Philadelphia School District Criticized at Committee Meeting

By Yasmin Tadjdeh | PA Independent

A lawmaker slammed the School District of Philadelphia for its poor academic performance and low graduation rates despite the millions the state has spent in what he called a "rat hole."

"Constituents in my district are getting a little tired of dumping money into this rat hole in Philadelphia," said state Rep. Dan Truitt, R-Chester, at the House Education Committee meeting Aug. 4.

West Chester, the county seat of Chester, is about 30 miles west of Philadelphia. 

The meeting was part of the committee’s recent initiative to reach out to the public about school choice. The committee heard testimony from advocates of cyber and charter schools and those who believe the state should not fund alternative education options, including school vouchers for poor students in failing schools. 

Truitt, whose county has the highest median household income of all counties in Pennsylvania, said the state is not seeing a return on its financial investment into Philadelphia public schools. 

Truitt’s comments were met with sharp criticism from Beth Olanoff of the Pennsylvania League of Urban Schools, a nonprofit organization working to improve educational opportunities for students in urban areas, who refuted the notion that Philadelphia schools were not seeing results. 

“We have been getting different results, and it’s not fair to say Philadelphia is a rat hole, it’s not fair to say that there aren’t successes in Philadelphia, that kids aren’t succeeding in Philadelphia--a lot of kids are succeeding in Philadelphia,” Olanoff said. 

The Philadelphia school district graduation rate is 71 percent, well below the state goal of 85 percent. 

According to the state Department of Education data, fewer than 50 percent of Philadelphia school district high school students are reading at grade level, and fewer than 40 percent are at grade level in mathematics. 

Olanoff said many of the negative academic results can be attributed to high levels of poverty. She said inner city schools statewide would benefit from more early education programs, higher quality teachers and additional funding to allow students to have higher levels of academic achievement. 

Truitt said it was “unfair” that Philadelphia schools receive so much money from the state compared with other districts. 

Philadelphia students make up 10 percent of Pennsylvania’s public school children, yet they receive about 20 percent of the state’s basic education funding. 

This year the General Assembly allocated about $968 million from the $5 billion basic education fund to Philadelphia schools. Comparatively, the second highest allocation of funds went to Pittsburgh with $152 million. The average district receives a little more than $10 million. 

Philadelphia schools also will receive an additional $21.6 million from the state’s education block grant program, out of the $100 million supplemental funding program that school districts frequently use for early childhood education and special education. 

Truitt would later clarify his comments and said that his use of “rat hole” was not meant to be derogatory and that it was a financial term illustrating when money is being poured down the drain. 

Philadelphia is home to more than half--73 out of 144--of the schools on the state Department of Education's list of "failing schools." The schools on the list represent the lowest 5 percent in student achievement as measured on state standardized tests. 

The School District of Philadelphia did not return calls for comment made Aug. 4. 

Committee Chairman Paul Clymer, R-Bucks, said the committee is expected to advance a school choice proposal this fall, after the hearings have concluded. School voucher bills were introduced in the spring session in the state House and state Senate, but did not pass either chamber. 

School vouchers would allow students to redirect the state-level per-pupil spending at their local public school to a private, parochial or independent school of their choice. 

On Aug. 3, state Education Secretary Ronald Tomalis said the Corbett administration favored a voucher bill aimed at the state’s failing schools, half of which are in Philadelphia. 

State Rep. Brad Roae, R-Crawford, said students should be able to use vouchers to get out of underperforming schools in Philadelphia. 

“These schools are not there to provide jobs for teachers and administrators and support staff…schools are there to educate children; if they’re not getting the job done they should want those kids to take that state money and go to a decent school,” said Roae, alluding to the voucher plan. 

The biggest problem with Philadelphia schools is the Legislature’s uncertainty as to where their funding is going, said Clymer, who specifically referred to the many employees who are receiving suspiciously high wages that don’t correlate with their occupation. 

According to Sunshine Review, a nonprofit dedicated to state and local government transparency, 34 employees of the School District of Philadelphia have salaries of more than $150,000. 

“The School District of Philadelphia receives a large sum of money from the Commonwealth…and the question is, is it being properly utilized?” Clymer said.