Good morning. Thank you. Thank you, Madam President and distinguished Councilmembers. I'm honored to be here this morning. My name is Lori Shorr. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you regarding my appointment as the City's first Public School Family and Child Advocate. 65 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. I would like to start by giving you some personal and professional background on myself and then some preliminary thoughts on the work that lies ahead on education in this Administration. I want to begin by acknowledging those who have advocated and supported my own educational journey and have enabled me to sit in front of you today. I grew up in Pittsburgh in a hard-working family who afforded me the luxury of pursuing my dreams of going to college. D. at the University of Pittsburgh. , I worked at Temple University in the Office of the Provost where I worked on aligning curriculum and assessment between the 66 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. School District of Philadelphia and the University. It was here that I began to understand the need for the whole City to pull together and to make sure every child had the same opportunities I and many others take for granted. After that, I moved to the President's Office to help Temple manage its five partnership schools. I then served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Education in Harrisburg. There I worked on developing the state's first dual enrollment program, which provides an opportunity for students to earn college credits while still in high school. Most recently, I directed the Governor's Commission on College and Career Success. Mayor Nutter sat on that Commission. Many of the Commission's 12 recommendations are currently being implemented in Harrisburg. As the Chief Education Officer for the City of Philadelphia and the 67 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. Public School Family and Child Advocate, I feel our work is clear: To make sure that the City of Philadelphia creates and maintains an educational system in which all children flourish. Our dropout rate is one of the first things we must tackle. The dropout rate in Philadelphia will be a major focus of our work in the next five years. To put this in perspective, in a freshmen class of 100 students in Philadelphia, about half of those students, around 50, will leave the system without a diploma. The implications of that for students are far reaching. The impact on the City is undeniable. The majority of folks who do not have a high school diploma in Philadelphia are currently not in the labor market. When they are able to find employment, they work less hours for lower pay. Over their lifetime, a dropout in Philadelphia will earn about $475,000. A student who earns their 68 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. degree will earn about 870. The difference for that in the City is tremendous. This is a crisis that affects everyone and one that we all will have to take on together. The task is large. Now more than ever the City must work to connect social services, including behavioral health services, social workers and other community resources, to support the day-to-day work that's happening in schools. I'm sitting in this seat before you with the goal clearly in mind for these students. It's been clear for some time our City is not structured to support each child to succeed and thrive in his or her school and community. For too long our children and youth have suffered under a fractured, disjointed system where it is much too commonplace for the educational, social and emotional needs to be treated as three different segments of that same young person. I resolve to 69 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC.
work on behalf of the Mayor and this body to collaborate with every City agency that touches the life of a child, for those who provide mental and physical health services to those who police our streets and work tirelessly to keep them safe, from those who work to provide economic and employment opportunities for adults to those engaged with setting financial direction for the City. We can no longer tolerate the status quo in this work. In addition, there are too many families in our City who have one seemingly simple desire, to send their child to a school that is family and community friendly, with adequate resources to help all students achieve at high levels, that prepares every student to succeed in college and career. This desire is a fundamental right, and as the Public School Family and Child Advocate, I will work to ensure that this right is fulfilled across our City. 70 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. This work will require me to collaborate with education advocates both within our City and across the State of Pennsylvania as we fight for adequate funding for all Pennsylvania schools. From my work both in the City of Philadelphia and at the state level, I've learned how important cross-state collaborations are in making real policy change happen for kids. The State Board of Education commissioned a recently released costing out study that showed us all something we've known for far too long: Too many Pennsylvania students are being drastically shortchanged simply because of the city they live in or the zip code they live in. This problem doesn't just involve the City of Philadelphia but includes districts across the region and across the state, urban, rural and suburban alike. Almost every district across the state, 471 of the 501 districts to be exact, are struggling to 71 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. do more and more for our kids with fewer resources available. Philadelphia alone is due about 900 million based on the study's findings. Just ask our teachers and principals what these funds would allow them to afford, more educators, more counselors, updated books students could learn from. The time has come for this persistent inequality to end. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be considered for the position of Philadelphia's Public School Family and Child Advocate. With the great need that currently exists in our City to provide real educational opportunities for all students, it's critical that this advocacy happens in policy and practice. The Mayor has pledged to be a leader in this reform effort, and I am fully committed to doing so as well. We must make bold change, and, again, I'm honored to be called to this task. In closing, thank you for the 72 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. opportunity to testify before you, and I welcome any questions you might have.
