COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, May 1, 2024 10:00 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILMEMBER NINA AHMAD COUNCILMEMBER CINDY BASS COUNCILMEMBER JAMIE GAUTHIER COUNCILMEMBER KATHERINE GILMORE RICHARDSON COUNCILMEMBER JIM HARRITY COUNCILMEMBER CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILMEMBER RUE LANDAU COUNCILMEMBER QUETCY LOZADA COUNCILMEMBER ANTHONY PHILLIPS COUNCILMEMBER ISAIAH THOMAS COUNCILMEMBER JEFFERY YOUNG, JR. BILLS 240179, 240180, 240181, and 240182 RESOLUTION 240193 - - 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC.
This is the public hearing and public meeting of the Committee of the Whole regarding bills number 240179, 240180, 240181, 240182, and resolution 12 number 240193. Ms. Loughead, will you please call the roll to attendance?
Present. Thank you. A quorum of the committee is present 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. and this hearing is now called to order. Ms. Loughead, will you please read the title of the bills and resolutions?
Bill number 240179, an ordinance to adopt the operating budget for fiscal year 2025. Bill number 240180, an ordinance amending Chapter 19-1800 of the Philadelphia Code entitled "School Tax Authorization" to provide for an increase in the tax that the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia is authorized to impose on real estate, and amending Chapter 19-1300 entitled "Real Estate Taxes" to establish an equivalent reduction in tax rate for the City real estate tax and making technical changes, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill number 240181, an ordinance to adopt a fiscal year 2025 capital budget. Bill 20 number 240182, an ordinance to adopt a capital program for the six fiscal years 2025 through 2030 inclusive. Resolution number 240193, providing for the approval by the Council of the City of Philadelphia of a revised five year financial plan for the City of Philadelphia 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. covering fiscal years 2025 through 2029 and incorporating revisions with respect of fiscal year 2024, which is to be submitted by the mayor to the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority pursuant to an intergovernmental cooperation agreement by and between the City and the authority.
Thank you very much. Today, we will continue to public hearing the Committee of the Whole to consider the bills read by the clerk that constitute proposed operating and capital spending measures for fiscal year 2025, a capital program, and a forward looking capital plan for fiscal year 2025 through fiscal year 2030. This morning, we will hear testimony from the public. Before proceeding, I will lay a few ground rules on how we will proceed with public testimony today. We are here today to hear from you about the proposed budget for the City of Philadelphia and School District. To ensure that there is an opportunity for all of you to be heard, certain ground rules have been established as follows. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. Your testimony should be related to the bills listed on the calendar. Once your name is called, you will then have up to two minutes to speak. In order to be fair to all those wishing to speak, I intend to hold faithfully to the two minute limit. Once you are asked to begin your testimony, a timer will be started. When there are 30 seconds remaining to your time, you will be reminded of this. Once your allotted time has elapsed, you will be asked to conclude your remarks. We have a very, very extensively long list, which I believe is great because it shows civic participation in our budget process. I will now ask Ms. Loughead to please read the name of our first two speakers coming up to the table to testify.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jeffery Young.
Thank you, Mr. President. Just as we are listening to the public comment on our city's budget and our 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. school district budget, I just had to make a statement regarding yesterday's budget hearing that we have at the School District of Philadelphia. For the public, I just want to put some things in perspective for you that our school district's proposed budget is $4.6 billion, which is the same size as the City of Boston's budget combined. And with a similar size school district, Houston, for example, they have almost 200,000 students. Their budget is $2.2 billion. Right? So let's put things into perspective when we are commenting on our school district budget. I just want to express some disappointment in knowing that educational achievement was a third priority for the school district and that there are some things that the school district has been doing to save money, but unfortunately, they are not doing it throughout the entire district because it's too hard to do, essentially, is what the answer that we received. But I want to let the public know that we are here to do the hard work. We're here to do the hard work to change lives, because you 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. look around our city and you look at the increases in youth gun violence, they're in my district, right. And that has a direct correlation on education. And as someone who is raising a black male in this city, myself, I'm sure Councilmember Thomas agrees, I'm sure Council President Johnson agrees, I'm sure Councilwoman Kathy Gilmore Richardson agrees. I'm sure our mayor agrees. We are raising black boys in this city, so we have to do the hard work for our children in order to make sure that they're growing up in a much better, safer, and more educated city. So for the public, I just want you all to know that I'm willing to do the hard work to make the necessary changes to turn our school district around. So thank you, Mr. President, for allowing me the time.
And could we also have Yusefa Smith and Charisma Presley make their way?
Ms. Gaffney, just state your name for the record and 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. please begin your testimony.
Oh, okay. Good morning, Councilmembers. My name is Michelle Gaffney. I'm a Philadelphia homeowner, a voting resident, community educator, and an advocate for adjacent construction safety and neighbors rights. I'm here to speak on the licenses and inspections FY budget today. 14 I'd like to express my support for the 15 restructurings of L&I into the divisions of 16 quality of life and inspection, safety, and 17 compliance. I'm also to ask that both L&I and 18 other connected offices and agencies 19 intersectionally incorporate the following 20 priorities into your FY-25 budget strategy. 21 These recommendations are informed by input from 22 fellow advocates in this space and my own 23 observations and experience assisting victims of 24 negligent construction practices. 25 One, institute a developer's license 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. and hold developers at the top accountable for their track record across all projects and LLCs. Two, hire and incorporate constituent facing community engagement staff into the quality of life division. Three, actively solicit input and involvement from impacted constituents and advocacy groups who have already been working in this space as you build out the quality of life division. Regarding the developer's license, every business entrepreneur must acquire a license in Philadelphia, and a real estate developer should be no different. L&I needs to be able to revoke the right to buy and develop land in Philadelphia from egregious repeat offenders who foster a race to the bottom constraint construction industry. Therefore, it is crucial that L&I be able to track an individual developer's record from LLC to LLC. Developers must be held accountable for their cumulative history of damages, violations, and repeat offenses, not just against L&I, but other departments that issue violations in the City connected to constructions. Developers who 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. continually make hiring decisions in pursuit of the most possible return on investment at the expense of quality, safety, and expertise, and with the knowledge they'll get away with it nine times out of and they budget in the fines, 7 will continue to do so if there's no 8 accountability at the very top. 9 Until there's a very real threat of 10 financial and personal consequences to the person making the hiring decisions at the top, developers will continue hiring contractors willing to cut corners and undercut law abiding Philadelphia businesses. Hiring and prioritizing community engagement staff. We desperately need citywide management and case management structure dedicated to receiving, triaging, and tracking data related to residential construction damage cases. It is unfair and unreasonable to expect a building inspector to take on additional responsibilities outside of the scope of their actual role in order to fill this gap in support of services at L&I. Hiring for this kind of support can aid 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. the department's public outreach and education goals and maintain open communication lines with residents. I'm almost done, I promise. The City must take responsibility for the complex web of agencies and requirements that intersect with construction damage. A citywide case management structure would save the City hours upon hours of time and labor and taxpayer money and cost across all agencies that touch construction sites. Lastly, again, residents and peer advocacy constituent groups that have already been filling this void for several years have got to be invited to the table to participate in this work. Neighbors deserve rights and a say when construction impacts their quality of life. I'm happy to make myself available for further discussion. Further details related to my testimony can be found online at buildlikeyoulivehere.org.
Thank you very much. Oh, what website online? Go ahead.
buildlikeyoulivehere.org 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC.
-- should build like they live here, like they're going to be your neighbor. And if they did, they would not behave the way that they do if they had to be your neighbor.
Thank you very much. I feel the same way about the Philadelphia School District. If we sent our kids there, we'd probably have high achievement rates. But thank you very much. I just want to point out something real quick as we call on the next. I also recommend that you speak with Councilmember Mike Driscoll, who led the L&I task force, whenever you get a chance, and also Councilmember Jeffery J. Young, who recently introduced a bill to hold contractors and developers accountable who are building and those that have destructed individual homes who are adjacent to them. So now they will be held liable. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC.
I highly support and endorse that bill. It's something we've been fighting for for years. Homeowners insurance does not cover manmade damage. They will tell you it wasn't a flood or a fire, so you're on your own. It's treated as a civil issue between two private property owners, but the power disparity is far too great. One is a grandma on Social Security who can't afford a lawyer, and the other has an attorney on payroll and has a high profit mentality and doesn't care. So we need these protections. Thank you very much for proposing that bill. I support it.
Thank you very much. You can just state your name for the record and please begin.
Good morning. As I said, my name is Yusefa Smith, and I work at Community College of Philadelphia. I'm here today with my coworkers to deliver a bargaining petition that over 600 of my colleagues and I have signed. We began contract negotiations in January of this year. We signed this petition as workers at CCP to show our support for our bargaining proposals. Our proposals are guided by the needs that our members expressed in bargaining surveys, and our elected negotiating teams have been working tirelessly to win them. This petition shows our collective effort to win dignity and respect, to win living wages that address the impact of inflation, to win working conditions that provide the support our students need to succeed, and to win tangible commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are here today in City Hall to call the City of Philadelphia to budget for a 20 million increase in operating funding to CCP so that we can make sure these needs are met and we 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. agree to three fair contracts. You'll hear today from faculty and students about why we need 4 million more to serve our students and provide 5 access to high quality education to 6 Philadelphians. 7 My grandma, who raised me, proudly 8 graduated from CCP in 1980. She said, and I 9 quote, that CCP was the best move I ever made. 10 And she said it with a little sass. You see, my 11 grandma has seven children. Her first child, she 12 had at the age of 14. And raising seven children 13 in Philadelphia was a challenge. Yet, at the age 14 of 38, she chose CCP for its affordability and 15 because it provided a pathway to a professional 16 job with medical and retirement benefits. My 17 grandma's associate degree changed her life. And 18 because it changed her life, it changed mine, 19 too. The investment CCP made in her was also an 20 investment in me. If we aspire to truly be Philadelphia's college, to change the lives of all people in Philadelphia, we need greater funding from the City.
Thank you 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. very much. (Applause.)
Next, we have Charisma Presley and Phoebe Dougherty. Following them, we'll have Sterling Scott and Robert Jones.
This is what it's all about. What's your name, young lady? Okay.
Good morning. My name is Charisma, and I'm from the Nicetown Germantown Community and with the Friends of Philly Aquatics. I thank Councilwoman Bass for connecting with our group and supporting the reopening of the school district's own Pickett pool and rebuilding of Marcus Foster public pool. From the school district to the mayor's office, I've been hearing about the need to be intentional about prioritizing communities impacted by racial disparities. The school district went one step further and identified seven neglected zip codes that it planned to 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. target to get better access to the sitting magnet schools and the resources available at those schools. The majority of those magnet schools have swim teams, yet only one priority zip code has an indoor swimming pool. Here's the thing, with joining a magnet school swim team, you need to know how to swim. Placing the student in a school but denying that student access to the resources like a swim team is not equity. It is borderline cruelty. Welcome to our magnet school, where you can watch the other kids participate. The majority of Philadelphians don't have access to public indoor pools year round. You have to pay for a membership or commute to the only public indoor pool in Philadelphia, which is Lincoln High School in the Northeast. To prioritize someone means to treat them with highest regard and to consider them first. If we are serious about prioritizing communities impacted by racial inspirities, and we must commit to rebuilding and reopening all the districts and door pools, particularly Marcus 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. Foster and Pickett, which lie squarely inside a cluster of neglected ZIP codes. If we are serious about one Philadelphia united city, then we need a collective solution and collaborative funding to address neighborhood disparities and public aquatic access. The prioritized ZIP codes continue to fill the inequities and longstanding neglect that impact lifeguard shortages, outdoor pool opening delays, and an increased risk of black and brown deaths due to drowning. To truly prioritize require us to address these disparities with urgency. In addition, we have -- in addition, having these facilities operational will allow for the mayor and the district to achieve their year round access to educational opportunities because renovations would give these facilities multipurpose use. Dr. King once said, "The time is always right to do what is right." And that time has come for us to bring the school district indoor pools back online, starting with the renovation of Pickett and the rebuilding of Marcus Foster. Thank you. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. (Applause.)
