COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 10:50 a.m. - - - BILL 080158 - Amending Section 19-1801 of the Philadelphia Code, entitled "Authorization of Tax," to further authorize the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia to impose a tax on real estate within the City of Philadelphia. BILL 080159 - Amending Chapter 19-1800 of the Philadelphia Code, entitled "School Tax Authorization," by amending Section 19-1806, entitled "Authorization of Realty Use and Occupancy Tax," to further authorize the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia to impose a tax on the use of occupancy of real estate within the School District of Philadelphia. Committee Members Present: Anna C. Verna, Chair Jannie L. Blackwell Darrell L. Clarke Bill Green William K. Greenlee Curtis Jones, Jr. James F. Kenney Maria D. Quinones-Sanchez Marian B. Tasco - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Specialists 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 I N D E X WITNESS School District Thomas M. Brady, Interim CEO,,,,,,,..... C. Jones, Interim Chief Academic Officer 4 Wayne Harris, Budget Director........... 31 Melanie Harris, Chief Info. Officer..... 97 *Jerry Jordan, PFT President............ 116 S. Simmons, Education Director, PCCY.... 152 Parents United for Public Education Rev. Paul Weeks, Shalom Baptist Church 148 Gerald Wright........................... 171 Rev. Leroy Simmons, Germantown Clergy 177 Helen Gym............................... 184 Mimi Shapiro, Retired District Teacher 206 Kay O-Q, CMAC........................... 231 Cecilia Thompson........................ 234 Philadelphia Right to Education Vernard Johnson......................... 250 Wm. Mackey, Citywide Youth Leadership 265 PDR Swimming Team, Marcus Foster Mike Major, President................... 288 Tracy Freeland, Assistant Coach......... 296 Sharon Luzier........................... 297 Carly Bolger, School District........... 307 Howard, PDR Swimmer..................... 312 Chelsea, PDR Swimmer.................... 314 Sandra Allen, Zion Summer Day Camp...... 316 Emerson Willis, Parent of PDR Swimmers 317 F. Gallard, School Dist. Media Relations 329 G. Jordan-Detamore, Masterman Student 331 Jan Sklaroff, Retired District Teacher 340 (*Live testimony abbreviated; full written testimony is attached hereto.) 3 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Good morning. This is a continued public hearing of the Committee of the Whole regarding Bill No.'s 080158 and 080159. (Witnesses come forward.)
At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
I'd like to take you back to the alternative school situation, and I want to have some clarity on the process. I understand that the contracts are about to expire. 4 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Good morning. Cassandra Jones, Interim Chief Academic Officer. The alternative ed providers contracts, we actually issued through our legal counsel a letter terminating their contracts effective June 19th or 20th of this month. And what we are doing is negotiating a one-year contract, not a contract extension, but we are actually looking at the indicators, we're looking at some cost efficiencies, and looking at having no 19 break in services for our students, and then having a new contract for one year, from June of 2008 until June of 2009. In May, an RFP, a request for proposal, is going to go out that's going to totally restructure 5 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 alternative education for our students. It's not only the disciplinary schools, but it's also for the students who are over-aged and under-credentialed and who need a different kind of educational experience. And that request for proposal will go out nationally. We're looking at lots of models for best practice in terms of around the country and how we have structured the RFP as well as looking at the needs -- the lessons learned over the last eight years of doing alternative education. Over the summer, we will have a -- or in the early spring, rather, we will have a bidders conference, and then we will, over the summer, have those proposals come in, which will be reviewed by the committee that's made up of members of our task force now, both members internal to the District as well as external to the District, 6 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 with the recommendation going to Dr. Ackerman and the SRC in fall of 2008, looking at January of 2009 for some preliminary projects to come up with full implementation of a totally restructured alternative ed program July 1, 2009.
Well, in light of the information that you supplied Council on the demographics, I'm looking at performance measures for African-American males, Latino males in particular jumps out at me. Is there going -- and is there a correlation between those poor reading and mathematic levels among that demographic and some of the disciplinary problems that we see? And if so, is that going to be considered in the RFP that you put out?
When you look -- all of those factors were parts of some of the things we looked at in the RFP. 7 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 I think one of the things that we're looking at specifically is the behavior of the students, not just the academic, which is certainly -- the reading levels, our math performers are certainly drivers, but we're looking at some of the life circumstances also and how early are we intervening with these students. So that some of the -- one of the things that we're looking at is if we had intervened earlier with more sustained effort and reaching out beyond the District looking at some of our social and City agencies to partner with us, we can get ahead of that, so you will see those kinds of elements in the RFP. And part of the other thing that, when we come into service is, it will not be a program or an initiative that is going to be such a -- centered in just the District. The RFP is written in such a way that, yes, we 8 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 are looking at that performance in academics, but also what are the City services, what are the community organizations that we have proven over the years have addressed these behaviors so that we can change the structure. So it is looking at lessons learned. And we actually have quite a bit of the data. Dr. Sheffield from out -- the Accountability Office actually runs the data that we provided for you, and if you would like, we can go through that for you.
I appreciate that and look forward to that. One other question. We had recent hearings in reference to some problems we've had with youth on SEPTA that has caused some violent occurrences on -- along the Broad Street line. My colleague Councilman Greenlee is co-chair of that committee. 9 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 And one of the things that we were trying to get our arms around is, is there a coordinated effort between the School Board, SEPTA, the police to address some of the issues surrounding it? And one of the alternative schools, which I won't mention in stereotype, is involved in that, or at least some of the students were mentioned to have been involved in that. And how are we addressing that issue of juvenile violence? Some of them happen to be members of public schools. How are we working to coordinate the relief, that effort?
Good morning. My name is Fred Farlino. I'm the Interim Chief Operating Officer. Councilman, we recently participated in the hearings; I guess they were last week --
-- where we had 10 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 both our education component as well as school police testify regarding the very question you asked. And we reported at that time that the School District of Philadelphia's police, internal police, as well as the Philadelphia police and the SEPTA police have an excellent working relationship. And we primarily -- and, obviously, this is seasonal; there are hot spots along the SEPTA system and. We do the best we can to coordinate our efforts and --
Well, I hear what you are saying, and I take that as true, except for the fact that when we ask people what was the frequency of meetings and how did they coordinate, that was a little murky for me. And then I also wanted to know specifically, are we dealing with let-out times? are we calculating that based on bus schedules? are we 11 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 comparing that to other schools? and are we finding that these problems occur at a particular time of day? and how are we specifically addressing that?
Locally, we have the ability, through our principal principals, to stagger dismissal schedules in a particular part of the City, but even though we're doing that, ultimately, within a half an hour to 45 minutes, even though there are staggered times, you still have the vast majority of students who are using the SEPTA lines to travel to and from school. But we intentionally stagger our admission and dismissal times for the reason that you are mentioning.
I just wanted to get some specifics on frequency of meetings and -- because problems tend to adjust and shift. They're creative. And to make sure 12 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 that we are regularly monitoring acts of violence and adapting, just like some of the young people that are actually committing some of these crimes and are meeting regularly as a task force. So I wanted to know about the frequency of --
If we could, we could get back to you and provide you with the information that you're asking for.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Madam Chair. You mentioned the costing-out study in your testimony and that Philadelphia-- according to it, 13 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Philadelphia needs a billion dollars more a year than we currently get from the State or from some source, from some revenue sources. We're getting 86 million more, I think, under this year's budget. And the total amount that -- the whole costing-out study, I think, called for 4.3 to 4.5 billion for the State schools, 1 billion of that to Philadelphia. And 2.6 billion has been put in the budget as long as -- it's not a definite increase; it's only an increase if the State budget is balanced and they're not having trouble elsewhere.
My question is: How much is Philadelphia going to get over the next six years?
The Governor's 14 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 proposed budget -- and, Councilmember, thanks for the question. Actually, the costing-out study says 2.3 billion, and so that -- of which Philadelphia is one billion short. So the Governor, in his six-year budget, proposes to address that --
The costing-out studies -- I didn't understand what you just said. For the whole --
The total is 2.3 billion; I don't know where you got the 4 billion figure.
From the costing-out study, but that doesn't matter. A billion to Philadelphia, that's what is important.
Yeah. It's projected out in the next six years if the Governor's budget is approved each year for an incremental increase to make up for the $1 billion gap. 15 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Well, it's for the Commonwealth, so as you look at it, we're at 84 million more this year and it's for the next -- I'm --
I don't believe that's correct. I don't believe we get a billion.
My question really is: How much of the billion are we going to get?
Okay. 16 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 That's fine. If you had a billion dollars coming in next year, what would you do with it?
Look at the key drivers for academic success. You'd look at lower class size; you'd hire the teachers to lower class size; you'd look at intervention specifically for the achievement gap; look at a substantial investment in safety, facility security, to improve the learning environment. And it sounds like almost a Christmas wish list for a billion dollars, so it would be targeted interventions for proven academic reform. And it would address many of the things you brought up yesterday about what does a district look for in transforming a city and helping to transform a city and bringing the quality of elementary in Center City, 17 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 lowering class size, et cetera, et cetera. So it would put us on a whole new level if we had that billion dollars.
If you had a billion dollars and -- do you think more parents would choose the Philadelphia public school system? In other words, will there be enough schools in the school system that we won't lose our middle class with young kids to the suburbs?
Again, theoretically, if we had a billion dollars a year, that would address both the adequacy and the equity of distribution within Philadelphia. Our school still system would be transformed; it would be in the process of being transformed, having the resources to do it. And over time, it would address the issue that you talked about, which would be the 18 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 quality of every school reaching where it should be. It's not going to happen overnight. And if those who said, Well, you -- it would be over a period of time. I think many people would say, "Show me," and it would be results of achievement tests, et cetera. So, yeah, it would be a steady -- in my opinion, it would be a steady improvement and a very rapid improvement if given the resources, yes.
Do you have sort of a business plan, a strategic plan for how you're going to spend the additional dollars that are coming in, 86 million this year --
Well, we have a 19 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 five-year plan that --
It projects the -- we have a five-year plan which addresses the known revenue and projected revenue, and we err on the Governor's budget being accepted. So yes.
So let's just call that 600 million of the billion that you would get over the next six years. If you had 600 million today, would you also say that the School District could -- would be in the midst of a transformational training?
It would allow the SRC and the CEO to do certain -- to accelerate the proven reforms that we have in process now, yes.
So in six years, we should be looking at the beginning of the transformational 20 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 changes of the Philadelphia School District with that additional $600 million in State funding?
I think words are important. I think transformation of the school system --
Sorry. That was your word. I just -- (Timer bell rings.)
Began about -- okay. I think within a period of six years, there would be a significant improvement -- a continued improvement in the School District of Philadelphia if given those resources, yes.
Mr. Brady, can you tell us how many attorneys the School District employs?
Yes, ma'am, I can. We employ, I believe... 21 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 We're budgeted for 33 employees in the District Council -- and I will check to make sure that they're practicing attorneys. (Mr. Brady confers with colleagues.)
You know, we're going through the budget book, and in calculating, it would appear that there are more than 33.
All right. What is the average pay that an attorney receives? 22 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
And they are full-time employees? What do they do full-time?
There is a -- as in any large enterprise, we have a number of claims, we have a number of -- contract review, we have -- perhaps the general counsel is here to join us? Labor relations. But we can get a detailed list to you.
I wish you would, because I think that if they're making $110,000, the question is: Are they full-time? because I think we had testimony from the District attorney and also the Public Defenders Office indicating that their pay range is far less than $110,000. They have preparation of cases, they go into court every day. So I would like to know what the attorneys do, please. 23 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
I just have a -- I guess it's a general question, and I know it probably could be a long answer, so I guess I'm just looking for a highlight. First of all, thank you for all of the information you gave on demographics. It looks like you broke it down every which way here, and we appreciate that and doing it so quickly. But I know generally, just looking through it quickly, it looks like -- and I guess this is not, unfortunately, surprising that even 24 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 though the gap has shortened between Latino and black students as compared to Asian and white, there's still a significant gap. And I know you touched on this both yesterday in one of your answers to Councilman Jones, but can you just kind of highlight first what you think that's been done already to shorten that gap and what can be continually do you see to be done to keep shrinking it? And I know that could be a long answer, but I guess, you know, I'm just --
Cassandra Jones, Chief Academic Officer, and I'll try to just put in it lay terms.
When we brought in 25 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the core curriculum, one of the issues was, because we wanted to make sure that every child was going to be able to have the same standard of what they needed to learn, how they got there could look a lot of different ways. Then we looked at the learning styles of different children. Some people do hands-on; some, you know, small group, manipulative; some can respond to stand and deliver. Different learning styles that our children need. Then we looked at the professional development and just kind of a cultural awareness that there are differences in the way that children come and learn and the experiences that they're coming to the classroom. So in the short answer, we looked at those kinds of major things, looking at the children who are coming from English as a second language, looking at our students with special 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 education students. So you have different categories of students and the way that they -- what they need to learn. And what we made a very conscious decision is that the bar could not change. It's the accommodations, it's the other resources that you would need based on the needs of the student, changing the way that we do professional development that is more targeted, as well as the professional development for our leaders. And so those are the kinds of things that we've done to close the gap. Then it's the monitoring, because you can do all of that and it's what we're saying, but if we're not seeing if it's really happening and then addressing it where we don't see it happening, that's what we've done. 27 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 So through our school stat, which is every six and ten weeks monitoring of exactly what's being taught in the classroom and what we need to do to change it, looking at that, and then looking at that data by group. So after we look at it by the whole district and then by grade, we're saying this population in this school -- African-American males, the females, Latinos, the white students -- you know, where are we finding the gaps, and then going through that and saying, what is it about this particular age group, what is it about this particular subgroup that we need to address, and then really taking it apart, going back to the curriculum and saying you got to reteach this, you got to reassess it another way, and going back. So those are the things we're doing. It's showing improvement, but 28 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 we still need to figure out, as we are working very hard, to accelerate that learning, because it's not about remediation; it's how do we accelerate it.
Mm-hmm, okay. I appreciate that. And just -- you brought up English-as-a-second-language students. Have those number of students increased over time, or are they -- what kind of things are you doing particularly with students that are English-as -- ESL, I think, is the term, right?
I know something about it 'cause my wife teaches it, so I know a little bit about that.
We understand the question. Again, that is another one of our subgroups. We have a task force 29 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 that really helps to give us some feedback. Margaret Chin from my office actually gives us a lot of guidance. We've had some studies that really start to speak to some of the specific things, so very concretely, a welcome center. That doesn't sound like a lot until you find out that that's something that was really missing in terms of just how you get our students into the system. Looking at how we provide the services for our ELL students in terms of -- an experience that I actually had that really brought it front and center to me was being in a meeting and having a translator translate for me at a meeting, and I can remember leaving that meeting and said, Tell me this is not how our children are learning calculus. And so it helped us to change how we're providing the professional development and the 30 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 resources. It is smaller classes, it is looking at a continuum of services so that students are going to exit out of our ELL services but has provided them with the intensive services that they need at the beginning so that they can exit out. Lots more to do, but I will say thanks to the group of -- the work of the task force that's led by Margaret Chin in that office. They have really started to come into -- they are now part of the curriculum. Before, it was a side. When you look into our core curriculum now, it's what is there for every students; it's no longer just a side.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes 31 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Councilman Jones.
Thank you again. Quickly, Title I programs are determined by income levels, and is that determined by census on the federal level?
It's determined by a free and reduced lunch requirement, and it's --
Okay. And how often do we evaluate that eligibility? (Witness comes forward.)
Councilman, my name's Wayne Harris. I'm the School District's budget director. The School District actually has a school-wide feeding program at a 32 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 very large number of schools. As a result of having a school-wide feeding program, we do not have the information that many districts have about our parents' income because parents don't like to fill out those forms in any case, and if their children are going to get free or reduced-price lunch anyway, we therefore do not have the information. So what we do instead is a study done by a professor named Yancy, who is at one of the Philadelphia universities, that extrapolates publicly-available information on -- starting with poverty information and estimates the poverty rate at each and every school, and that is actually the number that we use to distribute the Title I funds.
And what other programs are Title I-eligible students eligible to receive other than a free lunch? 33 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Oh, oh. Actually, there's no connection between the free-lunch program and Title I except that we happen to use the same estimate of poverty for both programs. Otherwise --
-- 'cause there's no such thing as a free lunch. What programs do Title I students get?
Well, Title I funds the -- the majority of Title I funds are distributed directly to schools. They're distributed based on the number of students in poverty as well as the concentration of poverty in the school. The higher the concentration, the more per student in poverty that the school gets. And at the school level, the principal makes the decision on what 34 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 they spend the money on. The requirement is that the money be spent for instructional programs only. We also use some Title I funds for allowable expenses that -- the Title I funds, in addition, go to the non-public schools, using the same calculations as for our schools. And then at the center, we use it for allowable assessment costs, for a lot of professional-development efforts, for parent involvement efforts.
All right. So how -- again, back to my original question: How often do you evaluate who is eligible for Title I?
Well, in the School District of Philadelphia, every single child at every single school is eligible for Title I.
Every one of our schools is a school-wide program at 35 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 this time.
So you concede that a Rittenhouse Square, whatever their school is, the public school right there, is also eligible for Title I?
Yes, because every one of our schools has an official poverty estimate that exceeds 35 percent.
And only because I only have five minutes, I won't go beyond that, and I'm sure some of my other colleagues will jump on that. The reason I raise this is, isn't a part of the Title I eligibility a tutorial program when kids fall below a certain grade level?
Yes. There's something called "supplemental education support" that is available to children who do not reach advanced or proficient level, and they are eligible to be part of a program where there's a 36 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 set group of providers that are approved, and the children can sign up for those programs, and the cost is paid for by the District's Title I program.
And if the principal opts not to use that, that money then goes to whatever -- or what eligible category of spending?
Well, the principal isn't involved in the decision as to whether or not to do it --
-- it's whether or not the child signs up. If the -- in all of Title I, if something is not spent, it effectively rolls forward into the next year because Title I is a 27-month program and --
Let me get to my point and why I'm raising this 37 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 series of questions. It's my understanding that that program is underutilized, that a lot of parents don't know about it. When they find out about it, it's a 17-day spread that they get that tutorial; is that correct?
Actually, I can speak to what you're talking about, Councilman. In terms of the SES, those dollars are separate. A school can't -- a principal cannot say, "You are not going to do the SES." And what happens is, the providers have to be on an approved list from the State, and then we have several bidder conferences, where people come in, parents come in. We do them at the school, we do them centrally, we do them in the region, and then we send these letters home. We actually call.
All right. 38 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 The point being: Are they underutilized?
Well, I would say that we would like to see more people take advantage of them, yes.
All right. So we have to do a better job of marketing these resources, particularly to the under -- you gave some stats about who's not performing, and we have some funds over here that we aren't using. We ought to get peanut butter to meet jelly and do something with that to provide some assistance to that population.
Excuse me, Councilman. Councilman Green has a point of information. Councilman Green?
Thank you, 39 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Madam President, Madam Chair. Thank you, Councilman Jones. Councilman Jones asked a question, which I think we could get a specific answer to, so I just want to ask you to provide it to the Chair for the record. And so the question was: Is it underutilized? My question is: How many students -- what is the number of students that are not proficient or better? And what is the number of students who have taken advantage of the SES program? And do you know that off --
Actually, in the information we provided for you -- and I will out -- we provided you the number of students who have the -- who took advantage of SES services now. And, Dr. Sheffield, if you will answer his first question, I will do the second. This year in terms of the 40 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 students, the number of students who enrolled in our -- and it's called "Supplemental Education Services," it's 1,127 students who actually took advantage of that this year.
I don't know the numbers; I have the percentages in front of me.
There's a 41 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 significant number.
Well, 59 -- how many students are in the School District?
I'd say about 70,000. If you'd ask me just roughly, around 70,000 kids who are below basic -- basic and below.
Okay. So 2 percent -- less than 2 percent of the people eligible for SES are using it.
If you look at the formula -- and we will actually get the official formula -- the students who are not proficient are eligible for a few things, so SES does not -- just, first of all, the pot of money does not cover every child who's not proficient, and so there are several things the District is required to do. SES has to serve the neediest students, so there is a cutoff point, and I will get you the exact --
Has to serve 42 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the what, the neediest students?
The students that are the neediest. So to answer your question, you have -- let's say, just for the sake of an example, if I had a thousand students who were not proficient, and the Title I dollars on a scale would allow us to serve the neediest half of those students, there are other programs that we have to use. So, for instance, the Power Hour, that's another after-school extended service that are used for students who are not proficient. So the Title I SES dollars are not enough to cover every student that's not proficient; it's on a scale, and I will get the exact scale for you.
Okay. But the answer to the question is, it's extraordinarily underutilized, 43 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Councilman Jones. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Could I enter just one piece of information? This is for both of the Councilmen who are asking these questions. The School District is required to set aside percent of 10 its Title I funds. There's 141, 11 approximately, million in the current 12 year, and 20 percent of that is 13 $28 million. 14 Some of that money does not 15 get spent, which includes the SES 16 money. Some of the money that's 17 actually sent to the schools actually 18 does not get spent. 19 And, as a result, the School 20 District, because this is a well- established program that's been around for a long time, we are very aggressive in the way that we budget this. We budget $160 million on a $40 million grant because we know 44 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 ahead of time that a certain amount of money will not be spent. So while it is perfectly appropriate to discuss whether or not the SES program is being effective and whether or not the SES program is being underutilized, the concept that there is money in Title I that is not being used, that is lying around and being wasted and a resource that's not happening is not correct. Every single dollar of Title I is being used as aggressively as possible for our students.
If the rooster crows and the sun comes up, did the rooster cause the sun to come up? No. That's a riddle. But my point is, the statistics say that I have a group, a population that can't read and do math. We have funds that are available to up that level of proficiency. Whatever the reasons why 45 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 and who shot John, I don't care; what I do care about is that we target those resources towards that population and get it in the hands of people that need it. Why? Because if they know by 4th grade that if a urban kid cannot read, how many jail cells to build by the time they're 18? There is a solution in understanding that particular statistic: Teach 'em how to read, team them how to do math, and we may solve that problem. So my point is, we won't -- too often, we leave resources underutilized, and we have to find creative ways to make sure that parents know about it and that students use it. And that's my point.
And well taken. And we would say that looking at the resources that we're using, we shared the ways we're doing it. It is not 46 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 enough until every child, you know, is going to be proficient, until we've used all of these dollars as efficiently as possible, and it means that we still have to come up with better ways of partnering to get the word out. And then after you get the word out, you know, it's at a point now where I think the District has done a wonderful job in getting the word out, but that's still just a part of the equation. You got to make sure you make the connection and people can for whatever the barriers are.
Just -- 'cause I know Councilman Green took some of my time.
Poor attempt at humor. What I want to say with that is that if Hooked on Phonics can help 47 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 some of these young people, and for days under Title I, we can get that to some parents that don't -- that are frustrated, can't help their kids with their homework but this could actually give them a edge to achieve, we need to use it, and we need to find ways, through the home and school associations, to put it out there. Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you, 16 Madam Chair. 17 Can you tell me what percentage of students that are school-aged in Philadelphia attend Philadelphia public schools?
