What's Next for City Schools?

Though district officials announced Friday that they had found money to fund full-day kindergarten and that a deal was all but done to restore public transportation for 65,000 students, deep cuts are still built into the 2011-12 budget.

Still on the chopping block is funding for early-childhood education, special education, art and music, nurses, counselors, maintenance workers, and other staff. Class sizes will rise, and principals' discretionary budgets at individual schools will take a 30 percent cut.

Mayor Nutter has said the announcements have no impact on the need for new city money for the district, and hearings to raise property taxes 10 percent and create a tax of 2 cents per ounce on sugary drinks are moving forward.

But Nutter administration officials have said they are not happy the mayor was kept in the dark on the kindergarten deal. Ackerman called Nutter an hour before she held a news conference announcing the program had been saved. It was not clear whether that move will have repercussions.

Layoff notices will go out to thousands of district employees Monday. The district did not disclose how many will get pink slips.

- Kristen A. Graham

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