Hello. My name is Phoebe, and I am from the Nicetown Germantown community. Good morning, Councilwoman Bass. Thank you for connecting with us and supporting the pools. So I hate sports. I hate when balls are thrown at me and I hate any sport that makes me sweaty. This is why I love swimming. My mom says sports build character, but I don't want to be a character. I like being Phoebe. Monday and Tuesday were so hot, I asked my mom if we could go swimming. And she said, "No, public pools aren't open right now or close to our house." I remember Lincoln pool and said it was open. And she said, "Do you have gas money?" I told her it was hot. She said, "Go stand in front of the fan." Then I told her -- then she said, "Let's go to softball practice." Can someone tell her we're in a heat wave? So after practice, I told her I wanted to jump in the water. And she said, "The shower is waiting." So I realized two things. One, I need to pool that's public, close to our house, and open year round. Two, I need to find me a 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. friend with a membership to the clock or YMCA. Anyone got a membership to these private pools and looking for a friend? My conclusion is that we need the School District to renovate Pickett pool and rebuild Marcus Foster so we can go swimming all year round in our community, because climate change has winters and springs feeling like summers. (Applause.)
I just wanted to share with you, Phoebe drew the picture of the City of Philadelphia. This is the cluster of neglected zip codes. This is Lincoln. This is Sayre. There are no pools in here to support that cluster. (Applause.)
Thank you, Phoebe, for your leadership and the courage to come and speak your truth in this body, the city council. That's what it's all about.
Thank you, City Council. Sterling Scott from the Citizen Congress in Nicetown, also block captain for the more 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. beautiful Committee of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department. I'd like to start off to say the purpose of government is to make it easy to do good and evil to be hard. We need these pools. We need the schools funded so they can be a part of our programs and we can be a part of theirs. The Pickett and the Marcus Foster pools will help aid in eliminating a lot of violence in the neighborhood. When we was growing up, it was always swimming, hardly any fighting. That was done outside after everything is over with. But for the most part, we need to have these schools funded, these pools funded. And like I said, we do our part up in Nicetown to keep the violence, every day, keep that down. There's no fighting, nothing going on in our area. And we want to keep it that way. And with the support of having these pools that will keep all these violence and stuff to a minimum, and we can teach the children how to swim, the seniors can have a place where they can come and exercise and relax and maintain the juveniles, where they can have programs, 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. basketball, football, and things of that nature. Thank you again. I'm going to be at every meeting, budget meeting, hearing meeting, until we get something done in our section of the City that has been neglected for years. And I can say, again, that will help alleviate a lot of violence in the neighborhoods. Thank you.
Thank you, Sterling. My name is Robert D. Jones, Jr. I'm a committee man for the 13th Ward, Ninth Division, located in Nicetown. We need these pools open up for these kids. They need to learn how to swim. They need to learn to do right, know right from wrong. And all I know is that we need your help. And I want to thank everybody for coming out here and listening to us because these kids, they are very, very smart kids, and they are learning. And they are learning from us because we have to back their play up. We got to back their play up. And that's all I got to say. We got to back these kids up. Open these pools up for them. All right?
Thank you, 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. sir.
Next we have M. Asli Dukan and Carol Rogers, followed by Sherrie Cohen and Tanya Rambert.
Good morning, and happy May day to all the workers in the room and around the world. My name is M. Asli Dukan. I am an adjunct professor at Community College of Philadelphia. I'm also the part-time and visiting lecturer organizer for AFT Local 2026 at the college. I'm speaking to you today as a working class educator and artist in Philadelphia. For the past 10 years, I have been teaching college students the art, craft, and business of film and video production. During this time, I have also been creating my own art as a filmmaker focused on telling liberatory stories. Lately, I've had the opportunity to bring these worlds together in one of my classes at CCP, and this opportunity has taught me so much. For the past two years, my students and I have collaborated on the creation of an 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. episodic series that we have named Class of Tomorrow. In this series, my students have written, produced, and directed episodes that center the stories of fictional students who attend a fictional college in a fictional city. It is a college embedded in a near future dystopian society that professes to be the best and only chance for students to achieve a better future for their own lives. Now, this class is not just about the students learning and practicing the skills they will need to work in the entertainment industry. It is also about them envisioning what is possible for their own lives and futures. My students are looking at the real world around them and asking questions about why things are the way they are and using these questions as source material for their stories. My students are engaging with subjects like the lack of access to fully funded public services in their city, about the need for healthy and safe homes for students, about protecting the rights of workers at the college, and about the effect of policing on students, and 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. about the need for their college to adequately fund the education that the students deserve. What I am learning from my students is that they want funding that keeps their community safe, healthy, and whole. They want a budget that invests in the most marginalized communities in Philadelphia. And my students know that additional funding can make their futures better because they are literally creating stories about what a future looks like without the funding. So please, tax the rich, bring us a people's budget, and give CCP the $20 million we deserve. And solidarity with the people of the Congo, Haiti, Sudan, and Palestine, and the students encampments. Thank you. (Applause.)
Next we have Carol Rogers and Sherrie Cohen, followed by Tanya Rambert and Kelsey Leon. Sonya Sanders? Bonita Tillman? (Applause.)
Please state your name for the record and you can proceed with 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. your testimony.
Sure. My name is Chaplain Dr. Bonita Tillman. I am a chaplain with the 35th Police District. I also am a committee woman in the 42nd Ward, 16th District. I'm an educator, I'm parent, and a citizen of the City. A public servant. We all are. We supposed to serve the public. I just turned 39 on Sunday, and as I get older, I become a solutionist. And as a public servant, we solve problems or we got to solve solutions, and we need funding for our children. As an educator, I shouldn't have to take money out of my pocket to buy uniforms or buy water bottles because the classroom is hot, buy supplies, things of that nature. As a parent of a child that's disabled, I shouldn't be told by the school that they can't provide the services for my son so he can have the best quality of education because they just don't have the staff in. We ask for 100 million, three percent. Teachers need training. Staff need training. All staff need training to do their job the best 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. way they can and to find the support staff the kids need, especially the ones that have special needs. So that's all staff. I don't care if they work in a gym. I don't care if they're the cleaning staff. I don't care if they serve the kids. I don't care if they're teacher or nurse. We also need more nurses and therapists and things of that nature. It's disheartening to me as a parent, as a citizen, because our children -- we are responsible for our children. They come up behind us, and we have to teach them. And if they're not properly taught and educated, how can they fill our seats? So that's our job. That's our duty. So as I conclude, I just need you to remember we are public servants. We serve the public. We need to serve our kids. We're asking for three percent, 100 million. And that's not even a lot of money, but it's a start. Thank you for allowing me to speak. (Applause.)
Next we have Nate House. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. Aunja Richards? Marissa Johnson?
Please state your name for this record and proceed with your testimony.
Good morning. My name is Nate House, and I'm the full-time faculty cochair of the Faculty and Staff Federation of Community College of Philadelphia. I'm also a professor of mass media and English and proud to say that I've been at the college for years. We're here 15 today to ask for a 20 million increase to our operating budgets to support students, bring half our underpaid classified workers up to a livable wage, and fund the proposals we currently have on the bargaining table that seek to make the City's college the beacon of hope it has been for so many students but needs to be for so many more. And today, I'm filled with hope because I see so many people in this room who, like us, believe in the promise of a just Philadelphia for all citizens. Thank you for all you've done to 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. make this dream a reality. But as we all know, that dream of justice for all Philadelphians doesn't yet exist. While the Pew State of the City report points to the current economic health of the City, it also highlights a disturbing wealth inequality along racial lines. The majority of our students are students of color. With additional funding, we can help close that gap and work towards the reality of economic justice our students deserve. All of us at CCP are proud of our successes, Hazim Hardeman, Rhodes scholar who brilliantly debated issues in my mass media and society class, former White House social secretary Deesha Dyer, who just yesterday promoted her new book on studio too at WHYY, where another former student of mine, Andreas Copes, is an audio producer. But the students that haunt me the most are the ones who don't make it, the geniuses who disappear halfway through the semester because the challenges become too great to overcome. Homeless students, hungry students, 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. students who can't afford reliable childcare, students who need transportation, students who need mental health services, students who need smaller class sizes, more advisors, more counselors, tutors, and librarians. They are smart, beautiful people, and it breaks my heart every day when I see that empty seat. Can I go on, or is that three minutes?
All right. Thanks. So we're asking for a million increase to make 14 sure that we're doing everything we can to help 15 those students stay in their seats, graduate, and 16 turn their dreams into a reality. As always, the 17 question, one that our students ask on a daily 18 basis, is, how can we afford it? 19 Well, here's one answer. For decades, 20 the City of Philadelphia has repeatedly cut taxes for corporations, real estate developers, and the rich. In a region with 15 Fortune 500 companies, 10 billionaires, and the biggest concentration of millionaires in the state, it's time to tax the rich who benefit from all city services so that 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. we can fully fund not just CCP, but all essential city services so that when our time at CCP, City Council, the mayor's office is done, we can proudly say that Philadelphia is no longer America's poorest big city, but the beacon of hope we all knew it could be. Thank you.
Hi, everyone. My name is Aunja Richards. I am here on behalf of the residents of the 19124 zip code. I am president of Overington Park. I'm an undergraduate student studying public service and leadership at the University of Villanova, and I'm a social worker. I am here to ask the City to give consideration to funding parks and creating a budget for park programming. As a resident of the 19124 zip code and park president, I have personally dealt with needles in the park, trying to maintain the park and increase community engagement in our area. The park has four dead trees, graffitied benches, and a lack of park maintenance such as trash collection and outdated supplies. We need to invest in programming for communities, specifically kids. We need to invest in our 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. parks, our schools and sustainable projects. Our park won the conservancy grant, with the terms being $1,000 reimbursement or a movie night, and the park does not have $1,000 to even start with to obtain the reimbursement. We are hoping to obtain the activity grant to do more, but there is little grant access for park groups. Most park members are not mobile and cannot do the jobs of parks and rec. As a current college student studying public service at Villanova University, it is disheartening to watch our city not provide communities with pathways to sustainability. With new leadership within our city, I'm asking that your next moves as Council to be intentional and to act on the behalf of the communities you claim to represent. Thank you.
Marissa Johnson, Charlie Allison. Those two will be followed by Margaret Lowenstein and Gloria Pressley.
