City Council is poised to approve a compromise that could raise as much as $40 million for the School District, far short of the $94 million it was seeking. Council is putting off revising the property tax assessment system through the Actual Value Initiative, instead...
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New Schools Plan: Can’t We Do Better? – Philadelphia Daily News – May 17, 2012
Can public schools be saved in the United States, in Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia? Can they be saved for kids in low- and middle-income communities? Can they do what they are supposed to do? Once again, we ask ourselves the questions. We know some answers: the...
Peace Quilt Unveiled at Thomas Mifflin Elementary School – WHYY Newsworks – May 10, 2011
The ceremony opened with a rendition of Bob Marley's "One Love," sung by a group of elementary students at Thomas Mifflin on Wednesday morning. It was a peaceful celebration of sorts at the East Falls school for the official unveiling of the quilt created by students...
POLICY PAPER: Philadelphia Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness – Aug 2010
A report to understand trends and make policy recommendations for children experiencing homelessness.
Bold Proposal to Re-Cast Schools Gives Me Deja-Vu – WHYY Newsworks – April 26, 2012
The Philadelphia School District's proposal to dramatically re-cast its structure and educational approach, in the process eliminating dozens of schools, cutting labor costs and saving hundreds of millions of dollars, reminds me of another moment in our city's...
Regional Spotlight: Schools Need A Tax Increase – Philadelphia Inquirer – March 30, 2012
Several years after I purchased a home in Philadelphia, a tax assessor showed up at my door. After we chatted about whether I had made any improvements to the property, the lovely man disclosed that we were related and offered to freeze my tax bill. This was my...
Cries For Help – Philadelphia City Paper – March 29, 2012
Three months after the latest round of layoffs of school nurses — 47 in December, bringing the total for the school year to about 100 across the Philly School District — a couple of nurses who had survived the cuts (but weren't so confident as to allow their names in...
Resolution 120088 concerning school closing and the impact on neighborhoods: Testimony to City Council Committee on Education
Council Begins Budget Hearings Without All The Details – Philadelphia Inquirer – March 26, 2012
On March 14, when scores of residents testified at Council's first hearing on Mayor Nutter's budget, something was missing. Citizens didn't have access to Nutter's "budget detail," a document thousands of pages long that provides specifics on every dime the city plans...
Anti-Violence Quilt Project Underway at Mifflin Elementary – WHYY Newsworks – March 22, 2012
Students at Thomas Mifflin Elementary School in East Falls are promoting peace through patterns this week. After nearly two months of lessons on anti-bullying and violence prevention, the young students have started designing an anti-violence quilt to be showcased at...