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From YouTube: Joint Committee on Finance; Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy 3-12-2019
Description
The Joint Committees on Finance and Global Opportunities & the Creative/Innovative Economy of the Council of the City of Philadelphia held a Public Hearing on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, at 11:00 AM, in Room 400, City Hall, to hear testimony on the following item:
190077 Resolution authorizing Council’s Committee on Finance and the Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy to hold hearings regarding the development of a responsible financial plan to meet the City’s requirement to adequately fund the Community College of Philadelphia as required by State law.
Committee on Finance
Chair: Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell (3rd District)
Vice Chair: Councilman Bobby Henon (6th District)
Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative and Innovative Economy
Chair: Councilman David Oh (At Large)
Vice Chair: Councilman Al Taubenberger (At Large)
A
B
Councils
Committee
on
Finance
and
the
Committee
on
Global
Opportunities
and
the
creative
innovative
economy
to
hold
hearings
regarding
the
development
of
a
responsible
financial
plan
to
meet
the
city's
requirement
to
adequately
fund
the
Community
College
of
Philadelphia,
as
required
by
state
law.
At.
A
This
time,
I
will
note
that
co-chair
Councilwoman,
Janie
Blackwell,
is
to
my
left
and
Councilman
Blundell
Reynolds
Brown
is
to
her
left
and
with
that
we
can
proceed.
The
hearing
I
will
start
with
this
statement.
The
Commonwealth
of
Pennsylvania
passed
act,
8
I'm,
sorry,
the
Commonwealth
of
Pennsylvania
passed
act,
484
known
as
the
Community
College
Act
of
1963.
A
It
mandated
equal
funding
from
three
sources:
the
state
one
third,
the
city,
one
third
and
students
one
third,
although
there
have
been
changes
to
act,
480
for
state
law
continues
to
call
for
at
least
one
third
of
the
funding
for
Community
College
to
come
from
each
Community
College's
local
sponsor,
in
this
case
the
city
of
Philadelphia,
because
the
city
has
not
been
meeting
its
mandatory
minimum
of
procreation
to
Community
College
of
Philadelphia.
For
many
years,
students
have
been
burdened
with
higher
tuition
costs
for
this
fiscal
year.
A
One
hundred
thirty
four
point:
seven
million
dollar
operating
budget
students
provide
fifty
five
percent
of
the
revenue,
while
the
state
provides
twenty
four
percent
and
the
city
provides
only
19
percent.
The
mayor's
proposed
municipal
budget
for
fiscal
year,
2020
unveiled
last
week,
falls
eighteen
million
dollars
short
of
the
static
state
mandated
third
of
community
colleges
proposed
operating
budget.
A
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
is
a
vital
asset
of
the
city,
with
approximately
twenty
seven
thousand
seven
hundred
twenty
nine
students,
and
it
is
the
city's
responsibility
to
ensure
that
it
has
the
resources
to
serve
its
students.
Its
role
is
crucial
to
strengthening
the
regional
workforce
in
an
increasing
technological
and
global
world.
Therefore,
it
is
an
invaluable
resource
in
our
community
in
addressing
some
of
the
most
pressing
issues,
such
as
violence,
homelessness
and
addiction.
A
Today
there
are
a
few
people
who
have
not
heard
about
the
skyrocketing
cost
of
college
tuition.
As
a
father
of
four
young
children,
I,
don't
know
what
the
cost
of
tuition
are
going
to
be.
There
are
a
lot
of
angst
about
it.
There's
a
lot
of
statements
made
politically,
but
one
of
the
things
that
we
have
in
Philadelphia
is
Community
College
of
Philadelphia,
a
wonderful
institution
that
provides
education
whether
for
year,
two
years
certificates,
continuing
education,
career
training
to
people
in
our
city
at
a
very,
very
affordable
cost.
A
Start
businesses
become
the
kind
of
people
they
want
to
be.
Community
colleges
is
an
answer
to
so
many
of
the
issues
that
we
talk
about
in
city
council.
It
is
a
positive
thing
we
can
do.
It
doesn't
cost
us
very
much.
It
is
a
proactive
thing:
it's
not
a
band-aid.
It
is
a
solution
and
with
that
I
will
ask
if
there
are
any
other
statements
that
my
colleagues
would
like
to
make.
I.
C
Am
I
would
like
to
commend
councilman
o
for
this
resolution
and
for
his
commitment
to
our
Community
College.
It
makes
such
a
big
difference
for
our
young
people
here
and
all
people
in
our
city
we're
glad
to
have
its
president,
be
here
to
testify
and
all
others
who
are
here
and
again.
We
thank
him
for
this
resolution.
D
A
You
councilman
with
that
I
will
throw
out
this
number.
Before
we
begin
in
2019
the
shortfall
is
19
million
dollars
in
2020.
The
shortfall
is
18
point
two
million
dollars.
The
cumulative
shortfall
from
1998
to
2019
is
three
hundred
twenty
six
point:
three
million
dollars.
So
with
that
I'll
ask
the
clerk
to
call
the
first
panel
rock.
E
Good
morning
cheers
Blackwell
and
Oh
members
of
both
committees.
Rob.
Do
you
both
find
instructor
Osito
adelphia
I'm
here
to
testify
on
resolution?
One
900
7
7
its
cultural
hearings
regarding
the
development
of
a
financial
plan
to
adequately
fund
the
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
we
agree.
Community
College
is
the
vital
institution
that
makes
higher
education
and
certificate
programs
more
affordable
and
accessible
for
philadelphians,
sending
both
our
communities
and
regional
workforce
to
increase.
E
Our
support
for
CCP
mayor's
proposed
budget
calls
for
an
additional
1.3
million
a
year
in
local
investment,
bringing
the
city's
total
contribution
to
thirty
three
point:
eight
million
dollars
annually
means
the
city
would
be
investing
almost
170
million
dollars
in
ccp
over
the
next
five
years.
These
additional
resources
will
enable
Community
College
to
continue
funding
critical
programs
like
powerup
your
business,
as
well
as
to
expand
the
dual
enrollment
program
in
partnership
with
the
School
District
of
Philadelphia.
These
investments
supports
city's
workforce
development
strategy,
fueling
Philadelphia's
talent
engine.
D
E
E
D
B
F
C
F
Guy
generals
president
for
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
the
camp.
First
of
all,
let
me
thank
you
all
for
taking
up
this
incredibly
important
topic
both
for
the
college,
as
well
as
the
sector.
I,
think
the
funding
of
Community
College
and
the
lack
thereof
is
sorely
missed
in
our
public
discourse.
So
I
commend
councilman
o
for
taking
this
very
important
topic
up.
You've.
Pretty
much
read
my
my
comments,
which
was
the
history
that
goes
back
about
56
years.
F
F
However,
the
Commonwealth
hasn't
followed
that
funding
formula
since
2009
2010,
where
it
was
changed
again.
Instead,
the
Commonwealth
has
made
amendments
to
the
public
school
code
each
year
to
distribute
the
Commonwealth's
funding
for
its
14
community
colleges
based
on
a
pro-rata
pro
rata
distribution
of
the
prior
year.
So
again
is
funding
based
funding
based
on
the
prior
year's
funding,
plus
a
distribution
of
the
dollars
based
on
the
in
the
size
of
the
institution.
I.
F
Will
stay
for
the
record
as
at
this
point
this
moment
right
now,
the
state's
allocation
for
community
colleges,
which
comes
through
the
Commission,
is
zero,
so
I
think
that's
something
that
needs
to
be
had
spoken
to.
Nonetheless,
although
the
Commonwealth
changed,
one
required
contribution
from
the
Commonwealth,
the
basic
principle
of
students
only
paying
a
third
still
applies,
so
the
total
operating
budget,
with
the
the
Commonwealth
pace
and
one-third
from
the
city
and
in
theory
and
law
should
be
taken
up
by
by
this
excuse
me,
the
Commonwealth,
the
total
budget
operating
budget
of
the
the
college.
F
What
the
Commonwealth
provides
one-third
from
this
students
that
dividend
in
theory
as
well
as
law,
should
be
provided
by
the
local
sponsor.
So
obviously
it
would
be
much
more
than
a
third
at
this
point
and
I
think
that's
what
we're
here
to
talk
about
I,
think
the
impact
of
Community
College
is
is
self-evident.
We
have
demonstrated
what
what
our
students
do
upon
graduating
according
to
research,
that
we
have
with
the
in
consult.
F
We
produce
roughly
324
million
dollars,
there's
a
324
million
dollar
impact
on
the
city
of
Philadelphia
and
part
because
of
the
wage
premium
from
students
who
graduate
and
go
on
to
receive
better
jobs,
better
family,
sustaining
jobs.
We
are
involved
in
a
host
of
anti-poverty
programs,
most
of
which
are
incorporated
in
the
operating
budget,
so,
for
example,
I
would
do
in
enrollment
right
now.
F
We
we
carry
a
number
of
students
through
our
dual
enrollment,
where
we
only
apply
only
charge
$99,
as
opposed
to
the
full
free
for
those
for
those
students
and
we're
serving
about
1200
students.
We
have
a
50th
College
promise
which
I'd
like
to
speak
to.
In
a
minute
we
have
a
middle
school
program
with
Parkway
Central,
which
is
in
parts
by
the
school
district.
F
We
have
an
office
of
recovery
addiction
which
provides
certificates
and
works
with
the
community
on
opioid
crisis.
Here
in
Philadelphia,
we
have
a
reentry
program,
which
has
been
very
successful.
I
was
here
a
couple
of
weeks
ago
to
talk
about
the
power-up
program,
which
a
data
was
provided
to
the
council,
pointing
to
the
fact
that
over
10
years,
110
million
dollars
will
be
added
to
the
coffers
of
the
city.
It
has
a
benefit
of
2.8
million
dollars
per
year
are
over
comparable
businesses.
F
So
the
point
that
I'm
trying
to
make
is
that
with
the
existing
budget
there
is
an
impact,
and
so
I
think
that
it's
reasonable
to
say
that
with
the
added
dollars
that
we're
talking
about
and
given
the
level
of
poverty
and
the
level
of
need
in
the
city
that
we
could
reasonably
attack
and
a
much
more
aggressive
in
a
much
more
comprehensive
way.