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. testimony.
Yeah, hi. My name is Marissa Johnson Valenzuela, and I am one of very few Latina faculty at Community College of Philadelphia. And we have percent Latinx 7 students now. So it's one of the things I'm 8 invested in. We also have majority black 9 students, and while we have many more black 10 faculty, we are far short of where we should be 11 to serve our diverse student body. 12 But yeah, I also want to thank 13 everybody for being here. While I respect that 14 not all city council members can be at all 15 hearings, the last time I testified, it was one 16 Republican and one person asleep. I'll leave it 17 at that. So I do appreciate it. It was very 18 depressing, and I'm excited to see City Council engaging more with CCP and caring more. And I know there's a lot of things you juggle, so I mean no disrespect, but again, it's nice to see everybody here. Adjusted for inflation, full-time tenure faculty like myself, starting salary is 58 percent less than it was in 1980. We now have 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. more diverse faculty. We have percent of faculty, and yet 50 percent less pay. Our student body is also more diverse than it was in 1980, and, again, 50 percent less pay for full time tenure track faculty. We don't usually like to talk about ourselves much because our adjunct colleagues and our staff make so much less. So we worked on raising -- a big thing we worked on in the union is raising the minimum wage at the college because over 50 people do not make a living wage as full-time staff. I never looked at the MIT calculator for myself. I'm a single mother of one kid. I don't make a living wage for a mom and a kid. I've been at CCP for 13 years. I'm tenured. I was promoted to an associate professor, and I don't make a living major, which would be 85. I'm not even close if I work overtime. So I want you to understand, we don't have pensions. We are not milking it. We do this work because we care deeply about our students, and we need to be supported across the board. Thank you. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. (Applause.)
Hello. My name is Charlie Allison. I will be brief. I'm an adjunct teacher at the Philadelphia Community College. If you hold on to one phrase from this, make it this one, "Teaching conditions are learning conditions". Let me tell you about some of the learning conditions I've personally seen my time there. My students are often hungry. You can't learn when your stomach is rumbling. We need a free meals program open to all at CCP. My students sometimes had to miss class because they were the only ones who could look after a small child. You can't learn if you're watching over another human being. Free childcare is essential to both students and worker health at CCP. We need free childcare at CCP for workers and students. Many of my students miss class because they couldn't afford to ride SEPTA to class. CCP needs to institute a free public transport system with SEPTA so that students and workers can get to class as easily as possible. This is very 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. much in the realm of reality. Many Philadelphia institutions have already done this through JAUNT and other similar programs. The heat and air conditioning didn't work in my room and in many other classrooms, meaning that my students either shivered or sweated, and there wasn't a single damn thing I could do about it. You can't learn when you're uncomfortable. In light of all these unsustainable learning conditions, it's a small miracle that our students have done as well as they have. The $20 million we are asking for is a first step towards remedying these chronic problems of hunger, childcare, transport, and on campus infrastructure. The wealth to fund this sort of public education exists. Tax the rich, give us a people's budget. And I would clarify that the additional funding for public education is not an ask. It is a necessity. (Applause.)
Again, please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC.
Good morning. My name is Gloria Pressley. Good morning, City Council, ladies and gentlemen. As we're gathered here today, I am filled with profound sense of gratitude and hope. For too long, the pools in our community have been silent, their water stagnated. But today, we stand at the dawn of a new era. The reopening of the Pickett pool and the rebuilding of Marcus Foster pool marks a turning point for our city, a symbol of progress and possibility. As a mother of six, I have witnessed firsthand the formative power of swimming. Through swimming, my children have learned not just a skill, but a tool to survive. My children have found confidence, strength, and resilience. Sadly, so many children will not have the same opportunity that was afforded to me and mines. So I'm not here to brag about my children. I'm here to advocate for our children. Swimming is more than just a recreation activity. It is a gateway to opportunity. By providing our children with access to swim lesson, we are equipping them with the skills 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. they need to stay safe in the water, to pursue employment opportunities, and to find a lane and chart a course towards a brighter future. But the impact of these pools extend far beyond the water edges. They are a symbol of community, of unity, of possibility. They are a place where friendship are forged, where dreams are born, where futures are shaped. As we reopen Pickett and rebuild Marcus Foster pool, we are not just restoring a structure but revitalizing a spirit. So let us not see these pools as mere facilities, but as a beacon of hope in our city. Let us come together to comfort, to commit ourselves to ensuring that every child in Philadelphia have the opportunity to learn how to swim, for in the waters of these pools lies the promise of a better tomorrow, a tomorrow where every child can dive into their dreams with confidence knowing that they have the skills they need to succeed. Thank you. (Applause.)
Next we have Mark Clincy and Maritza Gerty, followed by Alyssa Weinfurtner 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. and Sonia Rosen.
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Maritza Gerty. Good morning. My name is Maritza Gerty, and I'm a Philadelphia parent that is an active voter and community member. I am also constituent of Cindy Bass's 8th District. I have five children, three of which have gone through the Philadelphia School District and two that are currently second graders at Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary. I also have two grandchildren, one of which will be starting kindergarten this year. I'm here today not to request, but to demand that the resources that are currently being allocated to our district be increased. The current amount is not enough. A one percent increase is not enough. Our children deserve a larger piece of that pie. They are our leaders, caretakers, and, keep this in mind, future voters. I am imploring all of you that have made promises to your constituents to make education an important part of your agenda to follow 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. through with it. Money for education should not be a fight every year. It should not be another empty promise year after year or term after term. Our children need access to better now. It should not be a matter of what socioeconomic status of a school community or the families of a particular school be to determine how much money a school gets. Families want a cleaner, greener, and safer Philadelphia. But families also want for all of our children to have access to a better education. Three percent would equate to better paid and trained educators, better paid school support staff, better and high quality materials, books, and facilities that would allow our children to thrive, better access to mental health and social emotional supports, access to things in their language, (foreign language spoken). It shouldn't only be the magnet schools or the schools in more affluent neighborhoods that get the most. Schools in all parts of our city must get more. For those of you that have followed 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. through with your promise, I thank you. For those of you that are new to this, this is your time to make your mark and take a stand for our children now. Do not allow another generation of our children to get less. They all deserve better regardless of their zip code. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hi, my name is Sonia Rosen. I'm a Philly homeowner and I gladly pay property taxes. I'm also a parent of an SDP student, as well as a teacher educator at the University of Pennsylvania. I've come in support of the proposal to increase the share of property taxes going to schools from 55 percent to 58 percent. In a time when safety is such a concern, we need to remind ourselves that an educated city is a safe city. A city where children's needs are met is a healthy city. In thinking about what to say here today, I asked my son, a sixth grader at Science Leadership Academy at Beeber. Nadeem is a curious, athletic 12-year-old who loves learning, has a lot of good friends, and will drop everything anytime to play soccer. He and many 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. other sixth grade boys play soccer every day at recess on a schoolyard surface that's nothing but cracked, uneven concrete slabs with a ball held together by a thread, using a tiny net that the assistant principal scrounged up for them with his own resources. Soccer is one of the things that keeps them interested and focused on their schoolwork. It keeps them moving so they can come into their overcrowded classes and be as attentive and ready to learn as possible. Nadeem likes his teachers and has learned a lot at Beeber. He is smart as a whip, too. So yesterday I asked him what he wanted me to say to you at this testimony. At first he told me to remind you that we need the district to serve better lunches. I laughed and said this was likely not going to be a priority. As I pushed him to think further, it became clear that there were things he didn't even consider asking for because the bare bones norm he had gotten used to let him think that they were an impossibility, classes with fewer than 30 kids, real art and music courses, a school library with a librarian, a schoolyard 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. that is more than a crumbling, desolate, concrete landscape. When he realized that more money for his school would mean more teachers, smaller classes, and a schoolyard that is built for children, his eyes lit up at the idea that his classes might not be severely overcrowded and that he and his friends could one day play soccer with decent equipment in a space where they won't get injured if they fall. What a basic ask. Can you imagine a student in any of our suburban school districts around Philadelphia saying something like this? What does it say about our city that we prioritize giving more and more money to an already over funded police force and developers - sorry, I know I'm not supposed to say that -- over the basic educational needs of Philadelphia's beautiful, brilliant children? I pointed out the limits to my son's imagination about what could be possible in school, but really, it's we as adults whose imagination is limited. Here we are in a city lucky to have 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. thousands of children with boundless potential for contributing to our city and society. I invite you to imagine what is possible if we give them the love and resources they deserve. A vote for 58 percent is a vote for the present and future of our Philadelphia children.
Next up, we have Kaniyu Ado Kuntanley (phonetic) and Stephanie Blake, followed by Donna Cooper and Melissa Toby.
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Yes. Hi, my name is Alyssa Weinfurtner. I'm a social worker and director at Valley Youth House for Emergency Services program supporting youth that experience homelessness. And I'm here today to talk about funding for students experiencing homelessness. Since January of 2023, we saw historic investment in addressing students experiencing homelessness through COVID American Rescue Plan dollars. These crucial dollars increase the 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. Education for Children & Youth Experiencing Homelessness office's capacity to address the needs of these students and families. Currently, that office receives no Philadelphia county funding or state funding. It's only currently funded through federal funding under the McKinney-Vento Act. As these funds expire, however, it's paramount to secure a commitment to replace them to sustain the progress that's been made in developing a comprehensive approach to support these students and enhance the capacity to fully understand the extent and impact of this homelessness on our students. Over 8,000 students were identified as experiencing homelessness in the year of 2021 to 2022. Experts say we estimate it's well over 10,000. Part of this is due to the school's limited capacity to identify and support these students. These funds go to expanding that capacity to be able to do just that. In Philly, these funds were used to embark on a collaborative between community, nonprofit agencies, the Equia office, and over 60 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. Philadelphia public schools. Funding was used for program coordinators to be put in the highest need schools, a school district liaison the first time ever between the Office of Homeless Services and the school district, and three programs run by community based nonprofits. These initiatives helped address the limited capacities of school counselors and support staffs and establish trust with young people. At Valley Youth House, we focus on unaccompanied minors and youth to 21. We hear 13 stories of them coming through our doors at age 14 18 when they know they can access housing services. We hear stories of youth sleeping behind dumpsters and still going to school, a friend sneaking them into their parent's house at night so they can shower and show up so that nobody notices. This student graduated. A lot of them do not. About 40 percent of the youth that we see that come through our doors, that are 18 to 24, who are seeking housing and experiencing literal homelessness in shelters, fleeing violence, sleeping on the streets, have not 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. completed their high school diploma or GED. (timer beeps) I think that means my time is up. I'll just add as well that if we fail to invest in these programs, it's a severe equity issue. About 78 percent of these students experiencing homelessness are black or African American, 40 percent are LGBTQ, 32 percent are pregnant or parenting. We run the risk of exacerbating racial disparities within our community if we don't invest in these students as early as possible. Thank you.