Okay. I will save those questions then. So back to the billion dollars 48 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 and the $600 million. With the resources currently available to the School District, can you fulfill your core mission?
Given the performance in the last five years, we're continuing to improve in that -- core to accomplish that core mission, yes.
-- are you performing your core mission? Are you effective at what you do?
Effectiveness is by many different scales. We have shown performance improvement in the last five years.
Sure. But, I mean, you know, going from 40 to 50 49 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 is still a -- not a passing grade. So my question -- this is an important question. I mean, do you have the resources to fulfill your core mission? I know it's all you have and you can't do anything about it, and you're doing the best you can with what you have. I don't dispute the intent of the people to fulfill the mission with the resources. But this question really is: Do you have the resources to fulfill your mission?
Clearly, even the costing-out study indicates that we don't --
Right. So the answer -- you don't have enough resources to fulfill your mission; you'd agree with that statement?
I'm saying that the 50 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 costing-out study indicates we're a billion dollars short every year.
Okay, thank you. So -- I apologize if this was discussed yesterday when I wasn't here, but are you aware of any research that -- what is the optimal size for class size for students?
We just did a study on this, and Dr. Sheffield will address that, Councilmember.
Actually, the research is all over the place on it, but there is some definitive research that says in K-3, or below. 18
The maximum 20 benefit comes in the early -- in the early years.
Okay. So I asked a question -- well, I'll get to that at the end. Did the study look at what 51 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 factors, other than class size, lead to student success?
There's research that speaks to quality of instruction, rigor in the classroom, quality of the teachers. There's a pretty good body of research that tells us the attributes required for student growth in addition to research that tells us around class size.
And ten being, you know, a class size of twenty or below, rigor and quality of, you know --
-- et cetera, where does the Philadelphia School District -- zero being, you know, the worse possible case, where does the Philadelphia School District fall on that scale?
I can't answer that question. We haven't done research to quantify that, but we have 52 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 done research that suggests to us on a lot of measures that -- we've done four or five best practices that are really making a difference. One is having highly qualified staff; two is implementation of the core curriculum; three is having an assessment system, which is benchmarks that are aligned to the curriculum that allow us to be informed of our students progress; and the fourth one is quality professional development, which directly relates to the quality of the instructor in the classroom.
So we do have a research study that tells us that we have done that, we're moving in the right direction. The issue for us is continuous growth on those measures.
We're showing incremental improvement, and I acknowledge that, and I guess what I'm 53 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 asking, though, is back to sort of the analogy I was making yesterday about the patient and the metrics that I am using to determine whether or not the patient is alive or barely breathing --
-- and that is class size, rigor, quality, the things that you just discussed, engaged principals, et cetera. Where are we towards achieving that? I mean, I'd like you to -- if you can, I'd like you to say how far away we are from the ideal, from ten.
You'd have to say your question in a different way. I'm trying to understand where you're going. There's -- we don't have a measurement. If you're asking me, If there's 10,000 classrooms, are 8,000 of them there? That's too hard to tweak out what you're asking, if I'm hearing you right. 54 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Well, you are hearing me right because those maybe are metrics just as important as PSSA. And, as Councilman Jones likes to say, if it isn't measured, it isn't managed. So if we don't know how many of our principals are engaged in a way the research says they need to be and how many of our students are in class size below and how many schools 13 have active parent involvement and how 14 many, et cetera, et cetera, if we 15 don't know those things -- 16
-- we can't 19 move towards those things that we know 20 are successful. Those are the things that we know are successful for kids. Everything else we do is incremental. So we need to be looking at a plan that gets us towards those goals, not the goal of increasing test 55 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 scores, because that will come when we have those things in our schools. That's what I'm talking -- that's where I'm going.
We actually have a score card to answer -- that's a different question you just posed. We do have a score card that can tell you how many parent organizations in growth over the last five years. I can answer all of those questions. The notion for us is continuous improvement and growth in terms of students, and I can provide you our value-added documents, which suggest and tell us that we are moving our students in terms of growing them substantially more than any other district in the state. So we are growing -- the notion is about moving students incrementally up. You don't -- you very rarely, when you look at data 56 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 across the country do you see these huge leaps. The notion is moving to them from below basic to basic, to proficient, to advanced; that we're successful in doing, and I can provide you all of that information. And if we continue on the same track of additional supports, as our CEO indicated, I believe we will be successful, but it's how we move them.
But within test scores is not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is these other metrics -- class size, engaged principals. Do we know the number of engaged principals the way the research says the principal has to be engaged there are out of the 291 that are in the School District? And if we don't know the answer to those questions, my -- I guess what I'm saying is, we're measuring -- it's important to measure student achievement, but we need to 57 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 measure a lot of other factors that make schools successful that we're not currently measuring.
And we do. I want to give a very specific example. Our regional superintendents work directly with our principals and so, in terms of engaged, they have a performance --
How many out of the 291 meet the criteria that would suggest from the research that we have engaged principals? What's the number? Of our 291 principals, how many are engaged the way the research says they need to be?
All of our principals are engaged in the way that the research shows, because part of what the research shows is that where there is any need for assistance, we are to provide it. So this is not a silver bullet. You don't have a principal 58 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 description and say, You're in the school, sink or swim. And so we have a process for any principal who is in front of our students who's running a school, and where there is a need for additional support -- and now I'm not talking even just professional development in terms of engaging them in instruction and operation. But just as we're working with any principal, we find out that there's a need to have a mentor or a coach that that principal gets that. So when you're talking about engaged, you have to define "engaged." I'll give you specifics. You asked yesterday --
(indiscernible) was sort of leading the engagement. You said, What percent? what does that look like in the classroom? We said we could go back and find that. We have 11,390 classrooms. In 59 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 2005, Phi Delta Kappa, a national organization, came in and said going into these classrooms, looking at the engagement of the teachers, which is a result of what happens with our principals who are leading that, what's the percentage of classrooms that you see that are really showing the kind of engagement? And it was 7 percent. We went back and we said we would calculate that for you for the walk-ins. The percentage today is 35 percent. That's growth, as Dr. Sheffield was saying. Are we there a hundred percent? No, but that does not say that the majority of those other classrooms don't have principals who are engaged in the way that we are expecting. There is a range, it's a continuum --
I appreciate what you're saying, but percent and 6 35 percent are both failing grades. 7 It's tremendous progress, but it's not helping the students -- the 65 percent of students who are in classrooms with teachers who are not engaged.
But I think that you're looking at a single indicator. As you were saying, you can't look at just test scores.
And that's not what we're saying, because when we look at a principal's score card, we measure engagement by the parent and community involvement, student engagement. We look at the test scores, we look at how they work on professional development. So on the continuum of services, I think that you will see that with all of our principals to a 61 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 varying degree, and some need more support than others.
Oh, okay. My time is ended, and I don't know if other people have questions or --
Yes. And, Councilman, your time has been up also.
We'll do a second go-around. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you. These questions may have been answered yesterday; I tried to listen in my office. But I want to go back here 'cause I see the chart here relative to the math -- PSSA math, reading test results. And what is disturbing is 62 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the -- in my district a high school that has 74 percent of the students reading below basic, how do they get there? I mean, how do these students get to high school without reading? My question is, you had mentioned earlier that the real thrust to education should be at the elementally school level, grades 1 and 2. Are the resources targeted to those early grades to provide the teacher to be able to teach children to read, write and to arithmetic? That should be the basic goal of the early grades. And what is being done? Because if we don't handle it there, each year they fall behind and behind. So they get to high school and they're 74 percent below the basics in math and reading and the -- and 60 percent below on reading and math in the other part of the high school.
And we certainly 63 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 grapple with that every day, and you are absolutely correct. We absolutely have -- the core curriculum, as we spoke about, was actually started in the lower grades where we had the targeted resources. Then we brought in many of our interventions that looked specifically at how do we improve the reading and the math. And so though the test scores are showing that there's improvement there, it's still not enough. Unfortunately, when you hear that it takes a generation for this to go through and so you're seeing the results of students who did not have the advantage of that, that doesn't excuse us for that. So what we've done in the high school and our middle school, we have some very specific targeted reading and math interventions that we're looking at with our students and high 64 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 school also. The reality is that there's still more that needs to be done. How does it happen? It comes from when we first have our children in preschool environment, many of them that come in that have not had the structured, formal preschool experience, and then we are playing -- working very hard to catch up with those students, it is having adequate resources, whether it's the programs where there's professional development, to move the students forward. The extended resources that we need, it is the books, it's the manipulatives, it's better ways of teaching it, it's connecting the social services that we need to try to change a culture and a climate, it's professional development about what believe our children can do and how you turn the tide. It's the combination of all of that, that we 65 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 move in the right direction. But clearly, as we were saying, though, the scores are going in the right direction, it's not just test scores but attendance, looking at the suspension data, looking at all of the free and reduced lunch. We look at everything.
Do you have -- I know in the old days you used to have reading teachers to help children who are struggling with the ability to read.
We do. And we've actually added reading coaches as a strategy. We know that reading across all of our subject areas is a major trust for the District. Again, not enough. When look at the elementary schools, certainly more, but as start to go up, when you're seeing the numbers that you're looking at in high school, the high schools, we have reading coaches, but 66 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 not enough in terms of what you're talking about. So you're absolutely correct.
Are the reading coaches mandatory? I mean, do the students have to go or is it voluntary?
It's not always a pullout so that it's not a separate class. They are now working with teachers. It is a actual different model, what you're talking about, where they're actually working with teachers to help them improve how they use reading in their science class, reading in math, reading in the history, and then some students, smaller students -- it's a smaller number of students have actually pulled out of reading classes. But the majority do not at the high school level, they do not have to pullout reading courses, so you're working with teachers to improve it, and it is a resource issue. 67 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Do you have pullout classes in the 1st and 2nd grades for reading and math?
We do have some, not across the board in all classes, but we absolutely have some of the targeted in the lower grades. But, again, part of the strategy is how do we build the skills of all of the teachers to be teachers of reading.
Well, do you have professional-development opportunities for those teachers to learn how to teach?
Absolutely, absolutely. And that's ongoing professional development that we use, but I wanted to -- we need -- if we could say, as Mr. Brady said, what would we use with some of those additional resources? Absolutely to have more of the reading emphasis. So it is coaching, it is to be able to have more of the targeted 68 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 resources at a younger age, 'cause you're correct, if you get it at the younger age, then they're reading by 3, they're able to be engaged. And we would use a lot of those resources to increase what we do in reading and math in the lower grades so that the foundation is even stronger.
I think I -- just one comment to support Dr. Jones. In terms of systemic fixes, we're working -- the heavy lifting is connecting the acquisition of standards to a grade. Were you proficient or are you not proficient? And I think we're doing that work. How do we establish rubrics for marks, grades? Because when you look at our data -- and we run our data by our PSSA, proficient basic, you have students who get C's and B's who are below basic. So the question that you 69 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 ask and that we've been grappling with is, Why is that? So how do we step back and provide a framework for grading so that you do pass based on acquisition of knowledge and acquisition of standards. If we do that, you don't get to the 10th grade or the 9th grade without being able to read at a proficient level. And that's what the hard work and the heavy lifting we're doing now so we can put some framework and then do professional development and move it forward.
Does some of this go back to the notion that you had to -- the children had to be passed and not held back? I know that at one point in time, it was -- there was some outcry about the number of children who were being held back, and then there was an outcry about the kids being passed and they couldn't read and 70 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 couldn't write. Where does that debate stand? I mean, where you all in that philosophy?
If you look at the promotion policy and what you were referring to, that absolutely -- I think you cannot ignore that as a contributing factor and another reason why we work so hard in terms of the intervention and support for students. And even when a child was promoted socially, it was with the intention that that child had a structured, extended-day program, and it didn't always happen.
But that was the intention, even with social promotion, that if you promoted Cassandra socially, that I had -- you knew, as my incoming teacher, that I had a difficulty in reading, that you needed to work with me on a particular reading 71 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 intervention. That did not happen across the board. So that was, again, another factor that you cannot ignore.
Thank you, Madam President. On a better note, 'cause your stamina has been incredible and we appreciate you being able to answer and respond to questions. It's not always what we want to hear, but it is what it is. And it can, based on that information, get better.
And that's 72 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the way I'm looking at.
In my district, we have the School of the Future, which was recently certified as a LEED school, which is environmentally friendly, and I wanted to know if schools like Barry School, which is being constructed also in my district, are they going to be LEED certified? And the third part of my question is: Are we developing a green-job curriculum to prepare public school students for jobs in the industry of environmentalism, conservation, alternate energy and the like?
I'm going to take the last one and then turn it over to Mr. Ferolino. I actually love that idea, and I'm going to speak with Dr. Analoff (sp?) in our career focus, our CTE programs, because I will say that 73 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 that's one of the things where you say, "Duh, why didn't you think of that?" because that's makes so much sense. So thank you for that, and we are absolutely going to speak with Dr. Analoff, because there is no 8 reason why we would not do that.
I think -- thank you, Councilman. Yes, we're very proud that the School of the Future met the LEED standard, and all future design and construction will incorporate LEED standard. It makes good sense to have the right environmental systems and products. And over the years, you could make a good business case that will more than pay for itself.
There was a recent commercial where this young environmentalist is talking to a seasoned, grizzly CEO type, and she's trying to explain why greening is important, and she simply lifted up the 74 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 bottom line of the financial sheet: that it saves money.
And if that is, in fact, true and we can demonstrate that, it seems like it's a no-brainer to incorporate that. But in addition, as we start to look at careers -- not in the future but in the present -- whether we're talking about waterless urinals or gray-water technology or thermal heating, all of these things are careers.
You're no 18 longer just a plumber; you're a green plumber. And I think we just need to incorporate that into our shop. But not just green jobs; we're talking about life sciences, we're talking about hospital jobs, and we're talking about service jobs. As we look at the possibility of gambling 75 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 actually hitting Philadelphia, we need to prepare public school students for entry-level and even management-level opportunities with these industries. And it seems as though cooperation with the various chambers of commerce, cooperation with PWDC, and cooperation with Community College might be an appropriate way to --
-- kind of reverse-engineer these careers and really give a graduate of public school a opportunity, if they're not going to college, at least they're at a wage-earning, family-supporting job.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green. 76 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
I just wanted to ask a question in terms of Councilman Jones's comments about preparing young people for jobs of the future. I guess the core -- the question is: What are we educating our children to do? I mean, what is the core of the school system in educating our children? What is the end goal?
Councilwoman, the stenographer cannot hear you. 77 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
I'm sorry. What is the end goal? Is it to have them just to be able to read and write and go off into the world? Is it to help them understand what the world is all about and developing a curriculum so they understand that at the end of the day, they have to work; at the end of the day, they are going to be parents; at the end of the day, they're going to be home owners; and at the end of the day they're going to be adults? And what is it they need to be a productive adult? Are we developing those children to function in the world?
And that was my question. What is the goal for kids who graduate? What is the goal for kids who graduate?
At the end of the day, what is it that you're trying to do?
You've actually 78 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 described it: It is to be productive citizens in a global society, not just to go to college, 'cause even after you go to college, you still want them to work and be gainfully employed. I mean, you really described it, you know, in a nutshell. That's what the whole education process is. We want them to be functional, we want them to be good citizens, we want them to understand that this is a global society, we want them to understand that the world does not stop at, you know, North Philly or South Philly or -- you know, that it is, you know, you go to Africa, you go to Italy, you go to other places and you're able to prepare for jobs. Our curriculum -- you know, how do you become thinking, you know, functioning adults, because the jobs that we're preparing them for now don't even exist. And so -- and that you're not 79 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 going to be in a job forever, that you are going to be changing your jobs six or seven times. Those days are gone when you came in and you had that job for 30 years. You know, you're going to change jobs four or five times. And so, how do you maneuver the systems, how you're a critical thinker, how you're able to, you know, adapt your skills so they are transferable. Those are the things that we are preparing our students for, so your description was absolutely correct.
I think, sir, if I may, and Dr. Jones just gave a great overview. Being a more simple soldier-type, I know there's a mission statement and a declaration of education that the SRC has approved, and it -- I think it takes all of the great things that you two just discussed, and I think it puts in more 80 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 succinct language, so if you could allow me to get that copied to you, that will give you a better appreciation of, in a more succinct form, what the School District's mission is.
On a scale of 1 to -- 10 being fulfillment of 10 your mission, that is your written mission, and zero being zero attainment -- where is the School District with respect to the written mission statement?
Sure. I'll come back to it. The reason I was going to ask, What is the goal for kids who graduate? and I expected the answer to be productive citizens, in my view, that -- if you boil down your mission statement, that's it, productive citizens. 81 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 And what testing are you doing to determine whether or not a person is achieving towards being a productive citizen? How -- in other words, productive citizens share society's civic values, which may include things like conflict resolution or other things.
What testing is the School District doing towards determining whether or not you're achieving your goal of producing productive citizens? And at what level?
I think across the board, when we're talking about the testing, it -- we get that feedback, one, from our business partners, so let me start there. When we talk about, Are they able to work as members of a cooperative team? are they meeting some of their skills? some of that 82 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 comes from our direct feedback from our business partners, because we have several organizations that work directly with us. And so I want to move away from, if I can, just the test scores; that's a pencil and paper test. That's very concrete. When our employers come back and say, You're producing children, or your graduates are coming to us, and they're not able to function in teams, they're not able to get along with diverse cultures, and so you will see that we do teach conflict resolution, you'll see that we do have service learning and community service learning so that those skills we can measure. And sometimes it's in portfolios.
Great. How many 6th grade students are proficient in conflict resolution?
When you say "proficient," I would have to go back 83 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 and tell you how many pass the course. If that's going to be your bar for proficient, then I would --
Well, passing courses does not have a correlation with proficiency in tests, right?
But you asked me how are many proficient in conflict resolution, and so that is a course, and so the measure of that, of that -- of your particular question, I would have to go back to get that answer.
But that's not going to answer the question, because just as, you know, PSSA scores don't reflect -- don't have a correlation to whether or not somebody passed the course in math or reading, you can pass courses, people pass courses, to Councilwoman Tasco's point, and are not proficient, and that's why they end up at 74 percent who don't read who go to high school or who don't 84 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 read at proficiency that go to high school. So my -- the point of this is, there should be tests, we should be measuring other things to produce productive citizens other than just what we measure in our tests. So we should develop tests that help us understand whether kids really -- regardless of whether or not they pass the course, whether it's reading, math, or conflict-resolution, they really understand conflict resolution with respect to societal and civic values that we want to impart to our children. There is no measurement that says children, yes, they get that mugging somebody is wrong or fighting is not the way to solve things or being respectful to your boss is important or -- et cetera. These are things that are as important to measure when your goal is 85 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 to produce productive citizens as whether or not they're proficient in math or English, and I'd like to know if we can do that.
We would agree with you, and that's why I was giving you the other examples, but I wanted to respond to your question when you said specifically for conflict resolution. There are a lot of different ways to measure that. You can certainly look at the climate of a school, you can start looking at some of the students' survey work that comes out of our Office of Assessment. Those are other ways to measure it. But the only way that I could get to the concrete answer of a particular course -- and it would be lots of other ways we can get to, but that's the only way I could get to the concrete answer of a particular course if your question was just narrow for conflict resolution. 86 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
You make a very important point. Qualitative measures are much tougher to get at and drive and often have to be put in some cultural context because your values may not be someone else's values and how do we define that and measure it are very complex. I would also say to you in terms of the quantitative measures and acquisition of standards, we educate children so that they're literate adult, they're critical thinkers, they can think higher order, and that they can -- and that does translate to being a productive citizen. The role of education is to broaden the horizons of children, to teach them things and have them experience things that they would never experience. How you measure those kinds of things are tougher than how we measure if you know 2 plus 2 or if you can 87 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 complete an open-ended sentence. But you're right. The question is, how do we get to that? And it's very expensive -- I'll just put that on the table -- to develop those kinds of instruments, but you're right.
Thank you. I mean I guess I'd suggest that we know the answer to the question because 45 percent of kids don't graduate from high school at all; therefore, they're not productive citizens. So of the kids who go to public school, 45 percent don't graduate, so that's a -- if the goal is, you know, that's not -- 55 percent is not a passing grade on productive citizens.
Thank you, Madam Chair. 88 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
I'm just going to say I guess what we're asking, and society is asking, is for the school system to take on a little more than just educating the children. What you haven't said -- and you alluded to it briefly but very diplomatically -- is that you have some cultural issues and that you have some home issues, where the parents are not engaged, and you have a lot of that. And so, having all of that in the back of our minds as educators in some instances, do we throw up our hands and say we just can't get to some of these kids, and that's how I'm looking at the Boone and the Miller and the Allegheny schools where the kids are like a hundred percent below basic, and then these are the kids who end up probably in the prison system. 89 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 So we know that there are a lot of those social problems and issues that we have to recognize. And you can't be -- the school system can't be the cure-all, you can't be the end-all, but the attitude about that by some of the educators may -- and I'm not blaming the educators, but, you know, it's just human nature to say, you know, I don't know if I can deal with this, are we going to make any difference with this because of the environment these children come from, and where's the support we need? So the issue that -- and I guess I'm not asking a question but I'm making a statement that Councilman Green said about the whole issue of conflict resolution and the response about the values.
There's nothing wrong with teaching right and wrong. That's not a value system; 90 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 that's just a cultural issue or a value system, and you don't believe wrong is wrong and I don't believe wrong is wrong. Wrong is wrong. And so we need to teach that wrong is wrong and right is right, and there are some basic values that we do have to teach to these children as they go through -- 'cause you have them a major part of their lives, from 8 to 3 or 4, and you are responsible for them.
And it's a thankless job, and I thank all of you and those teachers and principals who are involved with this, because I don't know if I would have the stamina to do it, you know? But it takes a lot. But I don't want you all to forget that -- or think that we're thinking that you can't teach values. Now, what -- I mean what kind of values? I mean, certainly, there are other -- there are some 91 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 restrictions and that kind of stuff, but the basic let's-get-along kind of values, the values of right and wrong, you shouldn't hit somebody in the head with your book bag or, you know, you don't do those kinds of things unless you teach respect, that those are the values that you can teach without any fear of being in the court, and I think that ought to be pushed because a lot of these kids aren't getting that.
