The landmark Pennsylvania school funding system trial that includes William Penn School District as one of the plaintiffs, finished its first week, writes Maddie Hanna and Kristen A. Graham for The Philadelphia inquirer.

Witnesses provided personal accounts of how school districts were affected by shortfalls created from insufficient finances.

Expert witnesses also testified about state-aid distribution discrepancies that widen the gulf between the Commonwealth’s richest and poorest communities.

Litigators on both sides of the case began by tackling the very definition of public education, its goals, and standards.

The case’s plaintiffs — school districts, educational organizations, and parents from across the state — called Derek Black, a University of South Carolina law professor and an expert in constitutional education clauses.

He testified that Pennsylvania’s constitution mandates a “thorough and efficient” system of education.

Republican legislative leaders, defendants in the case, counter-questioned if that standard had already been met.

The first week also showed that Pennsylvania’s general approach to public education funding is a detached one.

Matthew Kelly, a Penn State education professor, attested to the state’s heavy reliance on local taxes to fund schools. Pennsylvania collects 55 percent of education funding from local sources, which puts it in 45th place among states for the revenue share it contributes to public classroom instruction.

Read more about the Pennsylvania school funding system trial in The Philadelphia Inquirer.