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Philadelphia School District announces its dissolution
Philadelphia public schools are on the operating table, reeling from a knockout blow of heavy state budget cuts. So the District is today announcing that it's going to call it quits. Its organs will be harvested, in search of a relatively vital host.
Philadelphia School District announces its dissolution
Philadelphia public schools are on the operating table, reeling from a knockout blow of heavy state budget cuts. It was too much to bear after decades of underfunding and mismanagement at the hands of shortsighted Philadelphians and mean-spirited politicians in Harrisburg.
So the District is today announcing that it's going to call it quits. Its organs will be harvested, in search of a relatively vital host.
“Philadelphia public schools is not the School District,” Chief Recovery Officer Thomas Knudsen told a handful of reporters at yesterday's press conference laying out the five-year plan proposed to the School Reform Commission. “There's a redefinition, and we'll get to that later.”
He got to it: talk about “modernization,” “right-sizing,” “entrepreneurialism” and “competition.”
Forty schools would close next year, and six additional schools would be closed every year thereafter until 2017. Closing just eight schools this year prompted an uproar.
Anyhow, the remaining schools would get chopped up into “achievement networks” where public or private groups compete to manage about 25 schools, and the central office would be chopped down to a skeleton crew of about 200. District HQ has already eliminated about half of the 1,100-plus positions that existed in 2010.
This is all aimed at closing a $218 million deficit for the coming year, part of a $1.1 billion cumulative deficit by 2017. Charter schools will teach an estimated 40 percent of students by 2017.
And this rosy picture is premised upon City Council agreeing to fork over $91 million in additional property tax revenue. If not, things are even worse.
There will be $156 million cut from personnel costs and $149 million from payments to charters. (Looks like everyone was eating from the same shrinking pie after all.)
And Knudsen threatened to outsource all custodial, maintenance and transportation work to private companies unless union workers could underbid them.
"There are other people out there who do these things, if not better, then at least less expensively."
This seems to now be the theme song for public education in cities like Philadelphia: other people do these things maybe not better, but cheaper.
I asked if the five-year plan would address the District's core problems: severe teacher understaffing, too few school police, too few counselors, too few extracurriculars, too few libraries, too few everything? Is this just triage?
“The things that other networks do in other parts of the country,” said Knudsen, “is that these networks attract resources.”
What he meant was a startling admission: like some high-end charter schools, Philly schools would panhandle for donations from rich people.
Dale Mezzacappa from The Notebook asked a follow up: In response to Dan's question, are you saying that philanthropy will pick up the shortfall?
Not just that, Knudsen conceded. The economy could also get better.
I almost felt bad asking the question. Knudsen didn't run the state government that has for decades failed to provide Philadelphia students with access to a decent and equal education. This is triage, and triage is ugly. But critics will surely charge that the District plan only makes a horrible situation worse. Stay tuned for more in a few weeks.
I am a conservative teacher from CA. I am amazed at this decision. It amazing me how so many people are so misguided. Do you think that the have nots will turn and become haves because they attend a non monitored charter school? How come there is no money to fund public schools but there is more than enough to go around for charters? Wake up and smelly the coffee, Philedelphia. Make a stand now because your city is leading you down a very uncertain road. Your children will be attending schools with teachers and curriculum that isn't monitored. In my state those who attend charters are the ones who can't make it in the public education system. The parents blame the system. Aren't deadbeat parents held accountable? Why is is always the school's fault? The federal government has set school's up for failure. There is so much more to this whole picture. The government has a master plan without really having one. Good luck to you and your children.— Bonkebear2- Mr. Johnson, I posted your comment on my blog (credit given to you and link included). It is so well said and it needs to be shared. I am one of the founders of United Opt Out National, the movement to end corporate education reform. Your words ring true. I hope others will listen to them. Peggy Robertson www.pegwithpen.com, www.unitedoptout.com— PeggyRobertson
- All the hyperventilating. Before blaming others people in Philly should take a look in the mirror.
You love your corrupt incompetent pols who have refused to collect taxes on over 100k long term delinquent properties with hundreds of millions in receivables. Where is your outrage there? Something completely within your control. But it's easier to preach to the choir, blaming Harrisburg. And then when Harrisburg comes in and tries to enforce the law and raise money for the city and the school district, you'll complain about that too.
BTW, Philly School District failed long, long ago. If you don't understand that, you are either an unfortunate product of that system, or an employee. It has been a cancer on the city that drives middle class taxpayers to the suburbs. It serves students poorly, has no concern for parents. It refuses to enforce discipline on violent students.
This is not the teachers- it is the bureaucratic one size fits all system that is being dismantled. Are charters a perfect answer? No. But certainly neither is the old PSD monopoly.
— samac - Today they declared the end of public education in Philadelphia.
And with this crime, they have surely murdered the last hope for democracy.
First they defund the schools. Then they tell us they don't work. Then they privatize them. Pretty much the same pattern they've been using on every public service. Underfund them. Starve them. Claim they don't work. Buy them for profit. Where all our public services are going, and of what little remains of our our Commons.
The full realization of this theft... the report yesterday of the end of public education in Philadelphia (and don't fool yourself--that's exactly what it is!) has been hard to absorb... just how historically significant, --is almost impossible to comprehend. Made more difficult by the near indifference of the public.