Greetings. I'm Dr. Stephanie Blake. I work with Children First as the early childhood racial equity coordinator, and currently I'm working on tackling the issues of suspension and expulsion in early childhood education. I also reside in Northeast Philadelphia, where I reside in Councilmember O'Neill's district. I'm here to testify on Bill 21 240179 and why it's imperative that City Council expands PHLpreK seats. Today, I would like to emphasize the significance of providing young individuals with an early advantage in life, which commences with 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. preschool education. The efficacy of early childhood education in shaping a child's development and future achievements have been consistently demonstrated by directing resources towards high quality preschool programs. We're not only providing children with the essential tools to succeed academically, but also nurturing their social and emotional growth. The report Children's Learning and Development Benefits from High Quality Early Learning Education, released August of last year, emphasized that investing in early childhood education yields long term advantages, including increased graduation rates, reduced crime rates, and improved health outcomes. Black and brown children are often underrepresented in high quality childcare programs, highlighting the need to level the playing field and close the achievement gap. Early childhood education can disrupt poverty and inequality by providing essential skills for academic success. Ensuring fair access to preschool programs can contribute to a more just society, enabling families to pursue 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. employment and economic growth. So who wouldn't want to invest in preschool? As a community, we must prioritize and support early childhood education to ensure that all children have an equal opportunity to thrive. Supporting for early childhood education not only a sensible fiscal decision, but also a moral obligation to guarantee a more promising future for every child. So it's my honor to be able to advocate for the well being and development of our city's youngest residents. Children are our future, and it's crucial that we invest in their growth and success from the very beginning. Please increase PHLpreK seats in this year's budget. We need 250 more seats so that 250 more children and families can feel the benefits of high quality pre-K. Thank you for your attention and support.
Good morning. I'm Donna Cooper with Children First. And yesterday, each of you asked poignant questions to the superintendent, and thank you for doing so. For 11 years, I've been fighting to get our schools funded, and this council has been serious and 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. steadfast in its support for the district. And we at Children First appreciate what you've done. And your questions yesterday exposed the untenable gaps in what the charter and traditional school district students face, robbing far too many of our students and our city of hope and opportunity. And I'm here to ask you today to do more. Even if the legislature, even if the legislature were to fully fund Governor Shapiro's school funding proposal, and we hope they do, the Philadelphia school district would still be 1.1 billion short of what any reasonable person would say is needed to give every student a quality education. I handed out a piece of evidence to that effect. Look at the template. This template is used by the school district to construct school budgets. One teacher to 30 students in lower grades. Unacceptable. One teacher to 33 students in middle grades. We know middle grade students. That's a recipe for failure. One counselor for every 650 students. How can a student with questions get them 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. answered in class? How can a student reeling from violence get support to return to learning? Or councilman Phillips, if they are bullied, how can they find safety? And how can a student who wants to excel get help finding a pathway? Councilmember Brooks asked yesterday about how our school salaries compare with other districts, and Councilmember Ahmad asked for ways to reduce the teacher to student ratios. Councilmembers Young, Bass, and President Johnson asked why our schools are struggling academically. To answer your question directly, school funding shortfall forces our salaries to be lower than any schools in the region and our conditions for teachers to be worse. No wonder the district has more than 1400 vacancies now. There is no curriculum improvement that can compensate for classes that are too large or teachers who are active looking to exit the system. May I say one last sentence, Councilwoman? The mayor took a step forward, proposing to increase the property tax share to 56 percent. I am here to ask you today as a 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. taxpayer in this city, on behalf of the taxpayers on my board and our staff and the parents with us today, to increase that transfer to 58 percent at least. The city has in this proposed budget a half a million surplus fund balance. We decry the $14 billion fund balance in Harrisburg and say, why can't more be used to fund the schools? I ask the same of Philadelphia City Council. Please increase the transfer to the Philadelphia schools. Thank you.
Next we have Melissa Toby and Jasmine Taylor, Sheryl-Amber Edmondson and Theresa Carr, Darryl Bundridge.
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Theresa Carr. Should I start my testimony? All right. Good morning, Council President and councilmembers. My name is Theresa Carr, and I am proudly serving as a student success coach with City Year 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. Philadelphia. Thank you for the opportunity to share the work that City Year undertakes every day to serve students throughout the City. I serve at the academies at Roxborough High School in Councilmember Curtis Jone's district. I primarily work with ninth grade students, a critical juncture for them. Upon entering high school, students have more autonomy and responsibility for their education than ever before. By building supportive mentoring relationships with students, our team gives them the tools to make the right decisions for their future. One of the strengths of City Year's model is our consistency and our immersion in the school. My team is in the classrooms, but we're also in the cafeteria and the hallways. I've gotten to know so many students who aren't in my classes through our afterschool programs, initiatives like book giveaways or by bringing games to the lunchroom. UNO is always the first to go, just for your information. Our mentorship goes hand in hand with academic support. During literacy tutoring, 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. students build comprehension and writing skills, but simultaneously, we're building students' internal sense of motivation and resilience. For example, if I'm helping a student complete missing work one on one, we'll talk through the obstacles they faced, the strengths they bring to the table, and celebrate their successes. To grow, students need to try and persist, even if they miss the market first. That's how our impact outlasts our year of service. Over months, tutoring and mentoring the same students creates unique opportunities to discover student needs and personalize interventions. I've worked with students on setting goals, attending class regularly and on time, showing students how missing assignments affect their grades, deescalating conflict, restoring teacher and peer relationships. The list goes on. It works because we know the students and they trust us. I chose to serve with City Year after finishing an undergraduate degree in political science. In light of widening learning gaps during the pandemic, serving in education seemed 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. like the most tangible way to make the world a more equitable place. It's been so rewarding to see my students grow over the year that I wanted to continue that impact by teaching Philly students. I accepted a position to teach English at Warren G. Harding Middle School next year, and I wouldn't be there without City Year. Thank you so much for your time and for your continued support of City Year Philadelphia.
Greetings, Council. I'm Sheryl-Amber Edmondson, a Southwest Philly native, currently residing down the bottom, as we like to call it, in the 3rd Councilmanic District. I'm here supporting budget bill number 240179 for a property tax share allocation increase from 55 percent to 58 percent to generate $100 million more in funding. I'm a former teacher, always educator, and grants manager at the fund for the School District of Philadelphia. I want to talk a little bit about money. I grew up poor, and there's three things that you learn about money very early on when you're growing up poor. One, 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. that it doesn't grow on trees. Two, that it matters. And three, that if you don't have any, you don't. Now, imagine a child who exits poverty's front yard in the morning just to walk five blocks down the street to enter poverty's schoolyard. It is a uniquely visceral and psychological experience, and we should not be puzzled by the fruit that grows when those with unmet needs find ways to satiate themselves by any means necessary. And we wonder why we have some of the issues we do pointing the finger, that same finger that pulls the trigger when we don't invest in what we say we value. In the same way that investments return to profit, the lack thereof comes back to haunt us, and we must reckon with that. Children are not the future. They are the now. And what we do in this very moment with our power matters. It sends a very clear and direct message to our children, who are watching, anything else says "No, you don't deserve." In my work, I've seen amazing things happen by investing in children by funding public 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. education. This isn't about politics, power, or individual people. This is about children. It should never ever be about anything else. Children first, children now. The only real question I have -- (Applause.)
The only real question I have for you, Council, is what side of the coin do you want to be on? Thank you. (Applause.)
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Darryl Bundridge. Thank you, members of council, for hearing my testimony regarding Bill 240179 and for your continued support of City Year. I am Darryl Bundridge, the proud executive director of City Year Philadelphia, an education nonprofit, but for years has been committed to supporting 22 students, families, and communities citywide. 23 This year, our 118 AmeriCorps members 24 served more than 8,000 students in 13 schools 25 across Philly, and we are having an impact. 85 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. percent of all students who have worked on literacy with City Year have maintained a grade of C or better. We're especially proud of our eighth graders. 100 percent of them who started with a D or F in their math assessments have ended with a C or better. An impressive 94 percent of principals tell us they're satisfied or highly satisfied with their City Year partnerships, and the same tell us that of their corp members in terms of sense of belonging, their priorities aligning with ours, and supporting student engagement. Our corp members engage to prepare for our city's workforce. 75 percent of our corp members are educators, healthcare workers, lawyers, social workers and nonprofit professionals, and they stay in Philly. 29 percent of our alumni are educators and 14 percent are teachers, and that's growing. But 118 is not enough. We need to attract more corps members to serve more students who deserve our supports. More corps members will help build our city's teacher pipeline. As educators and other cross sector 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. professionals like the alumni and student coach you've met, we've already invested in more to increase the course stipend, higher recruitment, and media spend for awareness. We were developing our partnership with the School District to develop 10th and 11th grade internships as a pathways to graduation provider. And so we're asking for your support by increasing our FY-25 allotment to 1.25 million, which will restore funding the City's invested in City Year last year to support the district's ability to retain our support in at least 13 schools and expand our efforts to attract more young people to serve in our schools and become the next civically engaged leaders in our city's workforce. Thank you. (Applause.)
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Hi. My name is Jasmine Taylor. I am here to speak about IEPs for the children, that something needs to be changed and definitely that the teachers be trained. To 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. handle the situation with children that are -- with autism children, they need to be fixed of being aggressively. Why I say it's important because I went through it, being in them classes that teachers were very aggressive with children with autism. (child cries) Sorry, that's my son. Being why this is important to me, because I was in a classroom with a teacher that attacked me for a phone, being very aggressive and being very rude. That our autism children should be safe in schools. You want to take our children to be safe. They need to be safe in school, all children. And I feel like they need to be trained for all children for gun shooting. That needs to be trained for children because if their child is in the hallway, where can they go? They need to be trained to know where they can go to be safe if something goes wrong, who they can go to, who they can contact, that they can be saved at all time. And I know teachers need to do that for students in the classroom, but where can our children go if they are in hallways or going to the bathroom and don't know what's going on. They need to be safe 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. and something needs to be changed for autism children and all that they be safe in all situations. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony. Never apologize for your child. He hears his mother's voice. Moms get the job done. We thank you for your testimony. (Applause.)
Please proceed to state your name for the record.
Good morning. My name is Melissa Toby. I am the mom of Jasmine, so I definitely coincide with her with speaking about how the children were dealt with. I definitely can coincide with saying that a lot of those children that were in those classrooms when it came time for graduation, to even do electives, they only were kind of boxed into certain things. They could either volunteer at the goodwill or go to the supermarket and help bag in somebody's bags. It really wasn't a wide variety of things. And I definitely feel that they should open up the horizon for those children to have those 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. aspects of other considerations to do different things. Besides that, what I wanted to speak of representing with Children First, I'm here to also support the increase of allocations of the property tax share going to schools for 55 percent to 80 -- 58 percent -- I'm sorry -- and for a million dollars. I'm sorry, $100 million. I apologize.
Thank you. Could you please restate your name for the record?
