civus
ResolutionADOPTEDCeremonial

Resolution 240598

Condemning the use of school voucher programming as harmful to the School District of Philadelphia.

Introduced Jun 6, 2024CITY COUNCILOfficial record: City of Philadelphia via Legistar

Introduced by

Councilmember BrooksCouncilmember O'RourkeCouncilmember GauthierCouncilmember Gilmore RichardsonCouncilmember Landau

How members voted

  1. Vote on Jun 13, 2024 · CITY COUNCIL

    Aye (15)

    Councilmember BassCouncilmember BrooksCouncilmember GauthierCouncilmember Gilmore RichardsonCouncilmember HarrityCouncilmember JonesCouncilmember LozadaCouncilmember PhillipsCouncilmember SquillaCouncilmember ThomasCouncilmember AhmadCouncilmember LandauCouncilmember O'RourkeCouncilmember YoungCouncil President Johnson

    Nay (2)

    Councilmember DriscollCouncilmember O'Neill

From the floor

Passages in the official transcripts that cite this file number. Every quote links to its exact place in the record.

  1. “…o fully fund the Department of Labor, leaving our City workers unprotected. Additionally, I support Resolution 240598 condemning private school vouchers. As a product of public schools, someone who grew up in poverty, faced eviction and as a result struggles with PTSD into in my adulthood, I know firsthand that our schools need full funding. Kids in our schools endure hardships like I did every day and they deserve f…”

    Ms. Nardy · Stated Meeting, June 13, 2024 · Jun 13, 2024 · official transcript, this passage

  2. “Yvette Young. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm speaking on Resolution 240598. My last year working at the School District of Philadelphia as the Assistant Director of Facilities, we closed 27 schools and that year was full of empty seats, hysteria and rightsizing messaging. That was very damaging to the School District. Dozens of schools were closed without adding counselors or nurses with no regard to the merging of st…”

    Ms. Young · Stated Meeting, June 13, 2024 · Jun 13, 2024 · official transcript, this passage

  3. “… on the regular Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars. Will the Clerk please read the title of Resolution No. 240598.”

    Council President Johnson · Stated Meeting, June 13, 2024 · Jun 13, 2024 · official transcript, this passage

  4. “Resolution 240598, a resolution condemning the use of school voucher programming is harmful to the School District of Philadelphia. 6/13/24 - STATED - 2ND READING”

    Chief Clerk · Stated Meeting, June 13, 2024 · Jun 13, 2024 · official transcript, this passage

  5. “The Chair recognizes Minority Leader Brooks for a motion regarding Resolution No. 240598.”

    Council President Johnson · Stated Meeting, June 13, 2024 · Jun 13, 2024 · official transcript, this passage

  6. “It has been moved and properly seconded that the Resolution 240598 be adopted. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)”

    Council President Johnson · Stated Meeting, June 13, 2024 · Jun 13, 2024 · official transcript, this passage

Status timeline

  1. Jun 6, 2024
    Introduced and Ordered Placed On Next Week's Final Passage Calendar · CITY COUNCIL

    This Resolution was Introduced and Ordered Placed On Next Week's Final Passage Calendar.

  2. Jun 13, 2024
    ADOPTED · CITY COUNCIL

    Recorded result: Pass

    This Resolution was ADOPTED.

Official documents

Documents open on the City of Philadelphia’s legislative site.

Full text

Read the full text as published

..Title Condemning the use of school voucher programming as harmful to the School District of Philadelphia. ..Body WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is considering its Fiscal Year 2025 budget. In previous budget cycles, political forces have sought to pass significant increases to school voucher funding, including a Fiscal Year 2024 push to increase voucher funding by $100 million. The legislature deadlocked over the introduction, and it took significant effort to eventually pass a voucher-free budget; and WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia faces a fiscal cliff beginning in early 2025. More than $400 million in services and programming are jeopardized by the ending of COVID relief funding, and the School District of Philadelphia is the only district in the Commonwealth that does not have control over its own revenue; and WHEREAS, Evidence shows school vouchers are frequently provided to families who already choose to attend non-public schools and often go to families earning more than $200,000 a year. Budgets are zero-sum documents; funding vouchers means there is less money to go to public schools that are already in desperate need of support and financial assistance; and WHEREAS, Despite the coming fiscal cliff imperiling critical School District of Philadelphia programs and services, recent activity in Harrisburg indicates the legislature has revived the fight over school vouchers, with the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee passing a bill that would fund vouchers; and WHEREAS, Statewide shortages of teachers, over-crowded classrooms, and deteriorating facilities can only be addressed through holistic, deep and long-term investments of billions of dollars into public school infrastructure. Putting any money into vouchers for private schools with little financial oversight means less money for students; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Condemns the use of school voucher programming as harmful to the School District of Philadelphia. ..End