Phila. school district pitches funding requests

Philadelphia School District officials today defended their $3.2 billion budget to City Council, saying they had finally righted a shaky fiscal ship and would use new money to accelerate reform.

But during a lengthy hearing, Council members said there were lots of question marks - including concerns about assumptions in funding and the details of Superintendent Arlene Ackerman's ambitious strategic plan.

The budget would retire a deficit that has plagued the district since 2006. It also introduces dozens of initiatives, made possible in part by $209 million in federal stimulus money.

In his testimony, the chief business officer, Michael Masch, acknowledged that some uncertainty was built into the budget projection. It banks on $149 million in state aid, the amount proposed by Gov. Rendell but not passed by the legislature.

Last week, the state Senate passed a bill that would slash education spending by $1 billion and wipe out Masch's projections. To Philadelphia, that would mean a loss of $300 million, and instead of adding employees and programs, the district would have to ax them.

"If these cuts were to be enacted, we would not be hiring more teachers, we would need fewer teachers," said Masch. "We would not be lowering class sizes, we would be increasing class sizes."

But Masch and Ackerman said they were optimistic that the Senate's proposal would not gain traction in the House.

Ackerman, who came to the district nearly a year ago, said one of her chief goals is ensuring that all city students are on an equal plane. When she arrived in Philadelphia, she said, she found "social injustice, opportunities lost, and dreams deferred far too long."

She vowed that the district - which has 195,000 students in traditional public and charter schools - will move away from such practices under the spending plan she proposes.

Key to that, she said, is "Imagine 2014," her strategic plan, which is estimated to cost $126 million next year. Among other things, the superintendent wants to lower class sizes in the early grades, hire more guidance counselors, and open more early-childhood education centers.

In all, Imagine 2014 includes 145 initiatives. But there's no price tag beyond the first year, and few specifics on how the changes will be rolled out.

That seemed to trouble some Council members, who pressed Ackerman and her staff for more details.

Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez said it was tough to argue with the lofty ideals behind Imagine 2014 - equity for all students, restoring the basics to struggling city classrooms, holding adults accountable.

But she, like others, wanted more information, and said she worried that the strategic plan relied on stimulus money and on increases in state funding that are not a lock.

"I am a little concerned that a lot of it is based on Harrisburg, and Harrisburg doesn't always understand what we're trying to do here," Quiñones-Sánchez said.

Masch agreed that the 2009-10 budget and the first year of Imagine 2014 worked only because of stimulus funds. But if the stimulus plan works and the recession lifts, city funding should go up. In future years, he said, also anticipates more money from Harrisburg and Washington.

"If those three things happen, then we believe the plan is sustainable, even after the stimulus funds are used up," Masch said.

Council members also grilled district officials on class size, special education, charter schools, distribution of teachers, career and technical education, and central administration costs. The hearing lasted six hours, with a promise of more requests sent to the district in writing. The annual school district budget hearing before Council is mandated, but the city cannot change the budget. Ultimately, the School Reform Commission will approve a budget this month.

In testimony, a handful of education advocates lauded Ackerman's vision but urged Council to provide oversight and direction.

Sheila Simmons, education director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, asked Council to ensure "transparency in contracting."

Helen Gym, a founder of Parents United for Public Education, suggested that Council press the district for a list of all contractors paid $100,000 or more.

Gym also said the district should stop funding positions of the Board of Revision of Taxes, a controversial agency that has long relied on the district to pay about a third of its workers, who circumvent the city's ban on political activity by receiving district paychecks. This year, the district is paying $3.8 million for the board's employees.