Chalkbeat

Philadelphia audit finds school district owes former employees $2.8 million

2026-07-02T16:41:58+00:00

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The School District of Philadelphia owes $2.8 million in delayed termination payments to more than 700 former employees, according to an audit the city controller released Thursday.

The district owes the majority of that money to employees who retired or otherwise left the district in fiscal year 2024. But it owes more than $500,000 to employees who left the district in fiscal year 2023 or earlier.

“Every employee deserves to be paid accurately and on time for the work they performed,” City Controller Christy Brady said in a press release Thursday. “When former employees are still waiting years after leaving the school district to receive compensation they earned, it raises concerns about accountability and compliance.”

The audit found the district also could not locate several expensive pieces of equipment worth a total of nearly $300,000, including printers, Smart Boards, and a piano.

Brady’s office referred to these as “deficiencies in internal control.” “Now more than ever, resources must be managed responsibly and efficiently,” she said.

The audit comes after months of scrutiny and debate over the school district’s spending. During the city’s budget cycle this spring, several members of the City Council questioned why the district asked for more funding while simultaneously planning to close schools. And a recent poll found 86% of city voters supported auditing the district.

School district spokesperson Monique Braxton said in a statement that the district was pleased the audit identified no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies, “reflecting the District’s strong commitment to fiscal stewardship, transparency, and accountability.”

She added that the district has already developed corrective action plans to address the audit’s findings, including implementing improved asset-tracking procedures and centralized oversight for its inventory management.

“We will continue working to improve our processes, strengthen accountability, and make sure public dollars are managed wisely and responsibly,” Braxton said.

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers filed a grievance in May over the district’s delayed termination payments, as well as a grievance over delayed supplemental pay to current staff.

Rebecca Redelmeier is a reporter at Chalkbeat Philadelphia. She writes about public schools, early childhood education, and issues that affect students, families, and educators across Philadelphia. Contact Rebecca at rredelmeier@chalkbeat.org.

Here’s how education spending is affecting Pennsylvania’s state budget negotiations

2026-06-30T19:33:49+00:00

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Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to include $565 million in this year’s budget to continue closing an “adequacy gap” among public schools as his fellow Democrats push a proposal to overhaul tax-credit programs that fund private school scholarships.

Republicans who control the state Senate have pushed back, calling for changes to the formula adopted two years ago to rectify the funding disparity and for an expansion of the scholarships.

While a dispute over education funding contributed to a months-long budget impasse a few years ago, one key lawmaker thinks the issue won’t be much of a sticking point, in part because lawmakers in the divided state Legislature are pursuing a less ambitious agenda.

“Last year’s education code bill was extremely dense and had a lot of things in it that we were extremely proud of,” said state Rep. Pete Schweyer, a Democrat, who chairs the House Education Committee, referencing additional oversight of cyber charter schools and a reduction in the money districts pay them.

“This year, I don’t think it’s gonna be quite as robust, but I don’t necessarily think it has to be.”

The state budget, negotiated behind closed doors by the governor’s staff and top lawmakers, is due June 30. While the major players have offered few details about negotiations publicly, they have all sounded optimistic they will avoid a prolonged impasse. Still, there remain differences of opinion, primarily on overall spending.

Some Republican lawmakers oppose the ‘adequacy gap’ formula

Looming over all discussions about education is a 2023 ruling in which a state court found Pennsylvania’s school funding approach to be unconstitutionally inequitable and ordered lawmakers to fix it.

In response, the legislature in 2024 adopted a state budget that acknowledged a $4.5 billion “adequacy” gap and instituted a formula that uses factors such as poverty and level of English proficiency to decide how much additional money a district should receive. Lawmakers have so far appropriated more than $1 billion to close the gap.

Shapiro proposed an additional $565 million for underfunded schools this year, and state House Majority Leader Matt Bradford, a Democrat, told Spotlight PA this month that passing that boost is among his “priorities.” Shapiro also pitched $50 million increases to basic education and special education funding.

But for many Republicans, the adequacy formula has become an issue. State Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, a Republican, told Spotlight PA in early June that his caucus does not support it and that it should be reevaluated: “We view that formula as picking winners and losers.”

Schweyer said any significant changes to the formula this year would likely “elicit some sort of response from the litigants.”

Hillary Linardopoulos, policy director at the Education Law Center, one of the groups that brought the original school funding lawsuit against the state, declined to comment on the possibility of litigation should lawmakers approve a spending plan advocates deem inadequate.

ELC and other public education advocacy groups have pushed lawmakers to adopt a firm funding timeline, rather than renegotiating an adequacy payment every year. The legislature hasn’t done that.

Linardopoulos said she thinks the General Assembly should accelerate its funding, but the advocates recognize that rectifying the “decades-long injustice” takes time.

“The court’s mandate is clear, and we intend to ensure that it’s properly implemented so that kids can thrive,” Linardopoulos said.

The budget is negotiated by the governor’s office and top lawmakers from each chamber, and no one close to the talks has publicly commented on their status. Still, some Capitol insiders remain optimistic a deal could be signed as soon as early-to-mid-July. Such predictions have circulated in the past, before deep divides on certain issues spark hostilities.

Possibly the worst example in recent history happened in 2023. That year, the state Senate passed a budget that included $100 million in taxpayer money to fund private school tuition for students in low-performing public districts. Shapiro had been publicly supportive of a voucher program during his campaign, but — facing pressure from fellow Democrats — vetoed that part of the budget. That decision remains a point of tension in his relationship with GOP leaders.

With a multibillion-dollar gap expected between the state’s revenue and its expenditures, lawmakers will likely need to tap the state’s rainy day fund to offset rising costs, like education. State House Appropriations Chair Jordan Harris, a Democrat, said the public will understand.

“We know that there is a significant cost to carry with public education, as well as we know what the court has required us to do,” Harris told reporters in mid-June. “These are things that must happen.”

Democrats want more oversight of private school scholarships

Pennsylvania has for decades run programs that provide tax breaks to businesses and individuals that contribute money to educational nonprofit organizations, which then pay for students to attend private schools.

The Educational Improvement and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs have grown steadily, and the amount allocated for scholarships is currently capped at $575 million.

Last week, state Senate Republicans passed a budget-enabling tax code bill that makes several tax cuts and expands EITC by $25 million. Pittman said in an interview with WCCS Radio in Indiana County that the move was “very important for empowering parents.”

The state House, meanwhile, has passed a bill that would overhaul these tax credits and replace them with a program that its supporters say targets more funding at disadvantaged students and provides more oversight. (The overall level of funding would stay the same.)

According to the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Nikki Rivera, the legislation was inspired by an Independent Fiscal Office report from 2022 that showed the research agency did not have enough information to determine whether the credits “substantially enhance educational opportunities available to all Pennsylvania students.”

At the time, the IFO’s analysts recommended the legislature permit the state to collect student performance and demographic data so that the programs could be meaningfully evaluated.

Rivera’s bill would require the state’s auditor general to conduct compliance audits of scholarship organizations and participating private schools, while the IFO would produce reports studying overarching trends of contributors, scholarship organizations, and recipients.

“It’s the same level of detail that any public school has to provide,” she said.

The Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative think tank, claims those requirements are designed to “intimidate” donors, schools, and parents from participating.

Another point of contention over Rivera’s bill is the proposed 2% administrative fee on contributions to help cover the cost of running the program. Rachel Langan, senior education policy analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation, said the fee would unnecessarily take away money from the organizations’ donations.

Schweyer, the chair of the House Education Committee, said he doesn’t “hate” the tax credit programs. He backed the more thorough reporting requirement legislation, which won support from three House Republicans, to ensure the credits are working most effectively.

“I’m not adversarial to it,” Schweyer said. “I want to expand it where it makes sense, and I want to make sure we have oversight over a massive program.”

State Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver, chair of her chamber’s Education Committee, declined to comment for this story. Her spokesperson deferred emailed questions to Senate GOP leadership.

The state’s longstanding debate over education tax credits is also being projected onto a much larger stage this year — Shapiro has until Jan. 1 to decide whether to enroll the state in a federal program that works essentially the same way as EITC. It offers individuals up to $1,700 in tax credits for contributions made toward private school scholarships.

Even if the General Assembly passes legislation to opt in, the governor’s administration must provide a list of qualifying scholarship providers before the dollars can be rolled out next year.

More than half of states have enrolled in the program, the Internal Revenue Service reported earlier this month, despite opposition from two unions representing 4.8 million educators nationwide.

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick are among the Republicans urging Shapiro to sign the state up.

But the Shapiro administration has not yet made a decision. Last week, after the U.S. Treasury Department released more information regarding the program, Shapiro’s spokesperson Rosie Lapowsky said in an email that officials continue “to evaluate as we await additional information on how this will affect use of our existing tax credits, how states will be expected to administer the program, and how eligibility will be determined.”

Langan told Spotlight PA that Shapiro should enroll in the federal program “as early as possible” because families are beginning to look into school tuition rates for the next semester.

“It would just make it a much smoother rollout if we’re going to eventually opt in to do it before the school year starts,” Langan said.

Spotlight PA’s Stephen Caruso contributed reporting.

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340 Philadelphia school staff positions saved from cuts via last-minute city agreement

2026-06-10T22:36:41+00:00

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The Philadelphia school district has reached an agreement with the City Council and Mayor Cherelle Parker to stave off the 340 school-based position cuts it had planned for next school year.

But no additional recurring revenue source is coming under the deal, Parker said Wednesday.

Parker said the district will use $48 million in onetime funding City Council approved as part of its budget deal last week to pay for those positions next year. In the following years, Parker said she will continue to work with the City Council to find a way to generate new, recurring funds for the district. If that does not happen, the city will find the money through other budget cuts.

“There is no new predictable and recurring revenue source in the budget,” Parker said. But she said they made some tough decisions to ensure the district gets the funding to keep these positions over the next five years.

Parker did not share details about where that money would come from if there is no new recurring revenue source, but said there would be more information in the budget plan her team will release tomorrow.

The 340 positions the district planned to cut included climate staff, special education aides, counselors, and teachers. Though no staff would have been laid off under the plan, staff would have had to find new positions and their empty positions would not be filled.

Educators and public school advocates have spent the last few months warning district leaders that the cuts would upend schools, drive educators out of the city, and leave students with less support at a time when they desperately need it.

The deal announced Wednesday would not reverse the 220 building substitute position cuts or the 130 central office position cuts the district adopted.

Last week, Superintendent Tony Watlington told council members that the district could not restore the school-based positions without finding sources of recurrent multiyear funding, according to a memo Chalkbeat obtained.

He argued relying on onetime stopgap funding to cover annual costs such as salaries could negatively impact the district’s financial outlook.

But on Wednesday, standing beside Parker and Council President Kenyatta Johnson, he said he was grateful to accept the deal and called it “Christmas in June.”

Many school staff were told to find new positions months ago due to the budget cuts. Now, the district plans to work with principals as well as the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers to fill those positions again.

Figuring out how to fill the restored positions “is a great problem to have,” Watlington said.

Philadelphia budget deal will not restore hundreds of school staff cuts, superintendent says

2026-06-04T19:59:30+00:00

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School District of Philadelphia leaders say $50 million in one-time funding approved by the City Council will not restore hundreds of staff positions the district is cutting, according to a memo obtained by Chalkbeat.

The City Council gave initial approval on Thursday to a $7.1 billion budget deal for the 2027 fiscal year, but rejected Mayor Cherelle Parker’s proposed rideshare tax that her administration said would generate $48 million in its first year and would stop the elimination of 340 staff positions at Philly schools.

Instead, the council sent $48 million from other budget sources in a one-time allocation to the school district to stop the cuts.

But later on Thursday, the City Council received a memo from Superintendent Tony Watlington saying that the funding was insufficient because it did not address the “underlying drivers of staff reductions.”

“The District cannot restore the 340 school based positions without a commitment to recurring and predictable funding over multiple years,” Watlington wrote in the memo.

He also wrote that the district’s finance team believes relying on a one-time funding to support recurring expenditures like salaries “may be viewed as a structural budget imbalance and could negatively affect the District’s long-term financial outlook, borrowing costs, and future capacity to invest in school facilities.”

Watlington’s memo does not address how the district could use or plans to use the $48 million instead.

Councilmembers quickly denounced the letter.

Education Chair Isaiah Thomas called Watlington’s memo “offensive and disrespectful” in a speech from the City Council floor on Thursday.

“For me that’s very, very shortsighted and doesn’t show leadership,” Council President Kenyatta Johnson said of the letter. He said district leaders should welcome the $50 million and reverse the cuts.

Standing alongside Watlington and Board of Education President Reginald Streater at City Hall Thursday, Parker called the $48 million a “band-aid” solution that would not solve the district’s persistent financial challenges: “It doesn’t get to the heart of the matter which is a $300 million structural deficit.”

Johnson said councilmembers remain committed “to work for long-term recurring revenue for the school district.”

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia city council approves budget without rideshare tax for schools

2026-06-04T17:36:18+00:00

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Philadelphia City Councilmembers had been warning for months that Mayor Cherelle Parker’s proposed rideshare tax was dead on arrival. On Thursday, they put it to rest.

City Council gave initial approval to a $7.1 billion budget deal Thursday that leaves out the $1 tax on companies like Uber and Lyft that Parker said would have generated $48 million to stop staff cuts at Philly schools. Instead, councilmembers’ will draw a one-time infusion of $48 million from other budget sources for the school district. Members did approve Parker’s proposal for a use-and-occupancy tax on cell phone towers, which her administration says will send $2.4 million annually to the district.

That $50 million deal for fiscal year 2027 may be too little too late for a school district already in turmoil. The school board approved a district budget last week that included millions in cuts. Earlier last month, board members approved a plan to close 17 schools.

A coalition of advocacy groups and labor union organizers rallied outside of City Hall on June 2, 2026 in support of Mayor Cherelle Parker's rideshare tax:

Several educators told Chalkbeat forced transfer decisions have already kicked off and the district’s hiring process for next school year has reportedly been thrown into chaos. And while that $50 million may save some staff positions, 220 building substitute positions will still be cut. Enrollment declines mean some schools are eliminating class offerings and losing school-based workers beyond what the rideshare tax would have supposedly covered.

School district spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers’ President Arthur Steinberg said Thursday that Council’s deal may staunch some of the budgetary bleeding, but without a source of recurring revenue like the rideshare tax, the school district will continue to face financial challenges.

Failing to establish a source of recurring revenue for the district “will accelerate the exodus of teachers and exacerbate the shortage,” Steinberg said. “One-time fixes will not cut it.”

Councilmembers also approved a resolution Thursday calling for hearings to explore finding recurring revenue sources for the district in the future.

Meanwhile, public school advocates spent the week knocking on council members’ office doors, urging members to budget for more than $50 million citing the district’s $300 million deficit and urgent needs.

“A vote for less than $75 million means building substitutes are left behind and schools facing enrollment-based cuts get no relief,” Shanée Garner, executive director of the Lift Every Voice parent advocacy group, said in a statement. “It means the children and schools carrying the greatest burden today will continue carrying it tomorrow.”

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Why switching Philadelphia to an elected school board would be very complicated

2026-06-03T20:42:06+00:00

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Furious over the Philadelphia Board of Education’s vote to close several schools, City Council Education Committee Chair Isaiah Thomas wants to explore changing the board from one appointed by the mayor to one that’s elected.

But doing so would be an immensely complicated and politically daunting process. State lawmakers would need to pass legislation that the governor would need to sign. The mayor would need to give up the power of appointing board members, and voters would have to approve this change.

And switching to an elected board could also strip the City Council of much of its influence over the district. That’s because those and other legal changes could ultimately grant the school board major authority it now lacks: the power to tax.

The proposal from Thomas follows a citywide uproar over the district’s decision to close 17 schools, which he vehemently opposed; he’s promised to sue to halt the closures, although no such suit has materialized so far.

His push to overhaul how school board members are selected highlights longstanding conflicts between different political power centers in the city. It also channels concerns that unlike for every other school district in the state, Philadelphia residents lack direct representation when the board makes significant decisions about spending, charter school expansion, curriculum mandates, desegregation initiatives, and more.

In the current setup, the school board members and the superintendent must go every year to the mayor and council to push for a share of city taxes sufficient to help the district meet the needs of its students, after many years of what a court deemed were inadequate levels of state funding that violated the Pennsylvania Constitution.

That forces board members and district leaders into an annual tussle with the council over the budget. What’s made that even more stressful is the district’s longstanding structural deficit. For 2026-27, the board just adopted a $4.6 billion budget with $225 million in cuts as it attempts to cope with a projected shortfall of $300 million.

All that means if the school board gained its own taxing power and could rely less on city government, it “would be a huge structural shift in how the city and the school district operates,” said Christopher McGinley, a former Philadelphia school board member who also served as superintendent in two suburban districts with elected boards.

It’s unclear what if anything would convince city officials to relinquish their current power over school funding and school board members. Thomas said last month while he is in favor of an elected school board, he does not support giving it taxation power.

Mayor Cherelle Parker picked all nine current board members at the start of her term. Nominees are first vetted by an Education Nominating Panel, which is also appointed by the mayor. They are then subject to the “advice and consent” of the City Council. (Board member Joyce Wilkerson was appointed by Parker but never got the council’s approval, and now serves as a “holdover” member, which has caused additional controversy.)

Parker’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

An elected school board might spawn new political problems in Philadelphia even if it eases current ones. Still, some believe that the existing process is inadequate for dealing with the district’s myriad challenges.

Lisa Haver of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, a longtime critic of the board, pointed out that at neighborhood hearings on the proposed school closures, nearly every speaker opposed them, to no avail. To her, an elected Philadelphia school board is also an issue of fairness.

“Why should every other school district in Pennsylvania have an elected board and Philadelphia does not?” she said

Pennsylvania school boards have taxing power — except Philly’s

The most direct influence an elected and not appointed board could have on schools in the city would be the power to raise money through taxation.

In all the state’s other 500 school districts, the elected boards of education levy school taxes, while municipal and county governments raise taxes for other needs such as infrastructure and social services. The educational and civic governing bodies are separate entities with their own taxing power, geographic boundaries, and sources of revenue. For instance, Montgomery County has 62 municipalities and 22 school districts.

Shifting from an appointed to an elected school board by itself would not automatically include the power to tax. To give an elected school board taxation power would require a vote by the state legislature and amendments to the state school code. It would also require voters to approve changes to the 1965 education section of the city’s Home Rule Charter.

But unlike other jurisdictions, Philadelphia is its own county as well as its own school district. That means even if an elected school board were granted the power to tax by state government and voters, it would lead to the City Council and Board of Education drawing on the same sources of tax revenue.

Richard Feder, the former chief of legislation in the city law department, said all of those changes would mean “cutting City Council out of the process” of funding schools, which would likely lead to the kind of staunch opposition from the council that Thomas has already expressed.

Besides the considerable political problems, Feder said he doesn’t think giving an elected board taxation power would be a good idea fiscally.

“I spent my career fighting for more school funding,” Feder said, “but we shouldn’t have two competing taxing bodies fighting over the same limited tax base.”

Susan Gobreski, the former head of the advocacy group Education Voters PA, said Philadelphians already elect the officials who provide the funding for schools. The council “is not a single-issue body” like the school board and can put all the city’s needs into perspective, she said.

At the same time, she said, the feeling that the board is accountable to no one is real. Even if an elected board ended up lacking taxation power, Gobreski said allowing the public to pick its members would still be worthwhile so voters could feel they had a say in choosing who to hold accountable for decisions around education policy.

Electing school board members could open Pandora’s box

But there’d be one more complication about a change to an elected board. Feder said to meet state requirements, voters in Philadelphia would have to approve a change to the city charter to allow for a partisan election. Or state voters would have to approve an amendment to the school code allowing Philadelphia to hold a nonpartisan election.

McGinley, who served on the School Reform Commission that previously ran Philly schools and was superintendent in Lower Merion and Cheltenham, worries that electing school board members would open a political Pandora’s box by giving more leverage to interest groups “that would play their cards” on various issues.

But Elaine Simon, a retired urban studies professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has co-authored an upcoming book on the last wave of school closures in 2013, said an elected board, especially one with regional representatives, would be more sensitive to the needs of different areas in the city.

“Now, the school board members are not representing a neighborhood,” she said.

Unsurprisingly, Board of Education President Reginald Streater is skeptical of what benefits Philadelphia would gain by electing its school board members.

He said more time should elapse before contemplating another major upheaval of district governance. It only recently emerged from an even less democratic period when a state commission ran city schools from 2001 to 2018 before returning control to a local school board.

He pointed out that the state is moving toward school funding adequacy after a historic Commonwealth Court decision, and that in Philadelphia measures including test scores, attendance rates, and dropout rates are improving.

Conditions “are getting better … why change this now?” he said.

Chalkbeat Philadelphia bureau chief Carly Sitrin contributed to this article.

Philadelphia school board adopts $4.6B budget with millions in cuts

2026-05-29T00:03:29+00:00

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The Philadelphia Board of Education approved a $4.6 billion budget Thursday night that includes millions in cuts and will result in schools losing climate staff, teachers, counselors, and substitutes.

Superintendent Tony Watlington said cutting some $225 million is necessary to begin to plug the district’s $300 million budget deficit while balancing rising salaries, healthcare premiums, and charter school payments. No staff will be laid off, Watlington has previously said. Instead, teachers and school-based staff might be reassigned to other vacant positions across the district.

“I’m agnostic to how we get the dollars, but we desperately need additional revenue,” Watlington said.

The budget passed 8-0.

The cuts come amid a cloud of bad news for Philly schools. Ahead of the meeting, City Council members rallied outside of the district building and blasted board members for their April vote approving the district’s plan to close 17 schools starting in 2027. Enrollment declines and other funding challenges mean schools will lose more staff, advanced placement classes, and after-school programs than the district is discussing.

Board member Joyce Wilkerson blamed state and federal underfunding for the district’s financial position. Philly is the only school district in the state that can’t raise its own tax revenue and is nearly entirely dependent on state and city funding.

“It’s a national disgrace, and a disgrace to this commonwealth” that Philly schools don’t receive more public funding, Wilkerson said.

Voting to approve the budget amounts to doubling down on the closure plan, City Council member Kendra Brooks said.

City Council member Jamie Gauthier called for the six board members who voted for the closure plan to resign. “We need a school board that is actually accountable to our community,” she said.

Though elected officials are publicly fuming about the closures, no City Council member has proposed a plan to help the district close its budget deficit.

Mayor Cherelle Parker has been pushing a proposed $1 per ride tax on Ubers and Lyfts to funnel more money to the school district. But the tax has become one of the central political battles in the city, and city council members do not appear poised to approve it as is.

Thursday’s vote locks the district’s budget cuts in while negotiations around the rideshare tax continue.

City Council member and Chair of the city’s Education Committee Isaiah Thomas said at Thursday’s rally that the rideshare tax is not part of his negotiation strategy.

Also on Thursday, the board approved a $266 million amended capital budget that lays out major renovations, building additions, system replacements, and playground construction for dozens of schools to be paid for with bonds. The district’s facilities plan intends to modernize some 170 schools in addition to the closures, but there’s no guaranteed funding for that plan, so it’s unclear how realistic those projections are.

The city has a July 1 deadline to enact a budget. Thomas said if school board members and district officials don’t come back to the table to discuss changes to the closure plan, council members will continue to put them on notice.

“We’ll just keep going,” he said.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Billionaire and Republican megadonor is funding scholarships for students at closing Philly schools

2026-05-15T17:20:33+00:00

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An organization funded by Pennsylvania billionaire and Republican megadonor Jeffrey Yass is offering scholarships for Philly students displaced by school closures to enroll in private schools.

This week, the Yass Prize — an organization founded by Yass and his wife Janine — announced new “Opportunity Knocks” scholarships. The scholarships will award $8,000 each year through high school graduation for 500 students whose schools are being closed under the district’s recently approved facilities plan.

Caroline Allen, director of the Yass Prize, said the scholarships are intended to provide families with stability during a time of uncertainty in the district.

“We’re really capitalizing on this time,” Allen said. Though no schools will close until 2027, Allen said “we don’t want to wait for two years for these schools to close down to do something.”

Allen said students who are deemed eligible and receive the scholarships could attend any of the 16 private schools in the city that have received the Yass Prize and have been “vetted” as “sustainable, transformational, outstanding and permissionless.” Those private schools are already preparing to receive an influx of students from district schools that are closing or merging, Allen said.

Yass is the richest person in the state and is well known for his support of charter schools and school vouchers. Yass critics in the public education advocacy space have condemned the scholarships as attempts to lure students away from the public school system.

Aly Shaw, senior research analyst at the LittleSis Public Accountability Initiative, a nonprofit research firm, said she’s been tracking Yass’s political spending and was not surprised to see his name on scholarships aimed at drawing students away from public schools.

“This is the disaster capitalism playbook exactly,” Shaw said, referring to the exploitation of crises for profit. She pointed to Yass’s public support for school privatization and aversion to paying taxes as actions that she said have drained funding from public schools. The scholarships are evidence of Yass “taking advantage of a disaster that he created to promote private schools,” Shaw said.

The scholarship applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to the first 500 students who complete all required steps, including an “eligibility review” and school enrollment applications, Allen said.

Through the Center for Education Reform, a group that supports vouchers and similar policies, the Yass Prize has awarded over $60 million to more than 225 organizations across 45 states since 2021.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia has a $3 billion school closure and modernization plan. Paying for it could be a problem.

2026-05-06T22:00:56+00:00

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The Philadelphia school district’s plan to close schools and modernize others has a $3 billion price tag. Right now, the district can’t pay for it. And its plan to raise that money might end up being wishful thinking.

Last week, members of the Board of Education voted to approve the plan to close 17 schools, and modernize nearly 10 times that number. But they had serious questions about the district’s plan to fund it. Even Superintendent Tony Watlington, who pushed the board to approve the closures and upgrades, has acknowledged the funding hole.

Watlington has said he wants to raise $2 billion from local, state, and federal government as well as philanthropic grants to pay for school upgrades over 10 years to ensure buildings are well equipped to receive more students. The remaining $1 billion would come from the district’s capital borrowing cycle.

But major questions loom over how the district would ever raise that much money. The district already has a $300 million budget deficit. The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, the district’s nonprofit fundraising partner, has raised $70 million since 2015 — or less than 3% of the plan’s total cost. The City Council has blasted the school closures and its relationship with the district has broken down. And Pennsylvania Senate Republicans, who control their chamber, have opposed sending significantly more money to the state’s largest district.

“We’ve never raised money at this level,” said board member Crystal Cubbage, who voted against the plan, at the board’s meeting last week.

All those difficulties could lead to the district to consider a watered-down version of the plan that leaves out many of the improvements Watlington wants. And they could pile further financial pressure on the district, which in addition to its fiscal problems has been losing students for years and is planning to cut hundreds of school-based jobs.

Watlington has stressed that the aim of the facilities plan is to ensure all students have better access to academic opportunities and go to school in high quality buildings.

Under his proposal, some buildings would get bathroom renovations and updated classrooms. Others would get electrical upgrades and new heating and cooling systems. In some buildings, the district has promised accessibility improvements, elevator replacements, new gyms, and fixed roofs.

The plan’s high cost is a departure from school closures elsewhere that are often meant to save districts money. Watlington has said cost-cutting is not a major aim of the facilities plan, but rather the goal is to shuffle enrollment so that the district can spend money more efficiently.

School leaders have said the facilities plan could still change even after the board’s vote to approve it. No schools are scheduled to be closed until the beginning of the 2027-28 school year.

State, city officials could reject additional facilities funding

When Watlington initially presented the facilities plan earlier this year, he said there was an alternative version that would cost significantly less, take longer, and leave more students in low-quality school buildings.

That plan would cost $1.85 billion over the course of 16 years, and the district could pay for it through its own borrowing. However, it would only reduce the number of school buildings rated unsatisfactory or poor from 85 to 45. And it’s unclear if the district’s list of schools to close and colocate would change under this cheaper version of the plan.

That alternative plan also did not include additional investments that Watlington has recently pledged in certain areas where members of City Council have opposed the plan.

It’s unclear if district officials have tweaked the alternative plan in recent months. District officials did not respond to Chalkbeat’s questions about it, and board members did not ask about it ahead of the April 30 vote to proceed with the facilities plan.

But regardless of which plan district officials turn to, closing schools while asking for more funding is already deeply unpopular with some members of City Council.

Last week, City Council Education Committee Chair Isaiah Thomas and several other elected officials interrupted the school board’s meeting and called for the resignation of those who voted for the closure plan. And many have questioned the district’s stated need for more funding while it plans to close schools.

Without significant improvement in average academic performance, Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr. said during a city budget town hall in Southwest Philadelphia Tuesday, “why would we continue to put that money in the district?”

The district has also historically been underfunded by the state. Though Gov. Josh Shapiro has approved budgets increasing funding for Philly schools each year since taking office, his budget proposal for next year still leaves the district underfunded by more than $3 billion, according to a formula adopted by a bipartisan state commission. The district will likely need the support of Republican lawmakers to get more state money.

So far, the school closure plan has brought goodwill from at least one key Republican state lawmaker.

After the closure vote, Sen. Kim Ward, a Republican and the president pro tempore of the state senate, posted on social media that she was glad Philly’s schools “recognize the need for reform” and that she was “optimistic” about working with officials to “ensure Philadelphia students are set up for success.”

Feud over Philadelphia’s school closure plan leads to threats against district funding

2026-04-22T22:08:29+00:00

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In the hours before the Philadelphia Board of Education is scheduled to vote on its school closure plan, political threats and finger-pointing have reached a fever pitch.

City Councilmembers who say they were caught off-guard by the board’s sudden decision to hold the vote to close 17 schools this week have summoned Superintendent Tony Watlington and Board President Reginald Streater to multiple budget hearings, where they have threatened district funding. They say they felt misled by district leaders and — as Councilmember Nina Ahmad put it — “sandbagged.”

Meanwhile, at rallies to save individual schools from closure, state lawmakers have declared that they have long memories and will not forget the outcome of Thursday’s vote. They’ve said if the board votes to close beloved schools in their districts, they’ll be less likely to advocate for increased state aid for Philly schools.

“The administration, the legislative body, and the school district all look like you’re fighting against each other,” said Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, who at a Wednesday hearing asked Streater to delay the planned vote as a signal of political goodwill.

Streater refused to accept or reject the request, saying he would confer with the board members and come to a decision before Thursday.

The fiery political rhetoric signals that the relationship between city government, school board members, and district leaders has been damaged. Still, there are few alternate proposals to get the district the money it says it would need to maintain buildings and close its budget hole. And as angry as elected leaders are about the situation, many of those same officials are among the biggest champions of education funding who might be loath to punish the district by cutting school aid or withholding their support for increasing it.

“I don’t want to talk about school funding until we get a facilities plan that we all agree upon,” Councilmember and Education Committee Chair Isaiah Thomas told Chalkbeat. “You can’t tell us that we have to get in line with your facilities plan and then tell us we have to get in line with your funding plan. That’s disingenuous.”

The only proposal to increase city funding for the school district on the table right now is Mayor Cherelle Parker’s $1 rideshare tax, which at least one councilmember has said is “dead on arrival” if the closure plan moves forward as written. That proposal would provide an estimated $54 million to offset 340 planned staff cuts — a drop in the bucket for a district facing a $300 million deficit and which has been chronically underfunded by some $1.8 billion annually, according to a Commonwealth Court judge.

Members spent Tuesday and Wednesday questioning and excoriating Watlington, Streater, and the city’s Chief Education Officer Debora Carrera. But when it comes to voting to send the district money, “we always come through,” Councilmember Cindy Bass said at Wednesday’s budget hearing.

At that same hearing, Parker called for unity but did not back down from her tax proposal that has become increasingly unpopular at the City Council.

“I know it’s good theater for people to see what they consider to be our going to war, the administration, versus the council, the legislative branch versus the executive branch in opposition, with the school board in opposition with the school superintendent,” Parker said.

For many elected leaders, the issue might be a defining feature of their time in office. Their speeches over the last few months at rallies to keep schools from closing may help them get attention from families and latch onto a cause that’s spurring civic engagement across the city.

Parker, who appointed all of the board members, is up for reelection in 2027. All 17 City Councilmembers have indicated they intend to seek reelection in 2027, and this year, every member of the state House of Representatives is on the ballot.

“As we go through budget season in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we will remember that vote on Thursday,” state Rep. Morgan Cephas, a Democrat, warned board members at a Tuesday rally to keep Lankenau Environmental Science High School open.

Still, no City Councilmember has put forth a plan to help the district close its budget deficit or allocate more money to prevent closures.

“It’s complex for y’all. It’s complex for us. We’re trying to work as a partnership, and everybody’s gotta do a little bit of give and take,” Council President Kenyatta Johnson said Wednesday.

Education advocates say councilmembers could draw on the city’s budget surplus, shift the amount of tax revenue set aside for the district, or adjust the split of the city’s soda tax revenue to send more money to schools, for example. Thomas told Chalkbeat Wednesday he won’t entertain alternatives until they reach common ground with the facilities plan.

But holding up all city funding for the district appears unlikely.

Bass said Wednesday that not one councilmember “has taken a single vote against any level of funding” for the district in the past.

Thomas said if the board moves forward with a vote on the closure plan Thursday, he’s prepared to consider “plenty of options.”

Chalkbeat reporter Rebecca Redelmeier contributed to this story.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Sports, AP, and the arts: Here are the looming budget cuts Philadelphia school leaders aren’t discussing

2026-04-22T15:20:13+00:00

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Philadelphia school leaders have repeated one stat since the district’s budgeting process began last month: 340 full-time school-based positions will be eliminated next year if the district doesn’t get more funding.

But those cuts are only one piece of the puzzle. Now that principals are making their budgets, educators said the result is that schools are planning to cut many additional positions and programs that district officials are not talking about. Teachers and principals say that means tougher times for students and staff: crowded classrooms, more dangerous hallways, and fewer opportunities for learning.

Some schools are cutting class offerings, like art and Advanced Placement courses. Others say their schools will eliminate after-school programs. And though district leaders have promised no teachers will lose their jobs, some worry that there won’t be appropriate openings for them — leading to teachers leaving the district.

The breakdown of cuts the district shared with Mayor Cherelle Parker’s office and some members of City Council last week, which Chalkbeat obtained, largely focused on cuts resulting from the elimination of pandemic relief funds and extra funding sent to a few struggling schools.

It showed that fewer than five positions would be cut at most schools to plug the district’s funding hole.

But that breakdown did not include budget reductions from schools’ enrollment decline and other funding changes that happen annually. The amount of money the district allocates each school is largely determined by how many students it projects will enroll there.

Funding staff positions has also become more expensive, meaning the same budgets from last year won’t stretch to cover the same number of staff.

At Science Leadership Academy at Beeber, for example, teacher Alex Kopp, the teachers union representative in the building, said around 10 staff — including nine teachers and one climate staff — have received notices that they must find positions at other schools.

“It’s completely chaotic in terms of us planning anything,” Kopp said. The school will lose its athletic director, which means the school would offer no sports. It is also cutting all extracurriculars next year because there is no funding for them. Beeber’s principal did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Over the past decade, enrollment in Philadelphia public schools has fallen by around 17,000 students, a roughly 13% drop. As district enrollment is projected to continue to decline over the next decade, some schools will likely continue to be hit hard by the resulting enrollment-based budget cuts.

Schools generally have to rework their budgets every year based on enrollment, and some make cuts. But educators said this year, the additional cuts from the district’s plan have made matters much worse.

At Olney High School, Principal Michael Roth said the school — which has lost around 200 students over the past two years — is cutting more than a dozen staff members next year. That’s due to a combination of the district’s budget cuts and enrollment-related funding changes at the school.

Roth said the cuts include teachers who offer AP courses and are involved with the school’s dual enrollment college credit program.

“It’s not just that you’re losing staff, you’re losing a piece of your community that families and students have connected to or related to for a long period of time,” Roth said at a City Hall press conference Tuesday. “We’re losing people but we’re also losing excellence.”

District leaders have said the budget cuts this year are financially necessary. “Without these interventions, future District expenditures will grow faster than revenues due to rising salaries, charter school payments, and healthcare cost increases,” district spokesperson Monique Braxton said in a statement.

Some cuts could be reversed if the city or state allocates more money to the district. But principals and educators have told Chalkbeat the uncertainty has already started to drive teachers out of the district.

“Who’s going to want to work in the district?” Kopp asked.

Schools lose programs under planned budget cuts

Some students say they’re already mourning the teachers and programs their schools are set to lose.

Adrianelly Mercado, a 10th grader at Olney High School, said before joining the school, she didn’t know much about dual enrollment programs and Advanced Placement courses that would help her earn college credit. But one of her teachers helped her access those opportunities.

Now, that teacher’s position would be eliminated under the school’s budget for next year. The future of Olney’s dual enrollment program is uncertain as well.

“It doesn’t make sense to me,” Mercado said during a rally against the staffing cuts outside Olney on Tuesday. “I hope that these teachers can stay here and help us have a great education.”

Students at Philadelphia's Olney High School say they worry they'll lose access to the school's dual enrollment programs due to the school's planned staffing cuts.

The Board of Education hasn’t yet signed off on the budget. But school leaders have already told teachers if their position is planned for elimination, and that they should apply elsewhere.

Emily Griest, a high school art teacher at Hill-Freedman World Academy, said that right before a parent-teacher conference with a family whose kid thrived in her art class, her school notified her that it’s planning to eliminate her position. If her position disappears, her students would not have access to an art curriculum.

“I was working really hard to expand the art department there to give kids more opportunities,” she said. “And instead, it became a conversation of, well, the choice is being taken away from students.”

Now, her plan is to look for another position teaching high school art in the district and “hope for the best,” she said.

There’s a chance schools end up getting more money next year if the City Council passes Parker’s proposed $1-per-ride tax on rideshares. The tax would funnel $48 million annually to the district. Superintendent Tony Watlington has said that would enable the district to avoid cutting 340 school-based positions.

But during a hearing on the rideshare tax at the City Council on Tuesday, many members seemed skeptical. Councilmember Curtis Jones labeled the proposal as “DOA,” or dead on arrival, and that by his count the proposal did not have the votes in council to pass as written.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

See how your school would be affected by the Philadelphia district’s proposed staffing cuts

2026-04-17T21:21:11+00:00

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Nearly every Philadelphia school would lose staff next year under the district’s preliminary plan to eliminate 340 school-based positions to plug its budget hole.

But some schools would suffer more than others, according to a school-by-school breakdown of the proposed cuts created by the district and obtained by Chalkbeat.

Schools that receive additional funding because they used to be part of the district’s Acceleration Network, which Superintendent Tony Watlington dissolved in 2024, would be hit particularly hard. And climate staff, who are in charge of creating a safe environment and monitoring hallways, would lose the largest number of positions.

West and Southwest Philadelphia and Kensington are three of the neighborhoods where schools would receive the deepest cuts. The members of City Council who represent those areas say they’re already worried the school district is disproportionately hurting their neighborhoods through its separate plan to close schools beginning in 2027. The preliminary budget cuts add salt to the wound, they say.

In total, the district would cut around 149 teachers, 23 counselors, 119 climate staff, and 47 other support and administrative staff from its full-time equivalent positions.

These cuts are not yet finalized, and district officials say there will be openings for all school-based staff whose positions are eliminated.

The projected cuts represent estimates from before principals finalize their school budgets, according to a statement from the district’s Chief Financial Officer Mike Herbstman about the school-by-school breakdown. That means the breakdown could change. Schools with shrinking enrollments could lose more positions outside of these cuts.

There’s still a chance the cuts don’t go through. Mayor Cherelle Parker, who’s publicly opposed the proposed staff reductions, has championed a rideshare tax that she and Watlington said earlier this week would enable the district to avoid eliminating school-based positions.

Debora Carrera, the city’s chief education officer under Parker, noted at a press conference that climate staff intervene to defuse conflicts at school: “They are the eyes and the ears of our schools. They know when children are struggling or suffering.”

But the $1 per ride tax requires approval from the City Council. It’s unclear if members will support it.

And that proposal would not save the 220 building substitute positions the district also plans to cut.

In the meantime, schools are moving forward with preliminary budgets for next year that include cuts that teachers have said could derail learning. Last week, teachers began receiving notice that their schools plan to eliminate their positions and they should apply to others.

Former Superintendent William Hite launched the district’s Acceleration Network as a way to funnel additional resources to struggling schools in hard-to-staff neighborhoods.

When Watlington did away with the network two years ago, he said the 13 schools previously in the network would keep the additional funding.

This new round of proposed cuts would end those extra resources and apply additional cuts to those schools. The result is these schools would lose the most positions under the preliminary plan.

Former Acceleration Network school James Rhoads, for example, would lose the full-time equivalent of more than 13 staff, including four teachers and nine climate staff. Another former Acceleration Network school, Delaplaine McDaniel, would lose four teachers and around five climate staff.

Schools that could close avoid potential 2026 cuts

The Board of Education has not yet approved Watlington’s proposal to close 18 schools beginning in 2027, but Watlington has said schools on that closure list will be protected from budget cuts this year.

Still, some City Council districts where several schools would close under the district’s plan are home to schools that are also being hit hardest by the budget cuts.

For example, the district that includes Kensington, Hunting Park, and Frankford would lose the equivalent of 63 full-time school staff members. It’s also where several schools are slated for closure.

“Many of those positions are filled by people who are from the neighborhood or who have been in those schools for many years,” said Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, who represents the area. Together, the proposals for staff cuts and school closures are “causing additional challenges and stress on my community,” she said.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who represents parts of West and Southwest Philadelphia, said in a statement that she was “dismayed” that the proposed budget cuts would eliminate 51 full-time equivalent school staff positions in her district.

“This harm is compounded by the fact that the current version of the School District’s facilities master plan invests less in our communities than almost any other Council District,” said Gauthier.

Lozada said she did not have a position yet on Parker’s proposed rideshare tax. Gauthier said she was reviewing the proposal.

“We need to be careful about new taxes that we know will fall on consumers, especially if they won’t stop the closure of our neighborhood schools,” said Gauthier.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Philly mayor now says proposed Uber tax could save all school-based jobs on the chopping block

2026-04-15T20:02:18+00:00

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Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and Superintendent Tony Watlington say they’ve found a way to save all the school-based staff the district is planning to cut.

But the district’s proposal to preserve those jobs hinges on Parker’s proposed $1 per ride tax on rideshare companies like Uber that the tech company is already fighting to stop. And the City Council must still approve the proposed tax hike.

Parker and Watlington’s announcement Wednesday doesn’t change how much the tax would generate for the district. But Parker said the district “was able to make adjustments” to their budget that would save all school-based positions from elimination if the tax goes through.

In the meantime, without a guarantee of more funding, schools are telling some teachers their positions are likely to be eliminated.

Watlington’s draft budget for next fiscal year that he shared last month slashed school spending by $225 million. The proposal included cutting 340 school-based staff, 130 central office staff and 220 building substitute positions, as well as some contracts.

Watlington said the aim was to eliminate the district’s $300 million budget deficit by 2030, and close the funding hole left from pandemic relief dollars drying up.

But Parker later said she opposed the sweeping cuts and proposed a $1 rideshare tax to funnel $48 million annually to the district. At the time, school officials said the tax increase would save 240 school-based positions from elimination, but 100 positions would still be cut.

Without providing more details, Parker and Watlington now say they’ve found the money to prevent all of the proposed cuts to school-based positions.

“That is something for us to be proud of,” Parker said Wednesday. “That’s if we can actually make it a reality.”

Since Parker proposed the rideshare tax, Uber has mounted a hefty ad campaign against it.

In a statement, Uber spokesperson Jazmin Kay pushed back on Parker’s assertion that rideshare companies have the option of absorbing the cost for their customers.

“This is a tax on the rider’s transaction, not a fee on the business, despite the administration’s attempt to frame it otherwise,” Kay said.

Watlington said if the City Council approves the tax, the district would reverse the budget cuts that would result in schools losing climate staff, teachers, counselors, and other school-based staff. The district would still eliminate building substitutes and central office staff.

Wednesday’s announcement was also Parker’s attempt to signal to state lawmakers that the city is doing its part to fund its schools. “We’re not just going hat in hand to Harrisburg,” she said.

As Philadelphia advances $225 million cut to school spending, teachers worry learning will suffer

2026-04-07T21:07:11+00:00

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Larger class sizes. Less support for students with disabilities. Fewer school climate staff to help kids in need.

Philadelphia teachers say this is the future they’re preparing for as school leaders move forward with their plan to reduce spending by $225 million next fiscal year. The budget proposal — which the board gave preliminary approval to last month — would eliminate 220 building substitute positions and cut another 340 school-based positions, including climate staff, special education aides, and teachers.

The Board of Education has yet to adopt the budget, which will be subject to a hearing at City Council later this month. But Superintendent Tony Watlington has directed principals to move forward with drafting budgets that cut spending. His goal, he recently told the board, is to plug the district’s $300 million budget deficit while providing essential services to support student achievement.

But more than a dozen educators Chalkbeat spoke with said the plan threatens to upend their schools, leaving students and staff with less help during a time when many are already struggling. They said the plan has decimated morale inside their buildings and resulted in deep anxiety for which positions would ultimately be eliminated.

“They’re taking away all the care from outside the classroom and putting more problems in the classroom,” said one middle school teacher, who like other educators asked not to be named because she was not authorized to speak on the matter

District leaders have said no teachers would lose their jobs due to the cuts, and instead those in positions that get cut could move to other open ones.

The city’s teacher shortage means that the district generally begins the school year with many openings. But teachers said it remains unclear who would ultimately need to find a new position, and where they would be.

“We understand the district is facing significant budget cuts, but staff have been asking for clarification on placements for several weeks without updates from our principal,” said one elementary school teacher. “It’s a mess all around.”

The proposal comes as the district seeks approval from the Board of Education to close 18 schools beginning in 2027. District officials have said the closures are not meant to be a cost-saving measure, and that schools slated for closure will not be impacted by next fiscal year’s budget cuts.

But at a board meeting last month, Board President Reginald Streater acknowledged the combined strain both proposals could cause.

“It’s been less than 30 days and we are being given another presentation that could require us to make potential, tough decisions,” Streater said. He said he knew the cuts could be painful, but that something must be done to address the budget deficit.

District officials did not respond to questions about the impact of the cuts, saying that the proposal is now in the hands of the Board of Education.

Teachers worry about cuts to building substitutes, climate staff

Along with cuts to school-based staff, Watlington’s budget proposal includes eliminating 130 vacant central office positions. The plan would also cut some contracts that Watlington said aren’t directly improving students’ educational outcomes, though he has not elaborated on which contracts those may be.

Still, teachers and advocates say the cuts would inevitably impact student learning.

Many teachers said they were concerned district leaders may not understand the value of some of the positions they plan to cut. Building substitutes, for example, are full-time staff at schools that provide consistent support to kids who may have their main teacher out for days or weeks. And climate staff step in to keep hallways calm and students focused on learning.

One teacher said in her middle school classroom, a student has a meltdown nearly every day. When that happens, the climate staff at her school step in to take the student out of the classroom to calm down.

By cutting the number of climate staff at her school — she’s still not sure how many would be left after the budgets are finalized — she worries she and other teachers would have to choose between continuing their lessons and supporting a child having an outburst.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has said she does not want the school cuts to go through. She has proposed a $1 per ride tax on Ubers and Lyfts to funnel more money to the school district in order to prevent many of them.

The tax would save 240 school-based positions from elimination, but it’s unclear if members of City Council will support the new tax.

In the meantime, Arthur Steinberg, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said teachers are bracing for a challenging year ahead.

“The district itself is fond of saying that the most important variable in how kids achieve and grow is the teacher in the classroom,” said Steinberg. “So any reduction in services to kids is going to slow down the learning and really be an obstacle to further growth.”

Here are the budget cuts Philadelphia school leaders are proposing for next year

2026-03-13T15:10:26+00:00

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The Philadelphia school district must make deep cuts to plug a $300 million budget hole, officials said this week.

Superintendent Tony Watlington told reporters no teachers would be laid off in the round of proposed cuts he shared this week. But for the 2026-27 school year, hundreds of district employees would be reassigned to fill vacant positions and an already-lean central office will shrink further.

Philly’s school budget crisis is the result of decades of underfunding and the end of federal pandemic relief funds, coupled with rising teacher salaries, charter school payments, and increased health care costs, Watlington and district Chief Financial Officer Mike Herbstman told reporters Wednesday. That means the school district is currently spending more money than it’s taking in.

The district proposes eliminating all of its approximately 220 building substitute positions and reassigning another 340 school-based positions, like some climate staff and special education aides, to other roles. Those two changes combined would save $56 million.

Some 130 vacant central office positions would be cut, outside contracts would be reduced, and other central office “budget efficiencies” would result in $130 million in savings, Watlington said. Those budget efficiencies would include combining some administrative teams, reassessing property casualty insurance, and changing the way the district approves travel expenses among other savings.

The district would also end two programs championed by former superintendents that gave additional resources and staff to low-achieving schools to help them improve: The former Acceleration Network, previously known as the turnaround network, and the System of Great Schools.

The district’s goal is to eliminate its deficit by cutting $225 million in fiscal 2027 and an additional $20 million in each subsequent year through 2030.

The district will present its initial budget summary for the upcoming fiscal year, including the proposed cuts, to the Board of Education on March 26.

“We’re restructuring some to keep everybody who’s in the house in the house so that there are no position cuts or layoffs,” Watlington told reporters on Wednesday.

It’s unclear how these cuts and reassignments will affect classrooms as principals have only just begun the process of setting their school budgets for the next academic year. But Watlington said he couldn’t rule out some larger class sizes, for one.

“I don’t want to hide or obscure the fact that it will have some impact, because we’ll have to do more with less,” Watlington said. “We will not take our foot off the gas in terms of our expectations.”

Watlington said school leaders will have the discretion to decide which roles are reassigned though they can’t move roles for classroom teachers, principals, and assistant principals.

He did not provide a list of which contracts or vendors the district is looking to cut. But Watlington said he’ll take a “hard look” at reducing any program that does not show a clear throughline to improving student attendance, teacher attendance, test scores, graduation rates, and dropout rates.

In a statement, district spokesperson Monique Braxton said a full list of the vendors who may see their contracts cut or sunset “will be detailed later in the budget cycle.”

Watlington said in the long term, he expects the state to deliver on its constitutional mandate to fund its public schools adequately. A state commission calculated Philly schools need an additional $1 billion to meet student needs. But “that won’t happen in two days or overnight,” Watlington said.

Because Philadelphia is the only school district in the state that can’t raise its own revenue, it is dependent on philanthropy and state and local policymakers.

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro recently proposed an increase of $151 million for the district, and Mayor Cherelle Parker this week said she wants to send $12 million more to public schools via a new tax on rideshares and a modification to tax calculations for cell towers.

But even if those increases occur, they would still not be enough to solve all the district’s budget problems, Watlington said. And last year’s state budget delay cost the district $6.5 million in interest payments.

