The district was created in 1972 from the consolidation of three smaller, local districts (Darby-Colwyn, Lansdowne-Aldan, and Yeadon). [4] The consolidation was one of many mergers mandated by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission during this era to facilitate the racial integration of schools in the Philadelphia area. [5]
Fair Funding Lawsuit
The William Penn School District has faced budgetary shortfalls throughout its history. In 2014, the district partnered with the Public Interest Law Center along with several other school districts, parents, and advocacy groups to file a lawsuit saying that the state's process for funding schools, which relies heavily on local taxes, thereby creating significant per-student funding gaps between wealthy districts and low-wealth ones, is tantamount to discrimination. [6]
In 2023, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that the Pennsylvania General Assembly had created “manifest deficiencies” between high-wealth and low-wealth school districts with “no rational basis” for the funding gaps. The ruling stated that the Pennsylvania Constitution's Education Clause was “clearly, palpably, and plainly violated because of a failure to provide all students with access to a comprehensive, effective, and contemporary system of public education that will give them a meaningful opportunity to succeed academically, socially, and civically.” [7]
In spite of the precedent-setting success of this lawsuit, the state has been slow to provide relief to the district, which has compounded its financial challenges. [8]
