At a press event in Philadelphia earlier this month, Governor Tom Wolf declared his support for sending all Basic Education funding through the Basic Education Funding Formula that, when enacted, was only intended to be used for newly appropriated education dollars.
See More: Gov. Wolf Calls for Drastic School Funding Shake-up
Senator Pat Stefano released the following statement on this proposal:
“Governor Wolf’s new plan for distributing education funding would have a devastating effect on the School Districts of my district. This is another example of Governor Wolf pandering to Philadelphia at the expense of rural Pennsylvania communities like ours. I will fight, with every fiber of my being, Governor Wolf’s disastrous proposal.
All Pennsylvanians, no matter their zip code, deserve a high quality education. Governor Wolf’s proposal would doom our children and all of rural Pennsylvania, to substandard educational opportunities.
While his staff has tried to explain away the Governor Wolf’s emphatic endorsement of this wrongheaded idea, they have left the idea very much on the table. Governor Wolf’s legislative allies have rushed to introduce legislation to implement his proposal.
Governor Wolf should pledge right now to not pursue this shortsighted proposal in any way, over any period of time.”
This proposal would have the following impacts on School Districts in the 32nd Senatorial District:
| School District | Losses Under Wolf Proposal | Total State 2018-19 Funding |
State Funding Cut Percentage |
| Fayette County Totals | $35,608,966 | $104,403,435 | 34.11% |
| Albert Gallatin Area | $8,697,844 | $23,892,476 | 36.40% |
| Brownsville Area | $3,488,963 | $12,444,511 | 28.04% |
| Connellsville Area | $12,092,963 | $30,777,578 | 39.29% |
| Frazier | $4,020,999 | $6,954,493 | 57.82% |
| Laurel Highlands | $2,955,759 | $14,297,028 | 20.67% |
| Uniontown Area | $4,352,717 | $16,037,349 | 27.14% |
| Somerset County Totals | $28,021,813 | $57,238,063 | 48.96% |
| Berlin Brothervalley | $2,797,681 | $5,234,285 | 53.45% |
| Conemaugh Township Area | $4,656,376 | $6,776,270 | 68.72% |
| Meyersdale Area | $5,060,332 | $7,299,224 | 69.33% |
| North Star | $4,013,267 | $7,690,437 | 52.19% |
| Rockwood Area | $1,166,978 | $3,439,463 | 33.93% |
| Salisbury Elk-Lick | $1,239,231 | $1,991,607 | 62.22% |
| Shade Central City | $2,257,867 | $3,993,131 | 56.54% |
| Shanksville-Stonycreek | $422,816 | $1,588,848 | 26.61% |
| Somerset Area | $859,184 | $8,113,558 | 10.59% |
| Turkeyfoot Valley Area | $670,756 | $2,362,378 | 28.39% |
| Windber Area | $4,877,325 | $8,748,862 | 55.75% |
| Westmoreland County 32nd District Funding Losses |
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| Belle Vernon Area | $4,615,895 | $9,761,483 | 47.29% |
| Monessen City | $1,812,954 | $6,233,596 | 29.08% |
| Mount Pleasant Area | $3,937,610 | $9,132,380 | 43.12% |
| Southmoreland | $4,591,952 | $9,728,364 | 47.20% |
| Yough | $4,275,329 | $9,892,599 | 43.22% |
Benjamen Wren
Chief of Staff
Office of Senator Pat Stefano
Pennsylvania’s 32nd Senatorial District
www.senatorstefano.com