Some
of
the
challenges
of
the
city
and
I
do
want
to
again
circle
back
to
the
idea
of
the
promise
programs.
This
is
timely.
F
This
idea
of
to
its
students
paying
too
much
even
at
a
third,
because
right
now,
20
states
indeed,
and
you
might
have
more
accurate
data
because
I
know
you
do
this
at
for
a
living,
but
20
states
in
the
country
are
providing
free
tuition
for
community
college
students.
That
idea
has
caught
on
for
the
last
has
caught
on
over
the
last
couple
of
years.
It
really
started
with
President
Obama.
It
is
not
dead
in
the
sector,
it's
still
being
discussed
and
in
various
sectors
it's
still
being
pursued.
F
It's
the
realization
that
community
colleges
like
high
schools
100
years
ago
have
become
such
a
public
good,
that
the
public
really
needs
to
put
forth
the
dollars
in
order
to
support
Community
College
of
community
colleges.
As
you
know,
community
of
College
of
Philadelphia
has
a
last
dollar
program,
which
means
after
financial
aid.
We
will
pick
up
whatever
the
cost
are
for
any
student
that
graduates
of
Philadelphia
high
school
at
this
point
about
900
since
20
2015,
9
hundred
and
twenty-eight
students
have
benefited
from
that
program.
Seven
hundred
fifty
thousand
dollars
have
been
spent.
F
All
of
those
dollars
are
coming
from
private
donations.
Their
graduation
rate
of
that
first
cohort
is
24%,
which
is
which
exceeds
the
the
colleges
graduation
rate.
So
the
idea
that
students
that
are
supported
that
don't
have
to
worry
about
the
burden
of
tuition
and
cost
and
books
and
childcare
and
food
and
and
a
place
to
live
can
succeed,
is
something
that
is
proven
out
by
the
data
and
I
want
to
thank
the
committee
for
taking
up
this.
This
challenge.
G
You
well,
my
name
is
Manuel
Gonzales
koncham,
an
associate
professor
at
the
Graduate
School
of
Education
at
the
University
of
Pennsylvania
I
studied
finance
price
competition,
price
dependence,
community
colleges,
gap,
closing
actions.
I
would
like
to
stay
to
start
by
making
a
statement.
Funding
for
community
colleges
is
not
an
expense.
It's
an
investment
which
is
reflected
in
this
approach
that
the
college
promise
programs
have
been
developing
across
the
nation.
Recently.
G
So
community
colleges
continue
to
be
the
most
important
access
point
to
higher
education
in
the
United
States
of
America,
with
at
least
40
percent
of
all
first
time
in
college
students.
More
importantly,
these
institutions
take
pride
in
welcoming
students
from
who
predominantly
come
from
lower
income
and
underrepresented
in
higher
education
backgrounds.
These
students
include
minoritized
Hispanic,
african-american,
Native,
American
students
first-generation
in
college,
financially
constrained
and
most
of
the
time
they
are
welcomed
into
academically
underprepared
or
challenged
students.
G
Despite
some
criticisms
related
to
lower
levels
of
educational
attainment
of
two-year
entrance
compared
to
the
initial
four-year
counterparts,
it
is
important
to
note
that
community
colleges
traditionally
have
access
to
significantly
fewer
monetary
and
non-monetary
resources
than
four-year
institutions.
These
disparities
in
resources
include,
but
are
not
limited
to
fewer
financial
resources,
fewer
full-time
faculty
and
fewer
students
who
are
attending
full-time
in
short
and
directly
related
to
this
hearing.
Community
colleges
continue
to
educate
53
percent
of
students
attending
public
institutions
and
84%
of
all
part-time
on
the
barrel
aid
students.
G
Remarkably,
they
do
so
with
about
20%,
again
nationwide
20%
of
the
state
support
received
by
the
public,
four-year
counterparts
in
the
state
of
Pennsylvania.
All
community
colleges
combined
operate
with
about
27%
of
the
budget
granted
to
state
affiliated
or
state-owned
four-year
institutions
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia,
the
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
CCP
operates
with
24%
of
the
state
appropriations
given
to
Temple
University,
for
example,
24%.
G
It
is
worth
noting
that
the
net
tuition
revenue
at
ccp
is
only
about
3.6
percent
of
the
same
amount
charged
by
temple.
I
will
elaborate
on
this.
More
all.
The
total
headcount
at
ccp
reported,
as
of
2015,
is
about
60%
of
the
total
headcount
reported
by
temple.
We
know
that
temple
effectively
generated
as
of
2015
almost
$20,000
in
tuition
and
fees
per
student.
The
same
amount
generated
at
CCP
is
$1,600
if
we
count
part-time
and
full-time
students
and
$2,500.
G
If
we
only
count
full-time
students
again
compared
to
the
nation
averages
I
mentioned
before
that
community
colleges
cost
at
least
a
third
in
the
case
of
CCP
cost.
An
eighth
of
the
price
that
will
cause
them
to
go
to
temple
in
some
CCP
operates
with
about
a
quarter
of
temple
state
appropriations
and
generates
about
10%
of
revenue
of
the
revenue
raised
by
temple
in
tuition
and
fees,
even
after
accounting
for
differences
in
the
student
body,
sizes
and
full-time
equivalents.
G
I
want
to
also
highlight
that
there
is
enough
evidence
nationwide,
that
attending
a
community
college
and
pursuing
a
four-year
degree
afterwards
will
translate
in
10
percent,
less
debt
accumulation,
and
if
we
don't
fund
these
institutions
properly,
the
students
will
need
to
rely
on
more
debt
tour
for
the
tuition
costs
and
tuition
fee
costs
that
attending
a
college
will
entail.
This
students
typically
are,
as
I
said,
financially
constrained,
so
we
cannot
rely
on
them
to
fund
these
institutions
once
more
funding
for
community
colleges.
Funding
for
CCP
is
not
an
expense
is
an
investment.
Thank
you.
Thank.
A
No
questions
and
I
will
have
a
just
a
couple
of
questions
myself
when
I
look
at
Montgomery,
County,
Community,
College
and
I've
been
invited
up
there
a
couple
of
years
ago
and
and
I
look
at
how
the
county
deals
with
Montgomery,
Community,
College
and
and
what
they
get
back
for
it.
Can
you
give
us
some
comparisons
between
the
investment
that
they
are
making
in
Montgomery
County
versus
what
we're
doing
in
here
in
Philadelphia
and
and
what
are
the
impacts
of
that.
F
Well,
I
know:
Marko
Montgomery,
Community
College
in
terms
of
the
student
demand,
does
not
have
the
level
of
burden
that
Philadelphia
Community
College
does
there
are
neighborhoods?
There
are
students,
there
are
pockets
of
students
with
extreme
needs,
but
that's
more
in
again:
I
don't
have
the
data,
so
I
want
to
qualify
my
statement,
but
knowing
their
president
and
knowing
knowing
their
experiences
there.
F
They
do
not
have
nearly
the
level
of
students
who
have
levels
of
impoverished
conditions,
whether
it's
educational
being
educationally
disadvantaged
having
economic
disadvantages
and
so
I'm,
not
quite
sure
what
their
operating
budget
is.
I
know
it's
lower
than
ours
is
so
I
think
if
you
calculate
it
on
a
per
student
basis
and
figured
out
a
way
to
calculate
that
demand
as
one
of
the
variables
I
would
say
that
the
obligation
that
we
have
goes
you
know,
far
exceeds
theirs
and
therefore
the
impact
is
greater,
but
the
the
responsibility
is
as
greater
as
well.
A
G
If
I
may
add
to
that
community
colleges
traditionally
at
serve
local
students,
student
from
who
live
within
on
average
12
miles
away
from
the
institution,
so
investment
once
more
in
in
community
colleges,
is
an
investment
in
that
local
local
localized
place,
rather
than
than
trying
to
attract
students
from
other
states
or
other
cities.
I.
D
A
A
you
know,
grammy-nominated
engineer
and
all
console,
and
there
has
been
debates
up
in
Montgomery
Community
College
over
the
large
amounts
of
funding
they
are
putting
into
the
into
the
college,
which
I
think
is
a
great
debate
to
have
putting
more
money
into
your
Community
College.
No
other
questions
and
thank
you
very
much
clerk
I'd.
Ask
you
to
call
the
next
panel.
D
Ccp
with
a
3.0
GPA
I
had
been
accepted
to
Chestnut
Hill
and
the
South
I'm
making
this
decision,
because
I
plan
on
studying
criminal
justice
I'm
here
today
to
share
my
story
and
encourage
the
council
to
fully
fund
CCP
in
order
to
help
create
the
conditions
for
more
students
to
see
as
aiya
I've
come
a
long
way.
I
went
to
bak
Technical
High
School
in
South
Philly.
D
You
know
the
school
that
was
shut
down
and
now
has
artists
studios
and
a
rooftop
bar
I
started
getting
in
trouble
with
the
law
at
the
age
of
17
I
wanted
money
seemed
like
everyone
around
me
was
participating
illegal
activities
to
get
it
such
behavior
were
normalized
and
I
didn't
see
myself
as
a
college
type.
At
that
time,
college
wasn't
what
I
was
striving
for.
I
have
served
federal
time,
state
time.
D
I
was
locked
up
for
a
total
about
13
years
out
of
my
life
when
I
get
out
the
last
time
in
about
2013
I
was
on
federal
parole
and
he
sent
me
to
the
Ron's
program,
which
then
connected
me
to
CCP.
Initially
I
was
enrolled
as
a
in
every
Entry
Program,
because
I
was
told
it
would
help
me
get
off
for
Beijing
and
get
a
job,
but
then,
with
the
help
of
professors
and
believed
in
me,
I
started
to
roll
out
of
school.
Wasn't
that
bad
I
was
terrible.
D
D
I
had
a
day
which
I've
had
the
same
employment
for
four
years:
I'm
setting
a
good
example
for
my
daughter,
Hawaii
primary
custody
and
who
will
be
starting
school
in
September,
Stroudsburg,
University
and
plan
on
being
appear
to
pediatricians
I
have
a
healthy
relationship
with
my
girlfriend,
and
she
has
decided
to
go
back
to
school
myself.
