To The Editor [Main Line Times], from Melissa Gilbert, Lower Merion School Board President
We were honored to welcome State Senator Hughes last week in his effort to highlight the funding discrepancy for public education in Pennsylvania. The Senator marched from Overbrook High School to Lower Merion High School – just four miles apart on a map but worlds away in terms of resources. The Lower Merion School Board agrees that a child’s zip code shouldn’t determine the quality of education they receive. In April, the Board passed a resolution that urged “the General Assembly to take legislative action for public education by increasing basic education funding through the state’s fair funding formula; ensuring sufficient resources for special education and career and technical education; and generating the necessary revenues through sustainable, recurring funding sources.”
The Lower Merion School Board agrees that a child’s zip code shouldn’t determine the quality of education they receive.
The Lower Merion School District (LMSD) is very fortunate that the support of the residents of Lower Merion and Narberth ensures we have the resources to provide a high-quality education for our children, despite state mandates, state-required pension contributions, and Act I fiscal constraints. Our students have highly skilled teachers, counselors, and nurses, as well as a rich curricular and co-curricular experience, and we are able to able to maintain our buildings and grounds. Expenses for capital maintenance, like a new roof on a school, are considerable—over 4.4 million this year. But as Sen. Hughes points out, such expenses are vital to providing a 21st century education. They also save taxpayers money over the long term by preventing bigger problems from developing. Most importantly, well-maintained facilities tell our children that they matter to us.
In April, the Board passed a resolution that urged “the General Assembly to take legislative action for public education by increasing basic education funding through the state’s fair funding formula; ensuring sufficient resources for special education and career and technical education; and generating the necessary revenues through sustainable, recurring funding sources.”
Our neighbors in Philadelphia love their children as much as we do and they, too, want their children to get the education they need for a bright future. The administrators and teachers in Philadelphia, like those in LMSD, want to provide an excellent education for their students and are working hard to do so. But they just don’t have the resources that they need. Our legislators in Harrisburg must ensure that education funding is fair and equitable, because all of our children deserve better. We are grateful for the support of public education in Lower Merion and Narberth. We join Sen. Hughes as he brings attention to education funding inequality and hope the LMSD community will join with our neighbors in Philadelphia in calling for action.