The district is also trying to find a way to pay for its $2.8 billion proposed facilities plan that could result in 18 school closures in addition to modernizations for 160 buildings.

Philly district budget cuts would hit substitute teachers hardest

Watlington pointed to large school districts like Broward County in Florida and Los Angeles Unified School District that recently announced thousands of public school employee layoffs to plug budget holes.

“I think we’ve done our level-best to have a different story here in Philadelphia,” Watlington said.

Though no teachers will be laid off, eliminating building substitutes could mean headaches down the line for Philly’s larger schools.

Herbstman, the district CFO, said schools will continue to receive long-term substitutes for teachers out on extended leave as well as day-to-day substitutes if a teacher calls out sick. But he did not say how those roles would be coordinated or whether additional money would be needed for outside contractors to fill substitute roles.

The individuals currently acting as building substitutes may be assigned to fill other vacant positions, Herbstman said.

Watlington says Philly schools are not wasteful

Watlington emphasized that despite persistent claims of district waste and administrative bloat coming from some elected officials, “the school district of Philadelphia already has a very lean central office.” He said that position is backed up by external audits and recent credit increases.

The narrative that there is rampant waste in Philly schools is “patently, absolutely false,” he said.

Watlington said in addition to the cuts, his office is going to “be very aggressive and very assertive” about growing enrollment in the school district through recruitment — including making their case to private school families.

“This school district has so many wonderful, fantastic things that are happening,” Watlington said, citing his usual talking points about increasing test scores, rising graduation rates, and declining dropout numbers.

“We’ve got a good story to tell. We’re getting better,” he said.

Here’s a breakdown of the planned budget cuts:

Freeze central office vacancies, cut 130 vacant central office positions, and cut other central office costs ($30 million).
Reduce contracts and “low return on investment” programs ($36 million).
Implement efficiencies in the budgeting process ($103 million).
Eliminate 220 building substitute positions ($13 million).
Reassign 340 school-based positions ($43 million).

The school board is expected to adopt a final fiscal 2027 budget on May 29.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Supporters of the new federal school choice tax credit pressure Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro to opt in

2026-03-12T19:44:47+00:00

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School choice advocates and two Philadelphia lawmakers are urging Gov. Josh Shapiro to opt into a federal tax-credit scholarship program that would pay for private school tuition and other education expenses.

But Shapiro is delaying his decision until President Donald Trump’s administration releases rules laying out how much control and accountability states will have over the federal program.

The strategy from Shapiro and other Democratic governors to put off making a yes-or-no decision on the tax credits reflects the barrage of political pressures they are facing.

Supporters of the tax credit say that governors who spurn the program are simply losing out on funding that will go to other states, instead of helping their students. But embracing a measure backed by the Trump administration that promotes private school choice might clash with the ideological preferences of Democratic officials and many of their voters.

Pennsylvania already authorizes two tax-credit scholarship programs, the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit and Educational Improvement Tax Credit. Both give tax breaks to businesses that donate to organizations that provide private school scholarships to students.

But the federal program doesn’t rely on state funding. The new federal tax credit, which passed last summer as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, would reimburse taxpayers for donations of up to $1,700 annually to scholarship-granting organizations.

The program allows donations to pay for more than just private school tuition. Proponents say those scholarship funds could be put toward tutoring, after-school programs, education technology and other educational expenses for both private and public school students.

But there are still many questions unanswered.

The U.S. Treasury Department is developing rules outlining how much authority states will have over the program. Those rules could spell out how public school students could benefit alongside private school students, or whether states could require that scholarship granting organizations serve only low-income families or prohibit them from discriminating against LGBTQ students and teachers.

The rules could also outline how the federal program may or may not stack with existing state tax-credit scholarships.

A spokesperson for Shapiro said in a statement Thursday his office is “awaiting federal guidance to address key questions about how this program would work, including which students will be eligible, how this federal initiative will interact with existing programs.”

Meanwhile, Democratic and Republican supporters of the tax credit made their case at a press conference Thursday.

“If Pennsylvania does not opt in, residents here can still claim the [tax] credit, but their donations will go to scholarships in other states,” state Rep. Martina White, a Republican who represents parts of Philadelphia, said at a press conference on Thursday. “In other words, Pennsylvania taxpayers will help fund scholarships elsewhere while our students miss out.”

Democratic state Sen. Anthony Williams, who represents Philadelphia, was not in attendance on Thursday, but sent a statement in support of the federal program.

“If Pennsylvania chooses to opt out, then we can say with certainty that the first $1,700 of every single Pennsylvania taxpayer’s federal taxes will leave the state, and it’s going to go to the U.S. Treasury, to the IRS,” Jorge Elorza, CEO of Democrats for Education Reform, said at the press conference. “Who knows what’s going to happen with the money when it gets there?”

But Susan Spicka, executive director of the public education advocacy group Education Voters PA, told Chalkbeat it is “wildly irresponsible for anyone to call for Pennsylvania to opt into the federal voucher program before Treasury issues rules delineating how the program will work.”

Spicka said without those rules, it’s unclear how much it will cost taxpayers for the state to implement and oversee the program.

Without clear accountability measures, Spicka worried the program could open the door “for extraordinary opportunities for waste, fraud, and abuse.”

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

As school closures loom, Philadelphia district and union officials jointly call for more state funding

2026-03-04T21:32:27+00:00

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Teacher union leaders and city officials have vehemently fought the Philadelphia school district for weeks over its proposal to close 18 schools.

But on Wednesday, union, city, and school district officials stood side by side to call for more state funding for Pennsylvania’s largest school district. Together, they urged state lawmakers to pass Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal, released last month, which would boost funding for Philadelphia schools by $151 million.

With more state funding, “we can move beyond difficult conversations about scarcity,” said Deputy Superintendent Jermaine Dawson at the union-sponsored event at Lankenau Environmental Science High School, which is on the list of proposed closures. “And then we can focus squarely on accelerating academic achievement.”

Superintendent Tony Watlington has said he does not want to close schools. But he has said the proposed closures, which the Board of Education has not yet approved, are necessary to ensure students no longer attend class in dilapidated buildings and have more access to academic opportunities.

The district’s funding problems seem to be the one thing everyone can agree on throughout closure debates. Repairing the district’s aging buildings would cost millions the district does not have. Already, the district is projecting a $300 million budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year.

In addition to opposing the closure plan, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has called for more transparency about the data the district used to determine which schools to shutter. But on Wednesday, President Arthur Steinberg had a separate priority.

“We will pick up the debate over the facilities plan another day,” said Steinberg, “Today, we are unified in saying to the General Assembly they are constitutionally obligated to fund our schools fairly and equitably.”

The Philadelphia school district is the only district in the state that cannot raise its own revenue through taxes. It has endured decades of underfunding under a state funding formula that a judge ruled was unconstitutional in 2023.

Though the legislature has boosted school funding every year since then, districts still get millions fewer dollars than what a state commission determined is needed to adequately meet all students’ needs. Last year, a months-long state budget delay also required the Philadelphia district to take out loans to stay afloat, costing it thousands in interest.

In recent years, the city has slightly increased district funding, and Mayor Cherelle Parker has promised an additional increase in 2030. But in the meantime, the cost of maintaining and fixing old buildings — many of which have had flaking asbestos and lead paint — is mounting.

Even members of the City Council, who grilled school district officials last month about the closure plan, acknowledged that the state’s history of underfunding the Philadelphia school district has contributed to the building problems officials are now trying to solve.

Education Committee Chair Isaiah Thomas opposes the district’s closure plan. District officials recently removed one school he’s strongly supported, Conwell Middle School, from its closure list. Thomas is an alumnus of Conwell, although Watlington has denied playing favorites.

On Wednesday, Thomas said he stood with the Lankenau community in fighting to keep their school open. But he also pointed out that the state’s long-term disinvestment in Philly’s schools has strained both the district’s and the city’s finances.

“It’s not right, it’s not fair,” said Thomas. “It has put us in a position for well over a decade to be constantly in the red as it relates to public education.”

Rep. Morgan Cephas, who chairs the Philadelphia House delegation in the state legislature, said at Wednesday’s event she would urge her colleagues to pass a state budget that boosts funding for the city’s schools, although the issue could come down to Senate Republicans.

Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify the state of Philly school buildings.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro proposes $151 million funding boost for Philadelphia schools

2026-02-03T20:59:56+00:00

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s newly proposed budget would add $151 million more for Philadelphia schools and increase public school funding statewide by more than $660 million.

The Philadelphia school district would get a total of $2.2 billion in general funding under the new proposal, including money for basic education and special education, and funds meant to go to the state’s highest needs school districts.

Shapiro is also seeking $420 million for publicly funded pre-K programs, $158 million for career and technical education programs, and $35 million for the popular student teacher stipend program.

Speaking at the state Capitol Tuesday, Shapiro said the new proposal follows his administration’s promise to make school funding statewide more fair after a judge ruled in 2023 that the state’s previous school funding formula was unconstitutional.

“We’ve invested a record amount of money in public education, and created a brand-new formula that drives that money out to the schools that need it most,” Shapiro said.

But the proposal still leaves poor school districts, including Philadelphia’s, underfunded and leaves out funding advocates say is essential for some education programs.

In addition, Shapiro is calling for further reform to how school districts fund cyber charter schools. In last year’s budget, lawmakers reduced the amount districts had to reimburse cyber charter schools compared with brick-and-mortar schools. That change was estimated to save school districts at least $178 million statewide.

The new proposal would allow school districts to write off more of the money they used to send to cyber charters and creates new limits on how cyber charter schools calculate tuition rates. It’s estimated to save an additional $75 million for districts.

Shapiro called for several changes to statewide education law in his address. He called on lawmakers to move forward with legislation that would ban cell phones use for kids while they are in school. And he said he has directed members of his administration to explore legal options to require the developers of AI chatbots to require age verification and parental consent.

Shapiro also said he has directed the State Board of Education to develop recommendations for schools to guarantee recess for all students.

The spending plan comes at a crucial time for Philly schools. Superintendent Tony Watlington last month released a wide-ranging facilities plan that would downsize the district, close 20 schools, merge others, and renovate some buildings. But even with Shapiro’s proposed funding boost, the district would still need to find more government and grant funding to pay for the $2.8 billion facilities plan.

Philadelphia is in a unique and difficult funding position. It’s the only school district in the state that cannot raise its own revenue and, as such, 99% of its operating budget is controlled by state and city officials.

Mayor Cherelle Parker in 2024 increased the district’s share of city property taxes from 55% to 56% in the 2025 budget, which her office claimed would send an additional $250 million to the city’s schools through 2030. Parker said she would increase that percent again in 2030, but her four-year term concludes in 2027. There’s no guarantee that a 2030 increase would materialize.

Still, the district is staring down a multimillion annual deficit. And Shapiro’s proposed increase is not a done deal. The state Legislature will deliberate and must offer its own spending plan by July 1. Last year, the final budget arrived four months overdue, forcing school districts to take out millions in loans.

Shapiro’s proposal leaves districts underfunded by more than $3 billion

Many education advocates welcomed the increased investment in education and said they would urge state lawmakers to support the proposed boost to school funding.

“The governor is making good on his commitment to fully fund our public schools and bring real opportunity to kids in Pennsylvania,” said Laura Boyce, Pennsylvania executive director of Teach Plus. “We will be fighting alongside him to ensure these commitments are passed into law in this year’s budget.”

Still, Pennsylvania schools remain underfunded by more than $3 billion compared with what they should get under the state’s adequacy formula, which was developed by a bipartisan commission to determine how much money schools need to operate. Some groups also worry the proposal leaves some education mandates unfunded.

Last year’s budget, for example, created new requirements for all districts to use evidence-based reading curriculums and implement new literacy training for teachers. But the new budget proposal does not include more funding for early literacy initiatives. The Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition, which has advocated for increased early literacy support, has called on state lawmakers to invest $50 million in those initiatives.

“In recent years, our commonwealth has taken important steps forward, but there is more work to be done,” said Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition leader Rachael Garnick. “We must meet this moment with the urgency, leadership, and sustained investment required to ensure that no child’s future is determined by whether the system was prepared to teach them to read.”

Some advocates also say the student teacher stipend program needs more money to effectively address the state’s severe teacher shortage. Though this proposal boosts funding for the program by $5 million, Lenny Sweeney, a leader with the group PA Needs Teachers, said in a statement the program needs further investment to meet the need.

The group is calling for state legislators to commit $40 million toward the program. “It is a practical, cost-effective, bipartisan strategy to rebuild Pennsylvania’s educator pipeline, bolster local economies, and support student success across the commonwealth,” Sweeney said.

Shapiro, who is broadly rumored to be seeking a presidential bid in 2028, took several hits at the Trump administration during his address, including its move to freeze some federal education funds last year. He also highlighted statewide gains since he took office, including improved statewide attendance and graduation rates.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia City Council turns up heat on school district over charters, principals’ contract

2025-11-18T22:45:38+00:00

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Philadelphia City Council members questioned school leaders during a Tuesday hearing about several longstanding issues, like decisions to send non-renewal notices to two charter schools and fiscal concerns.

But they deferred asking questions about one pressing issue: the district’s facilities plan, which officials have said will lead to closing schools.

District officials were initially scheduled to release recommendations of which schools to close, colocate, modernize, and repurpose earlier this month. But they delayed the announcement to conduct a community survey.

Superintendent Tony Watlington told the City Council on Tuesday that the district is “committed to bringing recommendations this winter.”

Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who chairs the council’s education committee, said the council will hold a hearing in January to focus on facilities once the draft plan is public. He urged council members to hold their questions about the plan until then.

With that issue essentially off the table, council members questioned school officials about other simmering concerns. Here’s a breakdown.

Council presses district on overdue principals union contract

District principals have been urging the school district for months to agree on a contract with their union, the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators, or CASA. The union has been without a contract since its last one expired in August.

Thomas questioned Watlington about why negotiations have stretched on so long.

Watlington said he could not share details while contract negotiations are ongoing, but that he is “optimistic” about reaching a contract deal in the “near term.” When asked by Thomas for a deadline, Watlington said it would not be appropriate to set one.

Several school district principals attended the hearing, wearing T-shirts branded with the CASA logo.

“We’re here in support of our district,” said CASA President Robin Cooper during a break from the hearing. “But also to be clear that we need a speedy resolution to our contract.”

Cooper also declined to share details about how negotiations are going.

Thomas asks about fate of 2 charter schools

Thomas also pressed board members about steps they’ve taken to not renew the charter agreements of KIPP North Philadelphia Academy and People for People Charter School.

“We’re still here today with the possibility of Black-led institutions being closed while their white counterparts are allowed to stay open,” said Thomas, who has previously criticized district leaders for closing other Black-led charter schools.

Thomas said he was concerned about the board’s decisions because “it’s not clear cut that the Black-led institutions were doing a worse job than their white counterparts.”

Board of Education President Reginald Streater said the board has tried to be more transparent about its non-renewal decisions by hosting several public meetings about charter renewals. During those meetings, board members said they were concerned about both schools’ low academic performance.

Streater also clarified that the board has not made final decisions not to renew both schools. Instead, he said, the board has triggered a non-renewal process mandated by state law to review the schools. He did not say when the board will make the final decisions.

People for People Charter School sued the school board in September following the board’s move towards not renewing its charter. The lawsuit focuses on the role of board member Joyce Wilkerson, who the school alleges is an “unlawfully seated member” of the board.

District leaders commit to eliminating budget deficit by 2030

The district’s budget presentation to the council showed it is expecting a $341 million deficit in fiscal year 2026, and will need to use around half its reserve funds to cover that cost.

During recent years, federal COVID relief funds helped fill such funding gaps, said the district’s Chief Financial Officer Michael Herbstman. But since that funding ended last year, the district has “a deficit in our budget that looks very similar to where we were before” it got those dollars, Herbstman said.

This year’s delayed state budget has added to the district’s financial difficulties. The district received additional $193 million in the 2025-26 state budget, which passed last week. But it had to take out around $700 million in loans during the four-month-long budget standoff, Herbstman said.

Herbstman said he estimated interest on the loans will cost the district around $7.5 million, which it must pay by April 1.

Superintendent Tony Watlington said one of the district’s priorities is eliminating its budget deficit by 2030, which will mean cutting some spending.

“We have to take some austerity measures over the next several years,” Watlington said. “We’ve got to balance our budget, and we’ve got to get our house in order.”

Mayor cautions against ‘political fights’ over school closures

Although City Council members held off on pressing Watlington and other officials about school closures, Mayor Cherelle Parker said she supports the district’s approach to the issue.

“I know that change is hard,” Parker said at Tuesday’s hearing. “I want every parent to know that I want what every parent wants: our children to have something better than what we had.”

Parker said she hopes to turn some underutilized school buildings into housing to help achieve the goals she has laid out in her housing plan, which some City Council members oppose.

When the district last closed schools more than a decade ago, the city council passed a nonbinding moratorium on school closures.

Parker said she would not stand for anyone trying to “manipulate” the process. “I support Dr. Watlington and President Streater enough that I’m going to fight tooth and nail to make sure no one attempts to bring them into any political fights,” Parker said.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

What Pennsylvania’s budget deal means for education

2025-11-12T20:52:34+00:00

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Pennsylvania’s new $50.1 billion state budget — four months overdue — includes a $193 million increase for Philadelphia schools, and several accountability reforms for cyber charter schools and districts’ literacy programs.

The budget and accompanying school code bills reduce the amount that school districts pay cyber charters, while also adding stricter reporting requirements for those schools regarding student absenteeism and academic performance. School districts statewide will also have to adopt “evidence-based” reading curriculum by the 2027-28 school year and do more to support struggling readers.

The budget package also includes $25 million for child care teacher recruitment and retention bonuses; a $7.5 million increase for Grow PA, which gives scholarships to aspiring educators; $30 million for student-teacher stipends; a non-punitive push for students to complete their college financial aid forms prior to graduation; and a $50 cap on teacher certification fees.

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the budget package Wednesday afternoon, flanked by Rep. Jordan Harris and House Speaker Joanna McClinton, both Democrats who represent Philadelphia.

“This budget builds on the progress we’ve made to be able to deliver better schools and more opportunity for our kids,” Shapiro said.

In an increasingly polarized and combative political environment, Pennsylvania officials cast their budget agreement Wednesday as a moment of unity for a divided legislature. It also gives badly needed financial relief to the state’s school districts, which resorted to various unappealing tactics like short-term borrowing to keep things running while they waited for state education funding — a situation that one observer likened to setting money on fire.

“We are voting on a budget today that continues to make historic investments in education,” said Harris, the House appropriations committee chair, before the vote in Harrisburg Wednesday. “It’s taken us a long time to get here, but the truth of the matter is we’re here and we’re here together.”

Education spending had been a central sticking point in budget negotiations. But in the shadow of a federal government shutdown and decisive election wins by Democrats this month in many races, Pennsylvania lawmakers said this budget will send a clear political message: We’re capable of compromising.

“I don’t agree with everything in this budget — that’s part of a divided government,” said Republican Rep. Jesse Topper on the House floor Wednesday. But he said he thinks the “robust” increases in education spending with the added requirements that districts adopt “evidence-based” literacy programs “will make a difference” for Pennsylvania students.

While the budget deal does not create a new private school voucher program that Republicans sought, Topper praised the $50 million increase in funding the budget allocates for the state’s existing school choice program that relies on tax credits.

In the absence of a state budget, the Philadelphia district borrowed $585.5 million to allow it to continue to function and will need to pay that money back, in addition to finding funding for the interest payments. A bill pending in the legislature would require the state to pay districts back for “interest payments and fees” stemming from lawmakers’ inability to pass a budget on time.

However, the Teach Plus advocacy group expressed concern that districts will not ultimately get reimbursed for interest they paid on any such borrowing. “That money will never reach classrooms and students, and local taxpayers will shoulder this unnecessary expense,” Teach Plus said in a Wednesday statement.

Philly district officials are also undergoing a complex facilities planning process that will result in school closures and require millions for renovations and building maintenance. The new budget includes $125 million for school facilities funding.

Budget addresses Pennsylvania’s school funding ‘adequacy gap’

This marks the second state budget since a state court ruled in 2023 that Pennsylvania’s previous school funding formula was unconstitutional because it left poor districts underfunded.

Following that ruling, a bipartisan commission crafted a new funding formula to consider districts’ tax bases and students’ needs to distribute funds. The new budget largely follows that formula and boosts funding for the state’s poorest districts.

“This budget responds to the mandates of our constitutional court to address the issues of inadequacy and equity,” said Sen. Vincent Hughes, a Democrat who represents Philadelphia, on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Still, advocates say the additional funding does not fully address Pennsylvania schools’ needs.

“Lawmakers’ five-month delay in passing this year’s budget left schools, educators, and families in unnecessary limbo and resulted in avoidable harm,” said Deborah Gordon Klehr, executive director of the Education Law Center-PA, in a statement. “This is another step forward – one that must be followed by continued commitment and sustained investment until every student, in every community, has the resources they need to learn and thrive.”

Cyber charter reforms will save Philadelphia district millions

Pennsylvania school districts previously have paid cyber charter schools the same amount per student as they provided to brick-and-mortar charters. But the new budget changes that, lowering the amount of money districts owe charters per student. Those changes are estimated to save the Philadelphia school district nearly $50 million this school year, according to an analysis from the House Appropriations Committee.

This year’s reforms replace last year’s $100 million payment to reimburse school districts for the cost of tuition paid to cyber charter schools.

Cyber charter schools will also be required to create policies that monitor whether students are present during synchronous parts of instruction. To be marked present, students “must be visible to the teacher on camera,” the budget bill states. For asynchronous instruction, when teachers are not live on camera, cyber charters will be required to monitor how students are progressing on certain “benchmarks” and report that information to the state.

In addition, cyber charters will have to create wellness check policies to “ensure the well-being” of enrolled students. These changes come after the death of a student enrolled in a cyber charter following her alleged torture and starvation by her guardians.

The budget legislation also prohibits students who are habitually truant from transferring during the school year to a cyber charter school, unless a judge determines that the transfer is in the child’s best interest.

Cyber charter operators said in a joint statement Wednesday the reforms would amount to a significant budget cut and could force up to seven cyber charter schools to close within two years. And they estimate the budget deal would lead to layoffs of 2,000 cyber charter teachers and staff.

Jon Marsh, CEO of Esperanza Cyber Charter School based in North Philly, said in a Wednesday statement that the budget represented “an attack on some of the most chronically disenfranchised and disadvantaged students in our Commonwealth.”

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

‘We have set money on fire’: Pennsylvania budget impasse costs Philadelphia school district millions

2025-11-11T19:02:24+00:00

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Pennsylvania lawmakers say a state budget could be near — potentially with more funding for districts like Philadelphia’s.

But the budget is already over four months late. And that’s caused significant financial harm to districts across the state.

In Philadelphia, the state’s largest district, the school board authorized the district to borrow $1.55 billion in September to make up for missed state payments that would have come through if lawmakers had adopted a budget by the July 1 deadline.

If the district ends up drawing down the entire loan, interest payments will cost the cash-strapped district around $30 million, according to district officials. That’s equivalent to roughly 200 teacher salaries in a district with ongoing teacher shortages.

Some smaller districts are delaying payments to charter schools and pausing after school programming. Others have said they will have to shut down if there is no budget deal soon.

At a Philadelphia Board of Education hearing last week, Board President Reginald Streater said the district had to continue to borrow funds to “keep the lights on and continue making the payments we have to make under the law.”

So far, it has drawn down $585.5 million of the loan to make up for the missing state funding, according to district spokesperson Naima DeBrest. The loan agreement requires the district to pay that money back within the same fiscal year.

The strain on districts’ budgets comes as lawmakers argue over what the future of education funding should look like in the state. How the state divides money between districts is one of the key issues in this year’s budget negotiations, following a 2023 court ruling that found the state’s school funding formula to be unconstitutional because it left poor districts underfunded.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal, backed by Democratic lawmakers, would include $200 million more for Philadelphia schools as part of a boost to school funding for districts with lower tax bases and higher costs per student.

But some Senate Republicans, who are in the majority, have opposed that proposal. Republican Majority Leader Sen. Joe Pittman has previously indicated that he opposes the funding formula Shapiro is using to determine how much money districts get. (Pittman’s office declined to respond to Chalkbeat’s request for comment.)

Sen. Vincent Hughes, a Democrat who represents part of Philadelphia, said he and other Democratic senators are “holding firm” on supporting Shapiro’s education funding proposal.

“It has been a lot of lifting to make sure that we protect that,” said Hughes. “And it’s not done, so we’ve got to keep fighting for it.”

Lawmakers say Pennsylvania budget deal could be close

Hughes said he could not estimate when a budget deal may be finalized, but that there had been “an increased level” of negotiations over the last several weeks. He said he hoped that recent election results, in which Democrats made gains in several states, “would have sent a message to our Republican colleagues that their way of governing … the people don’t like it.”

Sen. Lynda Culver, a Republican who chairs the Senate education committee, said she is not part of the negotiation team, but she is hopeful a budget deal could be reached this week. The House plans to return to a voting session on Wednesday, and Culver said the Senate also expected to return to session later this week, though no date has been publicized.

Culver said she wants Shapiro’s education spending proposal to be “tweaked” so that rural districts get more funding.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing,” said Culver of Shapiro’s budget blueprint. “I’m just saying it needs consideration for rural Pennsylvania.” She added that education spending is one of many issues she would consider in any budget proposal.

It’s encouraging that lawmakers have fought for more education funding for poor districts, said Dan Urevick-Ackelsber, a senior attorney at the Public Interest Law Center, a legal advocacy group. Still, he said, Shapiro’s proposal still does not adequately fund higher-needs districts.

“Our schools need every dollar that we give them,” said Urevick-Ackelsber, who was involved in the legal case challenging the state’s funding formula that culminated in the 2023 court ruling. “And we have set money on fire.”

Philadelphia district officials have urged lawmakers to pass a budget that follows the governor’s proposal.

Without adequate funding, students ultimately suffer, Streater said at the recent Philadelphia board hearing.

“We have been put into a situation where … our children have yet to get the fundamental rights that they have been granted under our state constitution.”

Philadelphia councilmembers express skepticism of beverage tax that funds free pre-K

2025-10-27T20:54:59+00:00

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Eight years into Philadelphia’s free prekindergarten program, city officials seem to agree on one point: The city needs more funding to make early education affordable and accessible.

But some members of the City Council want Philadelphia to reconsider the city tax that has paid for a large part of the program, known as PHLpreK, since its inception in 2017.

That tax, the Philadelphia beverage tax, adds 1.5 cents per ounce of soda sold in the city. Last year, it brought in $68 million, which the city used to pay for PHLpreK, as well as a few other programs.

But Councilmember Jim Harrity, who has led the charge to reexamine the beverage tax, and some of his colleagues say the beverage tax does more harm to the city than good, because it adds strain to grocery stores that provide employment and food in the city. They also say it imposes costs on low-income families by increasing their grocery bills.

“I want to find a way to pay for this program and expand” PHLpreK, Harrity said during a City Council hearing on Monday. “Right now, we can’t expand [anything].”

Harrity stopped short of calling to repeal the tax, but said he wanted to explore alternate ways to fund the pre-K program.

He also pointed out that the amount of money the tax has brought in each year has slightly declined since it was enacted, leaving the programs it was supposed to fund relying increasingly on the city’s other streams of funding.

“This was a mistake from the get-go,” said Councilmember Brian O’Neill, adding that he worried the tax has led to closed grocery stores and lost union jobs. “It’s a job-killer. It’s regressive.”

But pre-K advocates and preschool owners, who crowded into the City Council hearing with groups of preschoolers Monday morning, said the beverage tax revenue is vital to ensuring families can access child care and providers can keep their doors open.

“Without stable education, without an opportunity for families to go to work, this city is not going to thrive,” said Rosanna Matos, a public policy specialist with the local advocacy organization FirstUp. “If we lose PHLpreK, we risk losing the infrastructure that supports our children, our families, and our workforce.”

Early education desperately needs more funding, advocates say

Since the city launched its free pre-K program, it has served more than 30,000 children, according to city data. This school year, it’s offered 5,250 slots for families in the city. Any family, regardless of income, is eligible to apply.

The program has had some challenges since its launch, including providers struggling to find staff and more than 100 preschools closing in the city after the pandemic. Over the past five years, around 90% of PHLpreK spots have been filled each year, according to data from the city’s Office of Children and Families, meaning that a few hundred seats have been left empty each year.

Still, officials and advocates say current funding only fills a fraction of the need of the around 40,000 3- and 4-year-olds in the city.

The federal government pays for an additional 6,000 free pre-K slots in the city through Head Start, and the state’s Pre-K Counts program pays for around 5,000 more. But not all families can use those programs due to income restrictions.

The beverage tax does not cover the full price tag of the city’s free pre-K program, which officials estimate will cost around $73 million this fiscal year, but helps offset a large portion of the cost. The tax also helps fund the city’s community school initiative and the city’s “rebuild” program, which has been used to build and update playgrounds and recreational centers.

No councilmember has proposed repealing the beverage tax, and it was unclear after the hearing Monday whether Harrity or other critics of the tax plan to do so soon. Harrity did say he may propose launching a working group to study the beverage tax and whether a combination of taxes and philanthropic efforts could be used to fund pre-K.

Other councilmembers who participated in the hearing, including Councilmember Kendra Brooks, defended the tax.

Zakiyyah Boone, CEO of Wonderspring Early Education, which operates preschools in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, said she’s open to working with officials and other industries to improve the funding system.

But she emphasized that investing in early education is essential for Philadelphia, especially as many other pre-K funding streams become increasingly uncertain.

The Trump administration has threatened to cut funding for Head Start and has barred undocumented children from enrolling. State-funded pre-K programs are under strain, and some owners say they may have to close their programs as a state budget impasse stretches nearly four months long.

To Boone and other providers, those funding problems have underscored the need for consistency at the city level.

“Repealing or even reducing the tax risks destabilizing the funding stream at a time when … so much is unstable,” said Boone.

Some Philly preschools say they’ll have to close classrooms if lawmakers don’t pass a budget soon

2025-10-10T20:08:03+00:00

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For more than three months, Lisa Smith has operated several state-funded pre-K classrooms at Amazing Kidz Academy early learning centers in Philadelphia without being paid for those services.

More than 100 children at Smith’s preschool rely on the state’s Pre-K Counts program, which is meant to provide free early learning to lower-income families and children who may be English language learners or have special needs.

But as the state budget impasse stretches beyond 100 days, Smith and dozens of other Philadelphia providers who participate directly in the program are still waiting for funding, pushing some to consider furloughing staff and shuttering classrooms, according to advocates. Around 150 Philadelphia preschools provided Pre-K Counts seats last fiscal year, serving 5,000 students.

For Smith, the budget impasse has meant draining thousands from her personal savings and taking more out from a line of credit to keep the preschools afloat. As of this month, she said the state owes her business more than $300,000 for her Pre-K Counts program.

“Who can carry a program for months with no money?” said Smith. “To not pass a budget that is funding these programs and expect us to cover it this long — it is disgraceful.”

In Philadelphia, some Pre-K Counts slots are managed by the school district, which is already having to borrow up to $1.5 billion to make up for state budget funding.

Tyrone Scott, director of government and external affairs at the Philadelphia-based advocacy organization First Up, said that providers contracting with the district are getting help with costs and are in a more stable financial spot right now.

But for the dozens of preschools who contract directly with the state, providers and advocates say the budget impasse has pushed an already tight business model to the brink — and not even a new public loan program is offering full relief.

Lawmakers propose waiving interest for Pre-K Counts loan program

In the state Capitol, lawmakers appear to be at a standstill on key budget issues, such as funding for schools and Medicaid. Pennsylvania has become the only state in the nation without a finalized state budget for the fiscal year.

Though the Democratic-controlled House passed a new budget Wednesday evening that includes a 5% spending increase, the Republican-controlled Senate has rejected increasing spending and has not voted on the proposal.

State officials have recently offered some support measures, including a new public loan program for Pre-K Counts providers. That program, called the bridge loan, allows providers to take out funds to cover operating expenses as long as they agree to pay the loan back with 4.5% interest within 15 days of state funds being released.

But Scott said the interest rate and tight deadline to pay back the loan has some providers concerned.

“That’s still something that people are kind of wary of,” said Scott. “They want to help kids, they want to serve the families, but they just need the money.”

The Senate Wednesday passed a bill that would enable the treasury to waive interest for early education providers and some other programs that would be eligible for bridge loans. Republican lawmakers have presented it as a solution to the funding crisis that they blame on Democrats.

But some Democratic lawmakers have pushed back against the legislation, saying the treasury does not have authority to create the loan program. The House has not yet voted on the legislation.

In the meantime, some providers say they’re running out of back–up funds.

Earlier this week, Mercedes Fleet, who operates Bright Little Scholars early learning center in Northeast Philadelphia, sent a letter informing parents that if the state budget doesn’t pass by the end of the month, the preschool will have to close its Pre-K Counts classroom until funding is released.

“I can’t go to my landlord and say, ‘Hey, the budget didn’t pass, I can’t pay you money.’” said Fleet. “Can’t expect people to show up and work and not know when they’re going to get paid.”

As for Smith, she said she applied to the bridge loan program on Monday and has not yet heard if she’s been approved. She hopes to get the money to help keep her preschool afloat.

“I do not want to close these classrooms,” said Smith. “I don’t want to do it to the families. The parents depend on us. They need us.”

Nearly every day, she calls lawmakers to ask them to pass the budget and get her and her industry out of this funding mess.

Rebecca Redelmeier is a reporter at Chalkbeat Philadelphia. She writes about public schools, early childhood education, and issues that impact students, families, and educators across Philadelphia. Contact Rebecca at rredelmeier@chalkbeat.org.

Philly schools will borrow up to $1.5 billion to pay for a new teacher contract and other costs

2025-09-11T22:20:01+00:00

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The Philadelphia Board of Education approved the new teachers’ union contract on Thursday. But with the state budget still not finalized, members also voted to authorize borrowing to pay for it and other costs.

The new three-year contract includes annual 3% raises over three years and a one-time $1,400 bonus for all Philadelphia Federation of Teachers members. It also provides teachers with paid parental leave for the first time in district history, according to union officials, as well as an end to the controversial sick leave policy known as 3-5-7-9.

Board members voted unanimously to approve the contract. But they also warned the state budget impasse will cost Philadelphia students resources and opportunities.

“It’s a disgrace,” board member Joyce Wilkerson said of the budget standstill. “We need the funding, we need it now, we shouldn’t need to borrow.”

Board Member Whitney Jones said because of the stalemate “and the uncertainty it creates the district is being forced to borrow” more than three times what the board was expecting to borrow. The associated interest payments could soar to $30 million, board members said.

Accordingly, board members also voted 8-0 with one abstention on Thursday to approve the issuance and sale of notes totaling up to $1.55 billion. This money would be short-term borrowing and would need to be borrowed and repaid within the same fiscal year.

“The budget delays are costing our schools money that we do not have and it’s further limiting what we can provide to students,” Jones said.

The contract negotiated between the PFT and the district assumes an increase in school funding proposed by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro back in February. More than two months after the state deadline for lawmakers to pass a budget, they remain deadlocked. More than $1 billion in payments for K-12 schools across the state have already been delayed, according to the state department of education.

Philly schools are still awaiting $374 million according to the district’s Chief Financial Officer Michael Herbstman.

Without annual funding increases from the state, the district will likely need to borrow to be able to pay for the contract across all three years, in addition to its other financial obligations like payments to charter schools. The district is already staring down a growing budget deficit.

Herbstman told board members 53% of the district’s budget comes from state funding, and therefore “it’s not sustainable long term to continue to operate as normal without them.” The Philly school district is almost entirely reliant on state, city, and federal funding, as it is the only district in the state that can’t raise its own revenue.

Board Member Wanda Novales said “every week of the delay puts more pressure on our budget, and every dollar spent on interest is a dollar not spent on our kids.”

The $30 million that would go to paying interest on that borrowing would be equivalent to a little over 200 teacher salaries, Herbstman said.

Pennsylvania and Michigan are the only states that haven’t passed a budget this year. And school funding is a major area of disagreement in both states.

In Pennsylvania, where budget negotiations largely take place behind closed doors, Republican legislative leaders have proposed holding public education spending flat while floating increases in state dollars for private school vouchers and tax-credit scholarships. Democrats have rejected those ideas and education advocates have argued such proposals fly in the face of a court ruling that deemed Pennsylvania’s prior school funding system unconstitutional.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

It’s Philadelphia’s first day of school. Here are 3 things we’re watching.

2025-08-25T17:56:25+00:00

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Nearly 118,000 Philadelphia students headed back to classrooms on Monday. Some celebrated birthdays. Others were thankful for the relatively cool weather. And more than a few wished summer could’ve lasted just a bit longer.

With a new tentative teachers union contract agreement under their belts and the threat of a strike all but forgotten, Superintendent Tony Watlington, Mayor Cherelle Parker, Board of Education President Reginald Streater and other elected officials greeted arriving students at Edward Steel Elementary School in Nicetown with cheers and metallic red pompoms.

“This is a school year where we have wind underneath our wings, even though we have a lot of challenges in front of us,” Watlington said Monday.

Indeed, the district is staring down a multi-million dollar budget deficit worsened by a lingering state budget impasse that’s likely to delay crucial payments to Pennsylvania districts. That delay has also caused public transit cuts that are already disrupting students’ rides to and from school. And the district’s ongoing facilities planning process will come to a head this fall when officials are expected to release their plan for school closures and renovations.

Despite the challenges, school leaders opened their doors on Monday with optimistic messages.

Edward Steel Elementary School students are expected to repeat the school motto: "Safety first, respect always, and striving for achievement.”

Steel Elementary Principal Angikindslows Senatus said this year, he’s leaning into his school’s three core principles: “safety first, respect always, and striving for achievement.”

“We want to make sure that regardless of the challenges and the issues that we face, that we make sure that we cross the boundary and meet each other,” Senatus said.

Here are three things we’ll be watching this school year.

Philadelphia school closures are likely

District officials have said the structure of the city’s public school system needs to fundamentally change. That means school closures are likely coming.

As enrollment demographics shift, some schools have become overcrowded, forcing students to learn in hallways and trailers, while other buildings are more than half empty and are costly to maintain. Some schools have temperature-controlled spaces and proper equipment for gym class, career and technical education programs, and prekindergarten. Others have been repeatedly closed for asbestos remediation and inadequate heating and cooling.

As a result, district officials have been drafting a plan to close, repurpose, colocate, and remodel each of its more than 300 buildings. That plan is expected to be presented to the Board of Education in November.

Painful SEPTA cuts could impact student attendance

In the absence of a state budget deal, SEPTA has moved forward with massive cuts, service reductions, and fare increases, including the elimination of some 400-series bus lines, which specifically serve schools at the beginning and end of the school day.

Educators, parents, and advocates told Chalkbeat they’re worried the transit changes will mean students will have a harder time getting to school and participating in internships and extracurricular activities.

The SEPTA cuts are adding “chaos” to the school year, said Sean Vereen, president and CEO of Heights Philadelphia, which connects Black, Latino, and first-generation college students from low-income communities with workforce and college attainment programs.

“There are already too many barriers to young people accessing their opportunities, and this seems to be another place where we’re putting up barriers that we don’t need to,” Vereen said. “Young people require stability and investment, and all these things send the opposite message.”

Watlington has emphasized increasing student attendance rates during his time in office. He said last week that no students will be penalized if they’re late because of transit issues, but it remains to be seen how the cuts will affect district attendance rates.

Teachers welcomed students back to school on Monday with cheers and red pompoms.

School choice programs continue to dominate the conversation

The perennial push for new voucher-like school choice programs and funding are among the issues at the root of Pennsylvania lawmakers’ budget stalemate.

Emboldened by the new national federal tax-credit scholarship program, Pennsylvania Republicans are resurrecting a plan to allow families to use state money to pay some private school tuition and other education costs. While Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro supported a prior voucher proposal, he subsequently backed down and vetoed such a proposal in 2023.

Meanwhile, Democrat legislators have said increasing funding for public school districts is not only their budget priority, but also constitutionally mandated.

At the same time, Philadelphia school officials are trying to balance growing demand for traditional and cyber charter schools with their desire to boost enrollment at neighborhood public schools. The Philadelphia Board of Education voted last May to approve the city’s first new charter school in nearly a decade, but members last week also voted to move forward with the nonrenewal process for two underperforming charters.

While the leaders of one charter school have already said it will close next year, those in charge of another, Memphis Street Academy, have vowed to continue fighting a judge’s closure order.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Looming SEPTA cuts could mean many Philly kids miss class as lawmakers bicker over funding

2025-08-11T19:42:36+00:00

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Major transit cuts are poised to derail Philadelphia’s start of the school year as state lawmakers squabble over funding for SEPTA, which more than 21,000 Philadelphia students use to get to school.

On Monday, the House passed a bill that included funding for the transit system, as well as new money for roads and bridges. But Senate Republicans have rejected the past four versions of the funding package that would include investments in SEPTA.

If the transit authority does not secure more funding by Thursday, massive system-wide cuts at the beginning of the school year are unavoidable, SEPTA officials have said.

“When things are down to the wire, I’m just so concerned about how this will affect our students and our families,” said Bianca Gillis, principal of Baldi Middle School in Northeast Philadelphia.

Baldi is one of the schools slated to be most affected by the potential cuts, with four bus lines that serve the 1,500-student middle school scheduled to be discontinued in the coming months unless lawmakers strike a funding deal. Three of them are part of the SEPTA’s 400-series lines, which specifically serve schools at the beginning and end of the school day.

Gillis said she worries that losing those buses could lead to students being late for class and increased absenteeism.

“It would just create unreasonable demands on children with those kind of necessary pivots that families would have to make,” Gillis said. “So I hope they come to a decision before the first day of school.

Students in Northeast Philadelphia will be affected most by the cuts. They will have to wait longer for transportation and change buses more frequently to get to school, SEPTA officials have said.

But no part of the city will be immune, according to SEPTA officials, with longer wait times and more crowding expected throughout the transit system that provides key transportation services for students.

Though the district provides school buses to elementary school students and some students with disabilities, most students in grades six and up are expected to walk or use public transportation to get to school. The school district provides students who live at least 1.5 miles from their school with free SEPTA cards to pay for the transportation.

A district spokesperson said district officials are monitoring the budget negotiations and SEPTA’s plans. In documents shared before a June school board meeting, district officials acknowledged that transit cuts could affect on-time school attendance and limit access to after-school programs.

During a virtual information session organized by the school district in late July, SEPTA Chief Planning and Strategy Officer Jodie Holton told educators that the transit authority is working with lawmakers to secure more funding.

“We have hope that the state will pass a budget, and I know the school district is anxiously awaiting that as well,” Holton said. “We have hope that funding for transit will be included.”

The transit authority has been planning for two separate scenarios. In one, it does not receive more state funding and begins a 20% service cut across the system. In another, it can continue its service without changes. SEPTA is also raising fare costs by around 20% on Sept. 1.

The service cuts are scheduled to begin on Aug. 24, but for planning purposes, SEPTA officials have said they need confirmation of funding by Aug. 14. Without additional money, the transit authority will have to start service cuts that could take months to reverse even if funding does eventually come in.

Over the weekend, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro called on lawmakers to pass the transit budget immediately.

“Every day, hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians rely on SEPTA to get to work, take their kids to school, and keep their lives moving,” Shapiro said in a statement. “We need long-term, recurring funding for SEPTA and for every transit agency in our Commonwealth — and the time to act is right now.”

The district is still hiring bus drivers for school bus transportation for elementary school students. Families eligible for school bus services may apply to the district’s parent flat rate program that pays eligible families $300 per month to drive their children to school.

However, the majority of middle and high school students who commute to school will still be expected to take SEPTA on Aug. 25, the district’s first day of school.

Pennsylvania families struggle to feed kids due to SUN Bucks benefit delay

2025-07-31T20:28:39+00:00

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Families across Pennsylvania are still waiting on money meant to help pay for kids’ meals while school is out as the state says it is experiencing “technical difficulties” distributing the funds.

The federally funded SUN Bucks program provides eligible families with $40 per summer month for each child, beginning in June and ending in August. An announcement last week from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said 1.3 million children are expected to qualify for the benefit this summer.

The program website initially said that the state would begin issuing the benefit in mid-July, and that families could expect to receive the funds by the end of the month.

But with the new school year just weeks away, families have yet to receive those dollars.

The delay has left some parents scrambling to find money and resources to feed their kids, many of whom would usually get meals at school during the school year.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Human Services said the delay was caused by technical difficulties processing student data, which is necessary to determine whether families are automatically eligible for the benefit. The department discovered the problem when testing the system ahead of its planned benefit rollout in July.

The spokesperson said staff have worked to resolve the issue and are now aiming to begin payments starting the week of Aug. 4. As of Thursday, the DHS website said families should expect to receive their funds in mid-August.

Shaquana Sutton, a mom of four who lives in North Philadelphia, said she has had to rely on help from family while she waits for the SUN Bucks.

“I was counting on mid-July, and it never came,” said Sutton. “The kids go back to school August the 25th. You know, they’ll be back in school by time the SUN Bucks come.”

The SUN Bucks program launched last summer with many delays nationwide, including in Pennsylvania. But at the time, Pennsylvania officials told Chalkbeat funds would be distributed sooner the following year.

This year, several states continue to experience delays, according to Kelsey Boone, senior child nutrition policy analyst at the national nonprofit Food Research & Action Center.

But Boone said the more concerning development is that some states opted out of the federal funding for the program altogether this summer. In Tennessee, for example, the program ended this year after Gov. Bill Lee declined to continue the state’s participation.

“While Pennsylvania’s rollout is delayed, the important takeaway is that the state opted in and is working to get those benefits out,” said Boone.

Pennsylvania children who already receive free and reduced-price school meals or other federal food benefits are automatically enrolled in SUN Bucks. Other households that need to apply can do so here by Aug. 31.

Trump administration withholds $230 million from Pennsylvania schools

2025-07-03T19:48:07+00:00

This story was originally published by The Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

Pennsylvania education leaders are scrambling after the Trump administration said it would withhold more than $230 million in congressionally approved funding for after-school programs, teacher training, literacy, and education for migrant and non-English speaking students.

A spokesperson for the state Department of Education said the U.S. Department of Education informed officials Monday evening of a delay in the release of funding that was due to be available starting Tuesday.

The action is separate from the budget reconciliation bill passed by Congress.

Education advocates told the Capital-Star on Wednesday the failure to release the funds was reckless and unlawful and would affect the commonwealth’s most vulnerable students.

“These federal funds support key programs that expand learning for our most underserved students,” Maura McInerney, legal director of the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania, said in a statement.

State House Education Committee Chairperson Peter Schweyer, a Democrat, said the announcement caught state and local school officials off guard, which came days after the deadline for school districts to approve their budgets.

The uncertainty also arrived as the General Assembly continues negotiations over the state budget.

According to an analysis by Education Week, the $230 million due Pennsylvania is the sixth largest amount among the states after California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois.

Schweyer said he learned of the funding freeze from a school superintendent in his legislative district who had received a “terse” email from the state. He learned further details about the Trump administration’s decision from a New York Times article.

“To say we had no idea this is coming is absolutely accurate,” Schweyer said.

The federal Education Department referred questions to the White House Office of Management and Budget, which did not respond.

He said the funding freeze comes as many school districts and partner organizations are working to finalize agreements and hire staff for after school and summer programs. Rural communities where independent nonprofit organizations such as the YMCA and Jewish community centers are less common are likely to be hit harder, he said.

“The Trump administration is beyond reckless. This Congress is beyond impotent. They’re hurting the families we all collectively serve,” Schweyer said.

Funding for seven federal programs totaling nearly $7 billion nationwide is affected. Five of the programs support K-12 schools, while the other two help schools, community colleges and other organizations provide adult literacy and civics education.

McInerney said the programs benefit children affected by poverty through summer school and after-school tutoring and enrichment programs; immigrant students and English learners; children of migrant workers; youth in the foster care system and juvenile justice system; and adults seeking basic education as a pathway to postsecondary education and employment.

The state Education Department provided estimates of the impact on commonwealth schools and other organizations that receive the funds:

Title I-C, Migrant Education, $11 million
Title II-A, Supporting Effective Instruction, $70 million
Title III-A, English Language Acquisition, $20 million
Title IV-B, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, $54 million
Adult Education Basic Grants to States, $20 million

“We are assessing the impact of this delay and will keep school leaders and local programs informed. We are also determining any next steps,” department spokesperson Erin James said. “PDE will continue to share updates as they become available and is committed to supporting Pennsylvania schools, educators, and learners throughout this process.”

McInerney said withholding the funds is a violation of the Impoundment Control Act, which regulates how the president can delay or rescind spending that has already been approved by Congress.

“The unilateral withholding of these congressionally appropriated funding streams without any justification or warning to Congress is outrageous and unlawful. The administration cannot unilaterally delay or cancel appropriations already enacted into law. Only Congress holds this constitutional power,” McInerney said.

Philadelphia school district, union leaders say students need state education funding boost

2025-06-25T21:39:35+00:00

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In an unusual show of unity, Philadelphia school officials and union leaders stood side by side at the state Capitol in Harrisburg on Wednesday to call on state lawmakers to increase funding for city schools in the upcoming state budget.

They said that more money for the district would help it continue to support students, improve graduation rates and test scores, and save the government money down the road.

State lawmakers have until June 30 to pass next year’s state budget, though some have signaled they are unlikely to meet that deadline. School funding has been an ongoing flashpoint in negotiations following a 2023 court ruling that found the state’s previous school funding formula to be unconstitutional because it left poor districts severely underfunded.

Philadelphia schools got $232 million more in last year’s budget, though it still left the district with far less money per pupil than wealthier suburban districts. Democratic lawmakers argue the court ruling means the state must continue to increase funding for districts like Philadelphia that cannot or do not have resources to raise as much money through property taxes.

Some Republicans have previously resisted increasing funding for poor districts, promoting additional school choice programs like vouchers instead.

“This is no ordinary year,” said LeShawna Coleman, chief of staff of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, referring to the 2023 court ruling as well as growing concerns that the Trump administration could cut federal funding for schools.

“We’re doing this to make sure Philly public schools get their fair share of funding,” Coleman added. “Our students deserve nothing less.”

Union leaders appearing alongside district officials to lobby lawmakers together is “unprecedented,” PFT President Arthur Steinberg said Wednesday.

Their trip to Harrisburg comes days after a majority of union members voted to authorize a strike amid ongoing contract negotiations. Teacher salaries and benefits make up the largest portion of the district’s budget, so any additional state funding would likely go in part to employee salaries.

Both union leaders and district officials said they supported Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal, which would increase funding for Philadelphia schools by more than $200 million.

Shapiro’s proposal includes additional funding for building repairs, school meals, student mental health support, and special education. It would also limit how cyber charter schools are funded in a way that would save the district another $50 million.

