Philadelphia budget deal will not restore hundreds of school staff cuts, superintendent says

“Sign up for Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s free newsletter to keep up with news on the city’s public school system. School District of Philadelphia leaders say $50 million in one-time funding approved by the City Council will not restore hundreds of staff positions the district is cutting, according to a memo obtained by Chalkbeat. The City Council gave initial approval on Thursday to a $7.1 billion budget deal for the 2027 fiscal year, but rejected Mayor Cherelle Parker’s proposed rideshare tax that her administration said would generate $48 million in its first year and would stop the elimination of 340 staff positions at Philly schools. Instead, the council sent $48 million from other budget sources in a one-time allocation to the school district to stop the cuts. But later on Thursday, the City Council received a memo from Superintendent Tony Watlington saying that the funding was insufficient because it did not address the “underlying drivers of staff reductions.” “The District cannot restore the 340 school based positions without a commitment to recurring and predictable funding over multiple years,” Watlington wrote in the memo. He also wrote that the district’s finance team believes relying on a one-time funding to support recurring expenditures like salaries “may be viewed as a structural budget imbalance and could negatively affect the District’s long-term financial outlook, borrowing costs, and future capacity to invest in school facilities.” Watlington’s memo does not address how the district could use or plans to use the $48 million instead. Councilmembers quickly denounced the letter. Education Chair Isaiah Thomas called Watlington’s memo “offensive and disrespectful” in a speech from the City Council floor on Thursday. “For me that’s very, very shortsighted and doesn’t show leadership,” Council President Kenyatta Johnson said of the letter. He said district leaders should welcome the $50 million and reverse the cuts. Standing alongside Watlington and Board of Education President Reginald Streater at City Hall Thursday, Parker called the $48 million a “band-aid” solution that would not solve the district’s persistent financial challenges: “It doesn’t get to the heart of the matter which is a $300 million structural deficit.” Johnson said councilmembers remain committed “to work for long-term recurring revenue for the school district.” Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org .

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