►
Description
Public Hearing of the Appropriations Committee Meeting held on October 14, 2015.
Testimony regarding $25M in funding for the School District of Philadelphia from District Superintendent William Hite and Parent Activist Helen Gym.
A
Good
morning,
this
area
is
called
to
order.
The
public
hearing
of
the
Appropriations
Committee
on
bill
number
150
612.
My
name
is
w
wilson
jr
chair
the
committee
and
under
the
quorum
is
present
council.
President
Darrell
Clarke
is
present
along
with
committee
members,
Jenny
Blackwell
Bobby
Heenan
and
blondell
Reynolds
Brown,
the
title
of
bill,
150
612
authorizing
transfers
and
preparations
for
fiscal
year
2016
within
the
general
fund
from
this
city
council
to
the
Director
of
Finance
contribution
to
the
school
district.
A
The
purpose
of
this
hearing
is
to
act
upon
an
agreement
that
was
done
also
pursuant
to
a
resolution
passed
by
City
Council
in
June.
That
agreement
has
been
executed,
so
we
will
move
from
our
public
hearing
directly
into
a
meeting
and
then
return
to
the
public
hearing
and
a
chair
recognizes
councilman
Blackwell
for
motion
on
bill.
150
612.
B
A
C
Good
morning,
chairman
good
council,
president
clot
members
of
the
City
Council
Committee
on
Appropriations
I'm
bill
hide
superintendent,
school
district
Philadelphia
and
here
to
speak
on
bill.
150
612
I
want
to
thank
City
Council
for
the
opportunity
to
provide
testimony
today
and
for
councils
continued
willingness
to
champion
Philadelphia
students
and
schools.
Over
the
past
five
years,
city
council
has
supported
providing
more
than
300
million
in
additional
revenue
to
the
public
schools.
C
Hearing
the
additional
local
resources
City
Council
has
supported,
have
been
essential
in
stabilizing
their
school
system
and
beginning
the
deep
work
needed
to
rebuild
without
the
additional
local
support
for
the
current
fiscal
year
would
not
have
been
able
to
maintain
current
programs
and
services
by
stepping
up
with
critical,
sustainable
resources,
city
councilors,
helping
to
address
the
school
districts
structural
deficit,
along
with
City
Council
members
and
stakeholders
across
the
city
and
state.
We
continue
to
advocate
for
a
state
budget
that
provides
significant
additional
education
funding
to
Philadelphia
and
two
school
districts
across
Pennsylvania.
C
We
have
detailed
plans
primarily
developed
by
principals
and
their
teams
for
how
to
use
the
additional
resources
we
are
seeking
from
the
state.
The
additional
state
funds
will
allow
schools
to
offer
and
expand
important
academic
and
social,
emotional
programs
and
resources
that
support
student
learning.
These
are
things
such
as
art,
music,
Advanced,
Placement
and
credit
recovery
courses
supports
for
more.
C
Nursing
services
and
tutoring
programs
and
instructional
coaches
state
resources
will
also
support
providing
teachers
with
resources
for
instruction,
including
up-to-date
curriculum
materials,
books
and
technology.
We
remain
optimistic
that
the
governor
and
legislature
will
come
to
agreement
on
a
state
budget
that
reflects
the
high
priority
citizens
in
this
city
and
across
Pennsylvania
placed
on
public
education
and
their
schools.
With
your
help,
we
have
steadied
the
financial
situation
of
the
district
and
we
have
much
more
to
do
to
achieve
our
overarching
goal.
C
That
is
ensuring
that
all
children
have
a
great
public
school
close
to
where
they
live.
We
are
addressing
long-standing
systemic
issues
and
building
momentum
in
the
public
schools,
both
district
run
and
charter
run.
We
know
it
will
take
time
in
a
collective
effort
to
build
a
system
of
great
schools
across
Philadelphia.
For
that
reason,
especially
encouraged
about
the
cooperation
agreement,
the
School
District
School,
Reform,
Commission
and
City
Council's
on
last
week.
Thank
you
for
your
ongoing
support.
I'm
happy
to
answer
any
questions
from
committee
members.
Thank.