And that is part of what we do. And I do think that we would say as tough as it is, we don't throw up our hands because we really do believe that there's ways to work with our parents and with our communities and our partners, and it's going to take us all collectively doing that to figure out, you know, how do we change this behavior and the culture and belief systems. But it can be done, 92 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 and we see that. I'll give a perfect example, as I said with the Councilman and working with them on some challenging situations that we've had in schools, and it couldn't be solved with just the District alone, but the Councilman, you know, that came out, you know, the Councilwoman came out and put together some City resources together. And that's why I'm saying we measure it in different ways beyond just the class, but it is, when you're getting the feedback, you know, from your partners, from your parents. And I think that collectively what we've seen with the partnership with the City is, you know, that we're not throwing up our hands; we're trying to figure out different ways to measure it. And even the students that-the 45 percent that drop out, they're 93 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 still our responsibility and so that's why we're looking at different ways to engage them, even out of the court system. We still have to engage them in different ways. Because they've dropped out, that doesn't put them off our radar; we're still trying to figure out ways to reach them also.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm sure you're familiar with -- and I heard about this at a conference that I was at over the weekend. There is a program where lawyers are coming in to public schools to discuss civic values and our society and right and wrong. And I thought you might take 94 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the opportunity to talk about that program for a second and also to let people know about it so that they might sign up for it.
Michael Pratt actually brought that program to the District about two months ago. It is actually being developed. It's going to kick off in September. And you're right. Lawyers and judges are going to be coming in. And it's conflict resolution and, you know, how do you really understand the difference between right and wrong, and how do you navigate the life situations so that you can stay on the right track. And that curriculum is actually being developed now, as we speak, working in collaboration with our Office of Curriculum and Instruction and with the bar. And we are very excited about that. And one of the things that, as 95 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 I was listening to you, I'm going to ask that particular subcommittee to think about other ways that we're measuring what happens as a result of this program because I know we've looked at many of the traditional kinds of assessment, but some of the things that you were saying today I was making note of it to say, as they're in development, there's some different ways to assess some of the things that are going to come out of that program, and then how do we replicate that. So we're very excited about that opportunity and it's going to kick off in September of 2008.
At a recent Philly Stat meeting that a member of my staff attended, the School District shared the results of a study 96 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 identifying the big four predictors of dropout, and it was a measurement taken at 6th grade versus dropout, and that was -- and I know it was briefly discussed yesterday: low attendance, poor behavior, failing 6th grade math, failing 6th grade English. I imagine you could probably draw a correlation back to 2nd grade, you know, if you wanted to, although that's not -- And, I guess, the study found that students who fell into these categories had a 10 percent chance of graduating on time and a 20 percent of graduating one year late, and the rest pretty much don't graduate. So I'd like to know, does the District have a computer program or some kind of program that looks at a database available for all its students, that looks at these factors so that schools, as children are going to another school or -- so that their teacher knows that they're in this 97 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 risk category and their principal knows that they're in this risk category? Is there a list developed? Is there a computer -- could you hit a button now and tell me how many kids in 6th grade fall into this category? And if you can't, why not? Or should we develop it?
Melanie Harris is going to come to address that for you. (Witness comes forward.)
Good morning, Councilman. Melanie Harris, Chief Information Officer. The School District is in its fifth year of instituting an instructional management system, which allows all of our teachers to log in. And their first screen is what we call their "KPI," their key performance indicators, which allows them to see, student-by-student: attendance, drop-out rates, test scores, report 98 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 card scores. We're in the middle of bringing in actual suspension data into that system. So it allows our teachers to drill down, at the most minute level, information on their students that are in that class at any particular time, and it's updated daily to really allow them to see where they need to make improvements at a per-child level. For example, at the benchmark we talked about yesterday, the six- week intervals in which the students are taught, that six weeks allows them to look back and say, Where do I need to remediate, where do I need to do advanced instruction for those kids, to be able to move them on to the next level. So that is available to our teachers. In addition to that, we have a data warehouse system that, again, brings all of that information up to our administrative level, that allows 99 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 our administrators to report on any level of, again, key performance indicators that can drive change and instruction.
So you could go back today, tell me how many 6th grade students meet the criteria that would suggest that they're not going to graduate from high school that are in the school system in 6th grade?
Yes. Based on what I heard those four indicators to be, yes, we could.
But you would have to go in and do it manually and then -- you know, and then report back to me. So I guess what I'm looking for is, you have you all of the data. You know people's attendance records, and you know these factors that were identified are important. And what I'd like to suggest is that the School District build models that will 100 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 automatically do the pre -- do predictions for school counselors, for, you know, extra tutoring, for everything that's available for these kids that we can now know, hey, I mean, the teacher's going to work on math because it's low, but we can also say, These are the children that aren't going graduate from high school. We have to do one-on-one with them, intervention, tutoring, things like that, to make a difference, to keep them in school. And it sounds like there's no -- that we're not using our data that way.
Councilman, while I'm not an academician, so I don't want to speak for my colleagues, but you are correct. We have, as Dr. Arnette said at the first Philly Stat meeting I attended, there's no lack of data in Philadelphia; probably more data than she has seen in any city. And I do 101 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 believe that our colleagues are working together to do true data-driven derision-making to drive instructional change, to look for how we need to differentiate instruction to really reach the broadest audience of students. So while I don't want to underestimate, as the technical lead, what it takes to build those models, I do believe we are moving forward on that. And we could be happy to expand on that conversation at any time.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yesterday, in the budget testimony in the afternoon, you 102 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 mentioned that despite the fact that the State allegations for alternative ed was being reduced by million, we 5 are going to stay at 5 million. Is 6 that because we're planning to expand 7 programming for alternative education? 8
The amount of funding for contract at alternative education '04 disciplinary schools and for the over-age schools is the same in the current budget, which is the Fiscal Year '08 budget and next year's budget, the Fiscal Year '09 budget. Dr. Jones is leading an effort to renegotiate the standards and the payment rates and many other things within that same -- within that same budget amount. And I think we're -- if everything went right, we would be hopeful that we might be able to provide more and better service for the same amount of money.
So where does the additional -- where is the 103 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 additional money taken from?
The State's -- the State -- the -- you're referring to 14 the $22 million that was provided by 15 the State for the Alternative Education 16 Demonstration Grant in Fiscal '07, and 17 then it dropped to 14 million in Fiscal 18 '08. 19
We are counting on 21 14 million in Fiscal Year '09 as well. 22 So the drop actually happened from last year into this year, not from this year into next year.
It's -- that funding source goes into the General Fund of the School District. And when any funding amount goes down, then we are forced to make decisions about what steps to take to close that gap.
In this case, the decision was made that that -- that we closed about two-and-a-half million of that gap through cuts in alternative education, but we were not able to cut anything like 8 million without devastating the programs.
A lot of our premise on this budget counts on the Governor's budget passing. What's our Plan B if we don't get the allegation that the Governor is pushing for?
Right now, the Plan A is to close the gap that's already announced, which is the 38.9 million. If that does not pass, then we go to -- 105 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 we're already working on a deficit- reduction plan for Plan B, and we'll have to make the necessary reduction. I mentioned it yesterday afternoon. I said once we rely on more revenue as part of that threefold approach to budget-deficit reduction, and if obviously a main source of that income is taken away, then we'll be forced to recommend to the SRC and to the City community very, very deep cuts into areas that we've made progress in the last a couple of years. And so to answer your question as openly as you can, it would be devastating, but we have a Plan B, yes.
I guess one of my concerns is, there's -- a decision in your new plan calls for extending the qualifying miles for 7th to 12th grade from 1.5 to 2, which would impact 7,000 students at a cost 106 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 of $720 per student.
So I'm asking, you know, we -- when we're experiencing cuts in other budgets, we are passing that onto the student. I mean, is this decision final? I mean, it's 7,000 kids that we're asking now to pick up $720.
That proposal in the budget is actually a policy decision that the SRC will address in the next few months. It will be a proposal to either move the geographic limit from one half -- from two miles to a mile-and-a-half, or there will be a proposal to base that SEPTA free pass based on an attendance model. And so that they will have that -- both policies. There will be public engagement on it, and then they will reach a decision in, I believe the SRC Chair said, in August. And so -- 107 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
I'm sorry? No, it's not finalized at this point. That will be a public discussion in June and August.
Can -- I don't know if someone from the SRC -- there's been some controversy around this $1,000-a-day panel. Can you summarize for us what the goals of that panel is and how that information will be used to help the new CEO?
I'm -- I know the intent of the new CEO is to gather information, have -- and help formulate her plans for the Philadelphia School District. I feel very uncomfortable in trying to explain how the $1,000 honorarium -- is that what you're referring to?
I do not know, and I think we can come back to you with 108 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 some details.
I'd appreciate that. At least with some over-arching goals and some --
Yes. And I know, Councilwoman, that Dr. Ackerman would love the opportunity to explain the overall goal and the intent and deliverables that will come out of that very important approach.
Okay. Councilman Green, immediately after you're finished your questioning, we will break until 1:30, when public testimony is scheduled. So at this time, I recognize you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to stay on civic values for a second, and I think what we heard from your CIO -- and you two were nodding yours heads in agreement, 109 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 so I'd like to make sure I understand. The quantitative data that teachers have available to them about their students, the KPIs, are driving better test scores, driving increased results. Having that quantitative data, having it available is telling teachers where to concentrate with a particular student, and that's increasing test scores. Is that a fair assess -- summary of --
It's improving in increased academic performance, 110 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 correct.
Okay. Increased academic performance, which we're measuring in test scores, okay.
Okay. So what I'm suggesting is, if we had quantitative data available to teachers about whether or not their kids in their classroom understand conflict resolution or share some of our civic values, which I think Councilwoman Tasco very well described as although there may be cultural differences, there really aren't with respect to right and wrong.
You should respect your elders, you should respect your teachers, you should -- you know, I mean, there are certain universal things that we can agree.
So towards 111 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the goal of producing productive citizens, I'd like to suggest that we should try to gather, through testing, some quantitative data on how people really understand that.
And I'd like to know if, other than just this program where lawyers are going to come in --
-- if these -- to what extent these -- the productive citizen goal is part of the core curriculum now.
Okay. Allow us to get back to you with a better detailed answer.
And I would also like to be able to contact you because there's -- I know you've made reference a couple of times to a conference.
And clearly, there's some things that I think that you have in mind that could help us. So I would like to be able to follow up with you and just to really pick your brain because I think you have some ideas that could probably help us unpack some of the things we're trying to do.
I think I'll follow up the rest of my questions when we have a chance to sit down. And let us all head to lunch. I thank you for your testimony.
You know, I just want to note that, unfortunately, it seems like we agree that the School District does not have the resources to fulfill its core mission at the moment and -- 113 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
No. And it's a sad thing for parents who have no choice, because they can't make another choice, that have to send their children to public school, to know that there's not enough money there, unless you're child is in a magnet school, to provide them with a quality education that's going to turn them into a productive citizen, and that the day that they go into school, there's a 45 percent chance that their child is not going to graduate and become a productive citizen. I mean, this is a moral obligation of this city, of this state, and of this country.
And there's 114 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 nothing more important that we can do. And I just would like to know how we can help you.
Thank you. This committee will stand in recess until 1:30.
I'd just like to say that we recognize that there is not enough money to address many, many challenges that exist with the school system.
But I have to say that there are many young people who are coming out of the public school 115 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 system who are going to college, who are productive young people. It's -- while the numbers are high, we can't overlook the fact that many, many of our leaders in this city came out public school, many of them are coming out of public school and going to colleges and universities, and the School District should highlight that, as was talked about yesterday, the positives that are happening in the public school system. It doesn't mean that we don't fight and request and argue for more resources to meet those challenges that are more difficult to deal with, that we have the funds for. But I want to speak on behalf of those young people who are in school, who are doing a good job, who are learning, and will go on to be productive citizens.
Thank you. 116 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Again, the committee will stand in recess until 1:30. Thank you.
Thank you, ma'am. (Proceedings stand in recess at 12:20 p.m.) (Proceedings resume at 2:17 p.m.)
The Committee of the Whole is now back in session. I believe our first witness is Jerry Jordan. (Witness comes forward.)
Your testimony is rather lengthy. If you would like to abbreviate it, we'll give a copy of it to the stenographer and it 117 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 will be transcribed in full.
What I will do is, I will skip through -- I will skip portions of it --
-- for the sake of brevity. And since it will be in the record in its entirety, that would be fine.
Thank you. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Jerry Jordan. I'm the President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Good afternoon, Councilwoman Verna and Councilmembers. I'm pleased 118 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 to be speaking to you today on behalf of the PFT's 16,000 members. Our dedicated teachers, nurses, counselors, librarians, classroom assistants, and support staff believe in public education. They believe good schools with qualified teachers and staff, adequate and equitable funding and well-rounded educational opportunities are the path to putting children on the path to healthy, productive lives. But they also believe that education is about more than test scores, adequate yearly progress, and dropout rates. To PFT members, education is about children, some with complex social, educational, and physical needs. PFT members believe that as a community, we must address all of these needs to develop young men and women who can envision futures that are both meaningful and attainable. We know you share this belief. 119 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 PFT members work hard to serve students' needs and improve academic achievement, yet they often feel they're hindered by policies that emphasize rote learning, testing, and meaningless paperwork at the expense of programs that do not make kids want to come to school. During a recent visit to a conference of high school, a PFT member asked: How can with say we care about cutting the dropout rate when the District cuts the very programs that keep kids interested, motivated, and engaged in school? Her comments are echoed throughout the School District, where many art and music programs have been eliminated, many school libraries are closed, and choirs, bands, clubs, school newspapers, and other activities have been curtailed. If we listen to the voices of the teachers and support staff on the 120 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 front lines of education, they would advise us to offer students a broad educational program that teaches students to think creatively explore their talents, and get involved in school activities that prepare them for jobs and college. We have been encouraged in recent years by increased public support for Philadelphia's schools. Since 2000, a strong coalition of parents, students, and community leaders has joined the PFT in calling on legislators and policy-makers to focus resources in schools and in classrooms where learning occurs. The community is clear and unified about the specific resources schools need: Early childhood education programs that target at-risk three- and four-year-old children and prepare them for kindergarten; Small classes taught by certified teachers who can give 121 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 students individual attention; Safe schools with high standards for conduct and consistent enforcement of rules; Well-stocked school libraries in every school staffed by certified librarians who can instill a love of reading and guide students in the pursuit of college; Middle-grade programs that identify and support students who are struggling and at risk of dropping out of school; A relevant curriculum; Technical and career training and other creative high school opportunities to help students explore their individual talents and prepare them to join the workforce or attend college; The highest-achieving school districts have these resources, and it's time that all Philadelphia schools have them too. Our schools 122 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 have made tremendous progress. Over the past few years, academic achievement is rising, and good things are happening throughout the District. Teachers and staff are helping to broaden students' learning opportunities too, and often, their success are overlooked. S.
Department of Education; Or West Philadelphia High School's Automotive and Technology 123 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Academy receiving the National Automotive Technician Education Foundation Training certification; Or the Baldi School team capturing the National Academic League City Championship. And let's not forget the 61 exemplary teachers who were honored last week by the Lenbach Foundation and those who will be honored tomorrow night at the Celebration of Excellence. These are the signs that many schools are thriving despite austere budgets and an increasing emphasis on testing. Yes, schools are improving, but we are not where we should be. And I am going to skip, Council President, and close out this testimony... I just want to spend a few minutes before closing to talk about the need for better funding for our 124 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 schools. None of the programs that I stated earlier can be implemented without additional funding. This year, the PFT joined the Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign, a statewide coalition that has lobbied the General Assembly to change the way schools are funded in Pennsylvania. Governor Rendell proposed increasing the State's education subsidy by nearly 6 percent this year based on the legislators' costing-out study, which determined the actual cost of educating every child to State standards. In Philadelphia, the costing-out study determined that it would cost another $5,000 per student per year, or $14,925 a year, to help every Philadelphia student become proficient in reading, math, and science. Governor Rendell's education budget represents a significant first 125 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 step to fixing the State's education funding formula, and it is important in two critical areas. First, he proposed enacting a comprehensive education funding system for Pennsylvania for the first time since 1991, and he proposed funding it fully by the time he leaves office in 2011. Philadelphia's fortunate to have a mayor who is deeply concerned about raising graduation rates, a governor who has proposed a significant ramping-up of state education funding, and community members who are joining in the call for increased school resources invested where it counts, at the school level. Then there are those who work on the front lines of education, the dedicated teachers and support staff, both instructional and non- instructional, who deserve 126 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 recognition, respect, and to have their voices heard. They come to work every day, sometimes in extremely challenging circumstances. They are fighting a battle for the future of our students and, indeed, for the future of this city. I urge City Council to help the Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign advocate for passage of the Governor's education budget this spring and to use your oversight to ensure that new state funds are used to improve conditions in classrooms and for programs proven to raise achievement. The time to improve our schools is now. Thank you for your work and for your continuing commitment to improving the future for Philadelphia's children. Thank you.
Thank you very much. 127 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 On your first page, you spoke about a PFT member indicating how we can say we care about cutting the dropout rate when the District cuts the very programs that keep kids interested, motivated, and engaged in school. You further go on to say that this PFT member's comments are echoed throughout the School District where many art and music programs have been eliminated. Yesterday, we heard testimony, and the testimony was that, as I understood it anyway, that every school would have art and music, or art or music, and it would be a requirement. Are you familiar with that?
I am, Council President Verna. That is an initiative that the School Reform Commission has mandated during this budget cycle. I am talking in my testimony about what 128 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 actually exists now. And the SRC is saying that in September, all schools are going to be required to have those programs.
Well, the issue is that we're dealing with a budget for next year; we're not dealing for the budget today. I just wanted to make certain that I was not, I guess, not too clear on what this member was saying and what we heard yesterday. But as long as you're telling us that that will be certainly in the budget for next year. You agree with that?
I can only tell you that the SRC has recommended that those positions be present.
Right. But I understood, and I assume everybody did, that it would be in every school, and it would be art and 129 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 music, or music or art, and would be a requirement, and they felt that that was definitely going to be in the budget.
That is my understanding. I was here yesterday during the presentation by the School District.
However, what I spoke about was what currently existed and has been existing for a number of years in the School District, that schools did not provide art or music instruction to all students.
So we're on the right track and we are making improvements?
Good. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Good 130 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 afternoon. We say thank you. It's always a pleasure to be here with you. And thank you for your leadership at the helm of the PFT.
We are really concerned. I think the most disappointing thing of all is, after so many years that we've all been involved, we still don't have uniform teaching at uniform grades -- not just between Charter and public schools, but across the board, where teachers are still trying to run off materials, trying to buy materials, trying to gather materials. And we still don't have, in spite of the testing and the time restraints and us worrying about that -- all that that brings on, we still don't have a uniform education across the City in every grade. And as long as that doesn't happen, we're going to have problems with children learning 131 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 for all the reasons, whether it be neighborhood, whether it be their ethnic background, all of those things will play in. And, obviously, I'm sure you agree with me that that's the reality of what we're dealing with even now.
And so we wanted to thank you for your leadership and always extend our hand in partnership to what you think we should do and what you think will help improve education. Yesterday, I mentioned Ritalin and behavior-altering drugs; I always do and always will, God willing. And we'll see what we can do. Thank you, Mr. Jordan.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones. 132 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
It was good to read in your testimony that Overbrook High School's mock trials championship was recognized, and I appreciate the work that your membership put into that. It is sometimes distressing when I hear from groups like that. A year ago, when they were in a similar situation, where, because of cutbacks, they didn't have enough paper to copy their testimony and preparation and notes, and so they had to have a fundraiser to raise the money for paper, which was interesting to me. You cut off some of your testimony and made it brief. I kind of get a flashback in school that if I did that and cut it off and said that I want to abbreviate my book report, I would have gotten in trouble, but 133 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 that's okay.
Oh, okay, that was a good move. Oh, okay. But I point that out because you mentioned that you had an opportunity to go to a school in the Lehigh Valley, where their vocational career paths were solid. I don't know if you heard my comments in testimony earlier about green jobs and opportunities like that, and I wanted to kind of let you elaborate on the record a little bit about the Lehigh Valley visit.
Thank you, Councilman. The Lehigh Valley School was a school that was developed in partnership with the community leaders, and they were able to sit down and determine the kinds of jobs 134 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 that the Lehigh Valley employers would need over the next decade. And as a result of those conversations, they then developed the programs that young people are able to study at the Lehigh Valley Career and Technical School. And it's been a very successful school because young people choose the course of study that they're interested in, and they're hired in their community by the companies that will employ them with the skills that they have. Many of the young people are able to get dual credit, credit for high school and for college, and leave with enough credits to have an associate's degree. I learned that many begin working in their skilled area, and, after a few years, may decide that they want more education and will then go back to college for another two years to earn a bachelor's 135 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 degree. It's a program that prepares young people for the jobs that are going to be available in their community. And I'm suggesting in my testimony that it's something that we need to do. We need to look at how our high schools are functioning. I know that yesterday there were some questions about -- and I think from you -- regarding the high schools and the graduation rate. And in order to increase our graduation rate, we need to offer children the opportunities to pursue a course of study that they're interested in.
I appreciate that, and I didn't want that cut out of testimony. I wanted that kind of highlighted on the record. Another interesting part that you talked about was at-risk young people. Councilman Goode and other Councilpeople here cited startling 136 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 statistics as to attainment levels at-risk young people have or the lack thereof. And you mention in your testimony, which you didn't put on the record, verbally some of the coalitions that needed to occur from your vantage point and from your membership's vantage point, on being able to: A) keep more kids in school and increase graduation rates; and B) reduce some of the impediments such as teen pregnancy and other issues. So could you elaborate on that a bit for me on the record.
Yes. Children who are in foster care, children who -- teens who are pregnant and children having a lot of other issues, we know that those are children who are very likely to drop out of school. So if we know it, why don't we develop a program in order to make sure that those children are 137 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 constantly supported, constantly supported, because they face a lot of challenges. And rather than -- we can't continue to act as if they're not there. We have to focus the social services in that area in order for those young people to know that they have the support at the school level so that they will be able to be successful.
And my final question, which I'm out of time and I'll maybe get another opportunity: The condition by which your workforce, your membership, have to deal with in-class violence, I don't see that here, and it was a big series of articles about that about six months to a year ago. In fact, one of the persons, the teacher, went to Millersville with me who had his neck broke, and I wanted to find out if that condition 138 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 generally has gotten better. Is there more security or less in the public schools for teachers and administrators?
First of all, let me say that schools are some of the safest places for kids. But having said that, the example that you cite of the serious incident that happened to Mr. Byrd does occur, and there is a section in my testimony calling for better safety measures and better interventions. I, first of all, believe very strongly that if we -- we can begin the safety and intervention by making sure that every child is able to read by 3rd grade, because if a child is able to read, that youngster is less apt to become disruptive as he or she reaches the middle years, they are able to work independently, they are able to work in groups, they're able to go to that library if it's open 139 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 with a librarian, and to work and to discover so much information. But too many young people are not successful readers. And as a result of it, I think a lot of disruptive behavior is the way that some adolescents try to cover up their lack of ability to read and to work with others. But we need to make sure that we have an adequate number of adults in buildings. In the case of Mr. Byrd and that incident, there were no 15 non-teaching assistants assigned to that building. The hallway was empty during the passing classes, and so the young men who were playing in the hallway when Mr. Byrd came out of his classroom, had there been a non- teaching assistant patrolling the area to say to those youngsters, "Why are you in the hall? you should be in class? Where's your note?" I think that that would have been preventable. 140 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 But we really have to do more to get out the disruptive children. And that is not a large number, but there are a few who are disruptive, who aren't able to follow the rules. And I say in my testimony that we don't believe that schools should be treated like prisons. And children are children; they're not prisoners. We've got to try to make sure that we do all of the things to intervene before a disruptive child is forced out of the school.
