Outcry grows over Phila. school cuts

Responding to complaints from more than 40 speakers including Mayor Street and Democratic mayoral nominee Michael Nutter, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission last evening put off voting on a budget that would make vast cuts in personnel, contracts and other areas, but signaled it will adopt the plan tomorrow morning.

The commission delayed the vote to allow more time to consider the $2.18 billion proposed spending plan and to design a process that will allow for more public comment on the nearly $100 million in proposed cuts over the next several months.

The decision to delay came at the end of a more than six-hour meeting where dozens of parent leaders and students from schools across the city - many waving signs that read, "No Confidence" - paraded to the microphone to blast the commission for not allowing more input on the budget, among other recent decisions.

"I am so sick and tired of the lip service from the SRC and the district," yelled Greg Wade, president of the Home and School Council, the district's parents group.

"Hello! We are real human beings. These are our schools! These are our children! . . . We, the parents, are going to be taking our school district back," said Wade, who along with parent activist Helen Gym, organized much of yesterday's public comment.

Street sat in the front row and Nutter stood in the back, watching and listening. Then each took a turn at the microphone.

"I will not support one dime of funding until these people are more adequately engaged in the process," Street said. He criticized the commission for sitting silently and not responding to citizens as they spoke and called for a delay on the budget vote to allow for public input.

After the mayor spoke, Nutter stepped to the microphone and said he agreed with "99 percent" of what his longtime political adversary had said.

It was perhaps one of the best-orchestrated public responses to mounting concerns about the academic and financial condition of the 174,000-student district in years, with members of the clergy, the local NAACP, and advocacy groups joining in.

Parents, teachers and students complained about rising class sizes, lack of art and music programs, fewer librarians and their fears that even more programs and services would be taken away as a deficit that stands at $182 million next year without cuts and more funding is closed.

Jamira Burley, president of the citywide Student Government Association and a student at Overbrook High School, told the commission she felt "cheated out of a quality education, cheated out of a safe learning environment."

Things are so bad, she said, the efforts of student council to make improvements "are like a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound. We have problems from dropout rates, to high rates of violence, to no leadership, to a $100 million deficit."

Parent Micki Rice, president of the Home and School Association at Hancock and LaBrum Schools in the Northeast, said she had just sold her house and was considering moving out of the city because she feared her children no longer would get a good education if more budget cuts were made.

The proposed spending plan would make nearly $100 million in cuts, including reducing central office staff and outside contracts. It also anticipates $27 million more in city funding and $54 million in state funding that isn't currently in Gov. Rendell's budget.

Without the cuts or additional funding, the district would face a $182 million deficit next year, representing about 8 percent of the budget.

The budget would restore $6 million in funding for six outside groups managing 41 public schools.

District chief executive Paul Vallas had proposed slashing funding to the groups, including the for-profit Edison Schools Inc., by two-thirds after several studies said their performance didn't merit new contracts, but the commission appears poised to only cut it by one-third. The majority of parents yesterday wanted the managers fired altogether.

The commission is prepared to shelve several of the more controversial cuts, including the elimination of 100 teaching positions, which would have raised class sizes. Instead, the commission has left about $18 million in cuts unspecified and plans to identify items to be eliminated over the next several months. Commissioners also plan to adopt a resolution at tomorrow's meeting that will call for class-size reduction in the lower grades.

The commission restored funding for JROTC programs and "success centers" at high schools.

Commission chairman James Nevels defended the commission's work and said the public had its chance to comment on the budget at several hearings and meetings over the last several months. He also said that the commission's standard practice is to listen to public comment, not debate each speaker.

"Because we sit and listen does not mean we're not engaged," he said. "A hundred teachers were reintegrated back into this budget. Now, if that's not listening and hearing, I don't know what is."

Nevels was confident the budget would pass. Under the City Charter, the district must adopt a budget by May 31.

"I think you see a united commission, ready to take action," Nevels said.

If adopted, the commission's plan would call for management to present a detailed description of budget cuts in July, which will be vetted at public meetings. The commission would adopt an amended budget plan probably in late August or September.

It also calls for monthly reports on budget cuts and quarterly reports on the district's financial status - an attempt to avoid the surprise $73 million deficit that the Vallas administration announced last fall.

Three of the five commissioners plan to attend the 9 a.m. meeting at district headquarters, 440 N. Broad St. The other two will participate by phone. Members of the public who want to testify at the meeting should call the communications office at 215-400-4040 to register by 4:30 p.m. today.

For photos of the SRC meeting and budget documents, go to http://go.philly.com/schoolbudget

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