Board President Reginald Streater said increased funding would help the district maintain some of its academic gains and continue to better serve students. Last school year, the district’s attendance increased slightly, its dropout rate declined, and some student test scores increased.

“Without a continued investment, we risk stalling or even reversing the momentum we have all worked so hard to build,” said Streater.

Lawmakers battle over funding for Philadelphia schools

After the 2023 court ruling that found the state inequitably funded school districts, enabling those with large tax bases to thrive while others in poorer areas struggled, lawmakers negotiated how to close the gap.

A commission convened by lawmakers in 2023 to examine the issue ultimately defined a concept called an “adequacy target.” It measures how much money districts need to serve their students, with considerations that poor students, English language learners, and students with disabilities may need more resources.

But last year’s state budget left the Philadelphia school district with a $4.5 billion “adequacy gap”.

Several Democratic lawmakers joined the rally Wednesday, voicing their commitment to eliminating that disparity. Democratic Sen. Vincent Hughes, who represents part of Philadelphia, said the 2023 court ruling essentially requires as much.

“If the judge says, ‘You gotta do something,’ you gotta do it,” said Hughes. “What we’re saying is fund the schools.”

However, some Republican lawmakers have previously disagreed with that interpretation of the court ruling. In March, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, a Republican, noted the court did not specifically require the state to increase funding to certain districts and questioned the fairness of the state’s adequacy funding formula.

Philadelphia schools Superintendent Tony Watlington said his plan is to steward the district’s funding to ensure students graduate prepared and do not have to rely on other costly government programs, like social services, down the line.

“We are committed to ensuring that we come back and report to you, year over year, the return on investment for every dollar you send to the school district of Philadelphia,” said Watlington.

Lawmakers eye changes to cyber charter funding

Union representatives and school officials also rallied for lawmakers to save the Philadelphia district money through legislation that would cap the amount districts pay cyber charter schools.

The bill, which could save school districts across the state more than $600 million annually, passed the state House earlier this month. It now awaits consideration in the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans, who have largely been more supportive of alternatives to traditional public schools, like cyber charters.

“We have invested in cyber charter schools and gotten nothing in return,” said Rep. Mary Isaacson, a Philadelphia Democrat and the bill’s main sponsor in the House. “Except children that are not being educated and children that are falling behind.”

Cyber charter schools are currently funded with the same formula as brick-and-mortar charters. As more cyber charters have opened in Pennsylvania in recent years, some lawmakers and advocates worry that they receive surplus funding as they do not have the same building maintenance needs as traditional schools.

Cyber charter schools have performed worse than the state average, with lower graduation rates and lower test scores in some subjects.

Isaacson’s bill would also introduce additional oversight for cyber charter schools and require them to pay back some of the money from the past school year that they did not spend.

Though the bill has been championed by Democrats, it has some support from Republicans.

New Philadelphia budget ‘sets up our schools for major cuts’ as deficits loom, councilmember says

2025-06-12T18:48:26+00:00

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Philadelphia’s new $6.8 billion city budget does little to help what many call the city’s chronically underfunded school district close its looming deficits — and public education advocates say the city could have done more.

The final budget — which reflects a deal between Mayor Cherelle Parker and City Council leadership — passed 15-1 on Thursday. It includes some significant wage and business tax cuts as well as Parker’s signature housing initiative, but it does not deliver a meaningful funding increase to the school district.

By not adding new money for the school district, “this budget sets up our schools for major cuts in the coming years,” Councilmember Kendra Brooks said. Brooks was the lone no vote on the budget.

The final budget looks nearly identical to what Parker originally proposed for schools in March. It increases Center City parking fees, which Parker’s office says would add $4 million to district coffers. And it will increase the school district’s share of the city’s property tax revenue from 56% to 56.5% in fiscal 2030. Parker’s office estimates that shift will mean $12 million in new funding to the district, albeit all at once five years from now.

It also includes $500,000 to “fully cover the credentialing costs for current Career and Technical Education teachers” employed by the district, according to a statement from Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson.

But the district is grappling with a growing annual deficit that is slated to reach $466 million in 2027 and $774 million in 2030. And while Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget would send some $160 million more to Philly schools in fiscal 2026, it’s unclear whether schools will get that increase.

The school district’s budget is $4.6 billion.

For fiscal year 2026, the district is planning to use 40% of its “rainy day” fund to cover a $306 million budget hole, which district leaders say is the result of decades of unconstitutional underfunding by the state.

Donna Cooper of the education advocacy group Children First told Chalkbeat that given the size of the city’s funding surplus, it could have easily afforded to change the district’s share of property taxes this year rather than waiting until 2030. She added that the City Council should have demanded the change take place sooner.

Last year, the city increased the district’s share from 55% to 56%, which Parker’s office said added $24 million for the city’s schools. Parker has said she would like to gradually shift the district’s share of property taxes to 58% over time.

“It makes absolutely no sense to me,” Cooper said. “I personally cannot conjure up the logic that would enable people to argue that there’s not enough money to do it this year, and certainly no reason to even say it should wait till 2030.”

Cooper said because Philly is the only school district in the state that cannot raise its own tax revenue, it’s at a political disadvantage during budget negotiations. Of the district’s budget, $2 billion comes from the city, $2.4 billion from the state, and nearly $180 million from the federal government, although President Donald Trump has proposed cutting some federal education spending.

“We really need Council to unite behind the cause of the school district, because it is the obligation for them to do it,” Cooper said.

Asked why the City Council did not significantly increase school funding this year, Council President Kenyatta Johnson cited “the uncertainty” of potential cuts coming from the Trump administration.

“As we move forward, we’ll look at the school district’s finances and how they are operating,” Johnson said. “If we have to make adjustments to make further decisions financially to support the school district we’ll evaluate that in the future.”

Early on in the budget negotiation process, Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who chairs the education committee, said he was mulling the possibility of putting that property tax shift in this fiscal 2026 budget. But the proposal did not survive the negotiation process.

While the city waits for state lawmakers “to develop a fair funding formula to equitably and properly fund our schools, we in Philly have to find more creative and immediate ways to invest in our students, teachers, and everyone who makes Philly schools excellent,” Thomas said in an email.

Brooks said “multiple Councilmembers and parents across Black and brown neighborhoods advocated” for an increase in the property tax revenue that goes to the district “in order to boost public school funding,” but were unsuccessful.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia school district paid $700,000 to alleged ‘bad actors’ posing as vendors

2025-05-22T16:39:54+00:00

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The Philadelphia School District fell victim to a $700,000 wire fraud scam last year, city and school leaders said Thursday. It is asking the state attorney general to investigate.

City Controller Christy Brady said that during the district’s annual audit, her office was informed that nearly $700,000 in payments made to vendors for flood damage repair and compensatory services for students with disabilities was instead diverted to the bank accounts of “malicious bad actors” rather than the contracted vendors.

“It appears the bad actors gained unauthorized access to the school district’s banking data or manipulated existing payment systems to send unauthorized funds to their own accounts,” Brady said at a press conference Thursday. “This was a cyberattack on the school district.”

Superintendent Tony Watlington said while the vendors did not receive their payments, the repair work and services owed to those students was provided.

Watlington said the district reported the fraud to the FBI and has since “implemented a number of measures to enhance internal controls,” but declined to provide more details because of the investigation.

Brady’s office discovered four instances of fraudulent payments to two vendors in 2024, she said. One payment was for over $563,000 for flood damage repair work and the other three were for a total of more than $126,000 for services for students with individualized education programs.

According to Brady, all district vendors are set up to receive paper checks as payment, but in the instance of these four payments, someone impersonating the vendors requested that money be sent electronically via an Automated Clearing House — or ACH — payment. The money never reached the actual vendors, Brady said.

In a statement after the press conference, district spokesperson Monique Braxton said “at no time was there reported compromise to either the District’s financial data system or the student data management system.”

Brady and Watlington appeared alongside City Councilmember and Education Committee Chair Isaiah Thomas on Thursday to emphasize that the city and district are seeking to recover those funds. They did not say when the vendors would be paid.

School districts across the country have been hit with wire fraud scams similar to what the Philly school district experienced in recent years. In many cases, districts have been unable to recover the money. However, in one Florida community, a school superintendent said 92% of stolen funds were recovered after someone impersonated a construction vendor and falsified bank account information.

While Brady said her office and the district are “committed to full transparency” on this issue, they did not identify specific vendors, financial institutions, or other details regarding the payments, saying “we do not want to compromise any ongoing investigations.”

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Pennsylvania GOP to hold hearing on ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’ in Philly schools

2025-04-18T18:49:14+00:00

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Pennsylvania Republicans plan to hold a hearing about purported “waste, fraud, and abuse” in the School District of Philadelphia, but made no specific allegations in their announcement.

Meanwhile, district leaders say they’ve been responsible with taxpayer money.

State Rep. Martina White, who represents parts of Philadelphia, issued a notice this week that on May 19, the House Republican Policy Committee will be hosting a hearing aimed at investigating the district and “uncovering solutions that prioritize the success of our children.”

White is also urging people to report any “mismanagement, waste, or abuse” within the district as well as any “ideas to improve schools, reduce inefficiencies, or enhance student outcomes,” via a website titled: “School District of Philadelphia Oversight.”

The issue of government waste and inefficiency has received unprecedented attention recently, due in large part to the Trump administration’s U.S. DOGE Service led by Elon Musk. The Trump administration, Musk, and DOGE — which stands for Department of Government Efficiency — have cited waste, fraud, and abuse to justify cutting programs for students with disabilities, teacher training grants, and the entire Philly division of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. But what exactly that phrase entails is the subject of intense dispute.

“Over the years, parents, students, educators, and community members have witnessed or experienced firsthand the challenges within the School District of Philadelphia,” wrote White, who did not mention DOGE in an April email obtained by Chalkbeat. “From waste and mismanagement of resources to fraud and systemic abuse, these issues have not only hindered progress but have also led many families to seek alternatives for their children’s education.”

Superintendent Tony Watlington has said repeatedly that the district under his leadership has been a “good steward” of state and city funding. Watlington’s refrain this year has been that student attendance is up, the four-year graduation rate is up, the dropout rate is down, the district’s credit rating has improved, and some standardized test scores are improving.

Still, Watlington told reporters at a recent budget briefing that due to decades of court-determined underfunding and the end of pandemic relief aid, the district is facing a growing annual deficit. Philly schools are also undergoing a facilities “rightsizing” process that the school board has warned will likely result in some school closures, colocations, or repurposing.

A spokesperson for the Philly school district said Friday that Watlington and other district leaders would respond “in a timely manner” if state lawmakers reach out to them about the hearing.

White has previously been critical of the district’s handling of overcrowding in the Northeast section of the city. She has also pushed for spending increases for school choice programs in the state.

Some progressive advocates have questioned the district’s spending on outside contractors in recent years. And city lawmakers have pushed the district for more transparency around the costs associated with the district’s teacher discipline process. Many charter school advocates have also alleged the district’s charter school approval process is inefficient and flawed.

White’s office said she was unavailable for comment Friday.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia school district’s free summer programs are expanding

2025-04-08T20:10:37+00:00

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Two thousand more students will be able to participate in the Philadelphia School District’s free summer programs this year, but looming budget deficits and threats to federal funding may put those programs at risk.

Starting in June, some 25,000 students from all grade levels will get the chance to spend their summer learning to weld, launching a small business, playing in a drumline or citywide orchestra, attending summer camp, or brushing up on their academics.

In total, the programs will operate in 135 schools across the city — but spots are limited. And even though the district is expecting to serve two thousand more students this summer than last year, that’s a fraction of the nearly 118,000 students the district educates.

Families can sign their kids up for the free summer programs here.

The district is also facing ongoing threats to federal funding from the Trump administration, the end of pandemic relief money that supported many of these summer programs, and a looming budget deficit.

For now, Superintendent Tony Watlington said the district has the funding and is prioritizing its summer offerings as a way to bolster student learning and improve upon the slight academic gains made recently.

“This district has done a really good job of managing its fiscal health,” Watlington said at a press event at Thomas Edison High School Tuesday. “While there are some districts that are suffering this summer with their summer programming, we’re not one of them, because we’ve been good stewards of the public tax dollars.”

Thomas Edison High School principal Lillian Izzard, right, said her school's summer programs provide a safe and structured environment for young people during this summer.

Edison Principal Lilian Izzard said summer career and technical programs like the welding class offered at her school are “invaluable for students” as a way to try something new. They also offer students the opportunity “to see themselves in a high school setting like Edison, to see if this school could be a good fit for their high school journey.”

Barry Pearl, a longtime welding educator at Edison, said he’s excited to work with his students this summer. Last summer, they made metal roses. And during the school year, students have taken on practical work like making height adjustments to metal chairs, as well as working on perfecting their technical skills.

Pearl said some of his students are natural welders, and he finds meaning in helping them advance their skills and set them on a path to a job that pays well.

“Last year was the first year, and it really took off,” Pearl said of the summer welding program. “I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and it’s just amazing.”

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Trump DEI threat endangers 10% of Philadelphia schools budget

2025-04-04T21:15:09+00:00

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The Philadelphia school district is at risk of losing a tenth of its overall budget due to a Trump administration threat to strip federal funding from states that don’t publicly pledge that they’ve eliminated diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

U.S. Department of Education officials directed state education commissioners on Thursday to certify within the next 10 days that they have eliminated DEI programs, which the administration considers illegal under civil rights law. Failure to comply would lead to a loss of federal funding, the directive said, specifically Title I money designated for high-poverty districts.

Such cuts could have major implications for the already cash-strapped district. Federal education aid accounts for about 10% of the district’s budget of more than $4.5 billion. Philadelphia received over $193 million in federal Title I formula aid in 2024-25 and another $43 million in Title I grants specifically for school improvement, according to district budget documents.

At a Friday event memorializing Martin Luther King Jr. on the calendar day when he was assassinated, speakers took the opportunity to denounce the Trump administration’s attempts to eliminate the Department of Education and threats to withhold funding from school districts.

“When public education is weakened, it is students, especially in cities like ours, who suffer the most,” Martin Luther King High School student Aniyah Daniels said at a press conference at her school on Friday.

So far, Pennsylvania education officials have not commented on the order. A spokesperson for the Philadelphia School District said district officials are still reviewing the order but had no further comment as of Friday.

The latest attack on DEI from the federal government stems from the Trump administration’s controversial interpretation of both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. Experts are questioning the legality of this latest move. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in late January about withholding federal money from schools that teach “discriminatory equity ideology” — a reference to DEI.

According to the Philadelphia school district’s website, its office of diversity, equity, and inclusion “serves as the bedrock for the School District’s commitment to anti-racism.” And the district’s commitment to equity is interwoven throughout Superintendent Tony Watlington’s five-year strategic plan for the district.

The Education Department’s Thursday directive lacked specifics, leaving educators to question what might be included in the administration’s broad definition of DEI.

Philly’s African American history course mandate, in addition to policies aimed at diversifying the selective admissions process and charter schools focused on Black students, could be among the programs threatened by the Trump administration’s attacks on DEI initiatives.

Democratic state Sen. Vincent Hughes told Chalkbeat the threat to Title I funds over DEI was “asinine” and said it was an admission that the federal government does not want students to be taught “American history.”

“I would hope that Pennsylvania would not sign,” Hughes said, adding, “It needs to be fought, we’ll go to court and hopefully we’ll prevail in court”

U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, a Democrat representing Montgomery and Berks counties, said Trump and his allies are targeting schools because they “want an uneducated electorate.”

“It’s Orwellian, frankly,” Dean said at Friday’s press conference. “I’m here to say I will not sit down and be silent while this is going on.”

Martin Luther King High School Principal Keisha Wilkins said her students would be hurt by eradicating DEI, specifically if district schools ceased to teach African American history.

“Knowing our history helps us to not repeat it,” Wilkins said. “I’m fearful that the programs we’ve put into place will not be here anymore”

Standing alongside lawmakers, public education advocates, and city representatives, Wilkins also struck a defiant tone. “I am scared but I also know my children are resilient,” she said, adding, “we have power in numbers.”

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia adopts preliminary schools budget as it eyes long-term deficits, Trump uncertainty

2025-03-27T23:18:02+00:00

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The Philadelphia Board of Education has adopted a preliminary $4.6 billion budget for the school district in the upcoming fiscal year — but financial pressures on city schools are intensifying.

The budget approved unanimously by the board Thursday is roughly the same size as this year’s budget. But the district is staring down a growing annual deficit that is slated to reach $466 million in 2027 and $774 million in 2030.

The district will adjust the preliminary budget as state lawmakers and city officials finalize their own budgets this summer. The district is planning to use 40% of its “rainy day” fund to cover a $306 million budget deficit, which officials say is the result of decades of unconstitutional underfunding by the state.

“We’ll get through this year just fine,” Superintendent Tony Watlington told reporters earlier on Thursday. But he added that going forward, if state and local lawmakers don’t increase funding for Philadelphia’s public schools, cuts will have to be made.

“If we did not use the fund balance, quite simply we would have to make people and program cuts,” Watlington said.

Watlington is adamant that the district is making incremental but sustained progress under his leadership, and that he’s been a “good steward” of state and city funding. He says that’s a crucial message for state lawmakers as they draft Pennsylvania’s budget, and amid a federal government intent on eradicating what it calls waste, fraud, and abuse. That focus by the Trump administration has led to — among other things — the gutting of the federal Office for Civil Rights in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is the only school district in the state that cannot raise its own revenue, meaning 99% of its operating budget is in the hands of state and city officials.

During the COVID pandemic, the district used federal relief funds to plug prior budget holes, allowing it to accrue some money in its reserve fund. Because those COVID dollars expired at the end of 2024, the district is now dipping into that reserve fund to support the same programs and continue progress on Watlington’s ambitious five-year strategic plan.

Importantly, the preliminary budget does not account for labor union contract negotiations, or the district’s ongoing facilities planning process that will likely result in school closures and infrastructure changes. It also doesn’t factor in an estimated $50 million the district would get if Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed reforms to the way cyber charter schools are funded.

The majority of district spending goes towards employee salary and benefits. The district is negotiating a new contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers — the union’s current contract expires in August 2025. It will also negotiate new contracts with several other unions over the next two years. Mayor Cherelle Parker, who enjoys the support of many labor unions in the city, has indicated she would like to see the district increase teacher salaries in the near future.

The district would receive some $160 million more funding from the state this year under Shapiro’s budget proposal. But even in that scenario, when the loss of federal COVID relief funding is also accounted for, the district’s overall revenue would rise just 1%, while spending on items like charter school payments is outpacing that.

As the Trump administration looks to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and reshape the federal government’s K-12 priorities, Watlington said there’s corresponding uncertainty about the district’s federal funding. The district receives some $500 million annually from the federal government that supports students with disabilities, English learners, prekindergarten programs, reimbursements for student meals, and other programs.

Overall, Watlington said the district is heading in a positive direction but that progress is precarious.

Among the encouraging signs Watlington highlighted: District enrollment is up by 1,800 students, the number of students attending school regularly has increased, third graders are improving their reading and math scores, the graduation rate is up, and the number of students dropping out is down by 1,400.

Board members Joyce Wilkerson and Wanda Novalés said the looming deficits and uncertainty at the federal level are “stomach turning” and will demand increased advocacy from district and board leadership.

“I think it’s time for us to make some noise, for our babies and our students,” board Vice President Sarah-Ashley Andrews said. “These may be scary times, but it’s not the time to back down.”

The board must adopt a final budget by May.

The board also approved a $26.8M “donation” to the district from Mastery charter schools that represents an estimated value of building improvements that Mastery intends to pay for.

These building upgrades will take place between April 2025 and December 2026.

Because Mastery charters occupy district-owned buildings, improvements to these buildings will together be considered a donation — an unusual arrangement, as one public speaker said.

Board President Reginald Streater said the vote to approve the donation is not a “signal” about any future board decisions regarding those building improvements.

Construction and renovation projects at charter schools must be voted on by the board.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Dual enrollment students’ classes could be disrupted by looming community college strike in Philly

2025-03-17T18:42:57+00:00

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Nearly 1,000 high school students at the Community College of Philadelphia’s dual enrollment programs could be affected by a potential strike at the city’s largest institution of public higher education.

Over the weekend, 97% of the community college’s staff and faculty union members voted to authorize a strike, should their union and the college’s administration fail to reach a contract agreement. The union is demanding pay raises that keep pace with inflation and class size reductions, the return of a child care center on campus, and subsidized transit passes for staff and students.

The vote means union members agreed to allow their leadership to call a strike at any time, but the faculty are not on strike.

In a statement Monday, representatives from the American Federation of Teachers Local 2026 union, which represents 1,200 full- and part-time faculty and other staff members, said a strike would be a “last resort if continued negotiations fail to produce meaningful progress” towards their proposals.

“Our members are the front lines of the college, in the offices, in the classrooms, on the ground and everywhere in between. We are tired of waiting and we are strike ready,” union Co-President Rainah Chambliss said in a statement.

There are 973 students currently participating in dual enrollment programs at the Community College of Philadelphia, and this school year, there have been a total of 1,366 students who’ve been enrolled in these programs. In addition, there are an estimated 600 students who study in dual enrollment programs over the summer.

The number of new dual enrollment students at CCP has increased 23% from last year, according to a report from the community college’s president.

The Philadelphia school district also partners with the college on a “Gateway to College” program. This serves students ages 16 to 21 who dropped out of high school and lets them earn their high school diploma and college credits simultaneously.

In the event of a strike, dual enrollment classes could be canceled and students and their family members would be notified via email and text, said Shannon Rooney, a vice president at the Community College of Philadelphia, in a statement. These high school students “may need to make up classes that are missed” if there’s a strike, Rooney said.

“As with all students at the College, dual enrollment students would be encouraged to remain engaged with their coursework by way of their course syllabi and any course materials, advance readings, and assignments,” Rooney said.

If the faculty go on strike, Philadelphia district students would remain at their high school, and complete their senior year projects and any other graduation requirements under the supervision of a counselor or teacher while they participate in “college and career readiness” lessons online, district spokesperson Monique Braxton said.

The union and the community college leadership have been bargaining since January 2024, and faculty have been working without a contract since their previous one expired in August 2024.

With graduation looming, the college said this month the administration filed a request for the appointment of a fact-finding panel with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.

The college said in a statement that it’s confident its proposals “provide fair terms and wage increases for all.” But union members, joined by several elected officials last week at the launch of the strike authorization vote, say there is money in the college’s budget to raise salaries, add more counselors and student advisers, and reopen a childcare center shuttered during the pandemic, among other proposals.

The union’s position has notable political support. Mayor Cherelle Parker’s proposed budget includes $15 million over five years for the college to “support its workforce,” on top of other funding for the school. Last October 2024, the City Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of the union’s demands, and several of its members joined union members on campus last week in a show of solidarity.

Among them was City Councilmember Kendra Brooks who studied at CCP as a single mother. Brooks’ daughter is now a dual enrollment student at Franklin Learning Center.

Dual enrollment is “an amazing opportunity,” Brooks said. “We have to rectify the strike situation so we don’t interrupt learning for our students. … We’re talking about how we can build the next generation of professionals in the city and CCP is an amazing start. So why not get them started early?”

This story has been updated with additional information about plans for district students in the event of a strike.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org

Teacher salary increases a long-term priority for Philadelphia mayor in her education budget

2025-03-13T22:11:33+00:00

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Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s second city budget address Thursday promised millions for teacher salary increases to be realized in 2030 but was otherwise light on education funding details.

Parker’s $6.7 billion budget and accompanying five-year plan rely on continued funding from last year’s shift in property tax revenue, which administration officials say will amount to a $250 million funding increase for city schools through 2030. But her proposal falls short of the transformative funding boost some advocates have called for in the face of federal uncertainty.

Parker’s budget seeks to increase the school district’s share of the city’s property tax revenue from 56% to 56.5% in fiscal 2030. The mayor’s office says that increase will pay for an additional $12 million per year to the district “to be specifically earmarked for teacher salaries.” Her spending plan would also add $4 million to district coffers via higher Center City parking fees, and nearly double the number of schools participating in her extended-day, extended-year school program.

As Philly’s mayor, Parker must present a one-year budget as well as a five-year spending plan. Parker was elected to a four-year term in 2023 and can run for another term in 2027, but the change in property tax revenue for the district would take effect three years after the end of her first term. The City Council ultimately adopts the city budget.

The school district is also currently negotiating a new contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Parker’s proposal could be a signal that she would like to see raises as a part of that new contract.

“As proud as we are of our efforts to improve the quality of our educational system during the first year of the Parker administration, we know how much more work remains to be done,” Parker said in her address to members of the City Council on Thursday.

The school district’s budget is $4.6 billion. Of that amount, $2 billion comes from the city, $2.4 billion from the state, and nearly $180 million from the federal government. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget for 2025-26 includes a $200 million increase for Philadelphia schools but that increase is subject to negotiations by state lawmakers.

Most of the district’s federal aid comes through the Title I program that focuses on students from low-income backgrounds, and through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. President Donald Trump’s administration is attempting to radically shrink if not totally dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. However, the recent job cuts at the Education Department did not affect funding levels for those and other federal programs.

The Trump administration’s layoffs at the Education Department hit the Office of Civil Rights particularly hard; all of the staff at the office’s Philadelphia branch were let go.

At a separate Wednesday press conference, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur Steinberg said “nobody knows exactly how these layoffs are taking effect” in Philadelphia or what the impact will be on pending civil rights complaints.

“This continuing chaos will stop kids from learning,” Steinberg said.

Parker did not mention any changes in funding for the city’s free prekindergarten program in her budget address. The city released its complete budget proposal Thursday evening.

What’s in Parker’s budget for Philadelphia schools?

The most prominent part of Parker’s proposal for education spending is the district’s increased share of property tax revenue, which would take effect in fiscal 2030.

Last year’s shift of the district’s share from 55% to 56% brought the district an additional $24 million, according to city budget representatives — though they originally anticipated that figure would be closer to $18 million.

Parker is also proposing to raise parking fees in and around Center City from $3 to $4 an hour and direct additional revenue from that increase to the district. Parker said this would be the first parking rate increase since 2014, and that the additional revenue would be divided between the school district and the city’s general fund.

In her address, Parker also reiterated her support for her “year-round school” campaign promise, which has translated into an expansion of “extended-day, extended-year” schooling. In its first pilot year, the program largely expanded access to already-existing before- and after-school programming that’s mostly delivered by nonprofits and outside organizations.

Parker said her proposed budget proposes expanding that program from 25 schools to 40 schools — 30 of the schools would be district-operated and 10 would be charters. Her administration claims this would add 5,000 seats to the year-round school program, for a total of 12,000 seats across the city. According to the budget proposal, Parker is estimating the cost of that expansion to be $10.9 million over five years.

Parker’s office did not release an expanded list of schools that Parker wants to offer extended schooling.

Earlier in Thursday’s council session, City Councilmember and Chair of the Education Committee Isiah Thomas introduced a resolution “opposing any attempts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education or slash federal funding for public school programs that support low-income students and students with disabilities.” The council adopted the resolution via a voice vote.

Thomas also signaled that the City Council may seek to increase the share of property tax revenue schools receive above the mayor’s proposal.

“I think the .5 percent increase in real estate taxes is a good start. We’re going to possibly entertain even more than that,” Thomas told Chalkbeat.

Clarification: This story has been updated with a more precise figure for the cost of extended-day, extended-year school expansion following the release of the city’s budget documents.

Dale Mezzacappa also contributed to this story.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Pennsylvania governor proposes over $200 million more for Philly schools

2025-02-04T21:39:17+00:00

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget would provide over $200 million more to Philadelphia schools.

In his spending blueprint for 2025-26, Shapiro is also requesting millions more for school repairs, free school breakfast, special education, student-teacher stipends, and student mental health.

The bulk of the increase for Philadelphia comes from Shapiro’s proposal to send an additional $494 million to the state’s highest needs school districts — based on their tax base and per-student costs — in the wake of a 2023 ruling that declared the previous state school funding formula unconstitutional. Of that amount, Philadelphia would receive $137 million.

Shapiro is also proposing changes to how cyber charter schools are funded by re-introducing an $8,000 standard tuition rate for all cyber students, which would save the district another $50 million if enacted. Shapiro proposed the same flat rate in his budget plan last year, but the final budget did not include it.

In addition, Shapiro is proposing a $75 million increase to be distributed to all school districts through the Basic Education Funding formula, the biggest single source of state school aid. City schools would get a $12.5 million increase through that funding stream, bringing their total to $1.6 billion out of $8.2 billion for schools statewide.

The final portion of the roughly $200 million increase for Philly schools would come from an additional $5.6 million for special education.

Even with those increases, Philadelphia would still need an additional $975 million to meet all the educational needs of its nearly 200,000 students in district and charter schools, according to a state analysis.

Shapiro included no money for private school vouchers in his budget. The governor backed the creation of vouchers in 2023, but ultimately signed a budget last year that didn’t include them.

“What we’re doing for education is working now – let’s continue to build on this foundation we’ve laid,” Shapiro said in a Tuesday speech in Harrisburg about his spending plan.

Shapiro’s remarks came shortly after several executive orders from President Donald Trump that expressed very different priorities for funding and other education issues. In his second term, Trump has issued directives to withhold funding for schools that teach “discriminatory equity ideology” and affirm the rights of transgender students. He also issued orders to send more federal funding to private school voucher programs and cleared the way for immigration arrests at schools, among other things.

“This nation saw significant political change in the last election,” said Shapiro, who was once rumored to be a frontrunner for vice president on the 2024 Democratic ticket. “Despite all that change in D.C., the voters here in Pennsylvania returned a Republican-controlled state Senate and a Democratic-controlled state House — with the exact same margins — to continue working with me to get stuff done.”

In his budget, districts would get $40 million more for special education and $5.5 million more for career and technical education. The state’s strained student-teacher stipend program would see a boost of $20 million, while the Pre-K Counts program would get a $17 million increase.

There would also be $23.5 million more for student transportation, $14.5 million additional for early intervention programs, and $10.8 million more for school food services, among other additions for education.

Shapiro’s budget proposal will now go through the legislative process over the next few months.

Shapiro doesn’t push for vouchers

Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington told Chalkbeat last week he is focused on proving to conservative lawmakers that the district is a good steward of state funding.

Despite challenges for the district related to aging infrastructure, budgets, and long-term academic goals, he’s also touting more positive signs: Student attendance is up, as is the four-year graduation rate, Watlington said. The dropout rate is down by more than a thousand students and fourth grade math scores are improving. More funding will allow that progress to continue, he said.

“This proposed investment from the state would allow the District to continue accelerating academic achievement as the District works to become the fastest improving, large urban school district in the nation,” Watlington said in a statement Tuesday in response to Shapiro’s budget.

The negotiations over education spending must abide by a ruling from Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer, who found in February 2023 that the way the state funded schools was unconstitutional because aid was both inadequate and inequitably distributed. The system shortchanged students with greater needs, Jubelirer said.

“Last year, we made a commitment to not only invest a record amount of money in public education but create a brand-new formula that drives that money out to the schools that need it most,” Shapiro said. “You voted for that, I signed it into law, and we agreed to keep doing it until we meet our obligation.”

But public education advocates and policy analysts say even with Shapiro’s increases, the state should be doing more to fund struggling districts.

Donna Cooper, executive director of advocacy group Children First, praised Shapiro’s budget — but said the increases need to ramp up faster. Cooper said the $494 million dedicated to sending more money to the poorest districts is “history-making ... important and a needed departure from past policy.”

At the same time, she said, it is not enough if the remaining $3.5 billion state funding “adequacy gap” must be closed in three years, per a legislative Basic Education Funding Commission commitment after the judge’s 2023 decision. This amount won’t do it, she said. What Shapiro is proposing “will close the gap in seven years. We really believe that needs to be faster,” Cooper said.

Advocates at the Education Law Center PA and Public Interest Law Center, who represented the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that led to the 2023 ruling from Jubelirer, said in a statement that “the current timeline for reaching adequacy remains too slow and means that today’s kindergartners will be nearing high school before schools have the funds the state admits they need to succeed.”

In addition to leaving out his proposal from last year to establish vouchers, which he called Pennsylvania Award for Student Success Scholarship and are also sometimes known as Lifeline Scholarships, Shapiro’s budget book does not show any increase for the state’s tax-credit scholarship programs that support private school tuition. Those programs would be flat-funded at the same rate as last year, according to Shapiro’s plan.

All of that displeased school choice advocates, like the conservative Commonwealth Foundation, which has pressured Shapiro to adopt a state-funded private school voucher program.

The budget proposal “notably lacked funding for [Shapiro’s] distant bipartisan campaign promises like educational choice—neither through Lifeline Scholarships nor tax credits,” said Andrew Lewis, president and CEO of the foundation, in a statement.

Correction: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect figure for the remaining adequacy gap for Philadelphia schools.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Pennsylvania’s poorest schools got an extra $500 million last year. Is more money on the way?

2025-01-14T15:43:03+00:00

HARRISBURG — Last summer, Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a budget that acknowledged a roughly $4.5 billion “adequacy gap” to properly fund the commonwealth’s poorest schools, and pledged to fill it using state dollars.

They put about $500 million toward the goal in that budget. Now, as a new legislative session begins, funding advocates want to make sure officials don’t drag their feet to cover the rest.

Deborah Gordon Klehr, executive director at the Education Law Center, said a delay could have real consequences.

“That’s another cohort of children missing out on access to the education they deserve,” she said.

Democrats, who control the state House and governorship, support continuing to boost funding for the commonwealth’s poorest schools, though haven’t made any specific commitments yet.

Republicans, who control the state Senate, signed off on the acknowledgment of the funding gap in the most recent budget. Still, they’ve been more circumspect about additional large investments, with leaders emphasizing that they need to make sure what’s already been spent is helping.

Intense conversations over school funding began in 2023, when a state court ruled that Pennsylvania’s spending on public education was inequitable — so much so that it violated the state constitution. Specifically, the judge found that students in poorer districts, which don’t have the resources to raise as much money through property taxes, weren’t serving students well enough.

That suit was brought against the state by a group of parents, administrators, and advocacy groups, including the Education Law Center.

For much of 2023 and 2024, lawmakers held hearings and negotiated on how exactly to quantify the funding shortfall.

A commission convened to study the issue eventually came up with the concept of an “adequacy target” — the bar at which a district can serve students at an acceptable level.

This measure sets a baseline amount of per-student spending, then adds in additional spending based on a district’s student body and factors like poverty and level of English proficiency. If a district spends less than the resulting number, it is missing its adequacy target and has an “adequacy gap,” the report said.

The budget lawmakers passed for the 2024-25 fiscal year acknowledged an adequacy gap that was a bit smaller than the one the commission identified, but advocates still saw it as a victory.

However, the budget didn’t make concrete commitments for future funding. That makes people like Klehr nervous.

“Schools need to make these long-delayed improvements to student instruction and essential services soon, and not wait 10 more years,” she said. A concrete schedule for additional money would allow schools “to plan, and hire the teachers they need to hire, and create the programs they need to create.”

The roughly $500 million that went toward the adequacy gap wasn’t the only education spending included in last year’s budget. Other line items included money for special education, mental health, and physical safety in schools. All told, education-related spending went up by about $1 billion.

State Rep. Pete Schweyer, a Democrat who chairs the House Education Committee, said as far as he’s concerned, the process should be repeated this year.

“Last year’s budget was, as I interpret it, year one of a multiyear increase in funding for the most at-risk school districts,” he said.

If there hadn’t been a broad acknowledgment that more funding would follow, Schweyer added, he would have expected school funding advocates to “head right back into court.”

State Senate leaders, however, indicated they’ll have some questions before signing off on more public education funding.

In a statement, state Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, a Republican, said, “The adequacy dollars invested last year must be reviewed, to understand how schools utilized those investments and determine how we can best provide future support.”

The upper chamber also intends to focus on “truancy prevention measures, to make sure children are attending school and embracing the offerings of their learning environments,” he added.

Pittman also noted the upper chamber’s commitment to “empowering parents when it comes to the education and well-being of their children,” a likely reference to programs like the Educational Improvement Tax Credit, which provides state money to businesses that fund scholarships to private schools. The program is a GOP priority — and is also supported by a number of Democrats — and grows annually.

Elizabeth Rementer, a spokesperson for House Democratic leaders, echoed Schweyer and indicated that her caucus plans to stay the course.

“Last year’s budget clearly laid out the adequacy shortfall and our multiyear plan to finally fulfill our constitutional obligation to fund our schools,” she wrote in an email. “We look forward to the governor’s budget address.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, will lay out his vision for next year’s budget in early February.

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Citing Pennsylvania students’ low reading scores, advocates form coalition to improve literacy

2025-01-09T23:48:45+00:00

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A new statewide coalition aims to respond to alarming data showing that just 1 in 3 Pennsylvania students — and even fewer in Philadelphia — can read proficiently by fourth grade.

Eighty people from 20 organizations under the umbrella of the Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition met via Zoom Wednesday to push for state policies that will improve student outcomes in reading. These include $100 million to make sure that all districts have access to training in “evidence-based strategies,” including the science of reading, which represents the consensus on the best methods for literacy instruction like a focus on phonics and vocabulary-building.

The coalition is also calling for dedicated resources to support the early screening of struggling students.

The trend in reading outcomes also concerns advocates. Laura Boyce of Teach Plus, a group that’s in the new coalition, cited 2022 data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress showing a post-pandemic decline in Pennsylvania students’ reading proficiency, a downturn that occurred nationwide. New NAEP results are expected later this month.

“Given what we know about how early reading proficiency affects future life outcomes, that is something we are focusing on as we talk about the importance of improving literacy outcomes and how that connects to overall economic well being,” said Boyce, the executive director of Teach Plus’ Pennsylvania chapter.

Fourth grade is the target because research shows that is the crucial point when students should be moving from “learning to read” to “reading to learn,” she said.

The Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition plans to screen the film “The Right to Read” in Harrisburg on Jan. 28, followed by a discussion of the issue with lawmakers. It also plans to hold a day-long summit on March 26 to highlight the issue.

In Philadelphia, advocates, school officials, caregivers, and neighbors are taking a communal approach to improving reading scores. The school district has started a new English Language Arts curriculum focused on the science of reading. Advocates are hosting small neighborhood events featuring the “Alphabet Song” for younger children that’s linked with the Freedom Schools model. And Philly’s Reading Captains are taking the effort door-to-door to deliver books and resources to families on their block.

This is the time of year when budget jockeying begins in the state capital. Gov. Josh Shapiro is scheduled to give his annual budget address on Feb. 4.

“We’re waiting for the governor’s budget address, we’re all looking to hear what he will prioritize,” said state Sen. Vincent Hughes, a Democrat and longtime advocate for additional education spending. “Hopefully this will be part of it. We’ll talk to his folks beforehand, this is fundamental to student success.”

Both Hughes and Boyce said that it is important to raise awareness of how Pennsylvania students lag behind other states in proficiency rates.

Democrat Rep. Peter Schweyer, the chair of the House Education Committee, said that he is prioritizing achieving the continuing effort to ensure fair and equitable school funding for all districts, rather than telling them what programs to adopt.

Two years ago, Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer ruled Pennsylvania’s school funding formula unconstitutional, citing wide spending gaps between wealthier and low-income districts. As a result, the state increased overall education spending by $1.1 billion and adopted a new funding formula.

“There’s no way to anticipate now what’s going to make it into the budget,” Shweyer said, noting that it won’t be finalized until June. “What I can say on the topic of literacy is that it is in the forefront of everybody’s mind.”

Rep. Bryan Cutler, the committee’s top Republican, said in a statement that, “It is clear to me that Pennsylvania is behind the times in teaching our kids how to read….I will support ideas that make sure we fund literacy efforts, but also make the necessary changes in how we support our students who are learning to read.”

Ralph Smith, the managing director of the national Campaign for Grade Level Reading, pointed out that recent research from North Carolina shows that there is a wide gap in reading readiness that persists through kindergarten between students from more affluent and low-income backgrounds.

“However you calculate it, low income kids start kindergarten behind better resourced kids, and during the kindergarten year they fall farther behind both developmentally and academically,” he said.

He said it is important to dedicate some resources to informing and training parents, in addition to investing more in schools and early childhood centers, to close the readiness gap before kindergarten starts.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia property reassessment will boost schools revenue by $115 million over 5 years

2024-08-05T20:19:19+00:00

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Mayor Cherelle Parker said Monday that the city’s current reassessment of property values will generate about $115 million in additional revenue for Philadelphia schools over the next five years.

“That’s not why we did it,” Parker said, “but that’s something we can all be happy about.”

The city last did a reassessment in 2022. At Monday’s press conference, Parker and city Director of Finance Rob Dubow both said that the city needs to keep its assessments up to date in order to make them “fair, equitable, and accurate.”

In the past, the city sometimes went years between reassessments, making them skewed and uneven as some areas gentrified and the city’s demographics shifted. The city has also historically failed to collect delinquent taxes, which penalized the district, since more than half of property tax revenue goes to the district.

The Board of Education, which is appointed by the mayor, has no taxing authority of its own. The district is completely dependent on Philadelphia city government and the state for its revenue.

Parker called a press conference to announce that the reassessment will increase taxes for the average homeowner by about $330 next year, while reminding them of the homestead exemption and other programs targeted to those living on low or fixed incomes.

That increase comes on top of a $125 million boost in city funding for the district as a result of Parker’s earlier decision to increase its share of city property taxes from 55% to 56% in the 2025 budget.

The total annual district budget is $4.5 billion, of which about 41% is provided by the city. Most of that amount comes from property tax revenue. The state contributes 46%, with the rest coming from federal sources.

At the press conference, Superintendent Tony Watlington promised that “we will provide a return on investment for every one of these dollars.”

He said the additional revenue Parker announced will help pay for extended-year programs in up to 20 pilot schools, and a relaunch of Parent University.

Watlington also reiterated his oft-made points that since he took over the district in 2022, key statistics have been trending in positive directions: dropout rates have declined, student and teacher attendance has increased, and test scores and the four-year graduation rate have risen.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Pennsylvania governor’s backing for vouchers perplexes allies

2024-07-26T20:19:15+00:00

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is being eyed as a potential Democratic vice presidential nominee, but with that attention has come intense scrutiny of his support for a traditionally conservative idea: taxpayer-funded private school vouchers.

Since taking office last year, Shapiro has become the most prominent Democratic voice in the state for such a program. Last summer, he backed a controversial Republican voucher proposal to the chagrin of longtime party allies and influential unions that supported his candidacy — though he ultimately vetoed the language after facing opposition from fellow Democrats.

Despite his high-profile public backing, Shapiro’s embrace of vouchers appears to be a relatively new conviction, according to political insiders and others who have worked with and followed the governor in his two-decade political career. As a state lawmaker in the 2000s, he didn’t advocate for the issue, they recalled, let alone push legislation.

Shapiro’s thinking on the issue can be understood in part through his relationship with at least one prominent school choice advocate, sources told Spotlight PA.

Voucher programs vary widely, but they broadly route public money to pay for tuition at private and religious schools.

Proponents argue they give children attending struggling public schools crucial options, while opponents say they weaken public schools by diverting funding and don’t necessarily help students. Studies have shown that their effects are mixed, with more recent reviews of statewide programs showing they have caused student test scores to decline.

Shapiro did not publicly back creating a voucher program until his run for governor in 2022, according to a review of news articles and public statements he has made.

He has tempered his position — deeply unpopular among many of his Democratic colleagues — by saying he will only support such a program if it does not take money away from public education.

“I think it’s very important that we fully fund public education,” Shapiro told reporters at a 2022 campaign event. “And I also think it’s really important that we empower parents to put their kids in the best place for them to be able to succeed.”

To be sure, during his time as governor, both state budgets have included major public education investments. This year’s $1.1 billion increase for K-12 education was the largest single-year bump in the state’s history, according to Shapiro.

“In his time in office, Governor Shapiro has consistently delivered historic increases in public education funding and finally, after decades of inaction, moved Pennsylvania towards adequately and equitably funding our public schools,” Shapiro spokesperson Manuel Bonder said in a statement to Spotlight PA.

Behind the scenes, however, he has also tried to convince fellow Democrats to set aside public dollars for vouchers. For many of them, Shapiro’s insistence on the issue is confounding.

Shapiro, 51, has been an elected official since 2005, when he joined the state House representing the Montgomery County district where he grew up and still lives. Several former colleagues say that during his eight years in the chamber, he wasn’t involved in school choice debates in any significant way.

“I’ve had conversations with [Shapiro] about many other things,” said Tony Payton, a former Democratic state representative from Philadelphia who supports school vouchers and served alongside the governor, “and that wasn’t one of them.”

There would have been opportunities.

In 2011, while Shapiro was still a state House member, Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican, launched a push to create a school voucher program. That effort passed the state Senate with bipartisan backing but foundered in the state House, where it never came up for a vote.

State Sen. Anthony Williams, a Philadelphia Democrat, was one of the Democrats who supported it. He told Spotlight PA that Shapiro wasn’t involved in pushing for the program.

“Any Democrat that was for school choice, I would know that,” he said.

Williams, who is still a member of the chamber and remains one of the Democratic Party’s strongest school choice supporters in the state, says he didn’t get a hint that Shapiro was open to vouchers until he was running for governor.

“Now, I don’t know the whole motivation,” Williams said. He added that when he spoke to Shapiro about passing school choice legislation more recently, the governor said it was the “right thing to do.”

Williams added that Shapiro “has friends who are in the school choice community who align with him about that issue. And so in the conversations, I’m told, this issue came up, and they sort of found common ground.”

Those friends, Williams said, “were supporters, who are strong choice people, who supported his campaign, because they were supportive of the issue of choice.”

Three sources who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive political issue told Spotlight PA that notable among them is Joel Greenberg, a billionaire co-founder of the global high-speed trading firm Susquehanna International Group.

Greenberg served on Shapiro’s gubernatorial transition team with an assignment to focus on education policy, and multiple sources confirmed to Spotlight PA that the two have known each other for more than a decade.

In 2015, Shapiro, then a Montgomery County commissioner, gave the Philadelphia Inquirer his assessment of Greenberg’s political and philanthropic work.

“He’s a major employer in the region and he’s wonderfully philanthropic — for Jewish causes, educational causes and other community organizations,” Shapiro told the paper.

Another co-founder of Susquehanna International Group is even more well-known in the world of Pennsylvania school choice advocacy: billionaire Wall Street trader Jeffrey Yass. He’s emerged as a major Republican donor nationally and an inescapable power broker within the commonwealth, despite his nearly nonexistent public profile.

Both Greenberg and Yass have been involved in bankrolling the school choice movement for more than a decade in Pennsylvania.

“We are not in this to run charter schools, to manage charter schools. This is purely altruistic,” Greenberg told WHYY in 2015, when asked about his support for Williams’ mayoral campaign. “We view this as helping kids have a choice who are trapped in failing, oftentimes violent schools.”

Along with fellow suburban Philadelphia billionaire and SIG co-founder Arthur Dantchik, Greenberg and Yass were at one point the main donors to Students First, a political action committee founded in 2010 to support school choice candidates.

Shapiro accepted $175,000 from that PAC between 2012 and 2016, according to campaign finance records. During that time, he was a Montgomery County commissioner and, by 2016, was running for attorney general.

The donations to Shapiro’s attorney general campaign so troubled Philadelphia’s teachers union that it quietly pulled its endorsement at the last minute, multiple news outlets reported.

The union declined to comment at the time, but a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Spotlight PA that the union pulled its endorsement over the Students First donations. (The Pennsylvania State Education Association, a larger, statewide teachers union, continued to back Shapiro in that election.)

During the 2022 gubernatorial race, PACs connected to Yass spent millions during the primary to oppose eventual Republican nominee state Sen. Doug Mastriano. One of those PACs, Commonwealth Leaders Fund, ran anti-Shapiro ads during the general election but scaled back then stopped that spending shortly after Shapiro publicly pledged his support for vouchers.

Once elected, Shapiro sought to create such a program as part of the 2023-24 state budget.

“I believe every child of God deserves a shot here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and one of the best ways we can guarantee their success is making sure every child has a quality education,” Shapiro told Fox News in June 2023, late in the state’s budget process.

The remarks preceded the Republican-controlled state Senate’s sudden passage of a budget deal that included $100 million in taxpayer money to fund private school tuition for students in low-performing public districts.

But once the budget reached the state House, Shapiro received hard pushback from the lower chamber’s new Democratic majority. In a politically embarrassing setback, Shapiro agreed to veto the voucher dollars in exchange for the rest of the plan’s passage. That veto led to a nearly six-month budget impasse as state Senate Republicans claimed betrayal.

In his February budget address this year, Shapiro called on the legislature to again consider vouchers, though a top Republican leader later accused him of being unwilling to use his “bully pulpit” to get such a program across the finish line.

His ongoing support also hasn’t saved him from Yass-funded criticism.

For the past two years, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, which does not have to disclose its donors, has spent prodigiously on ads and other lobbying to criticize politicians who don’t support vouchers.

The group, Commonwealth Action, has received significant dollars from the free market Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs, according to that group’s most recent filings to the IRS. Commonwealth Partners runs two political action committees that are among the most active in Pennsylvania school choice advocacy, and both are almost entirely funded by Yass.

Between April 2023 and March 2024 — the last recorded filing — Commonwealth Action reported spending more than $973,000 on indirect education lobbying, which includes advertising and other methods aimed at shifting public opinion.

One video from last summer funded by Commonwealth Action accused Shapiro of “choosing special interests over kids.”

Commonwealth Action is linked to an established conservative organization in Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth Foundation. Since summer 2023, the exterior of the organization’s Harrisburg building, which is across the street from the state Capitol, has featured ads calling for Shapiro to pass the voucher plan. The foundation is now funding a six-figure newspaper and TV ad campaign.

“You lied, and you turned your back on us again,” Printess Garrett, a Harrisburg mother, says in a TV spot. “The only thing we have for our children is our word, and if we can’t trust in your word, we don’t have anything else.”

Moving forward, political sources told Spotlight PA they expect teachers unions and other public education advocates to be among the most skeptical of a Shapiro vice presidency.

On Wednesday, 28 education advocacy groups from across the country sent an open letter to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris arguing that “it is essential that our President and Vice President be wholly committed to our nation’s public education system and willing to fight against school privatization in all its forms.”

But to Payton, not considering Shapiro for backing a policy to aid parents in the hunt for what’s best for their kids is a bad choice.

“To blatantly disqualify somebody over something ideological like that is foolish,” Payton said.

Philadelphia schools will get a $232 million increase in the new state budget

2024-07-12T19:14:57+00:00

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Pennsylvania’s new $47.6 billion budget includes an historic increase in education funding. But advocates and school officials say it falls short of the transformational change Philadelphia schools need.

The new budget, signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro late Thursday night, includes $1.1 billion more for K-12 education — the state’s biggest one-year increase for school spending in history, according to Shapiro. That increase includes $232 million more for Philadelphia schools.

