DN Editorial: Please, sir, more
Its time for Harrisburg to try a new twist in school funding.
IN WHAT is by now a rite of spring, Philadelphia's mayors have been making the trip to Harrisburg to lobby the Legislature for more money for one thing or another, often the public schools.
Mayor Nutter made his on Tuesday, meeting with legislators to press for increased state funding for basic education and to reimburse the district for some of the costs of running charter schools, which the state used to help with, but no longer does.
What's different about this year is how big the hole is, and how difficult it might be to fill it. The district says that it needs $300 million more to operate in the next school year. It wants the city to kick in $60 million of that, and is talking to the teachers union about wage and benefit concessions totaling $133 million.
The district wants an additional $122 million in state aid.
Without help, Superindent William Hite said Thursday, the district will have to adopt a scorched-earth policy on remaining programs, including an end to all extra-curricular activities - including sports - the end to all art and music programs, laying off guidance counselors and virtually all support staff in the schools.
It's not unusual for Harrisburg to meet these pleas with skepticism. Philadelphia has cried wolf before, predicting dire consequences if it can't get additional state aid. This time, though, it genuinely appears that the wolf is real and it's at the door.
That's because the district has already shed thousands of workers, a number of programs and - controversially - begun closing public schools in the name of balancing the budget.
Despite the slashing and burning, the district has fallen short. The proposed budget for the next school year is $2.6 billion. The district has $2.3 billion in revenue.
Critics look at those numbers and say: Surely, the people who run the schools can find $300 million more in savings. The reality is that the district already has reduced its personnel and program costs so drastically, it doesn't have much "give" left. There are certain fixed costs to running a system with 205,000 pupils: salaries, benefits, maintenance, utilities, buses, books.
Plus, in next year's budget, the district has line items for mandated increased spending on its pension contributions. It also faces increased employee health-benefit costs, and it is obligated to pay for salary increases for teachers.
Legislators cannot say that the district hasn't taken any steps to remedy its deficit problem - a problem the state itself caused by slashing aid to education in Philadelphia and across the state.
Lawmakers can't say that the district has failed to make tough decisions. Just have Hite show you his scars from the fight over closing schools.
Lawmakers can't say that the district hasn't asked its employees to sacrifice, since it got pay decreases from its blue-collar workers, and wants the same from teachers.
Finally, lawmakers can't say that it should take the axe to its bloated bureaucracy. The district has laid off 42 percent of its administrative staff and has plans to lay off more if the $300 million does not materialize.
What the state can do - as the district and the mayor have done - is to come to grips with the reality of running a large urban district. It's time for Harrisburg to step up and do its job: providing money to meet the needs.