A new Commonwealth Foundation study shows that even with record education spending of $23,061 spent per pupil, many Pennsylvania students aren’t learning. In the Keystone State, education spending from all sources—federal, state and local—reached $38.6 billion in 2023–24.
And Pennsylvania taxpayers are kicking even more for students this year, thanks to a massive $1.1 billion increase in the 2024-25 state budget. State education spending hit an all-time high of $16.8 billion, a 66 percent increase in the last decade.
School districts also expanded their general fund reserves to $7.4 billion, up $557 million from the previous year. In 2023, Auditor General Timothy DeFoor reported that some school districts were misusing their reserves by hiding them in a “shell game” and raising taxes. However, higher spending hasn’t led to higher test scores or improved student achievement.
Read more at Delaware Valley Journal.
