News in brief
Reduced class size a budget priority
More charter schools coming this fall
Reduced class size a budget priority
The School District's 2003-04 budget calls for modest overall growth, funding of new programs primarily through reallocating funds, a small operating deficit, and a total of nearly $1.8 billion in spending.
The budget includes approximately $100 million in new and reallocated federal and local funds targeted to the District's education initiatives. This includes:
- $48 million for class size reduction;
- $29 million for curriculum and instruction reform;
- $17 million for Extended Day programs;
- $14.2 million for summer school;
- $10.4 million for teacher recruitment and retention;
- $8.2 million for alternative and Saturday school programs.
Another piece of the plan is to reallocate $10 million in funds currently going to EMOs to help finance high school reforms. The budget includes an increase of $8.7 million for debt service to fund the District's ambitious school construction plan.
The District is exerting tighter control over use of federal Title I funds and directing much of that money to reducing class sizes.
The plan is not without pain. For example, it projects a salary freeze for top employees and the elimination of 493 assistants in kindergarten classrooms. The cut of these positions, known as SSAs, would save $5.2 million.
This budget also shifts resources from non-teaching to teaching positions. Despite declining enrollments, the District is budgeting for more than 350 additional classroom teachers to pursue class size reduction. Overall, however, there will be a reduction of 373 positions.
The District originally identified $99 million in operating savings by better managing personnel, finding operational efficiencies, and reducing non-school budgets across the board. Examples of the savings include: improved management of facilities, workers compensation and health care costs; reduced professional services contracts and overtime; and elimination of non-school based vacancies.
An additional round of cuts, including the kindergarten SSAs, was necessary because the District had to downgrade its projected income from the state by $65 million. But approval of Governor Rendell's education program would brighten the picture and provide a significant infusion of funds. Vallas has indicated that he hopes to defer some layoffs.
"This budget is balanced and responsible," said Michael Harris, the District's chief financial officer. "We are still only using about $46.6 million of the $300 million deficit financing fund created by City Council and the Pennsylvania General Assembly last summer."
More charter schools coming this fall
Four new charter schools were conditionally approved to begin operating in the 2003-04 academic year at a School Reform Commission (SRC) meeting in April.
Philadelphia already has 46 charter schools in operation serving over 19,000 students. More than half of the state's charters are here.
The schools that are on track to open in the fall are:
- Philip Jaisohn Academy Charter School, opening with 7th and 8th graders and focusing on language minority students,
- KIPP Academy, part of a national charter school program, accepting 5th graders and expanding to serve grades 5-8,
- Discovery Charter School, serving students in grades K-6 and emphasizing discovery outside of the classroom, and
- Charter School for Public Service, a high school with a focus on policy and public service.
Three more charter schools were provisionally approved for opening in September 2004, but must still address areas of concern in their applications.
The SRC took a first step toward closing down two schools for poor performance when their charters expire this year - the Center for Economics and Law Charter School and the Renaissance Advantage Charter School. Issues at those schools will be addressed during public hearings in late May.
After recommending renewal or conditional renewal of nine other charters, Deputy Chief Academic Officer Ellen Savitz noted that her office's review of charter schools found that as a group they were producing no better academic results than traditional public schools in the same communities.
Privatization an issue in upcoming contracts
The District is making plans to privatize a portion of its 1,300-member custodial workforce, despite union opposition.
"We're looking at privatization of new hires and replacements, hiring companies who hire union workers," Vallas said. He said current custodial staff would not be displaced. Vallas said his big concern was high absenteeism rates.
With the exception of the teachers' union, all the District's union contracts must be renegotiated this summer. Local 1201 President Tom Doyle says the District will have a "war" on its hands if it tries to pursue privatization. Local 1201 also represents bus drivers and building engineers.
Vallas said he was not considering any privatization of food service, transportation workers, or trade work. The District recently moved to privatize the staff of its data center, part of its informational technology department.
A 2002 report by the Keystone Research Center stated that School District maintenance costs were average or below average for large school districts and that "no credible evidence that sizable cost-savings opportunities exist in the maintenance and operations division."
"Any savings that are attainable would likely turn family-sustaining jobs into poverty-wage jobs," the report concluded.
Registering students: focus of broad coalition
Since March, a broad group of education stakeholders has registered hundreds of eligible high school students for the upcoming primary and general municipal elections.
So far more than 700 eligible high school seniors in 15 comprehensive high schools have completed registration forms during voter education assemblies hosted by the organizations.
"The majority of the young people that we are registering to vote come from communities that have historically not participated in the election process in large numbers," says Aldustus Jordan, education coordinator at Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY). "We are turning this around by ensuring that the next generation of young adults understands the importance of the democratic process and exercises their right to vote."
Groups involved in this effort include PCCY, Philadelphia Home and School Council, Philadelphia Voter Mobilization Coalition, the Student Voices Project of the Annenberg School of Communication, League of Women Voters of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Philadelphia Student Union, Philadelphia Education Fund, and the School District of Philadelphia.
For more information contact PCCY at 215-563-5848.