A nonprofit group of business leaders says that adequate and equitable funding through Pennsylvania’s fair funding formula is needed to improve the quality of the state’s labor force.
ReadyNation, a nonpartisan organization that includes about 2,000 business CEOs and other leaders, highlighted statistics in a report released Tuesday to demonstrate that greater funding is needed, especially in poorer districts, to increase the readiness of the workforce.
“The future of Pennsylvania’s economy depends largely on the caliber of our workforce,” the report says. “If we expect to compete and succeed in the global marketplace, we must act now to ensure our employers have the skilled workforce we need.”
The report cited a study from the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry that said only 1 in 5 state employers ranks the labor force as excellent or good.
In addition, the study says, 52 percent of employers said that they have great difficulty recruiting qualified candidates, and 56 percent of employers believe it will be more difficult to recruit qualified candidates in 2021.
The report connects those statistics to Pennsylvania’s academic progress reports, citing the National Assessment of Academic Progress, which shows that only 39 percent of eighth-graders are proficient in reading, as well as 36 percent in math and 33 percent in science.
Proficiency is even lower, the study shows, in students from economically disadvantaged families.
“Pennsylvania’s economy depends on the capability of its workforce,” Stephanie Doliveira, vice president of Human Resources for Sheetz Inc., one of the state’s largest employers, said in a release issued with the report.
“Our current workforce gaps paired with this lack of college or career readiness could have devastating impacts on our state and national economy,” Doliveira said.
In addition, the ReadyNation report covers the debate regarding the state’s fair funding formula. It was signed into law last year, but critics say it has only been applied to a small portion of education funding.
The report uses statistics from the Campaign for Fair Education Funding, which shows that Pennsylvania has the widest per-pupil spending gap between wealthy districts and poorer districts, with wealthier districts spending 33 percent more than poorer districts.
According to an analysis by Citizens for Fair School Funding, an advocacy group, several area districts are grossly underfunded, including the Reading School District.
Reading receives $135.2 million in basic education subsidies when, according to the fair funding formula, the district should be receiving $233.2 million in basic subsidies.
In addition, the Pottstown School District is one of 13 district statewide that receive less than half of the basic education funding it should be getting under the formula, receiving $11.1 million when it should be receiving $24.9 million.
“What’s that mean in one year, let alone 10 years, in terms of the educational opportunities and support built into our system that would be better suited to prepare young people for life after they leave high school?” John Armato, a spokesman for the Pottstown School District, said in a phone interview. “It’s hard to argue those numbers.”
On average, states cover 47 percent of school funding costs, according to the Campaign for Fair School Funding, but Pennsylvania contributes under 37 percent, one of the lowest percentages in the nation.
“This means that low-income communities often struggle to adequately fund their schools because of depressed property values, limiting educational opportunities for students in these communities,” said Wico van Genderen, president and CEO of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce.
Contact Matt Carey: 610-371-5038 or mcarey@readingeagle.com.
