No sooner had Governor Shapiro presented his 2026/27 budget proposal at the beginning of February than senate Republicans criticized the plan as being too expensive.
Among their concerns was a “$900 million increase” for the Department of Education in Shapiro’s budget. Part of this increase comes from $565 million in new money for the 363 underfunded school districts in the state.
State Senator Frank Farry’s reaction to the governor’s proposal echoed the official Republican response, implying that the governor’s budget would somehow take money out of taxpayers’ pockets. In Senator Farry’s words, “I will remain committed to protecting taxpayers, while … ensuring our children have access to a great education…”
This statement harkens back to a response that he gave in 2022 to a question about the top priorities facing his district, when he claimed:
“I want to continue to fight for more money for our local schools so the burden of property taxes can be relieved, and our kids have the resources they need to learn.”
But while Senator Farry’s words have been consistent throughout his tenure in his current seat, his actions have often stood in opposition to those remarks.
Consider the fact that in the past budget cycle, Senator Farry voted twice for senate sponsored budget legislation that included no increases to remedy those 363 underfunded Pennsylvania school districts. Not only did these senate budgets defy the 2023 Commonwealth Court order that declared Pennsylvania’s public school funding system to be unconstitutional, and required the state’s General Assembly, Governor, and education officials to work with the petitioners to ensure that all students have access to a “comprehensive, effective, and contemporary” education; but his senatorial district encompasses two of the most severely underfunded school districts in the state: Bensalem and Bristol Township.
To understand just how substantial the problems are in these school districts, consider the following graph, which compares the Bensalem Township and Bristol Township school districts with the 148 fully funded districts in Pennsylvania.
The PSSA test measures proficiency in English language arts, math, and science in the elementary and middle school grades, while the Keystone exam measures proficiency in algebra, biology, and literature in high school. In each subject, the percentage of students in fully funded school districts who are performing at least proficiently is far greater than the percentages in the underfunded districts.
When presented with these facts, however, the typical Republican response has been that the state is running a fiscal deficit and simply does not have the money for such an investment.
But Republicans have refused to consider procuring significant revenues from alternative tax sources.
Regulating and taxing skill games (though, to be fair, Senate Republicans have proposed taxing skill games at 36%, 18% below Democratic proposals) and legalizing marijuana are just two possibilities. Currently we allow companies to extract coal, oil, and gas free of charge in Pennsylvania. While energy rich states like Utah and Texas have augmented their government surpluses with severance taxes, Pennsylvania politicians are happy to give these assets away for free, even if it means impoverishing the state treasury.
READ: State Senator Steve Santarsiero: How a Bell-to-Bell K-12 Cellphone Ban Bill Took Shape
There is also the uniformity clause in the state constitution – possibly the strictest of its kind in the nation – which prevents wealthier residents of the commonwealth from being taxed at a rate different from the currently low flat tax of 3.07 percent.
So, what comes next. Voters in Sen. Farry’s district – particularly those who live in the Bensalem and Bristol Township school districts – should contact his office and stress that he advocates for adequate funding for underfunded school districts in the state.
You can also assure that the Bensalem and Bristol Township school boards, as well as any PTA’s, HSA’s, and “Friends of “ groups in these districts are doing everything they can to have parents and eligible student voters contact the senator’s office.
There are also videos that you can share with constituents about the senator and the Bensalem and Bristol Township School Districts at the bottom of this page.
Constituents can Senator Farry at:
Capitol Address
351 Main Capitol
Senate Box 203006
Harrisburg, PA 17120-3006
(717) 787-5072
District Address
370 East Maple Avenue
Suite 203
Langhorne, PA 19047
(215) 638-1784
Email: ffarry(at)pasen.gov
