Public education funding was one of the issues that fueled Tom Wolf’s election win for governor earlier this month. His charge that public education spending had been slashed $1 billion under Gov. Tom Corbett, however, was more campaign rhetoric than fact. The drop in education funding his campaign ads referred to was mostly due to the end of federal stimulus money coming from Washington.

Despite the political spin over education spending in Pennsylvania, the topic does deserve a full debate.

A lawsuit filed by several small and rural school districts as well as some urban districts should help the public learn more about public education funding in Pennsylvania.

The governor’s race allowed the Corbett and Wolf campaigns to make statements that appeared to conflict but were both mostly true. Corbett noted that state funding for public education is at an all-time high. But Wolf’s charge of inadequate education funding was also true, considering that Pennsylvania contributes a smaller percentage of total public education spending than most other states.

Regarding Corbett’s point about overall education spending, it’s also worth noting that a sizable portion of state money goes to public employee pension funds, not the classroom.

Wolf’s focus on state funding for education was also legitimate considering that the average state contribution to K-12 education funding is 45 percent — and in Pennsylvania that figure is just 36 percent. Lower state contributions suggest an over-reliance on local property taxes, and probably wide disparities in per-pupil spending.

The lawsuit, brought by a group representing six school districts, seven parents, and the NAACP argues that the school funding system in Pennsylvania is “irrational” and unfair, resulting in per-student spending that ranges from $10,000 a year in poorer districts to $28,000 a year in wealthy districts.

The result is unequal treatment and failure to provide adequate preparation for the standardized tests and academic standards being applied to all schools in the state.

The lawsuit argues that the unequal treatment violates the state constitutution.

There should be a debate about the level of school funding from the state and the formula used to distribute it. Pennsylvania’s contribution should be compared with other states. It’s also worth looking at spending trends — was Pennsylvania always at the bottom in terms of state contribution to public education?

The discussion should reveal the size of the state’s contribution going to state pension funds for teachers and what it means to have that money not going to the classroom, but still counted as education funding.

Related to the pension fund issue, it’s worth remembering that state lawmakers boosted the pensions for public school teachers and most state employees by 25 percent in 2001. That action was taken in response to a backlash from teachers and state employees following the infamous “pension grab” that saw state lawmakers voting themselves a 50 percent pension increase.

Governor-elect Wolf should reveal where he wants Pennsylvania to rank in contributions to education spending. If 45th is unacceptable, which it is, where should the state rank?

Wolf will soon have to explain where the additional money will be found. Through income tax increases? Sales tax increases? The natural gas extraction tax he promoted in the campaign?

The contradictory campaign ads in the race for governor and the just-filed lawsuit suggest it’s a good time to debate public education funding in Pennsylvania and a develop a system that is more fair to all students and puts the state near the top of the list instead of the bottom.