I could not help but be fascinated by the juxtaposition of two local school districts last week.
In fact, I decided to write an editorial based on the "tale of two school districts."
That would be William Penn here in Delco, and Lower Merion.
The folks at William Penn were part of a rally before they and other plaintiffs got a chance to make their argument that Pennsylvania's system of funding public education was unconstitutional, creating a patently unfair, unlevel playing field in which a lot of kids in struggling districts such as William Penn are penalized for no other reason than their zip code.
How stark is the difference between the two districts? Just a few miles away, Lower Merion School Board members were meeting the public for the first time since they were excoriate by a Montgomery County judge who agreed with local lawyer Arthur Wolk, who sued the district, saying they basically had been cooking the books and being dishonest in seeking tax hikes for years when they actually were amassing large surpluses.
Obviously, the school board members don't see it that way, and they took their argument to the public. Many members of the public actually agree with the board, saying they are willing to pay the extra taxes to keep the level of education in Lower Merion at the standard to which they have become accustomed.
Sadly, the folks in William Penn don't have that choice.
I can admit to having a soft spot in my heart for everyone in William Penn, from school board members, to educators, to students and families. There is no nothing fair about what is happening to them.
I hope they get a chance to prove it in court.
You can read the editorial here.
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