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Politics & Government

Public Testimony Adds to Case for Council to Aid School District

The School District of Philadelphia public testimony drew a capacity crowd.

A day after school district officials appeared before City Council, a gaggle of religious, civic and education leaders—as well as students and parents—gathered at City Hall Wednesday afternoon to ask the city council to increase aid to the School District of Philadelphia by up to $110 million dollars in order to restore a handful of programs that would end up on the chopping block under the current proposed budget.

More than 100 people registered to speak at the marathon public testimony (which ran so long that it required at least one break to allow the stenographer to rest), including representatives from at least twenty civic and religious groups. While the voices were diverse, their message was strikingly similar: give the school district what they need.

"[The state] says we can do more with less," said Reverend Bonnie Camarda, one of the day's first speakers, "but we all know that's not true."

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The district's budget—which underwent heavy cuts under Governor Tom Corbett's proposed state budget—prescribes the discontinuation of, among other programs, full-day kindergarten, bus service for students in grades 1-6, and the SEPTA Transpass system for students in grades 7-12. It would cost $180 million to restore these programs, 50 to 75 percent of which the district is asking the city to pick up the tab for.

"There is nothing more important for you or the mayor to oversee than the education of our children," said Mary Goldman, chairman of the Philadelphia chapter of Americans for Democratic Action, chastising the council for their hesitation to act. Goldman added that the fate of Philadelphia students rests solely in the hands of the city government, arguing that there are "some state legislators who would rather see Philadelphia fall into the Schuylkill River" than fix it.

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Especially contentious were the cuts to early childhood education. Full-day kindergarten would be lost under the present budget, and would cost $25 million to keep in its present form.

"Reducing the early childhood education, reducing kindergarten to half days, is not an option. It is not an option in this city," said Reverend Camarda.

Reverend Nick Taliaferro made a scientifically grounded argument for the importance of early education. It's integral, he said.

"The developing brain of a child makes over 700 million connections per second," Taliaferro said. "The earlier you catch a child, the more moldable that child's brain is. It would be intuitive then to spend more money in the early part of a child's education process when the brain is more adaptable. To wait until later is counterintuitive."

Taliaferro added that for every dollar spent proactively early in a child's education, you save ten dollars down the road by avoiding the costs associated with poverty. In short, it's a sound investment.

Councilman Bill Green agreed. He reiterated his support for early education and acknowledged its outsize benefits, but distanced himself from any concrete funding guarantees. He emphasized that Harrisburg, not the city, put the district in its present predicament and reminded the assembled that any time a dollar goes into one program it leaves another.

"We have a situation that has been thrust upon us...it is not city council that has cut $600 million dollars from the school district's budget. If we give additional dollars to the school district, something else is going to get cut on the other side of city government. It's not going to [be resolved] all through tax increases," said Green.

Green also challenged the school district to spend the funds they do have more thoughtfully, arguing that there are programs less valuable than early education that are still getting full funding.

"The school district also needs to hear how important early childhood education is, how important full-day kindergarten is, because there are things still on the school district budget that are less efficacious than early childhood education," said Green, adding that by one count there is $75 million dollars in district coffers that could be used on early education programs.

Green's assertion was challenged by Harry Levant, a member of the Home and School Association of Roxborough's .

"This is not the hour to begin parsing the budget," said Levant. "This is the hour to begin saving our schools."

Levant went on to not so much ask the council for additional funds as to demand them.

"You will restore our full-day kindergarten. You will restore our funding," he told the council, before sugaring his commands with praise for the body's recognition of the issue's importance.

Roxborough resident and fellow Shawmont parent Jill Wilson said that her chief concern was the fate of her school's gifted program. Her son takes gifted classes at Shawmont, and she said he would suffer for missing out on the special support services he and children like him require to maximally develop academically.

"Gifted children need specially designed instruction," said Wilson.

Another concern raised by multiple speakers was that the progress many schools in the district have made in recent years would be stalled by the cuts.

"There is no room to go back. There is no room to reverse this progress," said Reverend Fred Estrada, citing the rapid improvement of Stetson Middle School, or as he calls it, "The Miracle on Allegheny Avenue." He said the city needs more of these miracles, not fewer.

Pastor Kevin Johnson wondered what will happen to the students who fail to meet their potential for a lack of educational opportunities. By way of an answer, he read from Langston Hughes' A Dream Deferred.

Joyce Baum Lee, a city Buddhist leader and a former teacher, field coordinator, and nutritionist in the School District of Philadelphia, said that education is a core Buddhist value.

"Education of young children is paramount...how we nurture and educate in early childhood determines a child's course for the rest of their life," said Lee. "If these budget cuts to early childhood education are made...they will have a negative impact on society for years to come."

Kierra Marsh-Hall, a sixth-grader at Thomas M. Pierce Elementary School, offered a student's perspective on the debate.

"My school tries hard, but we already do not have art, music, a library, a proper gym, a lunch room, or an auditorium," said Marsh-Hall, before asking what her already inadequate school would look like after the cuts went into effect.

Miller Memorial Baptist Church pastor Wayne Weathers made an emotional appeal to the council.

"I'm shedding tears right now," said Weathers. "I'm shedding tears because I'm witnessing the Pennsylvania state government cut spending in education but increase spending in prisons."

"We're not asking for handouts," emphasized Weathers, "We're asking the city government for a helping hand.'

Weathers' objection to increasing prison funding while decreasing public education spending was a common one. Two attendees carried signs that read "Yale, Not Jail: Save Our Schools" and several speakers also belabored the point.

A similarly emotional appeal came from Bright Light Initiative director Ann Guise.

"The latest huge cuts will destroy the capability of schools to compete with their counterparts... we must do better for our children! Why aren't we parents protesting and shutting this city down!" Guise said, voice cracking, to the afternoon's loudest applause.

"Fannie Lou Hamer said a long time ago, 'I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.' Well so am I!" she finished.

Not everyone rattled sabers however. Despite the high stakes and correspondingly high tensions, councilman Blondell Reynolds Brown urged the attendees to keep their eye on the ball: focus on action, not rhetoric.

"I would say to those in attendance that it is important that we speak on an issue. It matters that we are for an issue. But ultimately we are measured by how we vote on an issue. Listen to what we say, but watch what we do," said Brown.

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