Sports, AP, and the arts: Here are the looming budget cuts Philadelphia school leaders aren’t discussing

“Sign up for Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system Philadelphia school leaders have repeated one stat since the district’s budgeting process began last month: 340 full-time school-based positions will be eliminated next year if the district doesn’t get more funding. But those cuts are only one piece of the puzzle. Now that principals are making their budgets, educators said the result is that schools are planning to cut many additional positions and programs that district officials are not talking about. Teachers and principals say that means tougher times for students and staff: crowded classrooms, more dangerous hallways, and fewer opportunities for learning. Some schools are cutting class offerings, like art and Advanced Placement courses. Others say their schools will eliminate after-school programs. And though district leaders have promised no teachers will lose their jobs, some worry that there won’t be appropriate openings for them — leading to teachers leaving the district. The breakdown of cuts the district shared with Mayor Cherelle Parker’s office and some members of City Council last week, which Chalkbeat obtained, largely focused on cuts resulting from the elimination of pandemic relief funds and extra funding sent to a few struggling schools. It showed that fewer than five positions would be cut at most schools to plug the district’s funding hole. But that breakdown did not include budget reductions from schools’ enrollment decline and other funding changes that happen annually. The amount of money the district allocates each school is largely determined by how many students it projects will enroll there. Funding staff positions has also become more expensive, meaning the same budgets from last year won’t stretch to cover the same number of staff. At Science Leadership Academy at Beeber, for example, teacher Alex Kopp, the teachers union representative in the building, said around 10 staff — including nine teachers and one climate staff — have received notices that they must find positions at other schools. “It’s completely chaotic in terms of us planning anything,” Kopp said. The school will lose its athletic director, which means the school would offer no sports. It is also cutting all extracurriculars next year because there is no funding for them. Beeber’s principal did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Over the past decade, enrollment in Philadelphia public schools has fallen by around 17,000 students, a roughly 13% drop. As district enrollment is projected to continue to decline over the next decade , some schools will likely continue to be hit hard by the resulting enrollment-based budget cuts. Schools generally have to rework their budgets every year based on enrollment, and some make cuts. But educators said this year, the additional cuts from the district’s plan have made matters much worse. At Olney High School, Principal Michael Roth said the school — which has lost around 200 students over the past two years — is cutting more than a dozen staff members next year. That’s due to a combination of the district’s budget cuts and enrollment-related funding changes at the school. Roth said the cuts include teachers who offer AP courses and are involved with the school’s dual enrollment college credit program. “It’s not just that you’re losing staff, you’re losing a piece of your community that families and students have connected to or related to for a long period of time,” Roth said at a City Hall press conference Tuesday. “We’re losing people but we’re also losing excellence.” District leaders have said the budget cuts this year are financially necessary. “Without these interventions, future District expenditures will grow faster than revenues due to rising salaries, charter school payments, and healthcare cost increases,” district spokesperson Monique Braxton said in a statement. Some cuts could be reversed if the city or state allocates more money to the district. But principals and educators have told Chalkbeat the uncertainty has already started to drive teachers out of the district. “Who’s going to want to work in the district?” Kopp asked. Schools lose programs under planned budget cuts Some students say they’re already mourning the teachers and programs their schools are set to lose. Adrianelly Mercado, a 10th grader at Olney High School, said before joining the school, she didn’t know much about dual enrollment programs and Advanced Placement courses that would help her earn college credit. But one of her teachers helped her access those opportunities. Now, that teacher’s position would be eliminated under the school’s budget for next year. The future of Olney’s dual enrollment program is uncertain as well. “It doesn’t make sense to me,” Mercado said during a rally against the staffing cuts outside Olney on Tuesday. “I hope that these teachers can stay here and help us have a great education.” Students at Philadelphia's Olney High School say they worry they'll lose access to the school's dual enrollment programs due to the school's planned staffing cuts. The Board of Education hasn’t yet signed off on the budget. But school leaders have already told teachers if their position is planned for elimination, and that they should apply elsewhere. Emily Griest, a high school art teacher at Hill-Freedman World Academy, said that right before a parent-teacher conference with a family whose kid thrived in her art class, her school notified her that it’s planning to eliminate her position. If her position disappears, her students would not have access to an art curriculum. “I was working really hard to expand the art department there to give kids more opportunities,” she said. “And instead, it became a conversation of, well, the choice is being taken away from students.” Now, her plan is to look for another position teaching high school art in the district and “hope for the best,” she said. There’s a chance schools end up getting more money next year if the City Council passes Parker’s proposed $1-per-ride tax on rideshares. The tax would funnel $48 million annually to the district. Superintendent Tony Watlington has said that would enable the district to avoid cutting 340 school-based positions. But during a hearing on the rideshare tax at the City Council on Tuesday, many members seemed skeptical . Councilmember Curtis Jones labeled the proposal as “DOA,” or dead on arrival, and that by his count the proposal did not have the votes in council to pass as written. Rebecca Redelmeier is a reporter at Chalkbeat Philadelphia. She writes about public schools, early childhood education, and issues that affect students, families, and educators across Philadelphia. Contact Rebecca at rredelmeier@chalkbeat.org . Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org .

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