Some school districts in the Philadelphia region face a laundry list of problems, including teacher shortages, gun violence, and aging facilities, requiring more funding from the state, said school superintendents at a Tuesday press conference in Upper Darby.

Superintendents from Upper Darby, Chester Upland, Southeast Delco, and Norristown talked about a looming crisis when federal pandemic funds end in the 2023-25 school year, writes Maddie Hanna for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

In Upper Darby, that money paid for technology, employee retention, mental health support, and summer programs.

“The problem is: what happens when this money goes away?” said Upper Darby Superintendent Dan McGarry. 

Despite a recent Commonwealth Court ruling stating current state school funding system is inequitable and unconstitutional, it’s unclear how the governor and the legislators will address the problem.

Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro has called for another $567 million in basic education funding to Pennsylvania’s 500 districts, a 7.8 percent increase over last year.

The superintendents also called for changes to how charter schools are funded, particularly cyber charters, which are funded by local school districts at the same rate as brick-and-mortar charters.

Read more about school superintendent calls for more immediate funding of their schools in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Pa. State Rep. David Parker talks in 2016 on the House floor about the unfair funding of Pennsylvania schools.