Squatters
help
me
have
balance
and
I
need
to
be,
and
actually
this
is
the
happiest
time
in
my
life.
I
have
been
out
of
prison
for
four
years.
Ccp
helped
me
change
my
direction.
D
More
importantly,
it
has
changed
what
I
thought
was
possible
at
this
point.
I,
don't
know
what
I
would
do
without
school,
even
though
my
professor
encouraged
me
to
be
the
best
at
continuing
with
school,
and
even
though
I
now
understand
what
it
takes
to
see
some
time,
I
still
can't
believe
I'm
about
to
get
a
degree,
and
it's
mind-boggling,
but
I
can
actually
say
I.
Did
it
180.
Thank
you.
Thank.
I
City
Council,
my
fellow
educators,
professors
and
students
alike.
Thank
you
for
allowing
me
to
speak
here
today.
This
meeting
isn't
of
great
importance
to
everyone
and
I
hope.
My
words
really
resonate
with
you.
Community
colleges
for
students
who
can't
get
into
a
real
University
is
that
who
you
want
to
be.
My
high
school
teacher
told
me
this.
When
I
was
questioning
the
prestigious
university
I
was
slotted
to
go
to
so
I
didn't
apply.
I
I
thought
it
was
going
to
be
easy
because
I
had
done
this
all
before
going
through
college
and
experiencing
that
sort
of
thing,
I've
done
it
all
before,
but
boy
was
I
wrong,
I've
never
been
so
challenged
so
engaged,
but
also
so
encouraged.
This
single-handedly
is
all
due
to
my
professors.
I
have
experience
in
education
as
well,
so
I
have
a
dual
perspective
in
this
subject.
I've
come
to
realize
the
importance
of
supporting
educators,
especially
people
at
CCP,
is
to
support
the
student
to
support
the
students
is
to
support
our
city,
our
nation,
our
world.
I
You
can
imagine
it's
of
great
importance
in
1963
at
CCP's
inception
a
promise
between
the
state,
the
city
and
the
people
who
founded
the
ccp
promise
to
give
a
third
of
the
operating
cost,
as
people
have
mentioned
throughout
this
meeting
today,
the
promise
was
to
support
the
school
educators
and
students
by
funding
the
operating
costs.
While
breaking
this
promise,
the
city
has
system
has
stimulated
a
situation
in
which
the
school
board
and
the
administration
is
seeking
to
cut
compensation
while
simultaneously
increasing
the
workload
of
our
professors
with
an
increased
workload.
I
How
can
a
professor
be
expected
to
provide
high-quality
education
without
giving
proper
compensation
to
have
to
this?
I
have
no
answer,
however,
regardless
of
that
the
City
Council
can
make
a
real
difference
here.
The
city
specifically
you
council
members,
can
carry
out
your
civic
duty
and
support
the
Community.
College
I
have
a
responsibility
in
my
own
profession
to
support
educators
and
I
believe
that
the
City
Council
has
the
same
civic
duty.
I
However,
CCP
is
not
thriving
right
now.
We
need
the
support
of
our
city
to
thrive,
as
you
can
see
from
our
signs
that
we
have
before
us.
Ccp
works
because
we
do
most
of
the
students
who
attend
attend.
Ccp.
All
of
the
students
I
know,
haven't
been
fulfilled
by
the
Philadelphia
public
school
system,
especially
minority
students
such
as
myself
and
the
previous
testimony
from
before.
I
Our
College
provides
a
high
quality
education
and
support
from
faculty
that
I've
seen
nowhere
else.
It
acts
as
the
first
second
and
even
third
chance
for
people
to
educate
themselves
and
succeed
so
make
things
right
and
support
the
educators
of
future
generations.
You,
the
City
Council
honestly,
cannot
afford
not
to
thank
you.
A
J
My
name
is
Justin
Keller
I'm,
a
former
US
Army
paratrooper,
with
the
82nd
Airborne
Division,
but
more
importantly,
I'm
the
CCP
2013
male
athlete
of
the
Year
recipient
and
record
holder
in
the
mile
there.
Hopefully,
that
record
still
stands.
I
wanted
to
take
this
time
today
to
share
how
meaningful
the
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
has
been
in
my
own
personal
development,
but
also
to
employ
the
powers
that
be
to
properly
support
and
fund
the
institution
so
that
it
can
continue
to
be
a
lifeline
for
so
many
in
the
Philly
community.
J
I
wasn't
kidding
about
holding
that
CCP
track
record
I'm,
originally
from
just
outside
of
Harrisburg
PA,
where
I
was
a
state
champion
in
high
school
cross
country
I
got
recruited
to
run
at
LaSalle
University,
prompting
me
to
move
to
Philly
for
the
first
time,
almost
13
years
ago
now,
but
by
winter
break
of
my
sophomore
year,
I'd
stopped
attending
classes
and
subsequently
dropped
out
in
poor
academic
standing.
Due
to
my
own
lack
of
motivation
and
discipline.
J
This
led
me
altum
Utley,
to
join
the
army
where
I
spent
four
years
as
an
airborne
infantryman
spending
one
of
those
years
in
the
Allium
bar
province
of
Iraq,
when
I
was
honorably
discharged,
I
moved
back
to
Philly,
with
no
plan
outside
of
using
my
GI
Bill
to
go
to
Temple
University.
The
only
school
I
applied
to
and
due
to
my
grades
in
LaSalle
I
was
of
course
rejected.
Temple's
only
advice
was
maybe
try
to
improve
my
grades
at
Community
College
and
then
reapply
up
to
that
point.
J
I'd,
never
even
heard
of
CCP,
but
prompted
by
temple
I
enrolled
in
the
fall
semester
of
2012
I,
told
some
friends
about
my
plans,
who
only
laughs
am
NOT
CCP
that
plays
socks
with
that
is
my
only
review.
I
was
understandably
apprehensive,
but
I
attended
anyway
only
to
find
out
that
CCP
was
an
unbelievable
school
catering
to
a
broad
and
diverse
student
body.
I
studied
a
foreign
language
for
the
first
time.
J
I
ran
track
and
played
baseball
I
studied
abroad,
I
thrived
at
CCP
and
made
Dean's
List
I
reapplied
to
Temple
and
was
accepted
with
academic
scholarship
to
boot.
Ccp
was
a
second
chance
for
me,
an
opportunity
at
redemption
after
having
squandered
school
the
first
time
but
I
was
lucky.
I
was
fortunate
enough
to
grow
up
in
a
financially
stable
community,
where
the
public
schools
were
well
funded
and
academically
challenging
and
with
all
the
resources
in
my
corner,
I
still
somehow
found
a
way
to
mess
it
up.
J
You
can
imagine
how
much
more
difficult
it
would
be
growing
up
in
a
different
set
of
circumstances.
My
class
is
at
CCP
exposed
me
to
the
level
of
educational
privilege.
I
have
been
lucky
to
grow
up
in
many
of
the
students
were
often
ill-prepared
and
struggling
to
keep
up
with
the
coursework,
sometimes
to
the
level
of
frustration
and
even
anger.
Even
when
it
was
clear
that
they
were
intelligent
people,
many
of
them
were
responsible
for
taking
care
of
their
families
or
working
full-time,
while
also
attending
classes
due
to
no
shortage
of
will
or
intelligence.
J
Many
were
simply
failing
to
keep
up
with
their
course
load,
and
it
was
the
faculty
that
picked
up
the
slack
making
time
outside
of
class
to
teach
mentor
and
otherwise
hold
themselves
accountable
to
the
education
of
their
students.
But,
of
course
that
takes
a
toll
on
the
faculty.
Having
been
in
a
few
different
schools
now,
I
can
say
that
the
commitment
this
faculty
shows
to
its
students
is
nothing
short
of
extraordinary,
but
also
necessary.
J
Due
to
the
incredible
financial
and
educational
inequalities
of
the
city
faces
that
CCP
track
record
I
mentioned
before
was
only
a
stepping
stone
for
me.
I
never
stopped
racing
and
recently
became
the
fastest
person
in
the
world
to
walk
the
full
length
of
South
America
7,000
miles
across
the
Andes.
This
feat
is
the
direct
result.
I.
J
Can
honestly
say
this
feat
was
the
direct
result
of
my
time
at
CCP,
where
I
took
my
first
ever
Spanish
classes
at
25,
literally
starting
out
as
basic
as
the
alphabet.
My
professor
in
this
class
strongly
encouraged
me
to
participate
in
CCP
study
abroad
program
which,
in
2013
traveled
to
Peru
I,
had
never
even
considered
doing
such
a
thing.
It
was
in
fact,
the
first
time
I'd
ever
even
been
outside
the
country.
J
If
you
don't
count
Iraq
and
it
was
there
where
I
conceived
this
dream
to
cross
the
continent
on
foot,
so
the
future
of
CCP
seems
personal
to
me
because
it
helped
solidify
my
own
future.
This
city
not
only
needs
but
deserves
a
robust,
thriving
community
college
that
we
can
be
proud
of,
not
one
that
carries
the
unfortunate
stigma
that
it
does
for
those
like
me
who
need
a
second
chance,
and
especially
for
those,
never
got
the
first
chance
they
deserved.
Thank
you
thank.
D
D
Like
this
I,
don't
like
to
see
past
by
Woody,
Allen
said
that
80%
of
life
is
about
showing
up.
I
want
to
thank
the
three
of
you
for
showing
up
your
personal
testimonies
were
heartfelt
and
to
your
last
statement
stated
very
eloquently
reread
that
for
me,
the
last
gentleman
has
spoke.
Yes
with
regards
to
folks
wanting
and
needing
I.
D
B
A
You
very
much
if
everyone
would
please
have
a
seat
I'm,
just
gonna.
Let
everyone
know
everyone
that
we
do
have
public
comment.
There's
12
people
signed
up
so
we're
starting
to
face
the
clock.
I'm
not
trying
to
shorten
your
testimony,
but
please
you
know
just
keep
in
mind.
We
have
a
lot
of
folks
to
get
through
all
right.
Thank
you
very
much.
Would
you
please
state
your
name
for
the
record
and
start
with
your
testimony.
Hi.
