HARRISBURG, PA. (ErieNewsNow) - Education advocates held a press conference on the inadequate state funding for K-12 public education in the Commonwealth 

Pennsylvania ranks 45th out of 50 states in state share of revenue for school districts. 

Advocacy groups like PA Schools Work and the Education Law Center say the General Assembly must do more. 

Tomea Sippio-Smith is the K-12 Education Policy Director at Children First. She says the Commonwealth made the choice to invest less. 

“Pennsylvania used to provide a greater share of state funding for it’s students. But it made the choice to give a smaller share and invest in our students poorly,” said Sippio-Smith. 

Executive Director at the Education Law Center, Deborah Gordon Klehr, says the lack of funding must be addressed. 

“We know that currently, they are under-funding our schools by over $4.6 billion. So, we’re here today to bring awareness to this fact,” said Gordon Klehr 

Klehr says 86-percent of public school districts in Pennsylvania are not adequately funded. 

“In most states, the state covers about 47-percent of public education. In Pennsylvania, it’s 38-percent, so the state just isn't playing the role it should be in terms of adequately funding our schools,” said Gordon Klehr.  

On November twelfth, the Education Law Center and the Public Interest Law Center are suing the state, under the state constitution, for failure to fund public education.