Dear supporter,
As 2021 draws to a close, we take a moment to reflect on the past, to look ahead to the future, and to say thank you. Nothing we have done this year would have been possible without supporters like you.
Your donation today will help us continue to stand with our clients against those who seek to disenfranchise and exploit them. With your help, we can fight for a future in which no one is denied their basic, fundamental needs because of their income, their race, their disability, or their ZIP code.
Today your donation can go twice as far in support of our groundbreaking school funding lawsuit, currently on trial in Commonwealth Court. All donations designated to support the case—check the box on our online form—will be matched dollar-for-dollar through the end of trial. There are still more than $30,000 in matching funds available!
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In a year that began with an unprecedented assault on the integrity of the American electoral system, we have continued our work fighting for free and equal access to the ballot box in Pennsylvania, helping secure a major victory against “prison gerrymandering” after years of advocacy for prisoners to be counted in their home communities, rather than their cells. This work is part of the Jeffrey Golan & Frances Vilella-Vélez Voting Justice Project.
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Mr. Wallace Herrington, an MCM tenant with serious mobility issues, moved from the fourth to the second floor of his building.
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The toll of gun violence in Philadelphia in 2021 is unconscionable, with more than 2,300 people shot this year so far. Black Pennsylvanians are 19 times more likely to be killed by gunfire, and residents of Philadelphia’s poorest neighborhoods are 25 times more likely to be the victim of a fatal shooting compared to those living in wealthier areas.
This year, Commonwealth Court heard oral argument in two cases we filed seeking to give local governments more tools to take on this crisis, representing families of gun violence victims. On June 9, court heard argument on attempts by legislative leaders to dismiss our case challenging statewide preemption that blocks many local gun safety laws. On November 15, the court heard oral argument in our case taking on gun lobby attorneys’ attempt to impose an injunction against a Philadelphia ordinance requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen guns-–an ordinance designed to make it more difficult to illegally sell guns through straw purchasing. This work is part of the Richard Berkman & Toni Seidl Health Care Justice Project.
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Our attorney Michael Churchill meets with Superintendent Brian Waite of Shenandoah Valley School District. |
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Dr. Darmaris Rau, Superintendent of the School District of Lancaster. |
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At the Law Center, the fight for quality public education has defined 2021. This fall, our case representing school districts, parents, and statewide organizations taking on Pennsylvania legislative leaders’ unfair and unconstitutional school funding system finally made it to trial. Since opening statements on November 12, court has heard five weeks of testimony from school leaders, teachers, and experts. Testimony resumes on Monday, January 3, 2022.
Witnesses from rural Panther Valley School District, whose local taxpayers pay the tenth highest property tax rates in the state, testified that a history class in the district uses a textbook from 1997, and 75 kindergarteners share one toilet. In the School District of Lancaster, where 90 percent of students are economically disadvantaged, 20 percent are English Learners, and more than 500 are refugees, Superintendent Damaris Rau testified that four reading specialists serve 6,000 elementary students. Nicole Miller, a teacher in William Penn School District in Delaware County, described a day in her life as the only adult in a room with 25 kindergarteners, many of whom need extensive one-on-one support.
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A mural in Greater Johnstown’s former middle school facility that was closed in 2017, when deteriorating conditions were deemed unsafe for students. The ceiling was damaged by leaky pipes. The center of the mural reads “the doorway to our future.” |
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“We're [not] saying ‘look how bad we're being treated,’” Rap Curry, athletic director for William Penn School District said in his testimony. “We're saying: Look how much work we have to put in to give our kids a fair enough opportunity to feel like that they can make it from their circumstance.”
In Pennsylvania, the poorest school districts have the greatest needs, receive the least amount of funding, and are the furthest from meeting state standards. This unacceptable status quo is caused by insufficient state funding for public education, which leads to an overreliance on local wealth. This leaves districts without wealthy tax bases unable to provide their students with an education that prepares them for life after high school, college, and careers.
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Superintendent David McAndrew of Panther Valley SD after his testimony with attorney Anne Marchitello of O’Melveny, pro bono co-counsel.
“I'm sitting here and I'm asking the state of Pennsylvania to help us,” Superintendent David McAndrew of Panther Valley School District, a petitioner district, said in his testimony. “Who else is there to ask?”
Your tax-deductible donation today can have twice the impact in support of this historic case—just check the box on our online form, and your gift will be matched. We deeply appreciate all your support, which helps us continue our work using high impact legal strategies to take on deeply entrenched discrimination and poverty in our communities.
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Thank you for your ongoing support. Have a healthy and Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
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Brenda Marrero
Executive Director, Public Interest Law Center
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P.S. Does your employer match your donations? Many companies support causes that are important to their employees by matching charitable contributions. Ask your employer today! |
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