The budget also includes funding for solar projects at schools, $20 million more for student-teacher stipends, $17.7 million more for early childhood education, a $100 million increase in special education funding, and $100 million to reimburse school districts for payments they make to cyber charter schools.

The accompanying school code bills that passed along with the budget also create a funding stream for lockable cell phone pouches, require every school district in the state to employ a school security officer, and establish a certification pathway for non-U.S. citizens to become teachers in Pennsylvania.

The budget deal reflects a compromise between Shapiro, the Democratic-controlled House, and the Republican-controlled Senate. It leaves out many far-reaching programs and reforms that the governor and lawmakers pushed for during various phases of budget negotiations.

There’s no Jay-Z-backed school voucher program. There’s no seven-year timeline to move the state towards closing its unconstitutional funding gaps between wealthy and less affluent school districts. There’s no wholesale reform of how cyber charter schools are funded and monitored. And there’s no new money to fund grow-your-own teacher recruitment programs.

A bipartisan early literacy bill that would have aligned school district curriculum and teacher training statewide with the science of reading also did not survive budget negotiations. However, Philadelphia schools will start next school year with new English Language Arts curriculum district officials claim is research-backed. The district approved the new curriculum as part of its budget process.

For many public education advocates, the budget’s failure to establish a plan or timeline to close the so-called “adequacy gaps” in per-pupil spending between the state’s wealthy and low-income districts was a major misstep that will hurt Philadelphia significantly. Advocates say without such a timeline, the legislature will fail to fully satisfy a Commonwealth Court judge’s ruling in 2023 that declared Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional.

In earlier drafts of the budget, lawmakers proposed raising state education funding over a seven-year span. That represented an effort to gradually close “adequacy gaps” in per-pupil spending between districts, but also cushion the one-time impact on the state’s rainy-day fund and reduce the possibility of big education increases one year and major cuts the next.

“The same budget legislation that admits the scope of the Commonwealth’s constitutional shortfall still leaves nearly 90% of that hole to be filled by some undefined date in the future, or not at all,” the Education Law Center and Public Interest Law Center said in a joint statement Friday.

Philadelphia schools Superintendent Tony Watlington said in a statement Friday that the budget deal is the first step toward closing the adequacy gap – “a first step that has been decades in the making.”

But Watlington also noted that while “this budget is the beginning of amending the impact of cyber charter school funding,” it does not go far enough.

The state’s fiscal 2025 budget is coming at a pivotal time for Philadelphia families and educators.

Federal COVID relief funds for schools are sunsetting this year, putting many school resources in jeopardy. Philadelphia’s aging school buildings still need billions of dollars in repairs, the city is struggling to recruit and retain teachers, Mayor Cherelle Parker and Watlington are embarking on a plan to create year-round educational opportunities. And the district has projected budget deficits in the coming years if state spending doesn’t continue to increase.

The Philadelphia Board of Education adopted its $4.5 billion budget in May, with an assumption that the district would get an estimated $240 million increase in state aid. That prediction turned out to basically match the final budget signed by Shapiro, a Democrat. However, the state’s Basic Education Funding Commission determined that Philadelphia is underfunded by at least $1.4 billion annually.

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur Steinberg said in a statement Friday the final budget package “falls short of transformational reform of Pennsylvania’s unconstitutional and inequitable system of funding public education.” He added that “the wild west of under regulated cyber charters also went untouched.”

State Rep. Morgan Cephas, a Democrat who represents Philadelphia, said in a statement that the budget is far from perfect but represents “a solid compromise.”

“Philadelphia students will soon be able to look across the city limits and see that they have the same facilities, opportunities and possibilities as the kids in neighboring, suburban counties,” Cephas said. “Our kids deserve this.”

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Azia Ross is a summer intern for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. You can reach her at aziaross@chalkbeat.org.

Here’s some of what’s in Pennsylvania’s new state budget for public education

2024-07-12T13:32:23+00:00

This story was originally published by The Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

Perhaps the most significant number in the 2025 budget, passed and signed Thursday night, is $1.1 billion in new spending on K-12 education.

The funding comes after Commonwealth Court declared that Pennsylvania’s current method of funding public schools was unconstitutional, citing inequities between the state’s wealthiest school districts and its poorest.

While the general appropriations bill — the legislative centerpiece of the budget — outlines how much money will go towards education in the coming year, it’s another bill that tells the state how it can spend those funds: the public school code bill.

Code bills are passed alongside the budget. While the general appropriations bill says how much money each part of the government will get, the code bills more or less lay out how those dollars can be spent.

The bill also contains what are effectively individual policies, from the massive new funding formula that will change how money is distributed to Pennsylvania’s school districts, to smaller policy points, like allowing schools grants to provide menstrual hygiene products.

Here are some of the big items that made it into this year’s code bill:

The new funding formula

Arguably the most substantive part of the bill lays out how more than $526 million in adequacy and equity grants will be distributed to Pennsylvania’s school districts based on factors like the student poverty rate.

Because schools receive so much funding from property taxes, school districts where property values are lower have an inherent disadvantage.

The $526 million in new funds is intended to shrink that equity gap and award extra money to schools with high levels of poverty among its students and greater numbers of kids whose primary language isn’t English.

What data would drive those funds was one of the biggest sources of contention between Democrats and Republicans during the drawn-out budget negotiations.

Democrats had hoped to use data reported by the school districts themselves, while Republicans wanted to use U.S. Census data.

Rep. Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster), who was a leader in creating the House Democrats’ version of a funding formula, said, “The schools have a pretty good idea when they’re talking to these parents whether or not they’re making $30,000 a year or they’re making $300,000.”

He said that census data has historically underreported poverty.

However, Senate Republicans, who ultimately won out, said that the self-reported data is too hard to verify.

Ultimately, the parties agreed to use Census figures.

Democrats had to make other concessions in the fight over equity funding as well. Back in February, Gov. Josh Shapiro had proposed spending $872 million on closing the equity gap, a number that was rejected by Republicans.

Charter school payments

When a student attends a charter school, the charter school gets money that would have gone to the student’s school district. The amount is based on the average per-student spending of that school district, with a separate formula for students with disabilities.

The code bill establishes a formula for reimbursing traditional public schools for some of the money that follows would-be students to cyber charter schools. The budget set aside $100 million for that purpose. It also changes the formula for how much money follows students with special needs, which is estimated to save public schools $34.5 million.

The bill would also force charter schools to put in their advertisements that they were paid for with taxpayer dollars, a largely symbolic victory for Democrats who opposed money intended for public schools going to charters.

It also makes new requirements of charter school board members. At least five must be non related voting members. Charter schools will also be required to make certain budget documents public.

Security and mental health grants

Schools will receive $120 million to provide security and mental health services. Every school district will now be required to have a security guard, and the money can go to funding that position. Plus, those security guards can be armed.

Of that, $20 million is set aside for safety grants for non-public schools and school entities like charters.

Feminine hygiene products, cell phone locks

The bill also provides funding for policies that had been included in bills that were introduced through the traditional legislative process, but never completed by the House or Senate.

That includes up to $3 million for grants that would allow schools to purchase feminine hygiene products. The idea appears similar to one proposed in a House bill sponsored by Rep. Darisha Parker (D-Philadelphia).

Rep. Stephanie Borowicz (R-Clinton) said the free tampons could promote “communism” when the bill was debated on the House floor. The bill was never taken up in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Funding for a grant program that would allow schools to lock students’ cell phones away during the school day mirrors a bill sponsored by Sen. Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster). That bill passed the Senate, but never appeared in the House.

The public school code bill would allow some of the school safety and mental health funding to go towards the purchase of special bags that can be locked during the day for students to place their phones in — so long as the school comes up with a policy prohibiting cell phone use during the school day.

A big education fight stands in the way of a Pa. budget deal

2024-06-25T16:01:10+00:00

How much money to spend on Pennsylvania’s public education system has become a key barrier to a budget deal as lawmakers launch a barrage of talks ahead of the June 30 deadline.

Leaders in the split legislature say there are potential compromises on other key topics, including overhauling the state’s permitting process, making college cheaper, and creating new tax breaks.

But deciding how much money to spend on K-12 education remains an obstacle to closing a deal. Democrats who want to increase spending point to decades of funding inequality between rich and poor public school districts, while Republicans who want to curb costs warn of financial calamity if spending increases too quickly.

Lawmakers have to overhaul Pennsylvania’s funding system for basic education, following a judge last year ruling that the status quo is unconstitutionally inequitable. The commonwealth is also flush with cash, with $14 billion in reserves that have continued to grow this year.

Budget negotiations kicked off in February when Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, made his annual pitch to the legislature. In it, he called for $48.5 billion in spending, an 8% increase from last year, and proposed that much of the new money should flow to the state’s K-12 education system. That spending would be covered using $3 billion of the state’s $14 billion in cash reserves, Shapiro proposed.

In a state that has historically run deficits, the idea raised alarm bells among legislative Republicans. Heading into the final stretch, state Senate Republicans’ main goal is keeping spending under control, Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) told reporters last week.

“We don’t have a fixed number in mind,” Pittman said last week. “What our focus is on [is] maintaining expectations, maintaining a reasonable growth of spending that allows us to be able to make sure that the taxpayers are protected.”

While some education issues, like adding more dollars for school construction, have bipartisan backing, Pittman said his goal is making sure the state doesn’t use up its reserves within the next three years.

That puts the state Senate at loggerheads with House Democrats, who called for new education funding for years when they were in the minority and are now determined to use their narrow majority to notch a victory on the issue. The 2023 state court ruling that found Pennsylvania underfunds public education in poorer districts has given their push extra weight.

Democratic lawmakers and the Shapiro administration authored a report earlier this year that proposes setting a baseline amount of per-student spending that increases based on factors like poverty and level of English proficiency within a district.

The report estimated it would cost $5.4 billion over the next seven years just to bring each district up to the new standard, alongside billions in additional dollars for property tax relief, school construction, teacher training, and school mental health resources — among other programs.

A bill that would implement that plan, and that includes changes to the way districts reimburse cyber charter schools that could save districts millions of dollars, passed the state House with bipartisan support earlier this month.

Sustaining such spending would quickly drain Pennsylvania’s cash reserves. But a University of Pennsylvania report released last week found that the benefits of increased education spending would outweigh the cost to taxpayers by boosting graduation rates and leading to “improved individual earnings, health, economic productivity, and reduced crime and government dependency.”

“We’ve been making the point that Pennsylvania pays a huge price, and has been paying it for literally decades, by failing to adequately fund public education,” state House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) told Spotlight PA of the study.

Closed-door negotiations are ongoing, but insiders say that if lawmakers can agree on an education spending number, the rest of the trades that will make up the deal should fall into place.

Lawmakers say there is room for compromise on reducing the cost of higher education, updating the state’s business permitting process, and reducing taxes.

State Senate Republicans have advanced a package of bills that would offer scholarships to those who choose certain in-demand career paths, like computer science and nursing. Bradford added that he hopes to add elements of Shapiro’s higher education plan to find a deal.

“I think there is common ground about the need to make college more affordable, but also retain Pennsylvania students,” Bradford said.

Republicans’ longtime push to rewrite how state regulators issue permits may also bear fruit this year.

The state Senate passed a bill last year that would require agencies to set internal timelines for each permit request. Under the measure, the permit would be automatically approved if a requester didn’t get a response by those deadlines.

Democrats and environmental groups have traditionally opposed such efforts, arguing the practice could lead to more pollution and potentially threaten funding tied to enforcing federal environmental laws. But Shapiro has tried to speed up the permitting process within his administration, and Bradford said last week that he’s been “hearing out” the state Senate on its bills amid talks.

“We believe a government that is efficient is in everyone’s best interests,” Bradford said.

Finally, tax policy appears to be a potential bargaining chip. Responding to Shapiro’s spending plan, state Senate Republicans passed a $3 billion tax cut plan in May with Democratic support, arguing that Pennsylvania’s good financial position should be a sign to reduce taxes rather than increase spending.

Their bill would slightly lower the state’s flat income tax. The benefits of the plan would be small and would skew toward higher earners, the liberal Pennsylvania Policy Center said in a brief. According to the group’s data, the wealthiest 1% of taxpayers would save an average of $5,400 a year while the bottom 20% would get back just about $20.

Last week, Pittman said the state Senate’s proposal was an attempt “to do something within the world of taxation to be dynamic in encouraging growth and investment,” and that he welcomed House Democrats’ counterproposal.

Bradford told Spotlight PA he is willing to look at tax cuts as part of a budget deal. He also argued that the best way to get money into working people’s pockets would be a state version of the earned income tax credit, a federal program that gives a tax break to people under certain income levels.

A bill that would create such a program passed the state House last year but has lingered in the Senate.

The deadline for a deal is Sunday. Both chambers have scheduled voting session days through the weekend, which will likely be filled with closed-door negotiations, boisterous public rallies, and late-night votes.

The stakes of missing the deadline are low at first. While an on-time budget holds symbolic value for lawmakers in the middle of a key election year, a delay of a few days or even a week isn’t a big deal for government operations.

The state is bound by statute to pay its workers, cover debt payments, and continue many other critical government functions even without a budget. However, last year’s delayed budget — which wasn’t approved until December — showed that within weeks, the lack of funding can constrict the operations of county governments, libraries, and other core services supported by public money.

Pittman and Bradford have insisted that a ticking clock won’t make them change their approach.

“The test by which we judge the product is what is in it,” Bradford said.

More money for schools in Pennsylvania will yield thousands more high school graduates, report finds

2024-06-20T20:09:49+00:00

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New research from the University of Pennsylvania shows that sending billions more to school districts in the Commonwealth will more than pay for itself over time by increasing high school graduation rates and college enrollment levels.

The report backed up an analysis of the state’s Basic Education Funding Commission that recommended an increase of $5.1 billion in state funds, distributed in a way that assures adequate spending for all districts, weighted according to students’ needs. It comes just a few weeks before the June 30 deadline for approving the state budget and its level of education aid.

“We know that high school graduates over their lifetime make far more income than students who disengage and drop out,” said Brooks Bowden, a professor of education policy at Penn’s Graduate School of Education who supervised the research conducted by graduate students David Loeb and Katie Pullom.

High school graduates pay more in taxes and are less likely to need government welfare support or enter the prison system. Bowden said the report’s findings make sense “if you think of education as a public good and a pathway to freedom and a sustainable livelihood” for more students.

The Democratic-controlled House earlier this month passed a budget that includes the $5.1 billion in additional school aid, which also is included in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget.

The commission, made up of a bipartisan group of legislators and three representatives of Shapiro’s administration, formed in the wake of Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer’s Commonwealth Court ruling in February 2023 that the state’s education funding system is unconstitutionally inequitable and inadequate.

The funding commission’s report, compiled after holding hearings across the state, found that 367 of the state’s 500 districts, including Philadelphia, are underfunded compared to their needs. It passed 8-7, with all six of the Republican legislators on the commission opposing its conclusions.

To meet the court mandate and following the commission’s recommendations, the education spending proposal approved by the House would increase basic education aid by $728 million each year through fiscal year 2031. All but five Republicans voted against it, including many in poor rural districts that would benefit from the increased spending.

In a contentious debate right before the vote, Republican legislators questioned the relationship between per-pupil spending and student outcomes and decried the lack of an accountability measure for how the money is spent.

The recent Penn study attempts to provide data to address some of those concerns by looking at the long-term consequences of increased spending on expected student outcomes. The complicated economic research studied educational results in 26 other states that have reformed their school funding systems since 1990, either to meet court mandates or out of concern for adequacy. The study then extrapolated benefits a similar increase would yield in Pennsylvania.

It looked at the impact of increased spending for three cohorts of students – those now in kindergarten, those now in sixth grade, and those now in ninth grade. It found that the benefits were greater for the youngest students, who would see improved teacher and counselor ratios – and therefore smaller classes – throughout their school careers. But the older students would also see gains in outcomes, the report said.

Saying that the estimates “err on the side of caution,” the report concludes that the commission proposal “is a wise investment that would yield quantifiable benefits to Pennsylvania’s students, economy and society that exceed the funding increase.” In calculating the effects of increased spending, it only focused on one-third of students – those most likely to graduate high school if they had better access to teachers, counselors, and other resources routinely available in wealthier districts.

For students entering kindergarten in 2024, adequate spending would increase their high school graduation rate by 4.47 percentage points – translating into an additional 3,800 students receiving a diploma. The college-going rate among the 85,000 students entering kindergarten this year would increase by 4.54 percentage points, or 3,860 students. So while increased costs over the 13 years of their schooling would amount to $4.3 billion, the benefits would exceed $5.1 billion, the report found.

“These educational improvements will translate into societal economic benefits that exceed the costs. The full benefits will likely be far greater,” the researchers wrote.

The report notes, in its analysis of current spending: “Compared to adequately funded districts, underfunded districts have more low-income students, lower staff salaries, and higher student-to-staff ratios. Average total revenue per need-weighted student is $4,600 lower in these districts. The disparities are particularly stark for the 100 most underfunded districts, where total revenue per need-weighted student is $6,000 lower than in adequately funded districts.”

It said that more equitable and adequate spending on K-12 schooling would also help the state’s economy by shoring up the educational workforce through hiring an estimated 18,000 more teachers and increasing teacher salaries in underfunded districts by an average of $7,000 a year. The additional funds would allow most of the underfunded districts – 82% – to provide the same teacher-student and counselor-student ratios as wealthier ones.

“What the evidence shows is that as students receive more high quality schooling over time, their outcomes are better,” said Loeb. While beneficial for students now, it is also beneficial for students in the long run.”

A spokesperson for Senate Republicans did not respond to a request for comment on the report’s findings.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Pennsylvania House passes education funding overhaul with big aid boost for Philly schools

2024-06-10T22:26:30+00:00

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The Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved school funding legislation Monday that would significantly increase education funding and distribute it in a way designed to ensure all students have access to a quality, equitable education.

The groundbreaking legislation would amend the school code to guarantee basic education aid levels increase steadily for the next seven years. It would also implement a new funding formula that would dramatically reduce per pupil spending gaps between the state’s wealthy and low-income districts, which are on average among the biggest in the nation. It also includes changes to how the state funds cyber charter schools.

If enacted as part of the state’s budget process, Philadelphia schools would get more than $242 million more in basic education aid next year and nearly $1.4 billion more over the next seven years, and another $116 million annually if the cyber charter funding changes are approved.

It passed 107-94, after two hours of sometimes contentious debate.

The funding overhaul comes in the wake of a February 2023 ruling by Commonwealth Court judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer that Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional because it fails to provide a “thorough and efficient” system of education for all students. Jubelirer ordered the legislature to overhaul the funding system.

Monday’s vote was split largely along party lines, with all Democrats voting in favor and all but five Republicans opposing the bill. The bill now goes to the Republican-dominated Senate, where its fate is in question.

“There was a time not all that long ago where the state of Pennsylvania was dead last in terms of equitably funding education,” said Rep. Michael Sturla, a Democrat from Lancaster. With this bill, Sturla said, “We’re adding more money and we’re making sure it’s getting spent on proven programs.”

Democratic Rep. Jordan Harris of Philadelphia said it is lawmakers’ “moral imperative” to fully fund Pennsylvania’s schools: “You can’t starve a system and then try to blame it for its inadequacies.”

Republican legislators complained that the bill lacked accountability for how funds are spent; that more money is not guaranteed to improve student outcomes; that traditional educational systems resist innovation; and that money should go directly to parents through school choice, especially vouchers.

“Signing a blank check for public education is the most uncreative way to go about this,” said Rep. Joseph Dorsie, a York Republican. “The only solution in my view is to fund students, not systems.”

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has indicated he favors vouchers, but they’re not part of the bill passed by the House on Monday. Last year, a dispute over whether to create a voucher program in Pennsylvania held up budget talks for more than a month. Shapiro ultimately vetoed a $100 million appropriation for vouchers in the budget while calling the issue “unfinished business.”

A group of elected officials and activists, including Philadelphia Councilmembers Kendra Brooks, Isaiah Thomas, Jamie Gauthier, and Nicolas O’Rourke, rallied outside the statehouse Monday before the vote.

“Vouchers put public money in the pockets of the rich while draining resources from public schools in our communities,” said Brooks.

The school funding legislation is expected to be the centerpiece of the state’s budget this year. The state must pass its fiscal 2025 budget by June 30.

On Monday, education advocates who have long fought for school funding reform were ecstatic.

“We are headed towards a before and after moment for the children of Pennsylvania,” said Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg of the Public Interest Law Center, which helped represent the plaintiffs in the school funding case that led to Jubelirer’s 2023 ruling. “The most unfair school funding system in the nation will be no more, as thousands of new teachers, counselors, librarians, and school nurses deliver what every child deserves: the opportunity to thrive. We urge the Senate to promptly pass this bill.”

School funding bill includes cyber charter changes

The bill passed by the House would hike basic education aid by $728 million annually for the next seven years, for a total increase of $5.1 billion over that period. Most of those funds would go to 367 of the state’s 500 districts determined by the court to be underfunded relative to their students’ needs.

The proposed budget also includes $1 billion targeted to low-wealth districts that have adopted high local property taxes in an effort to make up for a relative lack of state support for their schools. It also guarantees that no district will get less state aid in 2024-25 than it did this year, even if its enrollment drops — so called “hold harmless.”

Philadelphia ranks about in the middle among the 500 districts in per pupil spending, but its schools have been chronically underfunded. Its students are much more likely to be from low-income backgrounds than their peers in surrounding suburban districts.

District leaders passed a $4.5 billion budget last month that they balanced using reserve funds, mostly federal pandemic aid that is expiring later this year. They also forecast escalating shortfalls through 2029, starting with $88 million next year, based on current revenue projections.

Mayor Cherelle Parker and other city leaders are planning a press conference Tuesday morning urging the governor and legislature to approve a state budget that would fully close Philadelphia’s funding gap.

Lawmakers hammered out the bill following hearings across the state held by the legislative Basic Education Funding Commission in the wake of Jubelirer’s decision.

The legislation would also reform how Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools are funded in a way that would save districts more than $500 million annually. With nearly 60,000 students in 13 schools, Pennsylvania has the second-highest enrollment of students in cyber charters of any state, behind only Arizona.

It would set a flat $8,000 per-pupil rate for cyber charters’ regular education students, and a little over $13,000 for those in special education. Currently, each district pays cyber charters based on their own per-pupil costs, which can range as high as $30,000 per student for a district like Lower Merion. Philadelphia alone could save $243 million through this provision.

Cyber charters have attracted criticism in the state for years. Education Voters PA, for example, released a report released last month outlining how cyber charter schools have amassed hundreds of millions of dollars in assets while their students produce subpar outcomes. Defenders of cyber charters have said districts critical of the schools want to take choice away from students.

Chalkbeat intern Azia Ross contributed to this story.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Pennsylvania House takes first step to turn fair education funding plan into law

2024-06-05T17:49:51+00:00

This story was originally published by The Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Pennsylvania school districts would save more than $500 million a year under a proposal to set a statewide tuition rate for cyber charter schools that’s part of state House Democrats’ education plan.

The $8,000-per-student cap is part of an 87-page education funding bill that will go to the state House for consideration. The House Education Committee approved the bill in a 14-11 vote Tuesday along party lines with all Republicans in opposition.

Although the bill is not technically part of the budget that the General Assembly must pass by June 30, it incorporates Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal to increase education funding to close gaps between the state’s wealthiest schools and those with fewer resources.

House Bill 2370 would put into law the recommendations of a bipartisan commission to end inequities in Pennsylvania’s school funding system, which a Commonwealth Court judge ruled last year is unconstitutional.

Rep. Jesse Topper of Bedford, the ranking Republican on the Education Committee, cautioned that Democrats, who hold a majority in the House, would have difficulty getting the Senate Republican leadership on board without bipartisan work to craft the education funding bill.

“If it is going to be a centerpiece of the budget, then there will need to be agreement in more than just the House Democratic Party,” Topper said,

In addition to charter school reforms, including a ban on advertising and sponsorships using tax money, H.B. 2370 would codify the recommendations of the Basic Education Funding Commission, which adopted a report with recommendations on funding reform in January.

Commonwealth Court President Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer ruled in February 2023 that the state’s reliance on property taxes to fund public education creates inequity from one community to another. She ordered the state Legislature to fix the funding disparity.

The bill calls for the state to pay $5.1 billion over the next seven budgets to boost the per-student spending of 371 school districts to match that of the state’s most successful school districts, as measured by the state Education Department’s standards.

The bill would also provide an additional $200 million a year divided according to a revised fair funding formula between all 500 school districts. And it would freeze school districts base funding — known as “hold harmless” — at 2023-24 levels.

Finally, the bill would provide tax relief for 169 school districts that have struck the highest property tax rates to raise adequate funding. Those districts would share $1 billion in equity payments over seven years.

Rep. Michael Sturla, a Democrat from Lancaster who was a co-chairperson of the commission, noted that the tax relief element would allow some districts to hold taxes level for seven to 10 years.

“This is about helping local taxpayers in addition to helping the children in our school,” Sturla said.

Rep. Joe Ciresi, a Montgomery Democrat, was the prime sponsor of cyber charter reform legislation that passed the House last summer with a bipartisan 122-81 vote, but it has not been considered in the Senate. That language is now part of the education funding bill.

Critics of cyber charter schools contend they reap a windfall of tax money because they have lower costs but receive the same tuition that school districts must pay to brick and mortar charter schools. That’s compounded by the requirement that school districts must pay charter schools tuition for special education students based on an average of its overall special education costs rather than a student’s individualized needs.

Anne Clark, chief executive officer of the PA Coalition of Public Charter Schools, said she rejects the blanket assertion that cyber charter schools have lower operating costs than traditional schools. Faculty costs are similar and the costs of providing technical support and infrastructure are higher.

“To cut funding to our most vulnerable children at a time when we are trying to improve our educational and economic outcomes seems foolish and counterproductive to what we are trying to do as a state,” Clark said.

Last month, the public education advocacy group Education Voters of Pennsylvania released a report citing net assets held by the four largest cyber charter organizations totaling $486 million. The group also said public records requests revealed more than $21 million spent on advertising.

Setting cyber charter tuition at $8,000 per student would save Pennsylvania school districts $530 million annually, Ciresi said. The bill would set special education tuition for cyber charter students at 1.64 times the regular education tuition, or $13,120. The tuition rates would be revised every three years.

Ciresi said his legislation would correct a lack of transparency in cyber charter organizations.

“When we look at our cyber we don’t have school boards that are elected officials. We don’t have meetings that are held in a public place,” he said. “We can’t even go and listen to what’s going on or comment on it. We don’t have accountability to where the money is going.”

Philadelphians ask City Council for more education funding as COVID aid expires

2024-05-01T19:35:44+00:00

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Philadelphia residents urged their city representatives on Wednesday for more funding for education and out-of-school activities in this year’s budget.

Parents, teachers, students, and advocates testified at the City Council’s public budget hearing that they want $20 million more for the Community College of Philadelphia to provide subsidized transportation and child care to working students. They want to increase the share of property tax revenue that goes to the school district. They want more free preschool seats. And they want the city to renovate and reopen several public pools.

These requests come at a pivotal time for City Councilmembers who are currently engaged in the process of crafting their budget that will reflect their priorities in the year ahead. This year’s budget comes with the added urgency of the end of millions in federal pandemic aid later this year that could hit public schools hard.

Sara Morningstar, executive director of the local nonprofit group After School Activities Partnerships, told councilmembers that thousands of Philadelphia students stand to lose access to after-school programming if the city and school district don’t come up with a plan to continue funding the hundreds of programs across the city that have been dependent on COVID aid.

Several other residents urged their councilmembers on Wednesday to boost the percentage of property tax revenue that goes to the school district from 55% up to 58%.

In her proposed budget, Mayor Cherelle Parker recommended the school district should get 56% of that tax revenue. Parker said this week she would like the percentage to shift as high as 58%, but that such an increase would take time to phase in.

“Children are not the future, they are the now,” Sheryl-Amber Edmondson, grants manager for the Fund for The School District of Philadelphia, told councilmembers. “What we do in this very moment with our power matters.”

Among the groups asking for more funding were faculty and students from the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP). Members of the faculty union appealed to councilmembers for $20 million more in operating aid for their school. They say that money could go towards benefits for students like subsidizing transportation costs, providing child care for young parents working their way through school, and providing increased salaries for teachers and staff — many of whom make less than a living wage, they said.

In her budget proposal, Mayor Cherelle Parker announced a new workforce program at the college called the “City College for Municipal Employment” and a proposed increase of $10 million to the school to pay for it, on top of the $51 million the college already gets in its annual contribution.

While the faculty said Wednesday they appreciate the focus on preparing students for the workforce, they said what the school really needs is more operating aid to avoid tuition increases and provide the broader student population with educational support.

Marissa Johnson-Valenzuela, a tenured full-time faculty member, told Chalkbeat the school’s success is inextricably linked to the city’s public school system. Often, she said, students come into the college from the district needing extra help, tutoring, and remediation.

Charlie Allison, another faculty member, testified he has seen his students miss class because they couldn’t afford the SEPTA ride or had to look after a child or young family member. He said like the city’s public schools, the Community College of Philadelphia is struggling with old buildings and a lack of proper temperature controls.

Jaritsa Hernandez-Orsini, treasurer of the college’s student government association, told councilmembers the education and support she’s received as a student at CCP has been the “best thing that’s ever happened” to her and more funding would allow the school to serve other students like her.

Hernandez-Orsini said she was a young person in the foster care system and has experienced trauma and hardship growing up in Philadelphia, but is set to graduate this Saturday and has been admitted to a four-year university to continue her education.

“Amid the chaos and despair, CCP welcomed me with open arms and provided me with the resources and support that I needed to regain my life,” she said.

Elsewhere at City Hall on Wednesday, seven of the nine members of the new Philadelphia Board of Education were sworn in to begin their four-year terms. Parker said Wednesday that her appointees “bring the right balance of experience and change” to governing one of the nation’s largest school districts.

Not sworn in were Crystal Cubbage, who had a professional commitment she could not reschedule, and Joyce Wilkerson, the former board president. Wilkerson has not been approved by the City Council but is remaining on the board at Parker’s request.

Dale Mezzacappa contributed to this story.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia school officials face budget questions

2024-04-30T21:22:49+00:00

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Philadelphia City Councilmembers on Tuesday questioned Superintendent Tony Watlington and his staff about ongoing facilities issues, teacher vacancies, resources for unhoused students, and more as they begin to shape the city’s budget for public education.

The district and school board have already held several meetings and votes on their $4.5 billion budget, but Tuesday’s hearing was the first time councilmembers could publicly interrogate Watlington, Board of Education President Reginald Streater, and other district staff. The city’s budget process is ongoing and no vote was taken at Tuesday’s hearing.

Over several hours, councilmembers pressed the district to present a comprehensive facilities plan, do more to keep students safe from gun violence, and fill teacher vacancies among other issues.

Philadelphia’s school district only controls some 10% of their budget, with the remaining 90% divided up in union contracts and under the control of city and state leaders – that means the Council’s relationship with Watlington is critical. Whether councilmembers trust his leadership and financial decisions can drive their budget decisions.

Tuesday’s hearing also comes on the heels of controversial political maneuvering this week that secured Mayor Cherelle Parker’s school board nominee, Joyce Wilkerson, over the heads of council leadership.

Parker delivered an impassioned speech at the start of the hearing, urging councilmembers to look past the school board nomination drama and work with her.

“I didn’t usurp a process,” Parker said. “I respect this institution, I respect the body.”

But she added her administration’s agenda could just as easily be “torpedoed” by Council President Kenyatta Johnson’s leadership.

“I can’t do it without you. And you can’t do it without me,” Parker said. “I don’t want to fight. I want to get things done.”

Here are some takeaways from the hearing:

‘We can’t just let kids disappear’

To start the hearing, Watlington provided a similar presentation to ones he’s delivered on multiple occasions to the school board, and in his “State of Public Education” address. The highlights are: Yearly revenue is falling behind expenditures, student achievement is making some limited progress, the number of students dropping out has fallen since last year, and Watlington is continuing to follow his strategic plan.

However, councilmembers and Watlington agreed, the district is not where they want it to be academically.

“Scores are still too low,” Watlington said.

Watlington said he intends to “shine a big, bright, spotlight on our dropout problem.” He said he’s added an assistant superintendent to his team who will focus on dropout prevention to “find every single kid’s record,” and hold face-to-face meetings with them and their families.

“We can’t just let kids disappear,” Watlington said.

Facilities concerns are ongoing

Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, chair of the education committee, led the line of questioning on the condition of school facilities.

“I think the most severe catastrophe that we’ve seen are the issues related to our facilities,” Thomas said. Several schools have closed in the district over the past year due to damaged asbestos and other environmental hazards. Watlington said Tuesday only 47% of schools in the district have adequate air conditioning.

Thomas and Johnson, the council president, pressed Watlington to produce a facilities plan for the district sooner rather than later.

Watlington said his office has been working to produce a comprehensive facilities plan, but that plan has been delayed. He previously estimated that renovating and modernizing the school district’s infrastructure, whose buildings on average are 73 years old, would cost nearly $8 billion.

Watlington told Thomas “we intend to move quickly,” but stopped short of laying out a timeline for when that plan would be produced.

According to Watlington’s opening presentation, the district is currently compiling a “data warehouse” on their facilities conditions and plan to launch a facilities plan “project team” starting this December.

Recruiting teachers remains a ‘struggle’

Councilmember Kendra Brooks asked Watlington about competitive salaries for teachers, paraprofessionals, custodial staff, and other school employees.

Watlington said he is “confident” the district has the resources to meet the district’s hiring demands, but he did not give data on the vacancy rate in the district.

“I would not have come to work as superintendent if I thought I was going to walk into a place that was going to implode,” Watlington said.

Still, he cautioned “we are going to continue to struggle” recruiting teachers in Philadelphia as the country battles an ongoing teacher shortage.

Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke asked what Watlington has heard in exit interviews the district has conducted when teachers leave their positions in the city. Watlington said the primary reasons teachers leave are low pay, a lack of support at the school level, and some struggles with classroom management.

Year-round school will start slowly

Councilmember Cindy Bass asked Watlington about ongoing plans for year-round school — one of Parker’s mayoral promises.

Watlington said for now, year-round-school will mostly resemble “beefed up” out-of-school opportunities and summer programming, but in the 2025-26 school year, the district will be piloting longer days and an extended academic year in some select schools.

Watlington would welcome forensic audit

During the six-hour hearing, councilmembers also asked about selective school admissions, improving communication between the district and public, and other issues.

Johnson asked if Watlington would “welcome” a forensic audit of the district, and Watlington said he would. Johnson also expressed an interest in involving more faith-based organizations in schools to help with students facing trauma due to gun violence.

On the district’s new $70 million curriculum package that launched this school year, 83% of teachers reported in a recent survey that they felt they are “equipped to deliver” it, Watlington said. But he also said that many teachers didn’t feel they had enough time with the new materials before the school year started. For the English Language Arts curriculum rollout scheduled for next academic year, the district is starting training now to prepare teachers. Training will also be offered in the summer, he said.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Outgoing Philadelphia school board approves millions for new curriculum and asbestos abatement

2024-04-26T13:49:33+00:00

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Philadelphia residents got their first opportunity to publicly comment and ask questions about the school district’s $4.5 billion budget proposal Thursday night at the final meeting of the board’s current iteration.

Community members asked the board for more funding for extracurricular activities, music and art programs, improved air filtration, and building renovations, among other requests. The budget will be up for a full board vote at the May 30 meeting.

The most pointed question Thursday evening came from student board representative Cavance Snaith, who asked if all schools would be outfitted with heating and air conditioning by 2030 under the district’s five-year capital plan.

Oz Hill, the district’s chief operating officer, said the “cold hard truth” is that it’s unlikely. Hill said underlying infrastructure and electrical issues and longstanding funding gaps stand in the way.

Much of Thursday’s meeting was also devoted to speeches from four of the board’s nine members who will be replaced on May 1, when Mayor Cherelle Parker’s nominees take their seats. Outgoing members thanked their colleagues and district staff for their diligence and guidance over the years of their time on the board.

Board members also unanimously approved a resolution renaming the district building after former Superintendent Constance E. Clayton.

Board approves millions in curriculum, SEPTA contracts

In their last official action as a board, members voted to approve nearly $234 million in contracts and construction change orders, including:

Nearly $4.2 million for new StudySync English language arts curriculum resources. This money will come from COVID relief funds. The district already approved $20 million for the materials. This would be an additional allocation.
$82.7 million for private pre-K providers that partner with the district to provide 180 days of “free, full-day, developmentally appropriate PreK instruction from qualified staff,” according to the board, as well as free breakfast, lunch, and snacks for young learners daily.
$12 million for asbestos abatement and nearly $20 million for “environmental remediation and restoration” at Frankford High School, which has been closed since last year due to damaged asbestos.
$34 million for a contract with SEPTA to provide fare cards for students. According to the board, Pennsylvania reimburses the entire cost of the Student Fare Card.

Board changes “goals and guardrails”

Board members also voted to amend and extend the “goals and guardrails” targets for student achievement that were originally set before the COVID pandemic. The board previously expected the district to reach the old benchmarks by 2026 and have monitored progress toward these targets every month. The new metrics approved Thursday are expectations for 2030.

The new targets as written in the board’s resolution are:

The percentage of students in grades 3-8 who score “proficient” on the state ELA assessment will grow from 34.0% in August 2023 to 65.0% by August 2030.
The percentage of third grade students who score “proficient” on the state ELA assessment will grow from 31.0% in August 2023 to 62.0% by August 2030.
The percentage of students in grades 3-8 who score “proficient” on the state math assessment will grow from 20.7% in August 2023 to 52.0% by August 2030.
The percentage of students who score “proficient” on the state literature high school assessment by the end of their 11th grade year will grow from 53.9% in August 2023 to 71.0% by August 2030.
The percentage of students who score “proficient” on the state algebra high school assessment by the end of their 11th grade year will grow from 30.1% in August 2023 to 53.0% by August 2030.
The percentage of students who score “proficient” on the state biology high school assessment by the end of their 11th grade year will grow from 31.4% in August 2023 to 54.0% by August 2030.
The percentage of Career and Technical Education students who pass an industry standards-based competency assessment by the end of their 12th grade year will grow from 49.1% in August 2023 to 80.0% in August 2030.

Philly school board members say their goodbyes

Thursday’s meeting was the last for this iteration of the school board nominated by former Mayor Jim Kenney.

Board members Leticia Egea-Hinton, Julia Danzy, Cecelia Thompson, and Lisa Salley reflected on their years on the board and offered some advice for the new members. The status of longtime board member Joyce Wilkerson’s nomination is still uncertain; City Council President Kenyatta Johnson told reporters earlier on Thursday that she “doesn’t have the votes” to retain her position.

Wilkerson’s nomination has become a political flashpoint for the charter school debate in the city.

Board member Julia Danzy spoke out in support of Wilkerson, saying she “watched in horror” as council members interrogated Parker’s nominees last Friday about their willingness to expand and approve new charter schools, especially those with Black leaders.

After Thursday’s council vote, Johnson and Councilmember Isaiah Thomas vehemently denied that Wilkerson was being “singled out.” But her nomination has been the only one of Parker’s picks to be held up in the council hearing process.

“What I saw [at last Friday’s City Council hearing] was the litmus test for being a board member was, would you let the charter schools have what they want?” outgoing board member Danzy said at the board meeting. “There is something wrong with that.”

Speaking publicly for the first time since her nomination was deferred, Wilkerson also thanked the rest of the board in a speech mirroring the goodbyes of her fellow members, though Parker and Board President Reginald Streater shared statements on Thursday saying they would not be backing down on Wilkerson’s nomination.

“It’s a slate, not eight,” said Sarah-Ashley Andrews, a current board member and Parker nominee, noting she would not be saying goodbye to Wilkerson.

Egea-Hinton advised the new, incoming board members: that they’d better “put their seatbelts on.”

“It’s a rollercoaster ride,” Egea-Hinton said.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Demand for student-teacher stipends in Pennsylvania far exceeds $10 million allocation

2024-04-12T16:34:59+00:00

This story was originally published by the Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Within three hours of going live, more than 3,500 applications were received for a state-funded stipend to cover an otherwise unpaid semester of student teaching. But the new program only has enough funding for roughly 600 to 700 student teachers who will take over Pennsylvania classrooms as part of their teaching certification this winter or next spring.

The funds, up to $15,000 per student teacher, will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

“[The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency] is so happy to be a partner with the Shapiro Administration and of the General Assembly on the rollout of the new PA Student Teacher Support Program,” said Bethany Coleman, a spokesperson for the agency, in a statement. “By providing financial support to support teachers we are not only investing in the future of education, but also addressing the critical teacher shortage in this Commonwealth.”

The stipends are a big deal for prospective student teachers like Amber Bloom, who advocated for the program as the vice president of the student branch of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

On Thursday morning, Bloom was refreshing her browser as the application period opened. She knew there would be more applicants than available stipends, but was still surprised by the speed and number of applicants. Without the money, Bloom will have to take out an additional loan to cover her expenses.

“We all need this money,” she said. “We need it for gas, we need it for food, we need it for tuition. So we’re all hopeful that we’re one of the [roughly] 700 that get it, but realistically, not all of us are going to.”

Allie Taffera, 21, will be a student teacher in a northeast Pennsylvania classroom next spring.

“Getting it would be such a big relief for both me and my family — I’m a first generation college student,” Taffera said. “If I don’t get it, for me that would just mean a lot more work I’d have to do on top of summer classes, and now also trying to keep a job while student teaching.”

But when she heard about the number of applicants, she was excited too. It meant word got around about a program that could change recipients’ lives. And when Taffera replaces Bloom as vice president of student PSEA, she’ll push lawmakers to increase funds.

Bloom and Taffera expect to find out this summer at the earliest whether their applications are accepted.

The applications opened only a day after Gov. Josh Shapiro, alongside Sens. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, and Vincent Hughes, D-Philadelphia, and Reps. Gina Curry, D-Delaware, and Jesse Topper, R-Bedford, asked for a 50% increase in funding for next year at a press conference marking the $10 million program’s launch. The legislature would have to approve the additional $5 million through the budget process. That would still fall far short of meeting the demand on the first day of applications. Legislation creating the program passed last year with bipartisan support.

“As Governor Shapiro has made clear, this is a commonsense, critically important initiative with broad bipartisan support — and it is positive to see such high demand for it,” said Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro’s office. “The Shapiro Administration looks forward to having further conversations with leaders in both parties about how to deliver a needed increase in this grant funding as we work to continue building our teacher workforce and delivering the resources Pennsylvania students and families need.”

Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, a teachers union that also represents around 7,100 student members, said the number of applications is proof of both the program’s success and the need for increased funding in the future.

“Unfortunately, this astonishing demand means that most students who applied for stipends won’t get them, because there is only $10 million available for the program this year,” Chapin said. “This is the best possible evidence that lawmakers and Gov. Shapiro need to increase funding for the program in the 2024-25 state budget.”

Chapin estimated that providing stipends for every student teacher in the state would require roughly $75 million.

As it stands, most would qualify for $10,000 to cover their semester of work. Though those placed in high-need schools with teacher shortages or low numbers of student teachers could qualify for an additional $5,000.

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency still encourages hopeful student teachers to submit applications, though it is unlikely they will receive a stipend.

Students, parents: How much are senior dues this year?

2024-04-11T19:19:09+00:00

It’s that time of year again: Schools across Philadelphia are collecting senior dues for this year’s graduating students to go toward prom, senior luncheons, class t-shirts, gifts, and graduation expenses.

According to a spokesperson for the Philadelphia School District, the average cost for these fees citywide is $200 per student, but we’ve heard those amounts vary widely from school to school and from year to year. Some are all-inclusive and cover prom tickets, class trips, and portraits, while others only pay for graduation-specific costs.

We want to know how much you’ve been asked to pay for senior dues, what they pay for, and how you feel about this practice.

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Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

FAFSA errors endanger Philadelphia students’ state financial aid

2024-04-10T18:21:45+00:00

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Kevin Tellez-Torres thought filling out his financial aid forms for college was a breeze this year.

He didn’t encounter any glitches, and spent a total of maybe 30 minutes on the website filling in his information. ”It was really, like, easy,” Tellez-Torres said.

The issues started after he hit submit. What concerned him was when he heard the federal government was “having trouble delivering it to colleges, or even verifying our information.”

Tellez-Torres, a 19-year-old senior at Horace Furness High School, said it took a month to get his financial aid information to his colleges. That put him up against decision deadlines at some out-of-state schools. Other students have been even less lucky.

Students like Tellez-Torres across the country are finding themselves powerless to make decisions about higher education due to the federal government’s bungled rollout of the new Better Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as the FAFSA. Students who complete the form are much more likely to attend college. But just 35.2% of Pennsylvania seniors have submitted the FAFSA this year, down more than 22% from the previous academic year, according to data from the National College Attainment Network.

The bad news keeps coming. This week, President Joe Biden’s administration announced that as many as 16% of FAFSA applications require a student correction, and 30% of FAFSA forms are “potentially affected by known processing or data errors.”

The federal government will be reprocessing forms next week, and it will begin sending reprocessed records to schools by May 1. But that’s essentially too late for many Philly students looking to take advantage of Pennsylvania’s state grant money for college.

That’s because the deadline to apply for the state grant is May 1, the date set by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, or PHEAA. And students need to have their FAFSAs completed and processed by then.

The way the assistance agency hinges on the FAFSA is “an absolute disaster at the moment” said Jonathan Holbert, manager of College and Career Advising for Heights Philadelphia, an education nonprofit that focuses on college and career access for Black, Brown, and first-generation students.

In order to take advantage of this state grant money, Holbert said, students must complete the FAFSA, the federal government must then process it and send that information to the state, which then spends 10 business days processing the FAFSA data. Then the state sends students a link to complete their state grant application.

Yasmeen Mutan, 18, a senior at William W. Bodine High School, said she’s still waiting for her federal financial aid package some four months after submitting her FAFSA documents.

Without knowing how much aid she’ll get, she said she can’t make a decision about what school she wants to attend and can’t apply for state financial aid, given the way the PHEAA’s process works.

“It’s super annoying but what can you do?” Mutan said. “What happens if my FAFSA isn’t completed before May 1st? Do I just go into college without knowing how much I’m going to pay?”

Bethany Coleman, a PHEAA spokesperson, declined to say whether the state is considering pushing back the May 1 deadline because of the known processing delays. Coleman said in an email her office is “watching student application volume and will be providing our Board of Directors with information to consider later this month.”

Colleges are adjusting how they send out financial aid awards because of the FAFSA delays. Ron Ozio, a spokesperson for The University of Pennsylvania, said in an email Penn students won’t be impacted. Ozio said Penn supplements students with institutional aid “until we receive FAFSA data,” at which point they can “swap in any federal aid.” But not every school has the same financial flexibility.

Holbert said students and teachers frequently ask him what they can do about issues filling out the FAFSA and he said he has to tell them: “Nothing. We have to wait until they fix it.”

He said students all over the city are experiencing anxiety and grappling with the feeling that they have no control over their postsecondary options. And unlike in previous years, Holbert also said, there is no support for students from the federal government.

“In the past you could have some success calling and getting some help,” Holbert said. “but this year it’s a nonstarter. There’s no point. We’re not advising students to reach out. It’s a waste of time, they’re just gonna tell them it’s a glitch and they have to wait anyway.”

FAFSA events and counseling hit stumbling blocks

Madeline Birkner, senior manager of postsecondary persistence at the Philadelphia Education Fund, an education nonprofit, said she’s trying to remain positive with students to keep them optimistic.

Birkner said the most glaring problem this year is “this feeling of a lack of urgency” from Philly seniors, “because the deadlines have been so messy, because the messaging isn’t consistent, or sometimes it’s not accurate.”

Students are told to “just fill out your FAFSA” she said, but then “they actually can’t in some cases.”

“Hearing how important FAFSA is, that it’s the first step of college, but then it actually isn’t functioning the way you’re being told it should, it undermines the sense that this is worth doing,” Birkner said.

Birkner also said Philly schools and organizations like hers have had a hard time scheduling larger “FAFSA completion” events because they’re not sure students will actually be able to complete the FAFSA onsite.

Kelsey Smith, a college access coordinator from the Philadelphia Education Fund stationed at Furness High School who worked with Tellez-Torres on his application, said even when students do everything right and have all of their documents prepared ahead of time, it can take five or six counseling sessions to submit a student’s FAFSA.

And with Philly’s chronic absenteeism challenges, Smith said she can’t guarantee every student will stick through those multiple sessions.

Despite the messy rollout, Birkner and Smith said the Better FAFSA may actually be better one day. Just not today.

“I’m really optimistic that in the future, this will matter,” Birkner said. “All these changes, these growing pains, will actually matter for the most disadvantaged students.”

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Philly schools should get bigger cut of tax revenue than mayor’s proposal, group says

2024-03-20T20:18:33+00:00

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One of Philadelphia’s leading education advocacy groups wants the City Council to allocate more money to city public schools than the mayor has recommended in her proposed budget.

In a lengthy report released Wednesday on the state of the city’s children, Children’s First said Philadelphia should devote 58% of property tax revenue to the district, up from the 55% schools get now.

Children First Executive Director Donna Cooper estimated that an increase to 58% would bring in an additional $61 million to the district next year due to the higher percentage, although she said that figure could rise to as much as $98.6 million if expected revenue growth is included.

In her budget proposal, Mayor Cherelle Parker says the school district should get 56% of that tax revenue.

While that and other parts of Parker’s proposal would add $24 million to the district’s coffers next year, it wouldn’t necessarily be enough to stave off potential cuts due to the end of federal COVID relief funds. District officials are forecasting a $400 million shortfall in fiscal 2025 without additional revenue. The district’s operating budget this year is $4.5 billion.

“Students need much more and they deserve much more,” said parent advocate Jazmin Banks at a press briefing on Children First’s report. “We cannot afford any cuts to the school district’s budget.”

Parker herself proposed the 58% figure during the mayoral campaign. In her budget address, she also called for year-round school, which the district plans to pilot in 20 schools in 2025 and will come with added costs, although Parker did not provide a price tag.

In an interview after the Children First event, City Council President Kenyatta Johnson said increasing the district’s share of city property tax revenue to 58% is not off the table as budget negotiations continue. But he emphasized that council members must “protect the fiscal health of the city” while doing what it can to support the school district.

Johnson also said he thinks “the onus is on the state” to make sure Philadelphia’s schools are adequately funded. He cited the 2023 Commonwealth Court ruling that Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional and shortchanges Philadelphia by hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget includes $1.1 billion in additional funding for education, of which about $300 million would come to Philadelphia.

The Children First report also called for the city to invest in creating 250 more seats in its early childhood education program, PHLPreK. It also said the city should increase its investment in after-school programs and other out-of-school-time activities to keep students safe.

Without additional funding, 8,000 seats in out-of-school-time programs may be lost with the end of federal pandemic aid. Keeping those activities at recreation centers and other venues would cost $8.8 million.

