Despite additional funding for the Philadelphia School District, officials are planning to cut hundreds of jobs.
The Philadelphia School District is receiving $48 million in additional funding from the city, yet officials are planning to cut over 340 classroom jobs.
On Thursday, City Council gave preliminary approval to a budget that includes a one-time increase for the school system. There is no guarantee of the same level of funding after this budget cycle.
“We’ll have to live within our means. We can’t commit to a staffing ratio that we don’t have the revenue for, and so we are just unable to play Russian roulette with staff positions,” said Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. in a news conference on Thursday.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker had proposed a $1 tax on rideshare services and predicted the tax would raise $48 million for the school district annually. That plan died in Council.
“Our goal here was to generate… predictable and recurring revenue sources for the School District of Philadelphia so that they could save 340 school-based jobs and preserve the progress that our district and our children have been making. City Council did not offer an alternative plan for recurring revenue,” said Parker.
Watlington sent a letter to Parker and Council leaders saying that the school system “cannot restore the 340 school-based positions without a commitment to recurring and predictable funding over multiple years.”
Watlington’s planned job cuts drew criticism after Council approved additional funding to help retain jobs.
“If staff gets moved and or laid off, that’s not on us. That’s a choice. There is money, and we put more money on the table,” said Councilmember Isaiah Thomas.
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Arthur Steinberg said in response to the district’s plan, “For an organization that continues to [say it] cares about kids and wants kids to achieve, to not do that would just fly in the face of that. It would be beyond ridiculous.”
City Council President Kenyatta Johnson also reacted to the school district’s plan to cut hundreds of classroom jobs. He said that lawmakers were given the impression that finding nearly $50 million for the district would stave off planned cuts.
“For them to make a decision and say, ‘Oh, no, we’re not going to restore the cuts,’ it’s just short-sighted. The question should be to them: ‘What are you going to do with the $50 million? Why not save the positions?’ I think that’s what the parents should be asking the Philadelphia School District,” Johnson said.
Thomas chairs the Education Committee and commented on the letter sent by Watlington.
“We haven’t even finished the session yet, and they’re disrespecting us. It proves the point that we’ve been saying for a long time, that these folks don’t respect this legislative body. Well, guess what? They learned today,” he said.
The classroom job cuts are expected to have a major impact on the Philadelphia School District.
