There's no getting around it: school funding matters. In a new op-ed and analysis, our attorney Michael Churchill looks at the relationship between actual instructional spending, taking into account student needs, and academic achievement. The state median for actual instructional spending is $9,148 per weighted student. Michael finds that every time total spending increases by $1,000, the percentage of high-performing school districts increases. Every time this spending decreases, academic achievement decreases as well. 

Michael found that 51.8% of school districts who spend above the state median are high achieving, with more of their students scoring proficient or above than the statewide median on all three PSSA state exams. Only 24.1% of districts spending below the median reach this mark.

"Let's hope that this is the year when Pennsylvania makes real progress toward closing the worst opportunity gap in the nation," Michael writes. "Today's children can't wait, and shouldn't have to wait, for full education funding to become a reality." Read Michael's op-ed in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

We are very excited to welcome Dena Driscoll to our team as Director of Development and Communications!

Dena will create and execute a comprehensive annual development plan to raise money from foundations and individual donors. She will also direct our communications efforts and work to strengthen our visibility through strategic programming and outreach.

Over the past ten years Dena has held leadership and fundraising positions at several nonprofits in the city of Philadelphia including Neighborhood Bike Works, Smith Memorial Playground, Elferth's Alley, and Bartram's Garden. Her background has given her a unique perspective of how public space, history, and education can meet for modern use. Help us welcome Dena by liking her post on LinkedIn!

"Hello, my name is ____ and I'm a constituent of Rep. _____'s. I'm calling to encourage Representative ___ to vote NO on House Bill 33, a bill that is currently making its way through the PA House.

HB 33 would eliminate General Assistance, a small targeted program that provides about $200 per month for individuals who are disabled, in treatment for substance use disorder, or escaping domestic violence. It is often the difference between someone being able to pay rent and wash clothes, or ending up in a more costly shelter or hospital.  Thousands of vulnerable Pennsylvanians rely on this assistance to get back on their feet.  Please encourage Representative ___ to vote NO on HB 33."

Mira Baylson

Donald Perelman

We are please to welcome two new members to our Board of Directors, Mira Baylson and Donald Perelman. Help us welcome them by liking their post on LinkedIn! 

Mira Baylson is Counsel at Akin Gump. She focuses on white collar defense and complex commercial litigation. Mira served as co-counsel in our class action challenge to the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center's visitation policy for pre-trial detainees, one of the strictest in the country, which prevented many detainees from seeing their children.

Donald Perelman is a member of Fine, Kaplan and Black, R.P.C. He has extensive experience in antitrust, class action and other complex litigation, and was named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer by Philadelphia Magazine.

To celebrate our 50th anniversary, we will look back throughout the year on past cases that help form the foundation of our work today.

In 1974, we filed a class-action lawsuit, Halderman v. Pennhurst, on behalf of residents of Pennhurst State School and Hospital. Pennhurst was a large institution where the State of Pennsylvania warehoused and segregated thousands of people with developmental disabilities. Residents were often needlessly restrained, denied educational services, and abused by staff in prison-like conditions. We sought to transition Pennhurst residents from an isolated institutional setting to integrated educational and care services in their communities. After nearly a decade of litigation, and three appearances in the United States Supreme Court, we reached a settlement to close the facility in 1986.

 

The case was a catalyst of the movement for community-based services for people with disabilities. We filed similar class action lawsuits across the country over a period of nearly 40 years. Because of this movement, the resident population of large institutions like Pennhurst declined from 200,000 in 1967 to 33,000 in 2009. Many thousands of people are now able to fully contribute to and experience community life, and their experiences belie the prejudiced notions about people with developmental disabilities that fueled institutionalization and abuse.