenreder, Esq., Staff Attorney, Disability Rights Pennsylvania
- Dr. Laura Ward, Past-President, Pennsylvania School Librarians Association and Librarian at Fox Chapel Area School District
Basic Education Funding Commission – 10/5/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission met to hear testimonies that will include input from School Directors and educational needs of English Language Learners.
Agenda & Testimony - October 5, 2023
Pennsylvania School Boards Association
AIA PA
Hazleton School District
La Casa Dominicana de Hazleton Inc.
Hazleton Integration Project
- Bob Curry, Co-founder, Hazleton Integration Project
- Rossanna Gabriel, Executive Director, Hazleton Integration Project
Basic Education Funding Commission – 9/28/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission met to hear testimonies including the discussion of trends in basic education funding formula factors.
Agenda & Testimony - September 28, 2023
Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials
Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators
- Dr. Sherri Smith, Executive Director
- Dr. Jay Burkhart, Superintendent, South Western School District
- Dr. Nathan Van Deusen, Superintendent, South Eastern School District
Documents
Basic Education Funding Commission – 9/21/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission met to hear testimonies including the discussion of equity and perspectives of teachers, local school district, and the community.
Agenda & Testimony - September 21, 2023
Panel One
- David Lapp, Director of Policy Research, Research for Action
- Marc Stier, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Policy Center
Panel Two
- Laura Boyce, Pennsylvania Executive Director, Teach Plus
- Kristen Haase, Senior Policy Fellow and SDOL Teacher, Teach Plus
- Dominque Botto, Leader, POWER Interfaith
- Brenda Morales, Leader, POWER Interfaith
- Reverand Dr. Gregory Edwards, Chief of Staff, POWER Interfaith
Panel Three
Basic Education Funding Commission – 9/14/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission met to hear testimonies including the discussion of perspective of local superintendents and teachers and impact of trauma on learning.
Agenda & Testimony - September 14, 2023
Panel One:
- Dr. Tony Watlington, Superintendent, School District of Philadelphia
- Christopher Dormer, Superintendent of Norristown School District
Panel Two:
- Arthur Steinberg, President, American Federation of Teachers-PA
- Jerry Jordan, President, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
- Ashley Cocca, School Counselor, School District of Philadelphia
- Fatoumata Sidibe, Student, William W. Bodine High School
Panel Three:
- Donna Cooper, Executive Director, Children First
- Dr. Joan Duval Flynn, Chairperson, Trauma Informed Education Coalition
- Mary Beth Hays, Director of Philadelphia Healthy and Safe Schools, Temple University
- Dr. Shawn Ginwright, Founder and CEO, Flourish Agenda
Written Testimony Only:
Basic Education Funding Commission – 9/13/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission met to hear testimonies on the Commonwealth Court’s ruling that PA’s school funding system is unconstitutional and how other states are handling school funding.
Agenda & Testimony - September 13, 2023
Basic Education Funding Commission – 9/12/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission met to hear testimonies on a new study regarding adequate school funding, perspective of local superintendents, and school facilities’ environmental impact.
Agenda & Testimony - September 12, 2023
Basic Education Funding Commission – 6/7/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission held a public hearing to review a presentation provided by the PA Department of Education on the basic education funding formula.
Basic Education Funding Commission – 5/10/23
The Basic Education Funding Commission held met to introduce members, elect co-chairs, and Review of BEFC, Pursuant to Section 123 of the Public School Code.
News
State public education funding’s teachable moment
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Court ruling on Pa. education funding puts school infrastructure in spotlight
As residents of Hempfield recently learned, the cost associated with school building projects can easily climb above $100 million. For decades, school administrators could turn to what was known as PlanCon to pursue state funding to help ease the local burden.
Pa. Hasn’t Fixed Its School Funding System, and Educators Are Frustrated
A judge ruled earlier this year that the funding system for K-12 schools in the nation’s fifth most populous state is unconstitutional—but educators are still eagerly awaiting solutions to the funding-related problems they encounter every day at work. In February, a...
Fund with numbers: Basic Education Funding Commission to go on tour
Lawmakers have plenty of work to do when it comes to figuring out just how to fix the state’s now-unconstitutional public school funding system – and that work is set to begin this fall. The state’s Basic Education Funding Commission – a legislative body tasked with...
Additional funding for Pittsburgh’s poorest schools remains in limbo despite Pa. budget sign-off
While most state funding for Pennsylvania’s public schools was made available upon Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget signing last week, some districts with the greatest need have been left to wait for their share of supplemental funding to emerge from ongoing negotiations in...
Documents
2023-24 Basic Education Funding Commission Report – Overview by Co-Chair Mike Sturla
2023-24 Basic Education Funding Commission Report – Overview by Co-Chair Kristin Phillips-Hill