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With no class due to strike, Dallas students filling days with fun

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RailRiders’ Josh Olerud named International League’s top executive

<p>The state Supreme Court is allowing to proceed a lawsuit alleging Pennsylvania is not adequately funding public schools.</p><p>The suit was filed by several parents and six school districts, including Wilkes-Barre Area. &#8220;This is clearly a victory,&#8221; District Solicitor Ray Wendolowski said.</p><p>Known as &#8220;William Penn School District, Et. Al, V. Pennsylvania Dept. of Education, et. al., the suit was filed in 2014 on behalf of parents, school districts, and statewide organizations. It has been spearheaded by the Education Law Center and the Public Interest Law Center. The Wilkes-Barre Area School Board voted in June 2014 to join the suit.</p><p>The basic argument is simple: The state Legislature is failing to meet a constitutional obligation to provide &#8220;a thorough and efficient system of public education,&#8221; known as the &#8220;Education Clause.&#8221;</p><p>Two previous lawsuits filed in 1999 were dismissed &#8220;on the grounds they were not judicially manageable,&#8221; meaning essentially it was a legislative issue, not a judicial one. That was primarily because there were no clear state requirements for schools to meet, so there was no way for a court to decide if they were being met.</p><p>But the new suit argued the state has set very clear mandates for schools to meet, particularly regarding state standardized test results, and that a state study in 2006 determined how much money each district needs to meet those goals.</p><p>In 2015, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court dismissed the new lawsuit, citing the previous court ruling and arguing education funding was not subject to judicial review. The parties involved filed an appeal with the state&#8217;s highest court, which ruled Thursday.</p><p>The Education Law Center and the Public Interest Law Center issued a joint statement noting the ruling ordered the Commonwealth Court &#8220;to hold a trial on whether state officials are violating the state&#8217;s constitution by failing to adequately and equitably fund public education.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;In a sweeping decision, the Court agreed that it has a clear duty to consider the case and ensure legislative compliance with the state&#8217;s Education Clause,&#8221; the statement said.</p><p>Wendolowski said he hadn&#8217;t read the whole ruling, but noted it not only overturned the lower court&#8217;s ruling on this case, but essentially reversed the previous state Supreme Court ruling on the prior, similar cases.</p><p>&#8220;We get the court to consider whether the Commonwealth has adequately funded education,&#8221; Wendolowski said. &#8220;The court deference to the Legislature is no longer there.&#8221;</p><p>Gov. Tom Wolf issued a statement saying the ruling &#8220;presents an opportunity to further assure that students in Pennsylvania have access to a fair education system regardless of their zip code.&#8221;</p><p>Wilkes-Barre Area Superintendent Brian Costello said: &#8220;I couldn&#8217;t agree more with the governor.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wendolowski </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_Wendolowski-Ray.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wendolowski </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

State Supreme Court green-lights funding suit that includes WB Area