The Philadelphia City Council performed just slightly better than Pennsylvania’s General Assembly on a report issued Thursday by the city’s watchdog groups.

The city council received a grade of C minus and the state’s lawmakers scored a D grade on an Education Funding Report Card distributed outside the main offices of the School District of Philadelphia, at 440 N. Broad St.

“Basically, they’re not doing very well,” Donna Cooper, executive director of Public Citizens for Youth and Children, said Thursday afternoon. “If they want a passing grade, there’s a significant amount of work to get done.”

The candid assessment was intended to spur the two governing bodies to be proactive in funding schools. Joining the PCCY in calling for action were Philadelphia Student Union, Youth United for Change, Teacher Action Group, Education Voters of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Education Fund, Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia and POWER, a faith-based umbrella group Philadelphians Organized to Witness Empower & Rebuild.

The legislature and city council were cited for not following through on approving new tax revenues that could provide additional school funding. The report card for fiscal year 2013 stated the General Assembly “did only bare minimum for Philly students,” but state Department of Education spokesman Tim Eller dismissed that comment, saying it was “disingenuous.”

In an email response, Eller said more than $9.75 billion in state tax revenue goes toward supporting public schools and total state support of public schools had increased under Republican Gov. Tom Corbett.

The lack of adequate public school funding is taking a toll on public schools across the state, said Dwayne Royster, executive director for POWER. He cited $1 billion cut in education funding over the last three years and the impact is reflected in standardized test scores.

“Our scores are moving in the wrong direction because we’re not resourcing our schools the way they need to be financially resourced. We need permanent, stable funding sources for the school district. It’s paramount. Suburban and rural districts are struggling just as much as Philadelphia,” Royster said.

Chynna Caballero, 17, a senior at Kensington Health and Sciences Academy on Emerald Street, said she and her classmates have noticed a drastic difference in school conditions and culture from freshman to senior year.

Cabellero said some of her classmates are not as motivated and have begun to slack off on class assignments. When she was a freshman, her textbooks smelled new, had fresh covers and pages were free of markings. Now, her textbooks smell musty, and many pages are either missing or have scribblings on them.

“In times like this, city council should stand up for Philadelphia and pressure the state government for more funds. The Pennsylvania legislature must understand that education is a priority and shouldn’t be just flung out the window,” Cabellero said in a prepared statement.

Anissa Weinraub, a spokeswoman for the Teacher Action Group, said she has networked with numerous teachers who work in schools across the city.

“We all are in agreement, that schools are fundamentally different from last year,” she said, adding that the school district are coping with staffing shortages and scarce resources.

Following the press conference, the School Reform Commission unanimously voted one of its members, Wendell Pritchett, as Chairman Pro Tem. Pritchett is chancellor of Rutgers University’s Camden campus in New Jersey. He was appointed to the state-run panel in 2011.

The SRC had been operating without a chairman since Pedro Ramos tendered his resignation in October, leaving an unexpired term.

Philadelphia Tribue – December 20, 2013 – Read article online