Less assaults, more assaults on teachers and administrators?
Thank you, Madam President. 141 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 I actually was going to ask a very similar question to Councilman Jones's last question, but maybe just I can add one more on a very general note. Do you see -- you talk about some of the things in improving school safety that you think should be done. Have you seen, in your opinion, the District moving towards some of those? Are you -- do you see improvement in working on those issues or not?
No, I don't. As the testimony that was given to you yesterday, that there is a task force that will be coming out with recommendations.
So I can't say that I have seen that, and I don't know what the recommendations will be.
So it might depend on what the -- okay, that's fair. All right. Thank you. 142 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
During the School District's testimony, I asked a couple of questions relating to conflict resolution, civic values, shared values, right and wrong, as Councilwoman Tasco put it. And the questions really related to whether or not there is any way to quantitatively measure the way we do on PSSAs for math and reading, et cetera, how to quantitatively measure whether or not the School District is -- or, you know, the children of our being imparted those values or truly understand the 143 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 precepts of conflict resolution, et cetera. And I just -- I don't know if you heard that or any of that testimony.
Oh, okay. So the premise for me was that we -- for each student, we have records on how they're doing in math and reading and attendance and other measures, which can tell us whether or not, by 6th grade, whether or not the child's likely to graduate from high school, likely to do other things. And we described the core mission. I think the School District and I agreed that the core mission, if you boil it down, of the School District or the school system is to produce productive citizens. And so my question is -- and you don't have to answer it today, but if you have thoughts, that would be 144 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 great. Can you think of ways we can measure and have data on how successful the School District is in imparting the kind of values that would, in fact, reduce school violence, like tests that determine whether or not children truly understand conflict resolution, not just their grade in that course, or whether or not they have -- you know, share values that society in general holds, like you should respect your elders and respect your teachers and not talk back and things like that. Any thoughts about that?
Well, I would first say that I think that the District does have the ability to quantify some of that in that we mention in our testimony -- and I heard the District say a bit about it yesterday -- that one of the warning signs of a potential dropout is 145 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 youngsters who are having behavioral problems, children who are poor readers, children who are poor when it comes to math. So when youngsters violate a school rule, there is something as simple as a pink slip that is written by the adult who sees what it is that the child has done improperly, and the child -- the incident is discussed with the child by an adult and many times with a parent as well. So -- and those records are being maintained. Insofar as drilling down deeper into your question, I think that that's an example -- what you're asking is an example of the kinds of conversations that counselors in schools have with children and with their parents in order to help children deal with issues to also reach out to the families and so social service agencies to help. 146 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 And at this time, it is very difficult for counselors to be able to do that kind of work that you're asking for because of the limited number of counselors in our elementary schools, and some have a large number of students. There is only one counselor in that building, and many of those counselors teach a portion of the day, leaving less time for them to deal with a situation such as the one that you described. And in our high schools, the counselors also have a large caseload, a lot of paperwork. They have -- (Timer bell rings.)
You know, if anyone had to fill out a college application with a child recently, there's a lot of time that goes into doing that, and there are just but so many hours a day far counselor to be able to do all of the things that he or 147 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 she is asked to do in order to, you know, fulfill the -- their job duties and responsibilities.
So you think increasing the number of counselors would move us towards that --
My time's up. Thank you. (Councilwoman Blackwell assumes position of Committee Chair.
You're welcome. Are there any other questions for Mr. Jordan? (No further questions.)
Thank you, Councilwoman Blackwell. MR. McPHERSON: Our next witness is Paul Weeks. (Witness comes forward.) 148 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Good afternoon, Madam President Anna Verna in absence and Councilwoman Blackwell, Councilwoman Marian Tasco, Councilman Jones, Councilman Green, Councilman Greenlee, and all the other Councilpersons present. I also want to give a (indiscernible) to Mrs. Heidi Ramirez, SRC Board Member, and also Dr. Laurie Shore, Office of Education for Philadelphia. I promise not to bore you all. I will be very brief. The last question that was asked, you know, we had to be really proactive with this budget, and we don't want the Council to be a rubber stamp to what the SRC Board is doing. We want to inform you with these testimonies, because the two things that people need more than food or water is information and inspiration, and we want to inspire you all, 149 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 because out of the $2.3 billion budget, 40 percent of it we account for in the City, $889 million, and not even 1 percent of that goes to class size And my whole testimony wraps around class size first. And, Mrs. Blackwell, you know -- you've been a teacher -- that class size is crucial. I think class size would be a proactive solution to any classroom problems. The larger the classroom you have, the more problems you have And I would just like to highlight a few things in my testimony, A, B and C. I used the pyramids of Egypt as a prime example of, if you're going to build, you have to build class size first. You put the heaviest weight on the hardest foundation. And still, we are mystified and marvel by the longevity of our Egyptian pyramids. And if you build class size 150 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 first, you will get A, B and C. You will highlight the best and the brightest of our future leaders. You will highlight the middle-of-the-road children who, however, have great potential. You will get C out of that. You will get those who are slowly cerebrally developing children, you will get to highlight those and look at the phonics, reading, math. And tutors will be implemented. In closing, for class size first, you open up the windows of the hearts and the eyes of some of our young people who are dealing with some serious social issues: death, divorce, a broken home, or even abuse. I give you Exhibit A of this, because we want to build a tax base here in Philadelphia. We want to be the next great city, as they projected. Penn Alexander at 42nd and Spruce, that is the model for how we 151 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 should try to build our class size first. I toured Penn Alexander, and I spoke to the principal, and immediately, I went outside and I looked at the properties. I seen two houses for sale right down the street, at 42nd and Spruce. One said the owner was selling it, and I called the number. He wants $595,000 for a rowhome. Why? Because it is attributed to Penn Alexander. People are running to that district because of the job that they are doing at that facility. I went down the street and I called the next house, a rowhouse, a three-story rowhouse, sold by a Realtor. $620,000 for a rowhome because it is in correlation to Penn Alexander And I believe if we have the willpower, if we really have the willpower to counteract dropout rates, to counteract this abusive situation, 152 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 which is a societal ill that's spilling into our schools, that we ought to really, really highlight class size first, because we know that when we build class size first and the rumor gets out, people will flock to that jurisdiction, they will flock to that district, they will flock back to Philadelphia. And we all know that it is a win/win factor for all of us. I thank you for your time and I appreciate it.
Thank you very much for your fine testimony. Are there any questions for Mr. Weeks? (No questions.)
Thank you very much. MR. McPHERSON: Our next witness is Sheila Simmons. (Witness comes forward.)
Good afternoon. I'm Sheila Simmons, Education Director 153 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 of Public Citizens for Children and Youth. Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the proposed education budget. I begin by noting PCCY supports the priorities laid out by the School Reform Commission: smaller class size, music and art for every school, more nurses, counselors and librarians. We also support the District's efforts to reshape our high schools so that they are smaller, more adequately staffed, and able to respond appropriately to the needs of the City's youth. In the fall of 2007, we were a school community shocked with the sudden burden of a deficit which grew to $181 million on the futures of our children. A loud call for both more accountability, and yet again, more funds went out to all in a position to hear it, including this body, the Philadelphia City Council. 154 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 We are thankful that you heard it and responded with the public education reinvestment bill, moving nearly $20 million a year over the next five years to schools in an accompanying resolution dated October 25, 2007, seeking greater accountability, and for that we are grateful. You are to be congratulated for your prompt response. It was an important step we need you to take more. Our financial picture has improved since then, although we still pay today for the financial missteps of yesterday, and we hope you will call for the District to be more proactive in more accurately determining student enrollment, teacher retirement impact, and the cost of contracting out on finances and on the District's own capacity to perform public work. Philadelphia has the largest 155 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 class sizes in the state. It is time we come up with a plan to not only name it as a priority but to put in place a plan for it to happen and promote ways to fund it from local, state, and federal sources We are pleased that some schools will get smaller class sizes in the proposal before you, but we need it for all of our schools We urge you to identify the cost of having all elementary schools have small class size in the early grades and that you help support this initiative. We would ask that instead of eliminating 151 teaching positions to serve 3,303 fewer students, why we don't take the opportunity to bring smaller class sizes to 3,303 students In the area of school safety, the District stated 8 percent reduction in its 40 most challenging schools comes as a relief, but clearly, we need the joint efforts of 156 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the City and School District to support the initiatives to improve school climate. This may indeed be a good opportunity for the new Shares Services Task Force. From more behavioral-health programs, to extra supports from DHS for children in care, there is much that can be done to improve the environment in our schools. We support the District's single-school cultural initiative and have worked with the School District to target positive behavior supports as an integral part of this model. Improving the environment in our schools means increasing the adults who can work with kids and developing a coherent, consistent approach within all of our schools. It is a joint responsibility of citizens, community groups, the City, and the School District. We commend the District for 157 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 its announced move to reshape alternative education, including reissuing contracts for disciplinary schools. We need more clarity and transparency as well as common sense when dealing with different behaviors. We should make sure that we only send youth to disciplinary schools when it is absolutely necessary and that the contractors for these schools meet agreed-upon expectations. This is the type of action that's needed in a district where every dime and every student counts.
If the District is moving forward with the multiple-provider model, we need to take financial impact as well as performance into consideration. For five years, the private providers have insisted that their schools deserve a higher per-pupil fee because they were taking on the lowest-performing students in the 158 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 District. This has become a tired argument. After five years, at some point, their students should no longer be the lowest performing. Do what works based on data, reports, and surveys, many of which have already been taken and the information is known. Of the 70 public schools in corrective action or considered failing schools, are managed by 13 outside providers. As disturbing as 14 this is, there are some schools that 15 have shown progress, and PCCY supports 16 continuing them when schools and communities believe they are well served by their managers and the data finds strong improvement But such schools are in the distinct minority. We have long encouraged a school-by-school approach to enacting reforms and deciding management structure. After establishing a task force and 159 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 discussing RFPs, we are hopeful that the District has decided to indeed take this approach. In terms of resource allocation, we support the next tier of priorities named by the School Reform Commission for nurses and counselors. We support these and urge that you insist that educational programs that have a direct impact on classrooms are protected from budget cuts. Our high schools are also in dire need of attention. While test scores have improved five years in a row in the lower grades, as mentioned yesterday, this is not the case for 11th grade test-takers. High schools under EMO management -- I believe there are three -- have been shown to fare as bad or worse than District high schools. Students themselves have long called for small schools in their 160 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 neighborhoods, for more manageable atmosphere, more personalized environment. These schools have been shown to be particularly important for disconnected students in large urban environments. Yet in some neighborhoods, creating small schools has meant putting a wall down the middle of a big school instead of a from-the- ground small school, as is often the case in Center City neighborhoods Choosing a small school is not really a choice for families in our neighborhoods. We do not oppose small schools that have select criteria, but the need now is to create and support small schools in our regular neighborhoods without advanced criteria, except the belief that these children should have a chance for a good education and a safe environment too. As Research for Action wrote 161 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 in a recent report, today, within the School District of Philadelphia, there is only one choice: the neighborhood high school for the 51 percent of rising 9th-graders who try to exercise choice but are not accepted into any of their preferred choices. Finally, we look forward to City Council's full support of the Governor's education budget. Following the legislature's costing-out study, we know the entire state is far behind on what is needed to pay for a quality public education. The study found that 474 of the State's 501 districts are underfunded; Philadelphia to the tune of $5,000 per student. We ask you to help lead the movement for a major revision of the funding formula so that children across the state can benefit from the beginning of a six-year commitment to adequately fund public schools across the state We 162 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 also urge that you explore every possible opportunity to increase the City's support for it is schools. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Are there any questions for Miss Simmons? Councilman Jones?
I just want to say your professional history of being a newspaper reporter shows in your testimony, and it was succinct and helpful. And what I mean by that is, a lot of times, as a freshman, you know, you get a lot of testimony, but it says and highlights what the problem is as opposed to what you point towards solutions. And in this testimony, as I read through it, I got a lot of the answers as to the questions posed by you, and I appreciate it. One question I do have is -- and I keep hearing this about this 163 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 creating a single-school culture. And I'm going to be honest with you, I'm a little lost about what that really means to you and others. So help me to understand that.
From my understanding, it is the School District's effort to get all schools to think pretty much and act as if we're all -- as if all the schools' divisions departments, and staffs are all on the same page. What it tries to do is to come up with similar interventions for academics behavior and climate; and if you address one, you know, you're often addressing all three. And PCCY has really been working with the School District and others in the community to apply a positive behavior support model to the behavioral component of single-school culture. And it is scientifically shown to not only -- not only to decrease 164 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 incidents in schools but to also increase academic scores. And the reason for that is, the less time that it takes dealing with disruptions in classrooms, the more time that you have on task, so there's more time for students to learn. An example of positive behavior support often involves just the way you speak to children. A lot of our kids don't hear anything positive all day for every day, for years in their life. And so, sometimes if you tell a problem student, instead of saying, "Don't hit the kid next to you," and instead, you say, "Keep your hands to yourself," there's kind of like a subtle difference in it that kind of has a different psychological effect on them. And Mr. Jordan from the PFT talked about the pink slips that kids get. Philadelphia uses -- this is 165 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 considered like a control tactic. Every time you do something wrong, we're going to pink-slip you, we're going to suspend you, we're going to expel you. But a lot of times, if you deal with these interventions early on, you won't have to get to that point. Positive behavior support also encourages walking around with a notepad and giving notes to the kids for doing something right. So when they do something right, you recognize it. You set up a lot of opportunities for kids to identify positive behavior and to learn appropriate behavior. And they have to learn it and they have to practice it every day. Not all of our kids come to school ready to learn, not all of them come to school with the behaviors that we'd like to, but if the school addresses it and establishes agreed-upon expectations, everyone 166 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 knows what they are. You're awarded when you follow them, you're dealt with when they're not, and you follow it, then it tends to have a better impact on the entire school -- academics, behavior, and climate.
Thank you. I want to try to be as succinct in my questioning as you are in your answers, and that was great. Thank you.
Councilman Greenlee? I'm sorry. Councilman Green.
It's not the first time that's happened to us. (Laughter.)
Thank you 167 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 for your testimony. Are you saying the school -- like in -- when I was in elementary school, I didn't get a blue slip for good behavior but, you know, there was a board, our names were on it, I got a star or a -- is that not happening?
I'm not sure. I would think that different schools have different systems to reward behavior. The difference is that it's not embedded as a system-wide approach.
And I think that's the difference, and that's one of the things that we're encouraging. We need the entire school system to say that we need to come up with a reward system to recognize the behaviors that we like.
I understand what you're saying. Let me ask a quick question about the -- 168 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
A quick question about the pink slips, and that is: If you get a certain number of pink slips, does that result in disciplinary action? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: No. 10
So a pink slip is like you have counseling and stuff, but I wonder if -- what you suggested seemed like a very good idea, which is, maybe there should be a blue slip that cancels out a pink slip so 169 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 that, you know, your record is kind of expunged of your bad behavior when you do something that merits -- you know, when you do something that's praise- worthy.
So that the focus isn't just on pink slips, but there's also, you know, good-conduct slips.
Right, absolutely. There needs to be a balance. You also have recognize positive behavior, but you also have to correct the negative behavior and then encourage the kids to show them the right way and then encourage them to follow that.
I think what you're saying makes sense. There should be a systematic --
-- approach 170 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 to recognizing good behavior as well as bad behavior so the records demonstrate good conduct as well.
And that's actually a part of a national movement. There's actually a national movement in education towards more positive- behavior supports, and it's also called "positive-behavior intervention supports."
The School District is starting to move a little towards that.
I just wanted to recognize that point. I think it's a good point. Thank you very much.
Thank you. 171 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Are there any further questions for Miss Simmons? (No further questions.)
Thank you. MR. McPHERSON: Our next witness is Helen Gym. (Witnesses come forward.)
Please identify yourself for the record and begin.
My name is Gerald Wright. I'm a parent of two daughters at John Story Jenks Elementary School and also a member of Parents United for Public Education. And just before I really get started with my testimony, I want to say what Parents United for Public Education is. We're an all-volunteer citywide collective of public school parents concerned about School District budgets and how they reflect 172 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 achievement and accountability. We've been successful with both bringing new funds to schools and ensuring that funding is dedicated toward the initiatives that we as parents believe in: reduce class size, art and music, libraries, counselors, nurses, a healthy food program for every child at every school. Just kind of introductory. And, again, good afternoon. My name is Gerald Wright. I'm a parent of two daughters who attend the John Story Jenks Elementary School and a member of Parents United for Public Education. We believe that public education can, and should be, high-quality education. At the end of the day, the majority of children in Philadelphia will be educated through the publicly-supported schools. There are nearly 170,000 children enrolled with the School 173 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 District of Philadelphia. These children can't wait five years for reforms. They need our help today and no later than the beginning of the school year beginning in September 2008. We must challenge ourselves to not fall victim to pretty processes and eloquent diagrams. Our children need improvement right away. There are many things and issues that the School District of Philadelphia could do to improve education for our children. However, with limited time, I will only raise three topics for your consideration. Two of the three relate to hiring and retaining quality teachers. Earlier, you heard testimony about small class sizes being the rock upon which we -- or the hard surface upon which we need to build, and we believe that smaller class sizes is a cornerstone of anything that we do to improve education in Philadelphia, but 174 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 we can't do that if we do not recruit quality teachers, retain those teachers, and provide professional development for them. If teachers are the most valuable asset that the School District has in improving the quality of learning for our children, why does it appear that no pay increase is budgeted for teachers in the 2008-2009 budget? Ironically, we just hired a new CEO for the School District of Philadelphia, and for that slot, we gave a 15 percent pay increase, from $275,000 to $325,000 per year. There is not a salary freeze at the administrative level. We want to make -- we are hopeful that there is not a salary freeze for the line people who must be at the front of building a better learning environment for our kids. We should make sure that 175 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 teachers are valued and supported. Essentially, as we make greater demands for quality learning outcomes, and as we spend more money than ever before on education in Philadelphia, it kind of appears that teachers, as a percentage of those costs, is expected to be less. I hope that Councilmembers make certain that this does not happen. Without good teachers, there can be no good learning outcomes for our children. This leads to my second topic. Second, there appears to be $54 million in the budget for teacher development. This does not include costs associated with the Friday afternoon teacher development sessions that are so disruptive to parents. $54 million is a lot of money. What is it spent on? Does this $54 million represent contracts? Is this teacher development strategically 176 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 utilized to help recruit and retain quality teachers or to lure teachers with specialties such as advanced math and science. Finally, the School District of Philadelphia has to see parent engagement if a better light.
While there's been a great deal of improvement in that area and a great deal more done now to engage parents, parents should be integral to the budgeting process and should have some input into any teacher contract negotiated and perhaps should have some input in looking at current procurement vendor selection processes. 3 billion budget, may be extremely important to parents and to the education of their children. 177 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Thank you for your time and attention.
My name is Reverend Leroy Simmons. I am the coordinator of the Germantown Clergy Initiative, and I'm here and thankful to be a part of this wonderful group, the Parents United, although my youngest child is 28 years old and graduated from public schools, and I did too and so did my son. I'm here representing really the more than 1400 children, parents, and teachers and churches and community members around Germantown High School and to bring to your attention something that -- you know, I didn't plan to come down, so I didn't write a lot of stuff down, but from my heart. One of the things that I found in conversation just today, thinking 178 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 about it, it was in 1994 that Mr. Hornbeck came up with the Children Achieving Plan, and that Children Achieving Plan, you know, those children are now the 18- and 19-year-olds dropouts that we're talking about. That Children Achieving Plan, those children came into kindergarten with high expectations and through several administrations and through several budgets like this. I want to thank you for scrutinizing the budget now, and I would appeal to you to be good stewards of the money that is coming in from the City and be good stewards of the efforts towards education our children. We will never been never be a first-class city with a second-rate school district. So we need to move forward and help these children achieve, 'cause what they have 179 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 achieved so far -- just in Germantown High School, 400 children come into the school in 9th grade, and less than a hundred graduate. Those children that come into the school are reading below basic. Seventy to 75 percent are reading below basic throughout Germantown High School's tenure, and nearly 70 percent are doing math below basic -- not at proficiency, not at basic, but below basic. These children are the dropouts we see in the streets. Councilman Curtis Jones asked about the students involved in the horrible incident with Mr. Byrd. Mr. Byrd was a teacher that was loved by the children there at Germantown High School. He was a great teacher. He was someone who ran plays on his own time to help engage our children. He was somebody who I saw walking around with -- like a duck with little ducklets, leading children around, 180 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 taking pictures all over the neighborhood. He enhanced them. It was some students that had gone to Boone and gotten out of Boone, one the CEP schools that didn't really develop those children, that had gotten into the hallways. And like Mr. Jordan said, there were no NTAs because somebody came up with a brilliant idea that NTAs cost too much, let's just do SMAs, and they did SMAs. The SMAs weren't there in the hallways. And these were students who wasn't engaged emotionally at all in this incident, ended up ending a career of a wonderful teacher who was making a difference. In this budget, I don't see -- I know you've talked about and heard some wonderful testimony about the CA2 schools. CA2 schools are the lowest- performing schools in the School District. They actually came up with 181 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 a plan and listed them in tiers. And there's the first entire that might, you know, with a little help, get into yearly progress, you know, average yearly progress. And then there's Tier II schools that, with some help, could maybe get to Tier I and maybe with another year of help could get to average yearly progress. And then there's the Tier III schools. The Tier III schools -- everybody's talking about, you know, we want to reduce -- we want to reduce the dropout rate. There is zero money in the budget for Germantown High School, which is a CA2 Tier III school. What are we going to do to move these children to a level where they can at least achieve? Yeah, there's some things that work. There should be some votech stuff.
You know, when they get 182 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 exposed, like the children in West Philly get exposed to auto mechanics, they don't just fix cars; they develop a whole new industry. They will produce jobs. These are brilliant children who don't get an opportunity. And I -- you know, I know it's not your total purview, but there is nothing, I believe, more important than looking out for our children. When will we begin to put them on the front burner as opposed to an after-thought? When will we begin to move our schools to the place where they belong, our children to the place where they belong? We have only got money in the budget for security. And I would ask that you would -- there's some people in the budget that I don't understand: the BRT. The BRT is 85 people in the budget. I don't know where that comes from and who's spending the money on that. 183 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 There's million of dollars involved with Mr. Butkovitz's office, you know, and he does a good job. I mean, I know the BRT collects the taxes; I pay 'em myself, a lot of 'em. But I think that the City -- you, in your brilliance and your -- I'm not kidding. Figure out a way to take that burden off of the School District, and that would increase, you know, in these low-performing schools. In Germantown High School, they drafted a budget of $92,600 for each teacher. If we could get some of the that money back from the BRT people, if we can get some of that money back from the controller's office people, it would take some of the burden off the school, and we could hire some teachers to do some things. I -- you know, I'm taking up a lot of your time, Helen. But I -- in ending, I appreciate your scrutiny, but I would 184 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 ask that you would be good stewards of this nearly $900 million that you're going to sign over to the School District and look into some of these contracts that seem to seep through without good oversight, these contracts that, you know, seem to get into pockets of people who aren't getting into our children's hearts and minds. Thank you.