A
E
First
of
all,
dr.
height,
thank
you
for
your
continued
service
to
the
children
of
the
city
of
Philadelphia
and
your
commitment
as
a
public
servant.
Probably
one
of
the
most
significant
roles
that
can
one
can
play
is
educating
our
young
people
and
I
want
to
thank
Commissioner
Neff.
In
addition
to
and
you've
been
doing
a
good
job.
Commissioner,
as
the
chair,
as
you
reference
in
your
testimony
and
again,
I
want
to
thank
all
the
participants
in
pulling
together
the
document
that
allowed
us
to
create
the
intergovernmental
cooperation
agreement.
E
I
think
it
is
clearly
creates
a
blueprint
for
us
to
move
forward
in
an
accurate,
transparent
and
participatory
way
unprecedented,
particularly
as
it
relates
to
the
ability
for
this
legislative
body
to
be
a
part
of
ensuring
that,
from
a
fiscal
side,
we
are
at
a
level
that
we
won't
have
the
annual
school
crisis
as
it
relates
to
funding
and
one.
Thank
you
so
much
for
being
a
signature
to
that,
along
with
my
colleague,
councillor
blackwell.
E
But
the
simple
matter
is
is
that
it
is
just
that
it
is
a
start,
and
we
don't
want
anybody
to
think
that
somehow
we
signed
a
document,
everything
is
going
to
be
okay.
We
will
be
moving
quickly
into
formalizing,
not
only
that
document,
but
the
process
to
ensure
that
individuals,
not
just
in
this
legislative
body,
but
the
public
at
large
and
I,
want
to
thank
you
again
for
indicating
that
you
will
in
fact
make
those
documents
public
till
give
everybody
a
sense
of
what's
going
on
from
the
festival
perspective.
E
Clearly,
the
first
thing
that
we
need
to
do
separate
an
aside
from
this
25
million
dollars
is
talk
about
the
structural
challenges
associated
with
the
school
district
that
we're
not
created
by
any
of
you
on
two
predecessors
created
a
level
of
debt.
That
is,
you
know,
frankly,
speaking,
put
us
in
a
significant
hole
and
I
think
we
need
to
aggressively
move
towards
addressing
that,
both
the
state
and
the
city.
E
There
are
other
issues,
as
you
can
recall,
in
the
conclusion
of
the
budget
hearing
that,
were
least
from
our
perspective
left
somewhat
unresolved
with
respects
to
the
operational
side,
which
is
not
a
part
of
the
agreement
that
we
signed,
but
we
continue
to
have
concerns,
as
relates
to
the
workforce
and
proposed
privatization
of
some
of
that
work
for
us
clearly
and
I.
Think
everyone
would
acknowledge
that
on
the
substitute
teachers
we
did
not
end
up
in
a
place
that
any
of
us
were
comfortable
with,
and
that
continues
to
be
a
problem.
E
We
know
that
the
issue
with
respect
to
the
nurses
is
still
out
there
at
some
point.
We
will
get
to
some
conclusion
on
that.
But
again,
as
we
indicated
at
that
point,
we
did
have
some
significant
reservations
about
that,
and
there
are
a
couple
of
other
issues
with
which
I
referenced
at
the
signing.
I
believe
in
order
to
have
a
the
level
of
consistency
and
a
sustainability
how
to
get
a
contract
yeah.
C
E
Of
get
a
contract
because
we
need
to
understand
what
the
baseline
expenditures
are
and
that
will
be
determined
by
the
contract
between
the
administration
and
its
workforce
and
the
sooner
I.
Frankly
speaking,
we
get
that
the
better
and
not
only
will
it
from
a
fiscal
perspective,
but
in
terms
of
having
a
working
relationship
with
the
workers
that
one
should
have,
and
you
know
we
had
our
own
five-year
dust-up
on
a
city
level
for
quite
a
number
of
years,
and
it
created
the
level
acrimony
that
none
of
us
felt
good
about.
E
Unfortunately,
we
ultimately
got
a
contract
and
I
see
is
reflected
in
this
municipal
works
for
us
willingness
and
interest
in
providing
continuing
the
provider
services.
The
second
thing
is
our
aggressive
push
towards
Community
Schools
I.
