In Philly schools fight it helps to know your numbers

IN THE FIGHT OVER money for Philly schools, it's easy to get lost in numbers that aren't always what they appear to be.

Take something as simple as the number of students.

The school district says it's 149,535. The state Department of Education says it's 201,694.

Can't Harrisburg and Philly agree on anything? Not even how to count kids?

Nope.

The state counts all public pupils, including those in charter schools. The district doesn't count charter-school pupils, despite the fact that they, too, are tax-funded.

And so it goes.

The same sort of muddle occurs with funding numbers.

House Majority Leader Mike Turzai says the House-passed budget includes public-education spending "close to $10 billion . . . the highest ever."

Last year, the state's education spending was $11.3 billion.

Hey, what's a billion dollars or so?

But Turzai's talking about basic K-12 spending. The education budget includes early, basic and higher ed.

So he's right, though it's disingenuous to claim "highest ever," since spending goes up every year.

As it did after Gov. Corbett took office.

Even though a claim can be made (and has been) that Corbett cut education by $1 billion, his first budget in 2011 included a $128 million increase for basic ed.

The "Corbett cuts" came from not replacing $650 million in federal stimulus money available during the Rendell administration, and from slicing money for block grants, tutoring and charter schools, cuts that hit urban districts harder than others.

Against this backdrop of dizzying data and humongous amounts of your money is the battle of the moment.

Mayor Nutter and city schools seek more ($120 million more) from the state as part of an effort to close a $304 million hole threatening to swallow thousands of teachers and aides, school programs and sports.

The argument ranges: Public schools cost too much and do too little; short-changing education is a road to perdition.

The Corbett administration seems willing to help Philly. The Republican-controlled House not so much. But the Republican-controlled Senate reportedly is considering more for distressed districts, including Philadelphia.

So allow me to add some numbers not so widely known.

Although the state now pays 48 percent of the cost of Philly schools, that's the lowest percentage of state aid in five years. In 2008, it paid 56 percent.

Conversely, according to state Department of Education data, Philly's local share of education costs increased in the last five years, to 35 percent (the rest comes from the feds).

And although the current state share might seem high, many districts across the state get much higher shares: Williams Valley in Dauphin and Schuylkill counties, 67 percent; Harmony Area in Indiana and Clearfield counties, 68 percent; Otto-Eldred in McKean County, 75 percent.

Also, though Philadelphia has great needs in terms of poverty, the total expenditure per student ($13,167) is less than the statewide average ($14,108).

If all this makes your head hurt, think of it this way: Percentagewise, Philly pays more for its schools than it used to and the state contributes less; and Philly students get less than the state's per-pupil average.

It's unclear whether other parts of the plan to find $304 million (new cigarette and liquor taxes; better tax collection; teacher-union concessions) come together.

But the legislative part should.

The Legislature never fails to find money for its own care, feeding and benefits. It's proposing to spend more on itself this year even as it maintains its own $140 million slush fund, er, surplus.

And there's a mandate in the state Constitution (Article III, Section 14): "The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth."

Lawmakers should check their copies. Then start serving themselves less and the needs of the commonwealth more.