My name is Helen Gym, and I'm the mother of three children who are in or entering public schools. We're again a part of this group, Parents United for Public Education. All of us have experience 185 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 working. And we live with this budget. I'm not a policy wonk or, you know, I'm not a, you know, a budget expert in any way. I'm here to talk about what essentially is an accounting document feels like to live with to come home to -- for my children to grow up in, and I think that's kind of a different thing. We also -- you know, I guess part of it is that, you know, for us, at least as a parent and a mother, this is a really grim budget. If there's a five-year plan where school closings are essential to cost-savings, that's a grim budget. And if there's a budget where there are across-the-board pay freezes, balanced deficits, then it's grim budget. 5 million for reduced class size and arts and music 186 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 programs, that that's an amount that's less than one half of one percent of the entire school budget, then that's a problem. And although we as parents acknowledge the progress we have made, it's important to say here it's not enough, especially for the investment that the City Council has put in last year. And for the record, parents fought for all of those things: the reduced class size, the arts and music programs; we pushed the District to redo the budget to include those. So, you know, we're coming at it kind of from the back -- you know, already on the back foot in some ways. In some ways what I feel like we've made progress in since last year's time is that we've identified the areas where we need to invest in. We know we need to do more in early grades, where children can be 187 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 most influenced. We know that we need intervention in the middle school. We know that the 8th-to-9th-grade transition is essential. And we know that high school reform is absolutely necessary. But what we haven't done is invest. And if you look through the budget, these are the missing items in the budget. Councilwoman Tasco, I know, was concerned about the 74 percent of students who fail to be proficient in high school, but we despair about the fact that 52 percent of our kids don't meet grade-level reading by 3rd grade. And then we go back to the budget and we look. Class sizes have increased over five years. We've lost librarians at three-quarters of our -- three- quarters of schools don't have librarians. Most of them are elementaries because most of the high 188 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 schools can afford in their budgets to put them in. And why we cut literacy programs -- literacy interim programs, rather, at the elementary school because we lack the money. This budget may have addressed class size, but it hasn't relieved the overcrowding ironically, which is a function more of geography than of achievement. And we need to ask why, when teacher quality is one of the top issues of our school district, why we're talking about a five-year pay freeze when we're already at a huge disadvantage with our surrounding suburbs. Meanwhile, we consistently ask why we prioritize some things over others. Why do we agree that we pay external contractors like this disciplinary contractor, CEP 3500 -- we allot 3500 students as disciplinary expulsions before we even know who 189 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 they are, especially when these contractors, specifically CEP, have a non-performance-based contract, charge thousands of dollars more per student, don't have a track record in returning kids to schools, and that the State cut their budget by 36 percent. When the District saw its transportation budget to the State cut, it recommended that it push the burden onto children and families to bear the burden of the transportation cuts. But when alternative education gets its contract cut, why don't we cut that contract?
Why is that on our end to foot that bill? We know many of our problems in the budget stem from this chronic underfunding of public schools, there's no doubt. But this budget, more than others, should have us asking the question, What problems are of our own making? 190 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 The majority -- overwhelming majority of the reform money over the past five years and for the next five years we go towards charters and debt service. Meanwhile, school operations have grown 2 percent in the last five years. We have a contracting environment that's run amok. And from the recent news stories, we know that the District, perfectly honestly, is a terrible contract manager. As difficult a handle the District has on its own operations, it gets worse when it doesn't run things. The multiple-provider model has been held up as this model or a solution, but if we look at the multiple academic studies and reviews that have been done on alternative education providers, charters, and EMOs, the money we spent and the average-to-poor results that we've gotten back, we need to start asking ourselves whether 191 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 this multiple-provider model is not a solution but really a part of the problem. It hamstrings us in legal and political entanglements and costs us hundreds of millions of dollars over years, and we can't let it go. So how do we get to a better budget? As parents, we offer the following suggestion: Number one, we believe that the District has to cost-out its priority initiatives. This seems rather obvious. How much does it cost to reduce class size over five years for every child in the District for whatever grades that we have set out? We have requested that costing-out study for months. And we want to know how much it costs to put a full music and art program, not part-time, full-time, in every school; what it costs to put a full-time nurse in every school; what it costs to have potable drinking water available so 192 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 our kids don't have to buy water. But we continue to wait for these studies. And without these cost studies, the District does not have a plan, it does not have a sense of what it's buying and what it needs to shoot for. And what we see is that despite -- and I want to say it's a very heartfelt rhetoric from the School District and Reform Commission. The District's budget has stayed largely the same year-to-year, with only fiddling in some of the areas to reduce damage but not to seriously restructure financial priorities. The second thing we ask is that the District pass the limit contracts. This isn't about just EMOs. The Philadelphia public schools has more contracts probably for more services than just about any district in the nation. We've got CBOs running security, we've got contracts for cleaning, curriculum, professional 193 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 development, testing, everything under the sun. 68 million that they can do with their contracts. And, as we said, the District is a poor contract manager. And meanwhile, while we continue to do these contracts, we wonder whether the District's internal capacity is gutted. And when there's a problem with contracts going wrong, we can't reassume those services. The third thing: We need to ask your support in helping the District control charters. I'm a charter supporter; one of my sons goes to charter schools. But I don't believe that a charter system can operate without limits. Without controls, parameters, guidelines, or, most importantly, consequences, there's no limit to the possibility of creating a secondary school system; 194 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 it's going to happen, especially with the amount of dissatisfaction.
Until this year, the School District had closed only one charter school, and so we need Council to support some sense of control on these entities, the reality of the school landscape, but they are also extremely cost -- they cost a lot and they're erratic performers, according to a number of studies. Number 4. The City needs a plan to review local revenue to schools. Over the next five years, the District looks at 31 percent growth in projected expenses. 9 percent, and that's just simply not enough. What this means is, we need to have a discussion about boosting local revenue; whether that's through 195 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 enforcement of existing taxes, whether we link any property-tax reassessments to impact on school funding and the City's consideration of assuming services that the District now provides. Number 5. We ask that you go back to the Parking Authority. 2 million to the public schools, it would have to be have to be a laugh. The PPA's agreement to fully fund the City and give a minimal payment to the schools was just a political compromise at the time. The longer the City and State tolerate the waste at the Parking Authority, the more financial burden both entities assume for the schools. And the last thing that we ask 196 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 you is that we ask you to empower parents. We're not necessarily naive enough to think that Council is supposedly going to put school management on the top of its priority list; it's not necessarily your job. But we do ask you to support the parents who do put it at the top of their list. Our group has been at the forefront in analyzing budgets and putting forth the parent voice on the shaping of financial priorities. We join many other parents who are also on this mission. We ask you to help empower parents by asking the District to give us a role in the budget process, help us ask the questions that we can get the answers to, and meet us halfway at some of these school budget meetings where we're struggling to get some answers. I want to conclude by saying 197 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 thank you especially to the Councilpeople who are here. We're very grateful for this part of public testimony; we don't get this opportunity very often. We know the cost of underfunding the schools. Most importantly, we want Council to understand that a major cost driver -- or a major savings driver for the School District in the next five years will be school closings and consolidations. And I know that Councilpeople here in this room will not want to face their constituents in a few years who are angry because their school is closing. At one point, Paul Vallas had projected school closings over 21 the five years, which would more than 22 likely hit most Councilpeople at some point in their district. So we've got to find a way to figure out what to do now. It's an 198 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 urgent situation. It shouldn't come to school closings to force the Council's intervention in this issue. We ask you to work with our parents, demand accountability, keep tabs on public engagement, and help us be ready for the hard decisions coming down the road. Thank you.
You're welcome. Councilman Jones, you're light is on. Did you want to be recognized?
Yes, Madam President. I want to thank you first for getting out of your sick bed and providing that testimony. I know you were ill. We tried to contact you yesterday, and my staff informed me that you were very sick. Thank you also for providing me information about the educational process during my transition into City 199 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Council, and it was very enlightening and helpful. I want to say that you don't have to feel as though you're being naive for this Council to prioritize education of our young people. We contribute to that funding of these schools. We contribute to the future of Philadelphia by educating a workforce. And it is a priority. Clearly for me, clearly for me, as a product of the public school system -- all of my children, all of my children attended public school and they got a valuable education that was augmented by dad's and mom's interest in their well-being, but that's the vehicle by which they were educated. I could safely say all my grandchildren will go to public schools. The question becomes: What are we prepared to do in this Council and this administration to make sure 200 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 there is a system worth putting our kids into? I have found in my district that the single decision that -- one of the biggest decisions that a person makes beyond the physical dwelling of their house is, what school and type of education and quality of education will my child receive by going to this particular institution? I think that your testimony, and all of your testimonies, should be given -- I asked for a copy of yours in particular; hopefully, you'll be able to provide that to the President of Council so we all can benefit from it and ask those tough questions as we continue this process. Councilman Green and I share now a motto: that if it ain't measured, it ain't managed. And if it's contracts or if it's deliverables by institutions, we have to do a better job of holding the feet to the 201 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 fire of the SRC and the respective institutions to make sure that our kids are getting a quality education. So it is a priority. And no, we don't want to face the ire of the public for not being good stewards, but I hope and encourage you to help us to do that by giving us information. There's one other analogy: The mouse in the house spends more time concerned about the owner of the house whereabouts than the owner of the house cares about the mouse. In some instances, because we have so many departments, I understand what you're saying, that we don't pay as much attention as you do to what's going on in our public schools, but keep us informed, keep us in the information loop. You've done that for me, I would hope do you that for all of the members of Council, and particularly the disciplinary schools 202 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 who, in my opinion, the alternative schools, some of whom are ripping us off, just plain ripping us off, and we're going to look into that in a great deal of detail along with my colleague Councilwoman Quinones- Sanchez, and we hope to come to some kind of understanding of that in the new contracts that are going to be let out. So thank you for your testimony.
Thank you very much. Thank you all for your testimony today. Miss Gym, you said something that I just have a question about, and that is that the budget is addressing class size? I did not get that impression from the School District and wonder where you get that idea.
We're saying that the 203 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 School District's budget does not address class size enough, reducing class size. Our concern is that they --
Yeah. I just misunderstood you, or you went through it very quickly, so okay. Do you happen to know what the average class size is in the School District? I went to the website, and it looks like it would be a 17-to-1 ratio based on number of students and number of teachers, and I know it's more like 30 in the actual classroom, but do you -- is there a number that you're aware of that's public information?
I don't -- I think that's what we're struggling with. We've been struggling for a long time because -- trying to get at not just 204 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 what the average class size is because I think there's this idea that you can take aggregate numbers like total students, total teachers, and do a division, and it's extraordinarily low. But if you were to look across the classrooms, we know that the class size maximum -- contractual maximum, according to the PFD contract is 30 students in grades K to 3, 33 students in grades 4 to 12. Dr. Jones has said on several occasions that she's aware of roughly 100 class sizes across the District -- it's been thrown out before, I don't know how well it's been studied -- 100 class sizes that exceed the contractual maximum. And what we've been trying to ask is, Can you give us a head count of the number of students at a school, you know, the class size, and I think -- you know, I don't know if there are, like, legal complications 205 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 because, you know, they then violate PFT rules, that they actually put a number, I don't know. But, you know, what we do know is that there are plenty of schools, particularly in the northeast and east regions, where you've got 38, 39 more students packed into classrooms. And it's a huge problem and it's not really addressed at all -- or enough, rather.
No. And I -- I don't -- once again, I agree with you. I don't think that they know, or at least I can't get a clear answer about it. And it's scary that things that are most important that you can't get the answer from the School District, like class size. Thank you for your testimony.
Thank you all very much. We appreciate your coming in to testify. Thank you. 206 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Our next witness? MR. McPHERSON: James Sklaroff. (No response.) MR. McPHERSON: James Sklaroff? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: (Inaudible, off-mic.) (Witness comes forward.)
You're welcome. Kindly identify yourself for the record.
Good afternoon, Council, and thank you for letting me speak today.
My name is Mimi Shapiro. I wanted to make sure I didn't forget the others.
I had the pleasure of meeting Curtis Jones at 207 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Community College a few weeks ago and the pleasure of meeting Jannie Blackwell and Augusta Clarke when I was working at the Obama campaign at Haverford College, and both of them I spoke to very briefly 'cause I know their time is very important and said to get back to them, so here I am. And as Curtis pointed out for himself, I am a freshwoman here so if this is not highly organized as I'd like it to be, I'll apologize for it in advance, and hopefully, you can follow me. I had brought in a speech that I wanted to read, but after hearing a lot of the comments that just went up -- came up, I changed my speech and had some answers for some of them and points that I wanted to bring up instead. I'm a retired Philadelphia school teacher. I was in the system 30 years, a little over 30 years. And 208 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 from my speech, I wrote -- I had a very dangerous job. D. badge, and I had to succumb to mobbing and bullying. And yes, folks, I was a teacher in Philadelphia. And the problems were not from the children. Children are children; children are good, bad and ugly and beautiful wherever you go, and they didn't ask to be born that way; it just happened for various reasons. And after my first 15 or 16 years of teaching, with 150 accolades for excellent classroom projects where my students won show tickets from downtown, monetary awards, Toys-R-Us, they got computers that they had won for essays that they had written -- writings was one of my areas of expertise. They had won clothing. There was very little that my students lacked for when we did a writing 209 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 project and had a goal in mind. And all of a sudden, because of a particular gentleman who's in this building -- and I don't know if we're allowed to mention names so I won't, but his office is in this building, went after me. I had been accused of something that never took place. The School Board President at that time was the late Rotan Lee, who later became a very close friend of mine, did the investigation, and it proved not to be true. However, this gentleman and another person -- who her office may be in here, I think it's across the street, though -- went after me like bees on honey for no 20 reason, having never spoken to me. Never -- there was no 22 investigation, there was nothing done. And the next 15 or 16 years of my teaching career were nothing more than bullying and harassment. 210 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 I couldn't go from this excellent teacher -- and I'm not bragging, I'm just -- it's a fact what. I mean, what my students won I can prove. I have documentation for all of it from superintendents, from mayors, from everybody -- into this nightmarish person that these two individuals dreamed up. org, which is where my shirt is from. There's close to a thousand teachers in the nation that belong to this. There are many more that would like to belong, but Karen Horowitz, who is the owner of this site in Chicago, finds that many teachers are 211 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 afraid for fear of retaliation. Once I left the system, I let my name go public, because then I had nothing to fear, but I knew, as long as I was in the system, I had everything to fear and then some. And as Jerry Jordan, who was here today, agreed with me on March 11th in the Philadelphia Inquirer in an article done by Martha Woodall, any teacher that complains is retaliated and eventually terminated. I was forced to sit in a closet, another teacher I know of was forced to sit in a basement, and people have been forced to sit elsewhere. Commissioner Ramsey -- Police Commissioner Ramsey said a few weeks ago on the 11 o'clock news that if you want people to be professional, they need to be treated professionally. Myself sitting in a closet I don't consider professional. 212 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 And it was done for weeks on end.
I find that a waste of money and a waste of my talents, while my children, who don't have a regular substitute, 'cause you cannot get them in Philadelphia, are losing in the lung run. Those are the ones that were hurting and losing the most. And many teachers in Philadelphia have been asked to do this, this sitting and doing nothing. When you talk to people outside of education, they think we're wearing like loose straight jackets. They have no idea of the bullying and the mobbing going on inside the building. The School District -- and I don't mean towards the children. The School District staff and the union need to be held accountable for their actions, or lack thereof. This is where the laws have to be changed in America. The laws are being changed, and have been changed, 213 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 in states like Kansas, Montana, California, and Tennessee. And the one person, from what I understand -- excuse me. There is one document here that's being done, and it has very poor wording on it, to help extinguish this bullying and mobbing, and it has been sitting on Dwight Evans' desk for months. And at this point now, I think it's a good idea that it's been sitting there because staff, parents, and others that work in the School District buildings need to be protected, just like the children do. And, of course, the children are our utmost importance, but it's the harm that's coming to the others that's making their life so miserable. Many districts like Philadelphia are untouchable and above the law. " I spoke to a district court judge, Johnny Houston, from Red 214 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Bank, Tennessee, about his article. Teachers are not protected. He has confirmed this and researched this in his state and is continuing to research it. He would like people to contact him with any stories they have. And it's funny that when I called him -- and this man is in Tennessee, at work in the courthouse, didn't know me, got on the phone, spoke to me for 50 minutes of his time. I cannot get anyone in the City of Philadelphia to talk to me. I cannot get anyone in the Department of Education in Harrisburg to talk to me. And yet, this man a million miles away wanted to hear what I had to say because he thought it was valid. I'd like to know where else can people work and not be paid, as has happened to me and others in the public school district here in 215 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Philadelphia. I walked in, I signed my T&A; I was not paid. Where can you go out on approved sick leave and be terminated while you are out on approved sick leave with documentation that is required? Where else do they put people in rubber rooms to sit for days on end and weeks on end except the School District and perhaps in mental hospitals? Where can administrators make fun of your clothes, embarrass you publicly, lie about what you did, throw out your belongings, coerce the children to do things that are really professionally unacceptable if they're trying to get rid of a teacher? And yet, this has happened to me and others here, in Philadelphia. To the best of my knowledge as a layperson, all of the above-mentioned bullying is against 216 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Pennsylvania State labor laws. Yet the union, the EEOC, and the PHRC just look the other way. Bullying itself is not against the law. However, abuse, harassment, not being paid for work performed, and a hostile work environment is against the law. And bullying needs to be inserted in there because it's going on here rampantly. I know of two employees in Philadelphia who were terminated because they reported and photographed teachers abusing children in a public school. A teacher in my last school, at Elkin Elementary, covered a student's mouth with four to five inches of the -- I guess it's two-and-a-half, three-inch-wide gray electrical tape so the child would stop talking in his class. This is fact; I witnessed it.
It was witnessed by 60 children and or 217 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 adults. The principal did nothing. She liked that teacher. That teacher didn't create problems; his children pretty much did whatever they wanted in the classroom. He never wrote pink slips because if you write pink slips, you're harassed and terminated, you're known as a troublemaker. He never did any of those things, so she let him slide. And, again, it really happened. In another school, a teacher went home for three hours because her house was not too far from school. The children were left uncovered. I had this on video because I happened to be taping that day for my pen pal project, and I was showing another school, a suburban school, what life was like in a city school. How do you tape a room with no teacher? When the teacher came back two or three hours later, nothing was done 218 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 to her. Why? She didn't create any problems in the building for the principal so she was allowed to stay, and nothing was done about it. In another school, a teacher received an emergency phone call about her special-needs child. It was the first phone call the teacher ever received in the four years at that school. The teacher went to answer the phone, never leaving the class uncovered. It was a prep teacher. The primary classroom teacher was there, the principal was there. There was work for the children to do, and then the teacher went and took the emergency call. The principal wrote her up as an unsatisfactory teacher for answering an emergency phone call. " And I 219 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 agreed with her, and I stated I never left the building, I never left the building. This teacher obviously was me. My were classes covered, the work was there. Nothing was done against the District's policies, to which she replied, "We don't pay you to come to work and answer emergency phone calls. We don't care about your family. " I wonder if that was her child how she would have felt, not knowing what was going on or why this phone call was received. I think the School District needs to invest in security for the teachers and the children and the others in the building. I also have attached a photo here that was hung all last year at the entrance to Edison High School right opposite the principal's office. 220 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 I find it highly offensive and provocative, and I would appreciate it if you would look at it. I did mail a letter to the Councilpeople inviting them to a meeting that we had in Germantown on March the 30th. The only one that had sent representation was Frank Rizzo. And I am in touch with Donald Tripp, who was his representation. And I just would be curious on Councilpeople's opinion of this hanging in a Philadelphia public school in the main entranceway. What is being taught here? This is a troubled high school, and it hung there for at least a year. I have not been in the building this year so I don't know if it's there today. And, obviously, everyone in the District knew about 'cause they've all been in that building. Mr. Wright made some very valid points in his speech, that we do 221 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 need alternatives for the children right in the buildings. I don't know why vocational technical education was ever done away with. We can't all be doctors and lawyers. I myself am not a doctor or a lawyer, and I went to Philadelphia public schools. These things need to be brought back so that these children have something to achieve to. The children being below basic is blamed on the teachers. The teachers are questioned, the teachers are harassed, the teachers are written up. Why are your children below basic? The fact that these children come in unprepared, some show up once a week, some show up once a month; they blame that on the teacher. The teachers seem to be the scapegoat for everything in this system. And it's not true.
You have some excellent, excellent teachers out there that I have worked with and some 222 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 excellent principals out there that I have worked with, and I'm sure there's many that I have not worked with. But it's this underlying current, as Rotan called it, the old school boys' network, that's ruining our school district and that ruined my life. There are no activities after school for the average or the above- average child. There needs to be activities in these school buildings for the average and above-average child, not just the children that are failing. The average child and the good child need something to achieve to as well, to being allowed to be in a sports activity, a sewing class, a computer class. None of this exists for our children, so they have nothing to do but go out on the street, and that's where the problems start. It was mentioned from one of the speaker that we should use 223 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 conflict resolution. Conflict resolution has proved to be negative. This has been researched by Dr. Marie Lewis in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and she would be happy to talk to anyone about it. What conflict resolution does, it makes the victim a victim twice because the victim has to point out who their perpetrator was, thus giving the perpetrator the attention that he or she is seeking. And then the victim becomes the whistleblower or the squealer that all the children go after because they pointed out the perpetrator, and then they become ostracized. That is how the victim becomes a victim twice. There's another program called "Step Two Program" used in many suburban schools, which has a much more positive affect. And there are positive comments and effects going on in the school, but there needs to be 224 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 more of it. There's a lot of research showing that children react positively to positive reinforcement, and so do teachers. " That doesn't happen. Thank you. I think summer school -- if there was less summer school and the money from summer school was taken to make smaller classes, we would achieve a lot more, because in summer school, all the children have to do is show up, sign their name, eat lunch, not cause too many problems, and they pass summer school. There is not a whole lot of learning that takes place in 225 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 summer school.
Miss Shapiro, can you please come to some conclusion?
Okay. I think what needs to be stressed is more funding for safety and for the children in smaller classrooms, better protection all the way around for everyone and more supplies and more positive reinforcement for all of the children and for the teachers as well. Give me two more seconds to wrap it up. And I want to just thank everybody for giving me the time to listen. I would be happy to talk to anyone about what happened to me because I was assaulted in a Philadelphia school.
Thank you, Miss Shapiro. When you first started your testimony -- 226 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Were you referring to the school building or were you referring to City Hall?
I beg 227 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 your pardon?