Thank you very much. Are there any questions from members of the Committee? The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Welcome. In the section where you talk about what a child needs, the City is not structured to support each child, could you give me an example of a case that you might -- a student that you might deal with in the system using all of the services you outline here?
What comes to mind first is, we know that a child who is involved in a juvenile justice out-of-home placement has to go between the School District and then through the 73 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. justice system to an out-of-home placement, then back into the School District if they're going to complete their educational goals. And what happens is, when kids cross those institutions, it's very difficult to make sure that they're getting all of the supports that they need in a continuous manner. So when you look at a child like that, who might go from a school, a regular Philadelphia day school to a disciplinary school to a juvenile justice, how do their records get transmitted, how do you make sure that they have a constant social worker who helps them make that commitment to finish their education, how do our City agencies dovetail with that effort so that we're thinking not about this kid is your kid or that kid is your kid or my kid, but it's a kid that we all have to work together to make sure gets the services that they need, whether that's behavioral 74 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. health, whether that's emotional support, whether that's housing, no matter what those social services are that have to be in place in order for a child to graduate from high school or to really fully engage intellectually in a classroom. Even if they're not in juvenile justice or someplace else, a student can't take the risks that it takes to learn something new if they're concerned about their own well-being or if they have someplace to go to that night, and that's where the City comes in, to make sure that that part of the work is taken care of.
And I understand that, but how do you make that happen? I mean, what is your role if you have 5,000 students who are in the system and some may be getting service from DHS, some may be getting service from CBH, some --
Right. How do you make that happen. 75 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC.
Do you have the staff? Is it a policy-making position, that you're working with the other departments to set up a system to make this happen? How does --
And I think we're still figuring that out, but I'll tell you what my current thoughts are on that, and I'd be happy to hear back from those of you who have thought about this from the City perspective longer than I have. I think that real change is about systemic change, so that we're definitely going to spend time on policy and system change, but we also will be getting calls from parents to say, This has happened to my child, what can I do, and we're committed to making sure that that request, A, gets logged so that we can see where the hot points are for parents, where's the system breaking down most. We'll log that. But then also connect them to the right folks inside the School District to make sure that -- 76 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. and we're actually talking about how to work with the Mayor's action team as well to make sure that that can happen. So I think that those are our current thoughts around that.
Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown last term sought to set up the Benefits Bank, which is a tool -- and I think we're going to have some discussion about that later. If the child is identified in the system, the computer system, his name or her name is put in the system, then you can track from that system, if it's set up correctly, and the Benefits Bank I think is designed to help us identify individuals and what services that they have and possibly additional services that will help you track the student. Have you talked to anyone about the Benefits Bank?
I haven't heard that particular term. I know there's DSS Cares, which is one type of tracking, but 77 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. I don't -- I've got to find out. I don't know about the Benefits Bank. I'd be happy to come meet with you and find out what that is and how it can help us in the work that we have in front of us.
Well, because the coordination can be done, needs to be done. At one point in time when I first came here, the Health Department was not talking to DHS and wasn't talking to the other departments. Some were billing, some were not billing for services. So then Estelle Richman got them all together so that you could track the student or the individual, not necessarily the student, and so that all those services were coordinated. Now, what kind of staff are you going to have?
Well, I have a deputy, who is in the audience today, Sharon Tucker, and an administrative assistant. 78 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC.
Well, you better get a good computer system, because you're going to have a lot. Because at the end of the day -- and I think it's nice to have the advocate and have that position, but the bottom line is, how does it get done. At the end of the day, how do we help the student access all the services that are available to him or her. And certainly you're going to have to help set the policy with all the other department heads, which I believe are cooperative people, but it's not an easy task.