K
K
One
thing
she
told
me
was
you
don't
take
loans,
go
into
CCP,
you
get
grants
and
you
work
to
pay
the
rest
and
you
leave
debt-free
and
she
told
me
that
you
go
to
undergrad
and
you
leave
debt-free.
So
with
that
I
want
to
talk
about
our
students
and
their
great
needs
inside
and
outside
of
the
classroom.
I
was
a
student
with
great
needs
inside
and
outside
of
the
classroom.
K
Unfortunately,
our
students
are
faced
with
inequitable
learning
environment
at
CCP
to
faculty,
and
staff
continuously
advocate
for
changes
that
improve
learning
conditions
for
our
students,
and
one
of
those
changes
needs
to
be
reduced.
Class
sizes,
CCP's
college
math
classes
have
a
class
maximum
of
36
students,
I
teach
College,
Algebra
and
my
classes
are
full
at
the
start
of
the
semester,
meaning
36
students
4.
However,
this
same
class
at
Monaco
has
a
max
of
only
28
students
and
bucks,
a
max
of
only
27,
ironically
Macomb
Bucks,
our
suburban
community
colleges
with
less
students
and
poverty.
K
K
Our
instructors
do
our
best
to
reach
all
students,
but
it's
just
not
possible
with
class
size
at
large.
This
disparity
exists
in
developmental
courses.
Developmental
courses
are
not
college-level
courses
in
general.
These
courses
have
lower
class
limits
than
college-level
courses,
as
ccp
developmental
English
is
capped
at
20
students.
However,
at
Monaco
it
is
16
students
and
at
bucks
it
is
15
when
comparing
classes
and
other
disciplines
at
CCP.
The
story
is
the
same.
We
are
stuffing
more
students
per
class
to
the
detriment
of
all
students.
K
Educational
quality
at
CCP
suffers,
and
this
is
not
fair
to
the
students
at
CCP.
We
need
class
sizes
at
CCP
lower
and
that
takes
money.
The
instructors
at
CCP
understand
that
the
students
are
diverse
in
their
academic
readiness.
They
maintain
part-time
and
full-time
jobs,
just
as
my
grandmother
did
sometimes
multiple
jobs
care
for
their
children
all
while
attending
school.
We
aim
to
know
our
students
and
work
with
their
individual
needs.
This
funding
crisis
makes
it
impossible
to
meet
our
students
where
they
are.
K
A
L
I
actually
came
to
the
College,
not
from
academia,
but
from
industry.
I
had
worked
as
a
biomedical
equipment,
technician,
repairing
medical
equipment
at
hospitals
such
as
Einstein,
Medical,
Center,
Children's,
Hospital
of
Philadelphia
and
Jefferson
University
Hospital,
and
though
I
enjoyed
my
work
at
in
the
hospitals
and
could
have
certainly
been
very
happy
continuing
in
the
field
when
I
had
the
opportunity
to
teach
at
CCP,
I
decided
to
take
a
small
cut
in
my
and
benefits
to
see
if
I
like
teaching,
I
guess,
I
did
because
that
was
28
years
ago.
L
Most
of
my
career
at
CCP
has
been
involved
with
workforce
workforce
development
programs,
specifically
in
technical
areas.
Over
the
years,
I've
met
with
representatives
of
a
wide
range
of
industries,
including
oil
refineries,
not
oil,
refining,
nanotechnology,
biotechnology
and
biomedical
equipment,
technology
and
solar
energy.
To
name
a
few
and
I've
learned
some
important
lessons
along
the
way.
I'm,
not
particularly
a
fan
of
technical
training
when
you
to
provide
technical
education,
education
B
goes
beyond
just
how
to
training
that
gives
students
skills
that
may
be
useful
today,
but
may
become
obsolete
in
in
a
few
years.
L
Industry
representatives
have
consistently
said
that
they
want
students
who
have
the
ability
to
really
understand
not
just
what
they're
doing,
but
why
they're
doing
it
so
they
can
problem-solve
troubleshoot.
They
need
to
develop
those
critical
thinking,
skills.
They
need
to
be
able
to
grow
and
evolve
as
the
technology
evolves.
L
They
want
employees
who
know
how
to
work
as
part
of
a
team
and
understand
their
responsibilities
as
employees,
but
also
we're
not
just
doing
this
for
our
industry
partners.
Our
real
commitment
is
to
our
students
and
we
need
to
make
sure
that
they
have
access
not
just
for
a
job
for
today,
but
for
a
career.
That's
going
to
be
sustainable.
L
One
program
that
I've
been
very
involved
with
developing
is
in
biomedical
equipment
technology
and
we've
been
very
successful
in
getting
students
placed
in
in
jobs.
We
have
a
program
where,
after
a
one-year
certificate,
students
are
eligible
to
to
work
and
about
50%
at
that
at
that
one-year
mark
do
go
into
work
about
70%
of
the
students
in
the
program
continue
on
to
year
and
the
associate's
degree
starting
pay
for
these
students
ranges.
L
My
typical
work
week
is
about
45
to
50
hours.
Long
I've
heard
mentioned
that
you
know
that
faculty
are
only
in
the
classroom
for
12
hours
a
week,
but
that
leaves
out
the
hours
we
spend
preparing
grading
and
supporting
students,
in
my
case,
developing
and
developing
lab
experiences,
grading
lab
reports
and
helping
students
not
only
with
course
content,
but
with
study
skills
and
personal
challenges
in
our
current
contract
negotiations.
You
may
be
aware
that
our
administration
says
that,
for
financial
reasons
they
have
to
increase
the
workload
of
new
faculty
by
25%.
L
L
The
opportunities
that
are
presented
by
that
are
made
available
by
CCP
provide
not
only
a
way
to
enter
sustainable
careers.
It's
not
just
a
pathway
out
of
poverty,
but
it's
a
pathway,
that's
paved
in
hope
and
I
and
I
see
and
as
I
talk
about
this
I
see
the
faces
of
students
who
I've
talked
to
over
the
years
who
face
challenges
of
drugs,
past
incarceration
physical
and
mental
health
issues.
These
are
not
abstract.
L
These
are
very
real,
concrete,
concrete
issues
for
this
pathway
to
grow
and
remain
robust
faculty
needs
the
time
to
provide
support
to
students,
to
keep
current
and
changing
with
changing
technology
and
to
keep
both
existing
programs
up-to-date
and
to
develop
new
programs
as
new
technologies
and
employment
opportunities
arise.
I
know
I'm,
not
unique
in
working
working
45
to
50
hours
a
week.
Most
of
my
colleagues
have
similar
work
weeks.
L
M
A
A
M
I
think
I'll
be
fine.
Thank
you.
Hey
thanks
for
taking
this
up
today,
councilman,
oh,
and
thank
you.
Everyone
who
came
out
today
so,
according
to
the
Center
on
Budget
and
Policy
Priorities
per
student
funding
in
Pennsylvania,
is
today
33
percent
below
the
levels
that
it
was
at
in
2008,
only
five
states
have
enacted
deeper
cuts.
20
years
ago
the
state
provided
1/3
of
the
revenue
for
ccp's
operating
budget,
and
today
its
supply
is
less
than
a
quarter.
This
year.
If
the
state
met
its
1/3
obligation,
it
would
have
supported
the
education
of
the
citizenry.
M
M
It's
been
over
thirty
five
years
since
1983,
when
dr.
Jay
last
led
the
sixers
to
the
NBA
championship.
My
students
don't
even
know
who
he
is.
It's
been
so
long
since
the
city
met
it's
33
percent
obligation,
and
so
this
year
the
city's
18
million
dollars
short
and
that's
another
18
million
dollar
bill
for
our
students.
So
when
you
combine
the
12.5
million
dollar
tab
that
the
state
failed
to
pick
up
with
with
the
18
million,
our
students
are
looking
at
a
30
point.
Five
million
dollar
bill
this
year
alone.
M
If
you
start
building
adding
these
bills
up,
you
quickly
find
yourself
in
to
make
midnight
figures.
Councilman
o
stated
over
the
last
20
years.
It's
three
hundred
twenty
six
point:
three
million
dollars
I
think
pushing
this
burden
onto
our
students,
the
majority
of
whom
are
low
income
and
from
storica
Lee.
Underserved
backgrounds
is
far
more
than
they
should
have
to
bear.
M
So
how
do
they
pay
the
additional
thirty
point:
five
million.
On
top
of
their
forty
three
point,
five
million
obligation.
It
surprises
people
to
learn
that
at
CCP,
forty
four
percent
of
our
students
are
taking
out
student
loans.
This
is
the
dark
underbelly
of
underfunding.
Pennsylvania
ranks
51st
in
average
student
debt.
How
fifty
first
because
we're
even
behind
the
District
of
Columbia,
the
land
of
expensive
degrees
and
elite
education.
M
Last
year
we
enrolled
twenty
four
thousand
students
in
credit
courses.
Over
ten
thousand
of
those
students
took
out
loans
to
pay
for
their
education
and
each
year
out
of
that,
ten
thousand
nineteen
percent
nineteen
hundred
students
are
going
to
eventually
find
themselves
in
default
to
put
that
number
into
context,
1900s
also
the
number
of
students
that
graduate
from
the
college
each
year.
M
It's
my
sincere
hope
that
one
day
I
can
return
here
after
we're
fully
funded
and
report
to
that
we
have
zero
defaulters
and
3,800
graduates
on
top
of
placing
an
undue
financial
burden
on
our
students.
The
second
problem,
which
some
of
my
colleagues
and
the
students
who
testified
have
have
spoken
to
is
that
underfunding
hurts
educational
quality
so
so
right
now
the
administration
is
proposing
that
full-time
faculty
teach
more
students
each
semester
than
professors
at
area,
other
area,
community
colleges,
and
they
claim
that
this
is
a
national
standard.
It's
not
it's
a
national
scandal.
M
M
So
let
me
give
you
a
concrete
example:
I'm,
an
English
professor,
if
I
teach
a
temple,
I'm
responsible
for
the
edge
of
69
students,
a
semester
if
I
teach
at
Bucks
its
80
Drexel,
82,
Mont,
Co
95
right
now
at
CCP,
I
teach
96
students
a
semester,
but
the
administration
is
proposing
that
I
teach
120
students
a
semester,
so
notice
that
this
is
nearly
twice
as
many
students.
