A majority of the schools across the region are spending less on educating students than what’s needed to ensure the state’s rigorous academic standards are met. That’s the word from the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, which released a report this week on the spending impact on rural school performance.

Children. Pregnant women. Pennsylvanians with disabilities. Older Pennsylvanians. All of them are vulnerable citizens with specific health care needs, and all are covered by Medicaid. However, should the proposed American Health Care Act become law, we can expect these Pennsylvanians to suffer greatly and face insurmountable difficulties getting the services they need — let alone pay for them.

The announcement late Thursday afternoon that a congressional vote had been postponed for the Republicans’ proposed replacement for Obamacare was the action the state’s hospital association and several patient advocacy groups were calling for earlier in the day.

Doing more with less is a reality for local school districts, but one state organization sys the lack of adequate state funding for rural school district Pennsylvania is showing itself in lower scores on standardized tests.