Inquirer Columnist Blasts the Lack of Concern about Phila. Public Schools
This Phila. Inquirer columnist usually writes about architecture and city development projects. However, today, she turns her attention at the crisis in the Phila. public schools, which not only threatens the kids, but also threatens the future of Philadelphia.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140912_Changing_Skyline__City_school_crisis_dire_for_us_all.html
Excerpts:
"Who's to blame for the schools' starvation diet? Most education advocates fault Harrisburg in general and the Corbett administration in particular. It does seem incredible that the state took over the deficit-plagued Philadelphia district in 2001 promising to show us how it's done, only to sink the schools even further into bankruptcy in the span of a decade. The state's contribution to the district's budget has remained flat, and the district has been forced to drastically slash its spending.
The worst part is that Philadelphia can't control its destiny. Unlike other Pennsylvania municipalities, city residents don't elect a school board. While the mayor appoints two of the five members of the School Reform Commission, that doesn't give him (or, someday, her) the ability to coordinate education policy with the other important goals, like growing the population, creating an educated workforce, reducing inequality, and improving the city's physical condition.
Meanwhile, our competitor cities - New York, Washington, Chicago - are investing smartly in education. Yes, that's the more expensive option, but they understand that the added costs are crucial to their long-term success. For instance, both New York and Washington made a decision to offer to 4-year-olds universal free pre-K because they want to grow their own knowledge workers, rather than keep importing them from the suburbs. Alan Ehrenhalt, editor of Governing Magazine, told me that Philadelphia's schools crisis may be the most "extreme case" he has seen.
Give up on the schools, and the whole house of cards could collapse. From a purely economic standpoint, the schools crisis isn't just about kids. It's about all of us."
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According to this source, the Phila. School District spends about the same amount per student as the state average. The problem is that the average Philadelphia public school student needs much more in resources than the average Pa. student, because of much higher levels of poverty, worse pre-school preparation, higher levels of disabilities, and language barriers.
http://axisphilly.org/article/the-haves-and-have-nots-of-education-spending/
