May 6, 2026
A note to all our Pennsylvanians for Fair Funding Advocates-
We just wanted to take a moment to touch base about this year’s budget, give a status update on Pennsylvanians for Fair Funding, and offer a few resources.
The Pennsylvania budget season is well underway. As you have likely seen, Governor Shapiro proposed that the legislature move forward with the third year’s installment of fair funding for PA schools in the form of adequacy and equity payments, as they have in the last 2 years.
We are still in the early stages of fair funding progress, and we know that this funding doesn’t close decades-old gaps in just a couple years. HOWEVER, this progress has been foundational- because it is setting the precedent and expectation that PA students DO deserve adequate, equitable funding, no matter their zip code. This funding, broadly in line with the Basic Education Funding Commission’s recommendations, starts to make good on the state’s constitutional (and court-mandated) obligation to its students.
In many cases, these funds have helped Pennsylvania’s most under-resourced schools maintain and even expand important programs. And at the very least, this funding has helped school districts mitigate some of the burden of rising costs.
So much progress still needs to be made, but we are on the right track.
And that is thanks to people all around PA doing their part- from the lawyers, communications folks, lawmakers intent on doing their jobs, faith leaders, parents, teachers, administrators, staff, and the students themselves. Each person who raised their voice has helped to set Pennsylvania on a better path.
We at Pennsylvanians for Fair Funding are so glad to have played our part. As an all-volunteer organization that came together in the early weeks of the pandemic, we’ve worked to advocate for our students.
We held workshops to educate people on the inequities in our schools.
We ran a statewide student art contest to highlight the impact of underfunding on our students.
We spoke at and coordinated groups for rallies at the Capitol.
We wrote numerous op-eds and circulated open letters.
We got the message out with our popular ‘PA Student Deserve Fair Funding’ t-shirts and stickers.
We met with lawmakers and policy makers around the state.
We put together an incredibly creative, coordinated, and effective direct-advocacy campaign (Fair Funding Flood!).
We used social media and our website to spread the message.
We partnered with other advocacy groups to amplify our voices.
In the past couple of years, Pennsylvanians for Fair Funding has been less active- you may notice there have been fewer emails and calls to action. This is largely due to our sense that our particular role in this effort is complete. It is also due to an issue that many all-volunteer organizations face- lack of time and energy!
That being said, while we recognize that there still may be occasions in the future where we will reach out with an urgent update or action item, we also want to connect you with a few other important advocacy groups should you wish to become more involved in education funding efforts via these organizations.
Education Voters: WELCOME – Education Voters PA
Power Interfaith: Education – POWER Interfaith
Children First: Education – Children First
PA Schools Work: PA Schools Work | INVEST IN STUDENTS, SECURE OUR FUTURE
In addition, we encourage you to reach out to your own state Representative and Senator regularly to advocate for strong, fairly funded public schools. As always, you can find your lawmaker’s contact info here: Find My Legislator – The Official Website of the Pennsylvania General Assembly
Thank you to each leader and advocate who used their time, energy, and talent to organize and amplify our collective voice on behalf of Pennsylvania students- it made a difference!
With Gratitude,
The Pennsylvanians for Fair Funding Leadership Team