Several parents and grandparents spoke of the need for the city and the district to more proactively address increasing violence, primarily through additional support for diversion programs to reduce the number of young people who wind up in juvenile detention centers.

The report noted that in 2023, 243 young people in Philadelphia under the age of 19 were injured by gun violence, and 31 of them died.

“That number should be zero,” said Geanna Williams-Davis, who has eight grandchildren in the city. “We have to stop violence in the city, period. That means investing in young people, making sure kids have enriching activities to do after school and over the summer and on weekends as well. Too many of our kids are dying unnecessarily.”

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Record-setting increase in public school funding proposed by Pennsylvania governor

2024-02-06T19:26:10+00:00

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Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed a 2024-25 budget Tuesday that increases basic education funding by $1.1 billion, which would be the largest single-year increase ever.

Most of that money, $900 million, would be funneled through a so-called adequacy formula that calculates what every district actually requires to educate all their children to high standards, based on students’ needs.

Shapiro’s proposal comes almost exactly one year after Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer’s ruling that Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional – meaning it is neither fair nor adequate and depriving many children of their right to a “thorough and efficient” education. Currently, districts that educate high numbers of students in poverty, English language learners, and others with special needs generally spend less than wealthier districts, even though their students require more in order to be prepared for college and careers.

Shapiro said in his Tuesday address that his spending blueprint “will deliver real results for the Commonwealth” by “making historic investments in public education.”

Shapiro’s proposal also hews closely to the recommendation of the Basic Education Funding Commission, which spent a year traveling the state to question educators, advocates, experts, and others about education in their communities. By “acting on the work” of the commission, the budget is “delivering a comprehensive solution on K-12 education in Pennsylvania,” he said.

In a report released last month, the commission determined that the state should spend $5.4 billion more annually to bring all districts to adequate funding, with $5.1 billion of that coming from state as opposed to local coffers. It set out a plan to reach that goal by 2029.

The remaining $200 million in Shapiro’s proposed $1.1 billion increase would be funneled through the formula established by the funding commission, which also takes into account student needs in devising a per-pupil rate for state aid. This would assure that wealthier districts like Lower Merion and Radnor still get a share of state aid to help with inflation and other cost drivers.

Under the proposal, Philadelphia would receive an increase of $203 million in adequacy funding, plus $40 million additional through the standard formula.

It would also get a share of the $50 million increase Shapiro is proposing for special education funding, and a share of a $300 million increase in facilities funding.

Shapiro also proposes to cap cyber charter tuition at $8,000 per student, which could provide significant savings for Philadelphia public schools. Philadelphia now pays $11,502 per cyber charter student.

The budget does not include vouchers, which are backed strongly by Republicans who control the Senate and share power in an almost equally divided General Assembly. The state already has two programs that offer tax credits to corporations that donate to scholarship programs, but Shapiro does not recommend any funding increases for them.

Last year, Shapiro publicly stated his support for creating vouchers in Pennsylvania. But he ultimately vetoed a provision to establish vouchers when he signed the state budget. On Tuesday, Shapiro reiterated his support for vouchers and said he considered them “unfinished business.”

‘The transformation of Pennsylvania’s school funding system’

Advocates who brought the 2014 lawsuit that ultimately led to Jubelirer’s ruling, William Penn School District et al. v. Pennsylvania Department of Education, hailed the budget proposal, which is just a starting point in negotiations before a final budget is adopted by the end of June. They said it meets the mandate of Jubelirer’s ruling.

“If carried out to completion, this would mean the transformation of Pennsylvania’s school funding system,” said Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, executive director of the Public Interest Law Center. “It would mean thousands of more teachers, counselors, librarians – it would truly be historic.”

Deborah Gordon-Klehr, director of the Education Law Center, hailed the governor’s proposal as “critical,” adding that “it’s the start of what needs to be a long term commitment.”

She said her group would be seeking legislation to guarantee future increases to reach the target set by the commission “so districts can plan, leaders can be held accountable, and students can see the benefits.”

The adequacy formula devised by the funding commission looks at what the most successful districts spend per student and determines what every district needs to get all their students to that level, using a weighted formula that takes into account poverty, English language status, and other circumstances. Philadelphia’s “adequacy gap” was determined to be in the range of $1.4 billion, on a current budget of about $4.5 billion, or about $7,100 per student.

Philadelphia has the 35th highest adequacy gap in the state; Reading’s shortfall of $14,000 between what it has and what it needs is the widest.

Shapiro’s proposal “targets the funding specifically for the districts that are farthest from adequacy,” said Urevick-Ackelsberg.

Of the 500 districts in Pennsylvania, about 400 do not meet their adequacy targets as defined by the commission.

The governor’s proposal to reform cyber charter funding is likely to run into political headwinds.

Pennsylvania has one of the largest cyber charter enrollments in the country, and districts pay cyber charters their own per-pupil costs, even though cyber education costs far less to deliver than brick-and-mortar schools.

“Currently, cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania charge school districts between $8,639 and $26,564 per student per year,” Shapiro said. This, he said, “no longer makes sense. The 2024-25 budget establishes a statewide cyber tuition rate of $8,000 per student per year and will better align tuition with the actual costs of providing an online education.”

He said this reform will save school districts an estimated $262 million annually.

Other education highlights of Shapiro’s budget include:

$50 million for school safety and security.
$300 million in “sustainable funding for environmental repair projects” in school buildings.
$10 million for teacher recruitment.
$15 million, an increase of $5 million, for student-teacher stipends.
$100 million for mental health funding in K-12 schools.
$3 million to provide free breakfast for all students year-round.
$96,000 to help free up $62 million in federal child care reimbursements for providers.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia tax break program fails to deliver hoped-for benefits to students

2024-02-01T11:00:00+00:00

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Every so often, Philadelphia’s school board members have to decide whether to grant huge tax breaks to property developers through a program that, on the whole, siphons money away from the city and the district they govern.

These tax breaks are a lynchpin of Keystone Opportunity Zones, a 25-year-old state program that officials say spurs development on abandoned or underutilized land by waiving nearly all state and local taxes, including business and property taxes, in the zones for up to 10 years. Pennsylvania says the program is a strong economic development strategy.

But by the district’s own estimate, the zones have cost Philadelphia public schools $59.9 million since 2017. The district lost out on $7.7 million in 2022, an amount that could have funded 61 librarians for one year, based on the district’s average salary and benefits equaling $126,000 for the 2021-22 school year, for example. Since 2017, developers receiving new zones or extensions for previously approved zones are required to provide alternative revenue to the district to help offset that impact. Yet nearly three-quarters of the zones still don’t even generate that revenue stream, according to city records.

And when the board had the chance to halt five of the zones last year, it approved them instead.

The program highlights the school system’s place in the city’s political and financial ecosystem. And its trade-offs have become the subject of intense debate. The Philadelphia school district relies heavily on city property tax revenue for its $3.9 billion budget. It has no independent taxing power and is getting just over $1 billion in city property taxes this fiscal year. The district’s projected $407 million budget deficit next year only underscores disputes about the zones.

But criticism of the zones goes beyond their tax impact. Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) developers are now “strongly encouraged” (according to a statement from the city’s Department of Commerce) to offer work and related opportunities for students enrolled in the district’s career and technical education programs. Yet only three developers have actually provided these opportunities, and information about them is not easily accessible. More developers could be offering life-changing opportunities to hundreds if not thousands of students, but aren’t.

Overall, records provided about the program appear to leave out critical details, and it’s not clear which businesses are or should be making required payments designed to serve as an alternative to regular tax burdens. Critics have alleged the overall program lacks transparency and accountability, and that it’s expanded unnecessarily to already rapidly developing neighborhoods like Fishtown and University City.

“Can they afford the tax break? I don’t think they can. I think there’s no way this school district should be writing off anybody’s taxes,” said Donna Cooper, executive director of the advocacy group Children First, referring to the board. “They don’t have the money.” She added that the district should be more focused on whether the setup is benefitting students.

This is the Pennsylvania tax break that keeps causing controversy on Philadelphia’s school board

The tension surrounding Keystone Opportunity Zones was on display during an August school board meeting, when board members voted on whether to grant 10-year extensions of the tax abatements to five developers.

Some board members said they didn’t understand why the tax breaks were still needed — and why, in some cases, properties remained undeveloped even after developers had held onto the land for more than a decade.

“I’m trying to reconcile that in my brain,” Board Vice President Mallory Fix-Lopez said.

The five developers in question were Enterprise Center, Stateside Vodka, Longfellow Real Estate Partners, Wexford Development, and Arsenal. Arsenal has had a Keystone Opportunity Zone in Tacony since 2004, yet is still trying to develop 12 buildings.

Arsenal has had a Keystone Opportunity Zone in Tacony since 2004, yet is still trying to develop 12 buildings.

Present at the meeting and answering the board’s many questions were not the developers, but Philadelphia Department of Commerce leaders. When Fix-Lopez asked for data about the career-related learning opportunities developers have said they’ll provide for students, the officials responded with details from one developer, Hilco, which was not requesting an extension. The officials did not provide comprehensive information about the others.

Board member Cecilia Thompson said she wanted more time to review the developers’ letters of intent, “because it’s almost as if we are voting blind.”

Despite these and other questions and concerns, the board voted to approve four of the five extensions at the August meeting. Only Arsenal’s extension didn’t get the thumbs-up. Then, in September, the board pivoted and voted to extend the tax break for Arsenal after all.

In an interview with Chalkbeat, board member Lisa Salley said she changed her vote in support of Arsenal after visiting the construction site.

“What we were able to see is the level of complication and the layers of government at the federal level and at the city level, the level of relationships involved with making any decision to develop it,” Salley said.

Salley would not comment on her other votes in favor of the KOZ extensions. Board Vice President Fix-Lopez declined to comment on her decision. No other board members responded to Chalkbeat’s repeated requests for comment about their votes.

The City Council unanimously approved four of the five KOZ extensions last June, a few months before the school board did so.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier said she supported Enterprise’s tax abatements because of the developer’s mission (Enterprise is a nonprofit).

“We just have to be very clear before we give up revenue that the city needs, that there’s a concurrent benefit that’s going to come, particularly for Black and brown working class people who are at risk of displacement in our communities,” Gauthier said.

But Jeff Hornstein, executive director of the Economy League, who worked on a 2014 report on Keystone Opportunity Zones’ tax impact for the city controller’s office, said that between the city and the school district, “The school district is the biggest loser, at least in the short run.”

Workaround for school district revenue falls short

A state law enacted in 2008 allows the city to require developers using Keystone Opportunity Zones to make payments in lieu of taxes, sometimes known as PILOTs.

The school district receives 55% of these payments. The total payment amount is 10% more than what the real estate taxes would have originally been for each property, and are based on the city’s most recent property assessment.

But even with the PILOT payments, the zones ultimately lead to less funding for the district than regular taxes.

Property owners now sign a contract with the city to pay PILOTs when they are granted the tax abatements. The district received $1.2 million in such payments from developers and property owners in 2023, markedly less (for example) than the $7.7 million the district didn’t collect in revenue due to KOZ tax breaks from the previous year.

And crucially, not all developers who benefit from Keystone Opportunity Zones actually generate those payments. That’s partly because only developers approved for them since 2017, or developers who have been granted extensions by the district since then, are required by the commerce department to make those payments.

Out of 287 properties with KOZ tax abatements in 2023, businesses made payments in lieu of taxes on just 81 of them, according to district records provided to Chalkbeat.

For instance, Urban Outfitters doesn’t make such payments for its three properties on Kittyhawk Avenue, or its property on Flagship Drive. Brandywine Realty Trust doesn’t make these payments on FMC Tower, a prominent development on Walnut Street.

And not all property owners with established PILOT agreements — according to city records — made those payments in 2023. East Capital Partners (which is developing Stateside Vodka’s new warehouse), and Commercial Development Co., the developer of a contested UPS warehouse in the Northeast, did not make their payments to the district in 2023, according to the district.

Neither company responded to Chalkbeat’s multiple requests for comment.

In an interview with Chalkbeat, City Councilmember Kendra Brooks said there needs to be better “collective planning” related to the Keystone Opportunity Zones.

“We can’t continue to create systems that aren’t monitored and we don’t have accountability,” Brooks said. “And the outcome is that our school district is suffering.”

From left: 3800-14 Market St. and 3400 Market St. Both properties are receiving Keystone Opportunity Zone tax abatements.

Information on developers’ help for students is sparse

Perhaps the most direct connection between these opportunity zones and Philadelphia’s students is the chance for students to learn career and technical skills that are provided by some developers — at least in theory.

In December 2018, the City Council passed a bill requiring Keystone Opportunity Zone applicants to include plans to offer apprenticeships, internships, and other work opportunities for students enrolled in the district’s career and technical education programs. These plans are known as Opportunity Plans or — as the district calls them — Career Connected Learning Plans.

But the commerce department said that bill isn’t enforceable because it’s a state-run program, and it’s not a state requirement for developers to offer students such opportunities.

The city is “pretty limited” in how it can change Keystone Opportunity Zone rules for developers “unless there’s a provision in the state law that allows for it,” said Marc Stier, executive director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center. (The 2008 amendment to state law allowing the city to require PILOT payments is one such change.)

Since 2020, 50 developers, according to the commerce department, have been granted zones or extensions on their zones. Yet just three of those developers have devised and implemented these Career Connected Learning Plans, according to the district: Hilco ReDevelopment Partners, Brandywine Realty Trusts, and Cescaphe of Battery Park. And even those three developers have not fulfilled these plans to the extent they’ve said they will.

The commerce department says the plans have “engaged thousands of students” since 2020, yet neither the school district nor the commerce department shared detailed information about the plans. They are not available online or easily accessible to the public.

The district said Hilco and Brandywine have enacted 95% of their promises, while Cescaphe has 50% of its plans in place. When asked for further details, the district directed Chalkbeat to the commerce department. The city did not share what the percentages mean.

In 2020, Hilco, which bought the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery, revealed ambitious plans for providing career pathways to students. The commerce department said Hilco “engaged over 1,300 students” in the 2022-23 school year. But when Chalkbeat asked for details about what the developer provided, the city only cited general information, listing “career fairs, job shadowing, internships, informational interviews and site tours.”

According to the commerce department, Brandywine created a six-week program for Dobbins High School BioTech students to meet with industry professionals, receive mentoring, and go on site tours. Cescaphe donated food to school district events and has been working with Ben Franklin High School’s culinary program to give site tours and develop ongoing programming.

At the August school board meeting, the commerce department presented five new career learning plans with developers’ Keystone Opportunity Zone extension requests. But in December, the district said none of those plans had been implemented yet.

Fix-Lopez, the board’s vice president, zeroed in on the Enterprise Center’s estimate that it would engage with 30 students annually, including 20 who’d get access to career fairs. “That’s one kindergarten classroom, for example,” she said. “In a city of 1.5 million with 200,000 students, how did we come up with 20?”

Cooper, of Children’s First, criticized the commerce department’s failure to truly define what it means for developers to have “engaged” with students.

“Let’s say they do internships — what does that mean? How many hours? What are they learning?”

The office wants to make “quality experiences for students, versus quantity,” said Gianna Grossman, the commerce department’s senior director of workforce development.

The city cannot revoke a Keystone Opportunity Zone designation if a developer doesn’t follow through on plans for students or PILOT payments.

“We are completely within our right to recommend to the state that they not renew,” Commerce Department Director Anne Nadol said in December (Nadol has since left that position).

But the city has not made such a recommendation in the last 10 years, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the agency that runs Keystone Opportunity Zones. Not paying PILOTs or following through on pledges to provide career opportunities to students is also not grounds for denying applications for the zones, the department said.

A Pennsylvania law allows the city to require developers using Keystone Opportunity Zones to make payments in lieu of taxes. But even with those payments, the zones ultimately lead to less funding for the district than regular taxes.

Advocates ask for more on transparency, student promises

Nelida Sepulveda, an advocate for effective workforce and public education reform policies and staffer with Children First, said wants to see public reporting on the effectiveness of the Career Connected Learning Plans.

“If they have a data collection process and reporting structure, they should make it known so that the public can access it and use it as a tool to either promote these types of initiatives or hold stakeholders accountable for poor performance or lack of follow through — since after all, these are public resources that are being utilized,” Sepulveda said.

Then there are concerns about a lack of transparency for decisions like the board’s August and September votes.

“When you post an item that nobody can understand and then you flip your vote and give either no explanation or an incoherent explanation, you’re not telling people what your priorities are and why you’re doing what you’re doing,” said Lisa Haver, cofounder of the education advocacy group Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools.

Children First’s Cooper described the developers’ plans as overall “extremely modest” in relation to the benefit of the tax abatement. More questions should be asked about whether they are providing a sufficient return for students, she said.

“People really underdeveloped those plans. They didn’t demonstrate any significant commitment ... that’s a tragedy,” Cooper said.

Correction, Feb. 1, 2024: Due to inaccurate records from the city commerce department, this article has been updated to reflect that since 2020, 50 developers have been granted zones or extensions on their zones. A previous version of the article said at least 17 developers had been granted zones or extensions based on city records.

Advocates praise school funding report, promise statewide campaign to back more spending

2024-01-12T22:50:52+00:00

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Education advocates said Friday they were encouraged by the report from the Basic Education Funding Commission, calling it a potential “game changer” for student opportunity in Pennsylvania if the General Assembly and Gov. Josh Shapiro implement its recommendations.

The report, approved on Thursday, recommends increasing school spending, drawing up a plan for what it means to fund students “adequately,” and overhauling charter school funding, among other proposals. The commission’s suggestions act as the first step in the state’s response to a 2023 Commonwealth Court ruling that the way Pennsylvania funds its schools is unconstitutional.

In a call with reporters, the advocates played down the divided vote on the commission, which approved the report by an 8-7 vote largely along party lines. All but one Democrat voted in favor and all Republicans opposed. And the Democratic dissent was from a legislator who felt it didn’t go far enough.

“This provides almost everything we need for a roadmap for success,” said Sharon Ward, senior policy adviser to the Education Law Center, which represented the plaintiffs in Commonwealth Court along with the Public Interest Law Center and the private law firm O’Melveny and Myers LLP.

But she and others also said that they would continue lobbying around the state to build political support for the larger state education investment that the commission is calling for.

Last February, after a four-month trial, Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer ordered the state’s school funding system to be revised, responding to a lawsuit brought by six districts, several parents, and some advocacy groups. She ruled that the system deprived many students of a “thorough and efficient” education required by the state constitution and violated the federal right to equal protection.

After months of hearings all over the Commonwealth, the commission said Pennsylvania should increase its spending on K-12 education by $5.4 billion over the next seven years to meet the constitutional mandate, with most of that money, $5.1 billion, coming from the state rather than local districts. It also set a method for determining the amount each of the state’s 500 districts — which vary widely in demographics and poverty levels — would need to reach adequacy for their students.

“While not every (commission) member supported this, the minority accepted the court ruling,” said Marc Stier, executive director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center, a Harrisburg think tank, noting that Republican legislators who argued in court to keep the funding status quo did not appeal Jubelirer’s ruling. He noted that the Republicans’ 92-page minority report laid out a series of ways schools could be improved, “which cannot be put into place without new funding.” That report got six yes votes on the commission, six no votes, and three abstentions.

Donna Cooper, executive director of the advocacy group Children First, said “Republicans did not refute that there was an adequacy gap, and they were very clear to say that the solution to that needed to be found in the General Assembly.” She said the advocates “are looking forward to working with members on both sides of the aisle” to come up with a plan and to “rally parents, teachers, concerned citizens in every district, Republican and Democrat, to stand behind (legislators) as they do that.”

“ZIP code should never dictate the level of education students receive,” said Melissa Robbins, of the local Urban League chapter. David Heayn-Menendez, of the Latino advocacy group ACLAMO, described how so many Latino students in the city attend schools without basic amenities like a functioning library and a school nurse.

The commission report “lays a path to invest in our children, support our educators, and be a Commonwealth that genuinely supports the common good for all,” he said. “It is a commitment to bridging the gaps that have hindered our education system for generations.” No family, he said, should be “choosing between the future of their children and where they can afford to live.”

Pennsylvania is currently more reliant on local rather than state funding for its schools, with wide disparities in education spending depending on a district’s wealth. The national average for the state contribution is about 55%, while in Pennsylvania it is just 45%, which means that residents of the poorest districts are often overtaxed locally.

The commission’s recommendations included earmarking nearly $1 billion to ease the burden on high-tax districts.

Philadelphia is one of the districts with a high proportion of students from low-income families and has long argued that it has been shortchanged by the state. Its per-pupil expenditures fall below most of the surrounding suburbs, even though it serves a student population with greater overall needs.

Under the commission’s proposal, it would stand to see its annual state aid, now around $2 billion, increase by some $1.4 billion, or 70%, in seven years.

David Lapp of Research for Action said that such a boost would allow Philadelphia and other historically underfunded districts to give students more access to certified teachers, counselors, rigorous curricula, healthy facilities, and smaller class sizes — benefits that are taken for granted in wealthier areas.

“We believe the Commission’s report is a crucial first step forward ending the systemic underfunding of the School District of Philadelphia,” said Superintendent Tony Watlington in a statement. “We look forward to working with Governor Shapiro and the General Assembly to make its recommendation a reality in the coming months.”

In their own report, Republicans took issue with the commission setting adequacy targets at all, while also disputing the method it used.

“Unfortunately, the Commission could not reach a consensus on a model for measuring adequacy to recommend to the General Assembly. … It is up to the General Assembly to determine the appropriate adequacy model,” the Republican report said.

It added that any additional funding sent to districts “must include an accountability component to ensure those districts invest in programs that focus on high-quality academics.”

In court and in general, Republicans have long disputed the correlation between the amount of spending and education quality. House Republican leader Bryan Cutler issued a statement saying the report “continues the false choice that providing only more state funding will improve Pennsylvania’s public schools.”

He and other Republicans favor more choice for parents, including the creation of more charter schools and vouchers for private schools. They also cautioned that any big increases in education spending could result in higher taxes, especially when federal pandemic aid runs out.

The advocacy groups have said that if the state does not adopt a funding system that meets the constitutional mandate of adequacy and fairness, they will go back to court.

“What’s really going to be important is the acknowledgement that this is not just going to be a report on paper, but a report that informs the governor’s budget proposal,” said Ward. “It is and will be a game changer.”

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Bipartisan Pennsylvania school funding commission proposes eight changes

2024-01-11T23:21:44+00:00

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The long-awaited report from the state’s Basic Education Funding Commission recommends steady, annual increases in school spending, an overhaul to charter school funding, and a plan to calculate what it means to fund students “adequately.”

But even without any earth-shattering proposals, the report released Thursday did not receive unanimous support from the bipartisan but politically divided commission. And school funding experts are already raising questions about it.

The commission’s report follows months of hearings and hours of testimony from school leaders, education advocates, and others regarding how Pennsylvania should remake its school funding formula. A Commonwealth Court judge ruled the state’s funding formula unconstitutional in 2023 and ordered the state to revamp it. If lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro enact the commission’s recommendations, Philadelphia students could receive significantly more funding — nearly $243 million more in the fiscal 2025 budget, for example, and $1.4 billion more over seven years.

In an 8-7 vote largely along party lines, the commission (which is made of Democratic and GOP legislators, as well as members of Shapiro’s administration) approved a 114-page report that includes eight recommendations. All votes in favor were Democratic lawmakers or from Shapiro’s team, while the Republicans were united in opposition. Sen. Lindsey Williams, a Democrat, voted no because in her view the report’s recommendations don’t go far enough.

Primary among those recommendations is to update estimates of what each district needs so all their students can succeed — the so-called “adequacy” target — by recalculating key aspects of the funding formula to make its annual allocations to districts more fair and predictable.

The commission also calls for making teacher salaries more competitive; adding funding for student supports, including mental health; and examining how the state can bolster support for access to prekindergarten, career and technical education, and funding for libraries.

To make sure that school spending in the state continues to be fair and adequate, it also wants the commission to be reconstituted in 2029 to provide continued monitoring of the funding system.

But overall, the commission’s recommendations regarding state funding fall well below the $6.2 billion over five years of increased education spending that some advocacy groups are calling for. Those groups want a $2.2 billion hike in fiscal 2025, followed by $1 billion increases in each of the following four years.

Instead, the commission determined that there’s a $5.4 billion funding adequacy gap, of which $291 million is “the local responsibility of low tax effort school districts.” The remaining $5.1 billion “rests upon the state” which Pennsylvania would close through a seven-year ramp-up in funding.

For 2023-24, Pennsylvania’s share of K-12 total spending in the Commonwealth is $10 billion.

The commission also acknowledged the widely disparate tax burdens for individual districts. To address this, it proposed an additional $955 million in state money, in the form of “tax equity supplements,” for districts that have been taxing themselves at high rates.

“I believe the report not only meets our obligation as a commission … but also meets constitutional muster as directed by the Commonwealth Court,” said state Rep. Mike Sturla, a Democrat and a majority chair of the commission.

But he cautioned, “really, this is the end of the beginning. There’s still a whole lot of work to do.”

Shapiro said in a Thursday statement he “look[s] forward to addressing these points when I deliver my budget to the Legislature in a few weeks, and to continue working with leaders in both parties in order to deliver a thorough and efficient public education for students across our Commonwealth.”

In a Thursday press conference after the report’s release, advocates who were among plaintiffs in the 2014 school funding lawsuit that was the subject of the Commonwealth Court judge’s ruling last year said it represented a step in the right direction. In particular, they highlighted the commission’s proposed adequacy targets that take into account the actual needs of Pennsylvania students, district by district.

“This is a big first step … the timeline is long, it’s not perfect, and there are unaddressed issues. But the vision it lays out is a transformative one,” said Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg of the Public Interest Law Center, which represented the plaintiffs along with the Education Law Center.

Recommendations focus on teacher workforce, poverty data, charters

The commission’s recommendations won’t go into effect without corresponding legislation approved by the state’s General Assembly and the governor. Its recommendations are:

Simplify and “reduce the volatility” in the state’s basic education funding formula by using three-year averages of U.S. Census Bureau data on poverty and median household income. The state should then add at least an additional $200 million to this updated formula each year.
Calculate adequacy targets — or how much each district should be spending on their student population, based on their needs. The commission recommended using Pennsylvania’s state performance standards to determine which districts are “successful” and then use those districts’ spending level as a target for all school districts.
Invest more state money in school facilities, especially in districts like Philadelphia.
Reexamine the way charter schools are funded in the state and “modernize” the calculation of cyber charter school tuition.
Invest in the teacher workforce.
Invest in student supports like mental health services and the “community schools” model.
Bring back the Basic Education Funding Commission in 2029.
“Consider other important education issues,” including access to pre-K, transportation, school safety, and “explore dedicated funding for every school district to have at least one school librarian.”

While saying that the state “should be investing in competitive teacher salaries across the Commonwealth,” the report cites a few actions already taken, including a teacher pipeline program and provides stipends and other incentives. But it doesn’t lay out a blueprint or funding source for helping high-poverty, low-spending districts raise their salaries, which generally fall below those offered by high-wealth districts.

The charter school recommendations are likely to be politically controversial. The commission wants to restore a charter school reimbursement line item in the state budget to help districts cope with the “stranded costs” of charters. When Gov. Tom Corbett ended the practice in 2011, Philadelphia, which has half that charters in the state, was receiving $110 million through that provision.

The commission also wants to change the charter school funding formula so that it uses the same three tiers of supplemental funding for students with disabilities that traditional districts receive, depending on the severity of their disability. Right now, charters receive the highest tier of funding for all students under current law.

‘You have to use good empirical evidence’

Though the final report reflects a compromise, experts and education advocates are already raising eyebrows at some of the commission’s suggestions.

Bruce Baker, a school finance professor and national school funding expert at The University of Miami, took issue with the assigned weights the commission recommends using to calculate how much it would cost to educate each student.

Research has found students with disabilities, English language learners, and students from impoverished backgrounds all require more funding than their peers to help them achieve a desired level of performance.

Baker said the commission should have required that those weights be updated because the current ones are part of a formula that has been deemed unconstitutional.

“You can’t correct the constitutional deprivation without specific consideration to the additional costs of providing children of all backgrounds, in all settings, equal opportunity to achieve the outcomes,” Baker said. “You have to use good empirical evidence in order to correctly calibrate the weights.”

Meanwhile, Nathan Benefield, senior vice president of the conservative Commonwealth Foundation, called the report “deeply disappointing” in a statement Thursday.

Benefield previously told Chalkbeat the state could find more money by phasing out so-called “hold harmless” aid rather than injecting billions of dollars that may not be sustainable if the state’s budget surplus runs out. “Hold harmless” was a policy enacted to guarantee that no school district in the state would receive less funding than it had the previous year, even if it lost students.

But in its report, the commission said abandoning “hold harmless” would be “counterproductive.”

Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, called the report “a critical step in the right direction” primarily because it recommends additional state spending on facilities improvements and because of the significant increases it brings to the city’s schools.

Clarification: This story has been updated to better explain Pennsylvania’s share of total K-12 spending in 2023-24.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Pennsylvania should hike education spending by at least $2 billion, groups say

2024-01-04T23:05:48+00:00

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Education advocates want the state to hike education spending by $2 billion in the upcoming budget, saying that is the minimum necessary to start fixing a funding system that a Commonwealth Court judge ruled last year is unconstitutional.

In addition, Pennsylvania needs to invest additional capital funds to help districts update school facilities and expand access to preschool, according to a statement from the Education Law Center and the Public Interest Law Center, which represented the plaintiffs at the four-month trial. The proposal is also supported by PA Schools Work, a statewide coalition of groups that advocate for fair school funding.

The demands come a week before the Basic Education Funding Commission — a bipartisan group of legislators and state officials — is scheduled to release its report based on hearings it held across the state in response to Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer’s ruling, and as the state’s annual budget process gears up.

The groups held a press conference Thursday to outline their desires for education spending. If Gov. Josh Shapiro and state lawmakers fall short, “we are prepared to go back to court to uphold the rights of those communities,” said Deborah Gordon-Klehr, executive director of the Education Law Center.

After a $2 billion education funding increase in the 2024-25 budget, the groups say an additional $1 billion should be added in each of the next four years, which they said will allow the state to close a $6.2 billion “adequacy gap” by 2028-29. Taking decisive action now is necessary “so that children currently in school will see the benefits,” they said.

When lawmakers approved the current state budget, they enacted an increase in basic education spending of $567 million, which combined with other aid increases brought total K-12 spending to $10 billion.

In February 2023, in her ruling on a lawsuit that several plaintiff districts and others filed in 2014, Jubelirer said the state contribution to school funding — meant to offset wealth disparities among districts — is both inadequate in the overall amount of money allocated and inequitable in how it is distributed. She concluded that as a result many students are deprived of their constitutional right to a “thorough and efficient” system of education.

At the trial, educators, experts and students described the impact of inadequate funding: large classes, insufficient counselors, outdated equipment, a lack of libraries, and teacher shortages due in part to inadequate pay. The defendants — the governor and legislature — eventually decided not to appeal Jubelirer’s ruling, and instead set up the commission to explore how to comply.

In a November letter to the funding commission, the group said that the General Assembly must determine “how much funding is needed to provide each child a constitutionally adequate, comprehensive, contemporary and effective education,” as well as determine the needs of each of the state’s 500 districts.

Experts testified during the trial that Philadelphia’s shortfall is in excess of $7,000 per student. According to the groups’ data, Philadelphia has a total “adequacy shortfall” of nearly $1.6 billion. Under their plan, the district would get an increase in state funding for 2024-25 of $500 million, as well as $250 million the next year. That additional money could go a long way toward helping new Mayor Cherelle Parker’s ambitions to implement year-round school and a longer school day.

They also noted that Shapiro, when he was attorney general, filed an amicus brief for the funding lawsuit that supported the plaintiffs’ claim of inadequate funding.

“Every child in our Commonwealth should have access to a high-quality education and safe learning environment regardless of their zip code,” he wrote in the 2022 brief. “Many Pennsylvania schools are not able to provide the level of education required by the Constitution—not for lack of trying, but for lack of funding … It is past time for the General Assembly to step up, comply with its constitutional obligations, and give our public schools the funding they need to educate our children.”

The advocates also released polling data from last year showing that most people think the current system is unfair, and that people did not oppose raising more state revenue to fund state school aid increases, as long as the burden fell on wealthier taxpayers.

In Pennsylvania, however, the state income tax, which raises most of the money that helps underwrite schools, is a flat tax — the same rate regardless of income. Courts have ruled that imposing a graduated tax, which would have higher rates for those making higher incomes, violates the state’s “uniformity” clause.

Donna Cooper, executive director of Children First, said during the press conference that according to the polling, citizens “know what is going on, they know about inequity,” and say officials “should do more to ensure the state is sufficiently funding schools.”

Noting that this is an election year and Pennsylvania is a swing state, she said while that sentiment is strongest among self-described Democrats, polling showed that 52% of Republicans also agreed with that statement.

“There is really a large amount of consensus on what is broken about this system,” said Public Interest Law Center attorney Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, who argued the case before Jubelirer, adding that state officials need to change their mindset about education funding.

“It’s no longer a matter of political convenience,” he said at the press conference, “but a matter of what students are constitutionally entitled to.”

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Aspira to repay Philadelphia district roughly $3.5 million to settle charter enrollment dispute

2023-09-22T14:26:52+00:00

A leading community development organization that runs two charter schools will repay the Philadelphia school district more than $3.5 million, according to a settlement approved Thursday by the Board of Education

The payment from Aspira, Inc., ends a yearslong legal dispute between the district and Aspira over whether the district can be required to pay charters for students that exceed their agreed-upon enrollment caps. Antonio Pantoja Charter School and Eugenio Maria de Hostos Charter School both enrolled more students than they had been authorized to for several years between 2016 and 2021 — when they did not have active charter agreements with the district.

In addition, Aspira has agreed to withdraw its application to open two new charter schools in the city, one a K-8 and one a high school. It also agreed not to file a new application to open a K-8 school for five years, but can reapply as early next year to open a new high school.

This is the latest chapter in Aspira’s turbulent history of running charters in the district. Several years ago, the organization had to relinquish charters for two formerly district schools it ran. The schools, Olney High and Stetson Middle School, are now back under district control.

De Hostos and Pantoja, both K-8 schools, have separate boards of trustees, but both are operated by Aspira. The resolution says that de Hostos, which is on North Second Street and enrolls 510 students, will repay the school district $3,163,986 in installments over five years. Pantoja, which is in Kensington and enrolls 700 students, will repay $371,537, also over a five-year period.

It is unclear whether these repayments represent the full amount under dispute or a compromise.

As part of the agreement, both schools have new charters through 2028, with predetermined enrollment ceilings that they signed last week, Peng Chao, head of the district’s charter school office, said in an interview.

The board’s vote on the settlement was 8-1, with Lisa Salley voting no. Calls to Aspira’s office asking for comment were not returned. Aspira Executive Director Alfredo Calderon could not be reached for comment.

Chao did not make a presentation at the meeting explaining the resolution that included the settlement. No board members asked questions or commented on the resolution before voting on it. And no one from Aspira came to speak during the meeting’s public comment period. Board members didn’t respond when Lisa Haver, co-founder of the advocacy group Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, asked for a fuller explanation of the resolution.

According to an explanation provided by the Board of Education in its meeting materials, the disagreement centers on the 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years “regarding the number of students permitted to be enrolled under the Hostos Charter and the Pantoja Charter, respectively.”

De Hostos has been in operation since 1998 and its charter was renewed in 2003, 2008 and 2013. Pantoja opened in 2008 and its charter was renewed in 2013. Both their charters expired, and they refused to sign charter renewal agreements in 2018. Under Pennsylvania’s charter school law, schools can continue operating without an active charter.

During the dispute over enrollment, Aspira and the boards of both schools appealed to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, arguing that the district should give them additional funds for the students above their caps. The agency initially sided with the charters, even though the district “filed multiple objections” and demands for hearings, which led to the negotiations that resulted in this settlement.

As part of the settlement, Pantoja and de Hostos have also agreed to withdraw from a lawsuit now in Commonwealth Court brought by several charter schools over whether the district is paying them the proper amount. The district disputes the way charters account for federal aid, some grant funds, and prekindergarten expenses, saying these practices result in overpayments to them.

Other Philadelphia charter schools still involved in that lawsuit include Esperanza Charter High School and two cyber charters.

Aspira is also withdrawing its applications to open two new charter schools: Aspira Bilingual College and Career Preparatory Academy and Aspira Dr. Ricardo E. Alegria Preparatory Charter School. It will also end any legal appeals related to enrollment at de Hostos and Pantoja that are still pending.

Aspira proposed Alegria as another K-8 school — which the group said would eventually enroll 1,000 students — and the Bilingual College and Career Preparatory Academy as a 1,200-student high school. Aspira agreed not to file another K-8 charter application for five years, but could propose another high school as early as next year.

According to their academic evaluations, based on test scores and other factors, Pantoja and de Hostos perform comparably to — if not slightly better than — district schools.

In 2017, Aspira was forced to surrender the charters for Olney High School and Stetson Middle School. These were formerly district schools ceded to charter organizations in 2011 under the Renaissance school turnaround initiative.

But the School Reform Commission, which then governed the district, cited myriad financial and organizational flaws with how the schools were run. It also determined that Aspira had used state and local per-pupil subsidies to guarantee a $15 million loan to Aspira Community Enterprises, Inc., which had acquired the former Cardinal Dougherty High School building.

At Thursday’s meeting, the board also voted to extend the charters for five years of two schools run by KIPP — KIPP DuBois and KIPP North Philadelphia.

The vote was 8-1, with Salley again the lone vote in opposition. Board member Chau Wing Lam, who voted in favor of extending the two KIPP charters, said that while the academic performance at the schools are “disappointing,” she noted that the decision is based on incomplete information, namely the absence of testing during 2020 and 2021.

The last new charter school approved to operate in the city was Hebrew Public in 2018, when the state controlled the district. Since resuming control of the district that same year, the school board has not approved any new charter schools.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Pennsylvania’s school funding commission starts work on a new funding formula

2023-09-14T22:27:42+00:00

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On the heat-soaked steps of the Philadelphia School District building Thursday, education advocates, teachers, and elected officials sought help for city students forced to learn in underfunded schools.

“Children are in crisis,” said Maritza Guridy, deputy director of parent power and outreach at the National Parents Union. They’re “struggling to survive.”

Behind those speaking, 12 legislators and staff entered the front doors preparing to sit for a three-hour hearing of the state’s Basic Education Funding Commission. The newly formed group is tasked with overhauling one of the most inequitable education funding systems in the nation after a court ruled the current system is unconstitutional.

The 15-member commission launched a series of hearings across the state this week to get feedback on how much to invest in education and how to distribute the aid.

“We need to listen to everyone and we may like what we hear, we may not like what we hear,” Sen. Kristin Philipps-Hill, a Republican from York, said in her opening remarks, adding that lawmakers must work in a bipartisan fashion to make sure student needs are met.

Pennsylvania is embarking on this long overdue — and constitutionally mandated — effort to overhaul the school funding formula because the current one is “shortchanging” students across the state, including those in Philadelphia, school board Vice President Mallory Fix-Lopez said to the group rallying outside the hearing.

Generations of underfunding means students in the city — who are predominantly Black, brown, and from low-income families — have had larger class sizes, less qualified and experienced teachers, older and often unsafe buildings, and fewer extracurricular opportunities compared to students in wealthier Pennsylvania districts.

Outside on Thursday, Philadelphians decried how long it’s taken to get here and the toll it’s exacted on students.

“Aren’t we tired of just talking about it?” Fix-Lopez asked. “I’m ready for change.”

The commission will deliver a report to Gov. Josh Shapiro by the end of November and produce a new formula in time for next spring’s budget negotiations. If lawmakers’ proposed formula doesn’t measure up, the state could find itself back in court, said Michael Churchill of the Public Interest Law Center, one of the groups representing the plaintiffs in the funding lawsuit.

Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington, now in his second year in office, has crafted an ambitious five-year strategic plan for the district but has said he lacks the funding to carry it out.

“The Pennsylvania public school funding system has inadequately and inequitably funded low-wealth school districts for decades,” Watlington told the commission. “The funding system systematically harmed the very districts that need the most resources … those districts who serve students with the greatest needs.”

What the commission will do

Beyond trying to create a formula that is more fair, the commission must deal with the question of adequacy, or how much the state should be contributing to education so all students get a quality education. Pennsylvania now ranks 45th among states in the proportion of state versus local funding, providing only 38% of the total, compared to a national average of 47%.

A new formula and more money for Philadelphia schools will mean the difference between cutting programs and expanding access to things like high-dosage tutoring, algebra courses, and extracurriculars.

But it’s going to be costly. Penn State professor Matthew Kelly told the commission during an earlier hearing on Tuesday the state needs to spend an extra $6.2 billion each year to adequately fund education for all students. Philadelphia falls short by nearly $8,000 per student, Kelly found.

And that estimate doesn’t include facilities costs to manage environmental hazards like asbestos and broken or inadequate air conditioning. Watlington told the commission that the district was forced to close more than 80 buildings early each day during the first week of school because they lack no air conditioning. To fully modernize and repair the district’s infrastructure would cost $7.9 billion, he said, citing a 2017 study.

The Basic Education Funding Commission is tasked with overhauling one of the most inequitable education funding systems in the nation.

How Philly measures up

Philadelphia is not the lowest funded among Pennsylvania’s 500 districts. In fact, it is in the top half, ranking 232nd in per student revenue.

Other districts, large and small, have even larger “adequacy” gaps, including Allentown, Reading, Panther Valley, and Shenandoah. Kelly found that 412 of the state’s 500 districts fall short of what’s necessary to provide all students with a quality education.

“There is a cross section of districts that are dramatically underfunded,” Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, senior attorney with the Public Interest Law Center, said in an interview.

And while, statewide, there are more white students in underfunded districts, “kids of color are dramatically concentrated in them,” he said.

At the hearing, Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and Ashley Cocca, a counselor at Bache-Martin elementary school, talked about the trauma that many students face.

“Gun violence, drug presence, poverty levels, housing inadequacies, domestic violence, underemployment, tragic loss….inconsistent continuity of care,” Cocca said, choking up. Jordan said Philadelphia students need as much, if not more, than counterparts in wealthier areas.

A bipartisan solution will be needed

Many of the state’s poorest districts are rural, and largely white, and educate the constituents of many Republican lawmakers who have resisted the plea for billions more in state money for education. In some of these districts, tax rates are sky high, but they can’t raise enough funds because property values are low and taxable industries are scant.

Over the years, Republicans have protested that there is no correlation between money and achievement, and argued at their funding trial that the state’s obligation ended with assuring that the most basic needs were met – essentially, providing buildings, classrooms, and teachers.

Sen. David Argall, at the commission’s hearing on Tuesday, said the state legislature has voted for “significant spending increases” in the past, but said “we haven’t seen the results that many had hoped for.”

Kelly told Argall, “the research is clear and unambiguous” on this front: “Increased spending does increase outcomes” for students.

In resisting the lawsuit, Republicans also argued that legislators, not judges, are charged with determining fair and adequate funding levels for schools.

But, in a February ruling that followed four months of testimony, Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer firmly rejected that reasoning, saying in a 786-page opinion that the current system so severely shortchanges many students that she was compelled to intervene.

Republican legislative leaders decided not to appeal her decision, instead initiating a process to overhaul the funding system.

How school funding currently works

The biggest component of state school aid comes through the basic education line item in the budget, which is now $7.8 billion. In an effort to direct a higher proportion to the neediest districts in lieu of a formula overhaul, the legislature set aside millions in so-called “level up” funding directed toward the 100 poorest districts; this year, the amount is $100 million. That funding is still held up in a lingering legislative standoff.

The current formula — most recently reworked in 2016 — weights such factors as the number of students in low-income households, poverty concentration, the prevalence of students with disabilities and English learners, and a district’s local wealth and taxing capacity.

But the formula has not significantly reduced disparities in spending among districts because legislators at the time also introduced a “hold harmless” clause that guarantees that no district gets less than it did before, even if its enrollment drops. Lawmakers decided to apply the new formula only to a new aid, not to all aid.

This meant most of the funding is distributed based on student demographics from many years ago

While Jubelirer ruled the current formula to be unconstitutional, she did not prescribe a solution.

This is where the new education funding commission comes in.

After the listening tour, the commission will present a series of recommendations to Shapiro, who will then work to reach a deal with lawmakers on a new formula, likely to be enacted through the state budget process.

But that will take months, and some say Philadelphia students can’t wait much longer.

“We must fix it immediately,” State Sen. Vincent Hughes, a Democrat representing Philadelphia, said. “We have waited too long, generations have suffered.”

Correction: This story has been corrected to reflect the status of the distribution of “level up” funding and Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg’s role with the Public Interest Law Center.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Pennsylvania budget inches forward, but lawmakers still split on stalled education funding

2023-09-01T18:57:56+00:00

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HARRISBURG — Lawmakers have moved a step closer to finalizing the state budget and freeing up at least some of the stalled $1.1 billion in spending for everything from hospitals to public defense to home repairs, but the Pennsylvania House and Senate remain stubbornly at odds over education and other key costs.

While Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the commonwealth’s budget in early August, the legislation that directs that spending — known as code bills — has remained unfinished after talks deteriorated over a school voucher program that Republicans considered a priority.

On Wednesday, the GOP-controlled state Senate reconvened in Harrisburg for a day to pass some — but not all — of that missing language. These measures will still have to pass the Democratic-controlled state House, and leaders in the lower chamber have indicated they won’t do so without at least some changes.

The first of two bills was designed to include primarily “the uncontroversial things we all agree on,” as state Senate Leader Scott Martin (R-Lancaster) said on the chamber floor. It wasn’t without controversy, though — Democratic lawmakers criticized that the bill didn’t address the bulk of the stalled spending.

It would release funding for three programs, including increased reimbursements for first responders, which EMS providers argue is a bare-minimum requirement in an underfunded industry.

The bill also includes codes for regular allocations to hospitals and for judicial fees that courts rely on, and for which state authorization had expired at the end of July.

It also formalizes approval of a suite of other programs that had already been moving ahead with their budget spending, and for which the state budget secretary had not said new codes were necessary. These include funding for community colleges, aid to public libraries, and reimbursements for schools to provide universal free breakfast.

Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) said that after speaking to his caucus he decided to vote against the bill because it does not fund programs that Democrats consider priorities, like the popular Whole-Home Repairs Program and a stipend for student teachers. Earlier that day, state Senate Democrats tried to amend the bill to add funding for those programs but the amendments were tabled.

“More work needs to be done on the other side of the aisle,” Costa said on the state Senate floor. The bill passed 29-18, with state Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Lehigh) crossing party lines to vote with Republicans.

The more controversial bill passed by the Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday included Republicans’ more partisan priorities, such as a reintroduction of the school voucher program that Shapiro already axed from the main budget — and which state House Democrats have summarily rejected.

It also includes additional funding for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program, a tax break that businesses can receive in exchange for funding private school scholarships. It passed, 29-19 in a party-line vote.

Not included in either bill was code language for five programs Democrats have championed. Along with home repair and student-teacher stipends, these include funding for the commonwealth’s roughly 100 poorest school districts, allocation of new federal money for school mental health services, and Pennsylvania’s first-ever state funding for public defense.

An email obtained by Spotlight PA that was sent from state House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery) to state Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) on Monday indicated that the divide between the chambers still runs deep.

In the email, Bradford noted that the two parties had, as of Monday, exchanged no code language, and wrote that Pittman was “needlessly extending this and by creating an intentionally bifurcated structure.”

Bradford recommended instead that “the most constructive use of time would be to pass what’s absolutely necessary,” pointing to components the state Senate ended up including in their first code package, like extending the expiration dates on judicial fees and reauthorizing the hospital spending.

In a statement after the Senate’s Wednesday session, House Democratic leaders wrote that a fiscal code “is not an opportunity to renegotiate the budget.”

“Since House Democrats passed the Senate’s budget in July, we have repeatedly tried to work to arrive at an agreement,” they said. “Unfortunately, the Senate Republicans’ actions today do not advance the conversation toward finalizing the state’s budget in its entirety.”

A spokesperson for Shapiro said that today’s votes indicated that “conversations have not yet happened.” The statement added that, “legislative leaders have more work to do to stop talking past each other and instead find common ground on the unfinished business before them.”

In a statement released by her office following the upper chamber’s floor vote, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward pinned the ongoing conflicts on Democrats.

“The Senate has done their best to give Gov. Shapiro and his counterparts in the House the necessary time to work through their party challenges, but the time has come that we must move beyond the broken deals and words and complete our work to ensure the fiscal solvency of our state,” Ward said, adding that House members should return quickly to complete the code process, even if they prefer to “provide a counteroffer to what has been passed.”

In the state Senate’s Wednesday session, lawmakers also advanced a bipartisan bill that would move up the date of Pennsylvania’s 2024 general election primary, which is currently scheduled for April 23, during Passover. That change is considered time-sensitive, and is broadly supported by Democrats and Republicans in both chambers — though they differ on precisely which date the primary should fall on.

As of Wednesday, the House is still scheduled to come back to order in late September. But a spokesperson for Bradford said they “are not foreclosing on the possibility that we may return sooner if an agreement is reached.”

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GOP officials won’t appeal big Pennsylvania school funding ruling as education advocates rejoice

2023-07-25T21:36:42+00:00

The deadline to appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the landmark school funding lawsuit has expired. Now, those fighting for equitable school funding are one step closer to making their goals a reality.

The lawsuit was filed by six Pennsylvania school districts, the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools, the NAACP PA State Conference, and a small group of parents with children who attend public schools.

The suit claimed state legislative leaders, education officials, and the governor failed to uphold constitutional obligations to provide fair and adequate education for students in less wealthy Pennsylvania school districts.

The case began in 2014 but didn’t go to trial until November 2021. In March 2022, the court heard closing arguments.

On Feb. 7, 2023, the judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, and the Commonwealth Court declared the Pennsylvania school funding system unconstitutional.

Senior attorney at the Public Interest Law Center Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, who was part of the legal team that sued the state, explained that state leaders objected to their argument that the state constitution guarantees every child a fundamental right to an education. But the reality that lawmakers failed to appeal is a message in itself.

“State leaders objected to that, and this is a big day where the court has said this is what right is and they have not appealed,” said Urevick-Ackelsberg.

House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) issued this statement after lawmakers’ decision to not continue with an appeal to the Supreme Court.

“Now that the education funding lawsuit is disposed of, it is important that schools completely focus their attention on their primary and most important task — educating students,” said Cutler. “The endless litigation has invited people to believe that money alone will solve the challenges of our public education system. To be clear, it will not, and Judge Jubelirer’s opinion clearly recognizes this very simple and powerful truth. To believe otherwise will only perpetuate what has become a government-driven education system that supplants the needs of students and their families in favor or special interests and adults.”

Attorneys representing the district say the funding will go toward programs such as special education, English as a second language, and other curriculum improvements. The funds will also be used to improve school facilities.

