Pennsylvania sued over budget fight’s holdup of school aid

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania School Boards Association sued Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled state House and Senate today, saying it is illegal and unconstitutional to withhold state and federal school aid during a budget impasse.

The lawsuit, which also names Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera and state Treasurer Timothy Reese, asked Commonwealth Court to prevent the state from withholding the dollars. It also seeks damages for the loss of investment income and borrowing costs while school districts went six months without aid.

The organization’s executive director, Nathan Mains, said schools have borrowed nearly $1 billion to cover costs during the impasse.

“What we are witnessing is a complete failure of our state government to fulfill its constitutional duty to ensure that the education of our children is not interrupted,” Mains said in a statement.