Think
that
it's
clear
that
all
the
work
that
these
members
have
done
in
putting
together
a
document
that
puts
us
in
a
position
that
the
first
response
to
a
challenge
will
not
be
to
stick
our
hands
into
taxpayers:
pockets,
because
there
are
opportunities
for
external
resources
that
will
enhance
our
ability
to
have
the
appropriate
health
care
services
and
teacher
development.
E
E
I
won't
get
into
a
significant
number
of
detailed
conversations
that
day
about
the
monthly
issues
that
we
raised
over
the
last
budget
hearing,
because
now
we
are
at
after
signing
that
document
we
now
can
get
to
the
nuts
and
bolts
of
the
fiscal
challenges
that
are
faced
with
the
school
district
and
our
interval
will
be
an
integral
part
of
coming
up
with
a
resolution
to
those
I.
Just
want
to
thank
in.
Thank
you.
Thank
you
for
your
participation,
Thank
You
mr.
chair.
Thank
you.
Black
welcome.
B
Thank
you.
Thank
you
very
much.
Mr.
president,
dr.
height,
as
you
know,
we
will
have
a
resolution
heard
on
a
21st
where
we'll
ask
a
lot
of
these
same
issues,
so
all
that
we
know
today
as
appropriations
and
we're
talking
about
this
money
transfer,
but
all
these
other
issues,
many
of
which
the
president
just
referenced
I'm
sure,
will
be
asked
again
and
we'll
submit
them
again
on
the
21st.
So
you
get
another
chance
to
respond.
F
Good
morning
want
to
salute
you
as
well
doctor
height
for
working
closely
with
president
Park
and
creating
really
another
milestone
in
the
relationship
between
the
school
district
and
the
president's
office
and
I'll
I've,
been
informed
by
the
president's
staff
and
I
understand
that
the
regular
briefings
that
we
will
receive
will
be
primarily
focused
on
the
academic
educational
aspects
of
the
district.
I.
Don't
want
the
opportunity
to
go
past,
however,
and
you
know
in
alerting
you
that
I
end
up
the
members
of
this
body
also
want
to
know
in
detail.
F
Let
me
say
this:
typically,
it
is
doing
school
district
budget
hearings
that
we
get
to
the
guts
of
detail
around
the
business
side
of
the
operation,
and
so
my
hope
is
that
doing
those
quarterly
sessions.
We
can
also
get
greater
detail
on
what's
happening
on
the
contracting
RFP
bidding
process
on
the
business
side
of
the
equation,
and
not
wait
just
until
show
time
doing.
F
Budget
hearings,
because
there's
the
continuing
I
won't
go
so
far
as
to
say,
is
a
concern,
but
the
questions
still
remain
out
in
the
fill
out
the
community
and
and
how
well
as
a
school
district,
doing
when
it
comes
to
giving
women
and
people
of
color
opportunity
there
at
the
school
district,
so
it's
in
some
way
shape,
form
or
fashion
in
a
way
that's
comfortable
for
Ewing,
your
staff.
We
want
details
on
that
too,
on
a
quarterly
basis.
A
C
D
When,
mr.
Deveaux
morning,
chairman
good
members
at
a
committee,
I'm
Rob
du
Bois,
director
of
finance
and
I'm
here
to
testify
in
support
of
bill
number
150
612,
the
bill
proposes
to
transfer
25
million
dollars
from
the
council
to
the
city's
annual
contribution
to
the
school
district.
A
portion
of
the
projected
increase
in
property
tax
from
the
rate
increase
enacted
last
spring,
was
intended
to
come
to
the
city
and
then
be
provided
to
the
district.
This
transfer
would
make
that
possible.
We
support
this
action
to
provide
additional
recurring
funding
to
the
district.
D
G
Thanks
to
the
dogged
work
of
some
of
our
media,
we're
hearing
firsthand
about
some
of
the
serious
consequences
that
happen
to
students
and
their
learning
when
we
may
overstate
or
over
assume
the
benefits
of
privatization.
This
does
not
mean,
of
course,
at
some
contracting
limited
and
with
due
diligence
on
oversight,
doesn't
have
its
place.
