Danson v. Casey’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

3 federal appellate · 90 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 95 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Prior to 1874, the state appropriations for school purposes were comparatively small. Nearly the whole fund for building and school purposes was raised by local taxation in the respective districts. But in the constitution of 1874, section 1 of article X. directed that: “The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public schools, wherein all the children of this commonwealth above the age of six years may be educated, and shall appropriate at least $1,000,000 each year for that purpose.”[ 12 ] The school system had then been in operation forty years, yet statistics demonstrated that a large percentage of even Pennsylvania bom children grown to manhood and womanhood under the public school system were illiterate. The school laws as administered had not accomplished nearly to the full extent the purpose of its founders. Hence the mandate of the new constitution. The implication is the fund raised by local taxation has not been sufficient; it must be liberally supplemented by state aid ... The object of these large appropriations was to add to the efficiency of the schools. It was not intended by increasing this efficiency to thereby wholly impose the increased expense on the districts to be raised by local taxation, and it is equally clear it was not intended the school districts should shift the burden on the state by largely reducing local taxation. If that were the result, nothing would be gained in efficiency. It ”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Lisa H. v. State Board of Education · Marrero by Tabales v. Com.

2. “In originally adopting the “thorough and efficient” amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1873, the framers considered and rejected the possibility of specifically requiring the Commonwealth’s system of education be uniform. II Debates of the Convention to Amend the Constitution of Pennsylvania, 422-26 (1873). Instead, the framers endorsed the concept of local control to meet diverse local needs and took notice of the right of local communities to utilize local tax revenues to expand educational programs subsidized by the state. As long as the legislative scheme for financing public education “has a reasonable relation” to “[providing] for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public schools,” Teachers Tenure Act Cases [329 Pa.] at 224, 197 A. at 352 , the General Assembly has fulfilled its constitutional duty to the public school students of Philadelphia. The Legislature has enacted a financing scheme reasonably related to [the] maintenance and support of a system of public education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The framework is neutral with regard to the School District of Philadelphia and provides it with its fair share of state subsidy funds. This statutory scheme does not “ ‘clearly, palpably, and plainly violate the Constitution’ ”.... Thus, the Commonwealth has not failed to fulfill any duty it may have to the School District of Philadelphia to provide state subsidies to help finance public school education. To the extent app”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Marrero by Tabales v. Com. · Hornbeck v. Somerset County Board of Education

3. “Districts receive a payment for each child enrolled in school. Secondary children are ‘weighted’ so that the weighted average daily membership (WADM) exceeds actual enrollment. The Commonwealth then undertakes to pay a percentage of the medial actual instruction expense per WADM in the year for which reimbursement is to be payable. This ‘aid ratio ’ is computed by dividing the market value of the district’s real estate by WADM and comparing it to the State average tax base per student. If the district and State tax base are equal, the district receives fifty (50%) per cent of student cost. If the district base is lower, support is higher; if the base is higher, support is lower. To assure the availability of uniform valuation statewide the State Tax Equalization Board (STEB) was formed and given the task of determining the market value of taxable real property in each school district. These market values are then the standard by which district wealth is measured in the equalization formula. By virtue of the Act of August 24,1977, P.L. [199], No. 59, two significant additions have been made to the subsidy formula. A school district’s personal income is valued per WADM and comprises forty (40%) per cent of the aid ratio. Second, a school district’s tax effort is measured in determining the ‘base earned for reimbursement. ’ The more that effort sinks below the median statewide effort the more the figure to which the aid ratio is applied de creases. Each school district is then p”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 105 Pa. Commw. 388 - Bensalem Township School District v. Commonwealth · O'Donnell v. Casey