Good morning. My name is Christina Holiday. My name is Christina Holiday and I serve as the 12th grade school counselor at Olney High School in Councilmember Cindy Bass's district. I stand before you today not only as an advocate for the City Year program, but also as a living testament to its transformative 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. power. My journey with City Year began 4 years ago when I served as a corp member at 5 Overbrook High School, committing myself to 6 supporting and uplifting the students of 7 Philadelphia. Inspired by the impact I witnessed 8 firsthand, I continued my journey with City Year, 9 serving as a team leader for two additional years 10 at Fels High School. During this time, I had the 11 privilege of working closely with dedicated corps 12 members, witnessing the profound difference they 13 made in the lives of our city's youth. 14 City Year not only brought me to the vibrant City of Philadelphia, but also ignited my passion for education and gave me the love of my life, my husband, Troy. It was through my experiences as a corps member and team leader that I discovered my calling to serve in the field of education. In Philadelphia, where educational disparities persist, City Year serves as a vital partner in bridging the gap and fostering a more equitable learning environment. Their presence not only improves academic outcomes, but also 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. cultivates a sense of belonging community within our schools. City Year corps members actively contribute to school improvement and positive school connections through various means. City Year has played an integral role in fostering pride and community, particularly during transitional periods such as when Olney shifted from charter to a public high school. During this time of change, City Year provided invaluable support, helping to unite students, faculty and staff under a shared sense of purpose and identity. Experiential learning is a staple of City Year, fostering hands-on experiences that enrich students' educational journeys. This year, the City Year team at Olney led more than seniors in a meaningful service learning 20 project, providing them with an opportunity to engage with their community while fulfilling the 10-hour service requirement needed for Act 158. Through this project, students gained valuable skills, developed a deeper understanding of civic responsibility, are on track to graduate, and 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. made a tangible impact on the world around them. As we reflect on the impact of City Year in our city, let us recognize the invaluable contributions of its corp members who embody the spirit of service and dedication. Their commitment to Philadelphia's youth is a testament to the transformative power of mentorship and the ripple effect it creates in our communities. In closing, I urge the city council to continue supporting initiatives like City Year that invest in the future of our youth and strengthen the fabric of our city. Together, let us reaffirm our commitment to providing every student in Philadelphia with the resources and support they need to thrive. Thank you. (Applause.)
Next we have Samia Evans Bolling and Ashley Rosario, followed by Inella Ray and Margaret DiSanto.
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC.
Hi. Yes. Good morning. My name is Samia Evans-Bolling, and I am a member of the 4th District. As a parent and as a community member, I have worked tirelessly throughout the years on numerous community projects and engagement with various organizations. Councilmember Mr. Anthony Phillips, I especially want to thank you for your work in the educational sector personally. I see SLA, Beeber and CCP represented here, so shout out to you guys. As a parent of school District of Philadelphia children, as well as someone who has a vast history of working in a variety of schools throughout the district and is a very active member of my community, I am here today as a parent partner with the Children First coalition to plead with you, the members of City Council, to increase the budget to the additional three percent to the $100 million. As a parent, the question is, what would this three percent increase look like to me? Well, we can fund the school libraries that have largely disappeared throughout the 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. years. We can see the positive advantage with the restored libraries as we look at the pre and post-pandemic testing scores. We can update our deteriorating schools. We can update our deteriorating HVAC systems. We can use these funds to create an environment conducive for our children to learning. We are urging you, members of city council, to increase the budget. Otherwise, we will continue to see the violence that is plaguing our youth throughout the City and these heartbreaking stories that we continue to see play out nightly on the news. Thank you for your time. A vote now will save our children in the future. Again, I am Samia Evans-Bolling, representative for Children First and for all children and this City of Philadelphia. Thank you members of City Council for your time. (Applause.)
Good morning. My name is Inella Ray. To the esteemed members of City Council, I am a proud West Philadelphia native and resided in the 3rd Councilmanic District. Today, I'm asking you all in a bold proposal -4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. I'm in coalition with the mosaic of advocates, community members, educators, parents, and system level leaders -- to increase the property tax share allocation of schools from 55 percent to 58 percent. This adjustment would infuse nearly $100 million more into the School District of Philadelphia, a crucial deposit towards our children's future. As a director of parent advocacy and engagement at Children First and a board member of Lift Every Voice Philly and the Philadelphia Orchard Project and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, I care deeply about the future of this city and have worked tirelessly to ensure that our children, youth and families and communities they hail from are not just invested in but are deeply cared for and empowered. However, my most proudest identities lie in being a public school graduate of the School District of Philadelphia, shout out to Academy at Palumbo, and a big sister to three younger sisters, two of which who attend Science Leadership Academy at Beeber, one of whom will attend on a New York University on a full ride 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. this fall and one who graduated from Kappa who was on track to become a registered nurse. While my sisters and I are separated by some years and our age, our experiences within the School District of Philadelphia are mirrored, as we both have experienced the ills of what happened when you don't invest in the future of the City's children. Our shared experiences reveal the dire consequences of underfunded schools, absent nurses and librarians, an overcrowded classroom, shared sports team with neighboring schools, fundraising for basic educational necessities, early dismissals due to inadequate ventilation, and insufficient support for first generation college students. Reflected on the graduation in 2011, which was earmarked by a dark period in Philadelphia's education system caused by severe budget cuts, also known as the corporate tax cuts, I witnessed firsthand the devastated impact on students future with my younger siblings and the students who I work with at Upward Bound as a tutor mentor. We cannot afford to repeat history. With the American Rescue Plan funds 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. dwindling, now is time for bold action. A proposal of 55 percent to 56 in Mayor Parker's proposed budget is inadequate. Anything short of 58 percent is a moral failure, denying our children rightful opportunities, making you all complicit in injustice. I believe in the genius of our students and their brilliance, and I hope you do too.
Is there a Margaret DiSanto and Makeia Elizabeth? Darlene Morris? Sarah Morningstar. Jeff Williamson? Zachariah Claypool White? (Applause.)
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Thank you. My name is Zachariah Claypool White. I am an adjunct in the English department at the Community College of Philadelphia. It's finals week at CCP, and to be honest, all of us would much rather be on campus. We have papers and essays to read, exams to 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. grade, key facilities and services to maintain and provide so that our student body can be successful. But that, in fact, is why we are here, because in order for our students to be successful, they need and they are owed a fully funded CCP. It is not a novel or even original idea to say that a budget is a moral document, but it is. And a city budget that does not include a fully funded CCP is a moral failure. Worse, it's a failure that is borne by our students. This is only my second semester at CCP, but in that short time, I've had students drop out of my classes because they couldn't afford a laptop and, due to underfunding, the college was unable to provide them a loaner. I've had students miss key classes because they couldn't afford the SEPTA fairs. I've had brilliant students who, through no fault of their own, needed intensive tutoring outside of class, and because of underfunding, the college would not provide that. I currently teach a class on writing research papers. Many of my students have never, in fact, written a formal research paper before. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. As you can imagine, this means I need to work individually with each student and read through multiple drafts of multiple papers. There are 5 students in my class. In a class of that size, I 6 cannot give the detailed feedback that my 7 students deserve. We need smaller class sizes. 8 Not only that, but because of the rate at which 9 adjuncts are paid, I have to work other jobs to 10 support myself and my loved ones. This means 11 that I have even less time for my students. 12 These should not be issues. If we are 13 truly the college of Philadelphia, then every 14 Philadelphian should be able to receive a quality 15 education at our institution. And that is why 16 the federation is demanding 20 million from the 17 City budget to meet the needs of our students and 18 finally give them the education and the community 19 college that they deserve. Thank you. 20 (Applause.) 21
Hi, my name is Sarah 22 Morningstar. Good morning. I am honored to 23 speak with you today as a citizen of 24 Philadelphia, a proud parent to a toddler about to enter PHLPreK, an advocate for out-of-school 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. time programs and year round afterschool enrichment, and in my role as executive director at local nonprofit organization ASAP, Afterschool Activities Partnerships. Since 2002, ASAP has provided more than 100,000 Philadelphia youth with afterschool and summer enrichment programs, keeping our kids safe and engaged during the out of school hours. These free, high quality programs are vital, particularly in our neighborhoods that are disproportionately impacted by Philadelphia's gun violence epidemic. We not only provide enrichment activities, but provide mentoring and connection to kids in our community while helping working families across the City. Most of our students know us for our signature field trips, competitions, and culminating events for our chess, debate, drama and Scrabble club. Beyond year round engagement, these joyful events create a diverse community of students and caring adults with similar interests where kids feel like they belong, and the majority of our students come back year after year, continuing to mentor their peers and even 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. joining ASAP's board of directors as alumni. Students like Brandon, who in his second year as a member of Northeast High School's ASAP chess club, was an innocent bystander at the five point shooting in early March. Despite this very traumatic experience and his long road to a full recovery after being shot multiple times, Brandon was determined to compete with his teammates at the national chess championships in early April. And with ASAP support, I'm proud to say that he traveled to Baltimore for the tournament just a few weeks ago. He is well on his way to recovery. Brandon is just one of our 4,828 Philly kids that ASAP has served this year and 319 afterschool and summer clubs at 169 different sites, including 98 district schools, charter 19 schools, 10 libraries and eight rec centers 20 touching nearly every corner of the City. We've 21 engaged thousands of students at more than 70 22 field trips, competitions, and culminating events 23 this year, and we're not done yet. 24 These programs are vital to our 25 children's success in school and beyond, but the 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. federal grant funding that has allowed for the district's expanded support of afterschool enrichment and out of school time programming over the past two years expires this fall. This means that 8000 of our city's kids stand to lose access to programs like ASAPs, leaving hundreds of Philadelphia parents and families to scramble to find other aftercare options for their children, options that may be expensive. Cutting these programs would negatively impact our kids and hinder the district's progress as it looks to accelerate academic achievement in all our schools. What is the plan for continuing these programs for our children? Where is the funding coming from? We need to invest in our children. Thank you for your support.
Next we have William Marmol and Jeron Eldorado (phonetic) Morales.
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC.
