A lawsuit that could overturn Pennsylvania’s school funding is tentatively scheduled to go to trial in summer 2020.

The suit, filed by six Pennsylvania families, six school districts, the NAACP and the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools claims that the commonwealth’s current school funding formula violates a state constitutional guarantee to an education.

Decked out with more than 900 lights and 400-plus hand-crafted ornaments, Gov. Tom Wolf lit the annual Capitol Christmas tree Thursday.

The Independent Fiscal Office latest numbers project a $1.7 billion deficit, a report that new Democratic fiscal chief Rep. Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery) would have preferred not to have seen.

“I only read good news,” he joked.

But the Minority Appropriations Committee Chair will likely be hearing a lot about that total over the next few months, as the General Assembly turns the page from the smooth election year budgeting of this year to 2019.

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced he is planning his own report on climate change in Pennsylvania Monday.

The report, which he said would be out by the budget deadline of June 30, will focus on state government responses to climate change and how the state can prepare for its adverse effects, from increased strain on emergency services to degrading infrastructure.

“It will not be the same as national or international action, but it is up to states to do what they can,” DePasquale said.

In their quest to create a new system to redraw Pennsylvania’s state political boundaries, Fair Districts PA is expanding their fight to another arcane area: House rules.

“The time is very short,” Carol Kuniholm, executive director of the redistricting organization, said.

The announcement came at an event attended by roughly 200 statewide advocates Saturday afternoon at the Pennsylvania State Museum.