As
the
69,
a
professor
teaches
up
Broad
Street
at
Temple,
the
temple
students
gonna
get
nearly
twice
as
much
of
his
or
her
professors.
M
Time
as
I'm
able
to
give
one
of
my
students,
so
in
our
city,
26%
of
residence
and
37%
of
people
under
18,
live
in
poverty,
we
lagged
behind
other
big
cities
in
educational
achievement
in
the
15
largest
cities
in
America.
Forty
percent
of
residents
have
at
least
an
associate's
degree.
In
Philadelphia,
only
30
percent
of
residents
have
completed
at
least
an
associate's
degree.
M
According
to
a
recent
Pew
report
on
CCP,
if
we
were
able
to
increase
degree
attainment
in
the
city
by
one
percent,
just
just
get
to
31
percent
I'm,
not
even
talking
about
40,
we
would
increase
regional
income
by
4.4
billion
dollars
by
extension,
if
we
could
get
to
40
percent
the
nationwide
average,
we
would
boost
regional
income
by
44
billion
dollars,
so
investing
in
the
education
of
Philadelphians
would
return
an
unprecedented
windfall
of
revenue
to
the
city
and
it
would
restore
a
public
good.
That's
in
danger
of
being
lost.
M
The
students
you've
heard
from
today
are
exceptional,
they've
beaten
the
odds
at
CCP.
Our
students
come
disproportionately
from
the
poorest
ZIP
codes
in
the
city,
and
so
in
closing.
I
just
want
to
ask
you
to
consider
something
that
Hazim
Hardiman,
a
North,
Philly
product,
a
CCP
graduate
a
temple
graduate
and
now
a
Rhodes
Scholar
studying
at
the
University
of
Oxford
said
in
a
profiled
him
that
appeared
in
the
Philadelphia
Inquirer.
M
N
Yeah
hello,
my
name
is
Marissa
Johnson
Valenzuela
and
I'm,
a
assistant
I'm,
an
assistant
professor
in
the
English
department
at
CCP
and
similarly
to
Jamie
I'm
doing
double-duty.
He
was
an
accountant,
slash
money
numbers
guy
today
in
large
part
as
as
well
as
being
an
English.
Professor
and
I
am
I'm
here.
For
the
first
time
at
a
hearing
and
I'm
actually
asked
a
question,
a
review
are
people
supposed
to
be
here
so
so.
A
Let
me
tell
you
that
we
have
a
resolution
and
that
we
we
have
the
council
members
here,
there
doesn't
have
to
be
a
certain
number,
there's
usually
a
quorum.
Our
last
hearing
you
know
there
was
a
quorum.
What
what
is
happening,
however,
is
you
are
being
recorded
right
now,
both
by
a
scenographer
and
on
camera
and
you're
being
televised.
So
there
are
people
actually
who
watch
you
and
they
and-
and
we
do
preserve
the
video
testimony
and
from
your
testimony.
N
N
I
live
in
your
district,
so
I'm
glad
to
see
you
you're
doing
the
right
thing
here
and
thank
you,
councilmen,
oh,
but
I
I
was
surprised,
I
mean
I
was
trying
to
figure
out
what
was
going
on
and
in
preparing
for
this,
but
especially
in
an
election
year
I'm
like
wow,
you
know,
I,
think
one
thing
for
those
watching
at
home
or
in
their
offices
that
you
know
the
reason
so
many
people
came
today
and-
and
we
have
you
know,
students
who
we
got
to
come.
You
know
a
couple.
N
You
know
the
very
quick
turnaround
to
try
to
prepare
for
this
hearing
has
said
what
a
shame
it
is
that
we
even
have
to
do
this
right
and
I
know
I
feel
like
a
teacher
who's
talking
to
the
two
students
who
showed
up
about
attendance,
so
I
apologize
if
it
feels
like
a
lecture,
because
I
don't
mean
to
be
lecturing
you,
but
but
it's
definitely
a
thing.
That's
resonated
again
and
again
is
that
it's
it's
a
shame
that
we
even
need
to
be
here
and
that
we're
not
working
with
our
leaders
better.
N
So
we
are
here
to
fight
for
for
dignity,
for
our
students
you
know
and
for
ourselves,
and
that
is
the
thing
that
keeps
coming
up
again
and
again
and
I
again
will
just
want
to
thank
everybody
who
made
time
to
be
here
today
and
all
the
speakers.
You
know
Michael
Kidd,
former
student
of
mine,
totally
nervous,
not
sure
he
wanted
to
do
this,
but
I
knew
that
his
story
right.
N
Somebody
I
used
to
I'm
also
here,
as
somebody
who
used
to
do
social
work
in
this
city,
I
used
to
work
with
families
involved
with
DHS
and
then
I
also
used
to
work
with
teens
on
probation,
so
I
do
understand.
Poverty
I
think
in
a
unique
way,
having
been
into
so
many
homes
across
this
city
and
the
key
things
are
access
to
Education
Act,
to
access
to
dignified
labor,
right
and
access
to
self-worth
and
I.
Think
those
are
the
things
CCP
excels
at
right
and
that's
where
you
know
we're
reaching
across
the
aisle
here
councilman.
N
Oh,
you
know
on
agreement
on
those
things
and
so
I'm.
You
know
I
just
really
wanted
to
say
that
I
know
there
was
a
lot
of
people
speaking.
The
last
thing,
I
will
just
kind
of
note.
You
know
I
know
folks
have
said
it
is
that
is
I,
don't
understand
how
it
is
that
the
city
of
Philadelphia
last
paid
its
fair
share
in
1983.
You
were
only
two
years
old
I
was
five
right
and,
and
also
students
have
to
pay
back
their
student
loans.
You
just
talked
about
that
right.
N
N
A
A
If
we
don't
get
enough
votes
to
get
a
bill
out
or
something
that
the
administration
does,
there
is
no
money
for
Community
College,
so
that
part
will
also
fall
upon
all
of
you
to
ensure
that
of
the
many
many
things
that
people
want,
that,
if
you
believe,
as
I
do
and
Councilman
Blackwell,
that
funding
Community
College
has
got
to
be
one
of
our
top
priorities
in
this
city
that
that
of
all
the
things
we
could
fund
that
this
is
a
very
important
thing
to
do.
Then
we
can
get
it
done.
B
I
And
keep
it
short
since
we're
in
a
hurry
good
afternoon,
chairman
blackwell
chairman,
oh
and
members
of
the
committee's
on
Finance
and
global
opportunities
and
creative
innovative
economy.
Thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
testify
on
such
a
pressing
issue
for
working
philadelphians.
My
name
is
Devon
spear
and
I
am
the
executive
director
of
Philadelphia
jobs
with
justice.
We
are
a
coalition
of
labor
unions
and
community
organizations.
We
believe
in
long
term
multi-issue
coalition
building,
and
we
believe
that
by
engaging
a
broad
community
of
allies,
we
can
win
bigger
victories
for
working
families.
I
Together,
we
fight
for
the
fair
treatment
of
workers
in
Philadelphia.
For
decades,
the
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
has
been
the
only
affordable
pathway
to
higher
education
that
is
available
to
working
Philadelphians.
An
institution
like
CCP
is
an
incredibly
precious
resource,
especially
in
the
poorest
big
city
in
the
country.
However,
although
ccp
has
been
enormous
ly
successful
in
achieving
its
mission
in
many
ways,
the
city
of
Philadelphia
has
never
quite
delivered
on
its
financial
obligations.
As
we
have
discussed
this
year
alone,
CCP
is
owed
over
30
million.
I
Furthermore,
it's
unacceptable
that
the
CCP
administration
wants
to
close
that
gap
on
the
backs
of
students,
faculty
and
staff.
The
same
conditions
that
faculty
and
staff
are
working
in
are
the
conditions
that
students
are
learning
in
and
we
owe
the
entire
CCP
community
the
dignity
of
full
funding
and
fair
contracts
as
an
organization
that
fights
for
the
rights
of
working
people
in
this
city.
Our
membership
is
deeply
concerned
that
the
dual
threats
of
underfunding
and
austerity
at
CCP
will
cause
irreparable
harm
to
our
city.
I
O
The
Community
College
of
Philadelphia,
now
I've
been
teaching
a
temple
for
nearly
20
years,
and
one
thing
that
experience
has
taught
me
is
something
that
so
many
of
my
colleagues
also
know
that
many
of
our
most
dynamic
and
best
prepared
students
come
from
CCP.
They
remind
us
why
temples
mission
to
provide
access
to
higher
education
is
so
vital
that
much
has
rightly
been
made
lately
of
Hazim
Hardiman,
the
first
Rhodes
Scholar
from
CCP
and
temple,
but
he
is
only
one
of
countless
CCP
success
stories.
O
Just
last
year,
I
had
the
joy
of
having
excuse
me.
Just
last
year,
I
had
the
joy
of
having
a
CCP
alumna
in
a
British
Lit
course.
Her
name
is
autumn
long
and
she
is
one
of
the
strongest
students
I
have
seen
in
years
graduate
or
undergraduate,
and
when
I
asked
her
about
her
experience
in
CCP,
she
replied.
Nearly
all
of
my
professors
at
CCP
were
brilliant
people
and
excellent
teachers.
O
O
Ccp
gives
so
many
different
kinds
of
people
the
opportunity
to
become
strong
candidates
for
other
colleges,
for
jobs,
for
the
responsibilities
of
life
in
general,
and
this
isn't
by
chance.
It
is
because
the
professors
there
work
so
hard
despite
circumstances
which
are
largely
taken
for
granted
elsewhere
more
eloquently
than
I
could
autumn
makes
the
case
for
the
city
to
live
ups
to
its
responsibility
to
fund
CCP
properly,
and
while
we
at
tau
P
myunion
know,
we
have
an
ally
and
Mayor
Kenny.
O
In
so
many
ways
the
increase
in
his
proposed
budget
comes
nowhere
near
to
the
additional
18
million
dollars
needed.
We
understand
that
the
city
has
many
urgent
needs
that
require
increased
funding,
but
CP
must
be,
as
councilman
ou
stated
at
the
top
of
that
list.