Of
course
it
does.
G
But
in
the
last
few
years
we
have
seen
a
significant
expansion
of
privatization
that
has
had
deeply
troubling
consequences
that
we're
not
tracking,
very
well
I
think
that
it's
clear
that
the
source
for
teachers
substitute
situation
has
been
well
documented.
But
the
bigger
concern
is
that
77
students
in
a
classroom
at
mass
bomb
when
I
contacted
the
district,
will
not
be
relieved
until
October,
19th
and
school
started
on
September
8.
G
It
feels
like
that's
a
situation
that
is
extremely
urgent
and
serious
that
schools
shouldn't
be
left
to
fend
for
themselves
or
figure
that
out
that
that
needs
to
be
an
immediate
deployment
and
that
we
need
to
be
able
to
jump
on
that
very
clearly
and
that
we
want
the
district
to
be
on
top
of
that
and
figure
out
how
to
support
it.
The
nurses
and
counselor
situation
has
also
been
well
documented,
but
I
also
want
to
emphasize
again
that
it
is
not
getting
any
better.
G
Even
after
and
years
of
addressing
this
issue,
I
want
to
emphasize
that
this
is
not
significant
chunks
of
money
that
we're
talking
about.
When
the
nurses
moved
from
1501
to
750
student
ratio
to
12
1500
student
ratio,
it
was
in
the
range
of
five
to
seven
million
dollars
at
the
time
in
2013
the
school
district
recently
or
testified
that
to
get
a
counselor
back
in
every
school
would
be
on
the
range
of
3.7
million
dollars.
This
is
certainly
doable
and
necessary
at
this
time.
G
I
feel
like
this
is
a
doable
situation
that,
if
council
is
this,
is
the
appropriate
and
necessary
and
much
needed
oversight
body
to
start
asking
some
of
these
questions
I
want
to
make
a
quick
pitch
on
something
that
hasn't
been
talked
about.
Very
much,
which
is
of
the
rapid
privatization
around
speech,
therapy
and
services
around
speech
therapy.
So
there
are
about
130.
G
Twenty
percent
of
these
contractors
quit
mid-year
and
that
there
are
10
to
15
positions
that
may
even
be
open
in
the
district,
but
it's
important
for
people
and
for
all
of
us
to
start
tracking
and
paying
attention
to
these
things
in
part,
because
at
the
end
of
the
day,
speech
is
a
federally
mandated
service
and
if
kids
are
going
without
it
or
if
they
are
being
interrupted,
my
own
son
had
a
significant
speech
impediment.
He
can't
see
multiple
speech
there
piss
in
a
year.
This
needs
to
be
consistent.
They
need
to
track
growth.
G
We
have
an
open
site
called
Mike
Billy
schools,
com,
which
is
tracking
complaints
to
this
about
school
services.
We've
received
several
dozen
unsolicited
complaints
about
lack
of
services
in
schools,
so
I
just
want
to
say
that
I
want
to
see
this
as
a
partnership
with
the
district
that
we
want
to
figure
out
solutions
to
this,
but
that
it
is
extremely
important
with
the
limited
amount
of
funds
that
we
have,
that
we
particularly
laser
in
and
focus
in
on
the
basic
and
essential
services
that
are
necessary
needed
in
schools.
G
A
F
The
skill
my
picker,
please
report
back
to
the
table
so
operating
on
the
philosophy
that
you
cannot
hold
people
responsible
for
that,
but
you
have
not
brought
to
their
attention.
That's
how
I
try
to
live.
I
I
assume
you've
registered
your
your
concerns,
your
observations
with
the
school
district
in
a
way
that
lets
them
know
a
you're
interested,
be
your
concern
and
see
seeking
to
work
through
with
them.
What
those
possible
remedies
could
be
well.
G
I
may
not
have
directly
raised
the
issue
of
the
speech.
Therapist
I
know
that
that
issue
has
been
raised
before
the
nurses
and
counselors
has
been
well
documented
and
I
believe
the
source
for
teachers
has
been
well
documented,
but
in
part
I
do
think
that
one
of
the
things
that
we
want
to
be
able
to
do
is
have
a
better.