The Commonwealth Court has directed the General Assembly to ensure that public schools have sufficient funding to provide all students with access to a comprehensive, effective, and contemporary public education. Until now the question was not only how much, but how soon.

Legal director at the Education Law Center-PA Maura McInerney echoed that sentiment, saying this decision will change how we view education for years to come.

“There has been school funding throughout the country. We know that the funding will go to our most under-resourced schools because that’s where the greatest need is,” said McInerney.

McInerney says the landmark decision is the first of its kind in the state. Legislative leaders had until midnight on July 21 to appeal the court’s decision and continue the fight that schools did not need additional funding and were adequate, a case they lost in court.

“It shouldn’t have come to this. But this is a momentous occasion, the decision is now final. This is a giant day for the children of the commonwealth. This is the first time a court said educational rights for every kid,” said Urevick-Ackelsberg.

State Rep. Jordan Harris serves the 186th Legislative District and has fought for education reform. Harris says the decision not to appeal not only solidifies the need for a better education but says lawmakers are working to ensure all students get the funding they need and deserve. Lawmakers plan to unveil how they will do that soon, he said, but for now, Harris says the future looks bright.

“The byproduct of the lawsuit is now we have a ruling. We have a once in a generation [opportunity] in my mind to properly address what education should look like in this commonwealth, and what tools should be in our toolbox to ensure our children receive a high-quality education regardless of what ZIP codes,” says Harris.

Philadelphia Board of Education President Reginald L. Streater also voiced support for the decision not to appeal.

“Historic underfunding has had a harmful effect on generations of Philadelphians and citizens across the Commonwealth, for that matter, who have not received the public education that I would argue is not only our collective civil right, but also a human right.” said Streater. “Although an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, any additional funding that seeks to bridge the gap of funding will be welcomed as a down payment on that cure and will positively impact the educational lives of our amazing Learners going forward.”

The Basic Education Funding Commission will now work to determine how much money is needed and where.

“It is our hope that instead of seeking redress through costly and endless litigation,” House Leader Cutler said, the “school district and advocates will join us, instead of opposing us, in this important mission.”

Philadelphia school board approval of contracts worth $183 million prompts transparency debate

2023-04-21T19:31:43+00:00

Long after people had left the school district auditorium, Philadelphia’s school board voted Thursday night to approve roughly $183 million for vendor contracts, including $336,000 for a consulting group to improve the board’s communication with the public.

Those contracts covered school building repairs, IT and technology equipment, office supplies, preschool programs, and water and sewer systems.

For years, outspoken members of the public and some education advocates have demanded more transparency from the board when it comes to their appointments and deliberations. Now, with multiple schools closing due to damaged asbestos, and gun violence claiming the lives of 23 students and wounding another 84, the board’s public approach to these and other crucial issues could help determine whether Philadelphia’s next mayor reappoints some, all, or none of the board’s current members.

Not long after he took over the district last year, Superintendent Tony Watlington drew public ire when the board (at his request) hired a consulting firm for $450,000 to help with his transition and guide the creation of a long-term strategic plan for Philadelphia schools.

While the 54-item consent agenda ultimately passed with little debate, board members Lisa Salley and Cecelia Thompson raised concerns about the process behind the $336,000 communications contract with Public Consulting Group in particular.

Thompson said she “wasn’t even aware” that the board was going through a selection process for communications vendors.

“We dont keep minutes, there’s no written documentation on what occurs … there’s no accountability,” Thompson said. “That should be a public conversation, not this secret stuff.”

Salley noted that the district has often been accused of “lack of transparency.”

“Strategic communication in general is very poor for the board and the district as a whole,” Salley said.

Public Consulting Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Board Vice President Mallory Fix-Lopez said the contracts went through the usual request for proposal process. Several people from the board and district reviewed multiple vendor contracts, and ultimately decided to move forward with the ones that appeared on the consent agenda.

“The process is not over, we are in this final step of work, collectively making a decision,” Fix-Lopez said before the vote. “That is what happens when we vote for an action item.”

Funding for the contracts approved Thursday night came from a variety of sources including operating and capital funding from last year and next year’s budget as well as federal and state grants.

Board President Reginald Streater said the board followed the district’s procurement process “to the tee.”

Board member Leticia Egea-Hinton defended the Public Consulting Group contract and said the board needs urgent “help” connecting to the school community. “I don’t think we can wait much longer,” she said.

But those comments came too late to mollify Lisa Haver, founder of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools and a frequent critic of the board’s transparency efforts. Speaking at Thursday’s board meeting during the public comment period, she blasted the communications spending, which included $881,500 for “customer service” with a group called K12 Insight, as well as the $336,000 contract.

She questioned why the district was spending such money “to assist professionals and board members to do what they were hired or appointed” to do.

The full list of contracts can be found on the board’s website. Among the approved items on the consent agenda were:

$8 million for technology equipment through the state’s COSTARS cooperative purchasing program.
$11 million for replacing roofs at several schools
$32 million for “office supplies.”
$3.5 million to amend a contract with The Home Depot for “cleaning and custodial supplies.”
$9.3 million in contracts with the city water department and Vicinity Energy for water services and steam heat.
$79 million in federal and state grants for prekindergarten programs at community-based partner sites.
$6 million for boiler repairs.
$12 million to extend contracts with vendors doing HVAC repairs.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Where Philadelphia mayoral candidates stand on education issues: an election guide

2023-04-13T18:05:33+00:00

Update: View the 2023 Philadelphia primary election results

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering public education in communities across America. Sign up for Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s free twice-weekly newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system.

There are 10 candidates running for mayor of Philadelphia — a city with aging, asbestos-laden school buildings, serious budgetary needs, stubbornly low test scores, and a gun violence epidemic that has already cost the lives of 20 students and injured 100 this school year.

The mayor has no direct control over the schools, but does have the power to appoint the nine school board members. The current board members’ terms will expire when Mayor Jim Kenney leaves office, meaning that whoever takes office in January can remake the board from scratch, or can keep some or all of the current members.

While education has not been a major issue in the race, public safety, with a focus on youth and their families, has been high on voters’ minds.

Some differences have emerged among the candidates on key education issues, including charter school expansion, whether the district should get a larger share of city property taxes, and to what degree the mayor will seek to shake up the board and impact school policy.

The degree of mayoral control over the education in the city has fluctuated over the past decades and is now at its highest point.

From the 1950s to the 1990s, the terms of mayoral appointees to the nine-member board were staggered to minimize the power of any one mayor. In 2001, the state took over Philadelphia schools, citing fiscal and academic disarray, and installed a five-member School Reform Commission, with three members appointed by the governor and two by the mayor. In 2018, the commission disbanded and the Philadelphia Board of Education resumed control over city schools.

To better understand each candidate’s views on key issues, Chalkbeat Philadelphia asked them 10 questions about education, including several questions submitted by Chalkbeat readers. Six of the candidates responded.

Here’s what they said, in their own words.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

This article is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote, a collaborative project managed by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Lead support is provided by the William Penn Foundation with additional funding from The Lenfest Institute, Peter and Judy Leone, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Harriet and Larry Weiss, and the Wyncote Foundation, among others. To learn more about the project and view a full list of supporters, visit www.everyvoice-everyvote.org. Editorial content is created independently of the project’s donors.

As students and teachers slam the district, Philadelphia school board passes $4.5 billion budget

2023-03-24T17:33:08+00:00

The Philadelphia Board of Education approved a nearly $4.5 billion preliminary budget on Thursday that officials said isn’t enough to properly fund the district. They also got an earful from frustrated students and teachers.

At a board meeting that lasted more than six hours, members reviewed district presentations and heard from more than two dozen student and community speakers about a variety of problems and concerns. These include over 3,000 student dropouts, rapidly decaying facilities, an inadequate funding formula, and — perhaps most damning of all — a growing number of students who say they don’t feel heard or cared for by district leaders.

“Will you continue to be the detriment of Philadelphia’s students? Or will this be the wake-up call where you pay attention to their wants and needs, their thoughts, feelings, and emotions?” Jeron Williams II, a Central High School student, asked board members.

Amid the challenges outlined at Thursday’s meeting, Superintendent Tony Watlington and Chief Financial Officer Michael Herbstman presented a $4.45 billion preliminary budget and accompanying five-year outlook. The board approved the proposed budget 9-0.

That budget doesn’t include capital costs for renovating or rebuilding school facilities, Herbstman cautioned, and a more detailed final budget is scheduled for a vote on May 25.

Still, Watlington and several board members noted more money is needed to address the district’s most pressing concerns. The Education Law Center and Public Interest Law Center estimate “fair funding” in Philadelphia would require an additional $4,976 per student. That would mean an additional $1.1 billion and $318 million annually from the state and city, respectively.

With that kind of money, Watlington said, the district could “update aging facilities” and address asbestos and lead concerns, raise teacher salaries and provide “comprehensive professional learning” opportunities, among other changes.

Watlington and Board of Education President Reginald Streater said the next step will be to aggressively lobby city and state government officials for more funding. They said the school district only controls some 10% of their budget. The remaining 90%, including salary and benefit costs, is in the hands of negotiated contracts and city and state leaders.

Streater said the board and Watlington are having to “rebuild a district that was pulled apart piece by piece,” following decades of funding cuts.

“That’s important for the public to understand the scope,” Streater said. “We’re doing the best we can with what we have.”

Herbstman’s financial outlook for the district in fiscal 2024, which begins July 1, projects a 6.1% increase in revenue, but expenses are projected to increase 6.9%. And after September 2024, Herbstman said, federal COVID relief aid for schools will run out and the district will be facing “a significant deficit.”

“Absent major changes each subsequent year the annual deficit will continue to worsen,” Herbstman said.

Another long-term issue is the state of school infrastructure, which has been the subject of clashes between the district and city officials recently. Oz Hill, the district’s deputy chief operating officer, said that while the district has received 91 nominations for needed facility renovations, “the truth of the matter is we probably can only fund … a fraction of those projects.”

That kind of backlog did not sit well with board Vice President Mallory Fix-Lopez.

“I will be long gone from this earth and our students will still not have libraries, they still will have asbestos in their schools, teachers will still be working in 100 year old buildings … if we don’t get our young people the $1.1 billion they’re constitutionally owed from this state and $318 million from the city level,” she said.

Though the centerpiece of the board’s Thursday agenda was the budget, board members altered the schedule to accommodate a frustrated and rancorous crowd. They demanded board action on issues with the lottery admission system, charter school reform, asbestos in buildings, and what they called poor communication from district leadership.

“You’re killing us,” Kristin Luebbert, a teacher at The U School, told the board Thursday, referring to the unsafe physical condition of schools. “Our building issues have been decades in the making, but now is the time to make a plan to fix them.”

According to a district presentation Thursday, 3,373 students have dropped out of the public school system as of February — on par with last year’s count. The most recent district data shows there are about 197,300 students enrolled in Philadelphia public schools.

That prompted Sophia Roach, the school board’s sitting student representative, to ask what — if anything — the district is doing to bring the dropout rate down.

In response, Watlington did not offer details, but said “we are putting in place supports and processes to better address this issue.” He said he would have to do “a deeper dive” to look into what individual schools are doing to retain and support students.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Schools need more money, Philadelphia school board tells mayoral candidates

2023-03-20T22:04:27+00:00

The Philadelphia Board of Education Monday is asking the next mayor to commit to a big increase in the school district’s annual funding, and to provide additional help in upgrading and repairing school facilities.

In an open letter released Monday, the board also asks for the city to devote more of its resources to addressing gun violence and helping the district to recruit and retain staff.

The letter is unusual in that the board members, who are appointed by the mayor, are publicly addressing political candidates to air their concerns about the district budget and other matters so close to an election. Generally, they make their budget case during a city council hearing in May.

The new mayor will have the ability to remake the nine-member board from scratch after taking office. City officials and others recently publicly accused Superintendent Tony Watlington of not being transparent about problems with school building safety, and threatened to withhold district funding.

Philadelphia is “the only school district in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that cannot raise its own taxes, and the district is completely dependent on our local and state elected officials to provide the resources necessary to ensure that every student in the city has access to a quality public education,” said the letter, which was signed by board President Reginald Streater.

In the letter, Streater said the board wants the city’s future leaders to commit to increasing the district’s annual local funding by $318 million within the next four years. Streater said this increase would help the district meet an estimate from the Public Interest Law Center and the Education Law Center that it needs to increase total spending by more than $1.1 billion annually “to meet the educational needs of our learners.”

The city contributes about $1.7 billion to the district’s roughly $4 billion current operating budget. Most of the city’s contribution comes from property and other taxes earmarked for the district, and some is through a special grant which this fiscal year amounts to nearly $270 million.

Philadelphia school officials used the $1.1 billion figure when testifying for the plaintiffs in a historic lawsuit challenging the state’s current funding system, which results in wide spending disparities among districts. Last month, Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer ruled the system unconstitutional and ordered an overhaul.

There are just under 200,000 students in Philadelphia’s 329 district-run, charter, and alternative schools.

“We are calling on city officials to balance the needs of our students with the needs of residents,” Streater said in the letter.

The party primaries in this year’s mayoral and city council races take place May 16.

The board’s letter comes shortly after the district was forced to close two high schools — Building 21 and Simon Gratz — within the past month due to the discovery of flaking asbestos.

While the letter doesn’t include a specific ask for facilities help, Streater cited a 2017 study estimating that the district has $4.5 billion in deferred maintenance costs and that “85 of our buildings should be considered for renovation, and 21 buildings should be considered for closure and replacement.”

On gun violence and student safety, Streater asked the city to increase safe corridors around schools, beef up libraries and recreation centers, enforce gun laws (especially as they relate to firearms possession by minors), and expand mental health services.

To recruit and retain more teachers, Streated suggested creating street parking around schools for staff, underwriting SEPTA passes for public transit commuters, and measures including loan forgiveness, housing vouchers, and other incentives for city residents who work in schools.

Two mayoral forums on education are scheduled for this week, one at the Free Library Tuesday evening, and another sponsored by the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators on Wednesday.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia’s early childhood education workers ‘on the brink of a breakdown’ advocates say

2023-03-16T18:17:30+00:00

Citing “inadequate” wages and warning of an impending mass exodus from the field, early childhood education advocates in Philadelphia and statewide say their sector is “on the brink of a breakdown.”

Those advocates are urging state lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro to add more funding for childcare and early childhood education in the state budget this year. Without more money, they say employees will leave, programs will close, and children, families, and businesses in Pennsylvania will face “devastating consequences.”

Shapiro’s proposed budget includes $66.7 million in early childhood education funding. But advocates said that’s far from enough. They are calling for $430 million for increasing wages and expanding programs across Pennsylvania.

Roughly 50% of early childhood educators surveyed across the commonwealth said they were “unsure” or “intending to not be working in their jobs in five years,” Start Strong PA, a statewide early education advocacy group, said in a new report.

(The report was funded through a grant from the William Penn Foundation. Chalkbeat receives funding from the William Penn Foundation.)

Losing those workers would mean smaller programs with fewer teachers. That would leave more families in need of child care without an option, and keep more parents — especially women — out of the workforce, advocates say.

Sheila Moses, a former early childhood teacher, said Thursday at the Northeast Philadelphia YMCA, she had to leave her job as an educator because of the low wages.

“The tension I experienced as a single parent was overwhelming,” said Moses, who spoke at an event to promote the report hosted by the Start Strong and Children First advocacy groups. “I worked full-time and still needed welfare to support my family.”

The Start Strong report said that the child care sector in Philadelphia “is in crisis.” Its analysis found that 83% of Philadelphia-area programs have a staffing shortage, with 616 open positions across the city and 2,831 children on waitlists.

Using 2021 earnings data, the most recent available, the report also found that in all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, early childhood teachers’ earnings “failed to meet the cost-of-living” and were not sufficient to cover “basic necessities like housing, transportation and food.”

Wages varied across the state. The highest earners were in Union County, who make up to $31,320 annually, while teachers in Elk County earned as little as $15,408 per year.

In Philadelphia County, the estimated full-time hourly rate for these teachers was $14.37 for annual earnings of $29,884.

The report’s authors said early childhood workers earned less annually than housekeepers, hair stylists, landscapers, and retail workers.

Donna Cooper, executive director of Children First, said at the event Thursday that early childhood programs are losing teachers to businesses like Amazon that can pay higher wages and offer more immediate healthcare benefits.

Milagros Battiti, an early educator at KinderAcademy in Philadelphia, said at the event she’s been “struggling to provide basic necessities for myself” on her current earnings of $30,000 a year.

When her mother was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2022, those struggles multiplied and she fell under the federal poverty line.

“I am not the dream I envisioned or worked hard towards,” Battiti said. “I’m just surviving day by day.”

Chalkbeat Philadelphia Senior Writer Dale Mezzacappa contributed to this story.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Shapiro’s first budget boosts school spending but fails to direct more to districts like Philadelphia

2023-03-08T00:52:53+00:00

Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed increasing funding for K-12 schools in Pennsylvania by more than $1 billion on Tuesday, including a net $567 million hike in Basic Education Funding, the biggest single source of state money for districts.

At the same time, Shapiro would end a special funding category introduced by Gov. Tom Wolf that directs a higher share of Basic Education funding to the 100 districts (out of 500 in the state) with the lowest spending per pupil, including Philadelphia.

That move has upset some education and children advocacy groups, who said abandoning the “Level Up” initiative for the 100 districts would hurt children who need significant help from schools.

Shapiro’s first budget comes as the state has a record surplus, and looks to respond to last month’s ruling from Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer that the state’s system of funding education is unconstitutional because it denies students in poorer districts a “thorough and efficient” education.

“That ruling was a call to action. Literally,” Shapiro said in his first budget address. “Her remedy was for us to get around the table and come up with a solution.”

Last year, $225 million in “Level Up” funding went to those 100 districts with the lowest per-pupil spending figures, and that amount was added to the overall basic education line item. This year, Shapiro increased the Basic Education Funding line by $796 million, but with the elimination of Level Up, the total increase comes to $567 million or 7.8 percent.

The governor’s communication office confirmed Wednesday that there was no additional funding added to Level Up in his proposed 23-24 budget. But the Pennsylvania school code now requires $225 million to be set aside to the 100 districts with the lowest per pupil spending.

But children’s and education advocates said that Shapiro’s new investments are not enough, and expressed pointed criticisms at his Level Up plans.

Susan Spicka, executive director of Education Voters PA, said she was puzzled because Level Up had “earned strong bipartisan support during the past two legislative sessions.”

“This well-recognized supplement helps to close the funding gaps that hurt our most vulnerable students and are at the heart of Pennsylvania’s unconstitutional school funding system,” Spicka said.

And the Education Law Center, Public Interest Law Center, and the private law firm O’Melveny & Myers, which are representing the plaintiffs in the school funding case that led to Jubelirer’s February ruling, noted in a statement that Shapiro’s proposed increases “are only pegged to keep school funding on pace with inflation” and don’t meet schools’ present needs.

Along with a rare budget surplus, the need to respond to the ruling presents him and the General Assembly with “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to do right by our kids, to fund our schools, and to empower parents to put their kids in the best position for them to succeed,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro said he was determined to repay the voters’ trust in him by showing them that “government can be a positive, productive force for good.”

Shapiro also sent a message Tuesday to Republican legislative leaders who were on the losing end of Jubelirer’s decision that he hoped they would not appeal her ruling.

GOP lawmakers had argued during the four-month trial that the current system met constitutional requirements despite the spending disparities, citing the preeminence of local control in matters around education.

“While theoretically there’s still time left to file an appeal, all indications are that Judge Jubelirer’s ruling will stand,” Shapiro said. “And that means we are all acknowledging that the court has ordered us to come to the table and come up with a better system, one that passes constitutional muster.”

Shapiro, a Democrat, said he had already held meetings with Republican leaders about education funding. The GOP controls the Senate, while Democrats control the House.

“I think it’s fair to report that we’re all prepared to work together to find a comprehensive solution,” he said.

He acknowledged that “this is not a simple task,” and that the funding system “cannot be fixed overnight.”

Last week, Democratic Sen. Vincent Hughes proposed an increase in education spending of nearly $3.2 billion.

Early education, nutrition, and special education get increases

In addition to his plans for Basic Education and Level Up funding, Shapiro also proposed a $66.7 million additional investment in Child Care Works, and $33 million more in Pre-K Counts. Both programs are targeted toward early childhood education. These programs help families maintain employment and give children “a ladder up,” he said.

But Mai Miksic, the early childhood coordinator for the advocacy group Children First, said that Child Care Works alone needs $430 million to raise wages, broaden access, and increase the rate of reimbursement for providers. For Pre-K Counts, Miksic said advocates sought a $100 million increase, and noted that 60% of eligible families don’t have access.

Shapiro’s proposals “are just a step forward,” she said.

The governor called for a $500 million investment over five years for additional mental health counselors and other on-site services for students.

“Our kids need help,” he said. “I’ve been to their schools.I’ve asked these students what they need and they’re very clear. Students want someone who can help them. They want people to talk to.”

The governor’s budget also earmarks $100 million more to give free breakfast to every child in public schools.

“It shouldn’t be okay to anybody here … that people are going to bed without a meal. We need to have that conversation. We need to feed our kids,” Shapiro said.

In addition, Shapiro wants to add $100 million for special education, $100 million for a matching grant program for school building repair and construction, and $100 million for a school safety program that was started under Wolf.

He also wants to beef up career and technical education, and expand apprenticeships, saying that the state “can create a pipeline from the classroom to the workforce.”

The state teachers’ unions offered cautious support for Shapiro’s budget.

Pennsylvania State Education Association President Rich Askey said in a statement the union “would need time to review the details of Shapiro’s plan,” but that the governor was “right to say that we need to be thoughtful and deliberative” about rebuilding the school funding system, “but aggressive at the same time.”

“We’ve been grappling with problems related to Pennsylvania’s school funding system for a generation,” Askey said. “We’re not going to solve this problem overnight, but we must solve it. We need to do it soon, but we also need to do it right.”

Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, called it “a thoughtful budget address that outlines a host of investments in critical resources.”

Correction: This story has been corrected to include the accurate Basic Education Funding increase in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget. The correct figure is $567 million. The headline was also updated.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Evoking civil rights, Philadelphia-area senator proposes $3.15 billion hike in state school funding

2023-03-03T19:05:01+00:00

A Democratic senator who oversees state spending proposed a $3.15 billion increase in education spending Thursday, saying that it is time to inaugurate “a new era” in how schools are funded.

The proposal unveiled Thursday by Sen. Vincent Hughes, the minority chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, would mark the largest hike in state education funding ever for a single budget. In addition to a $700 million increase in basic education funding, his blueprint calls for $400 million for the 100 highest-need districts in the state, as well as targeted spending for special education, school staffing needs, student mental health, and more.

The state’s basic education funding is $7.3 billion in the current budget, while its “level up” funding for the highest-need districts is $225 million. Total general fund spending in fiscal 2023 on education is $15.4 billion; increasing that by $2.15 billion through Hughes’ plan would amount to a nearly 14% hike. The remaining $1 billion in Hughes’ proposal would be one-time funding for building repairs.

Republicans control the Pennsylvania Senate, so it remains to be seen just how much impact Hughes’ spending plan will have; Democrats control the Pennsylvania House. But his proposal, which would result in a major windfall for Philadelphia schools, comes at a potential turning point for how the state funds education. Last month, a Commonwealth Court judge ruled in a nearly decade-old school funding case that the state’s system of education funding violates the Pennsylvania Constitution, and ordered state leaders to overhaul it.

Hughes’ proposal also comes shortly before Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, is due to unveil his own budget proposal on Tuesday. As the state attorney general, Shapiro filed a brief in support of the plaintiffs in the suit, and as a candidate for governor last year said he wanted to increase K-12 spending.

Hughes, who represents Philadelphia, called his proposal a “remedy” to Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer’s decision last month in a landmark school funding case brought by six school districts, several parents, and two civil rights groups.

This is a moment, he said, to make “historic investments in the context of a state budget that has historic surpluses … the question is whether we have the political will and the moral capability to get this done.”

In her ruling after a four-month trial, Jubelirer — a Republican — said that the wide spending gaps between wealthy and low-income school districts “is not justified by any compelling government interest nor is it rationally related to any legitimate government objective.” The resource gaps between districts in Pennsylvania rank with the widest in the country.

Hughes said the gaps can amount to more than $5,000 per student. He called the disparities a civil rights issue, since Black and brown students disproportionately reside in low-wealth districts.

The method for funding education in Pennsylvania, he said, “harkens back to the days of Jim Crow, to slavery, back to the days when it was illegal … to educate Black and brown children. Now we have the opportunity to change that.”

While the governor, Department of Education and the General Assembly were named as defendants in the case — William Penn School District et al. v. Pennsylvania Department of Education et al. — only Republican legislative leaders put up a defense in Jubelirer’s court. They argued that the current system is adequate and constitutional and that the courts should not intervene.

They have not indicated whether they intend to appeal her ruling. But they have filed a post-trial motion challenging parts of Jubelirer’s decision, a procedural step that preserves that option. The original deadline for an appeal was March 7, but due to the post-trial activity, they now will have 30 days after the judge rules on their motion.

At the event announcing his proposal, Hughes appeared alongside Philadelphia Board of Education President Reginald Streater, Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President President Jerry Jordan, and other state legislators.

Philadelphia was not among the plaintiffs, but Watlington said he was “incredibly pleased” with Jubilerer’s decision. “Our students deserve those resources, we need those resources, and we know exactly what to do with those resources,” he said.

And Streater said that worthwhile reforms “never had a chance to take off due to a lack of resources … it’s clear we have an educational system in Pennsylvania that is separate and indeed unequal.”

Here are other notable elements of Hughes’ proposal:

$275 million for the long-dormant charter school reimbursement program for districts. Such a provision would be a boon to Philadelphia, where half the state’s charter schools are located and 70,000 students attend charters.
$250 million in additional special education aid.
$150 million for early childhood education.
$125 million for targeted academic supports, like summer reading programs, tutoring, and adult literacy.
$100 million for student mental health initiatives
$100 million for staffing needs to help schools recruit teachers and others.

Hughes also wants $1 billion for a “toxic schools remediation program.” Philadelphia’s school buildings have an average age of 70 years, with many having hazardous conditions including asbestos and lead pipes.

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia district announced that Building 21, a high school located in a former elementary school built in 1916, would close for two days this week so the district could clean up loose asbestos discovered in an auditorium and two stairwells. On Friday, officials said students and staff would relocate to Strawberry Mansion High School next week while the abatement work continues.

In addition to the money Hughes is proposing, Democratic Sen. Tim Kearney of Swarthmore, has introduced legislation that would fund PlanCon, a state program designed to build, repair and modernize school buildings. PlanCon has not been funded since 2015.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

GOP accuses judge of overreach in Pennsylvania school funding case

2023-02-09T00:01:59+00:00

In the wake of Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer’s order to overhaul Pennsylvania’s system of funding education, Republican legislative leaders accused her of judicial overreach while stressing the need for local control and for monitoring school district spending.

House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler issued a statement Wednesday calling the ruling “disappointing, but not surprising from a state judiciary that consistently identifies itself as a legislature to reach policy gains political allies cannot achieve in the General Assembly.”

Cutler highlighted the GOP position that school choice is the best way to provide equal educational opportunity to all students.

However, Cutler’s statement did not address whether he and fellow Republican policymakers will appeal the ruling, which could delay changes to the funding system. GOP state lawmakers defended the current system in Jubelirer’s courtroom last year, but the Pennsylvania Department of the Education and the governor, who were also defendants in the case, declined to do so.

In her Tuesday ruling in a case that started in 2014, Jubelirer declared Pennsylvania’s funding system to be in violation of the state constitution’s mandate to provide a “thorough and efficient system of education” for all students because it results in wide disparities in spending between low-wealth and high-wealth districts.

She said that the inequities demanded not just a redistribution of state aid, but more funds overall, as well as other reforms, and she ordered the General Assembly to fix the problem. But Cutler explicitly rejected that reasoning.

“Our declining test scores during periods of record state funding have consistently demonstrated that money alone cannot educate students,” Cutler said in his statement. He added that “while supporting public schools, it is imperative that we also provide Pennsylvania families the choice to find educational options that meet the demands of a rapidly changing future.”

Rep. Seth Grove, the Republican chair of the influential House Appropriations Committee, went so far as to characterize the ruling as a victory for school choice on Twitter.

With the House now very narrowly controlled by Democrats and the Senate still in Republican hands, it is unclear how — and how quickly — the legislature might move to address the funding system.

Under court rules, the defendants in the case have to appeal by March 9. Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, will give his budget address on March 7.

Lawmakers in Harrisburg must finalize next year’s budget by July 1, when the new fiscal year begins.

Shapiro, who as attorney general filed an amicus brief in the case supporting the plaintiffs, said in a statement that his administration is reviewing the opinion and “determining next steps.”

Attorneys for the plaintiffs reiterated Wednesday the point that Jubelirer ordered the legislature, and the governor, to take action.

“The court said this must be remedied,” said Maura McInerney, legal director at the Education Law Center, which along with the Public Interest Law Center and the law firm O’Melveny & Myers represented the six school districts, parents, and advocacy groups that brought the case.

As for what specific remedies might be, first of all “there needs to be more funding,” said Katrina Robson of O’Melveny & Myers. “But obviously that funding exists because … money matters, and it matters because it provides specific types of resources.”

As examples of additional resources that would help, Robson highlighted tutors, social workers, psychologists, sociologists, better textbooks, and improved facilities.

“We expect to see that those things will start to change in school districts throughout the state quickly,” Robson said.

Donna Cooper, executive director of Children First who served as a chief policy aide to former Democratic governor Ed Rendell, said in an interview that Jubelirer was specific enough in her ruling that there are no factual grounds for appeal.

Cooper also said an appeal could drag out the process of revamping state school funding for two years. “How tragic is that? For two years the system is left to continue to deprive students of their constitutional rights,” Cooper said of that possibility.

Attorneys for Cutler and former Senate Republican leader Jake Corman argued during the 49-day trial last year that more funds for schools do not correlate to better student achievement But Jubelirer, a Republican, rejected that argument in her nearly 800-page ruling.

“Educators credibly testified to lacking the very resources state officials have identified as essential to student achievement, some of which are as basic as safe and temperate facilities in which children can learn,” she wrote. “Educators also testified about being forced to choose which few students would benefit from the limited resources they could afford to provide, despite knowing more students needed those same resources.”

She went on to cite evidence presented at the trial “demonstrating wide achievement gaps on the state assessments between students who attend schools in a low-wealth district and their peers who attend schools in a more affluent district.”

The case is William Penn School District et al. v. Pennsylvania Department of Education et al.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Pennsylvania’s school funding system violates state constitution, judge rules

2023-02-08T00:42:52+00:00

This story has been updated.

A Commonwealth Court judge has declared Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional and ordered the General Assembly to overhaul it.

Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer’s ruling, which the court issued Tuesday, could have a profound long-term impact on the state’s approach to education spending, although an appeal of her ruling is likely and the case could end up before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Pennsylvania’s system, which relies heavily on property taxes with a relatively low state contribution, has some of the widest disparities in spending between wealthy and low-income districts in the nation. Jubelirer highlighted such disparities in her ruling.

“Students who reside in school districts with low property values and incomes are deprived of the same opportunities and resources as students who reside in school districts with high property values and incomes,” Jubelirer wrote in a 786-page opinion. “The disparity among school districts with high property values and incomes and school districts with low property values and incomes is not justified by any compelling government interest nor is it rationally related to any legitimate government objective.”

As a result of these disparities, she said, “Petitioners and students attending low-wealth districts are being deprived of equal protection of law.”

Jubelirer ordered the General Assembly to begin work immediately on a remedy to bring the state’s funding system into constitutional compliance.

The ruling marks a victory for school districts and advocacy groups that have worked for decades to achieve adequacy and equity in Pennsylvania’s school funding system.

The lawsuit, brought by six school districts, two civil rights groups, and several parents, was filed in 2014 and was the latest in a series of such cases. State courts had dismissed all the previous ones, saying that such disputes were ultimately a matter for the legislature and the executive branch, not the courts.

Jubelirer heard four months of testimony from teachers, students, and school officials from a variety of school districts. They described conditions in which children are forced to learn in closets and hallways and 75 small children are forced to share one bathroom.

Philadelphia is not a plaintiff in the case, but former Superintendent Wiliam Hite and the district’s then-budget director, Uri Monson, testified for the plaintiffs. Monson is now the budget secretary for Gov. Josh Shapiro, who during last year’s gubernatorial campaign spoke out in favor of fair and equitable school funding.

While the governor and the Pennsylvania Department of Education were defendants in the case, only the Republican-led legislature defended the current system before Jubelirer. By contrast, Shapiro wrote a brief in support of the plaintiffs while he was serving as attorney general.

Shapiro, a Democrat who took office last month, will make his budget address on March 7.

“The Education Clause, article III, section 14 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, requires that every student receive a meaningful opportunity to succeed academically, socially, and civically, which requires that all students have access to a comprehensive, effective, and contemporary system of public education,” Jubelirer wrote. “Respondents have not fulfilled their obligations to all children under the Education Clause in violation of the rights of Petitioners.”

She also said that the current system violated the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause.

The case is William Penn School District et al. v. Pennsylvania Department of Education et al.

Philadelphia school leaders hail funding ruling

Jubilant attorneys who represented the plaintiffs called the ruling “an earthquake” that will impact all schools in Pennsylvania for years to come.

“This is an extraordinary day for the Commonwealth,” said Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg of the Public Interest Law Center at a Tuesday press conference. And Maura McInerney of the Education Law Center called it a “decisive, clear and unequivocal victory for public school children in Pennsylvania.”

If the Republican legislative leadership appeals Jubelirer’s ruling, Urevick-Ackelsberg said, the plaintiffs will try to prevent a stay of the ruling pending a final resolution. While Republicans still control the Pennsylvania Senate, control of the Pennsylvania House hinges on special elections also taking place Tuesday.

In the meantime, he said, the attorneys will work with the governor and legislature to bring the state into constitutional compliance. And he said he expects Shapiro’s first budget after the ruling to be “a significant down payment” toward that effort.

One of the things Jubelirer emphasized “is that every witness in this trial agreed that every child can learn, and that looking at the evidence presented she found that what was required under the constitution had not been provided in a way that makes that possible,” said Katrina Robson of the law firm O’Melveny & Myers, which worked on the case pro bono, providing research and other resources. Robson made the opening and closing arguments in the case and questioned many of the witnesses.

The state now has a budget surplus, which could make it easier for Shapiro to propose a big hike in state education aid. He could also propose to distribute all the state’s education aid money through a “fair funding formula” weighted for student needs that was adopted (but not fully utilized) around the time plaintiffs filed the lawsuit. Such a shift could mean nearly a billion dollars more in state aid for Philadelphia next year.

Studies presented to Jubelirer by plaintiffs during the trial estimated that the state would need an additional investment of $4.6 billion annually to provide all students with a “comprehensive, effective and contemporary education.”

Meanwhile, Reginald Streater, president of the Philadelphia Board of Education, issued a statement Tuesday that the board is “ecstatic” about the outcome, and that “for too long, students in Philadelphia have been shortchanged by a funding system that ignored their needs.”

Philadelphia was not a plaintiff in the case because at the time it was filed in 2014, the district was under state control through the School Reform Commission. But several of the individual parent plaintiffs are from the city.

“We look forward to Governor Shapiro and the General Assembly acting so that students here in Philadelphia and across the Commonwealth have access to an education that prepares them for success,” Streater said.

Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said he was “beyond elated” by the ruling.

“Today’s victory is years in the making, and in many ways a culmination of our fight for equitably funded public education – and in many ways just a beginning,” he said in a statement.

Pennsylvania, like several other states, has a clause in its constitution saying that the state must maintain a “thorough and efficient system of public education.” Courts in other states, including New Jersey, have interpreted this to mean that the funding system must direct more money to districts with students who have more needs.

In Abbott v. Burke, for example, the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1990 ruled that the legislature must guarantee that 31 of the state’s poorest districts, including Newark and Camden, had as much money to spend per student as surrounding suburbs and adequate funds “necessary to address the needs of urban schoolchildren.” Subsequent legal battles over that prominent ruling went on for more than two decades.

While there had been previous lawsuits in Pennsylvania on this issue, none came to trial before this one. During months of testimony, Republican legislative leaders argued that there is a weak correlation between money spent on schools and student achievement. They also said education could be improved in the state by expanding school choice in various ways.

Additionally, they said ordering more state spending on education would erode local control, a key value of education in the state, lawmakers said.

“This Court should not enter into the political fray by choosing one set of policy viewpoints over another,” then-Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman wrote in a brief.

But Jubelier firmly rejected that premise, writing that “students in low-wealth districts do not have access to the educational resources needed to prepare them to succeed academically, socially, or civically.”

She cited graduation rate differences, college graduation rates, overall postsecondary attainment, and other outcomes as evidence of this.

Correction, Feb. 8, 2023: This story has been corrected to accurately reflect comments made by Katrina Robson. This story has also been updated to reflect the role of Robson and the O’Melveny & Myers law firm in the case.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Even with a budget surplus, Josh Shapiro faces big education challenges in Pennsylvania

2023-01-13T20:34:24+00:00

When governor-elect Josh Shapiro takes office next week, he will have a $5.4 billion budget surplus, which could bode well for arguments in favor of additional state funding for education.

But he will also face significant challenges in directing that money where it is most needed, along with a teacher shortage of historic proportions. Shapiro will also have to work with a divided General Assembly, although Democrats gained seats in last year’s elections. And GOP lawmakers have already demonstrated that they have their own education policy priorities.

A high-profile lawsuit could also influence Shapiro’s strategy. Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Jubelirer could issue a ruling at any time in a long-running school funding case, William Penn School District et al. v. Pennsylvania Department of Education et al., in which plaintiffs have claimed that the state’s current K-12 funding system is unconstitutional and deprives many students of their right to a “thorough and efficient” education.

The case has lasted eight years so far. Over that period, Pennsylvania’s school funding system has consistently ranked as one of the most inequitable in the nation, according to a report by the Education Trust, with some districts spending three times as much as others and students from low-income backgrounds — for the most part — receiving fewer resources than those in wealthier districts.

Still, the case most likely will head to the state Supreme Court regardless of how Jubelirer rules, making a resolution unlikely for some time. And some advocates think that Shapiro will not need court prodding to propose more spending on education.

Last year, as the state attorney general, Shapiro filed a brief in support of the plaintiffs in which he praised “tireless teachers and administrators who have struggled for years to do the most for our children with the least amount of resources.” During the 2022 gubernatorial campaign, Shapiro said school funding reform would be one of his priorities.

“Absolutely, he talked about fully funded public schools,” said Susan Spicka, executive director of Education Voters of PA, an advocacy group.

Sharon Ward, senior policy advisor for the Education Law Center, which is representing plaintiffs in the funding lawsuit, said Shapiro’s brief as state attorney general demonstrates “a deep understanding of the problems with the school funding system.”

“He said districts don’t have the funds they need to educate students,” Ward said.

School choice, teacher pipeline already top issues

Politically, though, Shapiro’s path forward regarding the issue will have plenty of obstacles. Shapiro, a Democrat, will take office Jan. 17 with a closely divided and tumultuous House, and a Senate that is still firmly in Republican hands.

In the court case before Jubelirer, Republican legislative leadership rejected the idea that increasing school funding is the answer. They said the current funding system, which is heavily reliant on local property taxes, nevertheless passes constitutional muster.

They also argued that having a “thorough and efficient” system of public schools, as the state constitution mandates, requires only a basic standard of functional schools staffed with certified teachers.

As Shapiro prepares to take office, Senate Republicans have already introduced legislation that would increase the allocation for their favored strategy of expanding school choice programs that underwrite student attendance at private and parochial schools.

They want to expand two programs: the Education Improvement Tax Credits (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) available to low and middle income families. Created as an alternative to providing money for vouchers directly to parents, these programs give tax breaks to corporations for donating to organizations that provide private school scholarships.

The OSTC program, the smaller of the two, is specifically targeted to students attending the lowest performing 15% of schools in the state, many of which are in Philadelphia.

During the term of Shapiro’s predecessor, Gov. Tom Wolf, Republican legislators made expanding these programs a key demand during budget negotiations. This year, they got a $125 million increase as part of the $45.2 billion state budget, even though a recent report by the state’s Independent Fiscal Office found that it could not determine whether “state funds have been used effectively due to lack of general and specific outcome data.” (That state budget for 2022-23 increased education spending by $850 million.)

The legislation creating the program also banned data collection that would allow an evaluation of the program’s effectiveness. The two programs now amount to about $340 million annually, but not all of that money goes to scholarships.

Perhaps in a nod to their popularity, Shapiro said during his gubernatorial campaign against Republican Sen. Doug Mastriano that he was “open to the concept” of “lifeline scholarships” for students who attend low-performing schools. (Mastriano will be vice-chair of the Senate Education Committee.)

Shapiro said later in his campaign that some school choice “is what I believe,”adding, however, that no program would come at the expense of increased basic school aid.

Along with the funding challenges, Shapiro will also face a historically unprecedented shortage of teachers. This shortage is especially acute in urban and rural districts, as the teacher pipeline shrinks and more teachers retire or resign.

Ten years ago, about 20,000 people graduated from state colleges with teaching degrees; now, that number is about 6,000.

In July, the state issued an education workforce strategy report with the goal of streamlining preparation, diversifying the candidate pool, and providing more access to “professional growth and leadership opportunities” for educators.

The issue is already getting attention from legislative leaders. Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Democrat and the new Speaker of the House, has introduced legislation that will provide $7,000 scholarships to students preparing to be teachers in the state college system.

In introducing his legislation, Rozzi noted that 50 years ago, 21% of students in the system were pursuing education degrees; now, that figure is 4%. Rozzi’s co-sponsorship memo also noted the impact of the pandemic on schools and teacher attrition.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that former Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano is vice-chair of the Senate Education Committee.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia district seeking another consultant to help with restructuring

2022-12-09T22:03:58+00:00

Less than six months after hiring an outside firm for $450,000 to advise him on ways to improve the school district, Superintendent Tony Watlington is seeking to find another consultant to position Philadelphia “to be the fastest improving urban school district in the country,” according to a request for proposal obtained by Chalkbeat.

The document says the district seeks a consultant to review Philadelphia’s organizational structure to see how it compares to “the 25 largest urban school districts and the five urban school district[s] that are improving the fastest on The Nation’s Report Card.”

That refers to the biennial National Assessment of Educational Progress. Results released in October showed Philadelphia performing near the bottom among large urban school districts in 2022 in fourth grade math, eighth grade math, fourth grade reading, and eighth grade reading.

The district issued the request Dec. 6 and set a Jan. 17 deadline. The consultant would begin in April and work through April 2024.

Last April, Watlington and the board of education came under scrutiny for hiring the consulting firm Joseph and Associates to help with the leadership transition and aid in developing a five-year strategic plan. Joseph started work in June and will work through the end of this school year. The strategic plan is due next spring.

Watlington is conducting what he called a comprehensive, three-phase transition with committees charged with developing a five-year strategic plan by next spring. His transition team has made 91 recommendations for improving the district.

Some critics of the Board of Education and district policies wondered why yet another consultant is necessary.

“Why do we need more consultants and management companies and these out-of-town companies when we have a staff,” asked Lisa Haver of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, who regularly questions board and district policies.

But Michael Casserly, who retired after heading the Council of the Great City Schools for nearly three decades, said hiring consultants is common practice.

“My experience is that superintendents hire a variety of consulting firms for all kinds of things,” he said. They do it because they have a lean central office or are looking for an “outside more independent or objective review” in an effort to build public trust, or both, he said in an interview. “It’s really not that unusual.”

Watlington, who became Philadelphia’s school superintendent in June, has never run a district this large. He came from the Rowan-Salisbury school district in North Carolina, which had an enrollment of 18,000, a fraction of Philadelphia’s 119,000 students in district schools and 70,000 in charter schools. Before that he rose from custodian to history teacher to chief of schools in the 72,000-student Guilford County school system in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org

Shapiro’s election as Pennsylvania governor strengthens Democrats’ push for more school spending

2022-11-09T23:55:25+00:00

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s election as governor — along with the distinct possibility that his fellow Democrats will take control of the state’s House of Representatives away from Republicans — could ultimately mean that the state will invest more money in education.

A change in House leadership could also affect the state’s ongoing school funding case that involves a challenge from plaintiffs that the state’s system of school spending is inequitable, inadequate, and deprives students of a high quality education.

In his victory speech Tuesday night, Shapiro said that with his election “real freedom won, the kind of real freedom that sees possibility in all God’s children, which forces us to then step up for those kids and invest in their public school and give them a shot.”

During a press conference in Philadelphia featuring several area lawmakers who spoke confidently about the election results that are still being tallied, Democratic Rep. Matthew D. Bradford, who represents part of Montgomery County, said that in elections and legislative sessions, Democrats have consistently called for the state to spend more money on schools.

“Everyone knows that our schools are chronically underfunded,” he said, and that funding is unfairly distributed.

Those discrepancies, he stressed, hurt children of color the most.

“No one with a clean conscience can tell you that Pennsylvania’s doing right by public education,” Bradford said. He added that while the $850 million increase for schools in the current state budget represented progress, “We need to do more, we need to be strategic, we need to work with our new governor, and we plan on doing that as a Democratic majority.”

An increase in K-12 spending and a change in the state’s school funding formula would likely be a particularly big windfall for Philadelphia schools, which have proportionally fewer resources for a student population facing greater socioeconomic challenges compared to surrounding suburban districts.

Republicans have controlled the House since the 2010 elections. The 50-member Senate is on track to remain in Republican hands, but the dynamics have changed, said Democratic Sen. Vincent Hughes of Philadelphia.

“We’re in a time of opportunity in education policy,” he said, with conditions ripe for major new investments, including a sizable budget surplus and a $5.3 billion state rainy day fund. Not since Ed Rendell and Tom Ridge served as governors did the state have that kind of financial cushion, he said.

“We have an environment where we can dramatically advance the kind of educational proposal required to create 21st century schools for every student regardless of their ZIP code or economic status,” Hughes said.

Meanwhile, closing arguments in the state’s landmark school funding case, William Penn School District et al. v. Pennsylvania Department of Education et al., wrapped up in Commonwealth Court in July. Judge Renee Jubelirer is expected to issue a ruling in the case before the end of the year.

Among state officials, only Republican legislative leaders, including the current House Speaker Bryan Cutler, have mounted a defense of the current system in the case. Now, Shapiro (as well as Democratic Rep. Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia, who is in line to be the state’s first female House speaker if her party takes control of the chamber) could nominally become defendants by capacity of their office. Both have said they want to increase education aid and would almost certainly decline to actively defend the system in court.

As the state’s attorney general, Shapiro filed a “friend of the court” brief backing the plaintiffs.

During the campaign, Shapiro had expressed support for “lifeline scholarships” that would redirect some state education aid for the bottom 15% of schools in terms of performance — many of which are in Philadelphia — and give the money directly to parents instead.

But Hughes said Wednesday he did not expect Shapiro to actually push such a proposal, and said the governor-elect’s focus was ultimately on getting low-performing schools more resources.

The teachers’ unions for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania were quick to congratulate Shapiro.

“Shapiro has a long track record of supporting public education and Pennsylvania students,” said Pennsylvania State Education Association president Rich Askey in a statement. The governor-elect’s “strong showing,” Askey added, “makes it clear that Pennsylvanians aren’t interested in proposals to cut billions in public school funding and redirect it to voucher schemes.”

Shapiro’s opponent, GOP state Sen. Doug Mastriano, made school choice programs a key part of his education platform during his campaign.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Two sides in Pennsylvania school funding trial set to face off again in court

2022-07-22T21:49:20+00:00

Post-trial briefs filed in Pennsylvania’s landmark school funding case express sharply different views over the definition of a quality education, the state’s role in providing it, and what equity means in the context of the state constitution.

The six school districts, several families, and advocates who sued the state’s legislative and executive branches argue that Pennsylvania is failing to fulfill its constitutional responsibility to educate all its students to high standards, citing the widely disparate resources available to school districts in the state. Pennsylvania has the largest spending gaps between rich and poor districts of any state in the country.

But Republican legislative leaders — the only state government officials actively contesting the suit — say the case is not about what is desirable or ideal, but about what satisfies the state constitutional mandate to provide a “thorough and efficient system” of public education. And they define that system in minimal terms: functional schools with properly credentialed teachers.

The case, William Penn School District et al. v. Pennsylvania Department of Education et al., is entering a key phase. The two sides will draw on their post-trial briefs during oral arguments slated to start Tuesday before Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer. The trial in Jubelirer’s court took place over four months from November until March.

During the trial, plaintiffs referred to the system as a “catastrophic failure,” while GOP officials argued that Jubelirer should include alternatives to local school districts, like cyber charters, when “assessing whether the system is unconstitutional.”

This is the first case in a long line of legal attempts by educators and advocates to overhaul how the state funds schools to actually reach the trial stage, going back to the 1970s. Before this case, Pennsylvania courts have consistently ruled that school spending is a matter for legislators, not the courts, to decide.

In their brief, the plaintiffs recap some of the most dramatic testimony of the trial, in which educators detailed children learning in closets and hallways, one toilet for 75 small children, closed libraries, and teachers who teach two or three classes at the same time.

“When school leaders attempt to help children close learning gaps, their inadequate resources force them to choose which children will receive vital assistance, and which will not,” they state in their brief. “In other words, rather than providing children what everyone agrees they need, school districts do something else entirely: triage them.”

In his brief, Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman says that education is fundamentally a political issue in which the courts should have no role.

“Many individuals have deeply-rooted, but often differing, beliefs regarding the societal roles and responsibilities of schools, families, communities, and the individual in educating our youth,” Corman says in the brief. “This case is replete with these social issues. This Court should not enter into the political fray by choosing one set of policy viewpoints over another.”

The plaintiffs argue that in addition to not meeting the constitutional mandate to provide a “thorough and efficient” education to all students, the current system also violates the state constitution’s equal protection clause. They are asking Jubelirer to evaluate whether a “system that discriminates against low-wealth districts” and the disparities that result “are necessary to advance a compelling state interest.”

In addition to the funding gaps between districts, Pennsylvania has some of the largest gaps in academic achievement among different demographic groups. The plaintiffs say “opportunity and achievement gaps” in the state differ significantly by location, race, and family income. “It is not supposed to work this way,” they state in their brief.

But Assembly Speaker Bryan Cutler’s brief says that the legislature’s constitutional obligations “must be viewed through the lens of opportunity, rather than outcomes. Public schools alone cannot overcome every economic, social or personal disadvantage that students bring with them to school, and which may hinder the academic achievement of those students, nor are they constitutionally required to do so.”

Jubelirer is expected to issue her ruling in the coming months. The losing side will likely appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in the city. She is a former president of the Education Writers Association. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Philly schools forecasted to go from budget surplus to deficit in 5 years

2022-07-15T22:06:05+00:00

Although Philadelphia schools have a budget surplus that tops half a billion dollars, that rosy picture could turn very dark over the next several years, the district’s top financial official told board of education members Thursday.