I do have newspaper articles from the time that it happened to prove what I am saying, that this particular individual went after me numerous times with no fact, never spoke to me to this day, has never spoken to me, has refused to speak to me when asked to speak to me, and there was never any investigation; that is fact. As Rotan Lee, unfortunately, is not here but could attest to --
And you said you were literally put in a closet?
Let me ask you something: Did you ever go to an attorney?
Did you ever seek the advice of an attorney? 228 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
I went to many attorneys in Philadelphia. There are very few -- in fact, I couldn't find any, except Rotan, who was an attorney and he was representing me. I had a meeting with him at 9 o'clock in the morning that he died; I got a phone call 7 not to show up because Rotan had died on Sunday night. I had spoken to him before he went to see his doctor, Judy, who told him to go home. That will take the case. Rotan said he was willing to do it because Rotan had done his own investigation. Most of the attorneys will -- well, I should say "most," 'cause all of the attorneys that I spoke to would not touch the case for two reasons: One is, they all have a hand in the 229 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Philadelphia School District. If that individual attorney did not, someone in the firm on the third floor that they haven't spoken to in six months had a cousin twice removed that had dealings with the School District. And the second reason is, if you have a union, you are not allowed -- even if you are not a member of that union, you are not allowed to have a lawyer represent you. You must use the union. And I was not allowed to talk to Willick, Williams & Davidson without the approval of the union, and they would not give me their approval because it cost money. So how could Willick, Williams & Davidson fairly, rightly, honestly represent me without talking to me?
Thank you. Are there any questions of Miss Shapiro? 230 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 (No questions.)
Miss Shapiro, thank you very much for coming in.
Okay. And I just want to say one more thing, please, if I may. I just want to recommend a couple of books that need to be looked at: "Guilty Until Proven Innocent," written by Neil Schwartz, a teacher at George Washington High School here in Philadelphia. It came out in 2007, it's a quick read, and I would highly recommend it. "Breaking the Silence" by Joe and Josephine Blaze. And "Peer Abuse No More," which shows you the psychological perspective, by Elizabeth Bennett. I would highly recommend these books to see what's going on.
Thank you very much. 231 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 MR. McPHERSON: Our next witness is Kay O-Q. (Witness comes forward.)
Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Yes. My name is Kay O-Q, and I'm here to represent CMAC, a nonprofit agency working with refugees and immigrants in the area. Good afternoon to members of City Council, community partners, and members who are here. I'm here today to speak on behalf of the thousands of Asian, Latino, and African immigrants and refugees in Philadelphia. In the School District of Philadelphia, there are thousands of students, parents, and families from these communities. Unfortunately, these communities suffer from 232 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 continual lack of support and from continual lack of interest in helping them with language-access services and culturally appropriate services. I just also want to say that I am a proud product of the Philadelphia school system. I'm a born native Philadelphian and proof that with good teachers, administrators and staff and community-member support, you can receive a quality education in Philadelphia. I'm a graduate of Temple University, and I want to continue working and supporting immigrants and refugees in the area. We are among Philadelphia's laymen. We keep the economy running. We also support and uphold many of Philadelphia's integrity and traditions of freedoms. A large part of the community every day that we work with testify and -- I'm sorry. Forgive me. I'm a little bit nervous. But members of 233 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the community that we work with daily want to be self-sufficient, and they cannot do this without having access to quality education. Parents that we talk to often say that language-access services are not given to them. We suffer from many of the similar issues that students suffer from: overcrowding, specialized services, education curriculum. But on top of that, we have another barrier: We have language issues. In the many times that we have testified in front of the School District of Philadelphia, there has been no answer to the reasons why the School District is not inclusive of language-access services in its budgets. There's also no answers in its accountability on how it spends language-access money given to it by the State and by the government. I want to say that these communities are asking that the City 234 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 of Philadelphia look into the School District budget and to be inclusive of the needs of immigrants and refugee communities. We have made a commitment to the City and we hope that the City, in return, makes a commitment to helping our communities thrive and grow. Thank you.
Thank you very much. We appreciate your taking the time to come in to testify? Are there any questions or comments for this witness? (No questions or comments.)
Thank you. MR. McPHERSON: Our next witness is Cecilia Thompson. (Witness comes forward.)
Good afternoon. Please identify yourself 235 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 for the record. Thank you.
My name is Cecilia Thompson, and I have a nine-year-old son with autism who attends public school at Thomas G. Morton Elementary School in the southwest section of Philadelphia. I'm also a member of the Philadelphia Right to Education Local Task Force, an organization federally mandated by the State of Pennsylvania to provide systemic advocacy for individuals receiving specially- designed instruction in Philadelphia public and charter schools. I'm also an employee of the Arc of Philadelphia, a nonprofit organization that provides advocacy, supports and services for individuals with developmental, intellectual, and cognitive delays. I am testifying today on aspects of the proposed school budget for your consideration. 236 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 As to the dropout rate, the District's dropout rate for students is 45 percent. However, according to Penn data, the dropout rate for children with special needs in Philadelphia is percent. 8 And I must add that that's an 9 error. The City and the State knows 10 that that number is wrong, and they 11 really don't know how many children 12 with disabilities are dropping out of 13 high school and just sitting at home. 14 The result of that is, 15 depending on the severity of the 16 disability, the parents end up 17 quitting their jobs because they 18 really have no place to send their 19 children because they're not properly prepared to go into the workforce to provide for themselves. Currently, children with special needs make up about 14 percent of the District's student population. The dropout rate exceeds the student 237 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 population. And looking at the budget online, I did not see any initiatives for this population to utilize the alternative education or other education initiatives so they can graduate and become productive members of the society. Although everything in the District is for all children, children with special needs, especially those who, due to their disability, manifest extreme behaviors, are not invited to participate in these programs. There needs to be funding allocated to provide the supports and services needed for our children so they are not a burden to the State via SSI, welfare, or any other governmental funding. As to vocational education, vocational opportunities need to be available to children with special needs. However, in order to do this, there needs to be supports and 238 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 services available for this population to participate and learn a viable skill for the job market. For many students, one-to-one services need to be provided to keep the individual on task to complete the task. In addition, professional development needs to be provided for the professional vocational education teachers. Furthermore, there needs to be a partnership between the vocational and special-education teachers to work in concert with our children so they learn a marketable skill upon graduation. Again, while The District will argue this is provided to all students, children with certain disabilities are not given this opportunity because, in my experience, the teachers don't feel our children are capable of doing anything more 239 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 than folding napkins, cleaning, or putting tags on clothing. Although it would take a partnership with the business community to provide opportunities for our children, the District must first prepare our children for these opportunities. As to supports and services, the District's budget does not provide the necessary and support and services needed for the success of children with special needs. For example, if a child requires one-to-one assistance, schools often tell the parents they do not have the money to pay another staff person. Even if they have the staff person, many are not trained in or experienced in assisting children with special needs.
There needs to be money available to hire qualify paraprofessionals to provide assistance and supports for our children. 240 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Before I conclude, I just want to say that although professional development is offered, according to the PFT contract, you cannot make a teacher attend a professional development class, meaning if a school is in a corrective action too and you know there's low reading scores, you can't tell the teachers in that building that they have to take professional development in reading or, you know, techniques in math. It can be offered, they choose which ones to go to, and that's basically it. So maybe a suggestion I can offer -- and I'm not sure if this is happening -- is City Council could participate in the upcoming PFT projects. For example, I've heard testimony offered by Councilwoman Tasco and Councilman Jones that the schools in their neighborhoods are not 241 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 performing adequately. Well if you're sitting at the PFT negotiations, that can be something that can be negotiated, because clearly, nobody wants to tolerate our children not being able to get jobs in the City, that they're educating them because they lack the skills needed. You don't want to have a whole lot of public housing. People should be able to buy a home. People should have the opportunity to not want to live here and go somewhere else and still have the funds and resources that they had need to up and go somewhere else. I heard Councilman Green saying that his constituents can go to Bucks County, but Southwest Philadelphia people in West Philadelphia don't have those resources. We have to utilize the education that we have. And I shouldn't -- I shouldn't 242 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 have to move because of the school system; I should move because that's what I want to do, not because I think the system is failing my child. In addition to children with special needs, I shouldn't have to -- my son's homework should not be on recycled School District memo because that school is not necessarily supported by one of the universities. He should be able to go to any school and get paper. My personal experience is, my son went to one school, Penn Alexander. They have all the bells and whistles. All his homework was in color. He transferred to Morton -- good teacher, good principal. But, again, homework coming on recycled memo paper. You could hardly see the ink. We had to ask the principal to give her the science material so he can be exposed to the science curriculum so when he gets to third 243 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 grade, he's able to attempt to take the PSSAs, which has a science component on there. I didn't have to fight like that for materials at the other schools. Why should I have to fight like this for this school? And they're in the same geographic area. When African-Americans and Latinos, when they catch a cold, people with special needs catch the flu, because they think of our children as not being capable because they do thing differently, and that shouldn't be. And as a result, what ends up happening is, you have a lot of the emotional-support students and learning-support students saying, You know what? I'm done, I'm tired of being made fun with. When I get 18 or 16, I'm done, I'm out of here. Those are the children you see starting fights. Those are the 244 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 children -- not all of them, but some of them you see acting quirky or queer with no job skills, can't get a job in the -- maybe the penitentiary system, can't keep a job. I mean, we just -- these children are forgotten, and I think it's very important that they not be forgotten. But we need supports and services for them. Nobody should have to beg the School District to hire a paraprofessional to support a child that you know is having extreme behaviors but you don't have enough people to implement the behavior plan for that child.
" They're glad that that child's gone. That's one less behavior that has to be dealt with. So I'm asking -- or suggesting to Council that, A,somebody sits at 245 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the table at these PFT negotiations and find out what's going on, 'cause not everything is the teacher; at the same time, not everything is the District. Again, with the professional development they don't have to go or they can't say, like I said, Your school is failing, you need to attend it. If you're teaching a special-education class, you need to go to these different interventions that apply different strategies for children with special needs so that, again, you spend less time on the behavior and more time getting them what they need so they can get a job and be productive, you know, citizens in our environment. And that's all I have to say. And I thank you for the opportunity.
We thank you for coming in to testify. And we do have people here from the 246 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 School District who, I'm sure, are making notes of what your concerns are.
I do want to add one more thing. When it comes to the supplies that the schools are getting, again, I would suggest that those Councilpeople whose districts are not performing, that whenever school starts -- September 4th or I forget the date right now -- to go to those schools. If they say bought books, then every child in those schools that are performing below basic should have a book. If -- again, Councilman Jones or Tasco, those were the individuals I heard testifying. If they see that those children don't have a book, then the question is, What did you do with the money that we approved? Because it's hard to learn if you don't have the materials. And that would be my last suggestion.
Thank 247 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 you. And may I ask, do you belong to the parent-teacher's association with the school that your child goes to?
I don't belong to the Home and School 'cause they tend to have their meetings at 3:30.
I don't -- I belong to the general Home and School, but I don't participate in the local Home and School because they have those meetings at 3:30, and sometimes I can't take off of work to attend that. And if it was at 5 o'clock, I could go, but that time is inconvenient for working parents.
I would agree with you. I think if there were more parents who said that they prefer the meeting to be held later in the day that that could probably be 248 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 arranged. But I think that if you have complaints such as the paper that your child is using, that should definitely be brought to the attention of the principal.
I did bring it to her attention after the fact, but I guess my concern is, I shouldn't have to --
Well, now he has paper. And I don't know if it's paper for my child because I said something or if the kids in that particular class, they're all getting paper. It could be, We don't want no trouble, just give her what she wants, and let it be. But it shouldn't be that way. I shouldn't have my son in two different schools, and one school has paper because they're supported by the 249 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 University of Penn, and one doesn't. So then the question becomes: What are you doing with the money? We're talking about something as basic as paper and ink. If you don't have paper and ink, then you're going to have problems. I shouldn't even -- I mean, I'm a product of public school, I went on to graduate from college, and that was never an issue. I went to Henry C. Lee. We had a library, we had a full librarian, and paper was never an issue, so I guess I'm not understanding --
It should never be an issue, but I would strongly urge you to become more involved, you know, with the school that your child is going to. And I know that we do have someone here from the School District, and I think we have people here that have listened very intently to what 250 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 you had to say and will be certainly looking into the issues.
Thank you very much for coming in. MR. McPHERSON: Our next witness is Vernard Johnson.
We're also concerned -- my name is Vernard Johnson. And I don't how the lady who just left the table could become any more involved than she is, but if she could find the time, God bless her. I'm saying that to say that she is probably one of the most active parents that I know since the time we've been doing this work. And the question for me becomes equity. What you have in your hand is a media night that's happening at the Barrett School in South Philadelphia, Councilwoman, because we have become concerned about the services, or lack thereof, that 251 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 children in special education and special needs are having especially in the District this year. You know, when we first started our work in South Philadelphia six years ago -- and by the way, six years ago, this time, this place was full of people, union members hanging out the rafters. People had a real feel for public education six years ago. And six years later, I guess we'll all go home on time. I'm trying to make a point when I say that. There's something going on in public education in this town that has killed the spirit of a lot of people, and we need to seriously look at that. But anyway, this is a meeting that the School Reform Commission and its group of parents, which included the lady who just testified and myself and others, are sponsoring this meeting to look at the services that 252 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 children of special needs are getting, or not getting, and we invite you to come to this meeting. I wanted to make a couple belief remarks; it sounds like the remarks that I made years ago. It 8 seems today, Councilwoman Blackwell, 9 that more kids than ever are taking 10 medication in school. 11 As a matter of fact, the 12 School District has a billing number, 13 which allows them to bill the State 14 for a nurse observing a child who is 15 taking medication in school. They've 16 gotten really sophisticated with it 17 these days. 18 We're not quite sure where the 19 dollars go when they're reimbursed; 20 they don't go back to the neighborhood schools, where the children are having trouble; they seem to go into some general fund that may not be benefit the children fall, and there may be a need to have some type of hearing 253 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 again just to find out, you know, what happens to the dollars that the District bills the Commonwealth for a nurse watching someone take a pill. The single-cultured schools is not a local initiative; it is a federal initiative. I don't know where Councilman Green is, but it's a federal initiative. And this year, the School District received $3 million to address the persistently dangerous and the dangerous schools, and they're supposed to create a manual of best practices from the 11 persistently dangerous schools that would be adopted by the other 30 dangerous schools that might fall into the persistently dangerous category. And then that road map could be used to overlay the other schools that are having problems. We're concerned that the people who are in the buildings 254 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 haven't significantly trained, sufficiently trained. And there were some articles in the paper last week and the week before that address some of the concerns that some of us have about how that money is being handled. 8 percent reduction in reportable incidents don't add up to me. I don't know. The dropout rate. It seemed like the District was having a problem answering the dropout rate yesterday.
We've been asking them the same questions, and we haven't been able to get answers, but if you look at the number of students who are going to graduate from Furness this year, Councilwoman, which is, you know, a South Philadelphia school, our understanding is that about 483 students entered into 9th grade; this graduating class is now made up of 138 students, and we understand that 60 of those students are not on target to 255 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 graduate Furness High School. The EMOs, some have done well, some have not. The $25 million that's attached to -- that's assigned to the schools, we believe, should stay with the schools and not follow the EMOs. " We just want you to know that they're the same schools. No matter who's managing those schools, we believe that the $25 million should stay with the school. And someone might want to talk to Representative Evans, who designed the legislation that required the $25 million to stay in the school. So when the District was prepared last year to eliminate some of the contracts, the EMOs were given 256 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 a one-year reprieve because the District wanted the million. 4 Now. There's a question about 5 where 11, maybe 13 million of those 6 dollars go. The District somehow 7 takes those dollars off the top and 8 they disappear. And so we're not 9 quite sure where those dollars go, but 10 it's something that we'd ask you to 11 talk to your colleagues on the State 12 level about. Those dollars don't stay 13 with the children. 14 The homeless (indiscernible) 15 students is probably more now, 16 Councilwoman Blackwell, than it was 17 when we looked at it when Estelle 18 Richman was the Health Commissioner. 19 And we tried to address it then, and 20 we think that it's something that the 21 School District can't address by 22 themselves, and maybe we could work 23 with the District and others to 24 address the problem of homeless 25 children. 257 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 But it also seems like where the kids with the most challenges are get the recycled paper. So we understand that at Locke School in your district, Edison and the School District can't make a decision who should buy books for the grades that's increased. And I understand from meeting last night with the president of the Home and School at Locke, attended the meeting, that when they heard that Sulzberger School was going to be closing, the Locke School ran to Sulzberger to get the books because they didn't have books of their own. And it seems like the families in Fairhill, in the Fairhill community, that attends Hartranft School also don't have books. So I'm wondering, you know, is it the school that service our families that have the least, that schools also have the least? And we'd ask you to work with us to make sure 258 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 that the least of those have the same level of service that the Mastermans and the Centrals have. We're calling for equity across the board. Art and music, we heard that dance five years ago, six years ago now, that art and music was going to become a part of the core curriculum. Well, we're hearing in the dance again, that art and music are going to become a part of the core curriculum. My youngest daughter is an art student who never had the opportunity to take advantage of art in the school system. And when we went over to Drexel just to see what Drexel was offering in the area of art or technical design or whatever you might call it, we saw a lot of the students who didn't look like the students who live around Drexel taking advantage of scholarship opportunities because in their schools in the neighborhoods where they came from, they were able 259 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 to have art and music.
And so our kids, even in areas where God has given them the talent to excel, we're not developing it, and it needs to be developed, because our kids -- there are just some areas they just naturally excel in, and we're not taking them to the next level. The buildings are falling down. 6 billion is what it's going to take to rebuild the infrastructure of these old buildings. We need something like 3 million this year, for the year coming in, just to open up clean, safe, decent schools. We still have too many schools without water fountains. We were at Fitzsimon School today, and they got nice, brand-new water fountains but they're still turned off, and there's no water still sitting aside the fountain that when the City and the EPA told the District to turn the 260 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 water off years ago because of the lead in the water, they were supposed to put water next to those fountains so the children could drink water. There's still no water in the schools, and someone testified today about our kids having to buy water. So why should our children have to buy water to refresh themselves during the course of the school day? And, um, oh, this library thing. I remember when Mr. Hornbeck and Council held some hearings here however long ago that was, talking about libraries and how we can form partnerships with the public library system. Do you guys remember those hearings? I remember very well we stood back there took pictures, and many of our schools still don't have libraries. It seems like we're going around and around and around. And it seems like that somebody has to put 261 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 their foot down in managing, monitoring the School District so we don't keep talking about the same old things years later, years later. 6 We're talking about the same things. 7 And I'll close with this, if I 8 find it... Well, I think I'm 9 finished. 10 Oh, let me say this. No, I'm 11 not done. The way they close schools? 12 They closed a school in your district, 13 Councilwoman Verna, the Pierce School, 14 24th and Christian. Closed it without 15 a hearing. 16 They had a hearing about 17 Sulzberger School, and I know 18 Councilwoman Blackwell was involved in 19 the community meetings, but the last 20 hearing around Sulzberger School took 21 place at o'clock in the afternoon at 22 440 North Broad Street, and there 23 wasn't anybody there. I don't even 24 think they notified your office, 25 Councilwoman. I don't think they 262 1 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 notified Councilwoman Blackwell's office about that hearing even though she was involved, you know, diligently around the community meeting that held a hearing without anyone there. And I say this: They intend to take -- they intend to take the Maya School- they intend to take the Maya School from West Philadelphia and relocate the Maya School from West Philadelphia to the Pierce School in South Philadelphia without giving the people in the Pierce School community an opportunity to say what they think they can use that building for. So if you have students who are sitting at the Stanton School at 17th and Christian without an auditorium, without a cafeteria, having to walk down steps to get to where they meet, and the Pierce School is seven blocks up the street with a nice auditorium and just a nice building, a nice old, small building, 263 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 it seems like they would give the people in South Philadelphia an opportunity to say, Maybe we need to be using the Pierce School and giving those folks an opportunity to have some input as opposed to taking a school out of another neighborhood and moving that school into your neighborhood and then telling the people from West Philadelphia that they're going to have first opportunity to attend that school. And so I just wanted to say that the way they're closing schools, they're giving the community no real impact.
If the elected officials don't get involved, like I believe Councilwoman Blackwell and Senator Williams are around the Turner School, then our communities don't have any say-so about what happens to 'em and with those buildings. And so there are 18- and 19- and 20- and 21-year-olders who are 264 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 eligible for a free public education that are in many of those communities that those buildings could be used for a number of things, and so we wish that you would have a conversation with the School District around the way they're closing these buildings without getting community input. Thank you very much.
Thank you very much. Are there any questions or comments from members of the committee? (No questions or comments.)
Seeing none, this committee will stand in recess in 5:30 this evening. Thank you very much. (Committee stands in recess at 4:30 p.m.) (Proceedings resume.)
Council is now back in session 265 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 regarding Bill No. 080158 and 080159. MR. McPHERSON: Our first group this evening will be William Mackey. (Witnesses come forward.) (Applause.)
Quickly, you guys. Thank you for taking us now Councilwoman -- Council President. (Addressing students.) Come on, you guys. Got to hurry up.
Yes. My name is William Mackey, founder and executive director of Citywide Youth Leadership Agency. STUDENT: Hi. My name is Ayanna Adams. STUDENT: Hi. My name is 266 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Dulcina Cook. STUDENT: My name is Rodney Cook.
Okay. I want to just say tonight thanks for giving us the opportunity to testify. Over the years, the Citywide Youth Leadership Agency has had the pleasure of serving young people in the City of Philadelphia since 1981. And I could just tell you, Council President and these Councilmembers, that this year has been the most challenging and hardest ever. This year, our budget was 160,000 for 100 students for 12 months. And it's impossible. And I 267 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 don't know how we made it to April, beginning of May, and still have our young people around. We have no 5 staff. Our utilities is about to be shut off. I'm not on payroll at the agency for the last six months, and I'm near 60 hours a week. But nevertheless, I want to tell you if we had our way what we would do in the City of Philadelphia to restore our program and resources to our young people. The first thing is in the package is a letter from a gentleman by the name of Michael Asbell, who's a prominent developer in the City of Philadelphia. He's now volunteering to help Citywide build our youth mini mall program, which we've been trying to build for, I guess, 15 years. And I'll get back to that. We have requested from the Nutter Administration to turn over property at Ninth and Cecil B. Moore 268 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 so we could build a Stage I youth educational entrepreneur center, something like the one in the Northeast. Young people in North Philly can have a center like that to go to for education and storefronts on the first floor. I'm going to come back to that. Right now, I'm going to tell you that a quarter million, 250,000, young people in the City of Philadelphia are at risk, and there's many -- there's four major elements that make that at-risk happens to them. One of 'em is, percent of 18 those young people are engaging -- 25 19 percent of those young people have 20 access to handguns. Twenty-five 21 percent of a quarter million young 22 people have access to handguns. 23 I'm going to tell you today 24 that 50 percent of a quarter million 25 students are indulging in some form of 269 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 narcotics. Fifty percent of a quarter million students are indulging in some form of narcotics. I'm also going to tell you that percent of the students that 7 are average students have nothing to 8 do after school. And some of the -- 9 I'm just going to tell it the way it 10 is, like I always do. 11 Some of them after-school 12 programs is really not challenging to 13 them. They not fun because they not 14 in charge. We promote -- we proposed 15 with Shelly Yanoff ten years ago to do 16 a Youth Commission, and I'm glad you 17 have a Youth Commission now. But I'm 18 going to tell you, it's a little late. 19 You need a Youth Crime 20 Commission. You need young people to 21 have chapters throughout the City, and 22 they need to have they own youth-based 23 organizations that they run. That is 24 college students in there that 25 administer the program with them but 270 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 they have self-control. And I need a school I.D. card. Anybody have a school I.D. card? I'm going to show you something, Council President. I'm going to be brief. I'm going to show you this. Ten years ago, we proposed to the Street Administration -- and I got comments from the School District the other day to bring it up again. If you took -- and we demonstrated this here a couple of years ago. If you took a school I.D. card, right, and you made it work at SEPTA and they scan that I.D. card and it logs in, right? So Governor Rendell, last year, when SEPTA said they was going on strike, he kind of pitched it a little bit -- (Councilwoman Blackwell enters chamber.)
