THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY PICCOLA, DINNIMAN, BROWNE, M. WHITE, TOMLINSON, FOLMER, ARGALL, WARD, ERICKSON, PILEGGI, GORDNER, BOSCOLA, STACK, WAUGH, RAFFERTY AND EARLL, FEBRUARY 8, 2010

REFERRED TO EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 8, 2010  

A RESOLUTION

Directing the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a

study of efficiency in public school funding and directing

the State Board of Education to provide documents and

assistance to the Joint State Government Commission in its

conduct of this study.

WHEREAS, The General Assembly authorized a Statewide costing-

out study for public education funding under Act 114 of 2006;

and

WHEREAS, The State Board of Education was delegated the

authority to hire a consultant to perform this study; and

WHEREAS, The State Board of Education contracted with

Augenblick, Palaich and Associates (APA) of Denver, Colorado, to

conduct the study; and

WHEREAS, This study's legislative intent was to examine

issues of adequacy and equity in public school funding and to

determine the basic cost per pupil to provide an education that

will permit a student to meet the Commonwealth's academic

standards and assessments; and

WHEREAS, Act 114 specifically requires the study to examine

"exemplary school districts that are high-performing and low-

spending school districts," but Act 114 does not explicitly

mandate other methodologies to be applied in the study; and

WHEREAS, The study conducted by APA subsequently used three

methodologies: a "Successful Schools" approach that was

consistent with the explicit requirements of Act 114, but also

two additional methodologies referred to as "Professional

Judgment" panels and "Evidence-Based" research that were not

required under law; and

WHEREAS, The final report issued to the Commonwealth by APA

used a combination of all three of these methodologies to

recommend specific dollar amounts for the basic cost per pupil,

plus additional weights and other modifications that increase

the basic cost per pupil; and

WHEREAS, The final report does not provide any indication as

to how the three methodologies were combined or compared against

one another, nor does it provide any other information detailing

how the specific recommended numbers in its findings were

actually calculated in the study; and

WHEREAS, Both the State Board of Education and APA testified

to the Education Committee of the Senate on December 8, 2009,

that the specific methodology applied to derive the final

funding recommendation cannot be disclosed to the General

Assembly because APA believes it is proprietary information; and

WHEREAS, The results of this study call for an additional

target of $4.61 billion annually of taxpayer funds for public

school funding, or a 26.8% increase, but APA testified that it

cannot provide the quantitative numbers used to justify this

target; and

WHEREAS, The "Successful Schools" approach used by APA in the

study was the only methodology that was explicitly authorized in

Act 114 because it focused on high-performing and low-spending

school districts; and

WHEREAS, The Commonwealth should focus its attention toward

the most efficient use of the dollars already available for

public schools; and

WHEREAS, The Commonwealth should build upon the work already

conducted in the original costing-out study by examining the

schools identified in the report under the "Successful Schools"

methodology to learn their best practices and other factors that

have resulted in their identification as a high-performing, low-

spending school district; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate direct the Joint State Government

Commission to conduct a study of the 82 school districts found

to be successful schools in the APA costing-out study and to

issue a report to the chairman of the Education Committee of the

Senate of their best practices and other factors that are

believed to help contribute to this recognized efficiency and

success; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Senate direct the State Board of Education

to cooperate fully with the Joint State Government Commission in

providing documentation from the original costing-out study and

other assistance as the Joint State Government Commission

requests; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the report from the Joint State Government

Commission be submitted to the chairman of the Education

Committee of the Senate no later than November 1, 2010; and be

it further

RESOLVED, That the final report serve as the basis for future

deliberations by the Senate on the Commonwealth's basic

education funding levels and components.