The district is slated to have a $515 million fund balance in its nearly $4 billion budget at the end of this fiscal year, Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson said. But he added that, based on current conditions, he forecasts that the district will be in the red by fiscal 2027 and have a shortfall of $484 million that year.

The growth in the district’s costs are projected to outpace revenue growth over the next several years, Monson said, due to the end of federal pandemic aid coupled with current state and local tax policies and funding mechanisms.

If that sort of shortfall occurs, the district will ultimately face tough choices and may have to cut a variety of staff positions and programs, including those focused on countering COVID’s effects. That could mean reductions in mental health services, after-school activities, bilingual counseling assistants, and support for students who have been traumatized by gun violence. And while Philadelphia is putting federal pandemic education funding to a variety of uses, the district will eventually use up that money.

“If we want to keep those things, we have to identify additional sources of revenue,” he said. “If they are left in, we’ll be showing massive deficits very quickly.”

Monson noted that the district has no power to alter parts of its budget like payments to charter schools, which are dictated by the state, and debt service. He acknowledged that the district can’t claim desperation given its current surplus, but stressed that it will still “need help” down the road.

Philadelphia’s school board is the only one in Pennsylvania that cannot raise its own taxes, and is entirely dependent on the city and state for its revenue.

Earlier this month, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a state budget for the upcoming year that increased state school aid for districts for basic and special education by $850 million. About $177 million of that increase will come to Philadelphia next year, Monson said.

Board of Education President Joyce Wilkerson expressed appreciation Thursday for that additional funding, although Wolf had asked the General Assembly for an increase of $1.8 billion in education spending. Previously, Monson projected that Wolf’s budget request would have provided $204 million more to the city’s public schools than the enacted budget.

District officials are especially concerned about the long-term impact of charter funding on the district’s fiscal health. Wolf had asked state lawmakers for significant changes in how charter and cyber charter schools are funded in ways that would have benefited school districts’ budgets. But the legislature approved none of Wolf’s proposed charter revisions.

Monson said that Philadelphia’s charter payments for special education students “have grown exponentially and unrelated to the actual services provided.” Monson’s new five-year plan shows that charter costs for the district are projected to increase by 10.4% from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2027, while expenditures in district-run schools are projected to decrease by 1.9%.

“I don’t believe any other state awards dollars to charter schools the way Pennsylvania does, and I don’t think the current formula creates a sustainable environment for districts like Philadelphia with such a large charter sector,” said board member Chau Wing Lam, who has a background in government finance and whose daughter goes to a city charter school.

Despite the current surplus, some board members were very blunt Thursday about where things stand. Funding policies need “systemic change,” said board member Mallory Fix Lopez. Another board member, Reginald Streater, said the district is in a “perpetual state of robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Pennsylvania budget deal hikes school spending by $850 million

2022-07-08T21:26:56+00:00

Pennsylvania’s General Assembly has approved a $45.8 billion budget that will increase spending on education by $850 million, a historic school funding increase.

In the budget deal passed by lawmakers Friday, basic education funding for school districts — the major source of state K-12 aid — will increase by $525 million. “Level Up” funding, which is for the 100 poorest school districts in the state including Philadelphia, will go up by $225 million, and there will be a $100 million increase for special education. Combined funding for basic education and Level Up districts will increase from $7.1 billion to $7.8 billion, or about 8%.

Legislative leaders hailed the 2022-23 budget as a major commitment to schools, and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s signed it Friday evening. Wolf had initially proposed increasing education aid by nearly twice as much as what was finally adopted.

“This is a comprehensive budget that puts the needs of people before the needs of government,” said Republican Rep. Stan Saylor, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

But advocates said that while the deal will help many districts and students, the aid increase will do little to correct the state’s systemic inequity in education funding, now the subject of a landmark lawsuit. Some observers also pointed out that the 8% increase for education will barely keep pace with record inflation.

As the state’s largest district, Philadelphia will receive about $93 million of the additional basic education funding, $84 million of the Level Up increase, and $12.6 million of the special education hike.

New Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. praised Wolf and lawmakers, and called the budget “a step in the right direction.” But even though the boost in state funding for city schools (roughly $200 million in total) will be substantial, the district’s chief financial officer, Uri Monson, said it will be a smaller increase than what district officials anticipated.

That gap between expectations and the budget deal won’t have a huge effect on the fiscal 2023 budget, but will require adjustments in the district’s five-year plan, he said, primarily because the district will eventually use up federal COVID relief. Monson said he was especially disappointed that lawmakers have chosen to put more than $2 billion into the state’s rainy day fund for budget emergencies.

“It may not be raining in the fiscal sense, but it’s raining now because of all that districts are doing to help students recover from the pandemic,” he said. “It’s disappointing that they put three times as much money into the future as they did for the current needs of students.”

For Philadelphia, that may mean cutting back on extra counselors and other staff brought on in the wake of the pandemic, he said.

From a statewide perspective, the deal highlights but does not resolve the fundamental unfairness of the current K-12 funding system, said Maura McInerney, legal director at the Education Law Center, which is helping to represent the plaintiff districts in an ongoing court case where the legality of that system is being challenged.

“The significant education funding increase in this budget agreement shows that many in Harrisburg recognize the depth of the hole our legislative leaders have dug for our students,” McInerney said. “But it is not sufficient to meet the state legislature’s constitutional responsibility to fix our inadequate, two-tiered school funding system.”

Superintendents and other educators detailed vast, unmet needs in low-income districts during a four-month trial about the state funding system in Commonwealth Court that ended in March. However, it could be some time before Judge Renée Jubelirer issues a ruling, which the losing side will likely appeal.

In that case, Monson testified that as the state’s largest district, Philadelphia receives a huge chunk of overall aid, but still receives a relatively low amount from the state on a per-student basis.

The city ranked near the bottom among the state’s 500 school districts in the amount it spends per “weighted” student, a formula that accounts for not just overall enrollment but the concentration of low-income and high-needs students, Monson said.

Philadelphia, with a poverty rate of 24%, is the poorest big city in America.

Friday’s budget deal also includes a $125 million or 45% increase to the cap for a state program that provides tax breaks to corporations that underwrite scholarships for students to attend private schools. State Republican lawmakers are key backers of these Educational Improvement Tax Credit scholarships, but critics call them vouchers in disguise.

The budget does not include a provision sponsored by two Democratic legislators from Philadelphia, Sen. Vince Hughes and Rep. Liz Fiedler, that would have earmarked $800 million for upgrading outdated school facilities.

Legislators also rejected changes in the charter school reimbursement formula that would have saved the Philadelphia district more than $145 million.

This story has been updated.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Philly schools lose out on property tax revenue after city council vote

2022-06-24T20:14:17+00:00

At his first Board of Education meeting Thursday, new Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. reiterated his goal to make Philadelphia one of the fastest improving urban districts in the nation. But to achieve that goal, he and district officials will have to make do without tens of millions of dollars they might have been counting on, due to recent decisions by city leaders and the courts.

The same day as Watlington’s first board meeting, the City Council passed a fiscal 2023 budget that gives the school district $25 million less in property tax revenue than the district planned for, based on Mayor Jim Kenney’s original proposal. And a state Supreme Court ruling earlier this month about commercial properties means the district will have to repay $35 million to taxpayers, all of it coming out of the 2023 budget.

The combined $60 million hit to anticipated district revenue will impact some budget projections for both fiscal 2023 and the district’s five-year plan, district finance director Uri Monson told the board.

The Board of Education cannot raise tax revenue on its own. It is entirely dependent on the city and state for the funds it needs to operate. The $60 million represents roughly 1.5 percent of the district’s proposed fiscal 2023 budget of $3.9 billion. The school district gets 55% of the city’s property taxes, which account for just over $1 billion of the district’s budget.

Board member Mallory Fix-Lopez said that the city’s decision “will absolutely lead to cuts of staffing” at some point. Monson said in an interview that layoffs are not imminent, but said the decision will make it “challenging if not impossible to maintain an array of investments” made with federal COVID relief funds, and that the cut’s impact would grow over time..

The $25 million gap between the district’s revenue assumption and what Philadelphia is providing stems from the City Council’s decision to increase the property tax homestead exemption from $45,000 to $80,000, and to make adjustments to a program capping taxes for longtime homeowners in gentrifying neighborhoods, all to ease the impact of the city’s first property tax reassessment in three years. That reassessment led to property values rising by an average of 31%.

Joe Grace, a spokesman for City Council President Darrell C. Clarke, said in a statement that the council “heard from homeowners loudly and clearly” regarding the impact of the reassessment on them. “This decision wasn’t made lightly, and Council understands the importance of property taxes in funding our schools,” Grace said.

Donna Cooper, executive director of the state education advocacy group Children First, expressed disappointment that the council made tax changes in a way that puts the brunt of the consequences to the school district.

Kenney and the council could have softened the effect on the district by allocating more money for schools out of the city’s general fund, but didn’t, she said.

Some of the investments made with federal COVID aid that may not be sustainable in the long term include additional counselors, accelerated building repair, more discretionary positions for schools, and enhanced before- and after-school programming,

Separately, the district must repay $35 million to taxpayers due to an adverse court ruling on June 8. In that case, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied the city’s right to appeal a 2019 lower court decision that the city violated the state constitution’s “uniformity clause” by reassessing only commercial properties in 2018, not residential properties.

A state funding picture in flux

Grace said that it was time for the state “to more equitably and fairly fund public education.” But such a change, coming from the state legislature or the courts, is far from certain.

Gov. Tom Wolf, who’s in his final year in office, has proposed a $1.7 billion increase in K-12 education spending for fiscal 2023 to more than $15 billion overall. Most of that would come through a hike in basic education aid to school districts from $7 billion to $8.6 billion. He also wants a new funding formula that would redistribute revenue in a way that would likely benefit Philadelphia public schools.

But statehouse Republicans — who support more charter schools in struggling districts like Philadelphia — are proposing a smaller increase, less than half what Wolf wants and more in line with past increases, according to Cooper and other advocates who are monitoring the negotiations, despite a state budget surplus close to $14 billion.

Wolf has also proposed changes to the charter school reimbursement formula that would save the Philadelphia district $145 million by, among other things, tying payments for special education students more closely to their actual needs. Under the current formula, the district must pay charters about three times per student for special education students than for regular education students, regardless of the severity of the child’s disability.

Philadelphia has half the charter schools in the state, and its charters educate close to 80,000 city students.

But Republican lawmakers, who control the legislature, are likely to reject such changes to the formula. And they are also proposing a big increase in the state program that provides tax breaks to corporations that subsidize scholarships for students who attend private and parochial schools.

The deadline for a final state budget is the end of June.

Meanwhile, an ongoing lawsuit (which Grace highlighted) seeks to overhaul Pennsylvania’s funding system so that low-wealth, high-needs districts including Philadelphia would get more aid.

Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Jubelirer is expected to rule in that case in the fall. But the ultimate resolution, after likely appeals, isn’t expected for well beyond that.

Target areas for Philly’s latest round of COVID aid? Staffing, learning loss, and asbestos

2022-06-08T19:56:11+00:00

Editor’s note: This article was updated to reword material that appeared verbatim in a Philadelphia school district press release.

One of Principal Joanne Beaver’s biggest concerns during the pandemic is having enough money to cover personnel.

“I have difficult decisions to make every year around positions,” said Beaver, who’s head of the High School for Creative and Performing Arts in South Philadelphia. “There are two things that lead my thinking in terms of budget — the well-being of students’ safety and equity.”

Beaver’s experience is a microcosm of what educators in the city’s public schools have gone through during COVID. Yet they’re getting some support through the third and latest round of federal COVID relief money for K-12.

When deciding how to use that $1.1 billion, which comes from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund, the Philadelphia district is prioritizing academic recovery, social and emotional support, building upgrades and repairs, and curriculum development. Of this third round of ESSER, the district is dedicating $350 million to academic recovery and learning acceleration, the single-largest amount for any category of spending, according to a breakdown of the funding provided by the district.

The money could provide a crucial boost for the district at a very difficult time for city schools; last year, Superintendent William Hite called the money “unprecedented.” Yet the aid hasn’t totally assuaged long-term worries about the district linked to the pandemic and other issues.

Mary Sanchez, principal at Warren G. Harding Middle School in the Northeast, told Chalkbeat the money has been a relief for her.

The school has used the money on different after-school programs like tutoring for English language arts and math. “We had a chess club, a Scrabble club, a drama club, LGBTQ club, a step dance club and a girl support club, so we had at least 10 to 15 different extracurricular programs after school for our students to participate in,” Sanchez said.

Beaver is using her school’s share of the money, $119,000, to address staffing needs such as the hiring of a new assistant principal, as well as social and emotional learning for students who’ve endured prolonged school closures, various trauma, and disruptions to their classwork since March 2020.

Districts must use or obligate the money over a three-year time span. In two previous rounds of federal COVID aid, the Philadelphia district received a combined $512 million.

Breaking down what will be spent and where

The first round of the district’s ESSER funding from early 2020, about $112 million, was intended to help schools confront the early stages of the pandemic by preventing staff layoffs, among other things. And $400 million for Philadelphia schools in the second round of ESSER from late 2020 paid for everything from cleaning and protective equipment to technology.

The district must spend or otherwise commit funding from the third round of ESSER by the end of September 2024.

Of the $1.1 billion, Philadelphia schools will use $350 million to support educational recovery and accelerate learning. Parents and educators have been concerned about learning loss throughout COVID; students made the transition back to in-person learning last August, after 18 months of virtual learning. Many students have also been absent, making teaching and learning a challenge.

According to Uri Monson, the district’s chief financial officer, this pot of money will pay for summer learning programs to help students get back on track, and it will also support after-school programs, before-school programs, tutoring, and academic clubs. Some funding will also go towards retaining staff, like teachers as well as administrators, who will in turn help students recover academically.

“There’s no way the students are going to recover [without more help], so we have to have the staff there,” Monson said.

Another $325 million is dedicated for improving facilities conditions across the district to address well-documented problems with ventilation and asbestos. Teachers last year threatened to boycott work over these and other building safety concerns.

The district plans to use some of this money on ventilation and HVAC projects, and will also replace three of its school buildings: Lewis C. Cassidy Academics Plus School, Thomas Holme Elementary School, and AMY (Alternative Middle Years) at James Martin School.

“We have identified three buildings that will primarily be funded through this, which are either being completely rebuilt or either brand new buildings, basically completely rehabbed. This was just approved by the board a few months ago,” Monson said. “So that’s three essentially new schools.”

Part of the $325 million for facilities will pay for 800 new hydration stations that provide chilled, filtered water. The district has a goal of one filtered hydration station per floor for every 100 students in its 269 school buildings.

According to Monson, some of this money is going for some asbestos-mitigation projects and to strengthen an asbestos response team, as well as a lead paint response team with the goal of getting all buildings certified as lead-paint free in the next two years.

In addition, $150 million is to support social and emotional needs of district students. Gun violence has created an urgent crisis for many Philadelphia students, and social-emotional services have in turn become critical to support students experiencing related trauma. The district plans to increase its level of climate support services, including peer mentoring and social workers.

“Improving the [counselor-to-student] ratio is a big one … you have more counselors in the system, more climate managers in the system who are dealing with day to day issues,” Monson said.

The district also aims to use a slice of the $150 million for social and emotional priorities to hire staffers to improve school climate. They would work a few hours a day and hail from the school’s surrounding neighborhood, and would provide community support for students when other adults are not around.

“If we’re seeing a school that is showing signs of poor attendance, behavioral issues, climate issues, we can send those teams in to address the issues, provide support to the staff that’s there and help the school deal with whatever the relevant issue is,” Monson said.

A portion of this money will go toward technical support for families and helping to provide internet service for households that can’t afford it and increase the number of psychologists and therapists.

Finally, the district will use a portion of the relief money for curriculum development and to create new K-8 math and literacy frameworks, in order to support student learning. The cost will be around $100 million.

‘I never want to make promises I can’t keep’

Monson said that while ESSER relief money has helped prevent the district from shuffling teachers between schools to prevent staffing shortfalls, he still expects a budget shortfall of over $100 million in the district in fiscal 2026.

Some of the district’s response to staffing issues, such as a spike in midyear teacher resignations, led to responses that also included the use of federal COVID aid. These included signing and retention bonuses for teachers and other staff, as well as payments for people to get their commercial driver’s licenses so they could work as school bus drivers.

School officials also want to align the district’s use of ESSER money with the Board of Education’s broader “goals and guardrails.” Equity is a major component of the board’s goals and guardrails as well as rules for spending ESSER money — both aim to prioritize students in “high poverty” areas.

Just over a year ago, the district solicited feedback from the community about how it should use the $1.1 billion infusion from the federal government. Some of the top priorities that emerged from the public’s 11,700 responses, such as improved ventilation and air conditioning systems in schools and additional mental health services, correspond with how the district has decided to use the aid.

Even when it comes to staffing, the COVID relief doesn’t cure all ills or meet everyone’s demands. For example, this school year, principals have been advocating, so far unsuccessfully, for the addition of at least four permanent positions at their schools — including an assistant principal, full time reading and math coaches and a special education monitor.

Despite the additional aid her school is getting, Beaver, the principal of the creative and performing arts school, is not making grandiose pledges about what it will mean down the road.

“I’ve been doing this for 16 years in three different school communities and it has always been a year to year decision,” Beaver said. “I don’t project into the future, because I never want to make promises I can’t keep.”

Bureau Chief Johann Calhoun covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. He oversees Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s education coverage. Contact Johann at jcalhoun@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia Parking Authority, school district end dispute over $11 million

2022-05-03T16:42:03+00:00

The Philadelphia Parking Authority is no longer seeking a repayment of nearly $11 million from the school district.

Philadelphia and its parking authority said Monday that they had resolved a dispute with the district, and said they will no longer demand repayment of that money.

In February 2021, the parking authority said that its auditors had determined its $14 million payment to the district in 2020 was a miscalculation, and sought the return of $10.8 million. But in its statement, authority officials said that they had made adjustments to satisfy auditors that the 2020 payment was legal. That included forgoing contributions to its Retiree Health Care Trust Fund and “correcting a pension liability adjustment.”

Tension and controversy between the parking authority and the school district stretches back years. In 2004, Republican lawmakers in Harrisburg engineered a takeover of the parking authority, with promises that it would funnel as much as $45 million annually to the district through tickets issued to motorists for expired meters. But that money never materialized. In some years, there were no payments at all.

In 2017, then-Auditor General Eugene DiPasquale said an audit had determined corruption and mismanagement at the authority cheated the district out of $78 million over the prior five years.

The City Council has been holding hearings on the parking authority’s finances. The authority’s executive director, Scott Petri, abruptly left in March.

The authority’s demand last year for return of the funds prompted an immediate protest from City Council member Helen Gym, who accused the authority of mismanagement and bad faith. On Monday, she said the council will continue investigating the authority in the wake of this latest development.

“Year after year, our District has consistently been short-changed by the Parking Authority. And year after year, we see new instances of financial mismanagement, surprising budgetary allocations, and forced leadership changes,” Gym said in a statement. “The need for independent oversight has never been more evident, and today’s announcement does not change that fact.”

City Council President Darrell Clarke said he hopes the settlement “signals a new era of accountability to Philadelphia residents and their schoolchildren.”

Parking authority chair Beth Grossman called the agreement “a legal and responsible resolution for all parties that benefits the school children of Philadelphia.”

The authority said Monday that, under the formula mandated by the legislature when the state took over the authority, it has contributed more than $53 million to the district and $158 million to the city between April 2015 and March 2020.

The authority, in addition to parking enforcement, runs the Philadelphia International Airport, regulates taxis and limousines, and operates red light cameras.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

Philly school board adopts preliminary 2023 budget despite opposition

2022-03-25T22:26:20+00:00

The Philadelphia Board of Education approved a preliminary $3.9 billion 2023 budget on Thursday, despite protests from several principals and their bargaining unit that it doesn’t invest enough in schools.

This was only the first board vote, on the so-called lump sum budget. Next, there will be hearings before the board and city council in April and May. The board is required to adopt a final budget by May 31. The preliminary budget passed 8-0 as part of the board’s “consent agenda.”

The board also heard a plea from City Councilmember Helen Gym to embrace a bold new vision and fund the district from a growth mindset, not one that assumes a shrinking student population.

The Commonwealth Association of School Administrators, the principals’ union, also challenged the estimate underlying the allotments that enrollment will decline by 7,000 students next year compared to before the pandemic.

“We’ve got a question of whether we truly invest in and value the children and families and communities here in our city, or whether we’re going to leave them behind,” Gym said. “That’s not a question for Harrisburg, that’s not a question for city hall, that’s going to be determined right here in this building, and determined by all of us.”

A dozen principals and other district staff members also criticized the budget and spoke at the board meeting how their schools will be affected.

“The problem is they use numbers as opposed to needs” to create cookie cutter budgets that will harm schools, said Tangela McClam, principal of Cassidy Elementary School in Overbrook. Her school, with 250 students, will lose six teachers, she said, or about 25% of her staff.

She had been able to limit class size to about 15 students, but now will have to double some in size, she said.

“We should not have to beg every year for what students need,” she said.

Gym, McClam, and others said that enrollment decline will become a self-fulfilling prophecy if schools continue to be underfunded. ”We’re not going to accept these lower enrollments,” Gym said.

One of the resolutions the board approved Thursday was to hire contractors for three new school building projects. One of those projects is the construction of a new building for Cassidy that will hold 600 students – more than double the enrollment there now. McClam said when she arrived in 2014 there were 400 students, a number that has declined steadily since.

The budget estimates the number of students in district-run schools will be around 110,000 students next year, with more than 80,000 in charter and cyber charter schools. As recently as the 2016-17 school year, the district’s enrollment was close to 130,000.

And while Philadelphia has had steady population growth over the past decade, it had a 25,000 population decline between July 2020 and July 2021, according to census data.

Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson told board members that the budget added $170 million to schools and will fund additional climate staff, more bilingual counseling assistants, and more robust special education services.

He explained how he had applied equity standards to the budgeting process. Small schools like Cassidy had been receiving as much as $1,900 more per pupil than larger schools because of the way positions are allotted. For instance, there is a mandate of having one counselor for every 600 students, but even if a school has fewer than 600 students, it has a counselor, meaning that small schools disproportionately benefit.

This year’s funding system sought to correct for that imbalance and reduced that per-pupil gap by about two-thirds. There are 68 schools in the district with enrollments under 350 students, and 24 with fewer than 250 enrolled.

Not all schools lost staff and other resources, but neither CASA nor district officials could estimate what percentage of schools came out ahead.

Monson’s preliminary lump sum budget and five-year outlook show a fund balance for next year of more than $500 million. But that will occur only if the Republican General Assembly approves Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed state budget, which calls for a record increase in state basic education aid to districts. It also revises how charter schools are funded. The changes Wolf wants would bring about $550 million in additional funds to Philadelphia’s schools next year.

But Harrisburg Republicans have pared down Wolf’s proposed education spending request each year, and have stalled on making changes to the charter funding formula, making it unlikely that this windfall will come through for the city.

In addition, Republican legislative leaders, via a landmark fair funding lawsuit, are opposing efforts to require the state to devote more state revenue to education and distribute it differently, in order to close the gap in spending between wealthy and low-income districts.

Monson told the board that he was careful to use the infusion of federal pandemic aid on non-recurring expenses, like school construction and repair. That money must be spent or obligated by September 2024..

Unlike every other district in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia has no taxing power of its own and must rely on the state and the city for most of its revenue.

But overall, Monson agreed with board member Lisa Salley when she said, “In essence, we are dividing a pie that is too small.”

The principals’ association had asked that every school, regardless of size, be assigned five positions – an assistant principal, a climate manager, a math and literacy coach, and a special education compliance manager. That request is not included in the budget, but schools did get discretionary money that principals could use to pay for these positions, although in most cases not enough to fund all of them, or even one.

Kahlia Johnson, principal of Overbrook High School, told the board that every school needs people in these important positions.

She explained that one day, as she was finishing up required paperwork, a student named Shelly walked into her office and said she had nowhere to live because her mother threw her out. The student said she stayed at school as late as she could, then she and her sister rode SEPTA until 11 p.m. They slept in an abandoned building. Johnson dropped everything to help her.

“Shelly’s life is difficult,” Johnson told board members.

Gym, who launched her political career as an education activist and is considered a potential mayoral candidate next year, urged the board not to repeat the scenario that occurred when Superintendent William Hite took over the district in 2012. At that time in the face of plummeting state aid, the district eliminated all nurses, counselors, and librarians, among other major staff cuts.

The district was under state control at the time, and Hite spent his first few years dealing with the ramifications of the cuts and the rest of his term attempting to rebuild. Hite is leaving in June, and a new superintendent will start in July.

“We lost thousands and thousands of staff members, and we lost a chance to really see our city grow and thrive,” Gym told a rally outside the building before the meeting started. She noted that it was “a movement of teachers, of educators, of school staff, loving community members, of union workers, and people who believed in investing in this city” who “turned that whole narrative upside down.”

The city took back control of the district in 2017 after the state determined that it was financially stable and no longer in acute academic distress.

Philly district, principals group split over next year’s schools budget

2022-03-23T18:07:36+00:00

Philadelphia school officials and a principals’ group are disputing whether the district’s proposed budget for next school year represents a step forward for classrooms, or harmful cuts at some schools.

The district’s top financial officer said the proposed $170 million increase for the 2022-23 school year, which officials will unveil in detail at a board of education meeting Thursday, will directly benefit students.

But during a virtual town hall event Monday, the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators and others argued that the proposal would lead to significant staffing cuts for some schools.

The principals stressed that additional literacy, math, and counseling staff are needed more than ever as students struggle to recover skills lost during a year or more of remote learning.

“Our fear is that a significant reduction of the workforce will leave us ill equipped to serve our children at the start of the school year,” said Lauren Overton, the principal of Penn Alexander School.

But Uri Monson, the district’s chief financial officer, said staffing cuts at schools would be tied to enrollment declines like the district’s typical process calls for, and are not part of an overall reduction in positions.

“There’s a shift in resources, but there’s no question more resources are being pushed into schools for students,” said Monson in a Tuesday interview with Chalkbeat.

Monson said the district suspended its usual practice of adjusting teacher allotments in October based on actual enrollment as opposed to projections. This meant schools did not lose teachers this year due to this practice, which is called “leveling.” But the district will resume leveling next year, meaning that staffing loss in some schools will be cumulative.

Members of the principals association say students need more support than ever after two years of the pandemic. And a significant share of administrators believe the enrollment projections for next year are off base, according to a survey from the association.

Monson acknowledged that because the draft 2022-23 budget incorporates two years’ worth of enrollment shifts, the impact is more dramatic and “has made it a little harder for folks” to accept.

The budget, Monson also said, includes a modified extension of a flexible staffing program that empowers principals to hire educators that meet the needs of students at their individual schools. And it closes a per-pupil funding gap between larger and smaller schools in favor of schools with bigger enrollments.

Yet the principals’ group says the proposal falls far short of funding five key positions it has long wanted every school to have: an assistant principal, a climate manager, a school-based literacy leader, a school-based math leader, and a special education compliance monitor.

The district released budget allocations for individual schools on March 9. The school board is scheduled to adopt a final budget for 2022-23 on May 26.

Monson said the district looks at demographics over multiple years to project enrollment. The pandemic didn’t change the general trajectory, even though it made the process of projecting enrollment “interesting,” he said.

But 65 percent of those surveyed by the school administrators group said the district’s enrollment projections are inaccurate, meaning some schools would be targeted for staff reductions in the budget based on population declines that won’t happen.

To make its case on Monday, the principals group highlighted data showing learning loss across the district in both English language arts and math, and cited the big increase in teacher resignations. From Dec. 1 to Feb. 15, 169 teachers resigned from the district, double the number of teachers who resigned during the same period in the previous school year. (Nationwide, schools have generally avoided a mass teacher exodus that some feared, a Chalkbeat analysis found.)

The administrators association says that its proposal for the district to fund the five specific staff positions at each school would create 1,145 positions in total, but that the district’s draft budget only supports 150 of those positions.

Cecelia Thompson, the lone school board member at Monday’s town hall meeting, said she’s willing to listen to arguments that the budget should contain dedicated funding for specific positions at each school.

Shakeda Gaines, president of the Philadelphia Home and School Association, asked parents and teachers to work together and fight for the positions. “We’re tired of watching y’all leave,” she told teachers at the meeting.

And Councilmember Helen Gym urged those attending Monday’s event to show up at a rally ahead of Thursday’s school board meeting in support of the principals group’s position.

“We’re going to make it very clear we think this issue is going to be a priority issue at this school board meeting,” Gym said.

Pennsylvania’s funding is a ‘catastrophic failure,’ plaintiffs say in trial’s closing arguments

2022-03-11T00:37:02+00:00

Pennsylvania’s system of funding education is a “catastrophic failure” that deprives tens of thousands of the state’s students of the resources they need to succeed in college and life, an attorney for plaintiffs in the fair funding lawsuit said during closing arguments Thursday.

As the historic four-month-old trial comes to an end, attorneys for Republican legislative leaders repeated the argument they have maintained from the outset: that the state, with more spending per capita on education than most other states, clearly reaches the constitutional standard of providing a “thorough and efficient system of public education that meets the needs of the Commonwealth.”

“This is a constitutional law case,” said attorney Patrick Northen, representing House Speaker Bryan Cutler. “The question is not how to construct an ideal system no matter how much it costs, but whether the petitioners have met their burden to prove the current system is unconstitutional. They have not met that burden.”

Northen and Thomas DeCesar, representing Senate President Jake Corman, told Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer that in any case, it is the role of the General Assembly, not the courts, to make policy decisions around such matters as education spending. Courts should not become a “super school board,” they said.

Northen said that more than 40% of state money is already spent on education, but it is not the only obligation the Commonwealth has, citing health, transportation, infrastructure, correctional institutions, environmental protection, and the judicial system itself.

The “principles” that the legislative leaders are fighting for, he said, is “to stand up for the rights of people” and defend “the American form of representative democracy. People speak through their elected representatives in the General Assembly, and it is the duty of the General Assembly to determine as a matter of public policy how to raise and spend money.”

They also reiterated that the “system of education” provided by the state goes beyond districts and includes charter schools, including cyber charters, for parents who are dissatisfied with their neighborhood schools.

And DeCesar said that the state has a lot of needs, including “plumbers, police officers” and other jobs that don’t need a college degree.

The case was brought in 2014 by six school districts, several families and two civil rights groups alleging that the wide disparities in resources and per capita spending among the state’s 500 school districts violates the “thorough and efficient” mandate as well as the equal protection clause. They want the state to invest more money in education and distribute it more equitably among districts.

The plaintiff districts – rural Panther Valley and Shenandoah Valley, William Penn, a suburb of Philadelphia, and three small cities, Lancaster, Wilkes-Barre and Greater Johnstown – say they all tax their own residents heavily but are still not able to raise enough money for services students need.

Plaintiff attorney Katrina Robson, presenting her recap of a trial that saw 40 witnesses and thousands of pieces of evidence, said the state had “politicized” education spending, making it over the years “subject to the push and pull of conflicting interests and adverse party platforms.” In 2011 the state cut $1 billion from education aid to districts, she said, “without conducting any studies” to determine whether those cuts would cause the state to fall below the constitutional standard.

Children in Pennsylvania’s under-resourced districts, who are disproportionately Black and Latino, have the “the same natural work ethic, the same natural intelligence, the same hopes, the same dreams,” as children in wealthier areas, she said.

Yet, in Pennsylvania, “in any given year,” 75% of Latino children will not reach proficiency in math, and 80% of Black, Latino and low-income children will fail to attain a college degree.

“In any given year, the number of Black children in the entire Commonwealth, all of them, sitting for the AP computer science exams, could fit in this courtroom,” she said. “Suggesting that this disaster is because children ignore opportunities allows us to place the blame for failure at their feet rather than the General Assembly’s. Or to constitutionally bless a system where wide swaths of children are failing to achieve, and where particular groups of underserved students bear the brunt of it.”

The wide variation in opportunity that Pennsylvania tolerates starts from the moment students entered school “and had their needs triaged, as if they were walking into a field hospital instead of a kindergarten. It was the system’s failure, not theirs.”

She cited studies showing that students from historically underperforming groups did far better if they attended well-resourced districts “that can afford the supports they need. These aren’t differences driven by a lack of student interest or poverty in the home. These differences exist because some districts … can provide what these students need to learn and others cannot.”

Northen and DeCesar continued to cast doubt on the relationship between spending and student outcomes, which has been a subject of debate throughout the trial, with experts on both sides of the issue called. While there was a consensus that education costs money, it cannot be determined how effective what DeCesar called the “colossal” increase sought by the plaintiffs would be.

He also questioned spending decisions already made by the plaintiff districts. Panther Valley, noted DeCesar, introduced a new set of courses in its high school, including broadcast journalism.

“There’s no requirement in the Pennsylvania constitution that districts provide opportunities in broadcast journalism,” he said.

He also noted that Wilkes Barre built a new high school, while William Penn chose to upgrade the lighting on its football field, and that some of the pictures of deteriorating building conditions shown by the plaintiffs had been fixed.

Attorney Sophia Lee, representing the executive respondents, which include the governor and Department of Education, largely backed the position of the plaintiffs that out-of-school factors impact learning, and that schools must, as she put it, “meet students where they are when they arrive at the doorsteps of our schools.”

Gov. Tom Wolf has sought to make education a centerpiece of his administration and has proposed a $1.5 billion increase in basic education funding for next year’s budget.

The next phase in the case is a series of filings and procedural motions that will continue through July 6, after which Jubelirer will make a ruling. The losing side will likely appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Closing arguments in Pennsylvania school funding case set for Thursday

2022-03-09T23:12:04+00:00

Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday in Pennsylvania’s school funding trial, marking the beginning of the end for a case that began in 2014. But it will likely take months if not years before there’s a final resolution in the legal battle.

The arguments come four months after the trial started last November before Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer. The plaintiffs – six school districts, three families, and two civil rights organizations – want to overturn a longstanding system of paying for education that has resulted in some of the largest gaps in revenue between rich and poor districts in the nation.

They want the state to spend more money on education and distribute the aid more equitably to reduce the gaps, and bring all districts up to what they are calling “adequacy.”

On average, states pay for about half the cost of their public schools, with local communities picking up most of the rest along with some help from the federal government. But Pennsylvania pays for 38% of the cost, one of the lowest percentages in the nation.

In all, the plaintiffs called 29 witnesses, including school superintendents, teachers, a student, economists, and academics who study school finance and governance. They argued that the state’s poorest school districts, both rural and urban, lack the resources to provide an education that meets Pennsylvania’s constitutional standard of providing a “thorough and efficient system of education,” at the same time that local taxpayers are overextended.

“I’m asking the state of Pennsylvania to help us. Who else is there to ask? We can’t keep asking our local taxpayers,” testified David McAndrew, the superintendent of the Panther Valley district. “I can’t ask our teachers to work for free.”

The defendants include both the legislative and executive branches of state government. But only the Republican lawmakers who control the General Assembly are actively contesting the case.

Those GOP lawmakers called 10 witnesses, most of whom disputed any strong relationship between spending on schools and student outcomes. Most prominent among these was economist Eric Hanushek of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, who said such a link has never been proven. He questioned the methods used in a 2007 study that found Pennsylvania districts needed an additional $4.6 billion to give all students an adequate education.

More recent studies that have shown a connection between spending and outcomes “are very inconsistent … in how big or how serious the relationship is,” he said.

The defendants have also emphasized the availability of school choice. Their first witness was the head of a small Christian private school in York. They also called the heads of two cyber charter schools, who emphasized that students in all school districts can enroll in cyber charters.

In one memorable moment from the trial, attorney John Krill, representing Assembly Speaker Jake Corman, asked Matthew Splain, the superintendent of the 600-student Otto Eldred district, why someone “on the McDonald’s track” should study Algebra, or why a carpenter would need to know biology.

Citing the constitutional mandate for a system of education that “meets the needs of the Commonwealth,” Krill then said, “The Commonwealth has many, many needs. I think there is a need for retail workers, people who know how to flip pizza crust. My point is, do these proficiency standards actually in any way imaginable serve the needs of the Commonwealth such as they should be mandatory across the board? I think the answer is no.”

Later, under questioning from a plaintiff attorney, Splain noted that a broad education is beneficial for everyone. He used the example of basic knowledge of biology, which he said helps them make basic health decisions, such as whether to be vaccinated.

Meanwhile, plaintiffs showed the court pictures of leaking roofs and crumbling brick in aging school buildings. Witnesses described conditions in one district where 75 kindergarten students only had one nearby toilet. In another, where some students started school not knowing even how to hold a book, the district could afford only two reading specialists. At one school, children were learning in windowless closets. And a teacher described using a history book so outdated that Bill Clinton was mentioned as the president.

“We think we’ve exposed deep flaws in Pennsylvania’s funding system, while also outlining interventions that do work,” said Deborah Gordon Klehr, the executive director of the Education Law Center, which is part of the plaintiffs’ legal team. She cited universal preschool and small class sizes among other policies. “There are supports and interventions that work but aren’t being implemented due to lack of funding,” she said.

One witness for the plaintiffs, economist Rucker Johnson of the University of California, presented a study of states where similar school funding lawsuits were successful and resulted in year-over-year increases in per-pupil spending. For people in those states from low-income backgrounds, this study found, there were improvements on such measures as high school graduation, family income, and incarceration rates.

“There was a reduction in poverty,” Gordon Klehr said. “We want that for Pennsylvania.”

While the proceedings are entering their final phase, any actual changes in how schools are funded are likely years away. The closing arguments, which will be livestreamed, will set in motion a series of post-trial procedural motions and filings that will last through July 6. The timetable is set out in Jubelirer’s scheduling order.

Oral arguments on the legal issues will follow on a date still to be announced, after which Jubelirer will issue a decision. That decision could be weeks or months away. And the losing side is likely to appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Any possibility of a political solution before the case runs its course seems remote. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has proposed a record $1.55 billion increase in state education spending for next year’s budget. But this proposal is already facing opposition from Republicans in the legislature.

GOP leaders defend Pennsylvania’s school funding as adequate and constitutional

2022-02-19T00:02:31+00:00

Republican legislative leaders wrapped up their case in Pennsylvania’s landmark school funding trial Thursday, after presenting 10 witnesses to bolster their position that the state’s system of public education – 500 school districts in which some spend nearly three times as much per student as others, where poor students generally get less and wealthy students get more – meets the basic constitutional requirement of being “thorough and efficient.”

The plaintiffs in the case want the Commonwealth to invest more money in public education and distribute it more fairly. But the GOP legislators, who are the only state officials putting up a defense against increased funding, used their witnesses to highlight their preferred alternatives – charter schools, especially cybers, and tax breaks for corporations to fund scholarship organizations that help students attend private schools.

The case, now in its fourth month, has highlighted two drastically different views of education: Republicans legislators view the public school districts as one piece of the state’s educational offerings, while the plaintiffs say the state has failed to maintain a constitutionally required system of public education because of the huge gaps in spending between rich and poor districts.

Anthony Holtzman, representing Senate President Jake Corman, told Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer that the cyber charters, for instance, are an “alternative to local public school districts,” and he urged her to consider them “a piece of the system of public education” when she is “assessing whether the system is unconstitutional.”

Republican legislators’ first witness also was the head of a private Christian school that gets funding from the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit.

Those two programs currently cost $340 million, and Republican legislators have sought to increase that amount significantly each year while generally paring down Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s requests for hikes in the state’s basic education subsidy.

Jubelirer must rule on whether the current method for funding education meets the constitutional standard.

The case was first brought by six school districts, three families and two statewide advocacy groups nearly seven years ago. They called 29 witnesses from the plaintiff districts and Philadelphia, which is not a plaintiff, as well as several economists and researchers.

Those witnesses painted a picture of inequity and poor school conditions – one bathroom for 75 kindergartners, in one case, falling-down ceilings, no art and music in elementary school, and insufficient funds to attract qualified teachers.

The crux of the Republican legislators’ argument became clear before they called any witnesses. Attorney John Krill, representing House Speaker Jake Corman, suggested that unequal spending on education better served the needs of the Commonwealth.

During his cross examination of Matthew Splain, superintendent of the Otto Eldred School District, Krill asked why someone on the “McDonald’s career track” should study Algebra, or whether a carpenter needs to know biology. Splain had just testified about how his 600-student district on the New York state border often lacked resources to hire enough qualified teachers in subjects like math and science.

“The Commonwealth has many, many needs,” Krill said. “I think there is a need for retail workers, people who know how to flip pizza crust. My point is, do these proficiency standards actually in any way imaginable serve the needs of the Commonwealth such as they should be mandatory across the board? I think the answer is no.”

Later in his testimony, Splain said everyone should have a basic knowledge of biology. “There’s a lot of major decisions students will have to make,” citing as an example whether to get vaccinated during a pandemic.

When it was their turn to present witnesses, the respondents cast doubt on the relationship between resources and student outcomes.

Economist Eric Hanushek, a senior fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, disputed the validity of “costing out studies” that attempt to determine “adequacy” levels for school spending. A study cited by Matthew Kelly, one of the plaintiffs’ witnesses, said that Pennsylvania needs $4.6 billion more in education revenue to adequately educate all its students.

“School districts do not have the funds they need to be able to give their students a chance to meet state standards,” Kelly said. “Those districts that are impacted the most are often those districts that have the lowest capacity to generate funding on their own, and the greatest need.”

Hanushek has long argued that there is not a strong relationship between spending and student outcomes. He said on the stand that studies “don’t provide much confidence that there’s any relationship” and range widely in their conclusions, from “some that suggest more resources might decrease student achievement to a number that suggest that resources in some cases might increase student achievement.”

Recent studies have more frequently suggested there is a relationship, but are “very inconsistent … in how big or how serious the relationship is,” Hanushek said.

One witness, former district administrator and charter school official, Mark Ornstein, was withdrawn after he acknowledged that parts of his expert report – on standardized test scores and the effect of class size on learning – had lifted language from other sources that he did not cite.

Two witnesses presented analyses showing that some districts in the state with the most low-income students actually spend the most per pupil, and that Pennsylvania is among the most generous and progressive when it comes to education funding.

During cross examination, the plaintiff attorneys questioned the methodology of both studies that undermined their conclusions.

Jason Willis, of the nonprofit research group WestEd, prepared a report for the case comparing spending for what he called peer districts. It showed that some of the poorest districts, including York City and Chester Upland, were among the highest spenders.

Chester Upland, Willis concluded, spends $36,000 per pupil, more than the wealthy, nearby Radnor.

However, during cross examination, plaintiff attorney Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, of the Public Interest Law Center, pointed out that in comparing his calculations to available data, it appeared that Willis had excluded students in charter schools from the enrollment numbers, but had included the revenue that the districts send to charters.

The error vastly increased the per-pupil cost for the poor districts and “flipped the inequity of Pennsylvania school funding on its head,” Urevick-Ackelsberg said. More than half the K-8 students in Chester, for instance, attend charter schools, as do 70,000 of Philadelphia’s 200,000 students.

In response, Willis said “I have not been able to validate those numbers relative to the information you’ve been sharing with me today.”

Max Eden, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, disputed that more money leads to higher student achievement, arguing that more school spending can be counterproductive if not spent wisely.

He also presented a chart that ranked Pennsylvania as sixth among the states in public school spending, though he acknowledged that its per-pupil revenue could be inflated because charter students may have been left out of the enrollment count.

He also presented a chart showing that Pennsylvania ranks 24th out of 49 states on a “progressivity” scale, meaning that it allots more money to poor students compared to wealthier ones. But there again the study may have excluded charter students from the enrollment in calculating per-pupil spending, he said.

The plaintiffs had sought to keep Eden out as a witness – both because he hasn’t done his own peer-reviewed, original research on the relationship between spending and student achievement, and because of his “pretty strong views” often expressed on social media.

Eden has tweeted that “teachers unions” is a misnomer, saying they could be called “K-12 cartels that hold children hostage for ransom.”

Two leaders of cyber charter schools also detailed for the judge the services they provide students. Pennsylvania has 14 cyber charters, which enroll nearly 61,000 students, making the sector equivalent to the second largest district in the state and more than twice the size of Pittsburgh. Districts spent nearly $1 billion on their students who attend cybers, which studies have shown fall below state averages in student achievement.

The case will resume Tuesday with the plaintiffs calling Kelly as a rebuttal witness. Jubelirer will issue a scheduling order that will determine whether or when there will be closing arguments.

In his final budget, Wolf proposes huge hike in education spending, including for early childhood

2022-02-08T23:52:51+00:00

In his final budget address, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday proposed a “generational” investment in state K-12 schools with what would be an historic 21% or $1.8 billion increase in education funding.

“Refusing to fund education equitably does not save us money,” said Wolf, who is finishing his second and last four-year term. “It just means we wind up spending more on social services, remedial programs, even prisons. And that calculation doesn’t even take into account the opportunity costs of failing to invest in our kids: the skills our workforce doesn’t develop, the products and services that never become reality, the business growth and tax revenues that vanish.”

The budget still must go through the Republican-dominated legislature, and early reaction has been negative, calling it unrealistic and overreaching.

“For the eighth straight year, it falls on the Legislature to rein in calls to dramatically increase state spending,” said House Speaker Bryan Cutler, a Republican from Lancaster.

Wolf laid out a total state budget plan with spending of $43.7 billion, up from $41 billion this year. He said that the state could afford such an increase without raising the state income or sales taxes. The state is projected to end this fiscal year with a $12 billion surplus, although Wolf also is projecting a 2% decrease in revenue collection this year.

His proposal includes a $70 million increase in early childhood education funding – $60 million into Pre-K Counts, which his office said would allow 2,300 additional children to attend preschool. The plan would put another $10 million into the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, but that mostly would cover rising costs.

Wolf’s budget also would standardize tuition at cyber charter schools at $9,800 per student, which he said would save districts $199 million. Now, each district pays a different amount per student in charter school tuition based on a complicated formula dependent on its own level of spending; by moving to this one figure, most districts would pay less.

It would also change the reimbursements for special education students at charter schools to conform more closely to their actual needs and the cost of educating them. Now, the formula sets each district’s special education fees for charters at one level – often three times the amount for a regular education student – regardless of the severity of the student’s disability. He said that change would save districts $174 million.

Philadelphia school officials said that the proposal, if adopted, would mean $410 million in new money for the district, in addition to bringing $145 million in savings due to the charter funding reforms.

In an emailed statement, Superintendent William Hite called Wolf’s proposal “bold” and said that “new, recurring funding paired with much-needed charter school funding reforms will significantly improve the District’s long-term financial outlook, allowing us to make new investments our students and schools deserve.”

Pennsylvania ranks 47th among the states in the percentage of K-12 education dollars that comes from the state as opposed to local districts, resulting in some of the widest spending gaps between rich and poor districts in the country.

In the past, Wolf has sought historic increases in education spending in an effort to close that gap, and has urged that the entire basic education subsidy money be funneled through a fair funding formula adopted by the legislature in 2016. In distributing funds to districts, that formula assesses need by assigning weights to students based on such factors as poverty and English language status, as well as looking at the concentration of poverty and a district’s wealth, taxing capacity, and tax effort.

But he was repeatedly stymied by the Republican-led legislature, which approved smaller increases than he sought and chose to allocate only new dollars through the formula and guarantee that no district, even those losing students, would receive less money than they got the year before.

While proposing the historic $1.25 billion increase in basic education aid, the largest single conduit of state money to districts, Wolf did not repeat his call for allocating all of it through the fair funding formula since that has been a non-starter with the legislature. In fiscal year 2021-22, basic education aid to the state’s 500 districts is about $7.1 billion.

But last year, in an effort to target more funds to the poorest districts, the legislature did approve a budget that included $100 million in so-called “level up” funding for the 100 poorest districts. For the 2022-23 school year, Wolf is proposing that $300 million be put in the “level up” pot.

“We can afford to invest a whole lot more in the fair funding formula without raising one penny in state taxes,” Wolf said in his budget address. “And we can afford to do it without asking any school district…to sacrifice one penny in state funding.”

Wolf also wants to improve college affordability by putting $200 million more into the Nelly Bly Scholarship funds to help students attend community colleges and schools in the state university system. Pennsylvania currently ranks among the bottom states in its overall support of higher education.

Pennsylvania GOP leaders highlight private choice options in school funding trial

2022-02-03T01:03:34+00:00

In Pennsylvania’s historic school funding trial, Republican legislative leaders began their defense Wednesday by highlighting the private choice options available to families who want to leave the public schools.

Their first witness was Aaron Anderson, founder and CEO of the 225-student Logos Academy, a private Christian school that relies on revenue from the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit, or EITC, and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit, or OSTC, programs.

He testified that $1.8 million of his school’s $3.3 million budget this year comes from those programs, which provide businesses with corporate tax breaks in exchange for donations to scholarship organizations that pay students’ tuition at private schools, including religious ones.

Just last month, both of the programs were criticized in a report by the state’s Independent Fiscal Office as having inadequate oversight and failing to collect any performance data that might help determine whether they are effective.

But in Pennsylvania’s long-standing battle over school funding, Republicans in Harrisburg have consistently argued that the answer to educational inequity is not putting more money into “failing” school districts, but giving students and parents a way out through charter schools and private schools.

Anderson’s school is in the York City school district, one of the state’s poorest. He said his school could not survive, and certainly not expand, without additional funding through revenue received from the tax-credit programs. He has plans to nearly double the size of the school to 400 students.

He said his school population is 37% white, 28% Latino, 23% Black, and 12% multiethnic or mixed race, with 59% living at or below the poverty level.

“It’s not that we could not run a school, we could run a much, much smaller school, probably not a K to 12 program,” said Anderson. “But truly there is no way we would be able to retain our staff or to run the program that we have without those tax-credit dollars.”

He said that not all students who want to attend can access one of the scholarships. “Our children are in a district where parents think their children are not being served well,” Anderson testified.

On cross examination by attorney Anne Marchitello of the O’Melveny and Myers law firm, which is working pro bono on the case, Anderson acknowledged that his school turns away students who may be more costly to educate.

“A small number, but yes, there are students we don’t accept,” he said, using the example of a ninth grader who reads at a fifth-grade level or one with multiple disabilities. “But in the spirit of who we are and what we’re trying to do, we’re not highly selective. We really want to serve kids.”

In this case, brought in 2014 by six school districts, three families and two statewide advocacy groups, the plaintiffs argue that Pennsylvania’s funding system is so inequitable that it is unconstitutional. Pennsylvania is near the bottom in the percentage of state share of education costs compared to local contributions. This has resulted in some of the largest per-pupil spending gaps in the country between wealthier and poorer school districts as well as sky-high local tax rates in some low-income communities.

The trial is now in its 10th week.

In the first nine weeks of the trial, educators brought in to testify from the plaintiff districts said repeatedly that they lacked sufficient resources to provide their students with the “thorough and efficient” education mandated in the state constitution, highlighting poor building conditions, large class sizes, and the inability to provide students with needed services.

