A group of Philadelphia residents are heading to Harrisburg Monday with a message for Gov. Tom Corbett and state lawmakers.

“We are still going,” said Anthony Hopkins, spokesman for Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), which is organizing the bus trip. “We are going to hold a rally in the Rotunda and outside Mike Turzai’s legislative office and outside the governor’s office.”

“The House and governor need to take action to provide the district with the funding it needs so they can open schools on time in September,” he said on Friday.

The Harrisburg-bound delegation includes nearly 100 parents, students, teachers and advocates.

Leaders of the GOP-controlled House of Representatives announced a vote on a cigarette tax bill in support of Philadelphia public schools had been postponed until September. Corbett is also a Republican.

City officials and some state lawmakers said there’s no doubt public schools would open later than normal if the state fails to approve an amended cigarette tax bill, which already has the nod from the city council.

Meanwhile, there are reports about the state making funds available to the school district.

School Superintendent William Hite Jr., who addressed local media on Thursday, said he was unsure whether school funding was new money from Harrisburg, or whether the state was merely advancing cash it had already allocated to the district. He said Aug. 15 was the absolute latest school leaders could wait before making tough operational decisions that would mean larger classroom sizes, layoffs and cutbacks in programs and services, which would affect maintenance, student bus transportation and special education.

On Friday, Fernando Gallard, the district’s chief of communications, said, “I haven’t seen a clear message on what that advance would entail.”

In a statement issued on Friday, Corbett said he had spoken with Hite and School Reform Commission (SRC) Chair William Green about the need for immediate school funding.

“We share the common goal that school must open for students on the first day. We are working together to ensure that occurs,” according to a statement released by Jay Pagni, a spokesman for the governor’s office.

The statement further read: “I have directed the Department of Revenue to take the necessary procedural steps to ensure that once the legislation is passed, revenue can begin to be collected immediately.”

The delay has put the school district, which is counting on the new tax revenue in order to balance its operating budget, in limbo. Hite said he was optimistic that an agreement would be reached but an on-time opening for public schools was in jeopardy without state approval of the cigarette tax bill. Green could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday.

Officials for PCCY, an educational advocacy group, said local families were agitated that a House vote on a proposed $2-per-pack hike on cigarettes sold in Philadelphia had been postponed.

“Some of the reaction we’ve seen is just utter shock and, frankly, just disgust that House lawmakers are basically choosing to stay on vacation instead of doing what’s right for Philadelphia’s children,” Hopkins said.

The school district will not send a representative to join Monday’s rally. “We’re going to be working hard from Philly, and lobby legislators and plan for the new school year,” Gallard said.

He warned against thinking state approval of a cigarette tax bill was a final solution to the district’s financial crisis. Gallard said the district would still be millions of dollars short from closing its $81 million budget shortfall.

State law requires Philadelphia public schools, which were placed under state control in 2001, to operate under a balanced budget.

“If we do close the $81 million budget gap, it would only maintain a budget that is considered woefully inadequate for educating the city’s public school students. We need to continue looking for continued savings,” Gallard said on Friday.

Helen Gym, co-founder of Parents United for Public Education, called the decision cancelling Monday’s House vote a “purposeful act of cruelty and neglect.”

The organization called on school leaders to take a stand for the safety and academic well being of the city’s children.

“There should be no cuts to schools as a result of the state legislature’s failure,” according to a statement from the parents group. “Moreover, the district must conduct a needs-based assessment of every school and immediately restore key personnel to assure the academic success and health of children and school communities. Schools should not open otherwise.”

“Parents United will consult with legal counsel about our rights and options in the weeks ahead. We believe our children’s lives and well-being are at stake, and will do what’s necessary to protect them from the unforgivable failure and patent cruelty of too many of our elected officials,” Gym stated.

Veronica Joyner, chief administrator for the Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School in Center City, said adequate funding remains an issue for independently run charter schools.

“The Constitution of the United States gives every child the right to a free and appropriate education regardless of their race or economic status. However, minority, economically disadvantaged children in Philadelphia’s public charter schools are given far less funding per pupil. This is in comparison to the funding given to children who attend traditional public schools and their public white suburban counterparts,” Joyner stated in a letter addressed to Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq.

“I am seeking your assistance to find a way to equalize educational funding for low income minority pupils attending public charter schools in Philadelphia,” Joyner wrote in the letter.

The letter provided statistics showing public charter schools receiving $8,068 for each students and $12,400 going to public schools for each student. By comparison, figures show some suburban school district receiving a high of $17,183 (Lower Merion School District) and as much as $12,146 (Abington School District).

Contact staff writer Wilford Shamlin III at (215) 893-5742 or wshamlin@phillytrib.com.

The Philadelphia Tribune – August 3, 2014 – Read article online