No. From just the initial conversations I've been having, it doesn't seem like an easy task, but it seems like a necessary one. So whatever thought has been given so far to how to make that happen in a more coherent way and comprehensive way, I'm anxious to have those conversations.
I don't know how this Administration or how this 79 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. Mayor feels about the Benefits Bank, but as I involved myself in it some years back, it seemed to be a good tool to use as a tracking system for a person who is in the City system receiving services from the City, and so you know a little bit all about that one individual and you just click online.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Madam President. Good morning and congratulations.
This is a confirmation hearing, and though I am extremely excited and anxious to do a lot of follow-up with what Councilwoman Tasco 80 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. has raised, know that we still have examples where there's still gaps in the service continuum for young people, and we look forward to speaking with you about the Benefits Bank, and I'm delighted to hear that you recognize that there's still a need for systems talking to each other. I mean, credit goes to Estelle Richman, who saw it, who got it and then attempted to put things in place, and there's been some movement across City departments, but we still have incidents like the one you describe, a child is at DHS and in other systems in government and there's no clue about that. So know that I look forward to speaking with you and talking with you at length about that and look forward to public policy that will help us inverse those numbers of 18 percent going to college and 45 percent dropout, hopefully inversing those numbers to where 45 percent of our young people are going on 81 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. to college and only percent or fewer than that are dropping out. So I will put a comma here, push the pause button and look forward to both budget and a one-on-one sit-down with a couple of resolutions we've already introduced on those issues.
14 You're welcome. 15 The Chair recognizes 16 Councilwoman Sanchez. 17
Yes. 18 Hi. I just want some clarification. Do you see yourself more as helping the Administration interpret policy as it relates to children and family or do you see yourself as the connector of the dots, or both?
I think -- well, if the last week can be any indicator, it 82 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. seems to be both. I mean, the work that I've done up until now has always been about connecting people in different institutions to have conversations at the same table about one issue and trying to push it forward. That has to be done with some policy background and knowing where people are coming from. So I think it's got to be both. Let me ask you this on your question: Was that connecting dots to be between individual people who call the office?
Yes. No, I think it's system alignment is a big part and then also an advisor to the Mayor on policy. So both of those.
Now, do you see yourself advising the Mayor in terms of what pedagogical approaches we should be taking?
Well, I think I 83 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. would have to rely on folks who are more expert than I in areas, and that, I think, probably just comes from my background of always looking to who has done the work, who knows the history in the City of an issue, what does national best practice and research say. That's how I always approach my work. So I would approach it in the same way. I have my opinions based on the work that I've done over the last ten years, but I try to keep informed of what the field is saying and what's worked before and what's the history of how it has and hasn't worked in Philadelphia. Because you can look at national research, and I think we need to, we need to look at other urban setters who are taking on this work and learn from them. At the same time, Philadelphia has some of its own issues, that you have to be able to know that history to know whether or not those are translatable sort of practices. 84 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC.
You mention the cost-out study, and I was encouraged over the weekend that the Governor is looking at increasing the funding, although nowhere near where the cost study shows. Is the Administration looking -- because money is important and I'm all for the money, but also we have the added experience in New Jersey where we pumped in a lot of money into, "we" government, pumped in a lot of money into a bad system and haven't gotten the returns. So that's why my question -- because it just seems to me like a huge task if you're going to be doing policy plus connecting the dots.
Well, and this may not be the full size of our staff, but it is what it is right now. But I hear what you're saying to me.
And I'm saying that as an advocate, because to set you up in a position and there's not real support financially to be able to do 85 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. that type of work, it's just incredible at a time when we have leadership transition at the School District. In my case, 20-something schools in corrective action II, which in a timely fashion we're looking at privatizing, chartering them, all those types of things. So I need to know if your office is going to be the office where we can talk about are those some of the system ways that we go or do we look at other things, and then you get bogged down on the case-to-case study, which is important. But we're at a crossroads with the School District and we have an opportunity because of the leadership, the new leadership coming in, and I just want to make sure that our eyes is on the big institutional prize and how do we make the system work for the 175,000 students.
