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While some public school students in Pennsylvania are getting a top notch education, others do not have enough textbooks or teachers and some even lack working bathrooms. The glaring disparities have led six school districts and a number of parents in the state to file a lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The suit alleges that the State has “adopted an irrational and inequitable school financing arrangement” and is violating its own constitution which ensures a ‘thorough and efficient’ education.

Some have gone as far as saying the current system amounts to an educational ‘caste system’ because students from wealthier communities have access to far more resources than students from low income areas. Per-pupil spending in Pennsylvania ranges from $10,000 to $30,000 per student depending on the school district. Although Pennsylvania has established across-the-board academic standards, the lawsuit claims that it has failed to support those standards at all its schools.

Meanwhile the White House issued new guidelines this week to ensure that highly qualified teachers are distributed evenly between low and high income schools. Data has shown that teachers who work in affluent districts often have advanced degrees whereas teachers working in low income areas may not even be certified in their teaching subject. The new guidelines would require states to more evenly distribute teachers to address inequities.

GUEST: Maura McInerney is a senior staff attorney with the Education Law Center, which is one of the groups involved in the lawsuit.