Good morning. My name is William Marmol, but my students call me Mr. William. I am both a CCP student and also a school faculty member. So I feel kind of offended neither side has offered me a shirt, but I'd like to start my speech. I'd like to start my speech by referencing Councilman Young's beginning statements on how Philadelphia school funding is so unequal relative to Boston. And I will say that is because in Boston, the minimum wage is $15 an hour. I will say in Boston, the poverty rate is percent 14 relative to Philadelphia, where it's 25 percent. 15 I will say in Boston, children have options. Children's parents have disposable income to be able to afford the programs for their children. While in Philadelphia, we have a chronic poverty rate that goes back centuries. And until we decide to fix that poverty rate, we will need to continue to fund our schools, because that is the only source of resource so many of our students have. Now, I'd like to talk as a student for the Community College of Philadelphia. This 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. staff is amazing. They deserve so much more than they have. They know that, I know that, and yet they stay. And I have so much respect to them for that. And when it comes to the students, the students at the Community College of Philadelphia, they are students, but they are not students first. And what I mean by that is, when you go to the Community College of Philadelphia, you see students, but first, they are mothers, they are fathers, they are small business owners. When we provide them public transportation via SEPTA, that is not just a way to school. That is a way to drop their kids off before work. That is a way to work. And if someone cannot get to work, that is someone who can't work. We need to keep these processes going, keep funding these systems. The community colleges are only asking for $20 million. That will go so far relative to what we already have. Let's keep the fight going. Last week, I had the privilege of shadowing Councilman Mike Driscoll, and I had the privilege of being able to sit in on a city council hearing, and I saw so much that day -4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. I'll be quick. I'm sorry. I saw so much that day, that City Hall so clearly and so passionately cares about education in Philadelphia. And I know regardless of what happens today, that care is not going to leave, not the city council and not from Philadelphia. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you, and thank you for your testimony. I was just commenting that I remember you being with us in the caucus room now that you stated that. So thank you for joining us again this week. Please state your name for record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Jeron Eldorado Morales. I am a student of public health at the Community College of Philadelphia. As a committed student at the Community College of Philadelphia, I am a strong advocate for increased funding for our institution. It is essential to recognize that the majority of the school's budget is funded by students like myself. The ideal funding distribution would see 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. a third of the budget coming from the City, state, and from student tuition. However, at present, student tuition bears the brunt of the budgetary burden. This heavy reliance on student tuition puts significant pressure on students to cover the school's financial needs, often causing financial strain and limiting access to education opportunities for those from low income backgrounds. Increased funding is not just about improving academic problems, it's about investing in the future of our community and economy. Funding would support the development of innovative initiatives such as daycare services and affordable transportation, addressing critical needs for students. Lack of access to affordable transportation disproportionately affects students from low income backgrounds, hindering their ability to succeed academically and perpetuating cycles of poverty. Enhanced academic programs and resources made possible by increased funding will directly benefit students. These improvements 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. are not just about providing a better education. They are about preparing students for success in an increasingly competitive job market. By investing in CCP, we are investing in the future workforce of our city, ensuring that our community remains strong and prosperous. From a public health perspective, these equity issues can have significant impacts on the health and well being of students and their families. Lack of access to affordable transportation and childcare services can lead to increased stress, financial strain, and limited access to educational opportunities. These challenges can sustain a cycle of poverty and contribute to health disparities, ultimately influencing the overall health of the community. As a student who relies on public transportation, I can attest to the significant impact that affordable and reliable bus services would have on my life. Currently, the lack of affordable transportation options makes it challenging for me to attend classes regularly, participate in extracurricular activities, and fully engage in campus life. Solving the bus 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. issue would not only alleviate the financial strain on transportation costs, but also enabled me to focus more on my academic studies and participate more actively in campus activities. Furthermore, investing in CCP is an investment in the broader community. Is it okay for me to continue?
Our school plays a crucial role in fostering a diverse and inclusive environment that contributes to the social and economic growth of our city. Our institution has the potential to provide exceptional support and services to students and staff, but this requires adequate funding. By investing in CCP, we can ensure that all students have the resources and support they need to succeed. Thank you for your time. (Applause.)
Next, we have Avery Lucas and Aaron Moselle Onokua (phonetic), followed by 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. Jaritsa Hernandez-Orsini and Ian McGinnis, Francis Scales and Max Hassel, Ben Moore and Melissa Suarez. Is there an Edward Hanson and a Horace Clouden?
Please state your name for the record. It's good to see you again. We just saw in a town hall with Councilmember Gauthier. So state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Yeah. Good day, Council. My name is Edward Hanson. I'm an educator at the Philadelphia public education system, but the kids call me Mr. Teddy. So I'm a classroom assistant in the third to fifth grade autism support class at Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy in South Philadelphia. I love my job, and I feel like me and my fellow educators have done a great job with a pretty challenging class this year, a challenge that certainly could have been eased by better funding. I appreciate Mayor Parker's proposal to raise the share of property taxes from 55 percent to 56 percent. We can use it, but really, it's not enough. The current state of the curriculum 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. does not meet our disabled population where they are at. One of my colleagues who has worked as a classroom assistant for over 30 years told me that she's been teaching out of the same language development books for the entire time of her career. She just retired. That's ridiculous. Additionally, the digital platforms that the district has invested in do not accommodate the spectrum of disabilities our kids have. For example, my one to one, an eight year old by the name of Drew, cannot meaningfully engage with most of this curriculum as he is considered to be low functioning in terms of the autism spectrum. He appears nonverbal and his academic outcomes are limited. Despite that, he manages to endear himself to everybody he encounters, which means to me that there is a lot more that can be done with his language comprehension. Since working with him, his verbalization has improved, but frankly, I'm improvising. 90 percent of that improvement is based off of just me winging it. More could be done for kids like Drew. I believe if we can do anything for our 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. disabled population, we should provide them with the tools to communicate with others so that we can understand the nuanced and varied ways that they are experiencing the world. And given that caring for our disabled population so often falls into the hands of the public education system, we should do our best to uplift that system in a way that allows our educators to rise to the occasion of that care. Another barrier I found in providing the best care for my students is in my colleagues pay. A classroom assistant starting salary under the current contract is $9,000 under the poverty line. $22,000 is not enough to live on, and as a result, we lose good staff. At the beginning of this year, our classroom was fully staffed with a very meaningful and well meaning and effective and cohesive caring team of educators, but by winter break, we lost most of them because of pay. So I ended up -- I'm the only one that's really been there all year, and that's beyond my contractual responsibilities, but I love my job, as I said, so I'm fine to do it. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. But I believe that we -- personally, the emotional whiplash -- yeah, I'll wrap up in a sec. Personally, the emotional whiplash of teaching one of my other kids in my class, Edgar, math in the day and then having to go home and do the math on if I can afford three meals for every day this week is exhausting. And I'm both housing and food insecure. I work multiple side gigs just to keep doing this job because I like doing it and I like helping my kids. But the district needs the support to lift up its educators out of poverty and provide us a livable wage. Additionally, you need to give it the support it needs to provide our students with the tools to achieve the quality of life that they deserve, which is why I'm asking the council to consider, instead of 56 percent, raising that share to 58 percent, which would give us an additional 100 million. 6 billion operating budget, but I feel like that the number means nothing to us. Most of the people in this room, at the very least, since we don't -- I 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC.
don't see it in my pay, I don't see it in my coworkers pay, and I don't think -- and clearly, nobody else is seeing it meaningfully affect their communities. So thank you for your time. )
Thank you for your testimony. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Hello. My name is Horace Clouden. This is a little notice to the mayor. The schools have been failing before COVID and continue to fail in the first two years of this current administration. When you talk about special projects, people want to take kudos for things that are going on at schools. They should look at the overall performance of the school. We still have schools that have zero percent in performance, so don't pat yourself on the back for saying, "Well, maybe the school has a new sound system at $2 million and then the school is producing students that can't read or write on grade level." When you talk about creating green spaces, there is a high school with a 30 panel 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. solar array on the roof, but it was never turned on. A high school with a geothermal plant for clean energy, we don't know what's going on with that, if it's really truly efficient enough. Then you have a high school with a green certification which has been removed because of overcrowding to the tune of 700 children. Pools. People testified about pools. We shouldn't have to beg to put five pools back online and three of them have diving wells. People don't understand the value of a diving well in a pool. And then for the district to say we have a 3,500 facility staff with additional $8 million in maintenance support already approved-- tell the district just to open up all the pools now. You have a superintendent that can tell you -- the school district tells you the school district ranking across the state and the country but can't tell you what each school is ranked in the City of Philadelphia. You now have a new board where four of the nine have been all -- where four of the nine have heard all your concerns, it's nothing new, but the response from 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. that board was, what do you expect us to do? So here you have four of that continuing on to the new. Now, the best solution for the 197,000 students in this city is to bring back junior high school schools with preCTE. Here again, there's no checks and balances. They go from K to 8, then they got to find their fit in high school. By the time they find their fit, they're just totally lost. This accelerated Philly plan is moving too slow. We don't need another five year plan. What we need is movement right now. Again, put me on the school board. Look at my application, and then look at my qualifications. We ain't got time to catch the five up to speed on issues when I've been sitting through this stuff for 10 years. Again, do what you feel is right and let's start getting the results that you want, not just somebody coming up defending a failing school district. You have heard that in all your meetings when you talk to the School District of Philadelphia. They just keep defending a failing school district. We don't need any more of that. Thank you. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. (Applause.)
Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Leah Clouden. Good morning. So I'm not going to say don't give them the money, but if you do, or when you do, make sure you have oversight. For years, I've watched this school district pick and choose who will have and who will go without. It's gotten so bad that it's practically trapping children in to slavery. They can't read, write, and do math not only on grade level, but seniors are graduating on a level that the 12 to 14 years attending an educational institution wouldn't even afford them the ability to feed themselves without government assistance. During COVID, we all bear witness to the fact that the majority of the teachers do not live in our city. We've discovered that 80 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. percent are white teachers. 70 percent of that 80 percent are white women. Black children make up 49 percent. percent is Latin or Hispanic, 5 11 percent are white, eight percent are Asian. 6 Why isn't our teacher base reflective of this? 7 90 percent of the money collected goes to 8 salaries. Most districts use 80 percent to 85 9 percent. 10 We ask that the four pools for 212 or 11 214 schools, we ask that you either demand or 12 tell the school district to get them back online. 13 They have a swimming pool that they were using 14 that the students weren't using, but they allow 15 other entities to come in and have tournaments in 16 the swimming pools. Go check it out. 17 They stripped all schools because of 18 COVID or a little prior. So they stripped a lot 19 of schools of the sports. It's like 14 sports in 20 the entire district. You have the northeast or 21 the upper northeast with all the sports. You 22 have everybody else in the entire city going 23 without. You have schools that have one sport, 24 two sports, zero sports, but they have 14 sports on the books. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. They also have swimming, which was once a curriculum. When I went to school back in the 90s, we had swimming. We walked to William Penn, which the school is no longer here, and we had swimming class, so there's a curriculum. It can happen again. Everything that we've had to allow our residents to be productive citizens, we got at school. This is not rocket scientist. You should not have to graduate through to 11 years and have nothing to show for it. And we 12 see that in the street. We see the killing. We 13 know where it's coming from. It's coming from 14 school. Go find out what's going on in the schools. The teachers are not coming to work. They're still being paid. You got substitutes filling in, and everybody knows you do not learn with a substitute teacher. We all know that. Go check out the schools. And no principal should have full autonomy. You have to take that away because everybody is doing whatever and the teachers aren't showing up and everything is being hidden. Thank you. (Applause.) 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC.
Thank you. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Gail Clouden. That was my husband that spoke previously. He is the engineer that almost died from carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of working in a boiler room 9 at a school. It took six years for him to get his pay after being out sick for a year. I was told two weeks before it happened that he was one of the best in the district. He was a relief engineer that was requested. He was in over 100 schools. He knows these buildings inside and out. I didn't think I was going to talk about him, but I have to because you need to know that when we keep saying oversight, oversight, oversight, this man, who was just diagnosed a few months ago with cancer, still 40 hours a week, he is researching the school district. One day, he had really, really bad pain, and he woke up and he said to me -- and I'm not telling you about him for sympathy. He don't need no sympathy. He's strong. It was told to 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. me by my husband we need a level playing field. That's all that was on his mind. In the worst pain that he had ever been in, that was what was on his mind. He lives for this, seriously. Not that he doesn't love us, but he keeps talking about the 20,000 children that will be affected. This child is 47. 30 years ago, I sat as a superintendent of the network. I had just put them in public school from private school. I sat and I heard a man tell me when I asked him, if this system that you have now, that they were going to do the middle school, high school model, "Do you have a time period where if it doesn't work, you'll go back to what we have now, which was kindergarten to sixth grade?" Right? He told me my question was so ludicrous he was going to answer. On that day, I became the activist that I am because we have records showing that from that period to now, there's been failure. We have lost children in between K to eight. Our children are too grown in eighth grade to be in a school with kindergarteners. The kindergarteners are too young to be with the eighth graders. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. With all that's going on, we have to change that. It's not complicated. My husband will tell you, over summer, the whole school district was transformed, over one summer. Why can't we change this back? Even if we do a model, like he's saying, schools. 8 You have models all over the district, 10 9 children, 10 schools. I'm just saying, listen to 10 what he's saying. I had a whole lot more to say, 11 but I need to say that. And thank you for 12 listening. Peace and love. 13 (Applause.) 14
Thank you 15 for your testimony and for your service. 16
Is there anyone else here 17 that had signed up for testimony whose name has 18 not been called or is still waiting for their 19 name to be called? Okay. 20
We will now recess until 1:30. (The meeting was recessed.)