In their cross examinations of those witnesses, attorneys for the Republican legislative leaders have sought to highlight districts’ achievements and any advanced classes or special programs they offered in an effort to convince Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer that the basic constitutional standard is being met. They also have sought to provide evidence that spending more money on education doesn’t necessarily lead to higher achievement.

State GOP leaders came up with the idea of corporate tax breaks as a way to create choice options at private and religious schools after several failed attempts in the late 1990s to enact school vouchers, which would have given tax money directly to families to use for private and parochial school tuition. EITC was enacted in 2001. OSTC, which provides benefits only to families living within the boundary of a school that falls in the bottom 15% in the state based on test scores, passed in 2012.

The total amount of potential tax breaks is capped at $280 million each year; of that amount, $55 million comes through the smaller OSTC program. That cap has been growing steadily, and expanding the benefit is often the subject of negotiations over the state budget.

This year, the cap for these programs was increased by $40 million. The legislature increased basic education funding by $300 million.

In fiscal year 2019-2020, the last year with available data, 68,430 students in the state received $145 million in EITC scholarships, an average of $2,120 per student, according to the IFO report.

Pennsylvania’s EITC program was among the first of its kind in the country; similar programs have been passed in 13 other states. Of the 14 current programs, the IFO report said that Pennsylvania’s is among the largest and least regulated.

That is by design, not due to mismanagement. The legislation authorizing the programs specifically prohibits the collection of much data.

“The statute should be amended to allow for the collection of student performance and demographic data so that program effectiveness can be evaluated,” the IFO report said. “Across states, Pennsylvania has one of the largest tax credits, but collects and publishes the least amount of outcome data.”

Because of provisions in the law, there is no way to determine whether the program is helping low-income families in low-achieving districts, or whether much of the benefit is going to families that live in high-performing and high-wealth districts. The income cap for eligible families is about $131,700 for a family of four – roughly 500% of the federal poverty level and “higher than all other states that have an income limitation,” the IFC report said.

“Because some portion of families could likely afford private school without a scholarship, it is unclear how much behavior is incentivized by the credit.”

Republicans expect to continue their case Thursday with testimony from David Donley, the executive director of the House Appropriations Committee.

Constant cutting is ‘heartbreaking,’ testifies Wilkes-Barre leader in Pennsylvania school funding case

2022-01-27T00:48:54+00:00

The petitioners in Pennsylvania’s landmark fair education funding lawsuit wrapped up their case Wednesday with testimony from Brian Costello, the superintendent of schools in Wilkes-Barre, a small city in which 70% of the students are Latino and Black, 82% are economically disadvantaged, and nearly one in eight are English language learners.

Wilkes-Barre, with an enrollment of 7,300, is the second largest of the six petitioner districts, which range from Lancaster, with more than 10,000 students, to Shenandoah Valley, with about 1,000.

Like educators from the other districts who testified before him, Costello said that Wilkes-Barre lacked enough resources to provide a quality education to its students, many of whom have high needs. Pennsylvania has one of the largest spending gaps between rich and poor districts in the country, and it also ranks low in the percentage of education dollars that come from the state compared to the local contribution.

Petitioners want the state to invest more in education aid and distribute the money more fairly, saying that the current system violates Pennsylvania’s constitutional mandate to provide a “thorough and efficient system of education.”

Costello said that the district had to take austerity measures in order to avoid running a deficit. “Through draconian measures, we have been able to achieve [a] fund balance,” he said.

Among those measures: the elimination of all K-8 art classes, a loss he called “heartbreaking,” adding that students, including his own daughter, were motivated in other courses because of the opportunity to take art.

“Cutting programs that you know are going to affect children is extremely difficult and it makes you question, you know, ‘What are we doing?’” he said.

The district also furloughed 37 teachers and cut all its librarians. Michael Horvath, a recent graduate of the district, testified on Monday about how his lack of experience in library research led to difficulties for him in college.

Through these and other austerity measures, Wilkes-Barre improved its bond rating enough to build a new $80 million high school because it was less expensive than repairing its three existing buildings that housed high school students, he said. Those buildings had deteriorated to the point of danger, with sheds outside of some entrances to shield passersby from a crumbling parapet.

During cross-examination, as they did with other witnesses from plaintiff districts, attorneys for Republican legislative leaders sought to highlight Wilkes-Barre’s achievements, including the new high school, to build a case for Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer that existing conditions and programs meet the constitutional requirement.

At one point, plaintiffs showed pictures of poor building conditions, including a room in which two students were wearing coats because of the cold.

But other students are in shirtsleeves, and Costello sparred with attorney Patrick Northen, representing Senate President Jack Corman, who suggested the students had no coats because it wasn’t really cold in the building.

“I was in the room, I know it was cold,” Costello said, adding that the reason the students were in shirtsleeves was because they were too poor to afford appropriate clothing.

In building their case, the plaintiffs brought a total of 29 witnesses, most of them educators from the plaintiff districts, as well as Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite and Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson. Philadelphia is not a plaintiff – it was under state control when the case was originally filed seven years ago – but supports the goals of the case.

Plaintiffs also brought in state Secretary of Education Noe Ortega, who testified that the state needs to invest more in education for it to give all students equal opportunity. Ortega and Gov. Tom Wolf are technically defendants in the case, but they support the need for more education spending by the state.

Other witnesses included economists and researchers who testified about the magnitude of the spending gaps among districts, as well as delineating the long-term costs of not investing now in education. Economist Clive Belfield cited higher health and welfare costs, more crime, and lower taxes paid by workers relegated to low-wage jobs because they didn’t finish high school.

The witnesses all went under intense cross-examination by attorneys for the legislature, who sought to undermine the contention that more money leads to higher student achievement.

The plaintiffs’ case took almost nine weeks. Legislators will begin their case on Monday, with a witness list that includes economists and academics who question the relationship between per-pupil spending and student achievement, as well as educators from charters and private schools, including cyber charters. Republicans in Harrisburg have long promoted school choice in the form of charters and vouchers as their main education reform strategy.

The first witness will be David Donley, the executive director of the Republican House Appropriations Committee. Also on the list is Aaron J. Anderson, a psychologist who heads Logos Academy, a faith-based private school, and Christine Rossell, a professor of education who argues that school desegregation is a better approach to inequity than more spending.

District’s chief financial officer testifies Philly needs more state aid to meet student needs

2022-01-25T02:06:05+00:00

A $3.5 billion budget. Upward of 125,000 students, plus 75,000 in charters. More than 20,000 employees, including 9,000 teachers. All in the poorest big city in America.

But the Philadelphia school district — the state’s largest by far — does not receive enough money to meet the needs of its students, and it is the only one of Pennsylvania’s 500 districts that has no taxing authority of its own, Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson testified Monday in the landmark fair funding trial.

“We have no control over our revenues and limited control over our expenditures,” he told Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer, who is hearing the case. Jubelirer must decide whether the state’s school funding system violates the state constitution’s mandate for a “thorough and efficient system of education.”

The case, now in its ninth week, was brought by six districts, three families, and two statewide civil rights groups seeking to compel the state to spend more on education and distribute it to districts more fairly.

Philadelphia is not one of the plaintiffs — the district was under state control when it was filed — but one of the families is from the city, and the board of education has endorsed its aims. Superintendent William Hite testified in the trial earlier.

Without more funds, and with the end of federal pandemic aid, the district will start running shortfalls in fiscal 2025, Monson said.

While the board of education cannot raise revenue, the district must meet a series of mandates, including payments to charter schools, pension obligations, and special education services, among other requirements.

“We’re the poorest big city in the country,” Monson said, with a poverty rate of 24%. Significant numbers of its students are homeless, in foster care, lack sufficient nutrition, “things that should be basic” for students to be prepared for education. So the district “has to supplement (services) in order to make up for that,” he said.

Out of 500 Pennsylvania districts, Philadelphia ranks near the bottom — 473rd — in the amount of money it spends per “weighted” student, using a formula that not only counts heads but factors in the concentration of low-income and high-needs students, Monson said. At the same time, it ranks near the top — 19th — in a measure of local tax effort for education.

“The local population is pretty highly taxed; it is one of the highest districts in the state for local tax effort,” he said. Philadelphia residents “are putting a lot of funds into education, but still ranks very low in resources provided on a per-student basis.

“We spend almost the least in the state having almost the highest need in the state.”

State aid is supposed to make up for the difference that districts can raise to meet the needs of students, but since the fiscal year 2014-15, the amount Philadelphia receives through the basic education funding formula increased by just $59 million, in inflation adjusted dollars, on a $1.1 billion base, or about 5%. That amount failed to keep up with mandates and students’ increasing needs.

The pandemic exacerbated the problem, requiring the district to spend more to pivot to virtual learning while a lot of local revenue dried up, including funds the district receives via so-called sin taxes, including liquor-by-the-drink, and a use and occupancy tax on business.

A five-year influx of $1.8 billion federal pandemic aid helped, he said, but did not erase a huge structural deficit — meaning that on an annual basis, the district’s expenditures exceed its revenues.

Monson became the district’s chief financial officer in 2016 after working in several finance positions for suburban Montgomery County and the city of Philadelphia.

When he took over, the district was still recovering from a fiscal crisis caused when federal aid from the recession ended and the state slashed aid to schools instead of making it up. The district laid off 1,000 people, including all its counselors and nurses.

Under cross-examination from Thomas DeCesar, an attorney for Republican Senate President Jake Corman, Monson acknowledged that the district is now in “decent financial shape” due to prudent fiscal management. But he was careful to distinguish between that and having money to meet student needs.

In making budget decisions, he said, “instead of starting from what needs to happen, you start from what you can afford,” he said. “All decisions are resource-driven as opposed to needs-driven.”

‘Pennsylvania is forgoing resources’: Economists say school funding matters

2022-01-21T23:47:08+00:00

Two prominent economists testified this week in the landmark Pennsylvania fair school funding case that research shows increased resources, if properly targeted, can improve academic achievement and life success for traditionally underserved students.

Both Rucker Johnson, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, and Clive Belfield, a professor at Queens College, held fast under intense cross-examination by attorneys representing Republican legislative leaders, who have been trying to undermine the relationship between school funding and student outcomes.

This lawsuit, filed in 2014, is the first of its kind to go to trial in Pennsylvania, which has some of the widest spending gaps among wealthy and poor districts in the country, even though its overall per-pupil spending is in the top ten among the states. Pennsylvania also contributes less as a state to overall education spending, 38% compared to a national average of 47%, putting more of a burden on local property taxes. The trial is will be entering its ninth week.

Johnson, who specializes in education finance, has studied the impact of California’s so-called LCFF, or Local Control Funding Formula, an infusion of $18 billion in education dollars in 2014 that reshaped how school districts in the state are funded. The formula for distributing the dollars took into account the factors that Johnson said made it “progressive,” emphasizing each district’s need, demographics, and taxing capacity.

Using student-level data, he showed that younger students who benefited from increased spending “had a whole grade level acceleration of learning than previous cohorts from that same school prior to the funding increase,” translating into eight to 12 months of learning gains.”

Johnson emphasized that for the additional funds to be effective, they have to be predictable, recurring and sustained over a long period of time. This allows districts to make long-range investments and study their impact.

Year-to-year political haggling over education spending – the norm in Pennsylvania and many other states – creates uncertainty and inhibits educators’ choices, he said, limiting the potential benefits.

“When we don’t do sustained investments, we see evidence of fade out,” he said. Occasional bumps in funding “don’t translate to significantly improved outcomes.”

Johnson said that new investments in K-12 and preschool programs together show the greatest gains. This was shown both in California and New Jersey, where courts in several cases going back to the 1990s have ordered increased spending in the state’s poorest districts while also mandating universal prekindergarten.

“We see the effects double when preceded by access to quality pre-K,” Johnson said.

On cross examination, attorney Patrick Northen, representing Republican House Speaker Brian Cutler, emphasized that Pennsylvania’s average per-pupil spending is high compared to other states. Northen said that the district gaps occur because Pennsylvania, unlike some other states, does not put a cap on what local governments can spend.

But Johnson said that using the average per-pupil spending “masks the variation” among districts. That variation “is pertinent to the achievement gaps,” he said.

Northen presented school-level achievement data that showed a decrease in test scores after California put more money into education. Johnson pushed back on that point.

“I wish it was that easy….I wish that’s the proper conclusion I could draw, but I cannot,” Johnson said. That kind of aggregate data doesn’t account for other factors, such as an influx of immigrant students, that could have influenced the results. He said his analysis was more precise, looking at individual student data and charting achievement growth over time.

Belfield catalogued the overall economic benefits to Pennsylvania of higher educational attainment by calculating “post-secondary parity,” or what would happen if economically disadvantaged students graduated high school and attended college at the same rate as other students in the state.

Fewer than 47% of disadvantaged high school graduates in Pennsylvania enroll in college, compared to 69% of non-disadvantaged students, he said.

“In economic terms, this low level of attainment is inefficient in the sense that the investments in education yield extremely high benefits,” Belfield said.

He estimated the gains if both groups graduated at the same high rate as $18.56 billion, in the form of lower spending later on welfare, health and prisons, coupled with higher productivity by adults with higher levels of education. In addition, with better paying jobs, the graduates would pay more in taxes and buy more, he said. He said he based that number on the size of the state’s economy and its state budget.

Northen questioned the analysis, disputing that he could isolate the effect of schooling on life outcomes compared to other factors including family circumstances.

But Belfield said that by not investing more in education, especially the education of economically disadvantaged students, “Pennsylvania is forgoing resources.”

Pennsylvania doesn’t spend enough on schools, state education secretary testifies

2022-01-19T00:44:33+00:00

Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Noe Ortega testified Tuesday at the fair funding trial that the state cannot reach its goals for post-secondary enrollment and completion without investing more in K-12 education.

He also said that wide gaps in post-secondary attainment between students of different racial and socio-economic groups are due to inadequate investment and inequitable distribution of resources.

Attorney Dan Urevick Ackelsberg of the Public Interest Law Center presented Ortega with data showing that while nearly half of white high school graduates from the class of 2011 – 46.3% – attained a college degree within six years, that number dropped to 19.9% for Black students and 20.7% for Hispanic students. For economically disadvantaged students, the number was also 19.9%. Overall, just 42% of Pennsylvania high school graduates attained a college degree.

“Can these disparities in college attendance and attainment be overcome without increasing investment in K-12 education? Ackelsberg asked.

“It would be difficult,” Ortega responded.

Karen Molchanow, executive director of the state board of education, testified earlier that Pennsylvania has an undereducated workforce, with just 50% having post-secondary credentials, putting it behind 29 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The state board has set a goal to reach 60% by 2025.

Ortega said that at the current rate for recent graduates, the state would not reach that goal, even when adding the 3% who achieved industry certifications.

The department believes “insufficient numbers of working-age Pennsylvanians have industry certification, insufficient numbers graduate from college, and there are significant disparities in post-secondary outcomes” depending on race and socio-economic status, Ortega said.

The historic case, which could reshape how education is paid for in Pennsylvania, was brought by six school districts, three families, and two statewide advocacy groups. It was originally filed in 2014 and is the first in a series of such cases to go to trial in Pennsylvania, where gaps among rich and poor districts are among the largest in the country and where the state share of total education spending ranks 47th.

Attorneys for Republican legislative leaders sought to exclude from evidence the post-secondary achievement data presented by the plaintiffs, which comes from the National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit that works with states, school districts, and colleges to match student records and create data sets to highlight workforce and education trends.

Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer, who is hearing the case, allowed the testimony to proceed and said she would rule later on the admissibility question.

Ortega and Gov. Tom Wolf are also respondents in the case, but are not mounting a defense of the current funding system, unlike the GOP leaders.

Ortega also testified that, according to data collected under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act), the percentage of “highly effective” teachers declines in school districts as the percentages of Black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students increase.

In wealthy, white districts, 97% of teachers are highly effective, compared to 79% in poorer districts with more students of color. “As the share of students of color increases, (the percentage of teachers rated ineffective) becomes higher,” Ortega said.

In William Penn, the largest of the plaintiff districts, a quarter were rated ineffective – 116 of 447 teachers.

The trial is in its eighth week.

Spending gaps in Pennsylvania among widest in the country, college dean testifies

2022-01-14T01:34:54+00:00

A college education dean who has written extensively on educational equity testified Thursday at Pennsylvania’s school funding trial that gaps between need and available resources in schools are particularly stark in the state, where one in five children come from families living below the federal poverty line.

These gaps further disadvantage low-income students, said Pedro Noguera, dean of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Poor students, disproportionately those who are Black and Latino but also some rural white students, have less access to high-quality teachers, college prep courses, and other academic resources while dealing with more barriers, such as poor health and family instability, he said.

“The disparities in Pennsylvania are great,” said Noguera, who has written dozens of articles and several books on educational inequity across the country and the impact of increased revenue on outcomes in previously underfunded districts. Noguera was called as an “expert” witness, as opposed to a fact witness, by the plaintiffs in the case – six school districts, three families and two statewide advocacy groups seeking to overhaul how education is paid for in the state.

He testified that 42% of Black children in Pennsylvania and 35% of Latino children live in conditions of concentrated poverty, meaning in neighborhoods where at least 30% of the residents are poor, numbers far above the national average of 19% of all students.

In schools with concentrated poverty, educators can be “overwhelmed” by student needs and the lack of resources to deal with them, Noguera said, leading to high teacher turnover that further erodes conditions for high student achievement. Teachers leave for wealthier districts where the pay and working conditions are better, he said.

The result of underfunding schools has broad societal implications, he said, because it leads to large numbers of people without the skills to gain well-paying jobs that support families. “The long-term loss affects all of us,” he added.

On cross examination, attorney Patrick Northen, representing House Speaker Brian Cutler, said some high-poverty districts in the state spend more per student than the state average, including Pittsburgh and Lancaster, one of the six plaintiff districts.

Under Northen’s questioning, Noguera acknowledged that some research shows that more revenue does not necessarily lead to higher student achievement. “Money alone is not the answer,” Noguera said, emphasizing that districts need to use funds on “proven strategies.”

This lawsuit, originally filed in 2014, is the first such case in Pennsylvania that has gone to trial. The plaintiffs sued on the grounds of both equity and adequacy, saying that the current system violates the state constitutional mandate for a “thorough and efficient system of education.” Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer, who is hearing the case, must decide the standard for “thorough and efficient.”

Plaintiffs want the state’s school funding system to be overhauled, both by adding more money to the pot and distributing it more equitably. Through their cross examinations, Republican legislative leaders are mounting a defense that seeks to undermine the relationship between spending and academic achievement, while highlighting accomplishments of the plaintiff districts as evidence that the constitutional mandate is being met.

Philadelphia is not among the plaintiffs since it was under state control at the time the suit was filed. But the city has endorsed it and Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite spent Wednesday on the stand, testifying that Philadelphia lacks the resources it needs to adequately educate its students, about half of whom live below the federal poverty line and most of whom are Black and Latino.

Thursday morning, before Noguera’s testimony, Hite was cross examined by John Krill, an attorney representing Senate President Jake Corman. Krill questioned Hite about the five Philadelphia schools that were recently cited by the U.S. Department of Education as “Blue Ribbon” schools as well as 7,300 students who earned industry certifications – both accomplishments cited on the district’s own website.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Kristina Moon of the Education Law Center objected that information on the website is hearsay and is not in evidence. Krill argued it was relevant because “it contradicts the dire picture” that Hite presented in his direct examination.

Hite said he was “very proud” of the Blue Ribbon schools and the district’s Career and Technical Education program. As with other superintendents called to testify, he was put in the position under cross examination of treading a fine line between touting their districts’ achievements and making the case for more resources.

Noguera’s testimony continues Friday. Next week, the trial will resume on Tuesday. More Philadelphia witnesses are expected to testify, including Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson, a principal, and a school counselor.

Hite testifies lack of resources holds back Philly students

2022-01-12T01:29:08+00:00

Philadelphia school superintendent William Hite spent Tuesday testifying at the school funding trial in Harrisburg, reiterating several times that he believes a lack of resources is the main reason that more Philadelphia students do not achieve academically at high levels.

Hite, who is leaving the state’s largest district in August after a decade as superintendent, said he agreed to testify in the trial “in order to make sure that in the future, whoever comes in after me … should not face the same types of circumstances I’ve had to face in trying to educate children without sufficient resources and support to do so.”

The trial, before Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer, comes in a case that seeks to overhaul the state’s school funding system. Pennsylvania has some of the widest spending gaps in the nation between wealthy and low-income school districts, and ranks 45th in the nation in the percentage of education costs borne by the state as opposed to localities.

This case, originally filed in 2014, is the latest in several such cases in Pennsylvania, but it is the first that has made it to trial. Previous judges have ruled that the issue of school funding is a matter for the legislature, not judicial intervention.

Philadelphia, the state’s largest district by far, was under state control at the time the suit was filed and is not a plaintiff in the case, which was brought by six districts, three families — including one from the city — and two statewide advocacy groups. The Philadelphia Board of Education has passed a resolution endorsing the suit and expressing hope that it will result in more revenue being available to educate city students.

The plaintiffs sued the governor, legislature, and Pennsylvania Department of Education, but only the Republican legislative leadership is mounting a defense.

Under questioning from attorney Kristina Moon of the Education Law Center, which is helping represent the plaintiffs, Hite painted the picture of a district in the nation’s poorest big city with increasing needs and insufficient funding to meet them.

For instance, 12% of students in district schools are English language learners, with more than 100 languages spoken as first languages by its families, and 17% percent of students have disabilities. Both are higher than the state average. Additionally, thousands of students experience homelessness or are in the foster care system, Hite said.

“Are you sufficiently staffed to meet student needs?” Moon asked.

“We are not,” Hite answered.

Most of the district’s students are low-income, so many that the district simply provides free breakfast and lunch to all students because it is cheaper that way rather than doing the paperwork to determine who exactly is eligible. All but three of the district’s 216 schools have a student body poor enough for the whole school to qualify for federal Title I funds, which targets low-income students.

The English learner population grew from 8% to 12% in less than a decade. But due to budget constraints and other limitations, the district has been unable to hire enough teachers of English as a Second Language or Bilingual Counseling Assistants to work in schools, Hite said.

In other states where he has worked, including Georgia and Maryland, school funding made an effort to keep up with needs, he said. Districts there “all had budgetary challenges,” he said. But in those places policymakers saw to it that “funding caught up with expenditures moving forward,” especially after federal stimulus money from the 2008 recession ran out.

In Philadelphia, however, “the experience was very different.”

Hite became superintendent in 2012. With federal funds expiring, then-Governor Tom Corbett, a Republican, slashed state aid to schools, with Philadelphia losing a quarter of a billion dollars. Some of Hite’s first acts were to lay off nurses, counselors, and other school employees not strictly mandated by state law, and to cut extracurricular activities. Many schools opened with just teachers and a principal, and hardly any other staff. Within his first few years, he also closed 24 schools.

Gradually, the district regained its financial footing, but it came at great cost.

“It doesn’t instill a lot of trust in an educational entity when you talk about opening schools with just teachers and principals and without extracurricular activities and other things that for families and children would represent what schools are,” he said.

Moon led Hite through a comparison of Lower Merion and Overbrook high schools, which are barely three miles apart, but which have vastly different demographics and student outcomes.

Overbrook’s student body is almost entirely Black and low income, and its performance on the state Keystone exams is low, with just 6% of students scoring proficient or advanced. At Lower Merion, which is mostly white and affluent, 94.9% of students are at least proficient.

High percentages of the relatively low number of economically disadvantaged students at Lower Merion score proficient on the tests, 80.6% in English, 87.5% in algebra, and 72.2% in biology. That contrasts with figures in the low single digits for economically disadvantaged students at Overbrook. Not one low-income student scored proficient in the biology test at Overbrook, Hite said.

“Is there any reason Overbrook’s students or any Philadelphia students are not capable of reaching Lower Merion’s level of achievement?” Moon asked.

“Other than funding, no,” Hite said, “and making sure young people have access to the type of resources Lower Merion enjoys.” Lower Merion spends nearly $27,000 per student, among the highest of the state’s 500 districts, compared with less than $20,000 per student in Philadelphia.

Moon also led Hite through the story of how Mitchell Elementary School in West Philadelphia improved its test scores when it got additional resources as part of the district’s acceleration network, formerly called the turnaround network, that focused on improving schools with very low achievement.

From 2015 to 2019 Mitchell got extra staff positions, including reading and math coaches, a counselor, and an assistant principal. It showed big jumps in reading, math, and science scores from 2017-18 to 2019-20, although overall achievement levels still remained low. “The overall progress was trending in the right direction,” Hite said.

Mitchell improved enough that it exited the acceleration network, and lost its extra funding — other schools needed it more. “I am concerned about that, but it’s an unfortunate product of having to triage resources due to the availability of funds,” he said.

Overall, Hite said, “we are not graduating children who are college and career ready” based on the results on standardized tests and other measures. “Every day I walk into a school and see what’s there and what could be done [with sufficient funds] and it becomes discouraging, unfortunate, and sad for me personally.”

Attorney John Krill, representing Senate President Jake Corman, started his cross examination of Hite, pressing him to quantify how much more in personnel and resources it would take to bring all Mitchell students to 100% proficiency on math and reading.

Hite avoided giving a specific number. “When you have schools with low proficiency, two significant things should happen: sufficient resources to meet whatever needs of those children are, and those resources need to be sustainable, predictable and recurring,” he responded.

There will be no public court session Wednesday. Krill will resume cross examination of Hite Thursday. Attorney Patrick Northen, who is representing House Speaker Brian Cutler, will not participate in cross examination because his law firm, Dilworth Paxson LLP, does work for the Philadelphia district.

Other planned witnesses from Philadelphia include Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson and a school principal and counselor.

Pennsylvania fair funding trial resumes: ‘We have done great things … but we don’t have the funding we need.’

2022-01-07T14:14:02+00:00

Nearly two months after it started, the landmark fair funding trial underway in Harrisburg is shaping up as a battle over defining educational “must-haves” vs. “nice-to-haves.”

The trial, which has the potential to overhaul how education is paid for in Pennsylvania, resumed Thursday after a two-week holiday hiatus. Jane Harbert, who retired in 2020 after seven years as chief of schools and four years as superintendent of the William Penn School District, spent the entire day on the stand.

Six districts, including William Penn, along with three families and two statewide advocacy organizations, have sued the state alleging that its system of funding education is discriminatory and unconstitutional. The state has among the widest per-pupil spending gaps among wealthier and poorer districts in the country and ranks 45th in the percentage of education costs paid by the state.

Harbert, like educators from other plaintiff districts called as witnesses before her, was compelled under cross examination by attorneys for Republican legislative leaders to defend achievements in her school district. Attorney Patrick Northen, representing House Speaker Brian Cutler, cited many – including a debate team that has bested those from more affluent areas, a host of middle school sports teams, and a national award for increasing Advanced Placement offerings – as evidence that the district is doing fine with current resources.

Harbert repeatedly said she believed although the district had its share of success stories, many students are being denied the opportunities they deserve. Despite being able to offer many AP courses, she said, without early intervention and extra services when they are younger, many students cannot access those courses.

“We have done great things, but the reality we face on a regular basis is, we don’t have the funding we need,” Harbert said.

This is despite having the highest local tax effort (as measured by the amount raised compared to total property values) of any district in Delaware County and the second highest in the state, Harbert said under questioning by Public Interest Law Center attorney Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg. Mandated costs, such as pension contributions and charter school reimbursements, far outrun the available resources or the ability to tax residents, she said.

In William Penn, which encompasses six towns on the southwest border of Philadelphia, four of five students are low-income.

“Our students come in with learning gaps, those need to be addressed at a very early age,” she said, but the district doesn’t have enough funds to apply the needed interventions.

Northen highlighted William Penn’s accomplishments and sought to get Harbert to acknowledge there is a difference between what educators would like to have in their districts and what is constitutionally required. Urevick-Ackelsberg objected, saying Harbert is not an attorney, and she didn’t answer.

The Pennsylvania constitution, like those in several states, mandates a “thorough and efficient” system of education “for the good of the commonwealth.” How to define that is at the core of what Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer must decide.

The trial, expected to last a total of eight to 10 weeks, resumed after a break that saw an exchange between a prior witness and attorney John Krill, who is representing Senate President Jake Corman, have its moment on social media.

During the cross examination of Matthew Splain, superintendent of the rural 600-student Otto Eldred school district and board chair of the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools, Krill suggested that many activities offered by school districts, including arts and music, are not required under the “thorough and efficient” definition. He criticized the state’s proficiency standards in math and reading, which apply to all students, questioning why a carpenter needed to know biology, or why someone on “the McDonald’s career track” needs to learn algebra.

“Lest we forget, the Commonwealth has many, many needs,” Krill told Jubelirer after a plaintiff attorney lodged an objection to his line of questioning. “I think there is a need for retail workers, people who know how to flip pizza crust. My point is, do these proficiency standards actually in any way imaginable serve the needs of the Commonwealth such as they should be mandatory across the board? I think the answer is no.”

In response, Splain described a high school band where high achievers and special education students played together.

“Tell me that’s not a must-have, that those kids don’t need that,” Splain told the court, a catch in his voice.

Urevick-Ackelsberg picked up on that thread during Harbert’s testimony Thursday, asking her if she thinks all students, regardless of any future career, need critical reading, writing, and math skills.

“We are not the sum of the career that we choose,” she said. “Everybody needs critical thinking skills so they can read a novel, make good decisions about health, good decisions about where they want to work, where they want to be. They need critical thinking, writing, math and reading skills for all careers and for their personal life, too.”

Harbert’s cross examination continues Friday.

Philadelphia Parking Authority’s demand for a refund could have big implications for district, CFO says

2021-12-21T02:14:27+00:00

School officials say they are seeking more information and weighing their options after the Philadelphia Parking Authority claimed that it overpaid the district by $11.3 million in 2020 and wants a refund.

The district’s chief financial officer, Uri Monson, said that while the amount may seem small compared to the district’s $3 billion annual budget, the PPA’s move could have big implications for the district’s future planning if it is allowed to stand.

Monson said that money from the PPA, given annually as part of a longstanding revenue-sharing arrangement, is “recurring money” and adds up over time. If the annual amount can’t be predicted with some certainty, “that significantly affects how we make investments in schools,” he said.

The $11.3 million is 77% of the $14.7 million the PPA paid the district last year.

As far as Monson can tell, the PPA is recalculating what it should have paid the district in the 2020 fiscal year based on new estimates of its future liabilities, he said.

PPA’s latest action “has raised questions,” he said. “We don’t understand all the numbers and are not convinced all the things they’re putting in are supposed to be counted” as part of the state’s revenue-sharing formula.

The PPA told Monson it “does not have any supporting documentation to provide” to back up its claim of overpayments, according to an email obtained by Chalkbeat through the office of City Council member Helen Gym. But emails between Monson and the PPA’s chief financial officer suggest that the overpayments had to do with miscalculations relating to debt incurred as a result of its obligations to retirees.

The PPA also did not explain why those funds were tied to payments to the school district and not another part of its budget.

Monson has been aware of the claim since October. The issue became public after the school district presented its quarterly report to the City Council.

Gym organized a protest Monday outside the PPA office, where people go to pay and contest parking tickets. She was joined by leaders from the district’s two major unions, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators. Also, there were advocacy groups, including Children First and the faith-based organization POWER.

“The PPA wants to siphon millions of dollars from our schools where every single day students and staff … endure conditions that would never be tolerated in a wealthier, whiter school district,” said Hillary Linardopoulos, representing the PFT.

The amount that the authority wants back is equivalent to the cost of 100 teachers, counselors or nurses, or could be used to remove a lot of asbestos, mold, or lead pipes in the district’s aging schools, Gym said. She called the PPA’s action “an outrage.”

A PPA spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

In 2004, Republicans in Harrisburg engineered a takeover of the PPA, which not only hands out the tickets when meters expire but also runs the Philadelphia airport, operates parking garages across the city, regulates taxis and limousines, and manages red light cameras.

As part of that deal, some of the revenue PPA collects from parking tickets is supposed to be paid to the school district. It was expected to yield $45 million a year for schools. However, that much money has never materialized, and in some years, there have been no payments at all.

In 2014, parking fines nearly doubled, which PPA justified as a way to send more money to the schools. But after that, money sent to the district declined until the City Council held a hearing in 2016, drawing attention to the issue again.

A blistering 2017 audit by then state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale found that PPA potentially shortchanged the district by $77.9 million.

Since 2015, revenue from the PPA to the district totaled $53 million, meaning that PPA is seeking the return of more than 20% of its payments since then. The district got nothing in the 2021 fiscal year due to the pandemic, said Monson, but it had been counting on returning to annual PPA payments of about $15 million a year in its future projections.

Monson said that PPA has promised additional answers in January.

In Pennsylvania, it’s past time to focus on school funding gaps

2021-12-17T13:00:00+00:00

“So, what were you like in high school?”

The question comes up at least twice a semester. Truthfully, I am a high school teacher who hated high school. I’d retreat during calculus class to the restroom windowsill to read novels. During lunch, I’d hide in the library to avoid monotonous lunch-table gossip and peruse the latest Time magazine. (President Obama had just been sworn in, and the iPhone now featured a built-in speaker.) During science classes, I’d drum my Ticonderoga pencils and watch the Amtrak train zip by the open window.

I longed to be on that train; to be taken from my high school and its suburban trappings to Boston or New York City. What I did not know then is that years later, I would follow that train line to the heart of North Philadelphia to be a high school English teacher. There, I would realize that the neat details of my own schooling were evidence of resources that weren’t shared equally across the state.

Lydia Kulina-Washburn

My sprawling, recently built high school campus in Central Pennsylvania was surrounded by mossy green athletic fields. Science labs were stockpiled with dead critters to dissect and the student weight room resembled an Equinox gym. Classes were never large and most students were academically on grade level. We had a brand new ventilation system that provided temperate conditions year-round. The only time it was defunct was when a few seniors let some chickens loose in the ductwork.

The high staff-to-student ratio was best demonstrated by the number of secretaries. There was the front-door attendance secretary, three office secretaries, the principal’s assistant, the athletic secretary, the vocational technology secretary, and the guidance secretary who gave the warmest hugs and could, from time to time, be manipulated to sign a hall pass so I wasn’t marked late to class. The hallways were replete with guidance counselors, psychologists, home economics teachers, and librarians.

A decade later and 70 miles down the track in North Philadelphia, there were no fertilized athletic fields. The school sat near the abandoned garment corridor, and until the school received a large grant for historic preservation, the environmental conditions within the school mirrored the conditions of textile workers of decades past.

Few classrooms had proper cooling, and students struggled to learn in the warming spring and fall. In the years prior, my classroom’s only source of cooling had been the brown, wood-paneled Kenmore mini-fridge that I kept for my chicken salad. Of course, this was not enough to prevent paramedic visits or student heat exhaustion. Now and then, while assisting student groups, I’d glance up as a stealthy sophomore snuck up to the fridge to stick his sweaty head in. Who could blame him? I did the same between periods.

There were unfelt dangers as well. In an expose in 2017, the Philadelphia Inquirer observed that many city classrooms were filled with toxins such as lead paint and asbestos. Until the historical preservation grant, my school was no exception. Students couldn’t drink the school’s water to cool down as it was found to be contaminated with lead. I had to stop washing my hands because the water burned my hands. According to the Inquirer’s report, there were over 30 cases of damaged asbestos throughout the building. I vividly recall running to the lavatory, squatting and holding my breath, knowing that a damaged pipe showered the toilet with asbestos particulates daily.

While suburban counterparts had copy rooms filled with sticky chart paper and Post It notes, we were allotted one ream of paper a month for all of our copies. (I’d pray that Jesus would multiply the sheets as he did the fish and the loaves.) Meanwhile, the school’s lone secretary was constantly juggling phone calls, legal filings, appointments, attendance, visitors, district documentation — everything. Every employee was a performer in this high-energy “School Soleil” balancing act. For years, there was no budgetary allotment for assistant principals, so everything from teacher instruction to school culture fell on the shoulders of one individual. In turn, teachers taught classes in multiple content areas, covered classes with vacancies, and filled in as testing coordinator, department head, and emergency counselor. This not to suggest that all suburban schools are shiny and new. But they are often overwhelmingly better resourced, whether dealing with students or building maintenance.

Every employee was a performer in this high-energy “School Soleil” balancing act.

I wish that students dealing with the visceral realities of community trauma and Philadelphia’s gun violence had a few more counselors on staff. I wish the students with carefully hidden headphones had a music class. I wish the parade of students that reminded me of my high school self, those who had a novel hidden in their backpack and appreciated the quality of a Ticonderoga pencil, had a library to escape to during a noisy lunch. We all deserved a restroom without falling asbestos.

A landmark case is underway now, with plaintiffs challenging the state’s school funding system. “Low-wealth Pennsylvania school districts have $4,800 less to spend per pupil on students than wealthy school districts — and this gap, one of the widest in the country, is growing,” activists are pointing out. So it’s a good time to grapple with the glaring juxtapositions of American schools.

Opponents of school finance reforms will argue that funding does not make a difference, pointing to examples of unwise district spending or districts that outspend the national average but do not have a higher achievement rate — ignoring the intense physical and economic needs of some districts’ buildings and students. But research and common sense suggest that investing in urban classrooms does make a difference.

Resources matter. Smaller classes matter. Counselors matter. Having a library matters. Copy machines matter. Copy paper for instructional materials matters. Living wages for educators matter. An asbestos-free classroom matters. Ventilation matters.

I can’t help but think of Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian route and the contrast of all the schools on its journey. How is it that two schools could be so different in the same state? How is it that one district has had a proper ventilation system for decades while another issues hundreds of school fans attached to plywood? A budget is nothing more than a statement of priorities. In 2021, how does your education still depend on what part of the track you live on?

Lydia Kulina-Washburn is a high school educator with seven years of experience teaching in Philadelphia schools. She holds a master’s in education with a focus in urban education from Temple University and is focused on exploring the connection between public schools and community place-making. When not grading essays, she can be seen walking her goldendoodle. Follow her here.

Landmark Pennsylvania fair school funding case set for trial

2021-11-09T23:05:23+00:00

After seven years, Pennsylvania’s landmark school funding case is set to go to trial on Friday, giving educators and parents in low-wealth districts the opportunity to tell the court how students are harmed by a system that has resulted in some of the widest spending gaps among better-off and poor districts in the country.

“The case is important because the Pennsylvania legislature has for more than a generation been ignoring its duty to make sure students have the resources they need to learn and be effective citizens of the Commonwealth,” said Michael Churchill of the Public Interest Law Center, which along with the Education Law Center and the private firm O’Melveny is arguing the case. “On their own, the legislature will not take care of the most basic needs that Pennsylvania has.”

The case was originally filed in 2014 on behalf of six school districts — urban, suburban and rural, including the William Penn district that abuts southwest Philadelphia. Three families, including one from Philadelphia, are also plaintiffs, as are two statewide advocacy groups – the Pennsylvania chapter of the NAACP and the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools, or PARRS. It will be tried before Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubeliler in Harrisburg.

At issue is whether the state is providing enough money to adequately educate all its students and whether the funds are distributed equitably based on the needs of districts.

“We are asking for substantial new investments in state funding for public education, distributed based on need, so that local wealth will no longer be what determines if Pennsylvania students can receive a quality public education,” said Deborah Gordon Klehr, executive director of the Education Law Center. “The specifics of this new system will be up to the state legislature to determine, under the oversight of the court order. We are not seeking a specific dollar amount or method of funding schools.”

The School District of Philadelphia is not part of the case – it was under state control when it was filed – but Superintendent William Hite is expected to be among the witnesses in a trial predicted to last eight to 10 weeks. Hite and other District officials have said that they are counting on this case to bring more money to district schools, which struggle to educate some of the state’s neediest students with a per-pupil expenditure that is far below its many of its wealthier suburban neighbors.

Besides William Penn, the plaintiff districts are Lancaster, Wilkes-Barre, Greater Johnstown, Panther Valley, and Shenandoah Valley. They have diverse student populations that are mostly low-income, and limited taxing capacity of their own to raise sufficient funds for schools.

The plaintiffs argue that the current funding system violates the state constitution’s mandate for a “thorough and efficient system of education,” as well as its equal protection clause. They say the legislature’s own analysis shows a statewide adequacy shortfall of $4.6 billion.

“In the six-plus years since the Petition was filed, Respondents have done nothing to turn around what is indisputably a failing system,” the plaintiffs’ pre-trial brief says. “Instead, Respondents have exacerbated or ignored the endemic funding shortfall and entrenched inequities, with disastrous results for Pennsylvania’s children.”

The brief notes that 44% of third graders fail to meet state proficiency standards in math, and 38% fall short in English. High school achievement in math and English, as measured by state tests, show more than a third failing to meet standards.

And the results in poor districts are worse.

“By every measure, the results are far more disastrous for low-wealth school districts, and the economically disadvantaged children they educate,” the brief says. “Compared to their more fortunate peers, those children are less likely to be proficient on state exams from the first moment they are tested to the last.”

In their pre-trial brief, attorneys for House Speaker Brian Cutler argue that school funding is a matter of public policy, not judicial interference.

“Petitioners’ grievances consist primarily of public policy disagreements with the decisions made by Pennsylvania’s elected representatives. In an effort to elevate these routine policy disputes to constitutional significance,” the plaintiffs “misleadingly attempt to create a dystopian view of Pennsylvania’s education system,” the brief says.

Cutler’s attorneys say that on average, Pennsylvania’s students outperform peers in most other states and have a high college completion rate. Citing census data showing that the state ranks sixth in total per-pupil revenue, Pennsylvania “outspends most of its sister states,” and “districts are clearly providing opportunities for their students,” the brief says.

While acknowledging that there are spending gaps among districts, and that the current system “isn’t perfect,” the brief says that the state constitution “does not require a public school system that is beyond criticism. Nor does it require the General Assembly to cure all of the economic, social, community, family, and personal factors that cause students – and subgroups of students – to succeed at different rates.”

In their pre-trial brief, attorneys representing Senate President Jake Corman downplayed the role of funding in assuring a quality education.

“This case is replete with social issues and murky questions of how to determine if a school is doing a good job,” and “whether the school’s performance is tied to its funding,” the brief says. “Moreover, there are significant problems with Petitioners’ theory of causation, which rests on the belief that simply providing more money to schools will lead to greater academic success.”

Plaintiffs “ignore the reality that student results are not the same as student opportunities, and assume that school districts are spending their funds in a wise and efficient manner.”

Most states fund schools primarily through local property taxes, which gives an advantage to richer districts. State dollars, and some federal aid through programs like Title I, which provides funding for low-income students, are meant to compensate for inequities. But these dollars rarely make up all the difference.

Over the years, similar legal challenges have been brought in about half the states with varying results.

Pennsylvania “has long been one of the least equitably funded state school finance systems in the country,” said Bruce Baker, a professor of education at Rutgers University and a national expert on school funding. And Philadelphia “has been one of, if not the, least adequately funded major urban district.” Baker has testified in other states’ funding cases, but is not involved in this one.

The average per-pupil expenditure across the Commonwealth puts Pennsylvania in the top 10 among states, he noted. “But a lot of that is driven by the relatively high expenditures in the Philly suburbs in particular.”

He also said that while student test scores across the state are good on average, “the inequities are huge, and they have systematically fallen on certain types of districts over time.”

According to an interactive tracker that Baker helped create, some of the most underfunded districts in the country compared to need are small Pennsylvania cities, such as Allentown and Reading, which fare even worse than Philadelphia, he said.

“We should be funding at a higher level places with greater needs,” Baker said. But that is not, for the most part, how the state-based system in the U.S. works. “Instead of having more, in Pennsylvania in particular they have a lot less,” which impedes students’ ability to succeed, he said.

This is not the first case in Pennsylvania brought by advocates seeking to overturn the funding system – PARRS filed a case 30 years ago, and Philadelphia filed its own lawsuit several years later.

In those cases, Pennsylvania’s courts ruled that school funding is a matter for legislators, not judges, to decide. That stance contrasts with other states, including neighboring New Jersey, where the courts have ordered the legislature to direct more money to poor, underfunded districts in cases starting with Robinson vs. Cahill in 1973, and culminating with the state Supreme Court decision in Abbott v. Burke.

In that case, the court ruled in 1990 that its method of funding schools violated its “thorough and efficient” clause in its state constitution and ordered more funds sent to 28 poor urban school districts, including Camden and Newark.

“While courts in the rest of the nation have been wrestling with this problem since the 1970s, and have had great results as seen in neighboring state of New Jersey, Pennsylvania courts refused to look at this question for many years,” Churchill said.

That changed in 2017, when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed itself and said that this case could go to trial.

The defendants include the General Assembly, Gov. Tom Wolf and the state Department of Education. But only the Senate and Assembly leaders are mounting a strong defense of the current system in court.

Wolf, a Democrat, campaigned in 2014 on the platform of sending $1 billion more in state aid to schools, but the Republican-controlled legislature never agreed to hikes that big. And while lawmakers revised the formula for distributing state education funds in 2016 to account for special district circumstances, including poverty, the legislature has not applied the new formula to most of the aid, only to new dollars.

After this year’s budget deal, officials say lawsuit is best hope for reforming school funding

2021-07-01T21:05:00+00:00

After state lawmakers agreed to a budget last week that largely left unspent a combined $10 billion from a state surplus and federal pandemic aid, Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite said he is increasingly looking to a seven-year-old fair funding lawsuit to address Pennsylvania’s gaping disparities in education funding.

The budget included $300 million more in basic education aid, one of the largest increases in state history, but fell far short of what some advocates and school officials had hoped for.

In Philadelphia, the school district will get $80 million more in education funding for the 2021-22 fiscal year. Hite said he was pleased with the increase but disappointed that the legislature didn’t do more.

“I’m thrilled to get the $80 million,” Hite said. “But the more important thing is fully funding public education and running as much money as possible through the funding formula.”

The fair funding lawsuit, filed in 2014, seeks to overhaul the state’s system for funding education, long recognized as one of the most inequitable in the country. The lawsuit argues that state aid to education is both inadequate to meet all students’ needs and is also distributed inequitably.

Mayor Jim Kenney said the budget deal, which fell far short of the $1.35 billion increase in education spending that Gov. Tom Wolf had proposed in February, showed that Republicans in Harrisburg “don’t care about education, they don’t care about children’s welfare.”

The lawsuit, brought on behalf of six low-income school districts as well as several parents and civil rights groups, is scheduled to begin on Sept. 9 in Commonwealth Court.

State lawmakers adopted a new “fair funding” formula a year after the lawsuit was filed, which is weighted to take into account high-needs student populations, such as English language learners, low-income students, and students with disabilities. The formula also gives weight to a district’s concentration of poverty, household incomes, and taxing capacity.

But the formula has not been used to distribute the state’s full pot of education aid, only new money, and now drives only about 11% of the funds.

Philadelphia is not a plaintiff in the case, but Hite and Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson will be called as witnesses, said attorney Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg of the Public Interest Law Center, which is helping to represent the plaintiffs.

“They are going to testify about the inadequate resources they have,” Urevick-Ackelsberg said.

In addition to the $1.35 billion increase, Wolf, a Democrat, proposed changing how the state distributes the money by running all the basic education aid through the fair funding formula, even before the influx of federal pandemic aid into the state. Had that proposal been adopted, Philadelphia would have received an additional $261 million.

Other struggling districts, including Reading and Allentown, would have also seen their allocations rise significantly.

Studies have found that Pennsylvania underfunds its schools relative to need, which puts a heavy burden on local taxes and results in some of the widest gaps between poor and wealthy districts in the country. The state contributes about 38% of overall education costs; the national average is about half.

Another witness will be Christopher McGinley, Urevick-Ackelsberg said. McGinley was a teacher and principal in Philadelphia, a member of the School Reform Commission when the district was run by the state, and a member of the Board of Education for two years until last March.

He also served as superintendent in Lower Merion, one of the state’s wealthiest districts.

McGinley told Chalkbeat that he gave a lengthy deposition in the case last year.

“A lot of the questions posed to me were about the differences in funding in suburban communities and in Philadelphia,” McGinley said.

State data shows that, relative to student need, Lower Merion spends two-and-a-half times as much as Philadelphia — $26,735 per student compared to $10,235.

Urban districts are not the only ones affected by the wide spending disparities. Many rural districts are affected as well.

McGinley agreed that addressing the issue is not likely to be resolved politically.

“I think given the politics of Harrisburg, the lawsuit is the only chance of unlocking adequate and equitable funding,” he said.

Due to its size and high-needs students — it is by far the largest of the state’s 500 school districts — Philadelphia is always in line for a huge chunk of any dollars driven either by the fair funding formula or the federal Title I program, which is meant to help schools and districts combat poverty. Last year, the state distributed $200 million from the first federal pandemic relief fund in a way that minimized Philadelphia’s share — just $13 million, compared to the $40 million it would have gotten had the fair funding formula been used.

Even though research showed that the pandemic was having a great effect on Black and brown students, on a per-pupil basis “the district receives less than every other school district in the commonwealth,” Kenney and City Council President Darrell Clarke wrote to Wolf last August. Philadelphia educates close to half the Black and brown students in the state.

And other analyses of state aid have shown that the formula disproportionately affects districts with more Black and brown students, even when controlling for poverty.

In one of the latest pre-trial motions, attorneys for the legislature sought to eliminate any evidence showing racial disparities that result from the current method of distributing state funds.

Republicans generally want to save money for fear of future deficits, while Democrats want to spend it on immediate needs. That partisan difference played out in this year’s negotiations.

Wolf’s proposal initially included a tax increase to raise enough money so that no district would lose funds as a result of the distribution. With the influx of federal pandemic relief funds, his proposal could have been paid for without increasing taxes at all.

Still the Republican-controlled legislature, citing the need to save for potential future economic downturns, decided not to spend most of the $7.5 billion in funds from the American Rescue Plan. They also decided to put an unanticipated $3 million surplus in a “rainy day fund.”

“We wanted to make sure that we didn’t put the commonwealth in a position…that we can’t fund education or fund social programs moving forward,” House Appropriations Committee Chair Stan Saylor of York, told reporters when the budget was adopted. “There may be criticisms of us for not spending all that money now, but what about next year? What about two years from now.”

Advocates wanted the state to use the funds on immediate needs, such as fixing school buildings with dangerous toxins, such as lead, asbestos and mold. Such repairs are one-time expenditures, which the state wouldn’t have to pick up after federal funds ran out.

Activists, including City Council member Helen Gym, last week protested in Harrisburg demanding that the General Assembly “spend the money.” They were arrested.

Two days later, the governor and legislature agreed to increase basic education funding by $300 million, including $100 million in so-called “level up” funds targeted to the 100 poorest districts, including Philadelphia. The advocates considered the “level up” allocation a victory, since it acknowledged the persistent inequities that mark the state’s school funding.

About half Philadelphia’s $80 million increase, $39.5 million, is coming from the “level up” supplement, according to state data.