Yeah. I think that systems work is a big part of what we're going to be doing. 86 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
I agree with my colleague when it comes to the importance of giving people the tools to be successful. We hope to be a value added in that regard to make sure that you get what you need, because what your mission is is at the core of a lot of things that are either right with our City and wrong with our City by way of the education and the plans for educating our youth. A couple of things that I'd like to bring to mind as you connect the dots -- and that goes back to the Benefits Bank issue -- there are a lot of 87 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. young people who leave money on the table, a lot of parents that leave dollars and resources on the table because of a number of issues. One of them is lack of marketing and knowing that these resources exist. I had an opportunity to meet with some folk to provide the Hooked on Phonics type of tutorial that is available for Title I students, that there is a 17-day provision that allows a kid that is suffering in the disciplines of reading and/or math to get days' 15 worth of tutoring, but a lot of Title I 16 parents don't know that that is available 17 to them. So at the end of the year, that money goes back to the budget and is reprogrammed to go to some other use. Well, keeping in mind with the scores that a lot of the young people at least in my district are getting in those critical areas and discipline, we need to market that better. We need to let parents know that for 17 days if you 88 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. can't afford tutoring, if you aren't capable of helping your kid with homework yourself on a subject matter, that these resources are available to you. So I'd like to see someone advocate for using some of those dollars to market to those people in need of those services, number one. The second thing, I'd like you to take a look at the role of sports in the education process. I know for one, one of the reasons I stopped being one of those young men in the dangerous demographic on the corners of the City of Philadelphia was because when I came home from track and field at Overbrook, I was just plain too tired to hang on the corner. So one of the things that I want to look at is sports as a violence intervention mechanism and to see how we can continue that in the areas of track and field, basketball, football, but also to put some tutorial on those sports to 89 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. help our athletes be able to pass the SATs. The third thing that I'm passionate about and hope that you will take a look at in your new role and capacity is mentoring with private sector firms. We need to look at our curriculum and see if it's designed for real job opportunities after the high school experience.
In Germany, there are companies, whether it's Daimler Chrysler, where a young person goes to school part of the day and then in the afternoon works with a master that may have been in the area of catalytic converters and helps to actually assemble them, design them and knows that business by the time they graduate from high school. We need to take a hard look at real jobs in real Philadelphia area markets. One comes to mind is the Visiting Nurses Association, which has 90 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. been in Philadelphia for over a hundred years. They are a major employer. Because of the age of the average Philadelphian, that service of going to homes, providing nursing care to our seniors is a vocation that is not going away but, in fact, is going to increase in demand. It seems as though that they could work with the public high school, an academy or one that is a vo-tech high school to work with curriculum designed to empower young people, at the day of their graduation be eligible for a real job opportunity. You could go on with in Parkside there is a kiosk company that makes the kiosks that are found in our airports that would love to have young people that are carpenters and wood workers to come and work with them during part of the day to learn their craft. So I'd like us to take a harder look at as we provide tax incentives to companies to locate in the City of 91 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. Philadelphia. One benefit, one extreme benefit, could be working with the public education sector to design curriculum that provides real opportunity for real young people at the 12th grade experience. Thank you.
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thanks for coming in today. It's great to have you here. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you're going to be able to do as the advocate for our children. I had a specific question about your testimony, and, that was, you mentioned the costing out study, 900 million to a billion to Philadelphia. Many municipalities have in the past in 92 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. other states tried to require the state Legislature to provide funding by suing essentially under the state Constitution saying each child -- it's a state obligation under the Constitution. We've never before in the history of the Commonwealth -- this has been talked about and somewhat tried, but we've never before in the history of the Commonwealth had actual proof in terms of numbers of the disparity between the different school districts and what the proper spending level is for, say, Philadelphia and the other school districts. With that in hand, would the Public Advocate for children be suing the Commonwealth?
I haven't had those discussions with the Mayor. And when we think about what our role is in Philadelphia, not just our role statewide in advocating, but now that we have proof in hand, what we do with that I think is an important conversation to have, but we haven't had it yet. 93 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC.
