Aye. The ayes are 17, the nays are 0. A majority of all members of Council having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. The next bill to be called for consideration is Bill No. 010553. SECOND-READING CALENDAR - BILL 010553
An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to execute a quick-claim deed, or such other document or documents, to convey some or all of the City's interests in a certain property commonly known as 3600-3700 South 26th Street near Penrose Avenue, all under certain terms and conditions.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is, shall the bill pass finally? The clerk will please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 17, the nays are 0. A majority of all members of Council having noted in SECOND-READING CALENDAR - BILL 010553 the affirmative, the bill passes. That concludes our calendar for today. SPEECHES
Are there speeches on the part of the Minority? (No speeches on the part of the Minority.)
Are there speeches on the part of the Majority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Madam President. If you'll allow me to make a few comments this morning -- it's still this morning -about issues relative to our public schools that have happened within the last few days. I believe that Philadelphians believe in living up to their responsibilities, and they want their City officials to do the same. And that is why I gladded supported Councilman Nutter's Charter change in 1999 giving more responsibility to the Mayor over the School Board. The overwhelming support for this Charter change demonstrated that the public wants its city government to be held fully responsible and accountable for our city's schools, and that is why I recently proposed a $75 million appropriation to the School District, because the City of Philadelphia should and must do SPEECHES more if we are to expect any others to ante up and follow suit. But I want to now call attention to the public two critical decisions that were made that brought us to this unprecedented point where Philadelphia now may lose control of its own schools. The first decision was made by Mayor Rendell and then-Council President Street with this Council's mistaken silent acquiescence back in 1995. That year, Mayor Rendell, the School Board, and his superintendent approved a School District budget as if they had all of the money to fund all of the reforms they proposed in their Children Achieving Agenda, resulting in a $100 million deficit that year and many hundreds of millions more in subsequent budget deficits. I am not making the argument the elements of the Children Achieving Agenda weren't worthwhile, because they were indeed important reforms. But this new budgetary voodoo was fully endorsed by Mayor Rendell and then-Council President Street, and yet, they didn't approach budgeting for the City this way, as they shouldn't have. If Council believes we need more police, SPEECHES more park rangers, more fire engines, we don't budget it as if we can afford them and then the money will just magically appear; that would be shortsighted and irresponsible. But that's what Mayor Rendell's school board did back then and Mayor Street's school board has continued to do so now. As a result of this, Act 46 and the Educational Empowerment Act were passed, because the legislature in Harrisburg, in my opinion, were provoked by this irresponsible budgetary voodoo and some unfortunate rhetoric from the superintendent. These were, as we know, Draconian bills that allowed for Draconian measures to occur, including a takeover, privatization, possible tax increase, elimination of jobs, and union contracts. Every one of the State's proposals that my colleagues are condemning now have been legal for over three years, and we should have all seen this coming. When Mayor Rendell and Mayor Street first started us down this road, we had a Republican governor and a Republican legislature, as we do today. Now it's no secret take ideals like takeovers, vouchers, privatization and downsizing SPEECHES are ideas that many legislators in Harrisburg would love to implement. What is surprising is that when two big-city Democratic leaders invite them to do it, instead of stepping up and using their power and taking full responsibility themselves, which brings me to the second decision, which will have an even more drastic consequence for our city's right of self-determination. This past July 30th, Mayor Street signed a memorandum of understanding with Governor Ridge, which changed the future of our schools and our home rule forever. In that memorandum, the Mayor agreed to allow a State takeover to occur if increased funding was not provided by the State. While I applaud him, the Mayor, for requesting more State funding, I strongly disagree with his decision to allow a takeover to occur as a backup plan. The cost of more funds should not be a loss of our own accountability.
