Panther Valley School District Superintendent David McAndrew Jr. was among those testifying before the state’s Basic Education Funding Commission on Wednesday in Harrisburg.

Earlier this year, the Commonwealth Court ruled the state’s school funding formula unconstitutional, saying students in poorer districts were disadvantaged.

Panther Valley was among the school districts that sued seeking fair funding and won.

Now, a bipartisan panel of state officials is taking testimony in a series of hearings across the state, in hopes to address the issue of underfunded and unfairly funded schools and make recommendations.

“This week marks the first hearings of the Basic Education Funding Commission, which is tasked with finding a better way to fund our public schools,” said state Sen. David Argall, who sits on the panel.

His district serves Carbon and Schuylkill counties and part of Luzerne County.

“Despite historic increases in education funding, we have yet to see the results we all desire in some of our lowest performing schools,” Argall said.

Penn State assistant professor Matthew Kelly, told the panel that Pennsylvania’s public schools needed an additional $6.2 billion to properly educate students.

Argall asked him if improvement could be guaranteed with the added funds, and Kelly said that they would see the schools’ outcomes improve with the additional funding.

The senator also asked McAndrew if Panther Valley would see improved outcomes with additional funding.

“Yes,” McAndrew replied. “I think my district has limitless potential.”

Panther Valley has already put additional state funding into educational programs, increased underfunded teachers’ salaries and set aside some with an eye to the future, he told Argall.

“We are aware that we have an elementary school that is no longer fit for students,” McAndrew said. “We need to start putting some of that money away in a smart way. So, that in the future, we’ll have money set aside for that.”

During his testimony, McAndrew also told commission members about the high levels in poverty in the community, which has seen large employers close their doors or leave the area.

“Our students are incredibly resilient, they want to learn, and with support, they can achieve as much as kids in any other community,” McAndrew said.

These students often come with deep challenges, and the school district often can’t give them the support they need due to a funding system that relies on local resources, he said.

The district has about 2,000 students, and a large majority are economically disadvantaged, McAndrew told the panel.

The district saw close to the equivalent of one third of its school population, or about 700 people, come through the food pantry it operates last month alone, McAndrew said.

“Our local taxpayers try very hard to support our schools,” he said. “But because our community is not wealthy, it is not enough – not even close. There is nowhere else for us to turn.

“All of this is why I am here,” McAndrew told the commission. “To help you understand what the Court understood: that our kids deserve much more.”

Hearing were held this week in Allentown, Harrisburg and Philadelphia, and additional hearings are planned in Lancaster, Hanover, Hazleton, Pittsburgh, Lemont Furnace, Enola and Bedford in the coming weeks and months.

Following the hearings, the commission is expected to make recommendations to the General Assembly for action.

McAndrew on Thursday said Panther Valley and the other districts won the lawsuit regarding a fair funding system for public schools, and now it’s the Legislature’s responsibility to find a way to do it.

“There is a sense of urgency because when the lawsuit started current ninth graders were in kindergarten,” he said. “We have had an increase in state funding, but it is not enough.