Yes,
it
prepares
students
for
the
workforce
and
that's
crucial,
but
more
than
that,
the
faculty
and
staff
there
helps
students
from
remarkably
diverse
backgrounds
to
think
and
write
and
create
more
broadly
and
deeply.
Their
time
gives
them
a
stronger
sense
of
themselves.
O
It
elevates
their
dignity
in
a
world
that
all
too
often
does
not
value
them
as
they
should
be.
It
gives
them
a
way
to
imagine
brighter
futures
for
themselves
and
for
our
city.
It
is
astounding
really
how
much
the
hard-working
faculty
staff
and
students
at
CCP
accomplish,
with
the
meager
resources
provided
to
them
by
the
state
in
the
city
as
part
of
a
larger,
catastrophic
disinvestment
in
public
education.
But
as
the
current
labor
dispute
at
CCP
reveals,
there
is
only
so
much
they
can
do
without
proper
funding
and
only
so
long.
O
Properly
funding
CCP,
along
with
a
mandate
that
the
bulk
of
that
funding
go
toward
its
core
mission
of
educating
students
would
go
a
long
way
toward
resolving
this
crisis
and
avoiding
similar
ones
in
the
future,
and
closing
investing
more
in
CCP
is
a
prudent
investment.
It
is
a
moral
investment.
It
is
a
necessary
investment.
Please
make
that
investment.
Thank
you
for
your
time.
Thank
you.
A
P
Foreign
benefits
of
quality
and
affordable
public
higher
education
for
philadelphians
through
the
Community
College
of
Philadelphia,
the
Philadelphia
District
Attorney's
Office
supports
the
Community
College
of
Philadelphia,
because
it
is
the
most
affordable
public,
higher
education
option
for
Philadelphia
residents
and
because
the
college
plays
a
pivotal
role
in
shaping
and
improving
the
lives
of
the
many
young
adults
who
enroll
the
District.
Attorney's
Office
also
supports
CCP,
because
public
higher
education
in
many
ways
acts
as
an
unsung
law
enforcement
partner,
serving
both
our
preventative
and
rehabilitative
function
to
the
juvenile
and
criminal
justice
systems.
P
My
name
is
ebony
wertham,
as
I
stated
and
I'm
the
supervisor
of
the
juvenile
unit
at
the
DA's
office.
In
this
capacity,
I
work
with
many
juvenile
justice
stakeholders
to
ensure
community
protection,
victim
restoration
and
juvenile
offender,
accountability
and
rehabilitation.
Of
the
many
supports
the
juvenile
justice
system
may
afford
a
young
person.
Arguably,
none
are
greater
than
identifying
and
eliminating
barriers
to
increased
educational
attainment
and
the
enhanced
life
chances
that
it
provides.
P
Increasing
the
number
of
young
adults
who
complete
high
school
and
obtain
a
post-secondary
degree
has
tremendous
benefits
to
the
individual,
their
communities
and
the
well-being
and
safety
of
our
beloved
City.
Higher
educational
attainment
is
good
for
young
adults
overall
sense
of
self,
which
can
serve
as
a
crime
deterrent.
P
Educational
attainment
has
also
been
leaked
linked
to
the
development
of
patience
and
risk
aversion,
which
reduces
the
likelihood
of
deviant
and
criminal
behavior.
Moreover,
increased
educational
attainment
also
ensures
a
young
person
remains
connected
to
structured
and
rigorous
classroom
settings
beyond
high
school.
Such
settings
provide
a
safe
place
in
a
positive
peer
culture
for
young
adults
to
flourish,
and,
while
the
rigor
of
the
classroom
helps
the
young
adults
to
develop
the
critical
thinking,
skills
necessary
to
combat
the
pull
of
the
street
and
the
educational
apathy
that
plagued
so
many
poor
communities
of
color.
P
Furthermore,
public
higher
education
can
lead
to
competitive
wages,
access
to
better
job
opportunities
and
a
prosperous
job
market,
thus
breaking
the
cycle
of
intergenerational
poverty.
For
so
many.
Moreover,
the
achievement
of
a
good
job
and
a
social
status
has
a
deterrent
effect
for
many
young
adults,
leading
them
to
intentionally
avoid
the
stigma
of
a
criminal
conviction.
P
Conversely,
lower
educational
attainment
is
marked
by
increased
arrests,
high
violent
crime
rates,
recidivism
mass
incarceration
and
huge
social
service
costs
related
to
the
collateral
consequences
of
justice
system
involvement,
which
disproportionately
impacts
poor
communities
of
color,
while
the
financial
costs
associated
with
crime
are
staggering,
we
cannot
begin
to
put
a
price
tag
on
the
emotional,
physical
and
psychological
toll
that
crime
takes
on
an
individual,
their
community
and
Philadelphia
as
a
whole.
Yet
these
unmeasurable
costs
that
many
mothers,
fathers,
sons,
daughters,
brothers,
sisters,
police
officers,
politicians,
neighborhoods,
community
organizers
and
praying
grandmothers
know
all
too
well.
P
However,
I
think
we
all
know
that
we
cannot
incarcerate
our
way
to
a
safer
and
more
prosperous
Philadelphia.
The
District
Attorney
of
Philadelphia
has
expressed
many
times,
and
it
bears
repeating
here
that
we
cannot
arrest
our
way
out
of
crime
and
delinquency
rather
da
krasna,
believe
that
we
must
invest
in
education.
Not
incarceration.
His
drum
beat
is
more
than
a
notion.
It
is
well
settled
that
there
is
a
correlation
between
between
educational
attainment
and
criminality.
P
In
fact,
the
Justice
Policy
Institute
reports
that
in
jurisdictions
where
high
school
graduation
rates
are
high,
there
are
positive
public
safety
outcomes
and
jurisdictions
where
large
financial
investments
are
made
into
higher
education.
There
are
better
public
safety
outcomes.
Additionally,
in
jurisdictions
where
there
is
higher
education,
entertainment
there
are
lower
crime
rates.
Lastly,
it
is
important
to
note
that
while
young
people
will
avoid
juvenile
justice
system
involvement
and
go
on
to
obtain
higher
education
and
safely
transition
into
adulthood
without
criminal
justice
system
involvement,
many
will
not
be
so
fortunate
for
those
youth
and
young
adults.
P
We
want
to
ensure
that
there
are
also
afforded
an
opportunity
to
better
themselves
for
many
break
the
chains
of
intergenerational
poverty
over
their
families
and
go
on
to
leave
fuller
and
more
productive
adult
lives.
The
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
is
a
critical
partner
in
that
quest,
allowing
open
access
to
everyone,
flexible
class
offerings
and
supportive
staff.
P
A
fully
funded
CCP
would
also
allow
for
the
development
of
programs
that
specifically
address
the
challenges
that
system
involved
and
formerly
incarcerated
persons
face,
and
it
is
imperative
that
this
governing
body
enabled
the
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
to
do
so.
For
the
foregoing
reasons,
the
District
Attorney
of
Philadelphia
strongly
supports
the
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
and
urges
this
body
to
ensure
that
it
remains
a
viable
educational
option
for
all
Philadelphians
for
generations
to
come.
A
Thank
you
very
much
that
completes
our
panel
of
a
testimony.
We
have
written
testimony
submitted
by
Jeffrey
s,
Markovitz
English,
professor
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
and
Felicia
Hurwitz
Edmond.
Consulting
at
this
time,
I'll
ask
the
clerk
to
start
calling
those
persons
who
have
signed
up
for
public
comment.
I
will
ask
each
person
at
public
comment,
because
there
are
many
people
who
would
like
to
testify
to
try
to
please
keep
it
to
about
four
minutes.
Thank
you.
Clerk
Pamela.
A
Q
Q
My
husband
is
a
professor
in
the
music
department
at
Community,
College
and
I
have
observed
and
been
very
cognizant
of
the
work
he
has
done
over
the
years
and
he
is
extremely
hardworking,
dedicated
to
his
students
and,
unfortunately
has
to
consistently
work
overtime
so
that
we
can
make
ends
meet,
and
this
isn't
one
regard
in
which
fair
funding
from
all
parties
involved
with
the
college
would
be
an
enormous
help
to
us.
And
second,
as
a
student,
the
first
time
I
took
a
course
at
Community.
Q
College
was
in
1978
due
to
some
extreme
stress,
with
my
parents.
I
had
a
disastrous.
Last
year
at
Temple,
University
I
had
to
later
pick
up
the
pieces
of
my
degree.
I
took
an
English
course
at
Community
College,
which
brought
back
all
my
confidence
and
helped
me
along
on
really
being
able
to
think
and
write
again,
and
it
made
an
enormous
difference
and
from
being
somebody
who
wouldn't
have
been
able
to
get
into
any
other
colleges.
I
was
able,
then,
to
get
a
master's
degree
at
the
University
of
Pennsylvania
in
recent
years.
Q
Thanks
to
the
earth
tuition
benefit,
I
have
taken
some
other
courses.
A
community
college,
including
some
courses
in
Spanish
and
I,
can
confidently
tell
you
having
taken
language
courses
at
any
number
of
colleges,
that
I
would
stack
up
the
instructors
I
had
there
against
anybody.
I
had
a
temple
anybody
I
had
had
at
Penn.
Q
They
were
extremely
dedicated
and
helpful
and
in
the
course
of
that,
I
would
also
take
opportunities
to
help
other
students
in
my
classes
and
I
once
spent
a
considerable
amount
of
time.
Tutoring,
a
young
woman
who
had
suddenly
found
herself
homeless
when
her
aunt,
with
whom
she
was
living,
lost
her
house
and
seeing
the
struggle
she
went
through
I,
could
tell
you
what
there
needs
to
be
fair
funding
for
CCP,
because
the
students
have
enormous
needs
and
need
great
numbers
of
supports,
and
that's
what
I
have
to
say.
Thank
you.
Thank.
R
R
Couldn't
ask
my
parents
for
money
and
putting
myself
in
debt
like
many
of
my
generation
was
not
an
option
this
professor,
so
it's
showed
so
much
passion
for
the
school
and
for
the
work
that
was
being
done
there
at
the
school
that
I
realized
that
I
had
to
take
another
chance
to
go
to
school.
