The Mayor’s Reception Room at City Hall was packed on Wednesday as Mayor-elect Jim Kenney held a news conference to announce the latest additions to his cabinet. Among them was Nina Ahmad, the current president of the National Organization for Women’s Philadelphia...
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Millions Down, Billions To Go – December 4, 2015
Millions Down, Billions To Go While Harrisburg may be adopting a fair funding formula, it’s miles short of the goal. Just how many miles? The Commonwealth spends $5.8 billion on its public schools annually and the formula only comes into play when there’s new money...
Mayor-Elect announces city office appointments – PhillyVoice – December 2, 2015
Mayor-Elect Jim Kenney presented four individuals to his administration Wednesday. And, as he touted, the four individuals who will be the city's Pre-K Director, Chief Service Officer, the Director of the Mayor's Office of LGBT Affairs, and the Deputy Mayor for Public...
These Turkeys are Stuffed! – November 27, 2015
These Turkeys are Stuffed! This Thanksgiving we are grateful that Capitol media are reporting the budget turkey is cooked—unfortunately for Pennsylvanians, for five long months we have all endured a front row view of the making of this budget. Some of which, we...
A backlash against pervasive testing – The Philadelphia Public School Notebook – November 25, 2015
Growing up in China, Janet Zheng got used to taking tests. But she also got used to getting the preparation she needed from her classes, which is why the American system makes no sense to her. “You take this much test,” she said, holding her hands apart, “with this...
Waiting for sorely needed pre-K expansion – Philadelphia Public School Notebook – November 23, 2015
Amid lots of distress about the impact of the Pennsylvania budget impasse on pre-K, the most critical budget issue for the city is actually pre-K expansion. With its enormous unmet need for affordable, quality preschool, Philadelphia had been expecting a huge...
Sexy But Flawed – November 20, 2015
Sexy But Flawed Extra, extra! Read all about it! What a sexy headline: Pennsylvania eliminates burdensome property taxes, seniors and homeowners rejoice! Stop the presses! You need only scratch a half an inch below the surface to reveal the poisonous effect of this...
Pa. budget twist: Attack on school property tax – The Philadelphia Inquirer – November 19, 2015
HARRISBURG - It might be a wake-up call to anyone expecting a smooth path to a final state budget. Senate Republicans plan to vote next week on a proposal to eliminate property taxes as a source of school revenue and replace them with hikes in the sales and personal...
Pa. school officials lobby to keep taxing abilities – WHYY Newsworks – November 16, 2015
Tiny preschoolers and K-12 school students took Monday off to join school board members and exasperated parents calling for an end to Pennsylvania's budget impasse, as Gov. Tom Wolf signaled a budget deal wouldn't be ready before December. Members of the advocacy...
Philly schools ranking: Case of haves, have nots – The Philadelphia Tribune – November 17, 2015
Advocates for public education in Philadelphia dismiss the significance of a state tool for assessing school performance, saying changing public schools for the better won’t happen without adequate funding. Local advocates say a ranking of 71 Philadelphia public...