This essay provides a brief overview of the base-superstructure model for social analysis, which is then
applied to the problem of school funding inequality in Pennsylvania. A review of contemporary data, followed
by a discussion of the historical practices and institutions behind these data, along with recent survey attempts
to address funding inequities, is presented. The author argues that while legalactions through state and federal
courts has been the predominant strategy to address school funding inequality, raced and classed practices in
real estate markets are ultimately more impactful in maintaining that inequality. Following Tegeler and
Hilton’s (2018) research on disrupting the mutually reinforcing cycle of housing and school inequality, a
reframing of the problem in terms of property relations and point to policy recommendations for educational
leaders based on that analysis is recommended. This essay illustrates that educational leaders must become
local housing advocates to equalize school funding across the state.