That
professor
told
me
that
CCP
would
be
there
to
help
and
three
years
later,
I'm
four
classes
away
from
graduating
I'm
a
student
ambassador
for
the
school
one
of
15
out
of
our
student
body.
R
That
first
conversation
was
only
the
first
time
that
I
had
a
professor
help
me
there
at
the
school
outside
of
their
school
class
hours.
Two
years
ago,
I
was
also
diagnosed
with
cancer.
Every
day
I
would
get
emails,
I
would
get
calls
I
would
get
texts
from
my
professors
checking
in
on
me.
This
was
on
their
own
time.
This
was
outside
of
their
12
hours
of
teaching.
R
This
was
outside
of
their
office
hours
outside
of
grading
labs
and
greeting
papers
and
helping
any
student
who
may
come
to
help
or
the
clubs
that
they
decide
they
want
to
help
with
also
out
of
their
goodness
of
their
own
heart.
I
had
a
professor
who
took
their
time
check-in
with
me,
and
it's
that
professor
who's
kept
me
in
that
school.
This
long.
R
It
is
that
hope
that
has
gotten
me
this
far
12
hours
is
nowhere
close
to
how
many
hours
the
CCP
professors
put
into
their
students
I
am
also
now
a
full
scholarship
student
with
over
seven
thousand
dollars
in
scholarships.
This
year
alone,
not
a
single
one
could
have
been
achieved
without
the
time
and
letters
that
my
professors
have
given
me
out
of
their
own
time.
I
support
my
CCP
professors
because
they
have
supported
me.
They
have
continued
to
only
show
support
and
want
for
my
success
less
time
for
students
is
not
the
answer.
R
This
is
how
we
hurt
the
students,
students
who
may
have
never
had
anyone
else
believe
in
them.
Philadelphia
is
a
unique
city
with
unique
needs,
and
we
need
that
need
to
be
met,
not
to
bury
it
and
not
to
make
those
professors
who
have
made
CCP.
What
it
is
today
have
to
put
more
stress
on
their
own
lives
if
I
could
and
I
would
I
would
get
every
single
one
of
them
a
gold
star
and
an
a-plus.
Thank
you.
Alright,.
A
P
A
R
You
councilman
arrow,
hello,
Councilwoman,
Blackwell
and
bass.
My
name
is
sherry
Cohen
and
I'm.
A
candidate
for
City,
Council,
at-large
I
stand
in
solidarity
with
this
students,
the
staff
and
the
faculty
of
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
and
with
their
union
the
faculty
and
staff
Federation
of
CCP
I
support
the
demand
that
the
city
and
state
meet
their
legal
obligation
to
equally
fund
CCP,
along
with
a
student
body,
because
the
city
is
only
providing
19%
of
CCP's
operating
budget
currently
and
the
state
is
only
providing
24%.
R
The
financial
burden
has
been
placed
on
students
who
now
provide
55%
of
the
school's
budget
through
their
tuition
and
fees.
Ccp
has
almost
30,000
students,
75%
are
students
of
color
and
over
50%
self-identify
as
black.
The
budget
of
ccp
must
not
be
carried
on
the
backs
of
its
students.
This
amounts
to
a
backdoor
privatization
of
public
education.
In
fact,
it
totals
an
underfunding
by
the
city
in
this
academic
year
alone
of
over
18
million
dollars.
R
I
also
stand
with
the
faculty
and
staff
Federation
of
CCP
in
their
contract
demands
and
their
fight
for
three
fair
contracts.
I
support
the
preservation
of
their
current
workload.
Decent
salary
raises
to
ensure
a
living
wage,
no
increase
to
their
healthcare
costs,
maintenance
of
part-time
faculty
jobs
and
no
gutting
of
faculty
and
staff
governance.
R
Pennsylvania
ranks
47th
out
of
50
states
in
higher
education
spending,
and
we
are
the
state
with
the
highest
level
of
student
loan.
Debt
44%
of
CCP
students
take
out
loans.
The
only
way
for
Philadelphia
to
no
longer
be
the
poorest
big
city
in
the
nation
is
for
us
to
value
education
and
ensure
affordable
access
to
higher
education.
R
A
C
Name
is
Eric
Jenkins
and
I'm.
A
member
of
socialist
alternative,
and
first
thing
like
to
say
is
we
stand
in
complete
solidarity
with
the
CCP
professors
and
students
all
ready
to
fight
for
the
education
that
working-class
people
deserve.
We
have
a
right
to
high
quality
public
education.
Early
child
care
to
college,
as
CCP
provides
a
vital
opportunity
for
Philadelphia's
to
access
that
right.
However,
the
decades
of
budget
cuts,
the
underfunding
have
created
a
chronic
financial
crisis
for
both
the
Philadelphia
public
schools
and
for
CCP
44%
of
CCP
students
apart
student
loans,
I
should
know
firmly.
C
I
was
one
of
them.
50
percent
to
fall.
The
city
hasn't
fulfilled
its
obligation
to
covering
one-third
of
CCPs
operating
costs
since
1983,
making
students
teachers,
whose
students
shoulder
the
burdens
of
the
city's
negligence.
The
administration
is
now
proposing
a
hundred
twenty
students.
Professor
vast
amounts
of
current
support
staff
make
only
$12
an
hour
on
a
livable
wage.
C
Despite
this,
the
administration
is
focusing
on
attacking
the
wages,
benefits
and
working
conditions
of
teachers
and
staff.
The
administration
should
be
focused
on
solving
the
real
problems
of
CCP,
such
as
lowering
class
sizes,
improving
the
quality
of
education
with
more
support
staff,
not
less.
The
city
has
the
money
to
do
this,
but
instead
is
given
to
rich
real
estate
developers
who
are
building
tax,
abated
luxury
housing
in
pushing
working-class
families
out
of
neighborhoods.
They
live
for
generations.
C
Corporations
like
Comcast
and
Verizon
pay
little
to
no
taxes,
while
making
mass
amounts
of
profits
instead
of
more
cuts
to
demand
and
focus
of
new
revenue
that
taxes,
the
corporations
and
developers
the
CCP
administration
and,
unfortunately,
some
on
the
City
Council
make
excuses.
Hopefully
not
the
one
stop
present
here.
They'll
talk
about
the
limitations,
they'll
plea
to
be
pragmatic
and
for
patience,
but
we
know
what
tool
stops
the
excuses
and
a
way
to
secure
that
vote
in
City
Council
and
ask
two
strikes
and
rallies.
C
The
recent
teacher
strikes
across
the
country,
such
as
West,
Virginia
and
Oakland,
shoulder
all
the
way
to
win
mobilizes
working-class
communities
into
the
streets.
Filling
unions
need
to
stand
with
CCP
professors
and
rebuild
fighting
labor
movement
sit
sit
on
demands
that
uplift,
the
worker,
both
in
and
out
of
the
workplaces
as
Medicare
for
all
a
four
of
our
housing
free
college
and
in
a
mass
incarceration.
C
If
you
want
an
example,
look
at
Bernie's
platform,
finally,
as
a
socialist
I
believe
in
fighting
for
reforms,
but
also
believe
that
the
situation
we're
in
is
really
deeply
rooted,
an
economic
system
that
we
live
in
under
capitalism,
it's
time
to
revitalize
a
fighting,
labor
movement
and
a
massive
in-class
party,
that's
fights
for
a
far-reaching
socialist
transformation
of
society,
I'd
like
to
end
by
saying
I,
support,
support,
CCB
faculty,
a
staff
and
their
fight
for
fair
contract,
no
more
custom
of
education,
fully
funds
CCP.
Now.
Thank
you.
For
your
time.
C
R
My
name
is
Camila
zucchini
I
am
a
former
student
of
CCP
I
will
enroll
in
at
the
college
of
education
at
Temple
University
without
having
gone
to
CCP
I,
wouldn't
be
able
to
do
that.
My
associates
degree
has
allowed
me
to
further
my
career
and
get
my
family
out
of
poverty.
So
that's
I'm,
very
thankful
to
what
I
was
able
to
achieve
through.
R
Was
through
hardship
not
only
for
myself
and
my
family,
but
through
teachers
not
being
paid
enough
so
right
now,
I
work,
retail
and
I
make
on
average
more
than
a
CCP
part-time
educator.
So
what
do
we
want?
What
do
we
want
to
have
and
in
our
education
we
need
to
compensate
them
for
their
time
and
their
efforts
in
order
to
take
more
people
out
of
poverty.
Like
me,
and
my
family.
A
H
H
One
of
the
things
that
we
focus
on
is
helping
our
students
to
work
through
and
remove
barriers
for
them
to
be
able
to
academically
achieve
the
things
that
they
want
to
achieve,
and
so
I
cannot
stress
enough
how
how
important
it
is
that
the
city
of
Philadelphia
fulfill
its
commitment
to
community
college
and
fully
fund
the
college,
because
and
I
want
to
tell
you
my
story
because
I
think
it
kind
of
illustrates
where
so
many
of
our
students
come
from.
I
am
an
afro
latina.
H
Woman
I
was
born
in
the
Dominican
Republic
I
came
to
the
state's
when
I
was
12
years.
Old
I
went
to
public
schools,
I
went
to
Community
College
knocked
me
unconscious
of
her,
but
I
went
to
a
community
college
and
graduated
with
no
debt
after
graduating,
I
was
able
to
move
to
the
state
of
Pennsylvania
and
I
was
making
twice
the
minimum
wage
at
that
time
as
a
college
student,
because
I
had
an
associates
degree,
and
that
put
me
through
my
undergraduate.
H
You
know
my
second
two
years
of
college
now
when
I
look
at
the
amount
of
debt
that
many
of
our
students
are
getting
in
and
that
is
not
sufficient
to
for
them
to
still
be
able
to
live
and
go
to
school
and
do
all
the
things
that
they
have
to
do.
It
really
saddens
me
because
I
understand
that
my
community
prepared
me,
you
know
to
move
forward
with
my
life
and
really
gave
me
a
great
opportunity.
I
sit
in
front
of
you
as
a
36
year
old,
with
two
masters
degrees.
I
would
not
be
Who.
H
I
am
today
if
it
wasn't
because
of
our
Community
College.
We
are
that
place
that
gives
people
who
are
minorities,
who
might
be
immigrants
who
might
not
have
the
opportunity
to
go.
