Education Law Center- PA

Our Mission:  For 50 years, the Education Law Center-PA (ELC) is a nonprofit, legal advocacy organization has been dedicated to ensuring that all children in Pennsylvania have access to a quality public education. Through legal representation, impact litigation, community engagement, and policy advocacy, ELC advances the rights of underserved children, including children living in poverty, children of color, children in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, children with disabilities, multilingual learners, LGBTQ+ students, and children experiencing homelessness.

How You Can Help Support Delco Students: From ensuring equitable education funding for local public schools to promoting inclusive school climates, Delco families work alongside ELC to fulfill our mission. Please consider supporting our work today, as we continue to build a brighter, more just future for all school children in Delaware County.

Together, we can make education equity and justice a reality.

A Leader in Legal Advocacy: ELC has a long and proud history of supporting and defending the rights of students in Delaware County.

We won a historic Commonwealth Court decision declaring the state’s funding system unconstitutional, establishing that education is a fundamental right, and directing state officials to ensure that all children have access to a comprehensive, effective, contemporary public education. The decision grew out of a lawsuit filed in 2014 on behalf of the William Penn School District in Delaware County and five other districts, two statewide organizations, and several parents. State officials must now take action to ensure that William Penn and other districts have the resources they need to ensure the right to education.

In response, the state allocated $494 million towards closing the gap in the 2024-25 budget, benefiting thousands of students in Delaware County and statewide. For
example, Upper Darby SD received $13.3 million in new state money for the
2024-25 school year, including $7.3 million in new adequacy funding (toward a $66.9 million adequacy gap).

In total, 6 Delaware County school districts, including
William Penn, Southeast Delco, and Chester Upland received $19.1 million in new
adequacy funding. While we celebrate this historic investment in education,
there is still significant work to be done. Without a plan for recurring funds
to close that adequacy gap, we must continue our advocacy to ensure
constitutional compliance. And we will take further legal action if needed. 

To learn more, please visit elc-pa.org.

We are deeply grateful for your support!