We will continue our afternoon session for public comments. Ms. Loughead, will you please call the 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. first witness?
Do we have Judith Robinson? Carol Rogers? Sherrie Cohen? Tanya Rambert? Kelsey Leon? Sonya Sanders? Margaret Lowenstein? Mark Clincy?
Come on up, Margaret, Mr. Clincy. Good afternoon. Just state your name for the record and please begin your testimony.
Thanks for the opportunity. My name is Margaret Lowenstein. I am a Philly resident in Councilman Squilla's district, and also I'm an addiction medicine physician at University of Pennsylvania. I'm here to comment on some of the budgetary issues regarding people who use drugs in Philadelphia. I'll say my testimony does not represent the views of my employer, but it does represent my views as someone who's taken care of people with addiction for the past decade, seven of those years in Philly. Oh, sorry. Thank you. So over this time, I have seen how bad the overdose crisis has gotten in our city, as 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. I'm sure many of you have witnessed, and reflecting what I've learned in my own practice, one huge takeaway stands out, the critical nature of syringe exchange programs and other harm reduction services in reducing risk and promoting recovery. Defunding syringe exchange in our city is unwise. These programs have proven again and again to be incredibly effective in reducing HIV and hepatitis. They also reduce the risk of catastrophic infections to the bloodstream, heart valves, and other really serious complications. And they save money. For pennies on the dollar, we know that we can reduce these costly complications and save taxpayer money. One of my colleagues who trained during the early days of the AIDS epidemic recently reflected that on our addiction service right now in our hospital, there are very few patients with HIV, and prior to syringe exchange, HIV infection would have been near universal in this group. This is not a place that we want to return to. Beyond the risk reduction that these programs provide, I've seen how treatment programs that incorporate harm reduction 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. principles are the most effective way to reach many patients. People often cite the statistic that patients who engage in syringe service programs are five times more likely to enter treatment. And from my experience, that's because programs that embody harm reduction principles are often the only places that patients feel welcomed and safe and get care that's effective and humanizing. Programs that are willing to meet folks where they are create a more effective treatment relationship than when treatment is forced or takes a zero tolerance approach. And so we all know that the overdose crisis is a huge issue in our city. I think it's not time to abandon things that work, but rather to scale up things that do. So we need to think about housing, access to treatment with methadone and buprenorphine, and effective medication. We need to scale up inpatient beds and in-services that integrate wound care and other medical needs. And these are the real barriers to treatment. There's a lot of ways that we can thoughtfully address this crisis. And so I think 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. there's an opportunity in this budget season to make it happen. Thank you.
Hello. My name is Mark Clincy. I am a member of Philly Thrive and a resident of District 2. There are many low income people in the urban community that cannot afford to have their homes repaired. It is important to keep people in their homes. People have lived there for 30, 40, 50 plus years. People want to keep homes in the families so they can pass it on to the next generation or next family member. Without assistance, how are they going to repair their homes? Some residents are being forced to leave their homes because developers want the properties, and it's coming at the cost of the community, the raising of rent, the raising of mortgage, real estate taxes that they can't afford, and they're struggling just to make sure that's paid. And Napa Street is a very, very good example of what is happening. We need 5 million for the Built to Last 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. Home Repair program. This program is unique because it provides clean energy, weatherization, and solar energy for low income homes. In addition, other home repair programs, like Restore, Repair, Renew, operate by providing loans for home repairs. Now, this is a good system for some, but it is inaccessible to low income people or people in the urban community. We need 5 million for Built to Last because it is both a green option that supports the low income homeowners to make repairs and stay in their homes. It is a win-win program. Thank you for letting me be here today. (Applause.)
Good afternoon, President to the city council. I just wanted to put this on the record. We have two schools in our neighborhood. I'm in the 4th Ward. Curtis Jones is our councilperson. I'm also the vice president of 4th Ward. There's two schools in our community that's closed. And the only thing I would like to say to you, President, we need more understanding. He's not communicating with 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. us about the schools. Also our recreation center, the mayor gave us a lot of money. We got $17 million. We're not getting communication what's going on with our recreation center. So I'm only here on behalf of my people and my community. We just want more information what's going on about these schools that's closed and also about our recreation center, because I'm one of the ones that walked the mayor around, Kenny, when he first got into office, and he told us that he was going to give this money to us, but we have no communication about our new recreation centers coming. And like I said, I'm on the board. I'm executive democratic vice president of councilman. He's our ward leader. I'm asking for this body to please give us more information about what's going on. That's the only reason why I'm here. Thank you very much. I missed last Thursday's council. Hope I'll be here tomorrow. But I wanted to say this to you, President. Y'all doing an excellent job as far as this budget hearing. I think it's very -- I heard a whole lot, just like you, and I think y'all going to make the right decision for 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. we, the people, that come here and just want the right things for us. So I just wanted to add that on the record as well. So thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. Give your first and last name for the record.
Hi, my name is Sonya Sanders. I'm a longtime resident of Grace Ferry. I came here as -- I'm part of Philly Thrive, but I came here as a resident. I lived at 1433 South 32nd Street for 27 years. I just want to tell you all about my house particularly. Living there, I've encountered old pipes. The back of my wall is falling down. The roof is falling apart. It was so bad that we had to -- bugs coming in, and we had to tape the walls. The bricks are not aligned. Downstairs in the basement, if you look up, all you see is the beams and the floorboards. And the sheetrock is falling apart as well. My husband, Ray, who has passed away 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. from cancer, we had applied for different programs, but he didn't qualify because it's either dollar $300 over or $300 under. And you have to apply for different programs for different things done in your house. I'm extremely happy about this Built to Last program because you can apply for just one place to get everything. Okay. So I'm for this $300 -- I sorry, $5 million Built to Last program, and I just think that it'd be great for my community. I think that it's great for these houses to be repaired. People can stay in the community and get the help they need. So as a Philly Thrive member, I say we need this. And I vote yes. (Applause.)
Theresa Carr? Ashley Rosario? Margaret DiSanto? Makeia Elizabeth? Darlene Morris? Jeff Williamson? Brianna Robinson? Avery Lucas? Aaron Moselle Onokua?
All right. My name is Onokua Aaron Moselle Chris, and I'm a student of 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. the Community College of Philadelphia. And I'm also formerly the first vice president for the Student Government Association.
Where your squad at? Y'all said y'all was coming down and join this today. We here to support y'all.
Yeah. I guess they're downstairs. Can we just wait a little bit for them to show up?
Let me have somebody else from Philly Thrive. That was the only person, Mr. Clincy and the other young lady. Okay. Well, we thank y'all for coming down, South Philly in the building, Grays Ferry. So appreciate Philly Thrive, doing what y'all need to do. (Applause.)
We recognize your advocacy, your hard work, and so we definitely pay attention. We'll be advocating with the administration. There's also a budget 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. hearing in Grays Ferry, I think you know, tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m., and Tasker. So 4 make sure you're there and talk about this 5 particular program, so when we do go into 6 negotiations, they will see that as city council 7 is advocating for support for this particular 8 program, also, the neighbors from the actual 9 community is out here supporting and advocating 10 for this particular program. 11 Built, Repair, Renew will be a 5 12 million appropriation to match 5 million that 13 will come from the federal government, which will 14 make it a total of 10 million. And it also 15 complements the works that's being done with 16 Restore, Repair, and Renew. So we do here you 17 loud and clearly. I think we're going to have to 18 go and start -- 19 (Applause.) 20
-- and then 21 when your team come, we'll let them join you. So 22 go ahead and get started. 23
All right. Today I'm here 24 as a testament to the power of education and 25 opportunities it can unlock. My journey began 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. with a simple dream, to become a medical doctor and make a difference in the world. Living behind my family, I embarked on a 14-hour flight from the Bosnia Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Nigeria, to the iconic JFK Kennedy Airport. Little did I know that this journey will lead me to the Community College of Philadelphia, the path to possibilities. In this new environment, I found myself surrounded by astute scholars and empathetic professors who nurtured my curiosity and fueled my passion for learning. It was there, amidst the corridors and vibrant classrooms, that I discover my true potential. During my academic journey at the Community College of Philadelphia, I had the privilege of being involved in a groundbreaking research project. Together with my peers, we explored how anthropogenic contaminants alters the microbial diversity in the aquatic ecosystem system of the Delaware watershed. Our findings not only contributed to the field of science, but were also published in the esteemed journal of Advanced Technological Education. But my journey 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. didn't stop there. I had the honor of representing the college at the annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students and recently presented at the prestigious National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Long Beach, California. Standing alongside over 4000 students across the country from Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, Yales University, Columbia University, and so on, I felt a sense of pride knowing that I was part of something truly remarkable. None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of the dedicated staff and professors at the Community College of Philadelphia. Their guidance, encouragement, and belief in my abilities have been the driving force behind my sources. To each and every one of them, I offer my heartfelt gratitude. As I stand here today, I am filled with joy and gratitude for the countless opportunities that the Community College of Philadelphia has provided me. My journey may have begun with a simple dream, but it has been enriched and 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. transformed by the experiences and opportunities that I have encountered along the way. I urge the city council to consider providing funding for initiatives that support groundbreaking research work at the Community College of Philadelphia. These investments not only advance our understanding of the world, but also provide invaluable learning experience experiences for students like me. Together, let us continue to empower and inspire the generation of scholars and leaders. Thank you, everyone, for believing in the power of education to change lives. Thank you. (Applause.)
You could begin. You're from Community College as well, student government?
Welcome. I want to acknowledge it was Nina Ahmad my who 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. talked about the importance and need for all of you having a voice. We did get the email, and then Councilman Mark Squilla called me and said, "Can we make sure you get on the agenda for public comments?" So we appreciate your enthusiasm, your passion, your commitment to come down and advocate for your school. You could begin.
Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Jaritsa, and I'm standing before you today representing the Community College of Philadelphia, the Student Government Association and those who are too afraid to speak their mind. I'm brought here by the overwhelming need for your efforts and continued support in funding the Community College of Philadelphia. After undergoing many traumatic experiences, CCP has been the best thing that's ever happened in my entire years of life. 21 A year ago today, I was completely 22 blindsided by the challenges that life had me 23 face. I grew up in the foster care system. I've been on my own since I was 15. I've always struggled to navigate through life without help 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. on my side. As you can imagine, doing it alone is hard. During all this hardship, however, I reached my breaking point in 2021 when my house burned down. I was deprived of everything, my shelter, personal belongings, my savings, my entire sense of stability. I had nothing but the clothes on my back. Amid the chaos and despair, CCP welcomed me with open arms and provided me with the resources and support that I needed to regain my life. Thanks to the incredible programs and resources offered at CCP, I was able to not only continue my education, but thrive in ways I never thought possible. I'm honored to say that I'm graduating this Saturday and have been admitted into Temple University to continue my studies in finance. (Applause.)
