With federal funding making up a relatively small share of overall education funding, it’s state and local funding that cover the bulk of educational expenses in school districts in Pennsylvania. While these daily emails will focus on state education funding over the next several weeks, it’s important to remember that every school district is unique in terms of the amount of state and local funding it receives, and there are numerous—and changing—factors that determine the makeup.
Individual school districts can vary greatly in the amount and magnitude that state and local revenue have in financing a school district's operations. Generally, school districts that receive more in state funding receive less in local funding, and vice versa. Poorer school districts with weaker tax bases generally rely more heavily on state revenue to make up the bulk of their budgets, while wealthier districts with more robust tax bases rely more heavily on local revenue to balance their budgets.
Check out the chart below to view our interactive graph illustrating statewide total state and local revenue to school districts over time.
Check out the map below to see state and local funding per student in each of your school districts.