City of Philadelphia - File #: 010515

• File #: 010515
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: ADOPTED
• File created: 6/14/2001
• In control: CITY COUNCIL
• Final action: 6/14/2001
• Title: Resolution calling for a genuine partnership among the City of Philadelphia, the School District, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to devise a long-term plan that will restore the finances of the School District in order to improve the education of its students; and condemning the shameful use of the crisis in public education as a cover for an outrageous attack on Philadelphia home rule.
• Sponsors: Council President Verna, Councilmember Miller, Councilmember Mariano, Councilmember DiCicco, Councilmember Kenney, Councilmember Blackwell, Councilmember Cohen, Councilmember Ortiz, Councilmember Longstreth, Councilmember Krajewski, Councilmember Clarke, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Councilmember Goode, Councilmember Nutter
• Indexes: SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
6/14/2001	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED
6/14/2001	0	CITY COUNCIL	READ
6/14/2001	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced	Pass

Title
Resolution calling for a genuine partnership among the City of Philadelphia, the School District, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to devise a long-term plan that will restore the finances of the School District in order to improve the education of its students; and condemning the shameful use of the crisis in public education as a cover for an outrageous attack on Philadelphia home rule.
Body

WHEREAS, The underfunding of the School District of Philadelphia is a chronic problem that has been built up over many years and will require a partnership among the City, District and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to resolve over the next several years, and

WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia faces a short-term cash crisis that threatens its ability to pay more than 27,000 employees next week and jeopardizes its ability to open schools in September; and

WHEREAS, After budget cuts adopted last week by the School Board, the District projects a Fiscal 2001-2002 deficit of $217 million and a cumulative five-year deficit of $1.5 billion; and

WHEREAS, The causes of the District's fiscal crisis include the failure of state subsidies to take into account the District's rapid enrollment growth over the last eight years and extraordinary pressures to increase spending for bilingual education, school security, full-day kindergarten, court or agency-ordered payments to other education entities for special education or disciplinary reasons, and the rapid growth of charter schools, all of which are driven by mandates and conditions largely beyond the District's control; and

WHEREAS, With the support and encouragement of Governor Ridge and leaders of the business community, the School District and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers negotiated a reform contract for the District's 13,000 teachers which resulted in a longer school day, the phasing in of a performance-based compensation system, a relaxation of seniority rules for assigning teachers,...