Why Philadelphia schools will close their doors forever

[marmar]

(Digital Journal) Philadelphia - The School District of Philadelphia, the eighth largest school district in the United States, nestled in the country’s fifth largest city, will make history when it permanently closes it doors within the next two years.

While Philadelphia is one of the largest school districts in the country, it is also one of the most bankrupt. The district will start the 2013-2014 school on September 9 but stares at a $304 million deficit. If it weren’t for the city borrowing $50 million on behalf of the school district, none of the 218 public schools would be opening next week. The slight infusion of money allows Superintendent William Hite to open schools on time but it’s far from meeting the needs of the district that had to lay off 20 percent of its total staff over the summer. It was the second consecutive year of thinning out staff that saw 3,800 teacher and staff positions eliminated, 100 school nurses, 90 school resource officers, and 43 bilingual counselors.

Although the school district continues to have financial and academic trouble year after year, the finger pointing halts at the State of Pennsylvania. After taking control of the district in 2001, the state has not fixed any of the problems in Philadelphia; allowing the current situation to spread like a virus. Jerusah O. Conner is an education professor at Villanova University and is an expert on the Philadelphia school district. In a recent interview, Professor Conner said that the state shoulders much of the blame for the district’s problems. “Pennsylvania ranks 8th lowest in the country, spending only 35.8 percent on education. Were it not for the deliberate underinvestment and disinvestment in Philadelphia schools by the state, the district could easily be enjoying a multibillion dollar surplus instead of a deficit.”

Many in the education field say that Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett is to blame for the crisis in Philadelphia. Corbett should have allocated more money for Philadelphia after taking office but instead, he made massive budget cuts in 2011, including cutting $1 billion from education statewide. The results of Corbett’s axe wielding left the district with a $629 million shortfall that year and the momentum of the crisis continued to grow. The city of Philadelphia attempted to generate money by raising property taxes 3.85 percent last year to generate an estimated $53 million for the district but that, just like this year’s gift of $50 million, is just a band aid on a severed artery. Some lawmakers in the Pennsylvania acknowledge the crisis and put together a state rescue package for Philadelphia. The $141 million aid, along with an additional $45 million from the state previously allocated to the district, is awaiting Governor Corbett’s signature. The money is being withheld by the state while Superintendent Hite and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter negotiate with the teachers’ union about taking enormous salary cuts and rolling back certain benefits. Since there has been no agreement with the union, funding from the state is being held and will only be released once negotiations are complete. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/357577#ixzz2e39Eg9ID

[xchrom]

1. du rec.

[PCIntern]

2. I was once employed by the district...

back in 1976...the seeds were planted at that time and it is even worse than the article mentions. If you only knew...REPREHENSIBLE AND DELIBERATE!!!

[Bay Boy]

4. Are we talking at the state level?

Or the Philly school board?

[PCIntern]

9. School Health Services of the Board of Education of the City of Philadelphia

right across the street from the Franklin Institute...

I have stories upon stories...and, as I said, that was 1976

[Blue_Tires]

3. This is not chance or circumstance; it's the endgame of a plan decades in the making...

The schools in Kansas City (which were once held up as a model for the nation) were also allowed to systematically descend into a tangled web of shit...

[noiretextatique]

10. just like in California

we had great schools here...until Proposition 13.

[ryan_cats]

11. I remember those days.

I remember those days.
Back then community college classes were free as was parking, you only needed to buy books. Then they instituted a parking fee, then they started charging per unit on top of the parking fee. I don't know what it costs these days but I can see what a threat free education was to the PTB.

Most people think community colleges are like high schools but in California in the 70s and 80s, they had some of the best ranked programs like an AA or AS in electronics, auto and aircraft mechanic plus you could do your undergraduate two years for free and then transfer to the state or UC system. It really was an awesome setup. I don't know what other states had but I hope they were just as good.

[noiretextatique]

12. something like $26.00 per unit a junior colleges in california now

plus all the fees for parking, labs, etc. it is a real shame what happened here, and elsewhere.

[Isoldeblue]

5. This is part of the long term GOP plan

to dumb down the population, so that the Kock brother's 1%, be the ruling class. Leaving the rest of us in the dirt.

[life long demo]

6. It's a shame what is happening to the Philadelphia schools.

Those kids have a right to expect a good education.

[exboyfil]

7. I notice K12 is listed as one of the virtual charter school suppliers

My one experience with K12 was very positive. I paid for my daughter to do Spanish II with them over the summer. She was covering material that my older daughter covered in Spanish III. She is more prepared than the other Spanish III students this year and doing very well. Our home school district whined a little bit and was going to require her to take a test (which never happened) to enter Spanish III.

I found that the North Dakota Center for Distance Education Life Science and Biology was also more rigorous than the comparable courses at the High School (and the Biology course was an Honor's course).

In its place Virtual classes can be more efficient in delivering content than comparable brick and mortar classes. It should be noted that my daughters attend a pretty good High School in the state.

We now have a Virtual Academy through K12 in the state, but, since you cannot do it and be in extracurriculars like band we decided not to pursue it this year (except for some select classes this will be my 10th grade daughter's last year taking core classes from the High School - she will be moving on to community college classes).

[Jefferson23]

8. Criminal, period. n/t