'These kids are worth it:' Scranton students rally for fair state funding

Sarah Hofius Hall, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 13—SCRANTON — Kymora Trent wants to go on a field trip.

Julee Powers wants air conditioning on the days it hits 90 degrees in her classrooms and lockers that work.

Aaron McCloe wants a regulation basketball court so his team can play home games.

Geneva Tulenan would like to learn a foreign language other than Spanish.

Standing in the warm sunlight on the steps at Northeast Intermediate School on Thursday, the eighth graders spoke about the impact more funding would have on the Scranton School District. Rally organizer and teacher Holly Meade called the event "53 Reasons to Act Now" for the $53 million the district is underfunded by the state as of last year.

"All of these things matter," said Tulenan, 13. "But the question is, is it going to change?"

Meade, a longtime advocate for fair funding statewide, talks about the topic with her English classes. When students wrote argumentative essays, many detailed reasons Scranton schools need more funding.

The landmark Commonwealth Court decision in February found the state's funding system unconstitutional. The plaintiffs' lawyers presented evidence during the trial that showed the state underfunds districts by $4.6 billion annually. Scranton would see about $7.3 million more under Gov. Josh Shapiro's budget proposed last month.

The spending plan includes $567 million more for basic education funding and $104 million for special education funding — far less than the $2 billion advocates hoped to see in his first budget.

The rally included a small audience with several Scranton school directors in attendance, who applauded the students for their advocacy and honesty.

The students said they wanted their related arts classes, such as foreign language, physical education, art and music, for longer than 30-day blocks. The teens also wanted more substitute teachers, more access to the library, textbooks that don't fall apart and music instruments that aren't broken.

"Sometimes you hear a lot from adults, and it's really nice to hear from kids instead," Meade said. "Our district needs the funding so desperately. These kids are worth it. They deserve every advantage, and the best thing we can give them is a good education, and the way they get that is with more funding."

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter.