The Education Law Center, Good Schools Pennsylvania (GSPA), and the Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC) are leading The Pennsylvania Education Funding Reform Campaign. This campaign will advocate for a state finance system that provides all children with the resources needed for an excellent public education. The results could lead to significant legislative changes in the inequitable funding formula the state uses now. First Person is pleased to support this effort by participating in the Campaign’s Share Your Stories effort.
Diane Dantzler (left): Joining the PIAA, we had the chance to play at Bensalem [a suburban school outside of Philadelphia.] That was like a college stadium to us, seeing as how we practice on a field that is half the size and is covered with dog feces. This is the first time the scoreboard is working all season. I’m a crossing guard in Philadelphia, and we are not funded at all. I am here every game, but its hard keeping [the kids’] morale up.
Conchetta Logan (right): I’ve written to the School District about the field [and other things], but I haven’t heard anything. These are the kids who want to do good things in terms of college, but they can’t get nothing.
Steve: My name is Steven Parr III. I am 18 and a recent graduate of Benjamin Franklin High School. I now attend the Community College of Philadelphia. I played football all four of the years I was in high school, and I always believed that my school was one of the more privileged schools in terms of funding in athletics. But that all changed when we had a game against Bensalem high school my junior year. We were excited to even have them on our roster because we had never played a “suburban” school. On the ride up we knew we were close because we started seeing less and less highway and more trees. We saw the high school and looked to our left and see the practice field. We have to walk about 10 blocks to our practice field, which is at a recreation center and only has about 60 yard of ground available. Then we get to their stadium, which is reminiscent of Franklin Field. Their home section has a built in concession stands, seats like 500 easy and has the pitted entrance/exit for the players of home and away. For us it was like staring at the Coliseum. We share a field with our rival high school. Our school is about 20 miles away from our “HOME” field. To make a long story short we were close at the half, but somehow we lost 55-12. It was a great experience but we witnessed first hand what kind of money goes into suburban schools. I believe if we had equal funding we could have the adequate facilities needed to compete at the state level of competition. I mean, Franklin doesn’t even own a tackling drive or even a good practice facility. Like any creature we adapt, but I am sure adaptation isn’t always going to cut it. We need resources. I look forward to the day that I can go to a Franklin game and sit amongst a crowd off 500 at night at their own home field, but until that day comes I will sit in the sardine packed crowd of 150 and cheer for my team.