Thank you. Without the programs offered at CCP, I would not have a roof over my head as I was fortunate enough to reside in CCP's on-campus shared housing at my time here. Though, as much as CCP has done for me, I know that there are countless 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. other students who are facing similar struggles and challenges. This is why I stand before you today urging you to increase your financial support to the Community College of Philadelphia and its students. Your contributions make a world of difference in the lives of students like me, students who come from nothing and students who are simply trying to get by. With your help, we can ensure CCP remains a beacon of hope and opportunity for all students. Thank you for your efforts and continued support. I would not be where I am today without CCP. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Next two speakers, please.
How are we doing? My name is Francis Gales. I am CCP student like everybody else, but I just wanted to say good afternoon and thank you for your time. City Council, I'm going to have to improvise a little bit. I had exams. Like all of us at CCP, school comes first. The community of people I've met in my time at CCP has altered their trajectory of my 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. life and has changed my worldview. But this community is only possible because of the low tuition costs and support programs in place. The city council must not only continue these programs, it must further improve them given the fact that over 90 percent of CCP graduates stay in Philadelphia and contribute to the local economy. One initiative that can open the door up for education to Philadelphians poverty stricken at a level of around percent is the 13 SEPTA Key Advantage program. CCP and its student 14 body are not looking for a free lunch. We are 15 looking to make public transportation accessible 16 to all scholars. This will not only provide 17 social benefit, it will stimulate the economy and 18 be profitable for SEPTA, allowing them to regain 19 some of their prepandemic levels of ridership. A 20 study conducted with over 100 international 21 cities found that each dollar invested in public 22 transportation stimulates $5 in economic 23 activity. The bottom line is this, we need 24 funding for Community College of Philadelphia. 25 It is also pertinent that the students 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. take part in the governance of our institutions. Students are ready to take on the responsibility of having a member on the board of trustees. This will ensure that our institution remains forward facing and helps students. City Council, thank you. (Applause.)
Good afternoon, Council and audience members. My name is Saad Fazloon (phonetic). I am from Sri Lanka and have been living in Philly for a little over a year. One of the goals of SGA is to remove financial barriers when it comes to transportation. I take the Market–Frankford Line to 15th Street followed by the two bus to Callowhill. Guaranteeing students free transpasses would be the first step in regards to student education while also lessening the financial burden of low income students. A good majority of students at CCP are low income and that live in the City and rely heavily on public transportation. I believe an investment in public transportation through CCP would benefit students tremendously. Thank you. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC.
Thank you both for your testimony. We appreciate it. And good luck with your academic journey. Will the clerk please call the next witnesses to testify today.
Good afternoon. Queen Judith Robinson here today to speak on the behalf of the school district budget. I'm going to preface my testimony by stating I'm a native North Philadelphian, Strawberry Mansion, public school graduate, 8475 Simon Gratz High senior class president, real estate broker of nearly 40 years. And I come before you today for all those who could not be here today. I am excited about coming here based on something that happened to me back in fourth grade, a public school. My public school teacher, fourth grade, Ms. Graves, took me to the sixth grade student council meeting and I was hooked since then. That's when we had citizenship in school a long time ago. But that's why I come before this body as often as I do, because I've been trained to do that in the public school. Yeah. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. So for all those who could not attend today, I'm going to say it ain't that deep as I watch you all maneuver back and forth. No one of us is smarter than all of us. It's not that complicated watching you all with -- I'm going to call it politics, okay -- maneuvering back and forth. I just wish, and I challenge you all, especially the African Americans, to make sure you focus on student proficiency. Make sure that our students can read and write on great level. I just wish I could see all of that kind of energy in that regard for that in all of our schools, because it's so important. I really started to focus on the schools back in 2013. I didn't have any students in the school at the time and they were trying to close down all of our schools in North Philadelphia. So I saw what a mess it was, but since we're under the same restraints of three minutes, I'm going to get to it and say, I am on the environmental advisory council. So I'm watching capital projects. $5 billion in capital projects and not the kind of energy our students would need to work on those remediation jobs. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. They're going to have to know reading and math, all of that. There's going to be a naming of the school district after Dr. Constance Clayton. She was definitely an educator. It's going to be a shame to have the school district building named after her. We have low proficiency for our students, especially African American students. I really want to talk about the bullying policy, but since I'm under this two minute pressure and I never go over, bullying policy should be started in the beginning of the school year. Prevention is the key. Problems start in the schools. I was at the School District of Philadelphia back a year or so ago talking about the bullying policy and how it should start at the very beginning of the year, and all the folks that are there now and here now moved into other positions were there at the time. And from that day to this day, bullying hasn't been a focus. If it was, I think we could have laid some of the horrible things that has happened as relates to students, either that are 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. dropped out of school, should be in school, or under school age for sure. We need to give teacher support so that way we can demand proficiency. It ain't that deep, y'all, for all this maneuvering that I've saw over the past few days. And I'm challenging every last one of you all, let me see what you working with when it comes to proficiency for our students. Thank you very much for your attention. (Applause.)
Good evening, Council and audience members. My name is Dave Luthvi (phonetic) Hansen and I'm proud to South Philadelphia. I am here to ask members of the council to consider two propositions. First, an increase in budget for the Community College of Philadelphia, specifically in terms of public transportation. 90 percent of our graduates, including myself, we stay in the Philadelphia area. This translates to approximately 1,400 individuals who will support and uphold the local economy. I believe this number would be higher if CCP 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. students were given free transportation, since student success is directly correlated to attendance. As a CCP scholar, I believe transportation shouldn't be an obstacle to my education, and free public transportation would allow more students to travel to their education and would not be a loss but an investment in the future of Philadelphia. The second proposition is an observational position in any discussions that would affect the Community College of Philadelphia and subsequently the students, as well as the board -- as well as a seat on the board of trustees for students. Four other community colleges in PA have a student chair on their board of trustees. Discussions and bargain meetings are closed off to students, and I find it ironic that students have no representation in their college when, as Americans, we fought for our right for representation. Having a seat on the board of trustees as well as an observational position in any discussions and bargain meetings will allow students to stay informed and send a 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. representative who will speak on the behalf of students. SGA and the student body as a whole have no representation in their college that we hold dear. And we respectfully ask the members of this council to right that wrong. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony, and similar to the other students at CCP. Good luck on your academic journey. We appreciate you all taking the time to be here. Clerk, please call the next witness.
Is there Max Hassel, Ben Moore, or Melissa Suarez present? Is there anyone else here that wishes to testify whose name hasn't been called?
Thank you, Chair. I just wanted to commend all the students who were here today. It reminded me of myself. And I did not have a community college option, which I would have exercised. I was not in the state when I was at that stage in my career. And that CCP affords so many of you an education, and then a transition to a four year college is deeply 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. appreciated. And the stories you told us here today are going to be taken to heart. And I want to commend you. People tell us young people don't show up, they don't come when it's important, they don't speak. Here is a perfect example of all of you doing what -- (Applause.)
Absolutely. You are changing the narrative. And I want to commend your teachers who are here too advocating for you and for themselves to make sure that we have an equitable education system that allows you to thrive, because each one of you are a jewel in our crown. And we must make sure you have the opportunity, with the support of teachers who are well remunerated, to do this work. This access to education is fundamental, and our communities, our colleges allow us that effort. And for us in Philadelphia to grow means we need to retain all of you. We need to keep you here. We need to make sure you are gainfully employed, start businesses, whatever it is you want to do, because your money circulates 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. in our economy, and that is how we are going to grow Philadelphia back to the 2 million we were. So keep doing what you're doing, get more people involved, have your voice. And I commend you and your teachers for having representation here today. Thank you, Chair. (Applause.)
Thank you, Councilmember. Before I pass it to Councilmember Landau to close out, I just want to make sure that we have given everybody an opportunity who's here to speak about the budget the platform to be able to do so. Okay. Hearing none, Chair recognizes Councilmember Landau.
Thank you. And not only do I want to echo what my colleague Nina Ahmed said about how important it is for you to have access to a great education and your teachers and your professors, I want to say that it is hasn't gone unnoticed for us that in the past couple of days, when we've been hearing testimony from the school district, from community college, from so many advocates that are trying to make sure that we have institutions 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. that are well funded and producing great scholars, it has not gone unnoticed for us of how many people have talked about homeless youth, both in high school and lower grades, and also at CCP. It is heartbreaking to hear your stories, the struggles you have to go through in order to just live full lives and to get your education. And I promise you, we are going to work on this. I promise you that we want to make sure that everybody has a roof over their heads and can get a good meal and get to school and do exactly what we know what you're going to do when you get there with all the support that you need. So thank you so much for coming out.
Chair recognizes Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson.
Yes. I too wanted to just thank our colleagues as well for your remarks and just echo their sentiments and really thanking all the young people who are here. And also, I see Philly Thrive here, our environmental activists, and -- we work with all 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. of you, but particularly to the students, continue to raise your voices, continue to be civically involved and engaged, and know that you too can make a difference in this process, not just in your communities, but also politically. And we know that we have Queen here, and we thank you for the work that you do as well, but each and every one of you who are here, too many to name, we are so appreciative of the advocacy. I have to say, for the Central students who are here, I am a proud alumna of the Philadelphia High School for Girls, class of 245. And so we often had the opportunity to work with our fellow Central Lancers and have the opportunity to attend some of your games. And so we're really, really appreciative, appreciative of you all being here and taking the time out to participate in local government and politics. And I know each of you have very bright futures and careers ahead of you. Thank you very, very much.
Thank you. Hearing none, okay, we will take a short recess before we -- Councilmember Thomas. 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC.
Last thing. I agree with all of my colleagues. As you go on your journey, use City Council as well for internships. We're always looking for young people and college students to participate in internships, to learn how your government works and then use the things that you learn to put yourself in a position to further your professional career. So, like everybody else said, thank you so much for being here, to everybody who came to testify. But those of us who are in City Council often knows that when young people come down, it's just a little extra special. So thank you all. We appreciate it.
At this moment, we'll take a very brief recess, and then we will shortly adjourn. (The meeting was recessed.)
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Council President. I move that City Council's 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. Committee of the Whole stand in recess until Monday, May at 10:00 a.m. 4 (Duly seconded.) 5
It has been 6 moved and properly seconded to the public hearing and meeting on the bills and resolutions before the committee today. Stand in recess until Monday, May 6, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the motion carries. The committee will stand in recess until Monday, May the 6, 10:00 a.m., 2024. - - - (Committee of the Whole adjourned at 5:25 p.m.) 4/3/24 - WHOLE - BILL 240179, ETC. CERTIFICATE OF TRANSCRIPTIONIST I, SAM TINEGA, Legal Transcriptionist, do hereby certify: That the foregoing is a complete and true transcription of the original digital audio recording of the proceedings captured in the foregoing matter. IN WITNESS THEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of May, 2024. ______________________________________ Sam Tinega