Pennsylvania is not adequately funding public education and it’s violating its constitution, states Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who also happens to be the Democratic candidate for governor and from Abington, Montgomery County, writes Maddie Hanna for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

His statement comes from a court filing filed Monday endorsing a landmark school funding lawsuit filed by William Penn School District and other districts, parents and state organizations.

 “Despite the best efforts of the Commonwealth’s dedicated teachers and administrators, many Pennsylvania schools are not able to provide the level of education required by the Constitution — not for lack of trying, but for lack of adequate funding,” Shapiro said.

The school funding lawsuit claims that Pennsylvania’s education funding approach is inadequate and inequitable and that it violates the state constitution’s guarantee of a public education.

The three-month trial had closing arguments in March. Those defending the state argued the state already spends more than most states on public schools and that it’s up to the legislators, not the courts, to figure out how much money to allocate.

Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer is expected to rule on the case in several months.  

Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer about AG Shapiro weighing in on a school funding lawsuit.

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Advocates for the lawsuit gathered at a virtual rally to talk about why state school funding change is needed.