Superhero capes were presented to Councilmen Curtis Jones and Wilson Goode Jr. for their support of enhanced funding for both public and arts education.

Back in February, we reported on an exciting new initiative from the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (GPCA) called GroundSwell. The focus of GroundSwell was to encourage grassroots advocacy of arts and culture issues across Greater Philadelphia. Since GroundSwell launched with an instrument drive, their focus has shifted to public education.

In fact, GroundSwell, along with Общественные граждане для детей и молодежи (PCCY), has taken on arguably the biggest issue facing the City of Philadelphia, which is city and state funding for the floundering School District of Philadelphia. Late last week, the School District made headlines by sending lay-off notices to 3,500 staff members.

GroundSwell has been encouraging students, teachers, and legions of others who support quality public schools to attend City Council hearings since May, and is planning on continuing this effort for a few weeks.

Specifically, organizers within PCCY and GPCA urged City Council to pass an additional $60 million in funding for the School District. “Consider what happens if the school district doesn’t get the $60 million from City Council and additional resources from the state,” said Karim Olaechea, public relations manager at GPCA, foreshadowing the recently announced lay-offs.

“Class sizes will swell, art and music programs will disappear, and kids will have fewer opportunities available to them.” PCCY was instrumental in organizing the GroundSwell efforts to convince City Council to kick in more money. They were able to convince students from public schools with stronger art programs across the city to come out and create a spectacle in front of City Council members.

These students did everything from sing to Council members, participate in puppet parades, and bestow super hero capes on lawmakers who have strong records on education funding, said Anthony Hopkins, the new communications director at PCCY. These students, and many others, also created poems, songs, videos, and letters, with the help of PCCY, in support of funding.

Balancing Interests in the Funding Debate

To be sure, students within the School District of Philadelphia are not the only ones incensed at the impending budget cuts. GroundSwell featured the head of the Nebinger Home and School Association, Maureen Fratantoni, at a City Council meeting in mid-May.

As with students, PCCY has taken the lead in organizing parents to coax decision-makers into approving more funding. GroundSwell, while not directly organizing, has also supported other parents’ efforts to protest budget cuts, including a “Rally for Public Education” held by the Friends of Mifflin School in East Falls.

PCCY reports that GroundSwell has found some enthusiastic advocates in City Council.

Public school students awarded super hero capes to Councilwomen Blondell Reynolds-Brown, Maria Quinones-Sanchez, Councilmen Curtis Jones and Wilson Goode Jr. Hopkins elaborated that both councilwomen explicitly support enhanced funding for both public and arts education, while both councilmen have demonstrated a commitment to find an additional $60 million for the School District.

GroundSwell is playing a balancing act when it comes to the teacher’s union, both working closely with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and suggesting union concessions. “Currently we are working with the PFT rep, Margaret Lineman from Classroom Instrumental Music Teachers, to coordinate our advocacy actions,” said Hopkins at PCCY.

However, the initiative does admit that union concessions will be necessary to close the budget gap. Over at GPCA, Olaechea clarified, “we aren’t, nor do we seek to be, a party to any negotiation between the district and its employees.”

In order to accommodate the School District of Philadelphia’s request, the Nutter administration is calling for an increase in the liquor tax, the institution of a cigarette tax, and a more aggressive strategy to reel in delinquent property taxes.

The liquor tax would be bolstered from 10 to 15%, which is a move estimated to generate an additional $22 million in revenue. The cigarette tax would add $2 to the cost of a pack of cigarettes, although it wouldn’t be able to go into effect until January. Mayor Nutter says this will bring in another $45 million in funds for schools. Finally, the city hopes to find new strategies and tactics to pursue those in arrears on property taxes.

Philadelphia Generocity Website – June 10, 2013 – Читать статью онлайн