I think 86 million as great a step as it is from the state is not even close to what we need for Philadelphia, and as the advocate and as fiduciaries for our kids' futures, I don't see how we would have a choice but to sue the state for that funding.
Well, and that 86 is just proposed. I mean, even that still has to get into the final budget.
Right. Anyway, I noted you were planning on working with other school districts. To the extent it wouldn't be just Philadelphia, but we could do that on a statewide level, and I think that would be terrific.
Yes. Tomorrow we're having some conversations up in Harrisburg with other folks around the Commonwealth who are placed similarly to us in terms of our funding gaps to find out what coalition can be built.
Great. 94 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. Thank you, Lori.
What is your relationship going to be with the School District?
Well, in that the SRC has mayoral appointments and gubernatorial appointments, I'll be working closely with the SRC and with the executive level of the School District of Philadelphia around pressing issues like funding, but also looking at what's coming up on their docket to find out the ways in which the City can work with them, so what's coming up on the SRC dockets for the next couple of months. I've already been in long conversations with Commissioner Glenn and have not yet had the chance to meet with the other commissioners. So I think we've had two folks who have been in roles similar to mine 95 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. and they've had different relationships with the School District. I'm planning on being very connected to those commissioners and to the School District executives over there.
Because as I think about what we just talked about and the services that you would provide, it seems to me that it would be the School District who would have or should have the information about the students in their system --
-- so that they could track it and should have the administrative staff to provide that service rather than having yours as an advocacy office and not a --
Right. I don't think we're planning on running that data in our little office. Because data sharing is a difficult thing to do, I think it's going to take a lot of folks with a lot of expertise to make these 96 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. different data systems speak to each other in a way that can really inform policy, and that's one of our goals.
Okay. And while Councilman Jones advocates for sports, since music is the name of the game these days, I'd like to see music and art promoted back into the school system. I think it's very, very important and I think we're missing a lot in terms of not only the hip hop music but also the classics.
Right. And that goes to engaging kids in what's happening in the school, because if it's not engaging, then it's difficult for them to meet the rigorous standards we want them to meet.
Thank you. Are there any other questions or comments from members of the 97 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. Committee? (No response.)
Ms. Smith, I understand that you want to be recognized for a moment.
Yes. Thank you. I want to make clear -- I understand that my comments earlier about the confidentiality of opinions have caused some concern, and I want to make clear -- and I've had some discussion with the Mayor about this -- that the opinions that any one of you request will be confidential unless you tell us that you would agree otherwise. They will be presumed to be confidential unless you tell us that you do not object to them being made public. I want to emphasize that.
Councilman Clarke, did you hear 98 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. Ms. Smith's statement?
No, Madam President. I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I apologize.
Ms. Smith, I hate to ask you to please repeat, but for Councilman Clarke's benefit, I wish you would.
Sure. I said I understand that my comments earlier have raised some significant concern among the body and I want to emphasize -- and I've talked to the Mayor about this -- I want to emphasize that the advice that you request from us, the opinions that you request from us, will be confidential unless you tell us that you will agree otherwise.
Does anyone have any questions of Ms. Smith? (No response.)
Any 99 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. comments? (No response.)
Thank you. I think you've made your point very clear.
This will conclude our public hearing. We will now go into our public meeting, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco regarding Resolution 14 No. 080043.
Madam President, I move that Resolution 080043 be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that Resolution No. 080043 be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation. All in favor will indicate by 100 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion carries. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco regarding Resolution 11 No. 080045.
Madam President, I move that Resolution 080045 be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Resolution No. 080045 be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation. All in favor will indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
Those 101 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. opposed? (No response.)
The ayes have it and the motion carries. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco regarding Resolution 8 No. 080074.
Madam President, I move that Resolution 080074 be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Resolution No. 080074 be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation. All in favor will say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion carries. 102 2/4/08 - WHOLE - RES. 080043, ETC. Thank you very much and congratulations. Congratulations. (Committee of the Whole adjourned at 11:55 a.m.) - - - 103 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on February 4, 2008, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)