Major schools ruling in Pa. can’t guarantee more funding

By MARC LEVY
Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania is now the latest state where a judge has found the public school funding system to be unconstitutional. But the experience of other states suggests there’s no guarantee of swift, significant or longstanding change for poorer school districts. Scholars who have studied school funding litigation in dozens of states say there may be many more steps to come. Joshua Weishart is a West Virginia University law professor who specializes in education rights. He says lawmakers usually don’t approve enough funding to be fully compliant with judicial orders. The cases also can be complicated by economic, political and other factors. And courts can tire of trying to force compliance.