Further, I'm confused as to why the Mayor is now saying he's opposed to privatizing the management of our public schools since there has never been any doubt that this is what the SPEECHES Republicans in Harrisburg would eventually demand after the Mayor signed that document. Our mayor has known all along that the Republicans in Harrisburg would only give additional funding if they could demand control of its use and implement their own pet projects and ideas. So if the State of Pennsylvania is about the to take over the district and eliminate our school board and cut jobs and privatize schools and completely shred our educational supplement to our Home Rule Charter, please don't blame Harrisburg. The Governor and legislature were just doing what they were begged to do and what we have all known for years they have wanted to do all along. The blame lies, in my opinion, with former Mayor Rendell and current Mayor Street because they made very intentional decisions to turn over our public schools to the State. And now that it has actually occurred, they have decided to cry foul and point fingers and pass the buck. That's unfortunate, it's inaccurate, and it's dishonest. The State is taking over and privatizing our school district because our elected leadership basically asked them to do so. And this Council and SPEECHES all of the public sat by and watched it happen over the last six years. And in my mind, that's perhaps the worst crime of all, and I'll plead guilty to that. " We all -- we have to wonder why the Mayor now claims the process was flawed when, in fact, he and the former mayor created this process and the desired result. Perhaps it is because he knows that that takeover will not work and the parents of our children will be outraged. So now he wants to pretend he never agreed to this three months ago. He now wants to distance himself from this hot potato. The public, Madam President, is not that stupid. Our schools should be operated by Philadelphians and overseen by Philadelphia's elected officials, all acting in the best interests of Philadelphia's children. Once that slimy rock is lifted, the light of day is allowed to expose all of this. They will remember Mayor Street's role and they will remember Mayor Rendell's role. SPEECHES But in the meantime, another quarter of a million or our children will again be denied decent basic education because their mayors simply really didn't care about them and instead were concerned only about assigning blame and protecting their political futures. That is unforgivable. And we in Council can, and must do better for our children, despite what our mayors have failed to do for them. Thank you.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
The apology for the state has been made; let me try to make the case for the City. Undeniably, the State has taken advantage of the fact that over a period of time, this Council and the mayors have been at loggerheads with each other over numerous issues. I'm not going to sit here and say that the mayor of Philadelphia has not made serious mistakes, but I also will say that this Council has made mistakes. I believe that the time for pointing fingers should be over. We have never faced the threat before of the loss of the public school system in Philadelphia, and I think instead SPEECHES of preparing preliminary speeches that one would feel is appropriate for a mayoral race or a governor's race, I think we ought to be dealing with the problems of the City of Philadelphia, and that first problem is saving the public school system for Philadelphians to control, as Councilman Kenney stated in his very last paragraph, the only part of which I agree with. I believe that the public schools belong to Philadelphians and that we must never permit the State to carry out its devious and, in my opinion, illegal plan to take away the school system from Philadelphia. I believe that if efforts are made to carry out the Schweiker plan or the legislative plan or however you name it, I think Philadelphians will demonstrate that the Boston Tea Party was just a neighborhood peaceful gathering compared to what will be taking place on the streets of Philadelphia, because I think the public school system's the core of what makes Philadelphia great. I'm a product of it, every member of my family was a product of it, except for my wife, who had the misfortune of being born in New York instead of Philadelphia, but she's since repented for it many times over. SPEECHES I believe we've got to work together and I think we ought to put fault aside until after we correct the situation and the return to the public school system to Philadelphia control is made appropriate. I happen to disagree also with Councilman Kenney's assessment of that resolution that changed the school Home Rule Charter. I opposed it from the beginning on because I felt that the Mayor was not willing to assume responsibility for the school systems and that forcing it upon him was an unwise decision. But, again, that's in the past. Let's forget the past, let's try to find bases for uniting together to defeat this terrible onslaught by a state legislative body and by a new governor who apparently think only in ways of how to harm Philadelphia instead of ways to take advantage of Philadelphia. It's the State's greatest asset, it's the most important city. It contributes most in the way of taxes, it contributes most in the way of culture. Its contribution -- you can't possibly exaggerate the importance of Philadelphia as a city to the State of Pennsylvania. SPEECHES I think it's time that warfare stop and that we begin moving in a direct, positive way, and number one is to assure the fact that the public school system stays alive, vital, and under the control of the Philadelphians. To ever conceive of the abolition of the school board is a monstrous idea and we've got to guarantee that it never happens. Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm not going to point fingers, but for the last two weeks, I've spoken on the issue of the deal and on Edison and the public school system of Philadelphia. I have two kids in the public school system. The issue is -- and I said it over and over again during the last few weeks -- that the people of Philadelphia didn't sign the agreement, the people of Philadelphia were not consulted on any agreement. The parents were not consulted on any agreement. The School Board, during the last phase of what these negotiations were supposed to be SPEECHES about, they have stated that they were not consulted in terms of the Schweiker takeover. And the thing is that whether whose fault it was and under whose watch, it is now our problem, it is now our problem. And it is for us to join the battle as a Council. As a legislative body, as the people's representatives, it is time for to us join to join the battle. It is time for us to ask Governor Schweiker to come down to this body. I want a briefing directly from him. I want Edison to come to this body and explain fully what they mean in each one of those little things that we have been presented with. What is a responsible leader, what is this, and where is the money coming from, and who's going to appropriate the taxes that is going to fund the system that we will no longer have a say over? Who's going to do the taxation in order to put books, pay teachers, cleaning, building new schools? Who's going to have a say in all of that? And when Schweiker's leaving in a few months, we're going to be stuck with a board that we're going to have to call an 800 number for. Now it's time for to us join the people. SPEECHES It isn't easy. And whatever it takes, whether it takes civil disobedience, whether it takes boycotts, it isn't easy to run and come in and take over a city urban school system. And it should not be easy and we should not make it easy, even though it was done and we could point the fingers as to who did it and who allowed it. But I think that now it's this body who was elected by people across the City in different districts to come in and lead. They're asking for that, they're waiting for that. I have not heard one citizen in any school that I've gone to talk that they want Edison to come in and take over. 'Cause Edison doesn't talk about the problem kids, Edison doesn't talk about smaller classes, Edison doesn't talk about providing different settings for education in terms of equipment and so on down the line. Edison doesn't talk about accountability. And when Edison writes a report on the state of the school, who are they going to submit it to, Edison? For their approval or disapproval? We have -- and I think the largest battle we have ever been faced as a government right in our SPEECHES hands. Councilman Cohen talks about the Boston Tea Party, but this is about governance, the takeover is about governance, it's about patronage and politics. It is not, from what I have read so far in that little snippet that they gave us, about education, it is not about reform, it is about power, who has it, who wields it, who gives the contracts, who hires. It is not about education. So we got to decide as a legislative body that we are going to be with those people that are outside the School Board yesterday and that we're going to be with them all the way through this struggle, and that this plan, however it's been hatched up, will not bear fruition, that this plan will not take place. Because the people, the parents, the teachers together say no to Schweiker, say no to the takeover. And maybe we will lose and maybe they will impose it, but it will be imposed. It will not be acquiesced, it will not be negotiated, there is no room for negotiation. They have made that very clear, very clear. There's only room right now for opposition. The State does have a responsibility to SPEECHES fund an equitable school system.
The State does not have a responsibility to Balkanize and divide into three or four different divisions, separate and unequal, our public school system as we've known it since almost the existence of this city. So, no, the parents, the people have to rise up, have to begin to move it and say no to Schweiker. Let us not leave the decision just in the hands of the politicians. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
I concur with my colleagues that have spoken so far, and I am particularly troubled by this issue. In the 1999 election in the primary, I was not endorsed by the Inquirer; in the general election I was. And in the primary, the editorial board essentially said that my focus on community economic development was not enough for me to take that next step into City Council. In my interview in the fall, I talked a lot about education, and the things I talked about mirror a lot of things that are in the governor's SPEECHES plan, they mirror a lot of reforms that have been put forth by the Administration. I think that while we want to jump on one sides of this or the other side politically, at some point in this process, we have to get down to policy. So I was proud to support Councilwoman Miller's call for hearings along with the School Board. But in the end, I think as responsible public officials, in the end, this is not going to be about Edison versus no Edison; it's not going to be Democrat versus Republican; it's not going to be Kenny Gamble and Dwight Evans and Tony Williams versus Veronica Joyner and Dr. Karen Bivins (ph). In the end, it's going to be very different; it's going to have to be about radical reform versus the status quo. I'm not going to take the time of day to say all of the rest of the (indiscernible). I think that both sides have made mistakes. But I will say in the end that I do support the community partnerships that have been proposed. I support Kenny Gamble, I support Dwight Evans, I support Tony Williams before I support Debra Kahn, Phil SPEECHES Goldsmith, the School Board, and the status quo. Thank you very much
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Miller.
Thank you, Madam President. I would like to announce that the hearings that will be held by Council's Committee on Education and the School District, the Board of Education, will be Thursday, November 8th, at 2:00 p.m. And at that time, we're certainly going to invite Edison and also Governor Schweiker or his designee or "nees." So I just wanted to make sure people knew that in advance. Next Thursday we won't be having a Council session, but we will be having those hearings, the Education Committee hearings, right here in Council chambers. Thank you.
Thank you. Are there any other speeches on the part of the Majority? (No further speeches.) ADJOURNMENT
Seeing none, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you, Madam President. Madame President, I move that Council stand in recess until Monday, November the 5th at 10 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Council stand in recess until Monday, November the 5th, at 10 a.m. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. Those opposed? The ayes have it and the motion carries. Thank you. (Proceedings end at 11:56 a.m.) CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Thursday, 11/1/01 2001, are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. RE: STATED MEETING _______________________________, Josephine Cardillo Registered Professional Reporter and Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)