Hi, Councilwoman. Now, if you take this same school card and make it a library 271 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 card, I could tell you right now, that very few -- that the library's not utilized percent by the public 5 school students but this I.D. card 6 could be a library card too. 7 You like it, don't you, 8 Councilman? Oh, you going to love it, 9 it's going to get better. 'Cause 10 guess what? It could be a health card 11 to go into the health centers. They 12 could use this card for DHS. They 13 could use this card as a curfew card. 14 They could use this card for they 15 after-school programs. They scan it 16 and then you load it, and then the 17 School District says to that cluster, 18 to that area, This kid's profile for 19 success -- to succeed for success is 20 loaded. He needs 15 hours of this, 15 21 hours of this. 22 And that's how the community 23 groups get they money, 'cause right 24 now, everybody, let's hustle. You get 25 so many kids, you don't know what the 272 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 need is. You get sign-in sheet, you count 'em in. That's how you measure it, and you should do the demonstration on 250 students that's at risk by area. And all you do first is, you get all of the computer people, the smart people, in all those places, you put 'em in a room, you make the computers talk to each other. That's number one. Then, number two, you set up the service providers. All those groups I told you, they set up a service provider system, and they do the services. And then you set up the deliverable system. That's all those groups of kids that actually fill people that work with young people and have that. So you got three: You got the computers, you got the managers, and then you have the deliverables. We proposed this. And when I 273 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 proposed this, I got punished when I told the other people they didn't know what they was doing. You know what people I'm talking about. I got punished. I thought they was my friends. That's what happened. It's ready to go more today than ever. It's in here, we proposed it, we'll be happy to demonstrate for any committee you have. But let me go back to this youth center. We have a million- dollar grant that a good friend of mine told me about. If I ever could get that grant -- his name is Councilman Curtis Jones -- then I would be lucky. We have a state grant that's sitting in PIDC for a million dollars, and we proposed to build this real nice entrepreneur training center in north central Philadelphia, with a alternative school on top where a lot of young people come. 274 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 We have two requests for you, and then I'm going to be quiet. One is, will you please ask this administration to find us some money in this fiscal year? I sent them the bills. It's detailed, it's narrowed out this fiscal year. Because you know what? Did you ever watch that Will Smith movie? That's how Mackie's going to be next week. I'm going to be homeless with me and my son, and I will be here camping out at somebody's store and I'll really be getting thrown out of Council. But more so, Citywide, stand up. (Citywide kids stand up.)
This is half of my group. I have no snack money, I have no tokens, I have no staff. And have a seat you guys. Thank you. And in this community that 275 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 they come from is the ones you see on TV every weekend. You just punch that thing on Thursday, and by Sunday afternoon, you see all the shootings and all the violence and all the -- that's the 250,000 people that we're talking about. So we have no money now. We ask that this Council consider putting us in the budget for '09, I guess, and help us build this entrepreneurship training center. And the last thing is to allow us to come do a demonstration on this youth resource card. If you allow us to do it, I bet you it will work, and I'll bet you we help really be able to evaluate, demonstrate, reduce violence, produce leaders in the City of Philadelphia. I'm good tonight though, ain't I? 'Cause I'm broke.
Mr. Mackey, did I understand you to say 276 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 that your budget --
It's 160 current 11 through Safe and Sound, and we have put 12 all the records back through Safe and Sound and asked their president, Ernie Jones, to take a look at it. We have put all of their necessary documents that they asked for over and over with the budget for my fiduciary test. And it's a (indiscernible) audit. We have bills that haven't been paid. I have told the phone company for six months the check was in the mail. The lady said, "If its not there tomorrow, Mr. Mackey, I'm cutting your phones off." We have no money. We only 277 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 allowed to spend one-twelfth of 160 per month. And let me say this to you, Councilwoman. This is one that's for Miss Councilwoman Tasco. Councilwoman Tasco, I think one time last week, we was testifying here, and people could like me or don't like me, but I think the message is always good. When Citywide has funding, you all know we out there doing a lot all the time. Nobody can doubt it. We have professional people with us right now. As soon as I get all of my students back and get college students trained and other people, I have to turn 'em away, and I'm afraid that's what's going to happen again.
I would just like to get this clear in my mind. Were you given -- (Councilwoman Sanchez enters 278 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 chambers.)
Were you given 13,000 a month from Safe and Sound?
Let me give it to you: It's 13,000 a month to pay for rent, electric, insurance, staff, which we have one maintenance guy, and one computer lady. Nobody else. Transportation tokens, snacks, janitorial supplies and all for 13. And the fiduciary has to get his cut.
Oh. And when was the last time you received a check from Safe and Sound?
They submit the bills and they receive a reimbursement. It's never -- right now, when we -- when these young people come to 279 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the after-school program, we had college work study students who money has run out, so they getting ready to stop coming. I can't even hire 'em. And we have no tokens. I borrow money from everybody in the neighborhood to buy these kids tokens. I'm really ashamed because I have more pride than that, but my determination not to give up is what keeps me going.
Okay. And you have sent a letter to Mayor Nutter?
Mayor Nutter, with the backup documentation; Dr. Schwartz; the Managing Director's Office; Mr. Ernie Jones Verna all right.
Now, did you send them a budget that you would like to see? 280 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Two months. And if you know, me every other day I fax it and call 'em. And had these students call 'em too and Councilman Clarke. You know I call all the time.
Okay. Are there any questions or comments from members of the committee? (No questions or comments.)
Thank you. Do you want your two students there to identify themselves?
You'r e going to have to speak into the 281 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 microphone.
Hello. My name is Ayanna Adams, and I've been going to Citywide, and my brother went there when he was younger.
You're going to have to pull the microphone closer to you.
I am talking into the mic. And Citywide is a place where you come to do your homework or get the information from people, and they give you a summer job and...
I told her. My brother went there when he was younger, and they gave him summer jobs every time he came and they gave him stipends and stuff so he had money during the summer so he wouldn't get in trouble. So that was a place where he could go 282 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 to stay out of trouble.
Thank you very much. Please identify yourself for the record.
Hi. My name is Dulcina Cooke, and I go to Dobbins High School. Basically, I think that we need support in Citywide because, you know, a lot of youth nowadays, we don't have anywhere's to go. And, like, we need programs during the summer because, like, you know, you see a lot of kids fighting and, you know, doing a lot of stuff they shouldn't be doing, and that's because we don't have anything to do, so we just find other things to do, like stuff to get in trouble and stuff. So we really need a lot of support at Citywide because if, you know, with support at Citywide, you 283 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 know, it would be more stuff for the kids to do. A lot of kids would be off the street, and it would just help, you know, the community.
This is really going to be hard. About a year ago, we got evicted out of a facility -- about a year, ago we got evicted out of a facility. We been there for years 15 and had invested a lot of money when Safe and Sound cut our grant and we couldn't pay the rent. We had a miniature golf course in North Philadelphia on this lot at 910 West Cecil B. Moore. And one night, we had two big trailers put on the lot and electric. We meet at trailers in north central Philadelphia. It's not adequate space and it's very 284 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 expensive. Once a week, we have to pay for a waste company to come in and do the waste and do the water. And we owe him $15,000, and he's only doing it because when he comes over, he sees us servicing young people. I have not enough desks in my office, but fortunately, we've been able to put the Internet service on, our computers on, and some other stuff. And I've just been blessed with good young people; I could tell you that. I've really -- in the old days, I would overspend and be in trouble. And now, I don't have anything to spend. I would rather be in trouble for overspending and taking my young people on college tours and buying them pizza in the evening and helping them with books and sneaks and stuff like that and incentives than, right now, ducking everybody. I duck everybody. I literally duck everybody 285 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 now 'cause I owe everybody. And I still do it for my young people. And it's painful. It really is. I'm a real proud person, but I would do anything for these young people. I have pleaded with the Nutter administration all year long to look into our funding situation. And I guess they trying to figure out what's going on. I have pleaded to Mr. Jones. And I just want to say this at the end: You know, people can say what they want about me, but I have had a professional fiduciary to prepare the accounting records and everything. All these students right here is doing 500-word essays. They can't commend the program without the report cards. I mean, we running a real tight ship right now. And I'm just proud. And anybody can come to the 286 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 door and do an imprompt [sic] visit. The place is clean, it's ran tight, it's good. And when I spoke to the other administration, it was not -- I'm going to say this. With all of the money that has been spent in the last eight years on youth services, Philadelphia should be the model, but I have -- like I told you before last time, I must have a twin brother 'cause everything I proposed over there they tried to duplicate. And a lot of times when you duplicate, it's a fake and it don't work. And I just have to tell the truth. We empower young people to get into the community to do the things they need to do and build pride. It's no pride with young people right now. If we had that money and had our regular budget right now, these kids would be on TV every month doing community-service projects, the mock 287 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 trial, the computer lab, the youth mini mall presentation, the arts and culture division, our health division. We had a health patrol. We did a blight arrest patrol. We went around the City and removed blight.
We even had neighborhood cookouts -- just one more. We even had neighborhood cookouts where we outcooked Councilman Jones one time.
Thank you, 288 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Councilman. Thank you, Councilpeople. Thank you, Council President Councilwoman, thank you.
Okay. Our next witness? MR. McPHERSON: Our next panel is the PDR Swimming Team, Marcus Foster Pool. (Witnesses come forward.)
Good evening. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good evening. I'm Mike Major. I'm the president of the PDR or Marcus Foster PDR Parents Advisory Group. In addition to myself, 289 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 there are a number of other children who want to also make an appeal this evening. We're here because of the pool closings in general and the closing of Marcus Foster in particular. I took a look at some statistics. And, you know, there are approximately 175 rec centers throughout the City, and imagine the impact of closing 63 of them. And that's what has happened recently, where about 4 of the 11 pools are run by the School District have been closed, which represents about 36 percent of the pools. I just had a couple of questions for the School District. One is, you know, how did things get to this point? Who knew about the problem before it got to the point of having to close the pools? And then the follow-up question is: What are the -- what about the remaining seven pools; are 290 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 they headed for the same result? What is the impact of closing Marcus Foster? Located in the Nicetown section of Philadelphia, the pool was first opened in 1980 as a brand-new facility, contrary to how it was portrayed in the movie "Pride," which shows it as a broken-down facility. It was named after the former principal of Simon Gratz High School, and it recently became one of the four pools that has been closed by the School District. The following statistics are supported by the USA Swimming Foundation website: Nine people drown each day in the United States. In ethnically diverse communities, the youth drowning rate is two to three times higher than the national average. One in three kids in the 291 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 United States is overweight and at risk for obesity-related diseases. From September 2007 until April of 2008, when the pool was recently shut down, Marcus Foster did its share to counteract the above numbers. Forty-five children learned to swim at the Marcus Foster Swimming Pool. Note: More of that could have been taught, but the condition of the pool required the cancellation of two classes. The April (indiscernible) swimming class had a waiting list of 60 children. The September 2008 class, that will have to be cancelled, already has a waiting list. The 2008 summer camp season will see approximately 400 children impacted by the closing of the Marcus Foster Swimming Pool. And one of the camp directors is here this evening, 292 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Sandy Allen, from Zion Baptist Church. In addition to that, the summer season of 2008 will also see children of the Nicetown community with no local place to swim this summer. While those are the facts about looking back, I'm also going to try to look forward, as we talk about how we -- and I want to emphasize we -- can solve this problem. I noticed on the School District's five year financial plan the discussion of a shared services task force that talks about after-school programming in general and swimming in particular. Every day, from about 4 o'clock until 7:30, I know where my child is: She's in the pool, practicing. , then we need more programs that not only keep kids off the street but provide for not just structured programming but the opportunity for much more. I just want to give you a couple of facts about the team, and I'll be done. It's coached by Jim Ellis. Jim has recently served as the US National Team coach. Tracy, who you will be hearing from, was the first African- American swimmer to qualify for the Middle Atlantic Zone All-Star Team. And Matt Scanlon, who's also a middle school teacher at Baldi, Matt swam at Weidner University. The team was founded in 1971 and has had a long-storied history of success, beginning at Sayre Middle School and moving to Marcus Foster Rec Center in 1980. PDR swimmers have competed internationally and nationally at the highest levels of the sport.
294 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Consistent with Coach Ellis's desire to expose swimmers to other parts of the country and different lifestyles, PDR swimmers have competed in such places as: Paris, France; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Sidney, Australia, and Fukoalma zzz, Japan internationally; and in states; and in over 29 US cities, 10 including Boca Raton; Orlando; Ft. 11 Lauderdale, Florida; Mission Viejo; 12 Pasadena, California; and Honolulu, 13 Hawaii. 14 As an educator himself, Coach 15 Ellis knows the value of education. PDR 16 swimmers using lessons learned under his 17 tutelage have gone on to compete at some of the top institutions of higher learning in America, including: Dartmouth University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Howard University, University of Virginia, Northwestern University, Swarthmore University, and the University of Pittsburgh, to name a few. 295 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 PDR swimmers have also competed at the 1992, '96, and 2000 Olympic trials. During the period of over 5 years, PDR had no fewer than two 6 swimmers listed among the national age 7 group top 16 rankings. PDR swimmers 8 have represented the United States in 9 the Pan American games and the Pan 10 Pacific games. Team swimmers have also 11 held three junior national records and 12 one junior national east record and four 13 national age group records. In addition, we have a number of our swimmers who are on the team today who have achieved and won numerous awards. And I guess one of my questions, one of my frustrations over the years has been, how could a team with this kind of success not have received virtually any support at all from the School District and from the City of Philadelphia? And with that, I'll shut up because there are a whole bunch of other 296 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 folks who want to talk as well. )
Good evening. My name is Tracy Freeland. I'm an assistant coach with PDR. And Mike pretty much said everything about the program. I'm a product of the program. I started with the program when I was four years old. I'm 40 years old right now. Every day, we started at Sayre Recreational Center. My mother would drive 45 minutes, my brother and I, to practice and back every day, Monday through Saturday, from 3:30 to 6. And it was a vehicle for us to do something. I traveled all over the country because of swimming, and if I have swimming, I wouldn't have been able to travel all over the country. I grew up in a single-parent family. And in 1980, we moved to Marcus Foster. I've seen it deteriorate from 297 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 1980 to 2008 without too much maintenance going on. I earned a full scholarship to Howard University, and without swimming, I don't think I would have been able to go to college. I know my mother wouldn't have been able to pay for college. So I'm a product of the team. As soon as I graduated from college, I pursued my career in education. I've been teaching health and physical education for years 15 and have been coaching and giving back 16 to what PDR gave to me for the past 18 17 years. 18 Thank you. (Applause.)
For the record, my name is Sharon Luzier, and my children swim on the PDR Swim Team. We have some information that we passed out. Along with that is a 298 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 document, a petition that was circulated by the Nicetown CDC, with 400 signatures of people who live in that immediate vicinity who are protesting the closing of the pool. Earlier this month, as I was preparing my regular evening, which was sending my kids off to swim practice and then to leave work in time to pick them up along with a number of other children from our neighborhood, I got a call about a half an hour later and was told that the pool was closed indefinitely. And this was a couple of weeks after at least five kids from the swim team swam, including my children, swam in the Junior Olympics. So it was just such a downer for the children. This is a superior-ranked swimming team. The coach, Tracy, doesn't -- is modest in his skills. He could coach anywhere. Jim Ellis could coach anywhere. People all over 299 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the country have tried to get them to leave Marcus Foster, leave the kids behind, but they have a dedication to this team that is just quite remarkable. We're -- the City of Philadelphia is privileged to have such coaches that can take kids, get them into the ranks of the elite swim meets that they often take children to. The facility is Marcus Foster. I passed out some pictures. They were pretty bad. There were always puddles everywhere. When it rained outside, it seemed like it was raining even harder inside. But there were a lot of bright and cheerful things always going on there. There were inspirational bullet boards, Swimmer of the Month, there were lots of children taking swim lessons there who would come early to watch the swim team practice 300 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 and be motivated, and a number of the on the swim team now were children who were taught how to swim in the swim lessons that go on there. Even with such facilities, you often thought, Why are these facilities so run down? Why is a hose from the utility closet piping hot water into the pool all the time? , which children from all over the country attend; the Junior Olympics; the Pan American; the Olympic time trials; and other elite meets, right along with the kids from the private swim clubs that have so much beautiful facilities and cameras under water that analyze their strokes and things along those lines. But we had Jim and Tracy, the superior coaches that, without such amenities, were able to do comparable 301 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 things with our kids. And I think what we really would like the Council to know is that we are aware that the School District has acknowledged serious problems with the pool and how much they cost to run; that is certainly a reality. They have indicated that they don't have money to make repairs and that a shared service task force will examine the pool situation. We also read the newspapers and see that such task forces have been established many times before and have not really gone very far. And I guess what we want the City Council and the School District to know is that these are really kids in great programs that are waiting for these decisions and suffering as a result of the School District's lack of maintenance of these pools. And we just hope that this situation will stay in the forefront of your mind. 302 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Again, I have the petitions from the Nicetown CDC. Unfortunately, no one could appear from there today 'cause they're having their board elections tonight, and everyone has to be there for that, of course. But it's signed by 400 of the neighbors in the immediate area of the pool. I'd like to have the swimmers just stand up for a minute. )
And I believe that maybe one or two of them might have something very brief to say, if that's okay.
I would just like to ask a question, please. What is the cost estimate to repair the pool? Does anybody know?
No, we don't know. Typically, the pool -- as a volunteer 303 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 parents group, our focus is really on the team and swimming. The details of the facility and the cost of operations we don't have any exposure to at all. The School Board really runs the pool. They came in one day and said, "We're done. You're done." (Addressing Mr. Freeland.) Go ahead, Tracy.
The School Board, they just locked the doors of the pool. And they put it in the Capital Budget. You know, we don't have any say or have any knowledge of what's going on or how much it costs to fix. All I know is -- I don't know what that means exactly, but it's going to Capital Budget, and it's just closed indefinitely.
Is anybody from the School District here that could respond to this? (School District rep in 304 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 audience stands up.)
Do you mind approaching the witness table? The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you. Just one related question. I would expect that if money could be found to do the repairs, it would probably need to close it during the course of the repairs. Have you anticipated a location where you could continue to practice and train and compete while that work would be going on?
Yeah. We secured -- Jim has a number of relationships throughout the City and so he has spoken with the coaches at LaSalle.
And right now, we are practicing there on a temporary basis. 305 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
It sounds like a wonderful, wonderful program. (Addressing School Board rep.) Do you mind taking the witness table? The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Also, I acknowledge that great team that you have, and I look with pride at the young people and their accomplishments. As a former track coach, I know what that feeling is through the eyes of a child being able to see them achieve. One of the options also is the pool being built on Wissahickon Avenue by Reverend Bonnie (sp.?), which they're trying to build an Olympics-sized pool, which is in the 4th Councilmatic District, by the way. And that -- is that a long-term goal of yours to locate in 306 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 that facility?
Yeah, I'm actually a part of the campaign leadership team trying to raise the funds. Right now, yes, the Salvation Army received a grant from the Joan Kroc Foundation to build a super community center. They've got the funding -- or they're raving the funding for that. In addition, there is a separate campaign being run right now, trying to generate anywhere between 6 to about $15 million to build either a 25-by -- a 25-meter-by-25-yard pool; or, as you indicated, to build dream, which would be an Olympic-sized 50-meter pool. But challenge right now is that it all has to come from private funds. So if anybody has any deep 307 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 pockets, we need to know.
I'm just -- long-term, it is the Salvation Army's interest to recruit them there. The difference between a 25- and a 50-meter pool is what is the difference between the $4 million or so that it takes to build it. That's just as a point of information, Madam President.
Hello. Carly Bolger, School District of Philadelphia. I don't have the figures with me on the cost to repairing the pool, but I'd be happy to get them for you by tomorrow.
When it would be anticipated that work would 308 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 be started and what is the completion date for the repairs.
A bigger -- something that's really important is, in the summertime, that pool is -- houses a lot of kids. It's where kids go to hang out all day. And you know how it is in the summertime with violence. I really -- it's very important for you to try to get the pool fixed by the summertime. Like I said, that pool is where kids hang out for somewhere to be safe. You know, 3, 400 kids come there a day for safety, you know, 309 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 because they don't want to be on the streets.
They probably have to put that out for bidding. I just don't know what the status of that is, but we will hear from the School District. Who is your District Councilperson?
Miller? Okay. We will follow through with this with Councilwoman Miller too, and I would suggest you be in communication with her. But we will get the information. I just don't see how it's possible. Do we have somebody from the 310 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 School District to say whether it's possible that this would be rehabbed by summer? In all likelihood, I don't personally see it happening. I'm sure you don't know what the status of that is at this point, do you?
Not off the top of my head. I could call back to the office right now to find out.
Would you, please. (Two young swim team members come to witness table.)
Okay. Do you want to identify yourself for the record. Good evening. PDR SWIMMER: Good evening. My name is Deja (sp.?), and I'm a swimmer on PDR, and I was just writing something out of the blue after I read the newspaper with my mom and stuff like that. My team, my wonderful team, the team that changed Philly, but is 311 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 it known? No. There is a team out there that we need to recognize. My coach, Jim Ellis, is trying to make a change in our communities. He has coached many black people. He has the discipline. Some of his students are on the way to the Junior Olympics. Don't you see the promise? Coach Ellis puts his whole heart into the team. He tries to help kids succeed. The City needs to start thinking about our young people. You say we need change in Philadelphia. Well, there are people in Philadelphia who really do want to make change, like, for example, my coach. Here you have a golden opportunity to change Philly, but you just brush it aside. You say that young people need to get off of the street. Well, what about PDR? My team has children in the pool often. After they come home from school, they go straight to swimming, from 5 p.m. 312 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 through 8 p.m. or p.m. through p.m. My question is: Why shut it down? Just because you can't afford to fix a pool doesn't mean anything. You have enough money for new building and to fix streets; why not for people trying to make a change? (Applause.) (Cheers.)
