Williams: Kenney 'irresponsible ... shameful' to turn down PSP money

What, you thought we were done talking about the Philadelphia School Partnership and that huge check they're itching to write?

State Sen. Anthony Williams today labeled former City Councilman Jim Kenney "irresponsible" for opposing the PSP's offer to donate up to $35 million to the School District of Philadelphia to help grow the number of charter schools in the city.

(Let's pause here for a quick recap: Kenney announced his opposition to the plan last week, citing concerns about the PSP and their money being tied to "unnamed millionaires who already have far too great an influence in our upcoming mayoral election."

Williams earlier this week said the offer was just a conversation starter, and worth considering because the school district is facing an $80 million deficit.

Kenney's spokeswoman, Lauren Hitt, yesterday called Williams a "single-issue candidate driven by the contributions from anonymous billionaire," prompting Williams to say contributions to Kenney's campaign should be scrutinized. And then former Common Pleas Judge Nelson Diaz ripped both Kenney and Williams over ethical issues, because three's a crowd, am I right?)

Here's the full text of the statement released by Williams' campaign:

"In the first week of his campaign Jim Kenney is focusing on personal negative attacks against Anthony Hardy Williams and is in favor of turning down much-needed school funding as a way to jump start his late-developing campaign.

"Kenney even derides Williams as a 'single issue' candidate. There is at least some truth to that since Williams has made education the centerpiece of both his public career and his campaign. It's why he has worked to bring much-needed funding to our cash-starved public schools and why he has supported school reforms designed to raise the quality of education for our children.

"Williams does not apologize for his focus on education. It's irresponsible of Jim Kenney to turn away $35 million in needed funding for all of our public school students, and it's shameful for him to do so for political gain. While Jim Kenney is turning away funding for our schools and playing politics.

"Williams is the only candidate in this race to deliver increased funding from the state in the form of the cigarette tax bill, and is working to find more funds for all of our kids through a new weighted student funding formula, charter reimbursement, and working for an equitable split of district and public charter dollars in the PSP deal. With the district in fiscal crisis, the goal is to find new funding sources for the district, not turn money away."