Pennsylvania’s system of funding public K-12 education is at issue in a trial that got underway Friday.

At issue in William Penn School District, et al v. PA Department of Education et al is whether the state is meeting its constitutional requirement to provide a thorough and efficient system of public education.

“This trial is important for children throughout the commonwealth, who are going to finally get the opportunity to tell the story of how they’ve been deprived of the opportunity for an effective education that so many students in well funded districts of the state have an opportunity for,” said Michael Churchill, one of the lawyers representing the school districts.

The case is being brought on behalf of six Pennsylvania school districts including Panther Valley School District. The districts range from rural to suburban and urban districts including Wilkes Barre and Lancaster. They are represented by Churchill’s organization, the Public Interest Law Center, and the Education Law Center.

The respondents named in the case are the governor, education department, the state board of education, and Republican leaders in the house and senate.

The lawyers representing the school districts are asking the courts to order state lawmakers to come up with a more equitable way of funding school education. They also argue that the funding disparity violates the constitution’s equal protection clause.

They point to the fact that the state contributes a smaller share of the overall cost of education than most others. State funding sources provide 38 percent of the overall cost of education in the commonwealth, 45th worst in the country. The national average is 47 percent.

That results in a system where the gap between per-pupil spending in the richest and poorest districts is $4,800 per student.

The schools argue that the inequitable funding is reflected in standardized test scores and graduation rates.

Lawyers for the state lawmakers argue that the state is meeting its constitutional requirements on education, and the districts bringing the suit do not represent the overall state of education in the commonwealth. They say Pennsylvania is actually a leader in funding education ranking seventh in the country in the amount it spends per pupil.

During the pandemic, despite the commonwealth seeing a significant decrease in revenue, lawmakers maintained the funding level for every district in the state.

Over 50 witnesses are expected to be called during the course of the trial, taking approximately 6 to 10 weeks with breaks for the upcoming holidays.

The trial got underway Friday with arguments from lawyers representing both sides. Representing Sen. Jake Corman (R-Centre) , attorney Anthony Holtzman argued that the state is meeting its requirements when it comes to providing an equitable system of education. He noted that charter schools provide an alternative for families who aren’t satisfied with their local school district.

Holtzman said that directly comparing standardized test scores between districts is not as effective as looking at how scores changed for students in a given district over time.

“To understand the relative quality of a school district, these types of measurements must be considered holistically,” Holtzman said. “When these factors are considered, There’s hardly a constitutional crisis at hand.”