You
know
to
four-year
institutions
to
pay,
for
you
know,
room
and
board
at
a
four-year
institution.
We
give
them
the
opportunity
to
take
their
families
out
of
poverty.
H
O
My
name
is
Damaris
Lucas
and
I'm.
Alumnus
of
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
growing
up
as
a
free
generation.
Immigrant
coming
from
Lithuania
I
graduated
high
school
and
I
ended
up
getting
it
to
the
point
where
I
applied
for
every
college
and
it
turn
out
to
be
that
their
tuition
was
not
affordable
because
of
my
immigration
status.
I
cannot
account
alone,
so
that'll
come
I,
ended
up
being
in
a
community
college
and
going
there.
I
was
very
impressed
about
the
experience
they
provided
me
that
it
was
excellent
staff.
Everyone
always
looked
out
for
each
other.
O
All
of
the
hard
work
that
everyone
had
put
into
me
and
quality
education
and
all
the
transfers
credits
from
Community
College
I,
probably
would
not
be
here
today,
also
graduating
from
Temple
University
in
May,
and
thank
I
gotta
thank
to
all
of
the
staff
and
all
the
students
who
later
on,
became
very,
very
big
assets
when
it
came
to
my
networking
and
achieving
where
I
am
today.
Thank
you.
Alright,.
A
S
Afternoon
my
name
is
Jason
esters
I'm,
a
assistant
professor
in
the
Department
of
English,
at
Community
College
of
Philadelphia,
and
one
of
the
things
that
I
want
to
bring
up
today
is
that
on
Philadelphia
has
an
obligation
to
not
just
CCP
students,
but
also
to
itself
to
meet
the
level
of
commitment
and
investment.
That's
easy,
P
students
make
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia
and
not
just
financially,
and
let
me
explain
to
you
a
little
bit
what
I
mean
on
Thursday.
S
S
I
was
talking
to
the
person
who
did
my
nails
and
they
just
talked
about
taking
your
class
over
at
the
Northeast
campus
and
how
much
they
enjoyed
it
and
how
much
they
learned
and,
most
importantly,
that
they
really
felt
like
they
were
doing
really
well
in
the
next
class,
and
my
colleague
said:
I
asked
well
what
did
they
get
most
out
of
your
class
and
they
said
it
wasn't
just
the
class.
It
was
the
feeling
that
I
could
do
this
and
do
more.
S
The
interesting
thing
about
CCP
students
is
that
they
conquer
one
of
the
issues
that
a
lot
of
college
towns
and
a
lot
of
university
towns
face,
which
is
the
brain
drain,
their
most
talented
students
oftentimes
leave
the
immediate
area
where
they
get
their
education.
That's
not
so
with
CCP
students.
You
can
bet
your
bottom
dollar
that
CCP
students
they
stay
in
Philadelphia.
They
invest
their
time,
their
effort,
their
expertise
in
the
city
not
only
for
their
own
laws,
but
also
because
they
love
this
place.
S
S
The
city
of
Philadelphia
needs
to
be
part
of
that
process
too.
I
taught
a
class.
Last
night,
I
have
my
students
in
class.
We
were
talking
about
English,
stuff,
cuz
I'm,
an
English
professor
and,
as
we
got
to
the
end
of
the
class
I'm
asking,
does
anybody
have
any
final
questions
and
I
have
a
student
who
says
you
know
I,
don't
want
to
ask
you
about
the
class
stuff
I
get
the
class
now
I
want
to
ask
you
about
something
else
and
I
say
fine
and
she
says:
do
you
ever
feel
like
giving
up
and.
S
S
Even
though
the
days
get
hard
I
can
continue
to
move
forward.
Somebody
once
told
me
that
you
know
faith
moves
mountains,
sometimes
a
shovel
full
at
a
time,
and
that's
kind
of
the
percent
of
the
perspective
that
I
want
to
give
my
students
last
night.
Why
do
I
tell
this
story?
I
tell
this
story
by
simply
to
say
that
the
level
of
investment
professors
and
staff
people
and
people
that
work
as
CCP
the
expectation
we
know.
We
have
is
that
we're
gonna,
give
more
than
just
reading,
writing
and
arithmetic.
S
S
S
We
in
Mississippi
have
seen
the
effects
of
segregation
and
racial
inequality
and
don't
underestimate
how
this
resolution
and
the
lack
of
funding
for
CCP
is
an
issue
of
racial
disparity
is
an
issue
of
educational
inequality
that
has
really
real
life
implications,
and
so
Philadelphia
owes
it
to
its
students
and
owes
it
to
the
students
of
CCP.
In
order
to
address
that
inequality,
because
not
doing
something
is
doing
something
and
I
want
to
leave
you
just
with
this.
I
was
in
a
Bible
study
and
at
the
Bible
study
someone
asked
a
question.
S
You
know
within
us
there
are
always
a
war
between
good
and
evil
and
there's
it's
like
it's
two
dogs
inside
and
so
the
Kongregate
axed
well
who's
gonna
win
and
then
the
one
leaving
the
Bible
study
said
the
one
that
you
feed
Philadelphia
has
an
opportunity
to
feed
the
good
to
feed
the
quality,
to
feed
the
students
who
are
already
giving
back
so
much
to
our
institution
and
also
to
the
city
at
large,
so
I.
Thank
you
all
for
your
comment.
Thank.
A
T
Hello,
how
are
you
my
name
is
john
skelton
I
am
alumni
at
CCP,
so
I'm
just
going
to
keep
this
brief
and
very
quick
most
of
the
stuff
that
you've
heard
here
today
is
what
we're
all
fighting
for
and
I
don't
want
to
be
a
part
of
the
redundancy
and
saying
the
same
thing.
What
I
want
to
contribute
is
is
my
story
and
the
fact
that
I
resonate
so
much
with
these
students,
as
far
as
experiencing
poverty
experiencing
the
not
having
the
opportunity
to
be
something
more
than
what
you
are
coming
to.
T
I
would
not
be
a
year
in
grad,
school
and
I
would
not
be
working
on
my
third
degree
if
it
wasn't
for
them,
taking
the
time
outside
of
class,
to
bring
me
to
the
corner
or
just
to
say,
hey
I'm.
Thinking
of
you
today
and
I
believe
that
these
faculty
members
and
these
professors
are
doing
the
same
thing
for
the
students
that
are
now
current
state
is
at
CCP
and
I'm,
not
just
here
fighting
for
the
faculty
and
then
but
I'm
also
here
fighting
for
the
students
as
well.
A
D
You
know
it's
it's
it's
a
wonderful
thing
because
from
my
neighborhood,
these
opportunities
didn't
happen.
They
did
not
exist,
and
so
I
would
like
to
be
on
record
as
being
a
strong
supporter
of
making
sure
that
we
have
access
for
all
philadelphians
into
ccp,
that
there
are
programs
and
opportunities
that
will
allow
as
many
folks
as
possible
to
have
that
wonderful
experience
that
I
had
that.
I
know
I
wouldn't
be
here
today.
D
A
C
Would
like
to
thank
all
who
are
here
to
testify
on
behalf
of
CCP
from
the
President
on
down
to
the
teachers,
professors
and
students
and
I'm
hopeful
that
we
can
work
out
all
the
needs
you
have.
We
hear
about
the
complaints
and-
and
we
want
everything
to
be
worked
out
because,
as
has
been
said,
we
support
our
Community
College,
a
thousand
percent.
We
wouldn't
be
the
city
we
are
without
all
of
you
and
we
say
thank
you
and
we
are
definitely
for
this
resolution.
Thank
you,
Thank
You
councilman.
Oh
thank.
A
A
Somehow,
however,
I
do
believe
that
this
is
something
that
council
and
the
administration
can
agree
on.
Maybe
it'll
take
time,
but
I
do
think.
It
is
something
that
we
can
agree
on
once
a
student
hits
17
or
18.
That
is
the
end
of
their
free
education
in
Philadelphia.
There's
already
inequity
great
inequity
in
our
public
school
system.
However,
that
all
ends
at
once.
A
The
brightest
young
people
cannot
afford
most
of
our
colleges
and
they
would
be
lost
if
it
wasn't
for
Community
College
of
Philadelphia
and
from
there
they
have
so
many
options,
but
they
have
to
have
that
option.
First,
I
went
to
college
and
I
couldn't
afford
college.
My
family
couldn't
afford
college.
My
brother
came
from
Korea,
he
was
born
and
raised
in
Korea
and
he
went
to
high
school
and
we
came
to
Philadelphia.
A
He
tried
to
go
to
Penn,
but
they
wouldn't
accept
him
because
his
grades
were
from
Korea,
so
he
went
to
Community
College
and
from
Community
College.
He
went
to
Penn
and
he
got
his
PhD
in
electrical
engineering.
I
went
to
Dickinson
College
at
a
time
where
tuition
was
fifty
six
hundred
dollars
a
year.
I
think
it's
like
sixty
now
and
I
say
that,
because
I
could
work
my
way
through
college
literally
and
I
went
to
Rutgers
law
school
I
think
the
tuition
was
three
thousand
per
year.
A
I
could
work
my
way
through
law
school,
but
that's
not
a
reality
anymore.
The
cost
of
education
is
prohibitive.
Two
bright,
talented
people
simply
because
they
don't
have
the
ability
to
pay
for
it,
and
here
is
this
wonderful
solution
that
provides
everyone
a
great
opportunity.
We
have
to
make
it
the
best
it
could
be.
This
process
is
a
competition
of
dollars.
There
are
no
dollars
uncalled-for.
A
A
It
is
upon
you
and
us
to
decide
whether
investing
dollars
in
community
college
is
more
important,
creates
more
of
a
difference.
It
is
a
competition
over
those
dollars,
I'm,
sorry
to
put
it
that
way,
but
that's
what
it
is.
So
you
have
to
understand
that
we
have
to
know
what
we're
doing
we
have
to
go
and
with
the
mindset
that
every
dollar
spent
here
will
do
so
much
good,
so
much
more
good
that
it
is
very
much
worth
it.
So
with
that
I
will
ask
the
my
co-chair.
Shall
we
conclude
this
hearing?
Yes,
all
right!