Do you want to identify yourself for the record. PDR SWIMMER: Hi. I'm Howard.
Hi, Howard. PDR SWIMMER: Okay. I've been on PDR two-and-a-half years, and it took me one year to come and be known as -- because I went to the Junior Olympics. Now, it took me hard work and good coaching from Tracy and Jim. It took, like, uh... Wait. It took a lot of work and, like, the coach liked 313 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 to make it to the JO's. It takes a lot of time. You work hard and you do a lot of stuff. If you close down this pool, then that would take a lot of things away from people. And, like, people could get lazy judge and just eat a lot of food and get fat. Like with swimming, you lose weight, you feel good about yourself instead of just saying, "Man, I'm a slob, I just do nothing" should they shut down that pool. So I was just saying, like, that pool means a lot to everybody. Everybody had joined and came into that pool and swam. We had started swimming lessons at that pool. And, like, when that pool is closed, where we going to have those swimming lessons for the people who want to swim? So I was just saying that if you going to, like, not close down the 314 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 pool, PDR. That's it. (Applause.) (Cheers.)
This is one of our swimming leaders here. (Witness comes forward.) PDR SWIMMER: Okay. Hi. I'm Chelsea. I'm one of the oldest people on the team. I've been swimming with PDR for about seven, eight years. I started out with Tracy and I moved up to Jim, and over the years, they've really helped me not only evolve as a swimmer but as a person also through -- like, we have morning practices and it's a lot of hard work and dedication and giving up so much to do to swim. And so, when you shut down our pool, what do we do after school? Now you find something other to do. I guess swimming kind of provided us with an alternate, like, solution to 315 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 do or something to do after school. So we go to the pool and we swim. And it's a lot better than what half of my friends do or most of my friends do. And, like Tracy said, he got a scholarship, so he inspired us to keep swimming 'cause most of our parents -- or some of our parents, I should say, can't afford to pay for college, so swimming is our road to college. So when you cut off our resource, like when we don't have a pool to practice at, it kind of cuts off our future because swimming is our future, and we really need to use it to get to where we need to go, so we need a facility to practice at. So, hopefully, our pool can be reopened so we can continue to pursue our dream. Thank you.
Thank you. (Applause.) 316 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Good evening. My name Sandra Allen, and I'm the day camp director at the Zion Summer Day Camp. I'm speaking on behalf of the camps. I'm only one here today. But we have been swimming at Marcus Foster for -- well, I've been there for -- it's been years, like a long time, almost 20, 30 years. And we swim twice a week. And when I received the news that the pool had closed -- and I am working on our program for the summer -- I was devastated. Now I'm looking for another place for the children because they love to go to Marcus Foster, they love the swimming, they look forward to it. And that was one of the assets that helped. And we try to expose the children to as much as we possibly can. And I'm just hoping that the 317 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 School District can find it, some way that they can try to get the money or -- for the summer. What I'm saying is, I know it's a long wind for this summer, and I'm in agreement with you. I'm not sure whether or not it will be -- we will be able to utilize the pool this summer, but I am just asking you, please, could you find it in your hearts to find a way?
Good evening. My name is Emerson Willis. I am a parent of two swimmers at PDR. I first became aware of the team in the late '80s, early '90s, and I read a article in the New York Times about how the team had made the 318 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 national championships, which they went on to win over a couple of years. And I had the opportunity, when I -- and this was all before I had children. But I knew that, as a parent, that water safety was the key, 'cause I wasn't a great swimmer. Growing up in Philadelphia, it's hard to swim in the fire hydrant, it's real hard. But I knew that what I wanted to do was have my boys water-safe. And so I went through some steps to make sure they knew how to swim, but as they were being developed, when they first learned, their first coach said, "You need to take your boys up to PDR and see Jim and Tracy and Mr. Woody." And that was in 1999. And in '99, the team was very strong, very large, and it was doing very, very well. But over the years, as the pool began to deteriorate, people stopped coming because they 319 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 were concerned with the facilities. And so, if it's at all in your hearts -- 'cause I've seen the success of this team. I often tell people that everyone that I've seen go through this program that reaches their senior year in high school has gotten money for college through aquatics. Okay, when we go to the Baltimore Aquarium and we're watching the different -- you know, the fish and the sea and things like that, the children -- I can say to my sons, you know, "You can be a marine biologist, you can snorkel, you can skin-dive, you can do all of those things," things that kids don't normally get to do, that they don't even entertain. But through this team and through this program, I've -- we, as a family, have been able to develop, and I've seen other kids do it. So I just wanted to testify 320 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 today on behalf of the team and PDR that if anything can be done to keep this program going, 'cause the success -- there's written, there's movies, it's books, and for the City to let it just go by the wayside would be a travesty.
It sounds like a wonderful, wonderful program. We're waiting to hear if somebody from the School District has any information. MR. McPHERSON: They're still making phone calls.
They're still making phone calls. However, I wish we did have it within our power to simply say that this should be rehabilitated, but we in Council have the sole 321 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 responsibility of reenacting the taxes. We will, however, be in touch with the School District. We will certainly let Councilwoman Miller, who is out, I think she has a very bad virus, she will be informed of your presence here tonight and exactly what the problem is. (Ms. Bolger returns to witness table.)
We have somewhat of an answer. The status of the three pools that have been closed is that we have affirmed assessing the conditions and the corresponding cost estimates that go along with those, and we're anticipating the results of that back by the end of May. However, currently in the Capital Budget, there aren't funds to 322 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 fix these pools with the rehab costs. However, it is one of the items that we have on the agenda to explore on the Shared Services Task Force, so it's something that we're looking and willing to work with on the City to figure out how to get this done. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: There is no money; is that what you said?
We're waiting for the estimates, but there is currently nothing in the Capital Budget.
So I would really like to be up front with everybody who is here. Would you say that it's not very likely that the pool will be rehabbed this summer? By the summer? 323 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
I think that would be unlikely given that we're not getting the estimates back until the end of May.
I think if there's no money, then is it likely that they won't -- that the pool won't be open at all? I mean, if you don't have any money in the budget right now and there's no funds, I mean, that sounds like a "never" to me. 324 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
There may not be money in this budget because they don't have the estimate, but once they get the estimate, they can determine how much they have to put in the budget.
And these are questions that I can get you more detailed answers to tomorrow. This is just the information that I had ready.
While we're all well aware of the bidding requirements that the government has to go through to get things done, repaired, or built, there are emergency opportunities for health and life- safety issues that don't have to be bid as stringently as building a new building or doing a rehab that's not of an emergency nature. And since there's young people and other people using the facility 325 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 and since because it's aquatic and it needs to be safe and it needs to be clean and it needs to be -- there's lots of, I guess, lots of scenarios you could put together to make this an emergency repair as much as a normal three-part bid rehab. So one of the suggestions that I have, Madam President -- Madam President? The suggestion I would make is that maybe your office or Councilwoman Miller's office could prepare a letter to the District, asking them to consider this an emergency, life-safety repair and perhaps cut through some of that bidding red tape that is required. The other issue is the issue of the three pools. I mean, at this point now, I only see one group advocating for one pool as opposed to the other two, and I'm not saying that they don't have similar -- they probably don't have similar programs 326 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 as this or if they have any programs at all. So maybe this ought to be the priority and ought to be handled through a life-safety effort as opposed to just the normal bidding processes.
We would be very happy to do that, but I think that the group should go before the School District's hearings. When is their next hearing?
Tomorrow night, I think. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: May 7, May 14th.
But I think 327 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 if we put them on notice now that we're --
But at the same time, I mean, as impressed as we are, I would like the members of the SRC to be equally impressed and know what the importance of this issue is to the entire community. When is the next -- UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: May 7th and May 14th.
May 7th and May 14th? At what time? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Immediately following the SRC meeting at the Broad Street School District offices. May 7th, at 5 p.m. The May 14th meeting following the p.m. 23 following the SRC meeting. 24
And 25 must the group call beforehand to be on 328 1 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the witness list to testify? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Yes, they do. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: They have to call the day before, 5 o'clock.
While he's coming, Tracy just whispered in my ear that University City, which is where he teaches at, has been closed now for three years. So I think if we're not on top of this and don't keep a fire lit, you know, we run the risk of this just dragging on. I think beyond that, Jim, with his contacts with USA swimming, I think if the School District would be willing to talk with us, maybe we could -- you know, if they open to an emergency, you know, we're willing to try to kind of help at least find the people who could maybe expedite this, 329 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 but they got to be willing to work with us.
Fernando Gallard, Director of Media Relations, School District of Philadelphia. The next opportunity to speak in front of the SRC on the budget, the first one is May 7th, at 5 p.m.; and May 14th, immediately following the 1 o'clock regularly scheduled SRC meeting. If you would like to speak at the SRC budget meetings, you have to call the day before, and it's going to be before 4 o'clock, and you have to call 215-400-4040. That's 215-400-4040.
Do you have that number? Were you able to get that number?
Okay, great. 330 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Very well. Councilwoman Tasco, did you have a comment or question?
And, again, we think it's a wonderful program. I know that everyone here is impressed with it. Thank you. Our next witness? Do we have anyone else that would like to testify? 331 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Please approach the witness table, sir. (Witness comes forward.)
Good evening, sir. Please identify yourself for the record.
Okay. I have a prepared statement. Good afternoon. My name is Gregory Jordan Detamore, and I'm a Philadelphia public high school students and also a member of the Philadelphia Student Union. We, at the Student Union, along with other organizations that we work with, feel that there's a -- we have a lot of questions about transparency and accountability and the decisions that the School District makes. We feel that all too often 332 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 students, parents, and community members are left in the dark about School District decisions. We have serious concerns with the way the District handles the release of information. It seems the District only releases information that absolutely has to be released under the narrowest interpretation of the law. There's a great wealth of information that can, and should, be made public but is not. The most pressing information is information about charter schools and educational management organizations. This includes detailed financial reports, evaluation score cards, and recommendations on renewal. In general, there's a lack of transparency and accountability about how decisions are made to award contracts. Where is the quality control? 333 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 This leads to another important subject: that of educational management organizations, or EMOs. EMOs such as Edison operate many schools in the District. While they are contracted to improve the quality of schools, data shows that they have not improved the schools any more than other District schools; in fact, they have shown the least amount of improvement when compared to other District schools and charters. So why are they getting an additional 500 to $800 per student? How can we allow companies to try to make a profit off some of the lowest-performing and vulnerable schools? Another important point to discuss is the District's seeming neglect to inform the public of important decisions. An excellent example is that of the West Philadelphia plan. The 334 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 District currently has a plan to shift around many schools in West Philadelphia. Turner is supposed to be to closed, Parkway is supposed to be moved to Sulzberger, Sulzberger is supposed to be closed, Maya is supposed to be moved to Pierce in South Philly, and University City is closing in two years for renovation. Many residents are still confused about the plan and are upset about not being informed about much of this as the events have been unfolding. Council has an important role to play here in making sure that constituents understand the big picture of what's happening with schools in their communities. Now we come to the budget. We feel that the budget process is not what it should be. We want a process with real community input and more public meetings. The District has 335 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 responsibility to walk the community through the budget. I was unsettled by the news that some members of Council might feel that because there's a low public turnout at these meetings, schools must be improving. I think that the public tired of coming to meetings just to testify when we feel that our input is not being taken seriously, not to mention that we are actively discouraged from coming to these City Council hearings by School District personnel who tell us that City Council doesn't have any power; I assume we weren't the only ones who were told that. But here we are with this proposed budget. We would like to say that we are not satisfied with it. Where are the real reforms for corrective actions to schools? We want to focus on improved teacher quality and equity along with smaller 336 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 classes in schools. One program that was very successful in the past was the Office of Restructured Schools, or the ORS. The ORS was created in 2002 to improve low-performing schools.
It 8 provided teacher-coaches, more 9 professional development, more 10 parental involvement, extra staff, and 11 smaller classes. Then, in 2005, it 12 was mysteriously closed. 13 We have continued to ask the 14 District why it was closed, and to 15 date, they have failed to give an 16 explanation. You call that 17 transparency? 18 In conclusion, Council must 19 exert its influence to increase the 20 transparency and accountability in the 21 School District and on the School Reform Commission. Council also has the responsibility to make sure that community residents understand what is happening to their schools and have an 337 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 opportunity to make meaningful input in the budget and School District decisions. Since education is key to empowering our communities, a real effort needs to be to made to make sure that everyone is involved.
Thank you very much. Good evening. What school do you attend?
Wonderful. I'm glad you do. We appreciate all of the statements you've made. Apparently, 338 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the only school that will close in June, as you know, is Maya Parkway. And the Turner School is now being considered for various charter schools. They're looking at that. But I'm happy to meet with you, with your group to talk about what we hear. As you know, obviously, we understand our responsibility to you and to the community, and as I attend all of the meetings and learn often, as you do. But there's a lot going on in reorganizing schools in my district, in West and Southwest and in other places. So we look forward to meeting with you. And if you call my office, I'm happy to meet with you or your group, the Student Union, or whomever, many of them. We already meet with them and we'll go from there, okay?
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you for coming in and giving your testimony. As a former vice president of Philadelphia Student Union, I look forward to working with you and the group and as an alumnus of that association to hear your input, take it very seriously. And despite what you may hear from the School Board, we do have power, even if it's just the mic, and we will use that to make sure that they're as transparent as possible, thus allowing resources to go back to their primary mission, which is to educate the students of Philadelphia. So I look forward to working with you. 340 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59
Thank you. Good evening. Please identify yourself for the record.
Good evening. My name is Jan Sklaroff. That's J-A-N, S-K-L-A-R-O-F-F. I have a prepared statement. Dear Members of Council and Council Speaker Anna Verna: My name is Jan Sklaroff. I am a former teacher in the School District of Philadelphia and a citizen, voter, minority inspector at the polls for seven years, and a return Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Armenia. I have a master's degree in secondary education. " And I did my student teaching at Fels High School in the School District and worked for one year at Olney East High School. And my career was ended at Furness High School in April of 2007. I taught at Furness High School from October 2006 until April of 2007. I was a fully appointed teacher for almost two years in the School District of Philadelphia. I believe that I was illegally kicked out -- Jan Sklaroff was illegally kicked out of his school by the principal of Furness High School and placed in a basement by the superintendent, at 427 Monroe Street. This was a basement that had bars on the windows and was unheated. The District office is now at 6900 Greenway Boulevard. ) when a student threatened me. This is quite common in the School District of Philadelphia. The call that I placed at the Safe Schools hotline was placed around the time of the Frank Byrd and Ed Klein incidents. These were teachers who were physically attacked by students in the Philadelphia School District and injured. The Frank Byrd case made national news. Within minutes of my call. 343 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 The principal found out that I was the teacher who called the hotline and had me sent to her office. She was not pleased. I subsequently learned that non-tenured teachers who call the Safe Schools hotline are very vulnerable to retaliation by ruthless principals. I was not the exception. Within days, the principal at Furness High School at Third and Mifflin Streets retaliated against me. I was kicked out of Furness High School upon the beginning of Easter break, on March 30, 2007. Indeed, the principal at Furness High School washed her hands of me, as Pontius Pilate did with Jesus Christ, and had no use for me despite the fact that my department head wrote in a letter of recommendation, which I have, from March 8, 2007, that I, Jan Sklaroff, was a diligent, hardworking, responsible, and highly recommendable 344 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 teacher. " On March 30, 2007, I was instructed to go to 427 Monroe Street in the South Philadelphia District office. For days during my Easter 11 break, I was in limbo. The principal was going to conduct investigatory meetings while I sat in the basement at 427 Monroe Street in solitary confinement in -- as I said, in an unheated room that had bars on the windows in early April. It's very cold in early April. In a room that's unheated, I was required to use a blanket. I was denied an attorney to be present during these investigatory meetings. The basement, as I said, had heavy bars on the windows. During the time I was in the 345 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 basement doing absolutely nothing at the taxpayers' expense, I got sick. I had to be rushed to the hospital on April 15, 2007, for what turned out to be a vasovagal condition that's caused by undue stress. Remember, I was being greatly pressured to leave the School District because of my call. I was given an EKG. I was being subjected to a witch hunt very similar to the McCarthy Era. The sole purpose was to ask me for my job regardless of due process, of civil rights, and my civil rights were violated. On April 30, 2007, the superintendent kicked me out of the basement. In June, the School District of Philadelphia inexplicably took out over $3,000 of my salary from the time I was in the basement; no reason given whatsoever.
For the months of June, July, August, September, October, and November, the District would tell me I 346 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 would be paid the stealth money that was taken out of my paycheck and then cut, stop it, and then audited. This happened over three times. Countless hours on the phone with payroll were incurred by me. And I tried to recover my monies with no 9 success. Again, no reason for taking out my money was given. I've since been double-taxed by the Internal Revenue Service. Also during the time, specific dates were given to me when I would be paid. I was counting on being paid and was repeatedly, I feel, deceived. In September, payroll demanded that I prove that I was in this highly secured basement. Leslie Henley, John Frangipani's confidential secretary, said that I was very thorough about signing in and out, and I indeed proved that I was in the basement. The timesheets were sent to payroll. 347 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 In November, I was still not paid. Payroll said outright that I had not been paid and I would not be cut a paycheck. This, again, is over $3,000. I demanded to know why. Payroll said that I had to call their attorney, the attorney for the School District. I called the attorney and left a message. I received no reply from the attorney. I waited two more weeks and then was directed by my attorney, Ellis Saul, to demand the money or sue the District. I went to payroll and spoke with the payroll department head. I also wrote to Tom Brady, Acting School CEO, and my attorney, Ellis Saul, of King of Prussia, wrote a letter to the school's attorney. At this time, my unemployment compensation case filed against the School District was ruled in favor of the School District. The decision was 348 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 cast on November 31, 2007. All of a sudden, my money was released over seven months after I was in the basement. I received my check on or about September 10th. This is seven months after I did the basement duty. Again, I have been double-taxed of my money by the IRS. Finally, the School District of Philadelphia has successfully to date fought my unemployment compensation, even though they admit that they were going to terminate me regardless. The School District of Philadelphia has fought my Workman's Compensation case even though I was brutally placed in a basement for no 19 legitimate reason other than retaliation. There's been no legitimate reason for holding up my money, as was done for seven months. I ask that the School Reform Commission -- I notice that Heidi Ramirez was here -- issue 349 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 an apology for the unspeakable treatment I have received from the principal and the superintendent. I ask that an investigation take place to find out why I was so horribly treated. I ask that an investigation occur to find out why my civil rights and human rights were trashed by these individuals. I ask that the people who put me in the basement be punished. They deserve punishment. We do not put teachers in basement, we do not put human beings in basements. My health has been affected by the brutal treatment I received. It is time for an investigation. We are not Nazi Germany; this is America. Teachers with master's degree, who, by the way, have no 204s, negative writeups, with the School District of Philadelphia whatsoever do 350 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 not deserve to be placed in basements. And, finally, I was also in the peer intervention program. According to my union, my South Philly union chief, school employees are not supposed to be retaliated against if they're in the peer intervention program. Okay. Again, thank you for time, and I appreciate you listening to my story.
I don't have any questions, but I'm concerned about this issue because this is the second witness we've had today to discuss this matter, and we have encountered other issues like this with 351 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 people not testifying but at least have raised that procedure of putting people in the basement and trying to oust them. And I think we will ask the School District to -- we need to talk to them about that.
Thank you. I want to point out that teachers are very fearful. The School District can be ruthless. And a lot of teachers I talk to are simply too afraid. They've done everything they could to harm me, so there's nothing more really they can do. So I'm not that fearful still. I'm still very fearful of the things that they could pull, but I'm 352 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 encouraged by Councilwoman Tasco's remarks.
Yeah, I just want to say first that I would like to thank both of you all from testifying. I took interest in some of your testimony. I know that there are some concerns about whether or not Councilmembers actually listen and pay attention and take with some level of seriousness the testimony here. And 353 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 you may look around the room and don't see members here, but we do hear you, we do understand the problems associated with some of the issues relating to the School District. I took particular interest with one of the statements that you said, that the School District -- and you didn't reference a particular person, and I'm not going to ask you anybody's name 'cause they're going to obviously deny it if approached by that by the fact that City Council is viewed as being powerless as it relates to policy and operations of School District. And while I would like to not characterize it that way, but to some degree, I think sometimes -- and I can only speak for myself, but sometimes, I do feel that way. Unfortunately, under the current system, which is with the SRC -- and we have great members on 354 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 the SRC, so I'm not talking about them as individuals, but this whole process has been set up where there's this shared level of responsibility between the State and the City. And the State has, you know, the majority of members on there. In the old days, it was all City appointees, so you had some level of influence as a Councilmember because you had to interact with the Mayor who was the appointing entity. I'm a little concerned that as that has transpired, we are not necessarily in a position to influence policy like I would like. We find ourselves on an annual basis probably getting one bite at the apple to have the level of questions about operations that we need to have, and that's during the tax reauthorization time, which is now, the budget. Unless there's the need to get some additional funding in the School 355 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 District over the course of the year, frankly speaking, we don't have really have any interaction in this kind of format, and that's concerning 'cause, at the end of the day, a Councilperson's ability to really get information and show the seriousness of the inquiry from us happens in this room. If you talk to a lot of people, they hate coming in this room 13 because they know that they have to be responsive in a way that they don't have to be any other way. I would like to say that in Council, we're actually talking about internally coming up with a process that in a periodic way during the course of the year that we talk to members of departments to find out the status of the progress throughout the departments and the requests that we've made and not wait until the next year's budget process, but sometimes 356 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 it's too late. I would actually say -- and I'm assuming that members of the School District are listening -- that in some periodic way that they come back before this body and give us a status report, 'cause I know over the last two days, there was significant issues raised and significant questions, and a lot of it wasn't answered, understandably because they had to get back to us, but I would really like to see a process that would allow us during the course of the year to really get a -- somewhat of a report card on what's going on with the School District and the educational process as it relates to our young people so we can truly be engaged and truly be responsible for the operation of the School District and ultimately the education of our young people. So I hear you. If you want to 357 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 send me a little note about who told you that, that we're powerless, that's okay, but I'm sure that they won't acknowledge that. But I just want to say that we hear you and we take serious what you're talking about today. Thank you for your testimony.
Thank you very much. Are there any further questions? (No further questions.)
Thank you very much. Is there anybody else to testify here today? (No response.)
Seeing none, this hearing will be recessed until May 1st, at 9 a.m. 358 4/29/08 - WHOLE - BILLS 080158,59 Thank you very much. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all for your patience. (Proceedings end at 6:58 p.m.) * * * 359 C E R T I F I C A T E I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings of the City of Philadelphia Council Committee of the Whole are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me on Tuesday, April 29, 2008, and that this is a true and correct statement of same. __________________________________ JOSEPHINE CARDILLO Registered Professional Reporter (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.)