Inquirer Editorial: Do more locally to help schools

Mayor Nutter's plea for the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce to do more to help city schools was another sad reminder that the system still hasn't closed a funding gap that threatens to create yet another fiscal crisis next year.

"Solving the education problem must become a business and economic imperative," Nutter said Tuesday. "If we don't address this problem now, in 10 years, we won't have a competitive workforce, meaning you won't have a qualified pool of workers to fill available positions."

Of course, Philadelphia is not the only financially struggling district. Inadequate school funding is a statewide problem that can't be solved with emergency grants. Gov. Corbett and the legislature must devise a new appropriations formula that more accurately matches a district's needs to its funding.

It shouldn't be so hard to persuade Harrisburg to live up to its constitutional obligation to provide an adequate education to children. But districts across the state must be unified in that effort, which is why it was confusing and counterproductive for Nutter and Council President Darrell Clarke to often work separately in lobbying legislators.

It was also confusing to see the city ask state lawmakers for authority to hike a liquor-by-the-drink tax to give more money to schools only to see City Council fail to pass local legislation. Some Council members actually sounded more concerned about corner taverns' losing business than children not getting an education.

Why should Harrisburg care about Philadelphia schoolchildren if the city's elected officials are more concerned about protecting bar jobs? The legislature wouldn't pass the cigarette tax the city wanted to raise money for schools. But the city hasn't done all it could either. The teachers union still needs to agree to economic concessions.

Nutter's plea to the business community was appropriate. But if he truly believes what he told the Chamber about the importance of public education, he will prove it when he sets the priorities for spending in his next budget.