Walking down a street in Center City I remembered my feelings, riding to the cemetery after my grandfather died, seeing people on the street--realizing we inhabited at that moment, different universes, different realities.
There are no words, no names adequate for the enormity of the crimes done to us--being done to us...impossible to fathom the consequences--though the mad scramble to build more prisons certainly suggests that there are those who have more than an intimation of what's in store.
A response anywhere close to proportionate to the outrage would have had 2 million people on the streets this morning storming City Hall, the banks, marching to Harrisburg with blood in their eyes... which explains the militarization of our municipal police, the riot tanks, the drones on the drawing boards, the new prisons... cause sooner or later it's going to come to that. The longer it takes, the worse it's going to be. And from what I see and hear, it's going to be worse than anyone can now imagine.— Mr. Johnson - Philadelphians need to use this news to their advantage! Time to break up this behemouth district which satisfies nobody into SMALLER, more accountable school districts with separate school boards that are ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE, not appointed by the city and the state.
Time for an old-fashioned school board election!— redheadgirl - As an ex-teacher in Philadelphia, and a victim of the school district's tyranny, I am not surprised at this action. I wish only the best education for Philly's students.
We were not allowed to give the education we wanted to give the children. We were at the mercy of what I believe were politics and corrupt unions. The children were not the heart that made the educational system beat. I wish all the best and that better educational opportunities for the future.— MyZelda - This is a colossal fail of leadership! Philadelphia is a heavy democratic city and this is happening? why are the democrats and the residents allowing this dismantling of the public educational system. This republican scenario is happening all over the US in urban communities! There are fundamental issues that have plagued urban communities: severe teacher understaffing, too few counselors, too few extracurricular activities, too few libraries, too few everything, and yet they plan to close an additional 46 schools on top of the 8 that have closed already. People get your heads out of the clouds!!!!. Wake up!!! This is an attack on the future of our children,and a plan to keep the poor marginalized and uneducated!!!! 20 years ago every citizen could get a good public education. Sadly that is no longer the case. We as a nation should be very afraid! We as a community of concerned citizens should not stand by and let this happen. Where are the democratic leaders with directives for people who care so we can prevent this. This is a GREAT OUTRAGE!
— JSM2012 - It's happening because your heavily democratic city is so incompetent it doesn't collect property taxes from deadbeats. 100k tax delinquent properties with $400mm plus in back taxes? Why don't they auction them?
This is what life in a heavily democrat city is like.
You are a sucker if you think these pols are about helping children or poor people, or anyone other than themselves and their otherwise unemployable friends feed off the taxpaying minority.
— samac - Michael Nutter and his budgets SUCK! Close schools and libraries IDIOT_ keep building prisons though cause we'll need them to contain all the trash he's producing!— michaela1014
- Half a billion stolen by banks from the school district--not a word about it, and no plans to stop prison construction. THAT'S where they want our children to end up!
40,000 students walk out of classes with parents and teachers to camp in front of banks till they pay back what they owe! It's time to FIGHT BACK!— Mr. Johnson - They are saying the city has so many under used schools. The main reason for this is that they are busing all the kids from those schools into the Northeast and overcrowing those schools. Lincoln High School has almost twice the number of students that it was built to hold causeing chaos there! This city is plenty diverese in every neighborhood. The no longer need to bus students to other parts of the city to diversify!— Katie81
- How sad. ALEC won. Now let's see if you get your money's worth. Once you are privatized, you will have NO voice. Will you taxpayers, who don't have children have a vote on how those "new' private schools paid by you, have a voice or a vote on how YOUR money is spent? They will only be public in name. You are paying for them, taxation without representation????? If you allow that to happen you deserve what you get. It is sad the public is buying into the hype America's schools are failing. Foreign countries only show their best, visit the real schools there. I teach in Atlanta where cheating was exposed, so I feel the teachers pain. You demanded quality teachers, made us jump through hoops to keep our jobs, paid is lttle, make us go back to school and this is how we get repaid for taking care of your precious cargo? Charters and private schools aren't even required to have 'highly qualified' teachers, some hire only high school grads. People do your homework. Demand better of Harrisburg. I remember the NEA had their convention there and brought millions to Philly, that'll never happen again if you sit still an allow this to happen.— patrickcrabtree
- Do you think the PSD was doing a good job? It has failed for decades. Only in the education establishment is that level of failure never punished.
I want a say in how my money is spent. And it is not in the PSD with its violent, poorly performing schools, and (formerly?) unaccountable employees.
Good riddance.— samac - we'll need the conscripts for the 6 front battle we're planning next year to revive the world economy— macho_tron
- This is horrible! Why is it that when the people in charge need to cut funding it's always to Education and/or the Arts?! What kind of a future do the children of today have anymore?— saracnote
- This is just the tiny tip of an iceberg, hints of things to come. Very little of the news will be good.— I Teach in Philly
- society steals from children who cannot defend themselves, and then they are forced to live in a reality they did not create for themselves. then what happens?? they drop out and society blames them for their mistakes.— laylo
- I'm so glad we live in a country that values investment in education.— thegreengrass
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